Oh, CRAP....

The worst has happened. I was hoping to avoid it, but it happened. Man, this could get ugly...

Hubby has finally discerned the entire quantity of "The Stash." I'm screwed. And on an immediate "yarn diet."

I had said, over this long weekend, that I would like to "clean out the corner" of my office because we'd stuffed a lot of stuff into the office/yoga space/voiceover studio/guitar room/sewing room. You get the idea: the "multi-purpose room" gone amok.

Toiletry bags for rape kits

So we didn't get it done, but I actually DID finish up the rape kit bags. I'm just finishing up stringing ribbon in the last 2 of them. I did 25 and my mom did another 25. My friend Deanna is going to do some for me, too. Our women's group is doing larger kits with clothing, etc. These bags go in those kits for the shampoo, toothbrush, etc. We're doing this project through the year, so we will be able to not only deplete our stash of fabric, but we'll be able to give these women something a little more attractive than a zipper bag filled with stuff.

Realistically (as I go off on a small tangent), we know they're likely to pitch everything that would remind them of the incident, but at least for a moment, they have something that isn't "institutional" feeling. 

But, back to The Stash...

I did get a few other things done: we bought a "mini-me" truck for me (traded in the sedan) and I started on the lace pattern for the sock. Knitted a bit on the Yellow Sweater. Pulled out Silent Night to get working on it for Midnight Mass (yes, I do know it, but it'll take that long to build up the calluses I filed off to knit).

And today, Hubby pings me and says, (in tones I can *tell* are ominous) "You have an INSANE AMOUNT OF YARN!!!" He went out to buy totes, and no, I'm not telling you how many. But apparently The Stash exceeds the amount of totes he purchased.

The good news is that it was all in bags (specific tote bags) and those bags are now in totes. And I have a floor.

But...but... He KNOWS the extent of The Stash. This is bad. I don't knit for a living, but according to his note to me, I may as well, because I certainly have the yarn to do that.

Oh man. This is bad. I was hoping to only gradually introduce these projects as I was knitting on them. And as soon as I finish the knitting for the babies coming this spring, I was going to start doing these other projects. (sigh)

He'll get over it, because he has a similar stash of electronic stuff and tools. And I tell him that yarn is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy cheaper than therapy.

I don't think he believes me...

In a Fog...

Yes, I do mean that. The weather alert popped up last night, talking about a "dense fog warning."

They weren't kidding. Here are some pictures from my drive in. PLEASE NOTICE, I WAS NOT DRIVING!! These are all at stop lights. Just wanted to make that clear.  :)



Driving at about 30 mph here.

My normal "zip up the road" to work was reduced to quite a scary crawl, as everyone was finally driving cautiously. Surprisingly, though it probably shouldn't have been, about 60% of the drivers did NOT have their headlights on.

Really??? Helloooooooooooooooo.... Especially you folks driving pearly grey or silver cars and trucks. Do you know that visibility is about 1/2 a block and we can't really see you?  Talk about in a fog. One guy was actually on his phone and doodling along with no lights, no wipers, nothing. Wake up, sunshine!



Behind that stoplight is the library.

See the rest of them... Can you believe it? It's supposed to be burning off by noon-ish but I'm not sure if that'll happen. It was interesting to see that people were actually obeying most of the traffic laws. It was about the only time that I drove at or slightly below the speed limit on my way to work. It took me about 15 minutes more than my normal commute.



Northbound Rt. 55 is behind the bushes.

Below we have some shots of the very busy Route 55 - normally a hotbed of traffic at this time. But you can't see it! And I can't see the bank across the lot from me.



My campus is behind here.

Hubby took the dogs for a walk this morning. He probably didn't see many deer, since they're all hidden in the fog at this point; I had to drive past several forest preserves and it's also rutting season - I was on high alert for any Bambis crossing the road.

On another note, I finished Baby Sweater Orange. Yay! I have to seam up the sides and get the buttons on. I've already cast on for Baby Sweater Yellow. It took 2 months, but remember, I work full time! Now, all I have to do is the two striped ones, and two crib-sized afghans. I talked with mommy and she says that they'll induce labor in late March. They won't let her go full term, even though she's very healthy. Since she's in her early 30s, they're treating this as a moderately high risk pregnancy. She looks adorable, and we don't know what the babies are yet; she says in a few weeks we should know.

I did get (finally) the backordered square Kollage needles and will transfer the Monkey socks onto those - it should make it easier to knit them, since the needles will now be aluminum and not wood which matches the yarn!

Speaking of "In a fog," let's chat about Social Security and Medicare. President Obama wants this "fiscal cliff" (a/k/a fiscal speed bump) taken care of, and he's signaled a willingness to "compromise." I maintain that cutting into SS and Medicare is NOT a compromise. WE paid into these programs, and they don't count as part of the deficit. Here's a handy-dandy chart on who exactly pays Social Security. I don't know about you, but I doubt in my lifetime that I'll reach a wage of $110,000 per year...

Initially, if I remember what I was taught in school, it was considered that anyone making over $100,000 or so was "rich." Remember, FDR instituted Social Security, so back in the day, that was a lot of money! Of course, that's when a decent-sized house cost about $20,000 or so, too...but I digress. So, if President Obama wants to make the rich pay more, how about they contribute to Social Security? Even at the "millionaire" level, it would help.

Please contact your legislators and tell them to leave Social Security and Medicare alone. I maintain they are NOT entitlements in the sense that they're "welfare" or a "hand-out." Remember, we paid for that!! So in the strictest interpretation of "entitled" -- yes we ARE entitled to get back what we paid in.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday! We had ours on the Sunday before, which is tremendous! No in-law problems to deal with, and I have four whole days off! What am I going to do with myself???

The fiscal cliff, Republican obstruction, and yoga

Somewhere in there, there's gotta be a theme!!

So, the fiscal cliff: it's a speed bump. I love how the media dramatizes everything. Even supposing (shocking, I know) that McConnell et al refuse to bargain and everything goes flushing, those cuts are phased in over FIVE YEARS. Five years. That's 1,825 days.

You're not gonna wake up and magically have your taxes raised and the economy in the toilet. It's available out there, folks - just read.

Republican obstruction: Like that's news? McConnell and the bunch need to realize that mid-terms are coming up and the American people (those who voted in this landslide election, remember??) are fed up with the divisive nature of politics. They're sick of seeing everything stuck because someone's having a hissy fit. So Prez Obama won a second term. Yes, he did, and yes I voted for him.

Y'all need to get over yourselves.

Yoga: I got to sub and teach my first yoga class last week!! How fun it was - and how nerve-wracking. I've been practicing for at least 7 years or so. But getting up in front? That was a bit scary. Luckily, the students took it easy on me and I had a practice that was fairly benign. No backbends; no pretzel poses.

I'm looking forward to teacher training in 2013 and hoping that after it's all done I have a place to teach. Just part-time. But I want to do this. I think I have something to offer.

It's Been A While....

Good grief!!! I'm a "bad blogger" because it's been forever. Let's see if I can catch up.

1.  I've finished Kelly's headband. I just need to block it and then take a pic. I'm hoping (a) she likes it; and (b) I can find that little bottle of "Soak" that I got to go with it!

2.  Went through a period of  "cardiac unrest" recently with a new batch of PVCs cropping up. "Premature Ventricular Contractions." Sucks. Had a Holter monitor and then a ZIO patch monitor (which felt like a 3rd silicone bosom...and my own are original equipment, just so you know). We shall see what goes on.

3.  Hurricane Sandy. Enough said. Lots of prayers going to those still dealing with the mess.

4.  The election. Whoooooooooooooooooooooooo.... Glad it's over. Glad Obama won. Now it's time to clean House (and Senate)... I'm hoping Obama goes all "got nothing to lose" because this country's been held hostage to the Baggies long enough - we need some rational sense in DC and we need them to do what WE elected them to do. Midterms, 2014. Something for them to think about, no?

5.  Babies: Working away on the orange sweater for Twin A. Got the Encore Worsted for the crib-sized blankets (one orange, one yellow). Got the self-striping yarn for two separate sweater/hat combos. That's it. I've spent a TON of money on this (which I do not begrudge, but yikes --- The yarn I wanted for the blankets? TWO HUNDRED BUCKS for two blankets.)

6.  Kid #1 has a job interview; he's been trying to find something closer to home. Cross your fingers, please!!

7.  Yoga: Well, I taught my first class, subbing for MY teacher (talk about weird...). It was nice, even though we only had 2 students. And lucky for me, they were "regulars" so they were very patient for me and with me.

8.  Meditation: Have been leading those sessions for a while now. I'm enjoying it. I like the idea of meditation, but paradoxically, I can't meditate when I'm leading the group. I feel like I have to watch and make sure everything's ok.

9.  Yoga Teacher Training: Wow, coming up QUICKLY in February. I've read 1.5 of the books. Stuck on the Yoga Sutras - and no, it's not "sutra = sex" -- it's a translation of yoga philosophy. Somewhat sticky going, but luckily, broken up into manageable bites.

10. Socks: I've started a pair of Monkey socks with some delicious Opal yarn in their Vincent Van Gogh colorway - somebody's chair.... Very autumnal, but with all that baby knitting to be done, these are going in the "when you have a moment and are sick of a straight basketweave blanket" stack.

11.  Friend question: So what do you do when your oldest friend doesn't respond to a text? Well, several texts? I'm trying to be kind. Her birthday is Sunday, and I'm thinking she's on vacation (they go all the time). I am just feeling a little out of sorts because she calls me when it's convenient for her, and it's usually her issues we discuss, unless I can get a word or question in edge-wise. It's sad. I've known her since 2nd grade. I know some folks will say "dump time" but I wonder. She doesn't have a ton of friends (go figure) and there's a certain loyalty there, at least on my part. Input welcome...

12.  Diet:  Well, "new eating habits."  I'm down TWENTY-SIX POUNDS. I'm aiming for 30, so you know this is the stage where you hit "hard lard" which doesn't want to go away. After all, it's found a home in my belly for over 20 years, and it kinda likes it there!! I'm hoping that now that I feel better, I can get my exercise back into gear.

Will try to be a "better blogger" by keeping a commitment of at least one post a week. I'm sure I can figure out something to say once a week, don't you think?