Moving day in 5...

All the knitting is in a box. All the books are in boxes. After today, the computers will be in a box. We are moving in five days and everything but the kitchen is now in a box.

I am SICK of boxes! I want to automagically be done. I'm tired, tired, tired. And I miss my knitting. :(

Countdown's on...

So here we are, two weeks out (well two weeks yesterday) from the move, and we are about 80% packed up. Utilities and cable/internet/phone booked, movers booked, and a BIG pile of boxes in the front porch. Still lots to do but I'm not stressing too much, and making sure to take time for some R&R along with the preparations. I made a pair of slippers! For my grandmother, she loves them (little booties, I need to take a picture), and they are nice and cozy and warm. Felt good to start/finish something quickly!

So looking forward to the new place - yesterday it rained all day and Peter said how perfect a day it would be to curl up by the fireplace with a couple of good books. Soon!

One minute

I set my watch alarm this morning to be sure and remember to stop and pray at 11:00. It beeped, I advised my co-workers of the time and bowed my head in thanks and sorrow. I had set a second alarm for exactly one minute - it did not beep. The battery in the watch had died.

Somehow, that's appropriate. It takes far more than sixty seconds, once a year, to properly appreciate the sacrifices of people in uniform, and of their loved ones.

Remember - always.

Fall back!

Yes, the time change was last night/this morning, and even though I was up at 6:30 (new time) I feel pretty good today. That extra hour is a bonus!

Been working on the packing up and staying on top of the housework so that come moving day everything is clean and ready to go. Even got some knitting in yesterday on my green sweater, I was watching TV after I twisted my ankle in the shower (it's better today) and really needed to knit. A little progress is a good thing!

Still lots to do, this week I need to arrange for the utilities to be transferred on the right date, and talk to the DMV about switching my car over to my sister, and get the mail forwarding / change of address stuff set up with the post office. We did get the movers booked, so that's all set to go. Now more packing, more tossing, more packing, more sorting, more packing... but it will be SO much easier at the new place when all the unpacking is smooth because stuff is sorted and labeled properly.

And, it's November! A little over 3 weeks to go... then we get all settled in and ready for Christmas. Life is good!

Snow Day!

The wind is howling, the snow is falling (and has done all night), and I, my friends, am not going out in it today. I have ONE vacation day left for this year, and today is it. Instead of going to work, I am staying in the warm, with my fuzzy PJs, my kitties, lots of hot tea and soup. I have packing and dishes and laundry to do, a hat to knit, and all of Season 2 of "Big Love" to help me enjoy the day.

I feel kind of bad that Peter had to work and not take a snow day, but he's an excellent driver and deals with the stupidity of the "oh-dear-what's-all-this-white-stuff" people far better than I do on the first snow of the year (the forecast was for about 6", with high winds - just enough to bring out the stupid). However, when he gets home there will be homemade chicken soup waiting, and a meatloaf for dinner - maybe even cake, if I'm feeling really energetic.

The funny thing is even though I don't have to go to work, I got up with the alarm (ok, and the snowplow noise) at 5:30. I have a whole day and I get to decide what to do with it. BLISS!

If you're out on the roads today, be safe. I'll be sending you anti-stupid-driver vibes, from here in the warm.

5 weeks to go!

5 weeks from today will be moving day - so much to do but progress is happening. I packed another bookshelf and a bit yesterday; my god, we have SO MANY books but I wouldn't part with them. Packed up the spare linens (really, we don't need 20 towels for 2 people!) and a few odds and ends from the kitchen that are going to a friend. Got laundry done, got dishes done, and all that was Saturday morning. Then I fell down on the couch until 8:00 and had a Corner Gas marathon - such intelligent, funny stuff, I love that show! Too bad they're in their final season but really some shows are meant to have a finite lifespan or they get stale - it's good that they recognize that and are going out gracefully.

Today the forecasted rain seems to not be happening (yay), so we are going for groceries, new boots for Peter, and then down to B&K to bang some more wood together on the deck. Have to get more empty moving boxes too. I actually do enjoy the packing up when it's not rushed - fill a box, label it with contents and room (hell, I'm even colour-coding the rooms), put it on the pile. Kind of like moving-Tetris LOL!

Sometime this week I need to get into the yarn bins for a pre-move tidy up and make sure everything is secure, and also get the mats out for my new toque, as it's been getting cold lately. It should only take a couple of evenings to knit up and then I'll be set for the winter. All the other projects are on hold until after the move, but I'm planning to make Christmas tree ornaments for gifts this year and they are quick and fun, so that's something to look forward to. Here's a shot of the ones I did last year, I may do some new ones but these ones I really like:


Hard to believe that Christmas is only 2 months away! Well, by then we will be all cosily settled in to the new place. I'm looking forward to Christmas Eve snuggled up by the fireplace with my hubby and my kitties - assuming of course that Mok doesn't attack the tree (she's such a mischievous little brat sometimes, but we love her).

Oh, so much to do! Have a great day.

As Bernice once said...

"Time is against us, and we have things to do!"

It seems the fall days are flying by now; the forecast for tonight is for -5 and the page-a-day calendar on my desk is getting thinner and thinner (actually so am I - yay!). About six weeks until the move and so far I've packed exactly 5 boxes of books - not even a full bookshelf. We have empty boxes piled up in the front porch, it's just hard to figure out where to start. What do we not need every day? What do we not need at all? I've put all my knitting away in the yarn bins because if I get sucked into a project I will neglect the packing even further... *sigh* I must make an attempt to pack at least 1 box each day, otherwise it's going to be a mad rush and things will be a disorganized mess, which will make me crazy.

In good news, my folks have generously offered to pay for movers, so at least we don't have to do the lifting and lugging - just get everything packed up and labelled and then stand back and give directions. The unpacking of course will be another task, but we will find places for everything (and everything in it's place ha ha) fairly quickly.

OH, for a week of holidays to just get it all done! Unfortunately my vacation-day bank at work is at a meager .76 days (yeah, not even a full day) so I will have to pick away at things. So, what am I doing at the computer? Procrastinating of course!

Like Bing Crosby said...

I've got plenty to be thankful for. (Holiday Inn, great movie if you haven't seen it).

Counting-blessing time!

1. Peter my husband
   
2. My family (blood and chosen)
3. My kitties
4. My health (mental is getting better, physical is WIP)
5. My work and coworkers
6. Our new home (as of December 1st we have a LOVELY new home - squee!)
7. Books and knitting and movies and computers and other things to enjoy leisure time - of which I actually HAVE a fair bit, these days.

It's been an up and down year, no question, but since this is a traditional day for giving thanks, I want to thank everyone who loves me, who shows concern for me, who makes me laugh and smile and even sometimes make me completely crazy. And I want to thank me too, because (to quote the Beatles) it's getting better all the time. And it's been some hard work along the way.

Go. Be with those you love, and thank them. And have pie!

Gotta move...

So new-home-hunting is on; we found a charming little condo last weekend but sadly the owners decided they preferred a higher-income, no-cats family. Screw'em. We move onwards and upwards.

After a brief (and, I admit, moderately whiny) chat with Mom, she has offered to front us first and last and a couple hundred extra if needed to get a NICE place - the kind of place we can afford three months from now, but not right now. So we surfed a bit and found two quite nice-sounding split-level condos (they are on the same street) that are in a very nice neighbourhood and convenient to work for Peter and a quick bus to work for me. Going to see one on Sunday, waiting to hear back on the other. Cross fingers. These are real "grown-up" type places, the kind of place that you think (if you're like me and have had some bad luck, housing-wise, in the past) that is almost too good for you. Then you (ok, I) gives myself a mental boot to the head and says "You know what? You DESERVE a nice place to live, stupid!"

In other news, I met with my nice therapist guy on Monday and he pronounced me "much improved." So unless I go completely off the rails, I don't need to see him anymore, and I still have a good list of reference materials to check out if things start to go a little wonky. The meds are helping, I totally believe that. Aside from a few initial side-effect adjustments (which went away quickly), I feel a lot more balanced and composed. Little shit don't get me down no more. And with the colder weather setting in, I will be quitting smoking again very soon (probably within a couple weeks), and really feel the knit-urge coming on strong again too, which is good because for a couple weeks there I didn't feel like knitting at all, which is really odd for me.

Even work is improving - stuff is getting wrapped up for this year and next year is starting to set up nicely. Oh, still the occasional fire to put out but like I say, it ain't getting me down no more. Onward and upward!

TGIF

Well, it's been an interesting week. Lots of work-work (an unbelievable amount of paper has crossed my desk this week). A bit of manual labour (dig, dig, dig, dig... yay, no more digging!). And for some extra weirdness, we're going to be moving, sometime in the next 2 months. Our landlord has decided he wants to give our house to his daughter to live in, so out we go, by November 30.

Now, we had planned on moving anyway, just were thinking maybe Spring would be a better time. Ah well - everything happens for a reason, in its season, as they say. So the next few weeks are going to be hectic; finding a place, packing, hauling some stuff out to Peter's brother's place and to my folks... (smart parents, mine - they gave us a patio set for our wedding and now they're "storing" it for us - theirs is worn out). Not a lot of time for knitting in the next while, but this weekend I'm going to try to get a bit in, in between loads of laundry and calling for apartment viewings. Provided Mok-mok, Preventer of Knitting Via Excessive Cute-Snuggling, lets me!

Saturday *sigh*

So I goofed last night/this morning and shut off MY alarm when I shut off Peter's at 1 a.m. Which means I slept too late to make it to my exercise class, and for extra fun woke up from a nightmare by means of Mok licking the nightmare-tears from my face (good kitty, she loves me). After a half-hour of cuddle-recovery from the dream (which I thank God can't remember), I got up and am FREEZING cold with full-body aches. Blargh.

Upside, I got on the scale and am down to 171.4 lbs - was around 175 a couple weeks ago (too lazy to look it up right now) so apparently the cigarette diet is working. HA! Yeah, I'm smoking again, full-on. About 3 packs in the last 2 weeks, and with the corresponding lack of appetite I'm losing weight, albeit in the "wrong" way. Whatever, I'll quit again soon - quitting is not hard for me to do - and it has been helping me deal with stress at work, so I'm not going to beat myself up for it. Although I DO at times want to beat up my fellow-smokers, who have invariably been greeting me outside the past week with "What are YOU doing here? You quit! What's that in your hand? Oh no!" And I'm responding (pleasantly) with "same as you, having a smoke. " God, the hypocrisy.

So today I'm going to take it easy again, and maybe putter on some laundry, and maybe knit and maybe read or game awhile. I'm tired, bone tired, despite having slept longer than usual (or maybe that's why). Odd, I've been feeling better and better (mentally/emotionally) all week, but today I just want to stay in my PJs and do not much. Tomorrow will be better.

We are becoming a nation of wimps

From the Weather Network website, Thursday September 18, 2008, 3:29 p.m.:

FROST WARNING: City of Ottawa
Issued at 3:00 PM EDT THURSDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2008
WIDESPREAD FROST EXPECTED TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. THIS IS A WARNING THAT AT OR NEAR ZERO GROUND TEMPERATURES WILL CAUSE FROST IN THE PARTS OF THESE REGIONS. MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS..LISTEN FOR UPDATED STATEMENTS.
A LARGE ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES IS PRESSING SOUTHEAST ACROSS NORTHERN ONTARIO AND WILL SETTLE OVER SOUTHERN ONTARIO TONIGHT. UNDER CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS TONIGHT TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY TO DROP TO NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING FOR SEVERAL HOURS TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. AS A RESULT WIDE SPREAD FROST IS EXPECTED.

My God. It's FROST, people, not a bloody 3-foot blizzard! Jeez...

Fall is upon us!

Well, not for another 3 days per se, but the chilly temperatures in the mornings this week are making me think I'd better get the toque done to match the scarf I did last month! Been working away here and there on the new sweater, it's at a fiddly bit around the neckline/shoulders and every time I pick it up to work on, a cat materializes in my lap so the progress is a bit slow. Ah well, even 1 row is something!

Things are "evening out" for lack of a better term, emotionally and whatnot. I've been on Effexor XR for a week now and once I got over the initial side effects, it seems to be helping. Of course just talking things out with people and trying to let go of the little daily annoyances is helping too! My new motto is: "If this is my problem, I'll deal with it. If it's not, I'm not going to worry about it." With my job, just being able to step back and say, "Hey, not my responsibility" is a WONDERFUL solution.

And with the rest of life, I am doing my damndest to not make mountains of molehills. For instance, my car needs repair (the muffler is d-e-a-d). This will cost between $200-$500 to fix depending on how badly rusted out the other bits and pieces of the exhaust system are. Six months ago, this would have been a CRISIS - how can we afford it, when can I get it fixed, etc. etc. Now, it's an inconvenience, but not a catastrophe. Take car to shop, shop fixes car, car is safe and sound again, carry on. It just means a pinch in the budget but we will have some extra income in the next couple of weeks so it's a temporary glitch. Dishes piled up in the kitchen? Well, if they don't get done today, they'll get done tomorrow. Ditto laundry, as long as we both have enough clean clothes to get through the work week, I don't mind spending part of Sunday doing the washing. We're not living in an insurmountable den of filth, so I'm not going to feel guilty if I don't want to do chores after work every night.

Maybe it's because the sun has finally decided to come out and stay a few days, but I'm actually feeling pretty good about life, the universe, and everything (42). So I want to make note of that, so I can look at it if a dark day rolls in. Happy Thursday.

Step 1: make a plan

Next year (next summer), Peter and I are taking a REAL vacation - the first one we've had in about oh... six years? We are going to drive out to Gibsons BC and back, and the plan is to have it coincide with the Gibsons Fiber Festival. When we first got together, and for the longest time when we were dating, we spent loads of time just bombing around the back roads, driving here and there - then we did a road trip down East so I could show Peter my old stomping grounds, and now this will be about double the length of that trip. Suffice to say, we love spending time driving together!

Of course there are many things to be arranged in the meantime - vacation time to accrue and book off, a new(er) vehicle (that's the biggie, but we'll figure something out) that will be road-worthy for the trip, and then we will pack our little bags and boogie!

It's a year away, and I'm already excited. This. Will. Happen.

Week in review

Today's thought for the day: "If Sinners Entice Thee, Consent Thou Not" (from Isaiah, apparently, but I heard it in "Guys and Dolls". I interpret that to mean not so much that one should resist temptation, but rather take responsibility for oneself. In other words, "No Excuses." So that's my thought for the week.

It has been a rough week, I admit. Ups and downs, of the sharp extreme type, and mostly I'm just tired out now. Work is starting to get out of control again (summer insanity is over, and now the fall is looking worse), and I'm starting to question how much longer I can remain here. I think to a large extent my work situation is affecting my eating/exercise/stress response habits, and not in a good way - but (see above) that's up to me to examine and deal with. Can't point fingers to blame others for my own actions. I've been eating poorly, sleeping poorly, not exercising (much), and I even had a couple of cigarettes this week. However, I am a grown up rational person and if I DECIDE that's what I really want to do, I'm not going to beat myself up about it. Just move on and try to do better.

Public Service Announcement: banana bread

If you cleverly peel your overripe bananas and put them into a large ziploc and pre-mash them (with the bag safely closed), you have the ideal makings for banana bread or muffins. If however, you then FREEZE the bag-o-mash-bananas, and then THAW it on the counter, well... the line between "thawed" and "fermented" appears to have been crossed sometime around 3 a.m. My bag of potential bread-and-muffins smelled like the after-effects of too many daquiris. Yikes.

No bread and muffins this morning. Dang it.

Long weekend huzzah!

Well, the past week or so has been particularly brutal - emotional rollercoaster time (don't worry, I'm getting help from lots of different places and people) but I am now 40 minutes away from the start of the long weekend and SO looking forward to it!

I have knit up the first ball of the Patons Classic for my green Henley sweater, this afternoon I'm going to put it on some waste yarn and check to make sure the sizing is going to work (hard to tell all scrunched up on the circular needle). Loving the yarn and the k3p1 rib is simple and soothing. Must dig out the camera and get pictures of it, and the scarf from last weekend, up to share!

This weekend is going to be mostly relaxation but I want to do a bit of "back-to-school" tidy-up - I've always liked September as the real "start" of the year and I have a few systems and things I want to get set up and ready to roll - kind of a coordination of all the stuff I want to do:

1. "us time" with Peter
2. Weight Watchers (including some menu plans, etc.)
3. Exercise plan
4. Depression research, counseling and self-care
5. Knitting!
6. Social stuff - visits and guild and knit nites, etc.
7. Future planning - career change, education, location change, etc.

So mostly I need to spend some quality time with my Day-Timer and block out a realistic schedule that includes both the "must do" and the "want to do". However, I'm not spending the whole weekend obsessing on this! I am going to knit, and watch movies, and play WoW, and make some good meals, and get out for a walk in the woods, and Knit Knit Knit because the cold weather is coming!

Happy Labor Day all!

Getting my knit on

Wow, yesterday I knit A LOT. I knit through movies and olympics but I couldn't tell you what I watched because really I was FOCUSED on the knitting. Which felt kind of good.

I started the Henley as planned but unfortunately after about 2 1/2 inches I was really not loving the Seeded Garter Rib (I think that's what they called it) so I ripped out and restarted in a plain K3P1 rib which I am liking better. Simple clean lines and I think the purl ribs will help it be a tad more form-fitting. I am also considering doing a bit of shaping at the waist... I may be heavier than I'd like to be but I still have a defined waist and I'd like to emphasize that! So the pattern as written is quickly becoming a template instead. What's that EZ used to say? I'm the boss of my knitting?

Also finished ball #1 and started ball #2 of the One-Row Scarf 2008; I am loving the Maxi Tosca, the stripage is random and surprising and pretty (although the colours could just as easily be masculine, they are blues with a dash of red). Thinking of attempting the hat as a One-Row adaptation but not sure if it has enough stretch for a hat. To be decided.

And I see that Yumi (and family) got home safely from their vacation - huzzah!

And now, I must go do a load of washing in preparation fo the trek to the laundromat. Unfortunately the weather man lied and this morning's rain came early, so I will need to take yesterday's washing as well and throw them all in the dryers. Fortunately those big industrial machines get everything bone dry in 15 minutes! Then it will be groceries and I think the plan for late morning/early afternoon is a visit to the in-laws and out-laws (Peter's family, then mine). I'm bringing my knitting.

A new project or three

The Adagio Shawl is in time-out. A good push over a weekend would finish it, but I am sick of the sight of it right now and don't want to be knitting negative vibes into such prettiness. Carole, my dear friend, is being super-understanding and patient and told me to "go knit something for YOU". So - I am.

I started my 2008 hat/scarf combo today, the scarf part anyway - it's the One Row Scarf, and I'm making it in Maxi Tosca which I got on clearance (yay!) at Wool-Tyme the other day. The hat I don't know what I'll do but probably a simple 2x2 ribbed toque. Pictures to follow. I think the scarf will be a quick knit, I'm doing it at 22 stitches on big-arse needles (#2 old-school, probably around 7mm?). Good visual interest but really the pattern is a no-brainer on such short rows. Good thing!

Last week I got the new Interweave Knits and Vogue Knitting - today I picked up the Fall Knit 'n' Style. Normally their patterns don't do much for me but this issue (October 2008) has this really simple and pleasant Henley sweater (from KnitPicks) that I love the look of - it's a style I wear well - AND it will be the perfect use for the Patons Classic (Forest Mix) I've been hoarding for about 2 years! I did the math and I should have enough yarn for the size large, with a bit to spare. Minor annoyance - the pattern notes give you two different pattern stitches but only one is used in the pattern. I looked it up on KnitPicks site and the alternate stitch pattern is meant to be used for the men's version of the sweater. Confusion solved. I'm trying to find comfortable and flattering clothes that are work-appropriate but still pretty casual, and I think this will fit the bill nicely. I plan to cast it on tomorrow, just to keep the momentum going. Fall is right around the corner!

Oh, and thinking of work clothes, I found pants that fit (and are fit for work) today at Roots, of all places! They are men's but styles are so unisex now, I don't care. Got a charcoal-greeny-gray, a standard khaki and your basic black, all three pairs for $135 and change including taxes. I have a rule about not spending more than $50 for a pair of pants, so I am pleased with these. After the ruthless weeding-out of the wardrobe last weekend (3 bags full to the Value Village), I was starting to think I would have to go to work in my fleece penguin PJs!

I need to pull out my turtlenecks and stuff for the fall/winter and decide how many more tops I need ... well, I guess I only really NEED five but it's nice to have some variety in the rotation. I saw a pretty oatmeal-coloured v-neck at Wal-Mart today that I liked the look of... actually several pretty tops at the Wal-Mart. They are reasonably inexpensive, last at least 2 years, and are comfy and flattering. I love the long-sleeve t-shirts I got 2 years ago but they are not really flattering to the "muffin top" belly I have at the moment - a little too snug. Very flattering to the cleavage though!

Can't decide if I should call it a night and crawl into bed with my book, or find some Olympics on tv and put a few more inches on the scarf. Hmmm... maybe another half-hour on the scarf. You know, just to make the picture-taking worthwhile!

I haz a sad...

I really hope Yumi is enjoying her vacation but I am missing her (and reading her blog). YUMI COME HOME!