Thursday, July 30, 2009

Early start to the weekend

So I was at work today, filing some records in Doc Control (which is also where my boss has her desk), trying to remember the alphabet through my headache. Yes, day three of the headache, but don't worry, I'm sure it will be gone tomorrow--positive, really--because that's when I have my annual appointment with the neurologist. Just like when your car makes a funny noise that stops as soon as you take it to a mechanic, the odds are pretty good that I won't have a headache when I see the headache doctor.

Anyway! I was filing, and my boss and her boss were talking about some process of storing certain files, and currently they are organized this way, but what about organizing them that way, and when my boss started to argue for the method currently in use, it sounded like she was arguing the other way (I'm sure that can be attributed to the headache, though). Then someone else who would be affected by this walked past the office and was called in, and they started to talk (often all three at once), with a lot of "Hear me out" and "Let me make a suggestion" and I thought my head might actually explode.

Fortunately, my filing was done, so I briefly admired the drawer (now beautifully organized), and went back to my desk.

I really, really hope the headache does finish soon, not only for the obvious reasons, but because it's just possible that the rock concert I bought tickets to over four months ago might be less fun with a headache. Do you think? I think so, and given that this is my favorite group, that would be a shame. I saw them at the Wang Center in Boston in 1986, look how gorgeous:


That's just the lobby. (You can read more about the theater here.) It was an amazing place to see the show, plus we were in the balcony and it was vibrating, which was very cool when I was 17. And we could barely hear for at least an hour after it ended, which also seemed cool and funny then.

I've also seen them several times since then at Great Woods, and by the way? I will continue to call it Great Woods, no matter how many corporate sponsor names it goes through (two so far). Great Woods, Great Woods, Great Woods. Corporate names can be all fine and whatever, but I dislike them generally. And don't even get me started on the National Car Rental Center, which never sounded like a place to find a hockey game. Or the Bi-Lo Center, which is named after a grocery store chain and led to a bewildered caller to the radio asking plaintively why a certain major rock group was playing a concert in a grocery store.

Where was I? Oh, I didn't say who I'm seeing.

Depeche Mode.

Laaaaaa! I'm so excited; can you tell?

And this is funny: I just went to their website for the link, and what does it say? They're playing tomorrow at
"Boston MA
Comcast (Great Woods)"
So there! I'm not the only nut out there.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Nothing to see here

Courtesy of Google Images

I have nothing for you tonight. I've had a minor headache all day, and it's at that irritating level where I can't concentrate on much of anything. I'm going to go listen to something mindless on TV, eyes closed.

The Globe has some amazing photos of lightning today. Take a look! I'll hope to be back tomorrow, to tell you about my Friday night plans.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

A Tuesday Night's Randomness

I've made corn on the cob* a few times this year, and it has been disappointing every time. Tonight, though, it was finally "local", and it was divine. Let me emphasize that: divine. Phew. Made me wish I bought more. And I will!

*Doesn't that sound funny? Like I made the corn, or cobbed it somehow? Made it for dinner is what I mean, of course.

Today was a pretty good day overall. Any day that starts with a migraine and doesn't go on with one is a good day, really. I had a slight headache last night, but more of one when I woke up, enough that I took another pill, called in late to work, and slept it out. I couldn't get back to sleep at first, actually, but a little of this* and a little of that**, and I did. So far, still clear.

*Alka-Seltzer
**Ginger Ale

I got the funniest spam e-mail the other day. Not that I read the spam, but I go into the spam filter to delete them because they annoy me, plus once in a very great while the filter grabs something it shouldn't. (Overall, gmail is very good about that, but I still have to check.) The subject line on this one made me laugh out loud:
"Terrorists used cats! Iraq"
Leaving the superfluous "Iraq" out of it, I still love it. Used cats for what? What could terrorists use cats for? Funny and baffling at the same time.

Also, I suppose, if you assume poor punctuation (which is rarely a stretch, sadly) and a typo, it could refer to what you'd have after: terrorist-used cats, i.e., cats that had been used by terrorists.

Though really ... for what?

Monday, July 27, 2009

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Sunday Night, Feeling Pensive

This weekend, I've had to do something I have hardly done at all, in this Summer That Wasn't: turn on the air conditioner. I can remember one day in June when I did, when it was warm enough that hustling up and down for the laundry drove me to it, but otherwise, it hasn't been necessary. Both yesterday and today, though, were warm, and humid enough that I opened the vents. Interestingly, since I made the switch midday today, the temperature has only gone down about 1 degree--but the humidity is down over 10%, and that makes a palpable difference.

Not that I'm complaining about the heat, mind you. You know I love it. It's just hard to get anything done around the place when the weather encourages sitting still. And I had to do laundry today, preferably without collapsing after. So a/c it is. In a while, I expect windows will again be possible, as it's cooling down already, closer now to 80 than 90.

What else? Well, I've been knitting away. The sock is getting slightly longer, enough to try on, but not enough that it wants to stay on the foot:


(The photo color choices were between washed out and overexposed.)

Also, I don't think I ever posted a finished shot of the lacy little bag. I finally threaded a ribbon around the top, and I kind of like it:


And of course, around here, there are always the cats.


Miss "pet me and I will purr loudly, while watching you like a hawk in case you decide to attack"

And himself, or at least part of him.


I love that paw.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Honey, you need more than that

Craigslist can be the source of much amusement, generally unintentional. Like this gem, in the "writing/editing jobs" section the other day (and no, I'm not job searching):

writter to needed

I have the plot and the outline for one of the best novels to be wriiten. I need a writter who will be able to put the plot together . The book will be one of the best sellers when released

That's it, in its entirety. Tempted, writters?

I'm having a nice weekend, but right now I'd rather go relax, wind down, and knit than write about it. See you tomorrow?

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Rain, Rain, Go the F*@! Away

Warning:

funny pictures of cats with captions

Guess what? It's raining! And about 65 degrees! In July!

Hmph.

Fortunately, there is knitting. And Torchwood. Is anyone else watching the Children of Earth miniseries this week? I'm loving it. I'm a night behind, since I'm watching the re-runs at 8 instead of "tonight's episode" at 9. That is, I watched the first one Tuesday*, the second last night**, and will watch the third tonight. Tomorrow, babysitting allowing, I'll watch 4 and then 5. If that doesn't work out, they're on again Sunday, so I won't have long to wait.

*With that cliffhanger, it took me ages to be ready for sleeping!

**And what about that view, toward the end, of, ahem, all of Captain Jack, eh? Whew, that's a handsome devil.

So that's what I'm doing tonight, after a big run to Target (now with more groceries). What are you doing?

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Two Questions

1. Which one should I have bought, the kid-sized Bruins chair or the Bruins toy chest?

(I didn't buy either, but I appreciate that it wasn't just Red Sox and Celtics. If they'd had an adult-sized chair, perhaps...)

2. How did Harold get that catnip pillow to lean against his side that way?

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Briefly on Tuesday

So, 65 and raining? Not the weather I want. Please make a note of it. Thank you.

Yesterday was quite nice, and leaving my stitch and bitch group, I saw an interesting sunset through windows effect:


That side of the building sticks out in a triangular way, meaning you could see the sunset through both windows. Kind of cool!


What else? I'm knitting, working ... yawning. Off to find some dinner. Peacefuls to you all.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Sometimes the solution is simple

I tend to hang knitting project bags on the door into my office/computer room/"guest room"/craft supply room (for a small room, it wears a lot of hats). And given how much I can have going on, it sometimes gets to the point that they stick out into my way. The other day, I was looking at them and thinking, I need to hang some of them elsewhere, and remembered that I have a thing that could help with that. Find the right drawer, charge the power screwdriver, and voila:


It's a cute one, which my cousin gave me a few years ago.


I had it up where I used to live, but when I moved here, I didn't know where it needed to be. Now I know!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

More Knitting -- Finished, Even

I'm getting things done today, crossing them off the list and all, which is quite satisfying, but now I want to show you what I finished yesterday.

Remember a few weeks ago, I showed you the little toy/pillow I made for one of my friend's twins? I finished the other. I love getting things done before the deadline.








I'm still working on the next pair of socks, though as I'm only an inch above the toe of the first, it isn't all that exciting yet. But it makes me happy. And I started the secret project yesterday, which I'm very happy about. Sorry to tease; it's just that one never gets to enjoy all going well in the knitting for long. I want to balance any future complaining a bit. Knitting. Happy. Sunshine.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Happy Day

1. My mother is home and doing fine, hooray! It's such a relief to have the surgery behind her and the healing process begun. By the time I'm down there at the end of August, she should be doing so well, it will be a joy to behold.

2. I just read that you could get a free sailing lesson in Boston today. I wouldn't have gone even if I read about it in time; once was enough. My parents and I tried that many years ago, and ended up in the harbor. I can laugh about it now, but at the time, ugh.

3. Apparently it was baseball's all-star break or something recently? I don't notice these things, but there was an article in the Globe the other day with fans whining about how they were supposed to live without the Sox for four whole days. Forgive me for not sympathizing. The same day, the Globe published the Bruins schedule for next season, which includes a break for the Olympic Games. Two and a half weeks, people. Hush about the four days, all right?

4. Went to the new Harry Potter movie today, and enjoyed it. If you're fervent about the books, you can't help noticing how much they had to leave out, and it was still really long, but I liked it. I'll be seeing it again with Mum. We're also going to see The Time Traveler's Wife, so it will be a big movie week in Florida.

5. I also bought a new book, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which I've been reading about but hadn't seen yet. Once I picked it up and started looking, it was a foregone conclusion. Word games will always get me, when done well, and this seems to be a very good job. Even before I got deeply in, I liked this author info from the back cover:
Jane Austen is the author of Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, and other masterpieces of English literature. Seth Grahame-Smith once took a class in English literature.
6. Have I mentioned that it's been warm recently? As in not cold? Someone at work was complaining about the heat the other day, and was shocked to hear that I like it (up to a point, anyway). I pointed out that I'm the one who's been complaining about the weather for, oh, the last six months or so, right? I like this.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Bad joke, too funny!

Someone sent this to me recently. Talk about our recent weather!


A curious fellow died one day and found himself waiting in the long line of judgment.

As he stood there he noticed that some souls were allowed to march right through the pearly gates into Heaven. Others, though, were led over to Satan, who threw them into the burning pit. But every so often, instead of hurling a poor soul into the fire, Satan would toss a soul off to one side into a small pile.

After watching Satan do this several times, the fellow's curiosity got the best of him. So he strolled over and asked Satan what he was doing.

"Excuse me, Mr. Prince of Darkness," he said. "I'm waiting in line for judgment, but I couldn't help wondering, why are you tossing those people aside instead of flinging them into the Fires of Hell with the others?"

"Ah, those," Satan said with a groan. "They're all from New England...

They're still too wet to burn."

Thursday, July 16, 2009

The Thursday Box of Random

Blogging, Crochet, and ... so ... on?
Over two years ago, for no particular reason (no one asked for it or anything), I wrote a post about crocheting dish scrubbies, and it became by far the most popular entry ever made to this exercise in narcissism.

At the end of August last year, it was linked to by a crafty website, and my visitor numbers jumped. How well I remember. I was in Florida visiting my parents, checked my e-mail, and did a classic double-take. How many people?


This week, it seems to have happened again. I'm not sure if they're doing re-runs, but Thursday through Tuesday, I had roughly the average amount of visitors, and then Wednesday, well, look:

Hello, fans of crochet and/or dish scrubbies! Feel free to stay for the general mayhem.

Sudden Exhaustion Syndrome
Last night, I was piddling around, doing this and that, making dinner and eating dinner and talked to Mum*, then sat down with a book and some ice cream, was doing okay, and from one minute to the next, I was suddenly too tired to get ready for bed. I hate that! I need some sort of warning sign that pings half an hour before that point, and tells me to get my shit together because otherwise it will be ugly. When I get that tired, bumping my finger is enough to make me want to cry. I drop everything, repeatedly. Cats have been known to flee my ridiculous overreactions. It is not pretty, is what I'm saying. Usually, I don't get caught so by surprise, and it was only 9:30, but there you are. Perhaps I should start getting ready now.

*She's doing really well! One of the therapists called her a poster child for hip replacement. She's on her third room and finally without a (crazy, noisy, or otherwise disruptive) roommate, so she was anticipating a better night's sleep. She's supposed to go home tomorrow. And I will award some sort of prize to anyone who can tell me how decoupaging a picture frame is rehab for a hip replacement. Seriously. WTF?

As before, I am tempted to close with a LOL. Isn't this just so ... feline?

funny pictures of cats with captions

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Not Just Tired, But Wrung Out

So preparing for the audit at work has been plenty stressful, but today, day one of the actual audit, was far too tense to be considered better. I didn't have to go into the audit room (thankfully for all concerned), and was only briefly called on to provide things for someone else to take in and explain, but still, the stress! Ugh. The tension makes my stomach clench. Then all the consolatory chocolate I ate made things more so. Not fun.

So we focus on the positive, like that at this time tomorrow it will be over, done, finished.

And that I bought ice cream at the store.

And that I picked up a couple of knitting books at the library, for research.

And the cats are happy to see me home finally.

Put them all together and what do you get?

Me turning the computer off. Good night!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Look at the Cool Car

We saw this car on Saturday. My love of cool cars comes from both sides. Pretty...





Sunday, July 12, 2009

Sunshine Hangover

In a Daze
The only reason I can think of for my being such a lump today is that, after such a long, lovely, outdoors day as yesterday, my system is in shock. What is this? it gasps. Sunshine? Fresh air? How am I supposed to process all this? And instead of making a serious dent in the to-do list, it tells me to sleep late and have a laze-and-graze day while it deals with the unusual factors.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Maternal Update
My mother is recovering well; we thank you for any kind thoughts sent our way. Today, they're thinking to keep her in the hospital for a week of PT, instead of going to rehab to do it. Que sera, sera; or, whatever. The surgery went well, the recovery continues to go well, and as one is always aware of how things can go badly, one is grateful for such things.

Hockey in July

The Globe took some video footage of the rookie development camp last week. Hockey! In summer, the least little bit pleases disproportionally.

Now, On With the Show
Pictures are, so often, worth more words than I have time to write. Step into yesterday with me.
















"That's interesting," I said to one of my friends. "I wonder what's in that factory?"


She pointed me to the sign.


Really, I don't find yarn; it finds me.



And of course, I had my knitting with me.