Yes, I'm here...

...i know, i really should post!!

It's been a long, busy week here and the heat isn't helping any - i tell ya!

Deb is currently on the couch taking a brief power nap so that she can go out and help Revia finish moving some of the last loads from the old apartment and into her and Tdstraighjacket's new house! Yes, we actually do have Real Life friends, i know...it's hard to believe!!

For me, this week has been filled with learning about two of these whacko-hose-beast-hags who are the neediest and most annoying among my new work related contacts. They are assistants to some of the Vendors who's products we sell online. One woman emailed us to ask about a check we sent them in March. MARCH, i said! I wanted to say something like, "We sent you money, deposit it and stfu!" AND "Why are you asking me on June 29th about something that happened at the end of March, "jane you ignorant slut""?!!?!?! (her name really is not jane, but you understand the sentiment, i'm sure!)

Now you must understand that i'm learning new things on my end of this work stuff. I'm taking over various tasks from an associate and he's been very patient and helpful in helping me to learn what i need to know, however i still get confused on some things - so i often have to bug him for help. I'm hoping that soon i will have a handle on it all and leave my dear associate to do what he does best, instead of all of this office-type stuff. But in the meantime, it sure doesn't help when i have people more confused than me asking ME questions about stuff that's new to me. SIGH! All in time i guess.

The most fun part of the week work wise has been grocery shopping with someone else's money and cooking for the boys. I think Deb's even having fun since i'm trying to cook a wider variety of things instead of the same old routine of items. Tonight i am attempting my first lasagna. I'll make an 8x8 veggie lasagna and a 9x13 meated one if Jonathon's still here; if he's left for out of town then i will just make the meated one this time. Earlier in the week we had grilled chicken and made tostadas one night but the boys were busy and didn't eat much that night so we had leftovers of that last night. We also bought some different melons to try so Deb cut up this "Sharlyn" melon - it's like a cross between a cantelope & a honeydew and we also tried some small baby watermelon variety that was very sweet and juicy. We cut those up last night and shared them with the boys while they were on a conference call and before we had dinner...so they had something healthy and refreshing to eat. Ya know, i have to make sure these young 19 year old men are getting some amount of nutrition, they're still busy growing into fine men. ;) I'm trying to mix in a variety of vegetables and to provide them with fruits to eat to snack on, hopefully they are doing that, right?

In knitting news, i had to frog an item i am making last week and was able to restart it and work on it on Sunday at both outdoor events and have been able to get a bunch of rows done...hopefully i will finish it up in the next day or two and see if it fits and works. I know it sounds kind of cryptic - i think it's hard to explain, but let me try...

I have this condition in my legs that i do not have medical attention for because i have no health insurance, it's called 'Lymphedema". Bascially my lymph system does not properly flush the toxins out of my system and those toxins have decided to rest in my legs which causes my legs to swell up and they look like the Michelin Man. I'm guessing that this condition is a result of my obesity because it's otherwise common in people who have had Cancer and have had surgery to remove, say...a breast and then they may develop this. Since i have no health coverage, we've done a lot of research and have tried to learn what we can do here at home and homeopathically to help my legs. Deb does a great job of rubbing them gently to help circulate the lymph buildup and force it to drain a bit, but it's a never ending condition that i will be forced to live with for the rest of my life. The other thing that we do is we wrap my calves with ace bandages for compression, they are too swollen for compression socks.

So at this point you're probably wondering what this has to do with my knitting project, huh? Well, i found a pattern online for knitting bandages out of cotton, for leprosy patients and thought, "hey!! i could knit my own compression bandages!!" and i have a cone of ecru cotton that i bought to make dishcloths for my Mom, but ya know how many dishcloths does one Mom need? I have this one section of leg that is just too odd shaped and bulbous for us to get an ace bandage to stay on without slipping...so i'm knitting on circs a section of a compression garnment, i guess you'd call it, for that area. So far it's about 6-8 rows of K2P2 ribbing and then i dunno how many rows of straight knitting....i'll eventually end it with the ribbing when i get it the right size. I've knit it in a tube, so i don't have to worry about it coming undone or needing to use clasps to keep it closed. My first attempt was actually too big and i had even measured my leg and made a swatch for once...and i still got it wrong. So clearly if this works, i will have to knit other sizes as the one will slip once it's done the compression job....but we'll see how it goes. I'll post a pic eventually...of the item, not my hideous legs!!

Ok, i need to be off and doing some more work now, so have a great day all!! ;)

Knit on!
Blog on!
Ramble much!!

Oh wait, i really should post this picture of a very fun item i got in snail-mail...it's too cool!!!



Thank you Rosie!! :)))))))



~Suz~

Ice Water...please?

So yesterday was hot-as-hades here! And so is today! I think it's been like 5 days in a row of this pale-girl-forsaken weather! Mid-Upper 90's just are not nice!

And where were we in all this heat yesterday??

OUTSIDE!! OUTSIDE all freakin' day, i'm telling you!

First we actually went to Our Church picnic which started at 11am. I *mostly* went due to threat of bodily harm from my Dear Friend, Wendy...or at least i think she threatened harm in one of her emails? Maybe not, maybe it's the heat that made me think that?!! But anyway, Wendy was needing some help with her crochet project and so i knew i needed to be there for some moral-support and stitchers-chit-chat. We had a GREAT time! We individually visited with some other friends and then ended up staying longer than we had intended having a wonderful time talking with Wendy and another friend, Lynne. The four of us were the last one's to leave. What a good time!

We then got into our very hot, no-air conditioned-beater and headed over to DanTheMan's house for a party there. Both of Dan's daughters have recently graduated; one from 8th Grade and one from High School. It was a big combined Graduation/4th of July party. It was so doggon hot but at least there was a little breeze and Dan & Mom being so wise, had lots of bottled water and green tea on hand, i was so glad becuase it was just one of those days when it was too hot to drink soda or coffee.

I ended up getting some knitting done which was great. It's so easy to talk with people and knit!

When i have some more time in the next day or two i'll post some pics from both events. Until then...adios!

~Suz~

Danger Prone Debbie Does it AGAIN!!

So, Deb managed to give her eye a paper cut while she was at work on Thursday night. I know, i know...you're asking yourself, "Just how does a woman who wears glasses, give herself a paper cut in the eye?!??" I've asked myself this same question countless times because it's not the first time she's done it since i've known her! The first time was when we first met and we were helping our friend Laura move from Southern CA to PA (yes, it's the ole 'Lesbians in a U-Haul joke come to life!)...anyway, Deb managed then to cut her eye on the corner of a box as she was stacking them in the truck. So i spent the first week of knowing her, directing her around into bathrooms, restaurants and hotel rooms as we traveled cross country. We dubbed her, ' the blind kid' during the trip!

Ok, for those who can't stand the sight of owies and things...it's time to move along. For everyone else, here comes a nice picture of Deb's eye as of today...

Childhood

I think i must watch too much News coverage, and actually i've been watching less ever since i started this blog and started knitting, however i find that at times i become very sad by certain News stories and obsessed with others.

Today i'm very sad because the bodies of the three boys who went missing in New Jersey were discovered - by one of their Dads - in the trunk of a car. The news report that i heard said that the Dad jump back in horror and screamed and sobbed. And i just think how awful it must have been for him to have been the one to find the kids. And now that i just went and checked on this story on CNN.com right now to link to it, it says their deaths have been ruled as 'accidental'...autopsy reports show they all died of suffocation. SIGH. Which means they must have been playing and thought it would be fun to hide in the trunk and they got locked in? I dunno, but it's very sad.

As i was thinking about posting on this earlier i was thinking back to my childhood and how free we used to be in playing around the neighborhoods that i grew up in and how we never once heard of anything bad happening to any kid in those days. So as an adult, my guess is just going to be that either i wasn't paying so much attention to the media then OR it just wasn't talked about in the media then, like it is now. Every time i hear of a story about a missing child, i just cringe inside and i send out my own silent prayers in hopes that the child will be found alive. It's a lot of energy to put out there for one person who's alert to the media, but it is nothing in comparison to what the families and friends of those who have gone missing must go through...so it's the very least i can do. In my prayers right now are the family and friends of Natalee Holloway ( the girl still missing in Aruba after 20+ days!!) and the families of the boys who have just been found.

Last week there was a happy ending for the Boy Scout who went missing from a group outing he was attending with friends, in Utah. He was found and is doing well.

When i was a child growing up in Calumet Park, IL - the world didn't seem so scary. We used to play out on our block from the time we woke up until it was dark; riding our 'Big Wheels' or bikes, playing football in the street, playing 'Charlie's Angels' from yard to yard. Never once did any of us get run over by a 'hit-and-run' driver. Never once did one of us go missing.

I remember one summer playing tag on our bikes and the boundaries were 127th Street to the North- Vermont Ave. to the South - Ashland Ave to the West and Carpenter Street to the East. That's 11-12 blocks from East to West with a 2 block width from N-S. Here's the map. We would start from our block on 128th & Elizabeth and the person who was 'it' would start counting and we'd have a certain amount of time to ride off on our bikes and hide long enough to try to make it back to 'base' safely. It was such a blast!! I remember hiding behind dumpsters with my bike and then racing back as fast as i could! I don't recall any of us ever having any type of trouble, we all made it safely back to 'base' each time.

It's such a shame that times have changed and that kids just can't be kids. They always have to worry about 'stranger danger'. Those of you blessed with children, teach them to kick and yell if they ever feel threatened by someone they don't want in their personal space. Make sure that they are clear on who you will allow them to go with and who they should not go with. If someone were to ever go up to your child and say, "hey your Mom/Dad just called me and they told me to come pick you up because they are running late..." teach your kid to ask to place a phone call directly to you to hear that direction from your very own voice. In this day and age, they should not trust the words of every single adult, just because they are an adult...and it's a shame that it must be that way. It makes me deeply saddened.

I have two brothers with children, i have step-siblings with children, i have friends with children...and i worry for all of those kids, but i do know that MOST of the parents i know are smart and savvy in the ways of the world as it is - and i trust that they've had gentle talks with their kids about such scary matters.

We, me and Deb, had an incident last summer where we thought we had lost one of my nieces. I was freaked out! We attend an annual camping trip sponsored by NIPA (Northwest Indiana Pagan Association)...it's usually a group of about 50 or so people, including children. Last year we decided to ask my brother if my niece, Sydney, could join us as she already knew one of the other girls who would be camping with her family and thought it would be a fun time for Syd to get away from her single Dad and out to have some fun.

The trip was going along nicely and i forget which night this was but all of a sudden as the larger group of us were gathered around the campfire roasting marshmallows and hot dogs and such and before "Gramma Jan" did the nightly reading that's the usual prelude to sending the children off to bed-down for the night, Syd came up and told us she was going to go to bed. Hmm. "How odd for an 11 year old", we both thought. But whatever, we gave her hugs and off she went to the tent that she was sharing with the Kid (the lovely blog name that's been given to our favorite kid by most of us who seem to mention her in posts!...see her Mom's posts even!).

The evening progressed and at some point later, Deb went to check on Sydney because we thought it was very odd that she had WANTED to go to bed VOLUNTARILY before any of the other kids - and she had firmly attached herself to some other kids who were a bit older than her and totally excluded her friend that she had initially come to spend time with and that really pissed us off and we didn't trust that she had gone to bed, we thought maybe she had snuck off with the older kids trying to exclude the Kid. So after going to check on Sydney in the tent, Deb came back saying that Sydney was not in the tent. WHAT!!?!?!!!!! Whaddaya mean she's not in the tent?!!!!!!! Oh shit, i've lost my brother's oldest child!!

Deb or someone, i forget who, made an announcement to the group that "we have a missing child" and immediately without any hesitation, everyone stopped what they were doing right then and there dispersing into different directions. I seem to remember Greg saying, "I'm going over by the cars" - someone else yelled out that they were going back by the creek - and everyone got up from the fire and started going off in different directions to look for Syd. After about 5 minutes, Kris - the Kid's Mom, went over to the tent and had a look and she yells out, "she's right here! sleeping...in the tent". Whew! The not-really-lost kid was found!! Yippe, no death by my brother!!

When Deb had looked into the tent with her flashlight, she saw an empty air mattress and a pile of sleeping bags laying next to it. Well, slender & lanky Sydney was curled up in that pile of sleeping bags and apparently her head was covered and everything...she'd been asleep the whole time. Apparently all of the energy she'd used the day before helping us set up camp and all the energy that day helping others set up camp, tending to camp chores and playing - had really exhausted the child and she really was just tired...no alterior motive like her evil Aunt thought!!

So, now that this post has taken me hours along with having to stop to take a work related phone call and do some work related things - and since i veered from news related items to my childhood and then took a sharp left turn back to last summer, i think i'll close this post before your head reels any more!! ;)

~Suz~

Happy Pride

From the UUA.org website...

"On a blazing hot Boston day -- Saturday, June 11, 2005 -- the Arlington Street Church was jammed with nearly 1,000 congregants who joined together to affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person as the Boston Gay Pride celebration kicked off with a stirring worship service. A prelude of Village People music set the high energy tone for musicians Heather Small and Peter-John Vettese to perform "Proud," which introduced a colorful parade of banners of participating Unitarian Universalist congregations..."

The rest of the article can be found here.

~Suz~

Rewind...

WARNING: Long Post Coming. Run to the loo and grab a fresh cup'o and then settle in.

I'm rewinding by a few days because i finally took the time to dump the pics off of the digi cam and into Deb's new Flickr account...because mine was full for the month!

So last Saturday we were on our way over to my Mom's to do laundry (see post on June 11 as to why!). Mom had said to call her when we were on our way over on Saturday morning. I called twice and went straight (gayly forward) to voicemail each time. Hmm. Finally Deb suggested i call over to DanTheMan's house. Well sure enough, woke their asses up at about NOON!! They had been out the night before partying at their friend Maryanne's 60th Birthday Party! So Mom said to not turn onto her street, which is right where we were...but to drive a bit further to DanTheMan's house. And we did! Hung out, did laundry, visited, saw pics from their cruise...i knitted of course. So here's a pic of Mom with their dog, Kari (hate that damn name!)



Keep in mind, Mom had been out late!


And here's Kari, surverying out the window.
**********************

As promised, here's a few pictures of our 'better-late-than-never' garden.


Tomato


Jalapeno


Cucumber


Happy Water Boi
***********************

And on Tuesday we did actually go to my Mom's place to do more laundry. We ended up spending about six hours over there washing all of Deb's work uniforms and then our regular clothes. After bringing all of our laundry home, we decided to head off to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to play some cards and watch the sunset...


Deb


Me


Beach, looking NW.


Looking SW.


Looking across Lake Michigan toward Chicago.


Almost down.


Deb's flower shot.


And her frog shot.

Well, there ya go. Enough pics to keep you happy for now, eh? There's actually more on Deb's Flickr Account.

~Suz~

Angel? :::Cough, cough, sputter:::

You scored as Angel. Angel: Angels are the guardians of all things, from the smallest ant to the tallest tree. They give inspiration, love, hope, and positive emotion. They live among humans without being seen. They are the good in all things, and if you feel alone, don't fear. They are always watching. Often times they merely stand by, whispering into the ears of those who feel lost. They would love nothing more then to reveal themselves, but in today's society, this would bring havoc and many unneeded questions. Give thanks to all things beautiful, for you are an Angel. Angel 92% Faerie 75% Mermaid 42% WereWolf 34% Dragon 17% Demon 0% What Mythological Creature are you? (Cool Pics!) created with QuizFarm.com

********************************

And in other fun news...

What is a good quote for you? by grlinterupted
Name
Color
Say what??	"Every time I go to the doctors I get a jacket, a straight one. It makes me feel special because I get to hug myself."
Quiz created with MemeGen!

Yes it's early!! Why do you ask?

Can you hear the birds singing at 4:34am too? Lucky you!! So glad to know i'm not alone!!

Yep, that's right...been up for about an hour, can't sleep...was thirsty and the cat was tap dancing on my hip - apparently she couldn't sleep either? Although, oddly enough, she's nowhere to be found any longer. Hmm. No doubt she tricked me into thinking she was hungry & thirsty too and as soon as my butt sat in front of the PC, she went and curled right up where i had been laying in bed, right? Probably true! Damn feline!!

Ok so yesterday...we trudged over to Mom's, hefting all of our laundry...well, ok - most of it anyway...i left the flannel sheets here at home, i figured they could wait a bit, no need for them when it's 80+ degrees outside, right? Took Deb about 3 loads to wash up all of her work uniforms and then we had one load of miscellaneous daily wearables. Ended up doing lunch of a nice frozen pizza and salad over there...worked on cleaning up Mom's PC to see if i could make it any quicker and decided that she needs at least 128MB more of RAM, so left her a note to watch for sale and to purchase and i will come over to install. Also left Mom a "bad girl"note for her not having run a full virus scan since January 28, 2005...she's in big trouble!!

Since this is her time to be over at DanTheMan's place for a few weeks, i did a bit of outdoor work for her...ya know, scooped up the dead and maggoty, rotting, little bird on her front walkway (with doubled up grocery bag - thank you very much!!)...and then i power-hosed all of the bird doodie off of said walkway. Not that it'll remain clean or anything, cuz she's got a crap load (pun accidental!) of birds nests all in her newly purchased property, which need to be erradicated or somehow deterred next nesting season; but at least the crapola won't be an inch thick by the time she schlep's her stuff home for her next stay there. I'm sucha nice kid!

We ended up bringing laundry home and then took a drive down to the Dunes and took some pretty sunset pictures with the new Digi Cam. I'll have to post those later today, after i've had a nap. Heehee!!

Ok, i'm off to do that now then! Toodles!

~Suz~

Slow Go...

Today has started off slowly. We were supposed to have left for my Mom's house around 10am. It's 11:42 and we're still here.

Deb spent several hours last night doing some online geneology searches for her family and so now here at 11:42am she's on the phone with her Mom who lives in Maryland- asking questions about family when we should be on our way to my Mom's, from where she could call her Mom as she's using her cell phone. Hmm. I'm trying not to get my panties in a bunch about it, but clearly i am venting a bit here. We really don'thave any time constraints today, so whatever. LOL!

I've cleaned out knitting bag and reorganized it occording to the two projects on needles and the one that i really should finish...so that i could make room to carry my leg bandages over to my Mom's for Deb to wrap my legs later...(lymphedema, swelling, blah, blah, blah).

I should put a bag together with our lunch that we're taking over to Mom's...oh but Deb's off the phone now and doing it...so i guess i should wrap up.

~Suz~

Where have you been?

bold the states you've been to, underline the states you've lived in and italicize the state you're in now...
(uhhh, i can't figure out how to underline so i'll red the places i've lived.)


Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C. /

Gratuitous Yarn Post

Here are some Rowanspun photos for those who are dying to see...and you know who you are!!


2 Squirrel, Blood, Squirrel & Midnight balls, Reed, Spiced Orange and Swarm.

The picture does not do justice to the colors, i'm still getting used to the new Digi Cam and how to use it...maybe if i'd have used a white background??

Maybe this pic is better for color, but not on focus...oh well, i'm trying. LOL!! ;)


Side of Midnight ball, Reed and Spiced Orange hanks.

And here's what it looked like from my view while i was trying to wind 'Midnight' into a ball, much easier using the chair than when i wound one hank of 'Squirrel' while it lay in my lap...what a disaster!!


See? This is where the rest of the Midnight ball is at! I was working on it.

Nooooo, i'm not new to buying yarn in hanks, why do you ask??

Ok, there ya go...yarn pics. YAY!

Now here we go on to the necessary Luna Pics...


Isn't she sweet...when she's sleeping?? (No comment from you Kris!!)

And here's Luna on my lap and all up in my face...yup, it's true...she's a Lap Whore!!



Back to the RowanSpun 4-ply...i bought it intending to make socks out of it but now that i'm trying to work with it, i dunno!! It's so tiny and i know that Deb will destroy the heels and toes! So now, what do i make with this dental-floss yarn?? I have no clue!! I dunno if i'm ready to knit something lacy yet? Oh help!! Send any suggestions to:
ScatteredGemini@comcast.com

Other than that, it's Pizza Night so no cooking for me today. I knocked earlier and let Jonathon know and he said, "Whenever you're ready." So in a bit we'll order. Matthew is away this weekend with Paulie so only one hungry man tonight. Deb's getting ready for work so unless something catastrophic happens, i'm planning on a quiet evening of knitting...something. I really should finish Sydney's poncho...oh, holy heck! i've not yet posted any pics of the half that's finished. And on that note, as of today i'm at my limit on my Free Flickr Account for this month, so Deb told me to open one in her name...i'll do that in a bit and then add the link for it to the sidebar when it's done.

Ok, i'm off then. Have a great weekend Dear Readers! Toodles!!

~Suz~

It's Found!!

YAY!!! To Matthew, my hero!! One of the inmates...errr, interns rescued the wayward box of Rowan from across the street, what a nice guy!!!

Picture me all happy and smiling now!! I better go find some size 2 dpn's this yarn is tiny. Off i go!!!

~Suz~

Oh where, oh where is my new yarn??

Yarnzilla shipped my new Rowan that i am so excited about and either they misprinted my shipping address or the sub Brown driver can't read...but alas, my Rowan is lost. Left at some other door in some other building and not in my excited little hands. Picture me all sad and crying over my newly empty size 5 dpns.

In fact, i think i'm too sad to gripe about it any more...

~Suz~

It's Twins!!

Here they are...aren't they cute??



First pair of socks, all finished!!

That is all...Nighty Nite!

~Suz~

Cooking for the Inmates...

...errr, Interns!!!

The Summer Interns arrived on property last night, well the two male interns that is. Apparently the boys don't stay up too late as they tucked themselves away in Unit 1 across the hall quite quickly and i have yet to hear them make any type of noises today. Hmmm.

To further explain; I work for our landlord/bossman, Paulie, and over the Summers he and his business partner, Donna - have Interns come in and there's basically an exchange of information. The Interns help work on web projects and Paulie & Donna teach them what they know about Real Estate and Network Marketing and who knows what else. I am just beginning to understand the breadth of their business affairs - but all in all it's a neat setup for everyone.

During a 'Team" meeting that i was invited to in May, i was asked if i'd be interested in cooking one meal per day for the Interns while they are here. Sure, why not?! I mean, i cook most days anyway...except for Friday/Pizza Night. They only tricky part to this is that one of the guys is Vegetarian or if Paulie is on property, that would make two. I'm not too well versed in Vegetarian cooking...

So i ask, Dear Reader, if you're a vegetarian and know of some good recipes i might try, email them over to me....Please?!!!
ScatteredGemini@comcast.com
Thanks!!

For today, since the Interns are a day early and no grocery trip has been made and Deb's gone over to help TD work on the floor in "Bob" (see post on 6/11) - basically i have to cook with what i have on hand. Thankfully i had picked up a bag of 15 mixed beans to make a soup with and still had that on hand...so beans are in pot simmering on stove and i have carrots, onion, garlic and a bit of green pepper already chopped and waiting to go in and i'm not yet sure what spices i'll add. It's Vegetarian Mystery Bean Soup, boys!!! Around 3:30 i'll put together a meatloaf and some mashed potatoes and a veggie for those who would prefer that. So that's what First Intern Meal will look like today!


Mystery Bean Soup-Simmering


Veggie's In Waiting...don't they look eager?


Me being a dork and leaving camera on while plugging it in to USB.


After i get some other work done i think i'll go out and take garden pics, so stay tuned!! ;)

~Suz~

Digi Pics are HERE!!!

Just as Brown was pulling up to deliver the new Digi Camera, it started pouring down rain like you would not believe. We actually had to wait for 7-10 minutes for the rain to slow down before Mr. Brown got out of the truck to give us our package.

Brown arrived shortly after i had vacuumed...and then of course i had to get a picture of Luna and she was not at all cooperative...see?



it's no wonder the poor cat looked so pissed off. ROFL!!

And then i had to figure out how to get the software on the pc and that took a while, so long in fact, that 2nd sock got tired of waiting and started to take a nap in this resting position...



And then the sock snuck down off of the monitor and tried putting the moves on Mouse...such Scandal!!



Well, there ya go...some pics that prove i've been knitting. Enjoy!!

~Suz~

Heeheehee!!!

Psssst....there will be pictures of knitting projects soon. I just tracked our new digital camera and it's on the Brown truck out for delivery. Woohoo!!! I'm so excited!!!

Ok, that's all for now...i'm busy trying to recover our house from the broken sink and the flood from the laundry room. So off i go!!

~Suz~

Some people are such MORONS!!!

...but let me tell you about last night, first!

So, Deb and i volunteered to go over to our friend's, Revia & Tdstraightjacket, new house and help do some demolition/remodeling type stuff to get ready for their move-in day. Before our arrival much demo had already been done; ripping up carpeting, scraping up old tile under carpeting, dismantling enourmous built-in desk in one room and who knows what else!!! So i'm not entirely sure what Deb was doing before she started helping me with the wallpaper removal in 'Bob' (Bob is the name that the new homeowners have given to this one room that they don't know what to call...is it a living room? a great-room? a dining room?...hmm, no...it's just Bob!). So Bob had one wall of hideous wallpaper, many layers thick!! We scored it and scored it and used this wallpaper removal-goo-spray on it...ran out of that so i refilled the bottle with warm water...and we scraped and peeled layer by layer. Eventually Kris came and joined us on Bob's wall...so it was a threesome...heh heh!! Kris ended up finishing that wall up and sweeping while i was on a wee break and then i think she took a break and i started on this section of wall in the entry hallway that had the same layers of crap on it...Revia claimed it was impossible, but Deb and i got it going so hopefully it will all come off. We left around 10:30pm to come home, Deb had to work today at 8am.

Deb and i were both going to go over there again tonight but here's where the MORON comes into the picture...

We have some intensely inconsiderate neighbors in our building. We live in a four-unit. We are in unit #2, unit #1 across the hall is currently a warehouse filled with books belonging to our landlord's business partner, unit #4 is occupied by Tim/coworker/all-around good guy/very quiet...it's unit #3 that's the problem. Loud, heavily bassed music at ALL hours of the day or night, stomping up and down the stairs so badly that it made a shelf fall off of our livingroom wall, never pick up garbage on their side of the lawn or on their driveway, broke a glass bottle on the top of their side of the driveway and have never cleaned it up, put their laundry in the washer or dryer and then leave to go to work and leave it sitting there for days, etc.

We finally got fed up and have started throwing their laundry on the floor whether it's wet or dry/dirty or clean. We no longer give a crap - we're so sick to death of it...

The funnier part of this...and trust me it's a good one...one time, Tim(unit #4) came down to do laundry and i had left a load in the dryer when we went to bed at midnight figuring that Deb was getting up at 5:30am to get ready for work and she said she would grab it and bring it in before anyone would possibly be up to do laundry. Well Deb went out to get my laundry and she came and woke me up and mentions that i have no laundry out there. And i told her, i did and it was in the dryer...and i fell back asleep. A few minutes later she woke me up again, more insistanly and she told me there's none of my clothes out there...and i'm like WTF!!!! of course there is!!! So i grumble my ass outta bed and i go out there and there's really nothing there. Oh shit! Deb vanishes. And i go in and look around thinking maybe i forgot that i brought it in?? And then here comes Deb in the front door with a trash sack filled with my clothes...on TRASH DAY, mind you!!! I had happened to notice that Tim's laundry basket was out there and so i call him at 6am....

"Tim, did you put my clothes out in the trash?" I ask.

"Ohh, were those yours?" he replies.

"YESssssss!!" I exclaim.

Click. The phone goes dead in my hand and i hear Tim scrambling above my head and then i hear him hurtling himself down the stairs and out the front door.

Shortly, he knocks on our door all sheepish and apologetic...and then he sees that Deb had gotten that bag and he let out a, "whew!"

We all had a little nervous laugh and he explained that he thought they belonged to the MORON UNIT. (So it's not just us who's sick of it!!)

I said, "Tim, did you not look at those clothes at all?? I'm the only person in this whole building who wears such large clothing!!"

He claimed to have not noticed the sizes. Oh well. At least i got them back, because they were like all of my favorite things that i wear in heavy rotation.

Ok, so on to the MORON!!!

So earlier i heard Mr. MORON out in the laundry room and i did happen to notice that he seemed to be ringing out some very wet clothing...and i really didn't think anything of it while i was happily knitting away. It wasn't until i got up to go to the loo and i noticed a shit-load of water had seeped into our apartment all along the wall that the laundry room shares. Oh CRAP!!! Our whole one bedroom closet filled with boxes is flooded, our little hallway to bed & bath, all along the wall behind our tv and especially under the door that opens into the laundry. OMG!! What a freaking MORON!!!!

...And did the man have the decency to knock on our door and warn me?? Saying something like, "oh crap...hey i wanted to let you know that i've flooded the washing machine."...oh HELL NO!!! Totally inconsiderate!!! Oh i could bitch about this for pages...

So i called Tim and i said, "So, would you be at all interested to see how the MORON who lives across from you has flooded our apartment?"

"Oh, yes! I'll be right down!" Tim says!

And he did, he came right down. Opened the laundry door that leads to outside and then provided the laundry room with a fan and us with two fans...Thank you Tim!!!

I'm clearly so irritated that i had to come and bitch about it here. And of course i called Deb and i told her that i would not be going over to help Revia & Tdstraightjacket tonight with wallpaper scraping because i would be reboxing our crap into fresh dry boxes and putting the wet soggy boxes out into the trash!!! Sigh!

Currently our bed is piled high with everything that was stacked in that closet, so unless it gets reboxed and organized, there will be no sleeping in the bed tonight. And i have no clue where i'm going to pile everything while the closet dries out...especially since out apartment is currently full of extra pc setup in the kitchen, mounds of regular dishes and camping dishes that need washing but we're waiting for a plumber to fix our kitchen sink...so like we needed MORON to flood our apartment now too?? Add to al of this that Deb is highly alergic to mold and ya know...it's just a freakin nightmare!!

Ok, i've ramble long enough...i better go move fans!!!

~Suz~

Occupied...

One entry found for occupy.

Main Entry: oc·cu·py
Pronunciation: 'ä-ky&-"pI
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): -pied; -py·ing
Etymology: Middle English occupien to take possession of, occupy, modification of Middle French occuper, from Latin occupare, from ob- toward + -cupare (akin to capere to seize) -- more at OB-, HEAVE
1 : to engage the attention or energies of
2 a : to take up (a place or extent in space) occupied> occupyb : to take or fill (an extent in time) occupies all of my free time>
3 a : to take or hold possession or control of occupied the ridge> b : to fill or perform the functions of (an office or position)
4 : to reside in as an owner or tenant
- oc·cu·pi·er /-"pI(-&)r/ noun this corner of the room>

For the purposes of this post, we shall go with the #1 definition, because...

The Postal Carrier arrived just after FedEx Joe left and she brought me this new goodie, YUM!!! I think i'll be busy for a while!!!

Toodles!!

~Suz~

Sock on, Sock off...

HUZZAH!!!

My first sock is done!!

And only with slight error in the gusset area...the decrease on one side looks lovely but i managed to not do the 'ssk' side correctly. I guess i didn't really study my little "how-to-knit" book well enough to perform 'ssk' properly...however, by the time i got to the toe, i had read and re-read that little how-to on 'ssk' and the toe looks fabulous! Let's just say that first sock can be worn on whichever foot it is that will make the wonky side be the inside of the foot. LOL!!


Good Side of 1st Sock.


Closeup of Bad Side.


Closeup of Good Side.


Ok, so i'm off to cast on second sock of first pair!! YAY, me!!

~Suz~

Muhahahaha!!! I finally sucked her in!

The wife sat down behind the computer tonight for her monthly bonding time and after a few moments i hear her making little 'thinking noises'.

"Deb? What's wrong?", i ask.

"I'm trying to think of a name for my Blog." she replies nonchalantly.

"You're BLOG??!!!" I question.

"Yeah, i think i'm gonna make one." she says.

"Do you want me to come in and sit by you and help you out some?" I offer.

"Sure!" Deb happily responds.

So i did just that. And after i told her my reasons for mainly using my Blogger Blog as opposed to the one i created over at LiveJournal, she decided to create hers here too...and then, wouldn't you know it, the stinker liked the same doggon template. Sheesh!! Just like a Gemini!!

So anyway, the wife's blog can be found here for those interested. However, she did ask as she was walking off to bed if she could change her blog name...so stay tuned in case you bookmark her and it doesn't work. LOL!!

In knitting news, i'm almost to the toe of sock #1 and even with the dpn's still attached, we tried it on Deb's foot for fit and it fits!! Woohoo!!!

Off to bed for me too, nighty nite!!

~Suz~

Knitting Guru? Uhhh...

This from the woman who just started knitting like 2-3 weeks ago???
PUH!!! ROFLMAO!!!

You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting
and do it all the time. While finishing a piece
is the plan, you still love the process, and
can't imagine a day going by without giving
some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation
involves leaving ample space for the stash and
supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn
ends and you begin.
http://marniemaclean.com

What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Thanks for the laughs Kirsti & dixiepeach !!

~Suz~

Camping was good...

It was so good to get away for a few days...away from TV, away from the computer, away from being cooped up indoors doing work stuff.

Ahhh, the great outdoors!! Well, our version of the great outdoors, anyway. Since my mobility is not so great my version of the great outdoors means hanging out at camp knitting, crocheting, reading, playing "nertz" or scrabble with Deb and just taking in the fresh air and the sounds of nature. It's relaxing...and usually i get some of the best sleep ever.

Camping this season so far has been a lesson in better packing and planning because our truck is still dead. So we have to get all of our gear into a very used 1987 Volvo sedan. It's not easy! And i even left a lot of things behind, thankfully i didn't need any of the extra sleeping bags, flannel sheets or blankets that i normally make Deb haul, but there have been times i've frozen my ass off, even with all of that stuff with us!! We also didn't take much food...usually we come home with a lot uneaten.

So anyway, Deb had to work on Friday, the day we intended to go out to camp. I was home packing and getting ready. Deb got off of work at noon, three hours early because they were slow...so she was heading home. An hour later, she still had not arrived and it's about a 20 minute drive. Joe the FedEx guy came and went and i was still waiting for Deb. Finally she called my cell, while i was in the loo - of course!- and she left me a message. She had driven out to the campground and paid for the site and left her camp chair in it, just to make sure we got a site. It's at about this point in my post when you're realizing that we camp close to home, right? Yup. That's us...for quicky weekenders, we camp about 15 minutes from home at a small rustic National Campground in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore...She got the site we wanted to try out M20...M-short for Mather Loop. When Deb got home i was just about all packed up and ready to go, i started hauling stuff outside the front door and she got all testy saying i was rushing her. Sigh. Well, as usually she had not taken my advice of cleaning the car out a day or two earlier...so i just came inside and sat to knit while watching tv while she cleaned the car out and then started packing it up. We finally got it all packed up and off we went...Tiki Torches laying diagonally across my chest - firmly holding me in the back seat!

By the time we got out to the camp site, my Dad and Lynn had already been there to visit and had left us a note written in the dirt. "Sue & Deb D & L were here!" Ummm, i'm still wondering how "come for campfire" ended up with them at the camp site around 3:30pm??

It probably takes us a good two hours to get all of camp set up by the time we put up the tent, the dining shelter, table cloth, organize table, get water jug filled, pump up 4 twin sized airbeds (we pile them two high - heehee) make the beds into a double high king sized airbed that will hold two fat lesbos and then finally figure out where to plant the two Tiki Torches and hang the two wind chimes. I know, i know!! But ya know, i've always been the camper most prepared when we camp with a group!! So there!!!

The evening went quickly and we had campfire hot dogs for dinner and started to enjoy the campfire. But holey heck were there some obnoxiously loud campers!! There is nothing worse than people who do not realize how well their voice carries. UGH! We had this very loud group of 4 women in the site next to us, and mind you...these sites are well spaced out with trees and shrubery between them all and we got a site that is exceptionally MORE secluded from other sites even...but these women with their loud talking and laughing and not to say that i'm not glad that they were clearly having a FABULOUS time together, but the loudness factor could have been brought down a few decibles and especially after QUIET HOURS started!!! One of the women had a voice so high and screachy, i honestly don't know how she lives with it?!!! It was awful!! Quiet Hours begin at 10pm...i was still able to hear them cackling at 1:30am!! UGH!! Deb was snoring away...

Well, that was Friday night...more later, lunch just arrived. Heehee!!

~Suz~

Wait, Hold The Presses!!!

Do ya see the one lone "Knit-Along" button over there on the side bar?? Do ya, huh? HUH?

Well i added that one! HA!!

When i went to visit Kirsti's Blog today, i noticed that she's added some "Knit-Along" buttons and that made me realize that my Knit Along button had not been added because when Kris did the buttons for me, she had no clue what the saved "KAL" button was for. Hmmm. So i went to the template and studied what Kris had done and then brought up My Flickr window and poked around until i figured it out!! WooHoo!!!

So my first and only(so far) Knit-Along button has been added!!

Ok, back to work...more later!

~Suz~

I'm getting there...

Ok, so we stayed an extra day out camping because on Friday afternoon as we were setting up camp, Deb told me that she had Monday off as well. Yippeeeeee!! We decided to make our extra day decision on Saturday. Saturday came and we realized that we'd like to stay the extra day because most of the loud campers would be leaving on Sunday morning and we'd actually have a nice Sunday afternoon and night of quiet camping...ya know, the kind with no loud obnoxious people who don't adhere to the quiet hours after 10pm rule!

Anyway, because of the extra day, i've not taken the time to blog at more length because i'm trying to get caught up with work, laundry and cleaning up camping gear to restore out in the truck!

Stay tuned and i'll write about more camping detail and about finally casting on my first sock! It's not been pretty!!

~Suz~

I'm camping now!! Move along...

...but come back soon!

We're about out the door.
So tune in on Monday.
Have a great weekend all!!

~Suz~ <~~~~signing off while "Sugarland" plays in the background.

Arrrrrrrrrrrgh!!!

I'm so frustrated!!!

I've been trying for days to figure out how to out other people's cute little linky buttons on my sidebar instead of just the boring links i have and i cannot figure it out. Grrrrrrrrrr!!!

Well, maybe after the camping trip this weekend when my mind is fresh?!!

Until then, boring...no buttons.

~Suz~

Father's Day shaping up to be a BUST...

Ok, so it's almost 3am and i can't freakin sleep...lots on my mind i guess. Excited about new stash of yarn for sock making, need to do laundry today and organize camping gear to enable it to fit into our much smaller vehicle, tent is up in yard airing out from "baby-bro's" bachelor-party-canoeing-extravaganza last weekend up in WI, we need to seal tent seams finally and spray with rain coating as it's looking like our camping weather luck is going to finally run out this weekend after about 4 years, so we must be prepared to remain dry. And last on my list of frustrations...Father's Day.

I tend to be a last minute kid for Mother's Day and Father's Day and had done a better job of preparing for Mother's Day this year paying close attention to the fact that my Mom- who just bought her first personally owned property, a duplex, where she's living in one side and renting the other out- has her eye on a specific dining table setup that will fit into her new place and said item is located for sale at the local Target. So, knowing that my Mom, having just made major property purchase, is maybe a bit low on fundage, i decided a gift card to Target would be a good thing and then some of the candles that i sell and she buys quite often would also do nicely to round out the gift...add a card from me and Deb and she's all set. See, some thought went into it this year.

Father's Day is much harder...always. My Dad is the kinda guy where when he wants something, he just goes out and buys it. So in recent years we've taken to getting him gift certificates to his favorite restaurants so that he can go out to dinner and feel like he's not the one really paying, for once. We've also, one time i think...kicked in with the bro's and bought the man like a half a cord of firewood...or maybe it was a third of a cord...i dunno, but it was a crapload! Creative, we thought...and Dad always loves some free firewood, just like me and Deb - who do a lot of camping. Another part of this story is that for the past -idunnohowmany- years, my Dad has ditched us for Father's Day. Yes. That's right. Ditched us. Ditched us all. Left. Split. Flew out of State, even. Is there maybe a message in here somewhere? ...Every year, Dad & Lynn ditch us during Father's Day for their annual trip to The Tetons. Mountains, Hiking, Fresh Air, Bear, Moose, Elk, John Denver toons...oh and did i mention their beloved MOOSE? So, i guess the man's entitled to spend his Father's Day however he chooses-especially since Lynn, my Dad's wife, usually organizes Father's Day and it's held at their house (cuz my Dad's kids clearly all suck!!)...

So anyway, i was trying to come up with something different this year, something really cool, something i think my Dad would enjoy...and i came up with the perfect thing!!! I was so proud of myself, i'm going to be the big genius this year, it's going to be great, i'm so smart!! One small glitch...do they have any plans on Friday June 10th from about 5pm-the evening? So i call my Dad yesterday and i ask him...

"Hey Dad, you and Lynnie have any plans for June 10th, next Friday?"

Dad says, "What time?"

"From like 5pm on into the evening." I answer.

"Yeah, we got this surprise bday party to go to and then a wedding the next day...why?" is his reply and question.

"Oh crap!", i say. Well, because i was trying to do something different for you for Father's Day but i wanted to make sure you were available before i bought the tickets."

"Oh, well we're busy, sorry"..."What was it?" he asks.

"Well, i was going to get you tickets to go to the "Allstate Arena" for The Breslin Cup, there's going to be a bunch of our favorite former Blackhawk players playing against some Chicago Wolves players, it's a charity game." i tell him.

"Ohh, that would have been really cool, sorry", he says.

Our conversation ends and i'm back at square one. So later on as Deb and i were out and about running errands, i tell her what happened and she offers to have us host a Father's Day cookout at my Dad's house where i would organize it and she would do the grilling. Ok, cool...great idea!! So i call my Step-Mom and ask her and make the offer for us to host and organize but hold it at their house since our place is too small for everyone...

"Well when?" she asks.

"I dunno, what date is good for you?" i say.

"Well, this weekend is out because you guys are camping, next weekend we have the surprise party and a wedding, the following weekend we leave for the Tetons and we return on the 25th so the 26th is out, then the next weekend is 4th of July and we've got that wedding in Memphis and then your Dad has his hip replacement surgery on July 8th and i'm sure he's not going to feel up to any party after that...so how about October?" she asks with a little laugh.

Dear Reader, you think she's kidding, right? No, she's not!! How freaking frustrating!!!!!!!!!!!!! So Father's Day plan B has been shot to hell now too. I'm back to square one again and maybe that's part of why i can't sleep tonight, i'm incredibly frustrated that for once i'm trying really hard to do something nicer than usual for my Dad and it's just not working out...so i guess a card and a gift-certificate for dinner, it is. How boring. Wait! I just had a thought...hip replacement, recovery, not going out much...maybe a Blockbuster Gift Card??? I dunno...

Ok, i'm done rambling in the wee hours of this night...your turn!

~Suz~