Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Rough Times
It's been a rough couple of weeks here. The fiance's roommate was supposed to move out, but is taking his time. The fiance and I are working hard to turn a former bachelor pad into a more homey place. Looking for a dining room table, end tables, making trips to IKEA (I knit on the way) and working hard to work around the roommate stuff that still lurks in cabinets and corners.
Actual Christmas was rough without being near my immediate family, but we got to have the traditional Christmas on the evening of the 25th anyway.
Then, the inevitable but still painful. The Fiance's grandmother passed away. I'm really glad that we made the trip up to see her last summer so that I had a chance to meet her. Even though we spent most of the time watching Nancy Grace with her, I still had a really good time (and got tons of knitting done). She was fun to take out to eat. No matter when death happens, it's very hard to handle, but when things happen around Christmas. Well, you guys know.
So this means that I'm going to be gone for another week out in the extreme corner of the state. Have fun reading the archives or catching up on other's blogs.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Almost drowned
In snot. Yeah, you needed to know that. I'm still not entirely over my cold, have a nagging cough in the morning, but I'm getting there. I haven't blogged because I really haven't time to shower in the midst of the Christmas knitting let alone get really used to the Fiance's computer to be able to post some decent pictures.
Well, in the spirit of the Yarn Harlot (whom you've all been reading in my extended absence...I have 10 of her entries backed up in my bloglines, just to let you know that I've been neglecting EVERYTHING), I'm coming clean about the Christmas projects, those completed, those still not done, as well as those abandoned.
Those planned for the Christmas of this past weekend:
1 hat for brother COMPLETE
Two balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. Pattern: The Two Movie Hat which I have stock piled away as my "standard men's hat"
1 scarf for sister-in-law COMPLETE
5 balls Karabella Aurora 8 in denim blue and one in a contrasting camel color. k2, p2 rib with a 2 row stripe every 16 rows...very J. Crew...at least J. Crew when I was in high school...10 years ago.
5 Gehfelted fish for the nieces and nephews... 3 COMPLETE 2 COMPLETE...ly abandoned. Ok ok, see, here was the plan. I was going to make one for each quad, and one for Sammy. Sammy's was going to look like Nemo. Sammy's was going to be incomplete when we got to Philly so that Sammy could watch the magic of felting and get hooked on knitting at the age of 3. This was my master plan. As I was frantically finishing up the scarf and second fish on Thursday night, I thought, wait a minute. Sammy's getting a huge haul this year, including a handmade bear (COMPLETE). Ok, Sammy doesn't get a fish. Then I realized there was no way I was going to be able to get two fish done (these suckers are complicated), so I looked around at more gifts. Ah-ha! One of the quads already had her main gift from me, a new pair of walking shoes (god-daughter Ella...I owe her something handmade, like an Alice Starmore, cashmere, cableknit sweater). Another fish gone. Then there were three.
I'm impressed that Shlomo Nemo (hey, he's Gefelted) came out as well as he did. I was sweating bullets up until I wrapped him up.
Back to the list.
1 Bobbi Bear for Sammy COMPLETE (but co-opted by his baby brother)
I wanted something that could be washed, and was a fairly bright golden yellow.
4 skeins Araucania Nature Cotton in AM03. Doubled the yarn to get it super bulky. It came out ok, but I wouldn't stuff him with polyfil as it might have poked out. There were some openings that I minimized with duplicate stitch. I ripped cotton quilt batting into strips and stuffed him with that. So he's all natural and OH MY GOODNESS soft.
1 pair of alligator mittens for Sammy On hiatus. This is the first post-Christmas project. These mittens from Stitch 'N Bitch Nation are just too cute to not make them for a three year old. I just needed a little space after knitting the first pair and that "space" turned into "they ain't gettin done for Christmas."
This past weekend was my big knitting weekend. Why so few pictures? Cause I realized at about Harrisburg that I left my camera at the apartment. I'm depending on the kindness of strangers to send me pictures of things I've knit.
I still have several projects to go, though.
For Christmas Day:
1 bulky knit scarf for an aunt (well under way)
1 pair of socks for the Fiance. The problem with being the most understanding recipient is that his gift can fall down the list in terms of priority. They ain't gettin done, but he'll get them before winter is over.
For the weekend AFTER Christmas:
1 scarf and hat set: In need of fringe, otherwise done.
1 scarf that I was dumb enough to put on size 6 needles. Less than half way done. My next drama, I'm sure.
That's it. That's my Christmas list. Thank GOD for families that spread things out over weeks and weeks.
Tomorrow: What I got for Christmas. Oh, it's SOOO good. :-)
Wednesday, December 7, 2005
But no worm in the bottle
I finally succeeded in getting in touch with my GP Wednesday PM. They gave me the standard cold schpeel despite my unfinished sentences "I've never had a fever with a cold...I've never had a cold this bad this long...I coughed up a lung this morning."
After an evening of that horrible "leaves you panting for breath" coughing, I decided it was time to bring out the Heavy Artillery. The Robitussin DM.
Now, some of you (most of you are moms, I bet) are wondering, "now why didn't she start using that 3 days ago?!?
Let me enlighten you.
Robitussin's slogan used to be "Recommended by Dr. Mom" if you want to guarantee a 3 hour screaming, kicking, biting fit over not having to take this vile brew. The only thing worse, I've found in my experience,(and I finally started taking pills right before I had my wisdom teeth out at 17) is liquid Prednisone. But who really takes that, anyway?
I have never gotten over my childhood loathing of this electric red swill. I remember when my college roommate went out and got me cough drops without asking me and she brought back Robitussin ones. Great, slow release foulness.
The real problem for me is more than the taste of Robitussin, but there's this tingly menthol effect that goes with it that just makes my gagh reflexes go berzerk.
After many years of experimentation (mostly stemming from the 3 months I was on liquid Prednisone), I finally have come up with a method I find effective for overcoming the vomiting that may be induced by Robitussin (which is more assured than ipecac).
You moms pay attention. Perhaps you should demonstrate for your children before they take this medication. Use whatever you like, medicine, liquor, whatever.
The idea is to think of Robitussin as a shot of Tequila.
Now, I've never had a real shot of tequila, but from what I understand, it tastes awful and there are necessary, let us say...rituals...attached to taking a shot of tequila, involving lime and salt.
Robitussin is the same way. To take the Robitussin by itself, to savor it's bouquet, is quite frankly, ridiculous.
Mask, mask, mask. That's the name of the game.
The first step is to hold your nose throughout the entire process. If possible, get your young one to stop breathing. It is common knowledge that most of our tasting sensations actually come from our sense of smell, that the taste buds themselves are not very subtle. So, if you're taking Robitussin, first step: Pinch your nose. You may want to get those synchronized swimmer noseclips if you're a beginner.
Second step: Take the shot. Take the shot as you would any shot of liquor designed to get you drunk and not to taste good. I was appalled when I went to my first Vodka bar in Scotland. I had ordered this shot of chocolate orange vodka and wanted to sip it all the way down, it tasted so good. The seasoned drinkers in my midst started shouting "throw it back! throw it back!" in loud, surly, Scottish accents. So let that be the second step. Throw back the shot of Robitussin, all the time keeping your nose pinched.
Step three: See that tall glass standing there, that's Apricot Nectar, the ultimate sore throat juice. It's thicker than regular juice so it slides down that bruised and burning throat nice and easy like. And as thick milk is excellent for quenching the fire of hot wings, thick Apricot Nectar is tops for getting rid of the horrible menthol tingle of Robitussin, as it's taste is pretty strong, along the lines of V8 Splash. Take a big gulp, then swish is around. Don't gargle, remember, you don't want this to take long, you're pinching your nose and trying not to breathe.
It is at this point that you may have to repeat step two as you'll have noticed (as I usually do) that there's like an eigth of inch left in the bottom of the shot glass (this is part of Robitussin's plot to take over the world). In such cases, simply repeat step two and step three before moving onto step four.
Finally, we come to step four: The Crackers. Perhaps the most crucial step, crackers serve the same purpose as steel wool does on stuck on grease. It gets you chewing, gets the Robitussin molecules that might be stuck to your gums or in your molars as well as that elusive place for the Taste to hide, the very very back center of the mouth. Shove a large bite of cracker in your mouth, chew it to death, and swallow. Only now may you release your nose and breath the free air.
Repeat every 4 hours.
Sometimes this process requires you to psych yourself up a little bit. I like to taunt the Robitussin, calling it names, saying it has no power over me. I asked The Fiance to give me a little Rocky Theme music in the background during the process. He obliged willingly (this is why I'm marrying him).
There are some who may find this process to be a bit ridiculous and involved. But hey, before you judge it, consider the following. I had a lot of trouble writing a description of what Robitussin tastes like as I haven't really tasted it in 10 years. I had to rely mostly on smell (I do it all for you) to churn up memories of past tantrums. When demonstrating the process, your child may start laughing so hard that they forget all about the hacking cough. And finally, how else are you going to get your exercise when you're sick?
The Plague Continues
I'm supposed to get a call from my doctor's office today, which means the moment I step away from my cell phone to go to the bathroom.
I made the final Christmas yarn purchase yesterday! Now I just have two weeks to finish, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Yeah, five projects. No, six. None of them are huge. They're all "day long" or less projects if I really hunker down and ignore the swollen glands.
Felt up to doing some decorating last night (I know, it took 3 hours of knitting time away, but it was worth it.) There's still some stuff left to go on the tree, maybe around the pillars. Not bad for the first Christmas together effort, if I do say so myself.
Tuesday, December 6, 2005
The Will of the Gods is Against Me
Let me just recap my last week for you. A week ago today, I got a new car in Chicago.
Tuesday: I spent the whole day frantically packing up the remains of the apartment and picked my mom up from the airport that evening.
Wednesday: The day of the U-Haul fiasco. Normally, I don't like to put myself at risk by bashing specific things in such a public forum, but the U-Haul pickup place at 61st and State on the South Side of Chicago SUCKS. If any of you out there are from the Hyde Park area, DO NOT use the internet to book your U-Haul reservation, as they will assign you this pick up place. Call the 71st and Stony Island U-Haul depot directly. The first time, we graced the door of 61st and State, they had changed to reservation from a van to a 10 foot truck. I had specifically requested a van for this in-city move so as to avoid having to drive a truck through the parallel parking nightmare that is Hyde Park. But I'd heard that U-Haul can do that, so it happens. This time, however, I was called 2 days before pickup to notify me that yes, I would be visiting the garage from ineptitude again to pick up my truck for my one-way move back to Pittsburgh. "Is it a 14 foot truck?" "Yes, to be picked up on the 29th." "No, the 30th." "Ok, the 30th, I'll make that adjustment now. When do you want to pick it up?" "In the morning." "Ok, how does 9 AM sound." "That sounds fine. I'll see you at 9 AM on the 30th to pick up my 14 foot truck."
So my mom and I show up in not the nicest section of the city promptly at 9 AM to procure a 14 foot U-Haul truck. There are several promising trucks parked along the curb; they look to be in good condition. The U-Haul office is closed. We go to the connecting garage and say, "When does the U-Haul open?" "Oh, she called in sick today. They're gonna get a girl in here by 11." "I had an appointment for 9." "Yeah, she had to cancel that one cause, see, she called in sick." "I didn't get any notice that my reservation was cancelled." "Yeah, well, she called in sick. I bet you could try going to any U-Haul place around here and they'll hook you up." Well, at this point, I didn't know about the U-Haul mecca at 71st and Stoney.
So we came back at 11. Still nobody there. So we get back in my car and start calling U-Haul places. We get bounced from a national calling center to a "Chicago" regional office which is actually for NORTH Chicago, not South Chicago. Get the number for the South Chicago office, it's a wrong number. Keep in mind, that there's significant periods of being on hold throughout this process, just enough time to bring the blood from a lively simmer to a roiling boil. At 11:30, some guy from the garage comes riding past the car on a bicycle and says, "She's getting the keys right now. She should be open any minute."
Guess what happened when we got in there? That's right, they'd lost our reservation. So when I asked for the rope and dozen furniture pads I ordered, "we don't got those, we have three pads. You gotta go down to 71st and Stoney to get those."
Which was how I found the professional, curteous, attentive and ON-TIME staff at the U-Haul mecca of South Chicago.
Spent the rest of Wednesday loading the truck.
Thursday: Finished loading up the truck (bed and last minute items and the like) and finally get on the road at around 10:30 to drive back to Pittsburgh...in a 14 foot U-Haul, with snow falling and covering the roads. We got to Pittsburgh at 9:30 or so, 10 hours of driving. Stopped at my storage facility to unload my car, which I don't really remember, and then went to bed.
Friday: Met back at the storage facility to unload the truck, get essential items over to Justin's. I never knew I could cram so much into a 5x10 room. Thank God for high ceilings.
Friday night: Start not feeling well.
Saturday morning: REALLY not feeling well. Typical first day of a cold, I thought, with the massive painful and heavy mask over my sinuses, a tingly and semi-sore throat. All the usual signs. I had started the Zicam regime the night before, I figured I'd be feeling better by afternoon. Spent entire day on Saturday in bed, moving to the couch in the living room in the evening.
Sunday: Went to Pap's to watch the Steeler game. Can't swallow anything that's not slimey (like soup, oatmeal, hot chocolate) as throat is on absolute FIRE. Second consecutive day of 100 degree fever.
Monday: Feeling "well" enough (i.e. only occasionally dizzy) to start unpacking the dozens of boxes that are making the bedroom impossible to move in. Third day of 100 degree fever.
Today: More of the same. Blah. But at least there's enough stuff unpacked that I can justify a trip to the internet.
Knitting progress:
Um, it's time to prioritize. As there are like seven different Christmas deadlines this year. The troublesome spot this year, as last year, is Geana's gift. No, no, not going to tell what it is...cause I don't know yet. :-) Therein lies the problem. That Christmas is a little under 2 weeks away. Dum dum dum...
Almost halfway through with the Gehfelted Fish, also due on in two weeks.
We'll see how things develop.
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