Can we get some 02 over here, too?

Matt's got a nasty pneumonia, and we spent last night at the ER. He'll survive. In fact, he was home today goofing off, watching movies with titles like "Godzilla Vs. Destroyah" and "Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell." I almost wished I were sick too so I could hang out with him... but between the horrible wracking cough and the painful flicks I'd be forced to watch, in the end I was glad to be at work.

Dad

Brilliant. Cranky. Telecommunications engineer, and a team writer of ISDN, the original Internet protocol (I'm probably using the wrong terms here, but he wrote what made the WWW work). Lover of Thai food. Husband of my Mom for over 40 years. He was sometimes abrasive, but we always knew we were loved. Cleaning out his desk I found pictures of my sister and me all over. And notes... "Tell Sharon - WWI airplane exhibit at Long Beach airport." He was proud of my flying and other adventures.

On Valentine's night he took my Mom out for a romantic dinner. Then the chest pain got worse and she finally convinced him to go to the hospital. He was told years ago that without a stint / bypass he would die, and he made his decision. Hadn't seen a doctor in two years. He coded and passed 15 minutes after their arrival. He got his way: No surgery, no ICU torture.

You did good, Dad!

January Goals & 4th Annual Breakdown

First the good news... my goals for 2008 were mostly met. I made a beaded lace shawl, fingerless gloves, and a beret. I learned entrelac, Continental knitting, and Fair Isle colorwork. I failed to make a zillion socks or lose weight, so those are back on the block for 2009. I was greatly restrained, SeaSocks aside, and my yarn stash has decreased. I DID get my clinic going: I'm very happy with the growth in my practice and expect 2009 to be a profitable year. It's so awesome to make money by helping people. Seriously - Does it get any better?

Now the bad news. We have not escaped the Annual January Breakdown. So far we've lost Matt's iPod (went for a swim in the sink), the space heater (ai yi yi it's cold in the bedroom!). My phone, camera, and computer are all acting suspiciously, but I've got my fingers crossed. The real killer is the plasma TV. This 10 year old dinosaur was an uber-generous gift from Matt's brother Greg. Who, by the way, is a dead ringer for Lou Gehrig. Anyway, this TV has been on every night, showing us ancient history and goofy British comedy and shoot 'em up action. It's still working, after a 5 minute warm-up, but the right side is fuzzy. I think it's had a stroke. We are just crossing our fingers that it lasts until Matt can moonlight his way to some extra cash. He's just passed the Step 3 boards, which makes him an Official Grownup Doctor so as soon as the paperwork comes through he'll be able to take on even more hours (*groan*). Of course with more people coming to me for acupuncture that will help, too. :)

History, today!

"This is your victory!" President Obama told us, and he is absolutely right. I am so proud of this country... so proud that people overcame those ridiculous lies and their racist fears to choose a man who stands for hope rather than fear. I literally felt that heart-swelling sensation in my chest. Still do! Yes, I cried when it was announced last night. It was a Great Day, and I'll always remember it.

ETA: A great little blogpost by Christopher Buckley

ETA: Tragically, it was not all good news today. California's Proposition 8 was approved, depriving same-sex couples of the rights that hetero couples enjoy. I can't understand this. The conservative argument against these loving, long-term relationships are based on religious dogma. Aren't we supposed to have a separation of Church and State? How are personal lives any business of the government? There's bad news from FL, AR, and AZ, too.

Halloween 2008

Last night was pretty low-key. Debbie is visiting from Phoenix, so we went for a nice dinner. Somehow I didn't get around to decorating the house this year, but Mother Nature took care of that for me. This is our back yard! We had a fantastic picnic out there today and fell asleep looking up at the leaves.

Tonight, we join Nae at the Mount Hope Winery for their Poe presentation. We went last year and it was fantastic.

Also, some bold squirrel or bunny enjoyed our front step pumpkin.

Acrochordon Removal

I got to do some surgery! Matt had a big ole skin tag he wanted removed. A little lidocaine, a flick of a scalpel, and it was gone. So fun!

Obviously there was more involved, but I had a doctor right there to explain every step. He proclaimed my knifework "excellent" and doesn't think there will be a scar. Looks like all that needle-handling has paid off. :)

Va Beach, and unbeaching the whale

My motivation is in high gear right now. I love everything about my life except for my weight, and that is coming off. As we all know but don't want to admit, there's no magic pill... it's all about consistently eating less and moving more. Which I have been doing. As a result, my clothes are getting looser. Yay!!

Last weekend Matt & I met my parents at their Virginia Beach timeshare. They have a cute 7th floor, 2-room suite with a balcony overlooking the ocean. We had a great time scarfing down seafood, walking on the beach, and creating Diet Coke geysers. We had such a blast that even the Man on the Moon was smiling.

I don't know what the heck my hair was thinking in that group shot.

Coming home: A perfect example of why I left Virginia. Note the close-shaved head with rattail, belligerent expression, wrist-on-wheel driving technique, homemade tats, multicolored POS American car. Behind him, one thing I do miss about the South: Waffle House! We didn't stop, though. See first paragraph. :)

One of those meme things.

Terri tagged me!

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
In 1998, I was struggling to make my first marriage work. Jon was a sweet guy but we were utterly unsuited for each other. He's a prototypical Taurus: Earthy, short-sighted, workaholic, loyal... at least he was. Then he kind of went nuts (PTSD from his time in the Army), started doing drugs and cheating on me. Anyway, in a last-ditch attempt to save us, I followed him from my awesome life and job at a women's gym in VA to Pheonix, AZ so he could attend motorcycle mechanic school. Two months later it was splitsville. I hated it there, but I met my amazing friends Tracy & Lisa, and my sublimely perfect-for-me husband Matt there. So THANKS, Jon!
I was working full-time as a certified personal trainer, and also attending school for my medical pre-requisites. With straight As, baby, despite my crazy schedule and divorce. And I climbed a mountain (Squaw Peak) every morning for a workout. Geez. What happened to HER?

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today- not in any particular order?
Convince the Department of Motor Vehicles that Preston is a 1982, not '80 as his registration states.
Send broken camera back to eBay seller.
Get some exercise (daily).
Start sock project for this weekend's roadtrip.
Hold Killer Rabbit while feeding her treats (daily) in an attempt to train her to be a SnuggleBun.
Establish PayPal account for the Rose Family Clinic.
That's 6 - I'm a busy girl!
3. Snacks I enjoy:
I love licorice (avoiding it and other treats since I am losing weight and happy about that). Recent fave: 30 calorie popsicles!
4. Places I’ve lived:
Multiple places in NY, VA, AZ, OR, WA, and FL. Single residences in NJ, GA, and IA. I feel like I'm forgetting something. Oh - DUH! PA!
5. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Beyond the obvious (set up my family and loved ones, etc):
Fund an elephant refuge,
Run a national campaign to increase awareness of OMM
Travel a LOT
Have a personal chef
Have a personal mechanic and a garage full of toys a la Jay Leno.
6. What are some jobs you’ve had:
Pizza maker, retail (software, jewelry, Nature's Gifts), professional outside sales, personal trainer, Domme, office manager, knitting instructor, and now acupuncturist.
7. Peeps I want to know more about:
I don't tag people... But if you are willing to play, consider [your name] here.

Sparklers!

We just went outside and played with the fireflies. They were everywhere... in the grass, in the trees, on the roofs... we made some blinks of our own. :)

Me, Bluinated

Summer haircut, and my first-ever color!

Such a crazy week...

... and it's only Tuesday!

1) Skor! is an awesome car. Dad put a lot more work into him than I expected, and boy do we appreciate it.
2) I have moths. My art room has changed from a pretty yarn store to a cedar-scented, plastic-encased warehouse. :(
3) I launched my website!! It still needs some tweaking, but I'm very happy. Feedback appreciated.
4) Check this out!
5) I really need some sleep.

Squeeee!!

Can't keep quiet any longer... big surprise coming!

Stumblebums

This morning, Girlie and I heard a deafening bang and shout from the bathroom. Matt had bashed his elbow on the door. Five minutes later, he nailed the same elbow on another door frame.

We went downtown to goof around, yarn shop, and get cheesesteaks. I, somehow, hurt myself opening the door at Rosie's. As we were coming home, Matt tripped on the stairs to our front door.

"I'm staying away from you guys today," Girlie announced.
"Yeah, we're the Klutz Clan." I responded ruefully.
"The Two Klutz Klan!" she laughed.

Oh yeah...

Downloading the yarny stuff, I found some older pics on my camera. Here are the Stripey Guys snoozing on the back of the couch, and Mr. Peach in a rare Glamour Shot moment.

And on my birthday, Matt decided to commemorate his affection for his One True Love:

Happy Love Day!

We're staying home tonight and making steak & shrimp fondue. Yum!

Tagged like a half-price skein of silk

Shawnee got me. We were Secret Pals way back when.
"Here are the rules, and they must be posted to your blog.
Link to the person’s blog who tagged you.
List seven random and/or weird facts about yourself.
Tag seven random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
Let each person know that they have been tagged by posting a comment on their blog."

These things are always a challenge for me. There's no shortage of weirdness in my life, but my friends & regular readers already know most of it. The rest I have to keep quiet due to an arrangement with the Justice Dept (kidding!). So... the bizzaro car stuff, the fiber addiction, Matt's ex having a wife of her own now, Girlie, our meat-eating bunny, my powerdwarf status... that's all old news. But I've been tagged, and must comply. *ahem*

1) Carrot cake is my favorite. With cream cheese icing, of course.
2) I once out-shot a Special Forces (Green Beret) team captain.
3) I've hunted for food. I only ate squirrel once, though. YUCK.
4) If I could have any brand-new auto in the world I'd take a SmartCar.
5) I have an extremely sensitive sense of smell.
6) Although I have always abhorred cigarettes, and give free smoking cessation treatments as part of my mission to put the tobacco companies out of business, I am a smoker in about 30% of my dreams. Past life, maybe?
7) Tomatoes make my hands hurt. I order white pizza now.

Tagees: I really hate putting people on the spot. And most of my bloggy friends have already been nailed. Let's make this a voluntary tagging, shall we? This means YOU!

Havin' a little par-tay

My birthday is the 25th, but nobody wants a party on a Monday. So come celebrate on Sunday evening! Food, fun, dancing, the works. :)

3rd Annual January Breakdown

Long-term readers will recall that for the past two years, we've had a spate of electrical and mechanical disasters in January. We were a tad ahead of the curve - the cars hemorrhaged cash along with coolant and oil in December. A few days ago our GPS died (what's with the 6 month life span on these things?) but we had a warranty, so actually that worked out beautifully. We got a fancy new one, free.

The real damage, though, was Matt's trust breaking down. This godsend of a monetary cushion has been providing child support and supplementing his meager resident's income. Unfortunately that's all coming to a rather harsh end. I can't afford to wait for my clinic to mature any more: I'll be looking for a job at a doc's office.

In an alternate bid to raise funds, Girlie and I are plotting a book. It'll be a sort of combination roadtrip and knitting adventure. The working title: A Hooker, A Dwarf, and a Taxi." Think Jack Kerouac with wool. Think Anthony Bourdain with yarn. And less expertise. Think Thelma and Louise, without the cigs, booze, and murder. Well... without the cigs and booze.

Once the book goes global, there'll be a movie. In Volume II we tour Europe: The Dwarf and the Hooker Go Abroad!

The Knitting Plan for 2008

I'm saying "Plan" just because it will be that much funnier when I look back in a year. You understand that, right?

First, my personal resolutions: Get more exercise, and be more proactive about building my clinic.

For the fibery stuff: I have two big projects underway right now. The fire blanket for Matt, which is nearly long enough now, and the Sock Ends Blanket. This last one excited me as a way to do charity work, plus use up the zillions of sock yarn ends that a knitter inevitably acquires. Some kind folks from Ravelry even sent me bits (see pic). Unfortunately, after knitting my very first square (see right edge), it struck me that knitting an entire blanket on size 1 needles was not, maybe, the brightest idea ever. Since, um, there aren't that many homeless dolls and I have to make a gazillion to do anything for an actual human-size person. *sigh*

Rethinking the concept now. Maybe lace bookmarks that I can donate for raffling or something... hmm. I'm open to suggestions here, people.

Other knitty stuff I want to get done this year: A lace shawl. A lace beaded shawl. Fingerless gloves for driving Shaun. Socks. Lots of socks. Entrelac. Learn Continental knitting. Colorwork. A beret. And I want to spin that sweater's worth of yarn I got at Rhinebeck, although I may not get the sweater knit (sound familiar, Emma?). Learn to crochet. :)

Finally: The big No Fiber Purchases in 2008 Vow. I can trade, win, or earn new stuff for the stash, but I promise not to lay out any actual cash. For a year. Seriously. All you evil hand-dyers just STAY AWAY! And if I click through in my sleep, just delete my order. Kthxbye.

Just had to share...

Here's Matt, taking a nap. He likes to cover his eyes to block the light, but this time I think he went a bit far.