Monthly Archives: October 2011

Still no power. The neighborhood behind out house does, though, which is just rude! My new comfort temp range is 53-57degF indoors. # Powered by Twitter Tools

Aaaah snow! Halloween party is off, but we are still going to make and eat all of the party foods. http://t.co/q0MMzoPW # Power is out! We are entertained by intermittent transformer fires down on the corner. Little dudes tucked in … Continue reading

Ugh, after nearly 2 hrs of bleeding/priming the line /pump, still nothing. We are off to our cold bed. Hopefully we can fix it tomorrow! # dorkiest night: I ID an axes error on @goodreads graph analyzing pub date of … Continue reading

More furnace surgery tonight. This is NOT the kind of stuff you want to blow out of your fuel oil line. http://t.co/hU9sotd0 # Powered by Twitter Tools

Goodwill find

When I first had morning coffee with Mike – the very first time – he bashfully served me from some Nestlé globe cups. He has two, and he’d bought them in the early 90s at a flea market. He would have bought more but he didn’t have the cash.

The bashful grown man showing off this special thing to me so shyly when we were still getting to know each other was incredibly endearing (*cough* and attractive!).

Tonight we were at Goodwill and I found him in the dishes aisle. He’d found a whole bunch of those mugs, and was kind of staring at them in wistful disbelief. “Do you want them” I asked? And we got a basket post haste and filled it up.

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Now we have a set of 14! And we even found a sugar and creamer. Amazing!

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Retirement Plans

karinajean: hey if I retire at age 62 I will qualify for $x,xxx/mo social security benefits.

Mike: I’m somewhere in there too, we should be ok, with the paid-for house, tax discount, massive garden, chickens, goats and cow.

karinajean: all we need cash money for is to pay dem durn revenuers. we can make, grow, and steal everything else we need, sweetheart!

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All my yarning

I’ve been on a huge knitting kick lately. I love to use ravelry – it makes it so easy to keep track of your yarn and the patterns you’ve intended to use it for. People used to (and many still do!) make a copy of the pattern and put it in a bag with the yarn and store it neatly somewhere until they’re ready to begin work on it… but I have never been that organized, and I hate using a bunch of ziploc bags if I don’t strictly have to.

Here’s a terrible screen-shot of all the yarn in my stash:

I downloaded an excel spreadsheet and added up all the yarn I have – starting quantities and what I currently have, after knitting a bunch over the last year or so.

Beginning Quantity: 15.10 miles!

Current Quantity: 14.02 miles!

I’ve knit 1.08 miles of yarn! AMAZING!

Even though my queue has a list of 24 patterns in it that’s already matched with yarn, even though there’s a bunch of yarn not currently matched to ANYTHING, and even though I will roughly NEVER finish that list of “to-knits” up, this makes me feel accomplished and excited.

oh, PANTS. I was sure @mikegrundy and I could fix the furnace but the line must be clogged. we changed the filter but the pump won't draw! # We couldn't turn on the heat tonight (bc it's BROKEN) but really, … Continue reading

I got to my 8am mtg 1 full hour early. When you live 80 miles away I guess that's how it goes sometimes. #StarbucksIsAFeeBasedPark # And! Just arrived at my office. I woke up at 4AM, y'all. This msg has … Continue reading

Starbucks is the new public park

I had a meeting in NYC today at the historic Cooper Union foundation building. We live so far away – 80 miles! And it’s always a negotiation to get to or from a meeting.

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Like today: I left the house and drove to Secaucus Junction train station where I could park and take the train in. Other times I’ve driven to Ramsey Rt 17, which is near my work, but the return train schedule is far less frequent so I was concerned I wouldn’t get a train back to work in time for a noontime meeting.

Wouldn’t you know it, but I got to the east village by 7AM, a whole hour early for my meeting?

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So I got a $5 coffee drink at Starbucks and sat for an hour like any self-respecting new yorker. After all, Starbucks are practically public places now, y’know? Like a park with an entrance fee. So classy.

Youth Football

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It’s been lovely weather at youth football games so far this year. Sunny, not too cold, and I’ve been able to sit and knit on things happily. This week I worked on a Monarch Lace Shawl (for a gift for xmas, so don’t spread it around!) and got 5 inches done. It was kind of a stressful game, so I was happy to have something else to focus on while Eight’s team tried to secure their place in the playoffs against an undefeated foe. (They did NOT, but they played very well and had a good time.)

Next weekend it will be colder, but still sunny. I think that will be Eight’s last game of the season. Not bad this year – we’ve had amazing weather for all of his games.

The knitting this fall has been awesome. I’ve finished two things already and feel like I’m in a great place for my holiday gifting (i.e., all the yarn is in hand and gift patterns are selected).

One of the things that makes fatigue after late night in NYC worth it: discount bread fm Panya. http://t.co/InvCNXgN # This has been a really bad week for traffic on the thruway. #yesIAmParkedOnTheHighway # Just learned that the Orange Co … Continue reading

It’s not bowling alone, really.

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Last weekend I accompanied Eight to a birthday party of one of his classmates. It was at a bowling alley, and the other mom’s (no dads this time) sat at tables at the back of the room. Mike had a bunch of stuff to do at home in order to finish up his dad’s birthday present (and I had just cranked mine out that morning), so I offered to take the little chipmunk.

And! it was a little weird. but then it always is, right? when you show up with “someone elses” kid? and you don’t know any of the parents, and they’re already sitting down at tables for 3 or 4 with no room to buttinsky and introduce yourself?

So I sat right next to them, smiled a lot, and knit away, fiercely, on my latest hat. I mean, already I was sticking out as the new person. And to top it off I was wearing – as I typically do – a short skirt, knee socks, and my converse with pirate shoelaces. I find myself knitting in public and hoping that this tiny thing is what will make me seem a little less cool (because obviously I am ultra cool, with my short skirts and knee socks and lack of mom-pants and branded sweatshirts) and a little more approachable.

At football practice I’ve noticed that the way parents get to know one another is you show up a few times and then you just start talking to each other (or even eavesdropping and then joining their conversations) on the bleachers as if you’ve been formally introduced, or actually gone to the effort to meet one-another. But at the birthday parties, they all seem to know each other.

And I’m the STEPPERS. I don’t get to go to parent-teacher night. I don’t get to do the early-dismissal pick-up line. I don’t get to join the PTA.  I am not even the normal regular person who brings Eight to birthday parties. So how the heck does one even make friends with the other parents? Or even get the chance to find out if one wants to?

 

Eight told me on the way home that he told the other kids I am his mom. He does this, see, because it’s EASIER. No reflection on his ACTUAL mom, none at all. plus, then he gets to be the center of attention if any of his friends call him on it. I don’t blame him – man! what a mouthful! I’ve been there myself! – but of course I said “oh, I told all the other parents I’m your stepmom!” and he and I had a good laugh imagining the kids and parents comparing stories about us after the party.

Oh hey, I finished my hat today in our staff meeting! http://t.co/GuV8GBVK # YES! RT @dlightful: when I hear..about Herman Cain, I'm offended someone thought Godfather's Pizza was a good biz name. #racist #stereotype # Had a heart to heart … Continue reading

W. Eight at a party and it's "1 of these moms is not like the others" You guess who has short hair, skirt, knee socks, cons, and knitting… # Powered by Twitter Tools

Oh hey, I got some yarn for a sweater! #sheepandwool #rheinbeck http://t.co/Hdjmn6oM # Powered by Twitter Tools

goals for tonight: buy yarn needle * block capelet (maybe fix bind off) * make potato leek soup * bed at 930. Doable, y'all? # Powered by Twitter Tools

Ugh I am having one of those mornings where every single yarn needle I own has disappeared! #latetowork #thisiswhyIneverfinishprojects # Powered by Twitter Tools

RT @feministhulk: DEAR COLUMBUS, TAKING OVER ANOTHER PERSON'S HOME: NOT "DISCOVERY," BUT TRESPASSING. SINCERELY, HULK # We decided to see if we can bribe the boys w new furniture to clean their room – they get 2wks or it's mine! … Continue reading

There's a HUGE difference btwn the 48degF at home (hands get cold in 30min, muscles tighten) and 61degF at work (SO WARM) when motorcycling! # I had a hilarious convo with Twelve last night about why Columbus is relevant. Hint: … Continue reading