Wednesday, September 27, 2006

In which we discuss e-mail addiction and other things

So maybe you heard, yesterday Google had a little problem, which for me meant that I couldn't get to my gmail account until after 4pm. I don't do much personal e-mailing from work, but I do keep an eye on the account, especially lately when I sometimes get messages from my lawyer, realtor, or mortgage broker about the condo. Generally, nothing is earthshakingly this-minute-or-it's-too-late important, and they can all call me if need be, but still. I have gotten used to seeing my e-mail. Watching it. Monitoring it. Apparently, I have in fact moved over the edge into addiction. It bugged me no end that I couldn't see it. There was probably something important there! Or maybe a fabulous blog-comment that would make my day! Or a local friend who wanted to get together last-minute, and would assume I was ignoring her!

Like any of these things happen much. Still, it was an eye-opening experience. And one I hope not to repeat any time soon. Be strong, Google, I count on you!

On to other things. It's only been a few days since I posted, not (as I dreamed recently) several months. A lot has been happening, of course: when does it not? I was back in the condo on Saturday, to show it off to family friends and to measure the living room so that I can figure out where the furniture will go. Previously, I had seen the condo "staged" (hello, Pier One), but this time the furniture was gone, which was kind of nice. Easier to picture my stuff there. My beloved digital camera was still suffering from the mystery malaise (in fact I just sent it off to get repaired/replaced), so I brought the dinosaur 35mm camera (if you can imagine) and shot off a roll around the condo. I like to have "before" photos.

We went to lunch afterward at a favorite restaurant, Pearl Street Station in Malden; my family's been going there for easily 20 years, since it was in its former location (a much more basic place, actually more like a bar with food, and actually on Pearl Street). Really good food, then and still: try the barbecue chicken or the steak tips.

It's funny the way my mind works (funny is a kind way to put it). This whole buying a condo experience is confusing and overwhelming and makes me feel like a little kid pretending to be grown up. Meanwhile, what actually makes me feel like an adult? Walking down the hall at work with a cup of coffee in my hand.

I don't usually drink coffee, but once in a while if I'm feeling sluggish, or it's extra chilly, I'll make a cup of hot chocolate using coffee instead of water, so it's a sort of mocha* thing that's really pretty good (I like coffee ice cream, too, and caramel frappuccinos at the evil empire, Starbucks, as well, I'm afraid). The ladies room mirror showed that I was looking as sleepy as I felt this morning, so I got a cup, and darned if I didn't feel more grown up with it in my hand. Maybe if I drank it regularly, it wouldn't have that effect. Weird.

(*Does anyone else find mocha a weird word for the concept, or is it just me? I was truly confused when I first discovered that it just meant chocolate in the coffee. Not as disillusioned as when I discovered what GOP stands for, but still.) (Grand Old Party? Give me a break.) (How do newscasters keep a straight face when they say it? "In Washington today, GOP leaders met..." Do they just never think about what it stands for?) (I suppose I could get out of parentheses for a while now.)

Which almost segues neatly to this: ahh, for someone who can write well even when truly sleep-deprived:

"I suspect that the coffee will be flowing like, um, like a flowy thing. That tastes of coffee."

Onward again. I change subjects a lot, don't I? So in addition to what I did on Saturday, I was continuing to fight off an on-again-off-again migraine, since late Thursday in fact, so no blogging Saturday. Sunday I went in to Boston for the Knit-Out, plus did laundry and dishes and who knows what else. The Knit-Out was great fun, by the way. The weather was better than predicted (some sprinkles, some sun, warm), and it's always a change to be somewhere that not only encourages but expects people to be knitting. It's neat to be knitting in public and, instead of the what-the looks one sometimes gets, to get questions about what you're knitting, the pattern, the yarn, etc. Ruffles was a big hit, and I gave a lot of people the book title and showed them how it worked (one woman cast on right away, which shows a pretty prepared knitter, I think). I hope that telling people about the book balances my karma for getting it from the library instead of buying it. I just want to watch my expenditures during the condo-process, and when something is available for free, it's hard to justify spending money on it. There are lots of interesting patterns in the book, but this one was the only one I really wanted to make. Plus, how stupid would I feel at the closing if I ran out of money because of buying yarn or something? So I'm trying to be good. Where was I? Oh, the Knit-Out. Fun. Come next year. And that's why I didn't blog on Sunday.

So what was Monday's excuse, you ask? Well, I had to pick up the new Dick Francis from the library, and I am very bad at having a book I want to read and not reading it (maybe if I'd left it in the car...). I am also very bad at reading part of it and stopping. When the 5th Harry Potter came out, I got it in the morning but couldn't start it that day, due to other plans. In the evening, I thought, I'll just read some of it ... and I finished it around 2 am. This is me, this is who I am. And I did do other things on my to-do list Monday night, between reading, just not the blogging part. I'm enjoying blogging, but it can't be my highest priority right now. And honestly, it's not like anyone's out there worrying that I've died if I don't post every day.

Anyway, Under Orders was really good. If you haven't read Dick Francis, he's an English mystery writer whose books all have something to do with horse racing (since he used to be a jockey, and rode for the Queen Mother), but from all different perspectives: jockey, owner, trainer, journalist, or something at a remove that gets drawn into the horse world. He's really good, and sometimes great. He stopped writing six years ago, when his wife died, but eventually decided to write again. To which I say, yay! Get thee hence and read him.

Meanwhile, what about the Bruins? Well, after losing their first preseason game, they won their next four games, which feels good. They play again tonight and Saturday, and then it's regular season, baby! [Of course (of course!) they open next weekend, when I'm out of town. Sigh.] The media's been making a Thing of the fact that Chara hurt himself (only slightly, thank heavens) by blocking a shot when he'd lost his stick. Blocking a shot indicates a degree of dedication to the team above yourself, and to do it in a "meaningless" preseason game Bodes Well. Supposedly he is setting the standard high, leading his teammates by example, etcetera. It would be nice to see them living up to the Herb Brooks-ism: "The name on the front (of the jersey) is a hell of a lot more important than the name on the back." (Or have I just seen Miracle too many times? Nah, can't be. That's a good movie.) The team sent a bunch of players down to Providence, and today's article in the Globe was not only on the front of the sports section, it was above the Red Sox article. Talk about boding well. My season begins.

In conclusion, I would just like to say that if you live locally and are in the market for a window air conditioner or a microwave, let me know! With central a/c and a built-in nuke, I'm trying to sell mine. Let's make a deal!

Friday, September 22, 2006

We are an early people

Happy birthday to meeee, happy birthday to meeee ... my birthday isn't for more than 2 weeks, but I feel like I'm celebrating early, because I got one box yesterday and another today. My mother is a plan-ahead person. I get this from her, and punctuality, too. When I'm visiting my parents, we can decide we need to leave (say for the airport) by 2 pm, which will give us plenty of time, and yet we are all ready, all three of us, at 1:45. We know we will do it, we laugh about it, but we still do it. We are early people. Which means we spend a fair amount of time waiting for things to start, like movies, but we'd rather do that than be late, or even risk being late. It's just the way we are.

When I went to the Bruins training camp last weekend, which was scheduled for 10-2, the only way I managed not to arrive early was to tell myself that I didn't actually need to be there at 10, that it was okay to arrive later than that.

So, I arrived at exactly 10. To the minute. If I hadn't given myself permission to be 'late', I would probably have arrived at 9:45.

Anyway, back to the boxes. The one that came today I opened tonight, ogled the gifties (wrapped), and will dole them out over the next few weeks. Last night's I knew what was in it, and opened it at once. Such a book-nerd, word-nerd I am, I asked for the Dictionary of American Regional English, volume 1, and was delighted to get it. It's so neat! I took a Lexicography (dictionary-making) class in college with a wonderful professor who worked on DARE, and it seemed this year was the time to start bringing it into my home. After all, one can only have the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary for so long before it gets lonely, right? (Of course I have the OED. I know, you either understand or think I'm insane. I'm okay with that, either way. If you think I'm crazy, well, me too you. How can you not want it? I marvel that no one who sees it in my home has ever instantly asked to open a volume up. No one has ever asked, but it still surprises me. I have been known to open one and show people who probably couldn't care less. No doubt this will come up someday at my commitment hearing. Or maybe I just don't know enough other word-nerds. Where are you all?)

It looks like a busy weekend. Tomorrow I'm going into the condo again, ooh, to measure the rest of it, and hopefully bring a friend or two to show it off to. Sunday there was talk of apple-picking, which is a nice New England-y thing to do in the fall, but it's also the Boston Knit Out and Crochet Too, so I may go into Boston for that. And, oh yeah, I should be doing move-work, too. Busy, busy, busy!

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Shoes and ships and sealing wax

This is going to be a long post with a short attention span. I've been thinking of so many things that I should blog about, I had to make a list. Not that that's so unusual, since I am a list-maniac, list-aholic even, but still. Lots going on. If you don't enjoy a topic, move on to the next. In no particular order:

Knitting. I'm still working on the spiral scarf, and at a guess it's about two thirds done (it's a guess since I'll stop when I like the length, or run out of the yarn I guess, but I think that won't be a problem, famous last words). I'm still enjoying it, but I put it aside briefly to work on a square for Laurie's grandmother, who's sick. Another of her blog-stalkers organized a group blanket effort, which is pretty nice of her. Read the whole blog if you want to know the backstory to that. My square won't take long; it's more than half done already, just from watching this week's House and Studio 60. (Both were good, by the way. House started back up a couple of weeks ago, and is keeping up the good work, and I liked the promise of Aaron Sorkin's new show, though of course nothing will replace The West Wing in my mind. But back to knitting.) I'm making a square with a cat on it, of course!

Next: I ran across this guy's blog via someone else's blog, and he is a person after my own heart. And I quote:

Of course, that doesn’t stop people from asking what I’m making when I’m KIPing. (How exactly does one form the gerund of the acronym KIP? I really want to write “KIPping”, but it feels weird to have the capitalization disjoint in the middle of the word. Also, you really don’t need to make it into a gerund anyway because the first letter in KIP stands for “knitting”, so by adding the -ing to it, I’m saying “I’m knitting in public-ing”. This is going to bug me for the rest of the day.)


I absolutely know where he's coming from. And I love a blogger who throws "gerund" into a knitting blog so casually.

Mustn't forget hockey. The Bruins, after losing their first preseason game (let's not talk about that), won last night's game, 5-2. Yay! Although it won't really be real hockey season until I can watch them on TV, it's still great to be able to find something worth reading in the Sports section of the Globe every morning. Every morning! Hockey talk! Hooray. Even though it's not always Kevin Paul Dupont (a truly excellent writer), it's still good. They play Montreal again tonight, so we shall see if I'm smiling again tomorrow.

Of course, if I am, it may be because I'm thinking about the condo, which does tend to make me smile; and if I'm not, it may be because my hands are still hurting. They've been bothering me this week, and I'm not sure why. Colder weather coming in, probably, although it's tempting to blame it, along with anything else that annoys me, on PMS. What a nice scapegoat! When I find myself trying to wash my hands gently, I know something's up. Anyway, ow. Moving on. I am told that the seller has signed the P&S, and my mortgage too is supposedly on track, and so I'm getting quotes from movers, and tonight I notified my landlord. He's a nice guy, he was really pleased for me!

Finally, a little story. On my drive to work, I turn onto this narrow road through a wooded area, houses on one side and only trees on the other, and you'd never think it connected to an industrial area half a mile further down until you see a semi coming the other way, whoomp! as it passes with inches to spare. Anyway, it's pretty and peaceful between trucks, and one day recently I was driving along, singing along with the song on the CD (it was Depeche Mode, of course, though I don't recall which song), because I never let my awful singing voice stop me from singing in the car, in the shower, or in front of the cats. I do try to spare other humans, but anyway, back to the point, I was driving and singing and suddenly whack! Small sharp noise that startled me enough that it's a good thing there wasn't a semi coming the other way at just that instant.

So what happened? Well, keep in mind that this car, bought earlier this year (yes, it has been a good year, thanks for noticing), is the first I've ever had with a sunroof/moonroof/whatever it is. As I drove, an acorn dropped through into the car, and since it hit plastic, made a decently large noise for such a small object.

Once my heart returned to its normal rhythm, I was amazed at the odds of it falling through the roof opening of a car moving at a decent clip down the road. I mean, what are the odds, anyway? I have no idea. I'm Words, not Numbers. But still, here's what it said to me:

If something is meant to happen, it will.

Which is not a bad lesson to learn, and that's why the acorn is on my desk. Particularly as I've been going through this whole condo process, I need to remind myself of this regularly.

And finally (no, really, I mean it this time, Pan is calling me), a gratuitous Harold picture. I call this "Talk to the Paw, 'Cause the Kitty Ain't Listening".

Monday, September 18, 2006

In which the slinky-in-progress is revealed

I know, devoted readers, that I have been teasing you with mentions of this enchanting scarf, and how much I am enjoying knitting it, while not showing you what it looks like. Finally, your time has come. Ready? Here it is, loosely laid out ...


and the cuteness of it coiled ...



To the untutored (non-knitters) eye, it still may not be apparent why I find knitting this so enthralling, but you'll just have to take my word for it. Really. Trust me. This thing is fun.

Now, not that I couldn't go on about it at greater length, but I will spare you for two reasons. First, my hands are having a bad day (arthritis sucks), and they've had enough of this computing nonsense. Second, oh, what was it? Right, I'm moving, in five and a half weeks, and wait, what else? Oh, right, I'm a pack rat.

I have a Lot to do. Later!

Saturday, September 16, 2006

In which I rediscover that I am not alone

Being a hockey fan can be a lonely business. I'm certainly the biggest hockey fan I know, and I'm the biggest hockey fan most of my friends know, too, so sometimes it feels like I'm the only hockey fan around.

Not today. Today I went to the Bruins' training camp, and what a crowd! Ahh.

The Bruins' practice facility is Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington, not too far from where I live. Last year, I went up to training camp a few times, since I was conveniently between jobs for most of September, and had the leisure to spend time sitting in a freezing cold arena, smiling fatuously at men on skates. This year, as I am employed, I haven't been yet, but today they were calling it a Fan Fest, from 10-2, and I was there. To see the Bruins again, to hear the sounds of hockey, skates and shots and whistles, made me smile as I shivered (boy, is it cold in there). I watched most of the scrimmage which was going on when I got there, and then some practice exercises, and eventually was too cold to stay any longer. I left smiling, though: hockey season is coming!

Then, NESN is showing Classic Bruins this afternoon. They take an old, significant-in-some-way Bruins game and show part of it, enough to fill an hour (a game usually last about 2 and a half hours). The first one was from 94, when Cam Neely scored his 50th goal in 44 games, and it was great to see again. Funny, too, to see things like the Shawmut, Baybank, and Lechmere ads on the boards, all New England things since gone. And to hear the old announcers, too ... I used to mute the TV and listen to the radio guys, which will help you understand what I think of the TV guys of the past, but nostalgia slightly improves them. Still, give me Bob Wilson any day, he was the greatest. And I do feel that radio announcers have a tougher job than TV, where they know you can always see what happens, no matter how they describe it. Anyway. It's been a good day for hockey, and I'm wearing my Terry O'Reilly t-shirt from when they retired his number, and the weather's nice, and now I need to go get Something Done for packing readiness, since the condo closing is six weeks from yesterday and I Am Not Ready.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

knitter's glossary

Here's what I'm thinking: if I define certain common knitting terms, for the benefit of non-knitters, in one entry, then I can refer back to the entry when I use a term, instead of defining the term in each entry. Because, you know, I have so many readers, and I want to make your life easier! So, here are some terms I use from time to time:

dpn: double-pointed needle
frog: to rip out knitting by removing the needle(s) and pulling the stitches out (rip-it, rip-it)
KIP: knit in public
kitchener: a method of finishing the toe of a sock which is weird to do, but if done right looks seamless
knitting ADD: the inability to stick to one knitting project at a time
knitting monogamy: the inability to work on more than one knitting project at a time
second sock syndrome: the mysterious inability to start (or finish) the second sock in the pair. The Fall 06 knitty has instructions on knitting 2 socks at once, on the same needles. As a novice sock knitter, I cannot convey to you how frightening I found this. Amazing, but frightening.
stash: the yarn that builds up around the house, but often isn't being used
stockinette: knitting that consists of alternate rows of the knit stitch and the purl stitch, resulting in a vertical looking piece:


tink: to knit backwards; unknitting
WIP: work in progress
yarn diet: not buying yarn, usually for financial reasons, leading to stash-diving, which is trying to match yarn in your stash to projects you want to do
yarn porn: photos of yarn on blogs and websites

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

today

Seven years ago today, my cousin Paul died. I miss him. And that's all I have to say for today.

Later: upon further thought, that isn't quite true.

I didn't write a thing yesterday about what was foremost in the minds of many, the events of September 11, 2001. It isn't that I didn't think about it, but I didn't write about it. I haven't forgotten it, and in fact I think about it quite frequently, but I guess I've just reached the point where it doesn't matter more on the actual anniversary than it does any other day. It's easy for me to say, I didn't lose anyone that day, and I am in no way trying to dictate anyone else's feelings or emotions or recovery timeline. Everyone's different. I wore a memory bracelet every day for the first few years, and probably some people would think that was excessive. I am simply saying that for me, I'm now ready to think of September 11 as my cousin's birthday, the way September 9 is my brother's birthday.

Because Paul's death was personal to me in a way September 11 wasn't, I am in a different place with it. I don't think of it as "September 12", and in fact, I only realized mid-afternoon yesterday that today was the day. I think of Paul whenever I see a motorcycle, or run across a picture of him in a photo album, or sometimes when I see a Saturn, since he used to work for them. I also think of Paul when I think of my friend Pat, since she also died in 1999. And since she was the one who would joke, when a movie on TV started with that message about the formatting having been changed to fit your TV, "How do they know how big my TV is?", I think of her a lot, too. She liked wolves ("Puppies!"), and NASCAR ("Go, Dale!"), and we were friends and I miss her.

I don't mean that I think about either of them, or about 1999, and get deeply depressed frequently. I think about them briefly, and remember them, and am sad for a moment, frequently. Only sometimes do I think about them longer, and get very sad about it. Today is one of those days, although I am also pleased that the condo purchase is going forward; it's like the roller coaster I've been on for the past fortnight is now a seesaw. I'm up, I'm down. Which makes me human, I suppose. I could wish for more than that, but you take what you get.

Monday, September 11, 2006

there's waiting ...

And more waiting.

I spent Friday waiting. I mean, I was working, I had work to do (thank heavens), but I kept waiting and wondering and waiting for something to happen with the P&S on the condo, and nothing much happened until the end of the day, when they agreed to do it all again on Monday (not exactly, but words to that effect). So I went home, and really had a pretty good weekend, in which I did not obsess about the condo. I thought about it, sure, but there's nothing I could do at this stage so I just let it be, and had a balanced relax/get things done weekend, with lots of lovin' on the kitties, who always want more mom-ing after I've been away.

And Monday morning I came into the office and found all Friday's emotions sitting at my desk, waiting for me. I was nervous and anxious and where's the Excedrin and the Tums?

Actually, I woke up at 1:30 this morning with a headache, so it isn't all the office. But still, I wasn't edgy about this over the weekend, and all day today I was. I couldn't wait for this to be settled, one way or the other, I want the condo but really, even more, I wanted something to be decided. I stood in front of the mirror this morning, combing my hair, and telling myself that at least tonight, I'd know.

And I do. At least, I signed the P&S today. The seller has to sign it, which should happen tomorrow, but supposedly she will, it's all agreed on.

So now I'm nervous in a different way. I have a lot to do! Should be interesting to watch me, folks, over the next few months. Anyone want to open a bet on when I'll crack?

Well, power of positive thinking and all that. Anyway, I'm going to try to get to bed early tonight. I'll just finish by saying the Ruffles scarf is being so much fun to knit, I can hardly get over it. It's too cute! It isn't really ruffly, it's more like a knit slinky, or maybe a spring. A spiral. I hope I'll enjoy wearing it, but I am totally enjoying making it. Fun!

Happy birthday, cuz!

Saturday, September 09, 2006

mostly knitting content

Yes, deep into knitting, here, as it beats thinking about the condo before it's at all certain. The current state of the condo is this: the Purchase and Sale agreement has yet to be signed. It was to have been signed yesterday (I was an English major and I don't even know what tense that is), but got extended to Monday while the lawyers hammer out the language. We were laughing about this at work yesterday: my people were waiting to hear from their people. My people ... I have people! Weird. Anyway, once we sign the P&S, I'll feel more secure, and when the mortgage is confirmed, that will be good too (I don't even know when that will be, but in the next week or two maybe). Then, closing, currently scheduled for the end of October, and that's the Big One.

But you can see why I'd rather think about knitting. Yesterday I worked on that first triangle shawl a bit, but last night I started a new scarf, called Ruffles, from the book Scarf Style. You can see why I say I have knitting ADD, can't you? I also realized last night that I hadn't quite finished the last legwarmer, though it was almost done, so I finished that this morning. Cross one off the list! So, here's what I have going now:

1. The triangle shawl
2. Ruffles (anyone else find themselves thinking, "Ruffles have ridges"?)
3. An ongoing project from last winter, knitting 8x8 squares with letters of the alphabet, with a vague plan to join them into a blanket. Or something. I've been distracted from them for a while. But they still count! Emergency backup knitting.

Honestly, I think that's it, and I was just rooting through my knitting storage to get all my needles into one place, so I don't think there's anything hiding. If there is, oh well, it will be a pleasant surprise.

It's nice out today, and I'm going out for lunch and shopping with friends (mostly window shopping for me, I'm trying to save my pennies for the condo). Tonight, I have to watch the start of the Red Sox game, and before you say it, no, I haven't switched from hockey to baseball. Guess who's throwing out the first pitch at tonight's game? Patrice Bergeron. Training camp starts in a week, whew, at last.

Finally: happy birthday, brother! You wear it well. Scritch the furballs for me.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

In the midst of chaos, accomplishment

The condo roller coaster goes up and down, and my mood mirrors it, but in the meantime, I knit, and today I finished ... the second sock! It's a pair! I'm so proud. I kitchenered the toe at lunch, with an interested knitter colleague watching intently, and it looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. And I do! In fact, I'm wearing them now, and they're warm!

Granted, the first sock is, well, let's call it relaxed fit. Okay, so it bags at the ankle. It's a first sock, and I'm still proud of it. I am considering framing it, and knitting a third sock to match the second sock, which fits pretty well. To be honest, though, I'm a little sick of this yarn right now, so I won't do that right away. It is a future possibility. I bought three balls of the yarn, and each sock took just under one ball, so I have enough yarn. We'll see. After all, no matter how much work I have to do around the house before I move (lots), I can still knit at lunch when I'm at work, so I won't be completely knit-free as I plan to move.

And speaking of planning to move, I'm purging, and tonight I started looking through (gasp) the books. There are some I can stand to part with--in fact, it's a surprisingly big pile--so local friends, if you're looking for something to read, get in touch soon and you can come over and shop amongst the castoffs. There are some good books in there, that I've decided I can get from the library if I want to read again: Linda Barnes, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, even a few duplicate Dick Francis titles, to name only a few. Shop early and often!

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

What's new?

Gosh, if only I had something, anything, to write about.

Hmm. Where to start. Well, how about the amusing irony that Blogger's spell-check does not recognize "blog" as a word? I think that's pretty funny. (Update: it also questioned "Blogger's" ... the plot thickens. And how many knitters blog, for it not to recognize knitters as a word? Not much of a spell-check, if you ask me.)

Actually, I have a lot more than that to muse upon. Sit back and relax...

Let's get knitting up-to-date first: I have completed a sock! Not only that, I started the second, and it is going merrily along. Sock one is, well, slightly larger than it needed to be. But I think it will still work, though it may either layer or be a sock-about-the-house, which is fine. Sock two is, so far, looking a bit smaller than sock one, which is ... interesting, since I haven't changed yarn, needles, or pattern. Perhaps I've been tense? (See below.) I haven't tried it on as much, so maybe that will stretch it out. For that matter, both are as yet unwashed, so things may change drastically. Still, I'm tickled pink at how well it's going. Champagne! Confetti! Chocolate! I also finished my second shawl, a week or so ago, which was fun. That's the second shawl I started, by the way, not the second to be finished. In case anyone's trying to follow along with my ADD knitting. Here's a slightly blurry photo of it:



It looks even better than that in real life, I think, not that I'm partial or anything. I wore it over the weekend, which was kind of neat somehow.

Segue to the weekend: during my travels this weekend, I continued to spread the word of Knitting, with good results. First, while knitting in Manchester airport Friday evening, I interested a little girl waiting for her grandmother, with the result that grandma was going to get some yarn and needles and show her how. Score one for knitters.

Then, while visiting my friend M, I had requested a visit to a local yarn store I read good things of, Stitch DC, and she was so entranced by the store that she bought yarn, needles, and pattern, and started a scarf the same day, though she hadn't knit since high school or so. (Actually, being a perfectionist, she started the scarf more than once, but practice is good in getting re-started. Keep trying, M!) Score two for knitters!

We had a really good visit. Being near DC, we got to do some of the typical things there, like monuments, and really enjoyed the Botanical Gardens and the National Portrait Gallery. Walked our feeties sore, we did. We also did some book-shopping, which is a favorite occupation, and saw a movie, Invincible, with Mark Wahlberg, which was a nice feel-good story. And, even better, we got to spend time with our friends J and J, and their enchanting daughter J, which was wonderful. There are such good reasons why we live spread out across the country, but it's great to have time to catch up.

And, I got to tell them all about the reason why I'd been on a roller coaster last week. I may have found a condo.

Can I say that again? I may have found a condo. To buy. Buy. Own.

That still sounds funny.

I've been looking seriously for about a month. I've been thinking of buying for over 2 years, since just before my last job announced that they were closing the site and we'd all be out of our jobs, sorrybye. At that point, I decided it might be prudent to wait, and went through the closing down and job searching and interview and here I am at the Sirius Cybernetics Corp, happier than before, and maybe ready now to buy.

Or as ready as I'm ever likely to be. Anyway.

I really like this condo. It's beautiful, charming really, and that's what I really wanted. It is not boring ... well, okay, the outside of the building is boring, but I won't live on the outside, will I? Not much. And I've made an offer, and we went back and forth, and they accepted, and we're in the middle of all the inspection and document review stuff, which is not the Fun Part, I can assure you. But I am trying to be a grown-up, and doing what I have to do, and We'll See. Cross your fingers!