i got'em, y'all

what my momma always called "the-can't-help-its-and-the-don't-want-to's"

    so... I'm feeling a little overwhelmed lately. not getting a lot accomplished, and having a lot that needs accomplishing will do that.

    so... I'm feeling a little overwhelmed lately. not getting a lot accomplished, and having a lot that needs accomplishing will do that. work is going well, though (my temporary supervisor told me today that my work from last week showed improvement). my knee was even feeling pretty good until I pulled 50 books from the stacks today and pushed that cartful of items back to my desk -- it's aching toinght even after taking Aleve when I got back to my desk this morning and one after supper tonight. driving when it's aching is such a joy, too.

    I finally managed to finish and submit my application to TWU toinght.

For those of you who don't know, I'm not real happy with the program I'm currently in -- which may pass with time (and more classes), but I'm keeping an eye on other options.

didn't get any (more) laundry done tonight, nor my kitchen cleaned up. didn't find my tweezers or get my hair colored. didn't do a dozen other things. I did waste spend two hours with class chats -- a message board/email list could accomplish the same thing as what occurs in the one class, and I'm still waiting to "learn from my fellow classmates" in the other, and wondering why we aren't "learning" from the Ph.D.

    yesterday (Sunday) I spend browsing library-oriented blogs, having a work-group chat for one class, reading (really boring, twice as long as necessary) textbook chapters, and watching House on peekvid.com. then I gave in to my OCD-self and ripped back, a stitch at a time, the 3-knit stitch edges of the Peaks & Valleys scarf and fixed the row where I forgot to knit on the wrong side. It happened on both edges, one side about three inches from the beginning and the other about six inches from the beginning. I fixed all the stitches except the turn stitch at the end/beginning of the rows. I knew I'd screw that up, so I left it. I worked on it some more tonight while I sat through class chat.

oh! and I don't know why, but when I try to reply to your comments through my email program, my replies always bounce back to me. so, I'm not being rude, I'm just not sure how to fix the problem yet.

    now... it's time for bed. I know this because the neighbor's dog is barking.

daniel

    My friend/co-worker had her baby yesterday afternoon. They discovered a couple of months ago that the fetus had Parson's syndrome. Daniel lived only a couple of hours, but all his family had time to hold him before he left this world. Please take a moment to be thankful for the presence of all those you love, and to remember this family.

me-me-me-me-

    Wow. More than a month since I did a meme! No, I won't make up for lost time, but monkey-see-monkey-do and all that...
What curse words do you use the most?
    Hands-down it would be "sh*t" -- but the f-word has creeped in much more than I care to admit since (no, not "since we met," Rissa!) it got so prevalent on TV and in public... I do HATE to let it slip out in public with little kids around.
Do you own an i-pod?
    I have purchased two, both as gifts. But, since I have not yet mailed the one to my step-grandson, I may order him one with his name on it (like we did for our son) and keep this one. I get tired of unhooking my earphones from the computer at work every time I need to walk away. I *do* have a lot of music on my HP iPaq, so I have mixed feelings about having another electronic toy.
What time is your alarm clock set to?
    Sorry, can't stand it... To what time is your alarm clock set?
Monday through Friday, it is set for 5:35am, not 5:30, because Walton & Johnson don't usually begin until 5:35. I stay in bed and listen until their first commercial break (usually about 5:45), then get up and take a shower.
Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture?
    I would like to be in the picture, if I took a good picture! LOL Pictures of me are always terrible. And the ones I take are not nearly as good as I'd like them to be, or as good as my husband's.
What was the last movie you watched?
    At the movies, it was, hmm.... oh, yes! How could I forget: Pirates of the Caribbean 2. At home, sh*t! I can't remember.
What cd is currently in your player?
    A DVD, actually: Tibet, Cry of the Snow Lion.
Do you prefer regular or chocolate milk?
    I'll drink the no-sugar chocolate sometimes, but an ice-cold glass of skim milk is just fine with me.
Has anyone told you a secret this week?
    Well, things were said to me that I wouldn't repeat, so I guess that's a secret of sorts.
When was the last time you had Starcrack Starbucks?
    About a week or so ago. There is one on the first floor of the library where I work, but I seldom patronize it because there is a better coffeeshop on the way to campus (and another better one in another part of campus). Biscotti are cheaper at SB's than the good cafe, but, SB doesn't have ginger biscotti! Those are my one regular indulgence lately.
Can you whistle?
    Nope. Hubby can though. Loud and strong.
What are you looking forward to?
    The soonest event I'd be looking forward to is the possibility of getting in touch with someone I haven't seen since before Katrina.
Did you watch cartoons when you were little?
    Oh, my yes! When cartoons were GOOD. Bugs Bunny, Wiley Coyote & Road Runner, Yogi Bear, Tom & Jerry...
Do you own any band t-shirts?
    Probably not any more. My favorite one was a skinny little tank from a Waylon Jennings concert at Painter's Mill, MD.
What will you be doing in an hour?
    Most likely watching an episode of Shark or 24 or CSI:[??] off the DVR and eating something.
What was the last song you heard?
    Last one I can remember specifically was by Eric Clapton, the one with a drug name that I don't really want showing up in any Google search! LOL
Last time you cried?
    On my mom's birthday last week.
Desktop or laptop?
    Laptop, definitely!
Desiring any new ink?
    On my braver, quirkier days I think about "first" ink -- but it won't every happen. I am too chicken... and I've seen it done. No raw flesh look, thankyoouverymuch.
What’s the weather like?
    After a rainy morning, it turned into a beautiful, balmy day!
What were you doing an hour ago?
    Reading through the Walgreens sale paper.
How many hours of sleep do you need to function?
    I function best on about 9 hours, but I try to get my 8 hours and 20 minutes now that I'm working.
Do you eat breakfast daily?
    Yes. I rarely miss eating at least something.
What did you do last night?
   Ordered pizza, chatted online, sorted through a big pile of junk mail and stuff I'd set aside for 'later,' and knitted on my Peaks & Valley scarf.
Do you use sarcasm?
    Yes, but with caution... sarcasm is lost on way too many people these days.
Do you like mustard?
    Oh yeah, especially spicy, but all kinds are good with me.
Do you sleep on your side/back/stomach?
    Mostly on my side, and it makes my shoulders hurt. Too many years of having to do it because my stomach/liver was hurting.
Do you watch the news?
    Rarely, and not if I can help it! That's why I never know what's going on.
How did you get one of your scars?
    Many years ago when I lived in Texas, as I was leaving the bathroom, raised my hand to flip the light switch and scraped the top of my hand on the underside of the towel bar. It was a shallow cut, and didn't bleed much at all, but it left an ugly scar.

promised pix

Here, they are....

Shetland Lace Rib Sock

    And this is my Peaks & Valley scarf, in a poly/wool/acrylic/cotton blend from Hobby Lobby

    I have a small space to breathe before I get back to my classwork, so while I read some articles about encyclopedias tonight, I will try to knit on the scarf. Since I'll be gone on Saturday, I may watch some more stuff off my DVR. Still waiting to hear from the second of my professors about my problem... I'm trying to be optimistic.

for Momma

Dear Mom,

Happy Birthday!

    There was a beautiful sunrise this morning. The sky was clear, and the sun came up in a huge ball of orange fire. Just as I was passing the Lumberton exit, it had cleared the horizon, nice and round. I looked west toward the cemetary, and then caught myself thinking, she’s not there… she’s here. With me. Always. Seven years and I don’t miss you any less.

Love you always,

Your Baby

me a silly silly girl

    I had a lovely weekend with friends. Not only did we have two wonderful meals, we did some fine shopping. My haul included two great pairs of Bill Blass jeans, two tops and a pair of workout pants from Ross's (boo-hoo, the belly dance DVD stock was pitiful); then at Hudson's a long velvet jacket with beaded fringe (that we've been eyeing ever since the stock arrived months ago!), a blue 3-piece suit of that lovely wrinkle-free fabric and a violet sweater set. At a lovely Indian shop called Incense, I found a beautiful necklace and some sparkley earrings I just had to have (at 40% off!). After supper, we stopped at Borders; they had all their CD's for buy-three-fourth-half-price. I bought the new (finally!) Loreena McKennitt CD, two Cuban and one Eastern music CDs.

    Watching the dance DVD's with Rissa on Saturday night, really made me miss dancing and dance class. The timing was perfect for when she said last night, I'm paying for the workshops right now! LOL I'd already decided I was going whether she was able to go or not, but being able to share it with a friend makes it special. I had such big plans for costuming when I got into it... then I quit going to classes. That was the semester I took 6 classes, four of them 400-level. I just didn't have the time or the energy. Maybe at the festival I can accomplish two more things on my mind: finding out about my former instructor, and finding somewhere closer than Jackson to take classes again!

    Speaking of class... it is almost time for my LIS chats, so I will stop. The blue socks are coming along -- and even though I can plainly see where I made a definite error in the lace pattern, I'm not going to rip it back. These socks are for me, and I'm letting it stay there. But, I will have photos for you soon. It is too difficult to concentrate on that pattern in the brief moments I have at work to knit, so I pulled out the yarn I got at Hobby Lobby on Saturday (oops! forgot about that purchase!) and started a Peaks & Valley scarf. I had to reduce the cast-on to 25 stitches (instead of 33) because of using a bulky yarn and larger needles. I hope it will turn out okay. Maybe I can get a photo posted after class... later, ya'll!

what I love about the South!

    It is warm enough today, February 8th, to eat lunch outside!

    Under the heading "not letting a bad experience keep me from enjoyment" . . . I forgot to bring lunch today, my friend never called to set up anything either, so I headed to Powerhouse to have lunch again today.

    NOT by the steps, of course. The knee support makes stairs quite difficult. They were very busy, so I ordered my lunch to go, with only a bit of trepidation (perhaps if I had not been carrying my go-box leftovers yesterday I wouldn't have tripped. I hobbled to the back of our building to a picnic table in the sunshine and enjoyed my "Dome Burger" (on whole-wheat sourdough, for those of you concerned about my carbs) and sweet potato fries. Al fresco -- what a lovely way to lunch. The only thing better would have been to have company, human or feline.

back to work . . .

not broken

only sore . . . but, not as sore as I'll be tomorrow!

    Klutz that I am, I tripped up the stairs going back to work after lunch today, and fell very hard on my right knee. Lucky for me about SIX professors were there to witness the graceful display. At least three of them have had me as a student. And amazingly, my carry-out box and drink landed flat. Right-side up.

    I hobbled back to work and took a quick detour to the ladies room to check for bleeding. Only a bit of scraped skin, and some already evident swelling in two places on the knee. Later, my hip started aching, so I dropped the height of my chair. It did help; I have one of those angled foot-rest, too.

    Mid-afternoon, Rissa (a former state employee) pointed out that as it happened at my place of work, it really should be reported as an accident. Well, I did, and within about 15 minutes (or less!) they were shuffling me away from my desk to the main office of the library to make a report, and then sent me off to an "immediate care" clinic. It was after 5:00PM when I headed home.

    The x-rays showed no fractures. The doctor seemed unconcerned about the hip pain (?!?!?), got me a knee support, and told me not to stand for long periods, not to climb or squat, and to take Ibuprofen or Aleve. Report for work tomorrow. Well, at least I didn't have to pay for the visit or the support.

    The nurse showed me how to wear the support, and I was surprised as I walked to the car how my knee really didn't hurt with it on. Great! Until I tried to get in my truck. Had to take it off to drive. May have to get #2Son to drive tomorrow.

    Hubby waited on me all evening. But then, he often does; he is such a sweetheart. I should have done some classwork, but haven't. I'm trying to stay up a little bit later tonight. The last two nights I have gone to bed at my usual time or a bit earlier, but have slept poorly, waking up very early in the morning and not being able to go back to sleep. Also hurting in my shoulders . . . I think that might be from the cold, so tonight should be better. We are finally getting nicer weather. At least for a few days.

    Knitwise, I have actually been knitting during my breaks lately. The second blue sock is almost the same length as the first, and I will be able to work them together soon. I'm really liking the pattern and the yarn. I plan to photograph them on my feet soon. Maybe I'll give you a peek at my lovely knee support, too.

    For now, you'll have to settle for this:

fireside detante

    I just *had* to photograph (and post) this rare moment:

(This is actually the second time it has happened in my presence in a week, but the photograph from the first time is too dark.)

    We can only guess that their desire to be near the fire has overcome their distaste of being in such close proximity to one another. The Queen of the Hill especially does not tolerate the males encrouching upon Her Person. Still, the pale Alpha Male manages to make poor Nero so anxious and uncomfortable that he never stays on the arm for very long (what he really wants is Brickle's spot, anyway).

    When I downloaded this shot from my camera, I found a picture of the scarf I made for Knit Your Bit.

    The pin was a give-away from the Navy Recruiters who were at the APA convention I attended in August, and the scarf pattern . . . hmmm . . . just a K2P2 rib, but three at the beginning and end so the sides curl and hide the edge stitches. Knit with two strands of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool for the cream color and one strand of navy Berella/Spinrite Banff, a bulky merino. I made it sort of narrow. I don't really care for bulky scarves, just something that will snuggle up against the neck and be warm.

    Today I have one more chapter to read for my Collection Development class, and then some articles and a chapter for Reference, and I'll be all ready for 'classes' tomorrow night. And, I have episodes of CSI to watch while I read.