Monthly Archives: November 2005

here’s the big news: I’m having knee surgery on thursday. Apparently, I don’t have an ACL in my left leg! so I’ll get a donor from a cadaver (early payback for my mom’s donation of her body to science!) and will take thursday and friday and most of next week off. Daddy-o will come pick me up after the surgery on thursday, and whisk me home to the land of stocked larders and cable tv. I am getting a prescription for narcotics in the mail, so I should be just fine. And next week I’ll come home and have my internets installed and sit and knit and go to the doctors and try not to have to drive. Theoretically, I don’t have to, because my town has such a great main street. Also theoretically, I’ll be able to use the NJ Transit Trip Planner to plot my moves. Apparently I can take 2 buses to the doctors office in Paramus. You know, if it comes to that.

See, my car is a stick shift and my clutch leg is being operated upon. so I won’t be able to drive my own car for a month+, estimated time. I’m hoping to swap cars with someone locally, and if that doesn’t work there’s the kind offer of Mariss to borrow the pittsburgh civic, and if that’s not feasible there’s always driving the camper van. so all I really need to figure out is: should I do short term disability? how likely is it that I’ll be able to work 40 hour weeks from home ? should I take the train to mahwah and have someone pick me up? apparently, that option is WAY easier (and cheaper!) than traveling to edison for work.

Anyway, because of my imminent crutching around, I cleaned up my apartment. Yes! it’s brilliant. not totally cleaned or unpacked, but it looks GOOD. I even started to hang things on the walls! and I feel so great about slowly getting everything in order. I can’t wait to have a dinner party and serve ridiculously elaborate dishes and lots of dessert. I still have to paint my bedroom and sort out all the boxes in there, and find homes for all of my craft stuff (naturally) but it is coming along, coming along.

well, I didn’t get everything done that I wanted to. but I did make a big dent!

* paint at least one room, either hall or bedroom. Bedroom would be better, but hall would be faster. sigh.I finished the hall way! yay. it looks awesome. I took a photo, but won’t be able to post until tomorrow.
* clean the living room. Could absolutely complete this task if I painted my bedroom. Argh, priorities! Um, not so much. I did put SOME things away, but generally I just moved things around.
* mail some stuff to some special people. not so much again. but tomorrow, for real! at least by wednesday!
* go to the library and return/pick up things. yeeeah. see also above.
* drive plants and things to michelle’s house on long island. visit. Done! I had a lovely time with michelle and her family, they are beautiful and kind people.
* pre-drive, make a yummy chocolate cake (or two). I didn’t do this, but I did bring cupcakes to long island. it’s the thought that counts, right?
* finish off then bathroom, kitchen, and closet lists. This will involve shelving and wood cutting. hop to. Also, make a BIG dent on the hall list. HA HA HA! not so much. but I plan to take the wood cutting to albany with me this weekend, so hopefully it will be a piece of cake to knock out after thanksgiving.
* make stuffed squash for the company thanksgiving feast on monday. Did this after I got home from long island. the squashes came out brilliant, even though stop and shop doesn’t carry hazelnuts, apparently, so I had to use almonds instead. I’m in the feasting office today waiting for lunch to be served up, and I can’ t wait. I love potlucks. they’re so fun, I love getting lots of little bits of different kinds of food for the eating. LOVE IT.

I need to get cracking on my poor apartment this weekend. Luckily, I have some lists to help me out. So this is what I REALLY want to do this weekend:

* paint at least one room, either hall or bedroom. Bedroom would be better, but hall would be faster. sigh.
* clean the living room. Could absolutely complete this task if I painted my bedroom. Argh, priorities!
* mail some stuff to some special people.
* go to the library and return/pick up things.
* drive plants and things to michelle’s house on long island. visit.
* pre-drive, make a yummy chocolate cake (or two).
* finish off then bathroom, kitchen, and closet lists. This will involve shelving and wood cutting. hop to. Also, make a BIG dent on the hall list.


* make stuffed squash for the company thanksgiving feast on monday.

um… is that IT? gosh. you know, I am really not LOOKING FORWARD to this level of effort, but I do know that if I get the living room clean and something painted and start to hang up things like the shelf that’s been on my bathroom floor since May, well, I’ll be in a better place. Especially with the hectic holiday season coming up. Besides, I told myself I couldn’t open my NEW SPINNING WHEEL until the living room is clean! So I’d better!

oh, yes. We had a lovely time at mariss’ 30th birthday party. almost as much time as the birthday boy, I hope! I have some poor pictures here, and koray was the unofficial photodocumenter with photographs here.

pittsburgh was brilliant this weekend: it was wooing me back there. it was warm and leafy, and the colors were spectacular, and I still remember how to get places, and my CMU and nonCMU friends were warm and (in some cases really above and beyond) welcoming and happy and fun. Oh, Pittsburgh, you ARE the best place ever.