I confess.....I Heart Boy Britney!

Let's face it----television usually sucks. But more particularly, summer television really sucks. Among the sucky summer TV offerings is "America's Got Talent." In case you haven't seen it, it's a show where regular people compete in a talent competition to try to win 1 million dollars.

For the most part, the show and it's competitors are all pretty lame, and the show is so bloated with fill and commercials, I can only stand to watch it as knitting background fill-in. But.....

Every once in a while, amongst all the off-key singers, dorky acrobatics and painfully tin-eared musicians, there comes a bright spot of sorts. Not necessarily a conventional bright spot, but rather one that captures your heart and imagination in some way---although you can't necessarily figure out why. For me, on this lame show this summer, that bright spot has been BOY SHAKIRA!!

I don't know exactly why I love him, but I do! He is funny and entertaining, in a bad drag queen kinda way, but I really look forward to seeing him each time. A definitely NOT boring standout in a sea of boring and lame talent-show acts. The best part is, he has actually made the finals and has a chance at winning the million clams!! Not bad for a boy in a bad wig!! And BTW, the muffin top hanging over his hip-shaking costume is a thing to behold as well!

To be able to stand out and make an impression in the finals, Boy Shakira pulled out the stops and became.......BOY BRITNEY!!! He does "hit me baby one more time..." complete with schoolgirl outfit (belly still visible) and back-up dancers! And best of all, HE'S got underpants!! I'm sorry, but it's just too much fun! In the world of boring summer TV drivel, I admit...

I heart Boy Britney......or Boy Shakira.....or Boy whatever!!! He's sweet and he brings his mom with him to his performances. I just gotta watch---it's like looking at a car wreck....in a good way! And just for the record, I hope he wins the whole thing. There's a couple of other contestants who are good singers but excuse me,.....ho-hum.

GO BOY SHAKIRA FOR THE WIN!

And by the way, no, I have not lost my mind. I don't have a thing to show for knitting, work is kicking my ass, and as for blogging, I wasn't even going to try today cuz I had nothin'.....until now......ya gotta love a lame-but-in-a-good-way drag act on national television! Boy Shakira is more fun than your favorite drunk uncle at the family reunion!

This and that.....random catching-up

Finally, a chance to actually make a post to my blog! I think this has been the longest I have ever gone without being able to post, and I've really missed it! I never thought when I started this blog that it would be something I would "miss" if I couldn't do it, but I have.

With such a long time having passed since my last post, I guess this will have to be a post of some randomness and rambling, as one tends to do when trying to make a long story short (something I'm not very good at, but I'll give it a go...). It's just that there are so many random bits, I can't begin to even try to tie them together cohesively. So this will have to be a post of this and that and the other thing, all stuck together so I can quit storing it for later in my poor, tired brain.

Even on my best days, I can somewhat be the queen of the non-sequitor and non-sensical segway. But now that the last of my brain has been squeezed into a dried apricot by my current schedule of 14-hour days, a string of non-sequitors might make more sense to read. Oh well....if it gets confusing, you can skip down to the actual knitting content near the end...

"Graduated" from training at my new place of wage-slavery. Yes, there was an actual lame graduation with presentation of a certificate in front of the rest of the current slaves. We were told at about 4pm the day before that each class had to present something---skit, speech, song, whatever---to the attendees. Say What? My 5 fellow trainees and I looked at each other in horror. This couldn't be good. Suffice it to say that out of desperation for something to do at the last minute, I made the mistake of joking that I play the ukelele.....

Just a message to the wise: If you are ever desperate for lame ideas for a needed performance, don't ever let jokingly slip to 5 desperate nurses that you play ANY type of musical instrument, as you will then be forced to play said instrument in front of about 150 co-workers you barely know. You know, just to cement your new professional reputation amongst the colleagues. Not only that, you will then be forced to write a lame SONG to sing along with the bad ukulele playing!

Let's just say that there was an ugly scene at graduation of me playing the ukulele and all of us singing a song I wrote to the tune of "Tiny Bubbles" (a la Don Ho----sorry Don, don't roll over in your grave too hard...). There is a tradition of "Aloha Fridays" at my new place of employment, so it did fit in with a theme, and everyone seemed to enjoy it, especially since I added in lyrics about the training making us need a cocktail----mention of cocktails seems to please crowds of nurses, for some strange reason.

And oh, yes, this performance was complete with lei's and bubbles being blown by our trainer and fake cocktails with little umbrellas in pink plastic martini cups for all. Good times! But let's not forget that all of those other rat-bastard fellow trainees got away with a little bad singing, while I had to play a musical instrument (badly) in front of over 100 people!!! Let's just say I really took one for the team on this one, and those bi-atches (and I call them that in the most loving way) owe me BIG TIME!

And in a totally random change of subject......Have any of you ever entered contests on anyone's blog and won? Did they actually send you a prize? I only ask because I have won only once, which I mentioned gleefully on this blog a few months ago. And what did I receive as a prize?....Nothing, nada, zip!

Edited 7/25/07 - I am happy and relieved that the contest blogger mentioned above just sent me an email explaining the circumstances. Said she sent a package in May (which I didn't receive), and then wrote an email later, which she inadvertently saved rather than sending it. Thanks for emailing....I feel much better now that I know what happened (and that it wasn't intentional or due to a bad life turn...).

Official Knitting Content:

While the past 6 weeks have been like a never-ending freeway roadtrip with extended daily breaks of brain-draining confusion at work and occasional 4-hour peeks at my own bed, I have actually managed to knit a few rows here and there. Not much, mind you, and not enough to be particularly satisfying, but at least I got to touch some yarn and knitting needles, which made me feel a like I remember how to knit. Humor me here, I'm trying to feel better about pictures of very little progress....

Some progress on my Mermaid Wrap....

While taking the pictures, I really started to notice how the yarn is patterning in little "boxes" of color. Not sure I'm crazy about that, but I still love the colors anyway. However, I think I still would have preferred this pattern in it's original semi-solid color.

Here's a picture of very little progress on my Tofutsies socks---two cuffs. Believe me, I've tried to let these see the light of day once in a while, but working on size zero needles after 9pm has not exactly been within my abilities this past few weeks...

The MD Moss Grid Hand Towel has fared a little better. It's about 3/4 done at this point, and beginning to feel like a bit of a boring slog, but I'm hoping I can actually finish it soon!

And finally, in a last-ditch effort to feel like I could actually have an FO, I decided to make this cute little cup cozy out of Fixation yarn. We have these plastic cups at work that sweat like crazy when filled with ice water, and I saw this pattern for a Java Jacket that Chris wrote up and thought it was kinda cute! Besides, I needed something to work on that I could knit with no time available and minus a brain....

I have to say I wasn't sure about the actual usefulness of this cup cozy in the beginning, but after road-testing it for a few days, I can say it actually works really well! No drippy water cup on my desk all week! I liked it so much that I'm making another one in a different color to carry around in my purse for those drippy iced latte cups in as well! And better yet, it only took me (the world's slowest knitter) about 2 hours to knit up!

Instant satisfaction and a cute pink FO---just what I needed!

(Pay no attention to those poor, ignored, unseamed and unfelted, clogs in the background...)

Yes, I'm still alive---I think that calls for some yarn!

I'm happy to report that the deadly virus-turned-respiratory infection did not lead to my complete demise. There were moments that I would have liked it to, but I survived nonetheless!

Spurred perhaps by the happy return of my health, or perhaps the happy receipt of my first paycheck, I succumbed to temptation this weekend and made some very small yarn acquisitions! I tried really hard to resist these beauties, but my will was too weak....

Oh, yeah! Who am I trying to fool anyway? I had a paycheck in my hot little hands and since I've now rejoined the ranks of the wage slaves, I felt very entitled to spend a little this weekend, thankyouverymuch. Besides, after two or three weeks (and weekends) of being sick and homebound, I just wanted to have a little fun! So, behold my newest stash additions....

They got a new shipment of Sea Silk at VY&T, so I thought I would head over there and pick up a replacement skein of the light green/blue that self-destructed a couple of months ago. Yes, they had the color I wanted, but I was disappointed in the dye lot this time around---it was very much more green than the skein I had before---IMO it did not have the soft, ethereal quality to the color that I so loved about it before. So I picked another color instead...

Hard to get the colors correct in the picture, but it is a little deeper with more variations of blue than it appears here. I think this will distract me from my disappointment in the lighter color.

Here's some Suri Blue I picked up a couple of weeks ago, in exchange for a color I had bought previously. Turns out the Sea Silk variegated I ended up with was the same colorway as the Suri Blue I had bought previously. So when the new shipment came in, I exchanged it for this...

Again, the colors are much more dark and saturated than I was able to capture here, slightly more bluish-red or bergundy in tone than it looks. I thought I would change over to something that was more fall/winter in tone to use later.

On Sunday, I had a $20 credit at Acorn Street Yarn, so I decided to head over there and pick up a new Evelyn Clark shawl pattern that I've been waiting for. Since the pattern calls for three colors and I will be using Zephyr, I needed to pick up another color to use with Pewter and Indigo I already have. I think this will accent those colors very nicely...

I'll probably try to start on that one when the current Mermaid Wrap is finished, since I think the shawl in three colors will be a fun knit, and I'm anxious to try knitting with Zephyr for the first time!

And finally, while browsing around Acorn Street, those tricky ladies lured me to the shelf where this incredibly soft Malabrigo laceweight was displayed. Once I touched it, I couldn't put it back down. There were so many incredible colors, it was hard to pick just one, but I decided to go with a color that is different from anything else I have right now...

Believe me, the picture does not do this one justice! The only way I can think of to describe the colors of this yarn is---think of a lush and mossy forest with giant redwood trees. There are different rich brown tones with a distinctively redwood-colored hue throughout, with shades of dark mossy greens and browns, with a little reddish tone thrown in. It is incredibly rich-looking, but no matter how I tried to photograph it, I could not capture the colors. Sigh. Trust me, it's gorgeous! So I know no one can blame me for snapping up this final little addition to my stash this weekend!

I have been trying to squeeze in some knitting when I can, but being gone from my house for 13-14 hours a day has not done much for the progress on my current WIP's. It seems the most I can sneak in is a few rows here and a couple of rows there. I have made some small progress on a couple of things, though, so I'll post those pics next time.

BTW, I'm very excited that I will be meeting up with two fellow knit-bloggers next weekend---Kathleen from Quail Hill Knits, and Danielle from The Knitting Niche. I have become email friends with Kathleen over the past few months and am excited to meet her in person. I also enjoy reading Danielle's blog and am looking forward to meeting her as well! I think that one of the most fun things about blogging is when you have a chance to meet other bloggers! I know we'll have a fun time---knitting and chatting, how could we go wrong? :)

Have a great week, everyone!

Apparently, I Rock!

At least that's what Kathleen, my dear friend at Quail Hill Knits has told me, to my great surprise and delight!! She has bestowed upon me a "Rockin' Girl Blogger" award! At my age, I'm happy to think that I rock anything....! Thanks, Kathleen! You made my day, and I think you are pretty Rockin' yourself! I will display the award button with pride on my humble blog.



If you have never visited Kathleen's blog, I encourage you to do so. Her knitting is awe-inspiring, to say the least (she has some mad knitting skills), and she has a great wit that I truly enjoy! Stop over and say "hi" and tell her that I sent ya!

Part of my official duties are to now nominate five more Girl Bloggers who Rock. There are many I read often and enjoy (and Kathleen would be at the top of my list) but here are my five official Rockin' Girl Blogger nominations:

1. My friend G-girl, over at Left-Handed Knitting. Her blog is happy and sunny, just like her! She is a teacher who knits lots of fun stuff and posts about her teaching life as well.
2. My new friend from across the pond in Australia, Sue. Her blog is called My Ramblings, and she is my newest pal from the recent ISE4 swap. She is a Mum, a Grandmum, a nurse and a lightening-speed knitter. She also doubles as a nanny for some adorable feral kittens, who actually now suckle from her dog!! I don't know how she does it all!
3. Kitty Mommy over at On The Needles. She is a mom to two adorable kids with another on the way. She has a great sense of humor and it's fun to read about her family adventures and knitting.
4. Hakucho, at the blog of the same name. Not only is she a fellow "deb," but she is a fabulous and innovative knitter. She comes up with her own fun patterns, and invents lots of ways to modify others. I love to see the quality and quantity of her knitting!
5. My friend, Deb (yes, another deb), at Village Yarn & Tea Shop, one of my favorite places to hang out. She is one of the owners of the store and blogs about yarn, tea and general silliness on their CommuKniTea blog. Not only is she a dear friend, but a warm, fun person with a great sense of humor.

And speaking of bloggers who rock, I really want to thank ALL of you who have left get-well wishes and fun messages on my blog recently! I appreciate the comments from each of you, all the time, but especially during this trying week. I'm still home sick today, BTW, even though I had hoped to be well enough to return to work today. Your messages have made being home sick a lot more pleasant. I love you all for stopping in, brightening my day and making me laugh!
You all rock! Hugs to all of you (germs removed, of course...)! And thanks again, Kathleen, for allowing me to rock something besides the tissue box and the cough syrup today!

Anyone got the classifieds...or a blessed icon handy...?

Here's another scintillating post about my current state of unhealth (I knew you were waiting...:). I finally got sick enough to require staying home for the past two days. I was hacking and running so badly, I would have sent every human with half a brain screaming from the building at work when I got there. I really wanted to go in, but waaaaay too sick to even attempt it.

So, let's see here......out sick for two days, in the second week of a new job, right smack in the middle of a 5-week training class period. Hmmmmmm.

Anyone want to place any bets on if I'll still be employed there when I return? Heck, I would fire me! Even though I know it's one of those things not under my control, employers really have no sense of humor about these things sometimes. Actually, I really don't want to lose this new job---I think I may kind of like it.

We'll see what happens when I go skulking back in with my tail between my legs tomorrow (hopefully). I just hope I don't piddle on the floor when the supervisor yells at me and shakes the rolled-up orientation book at me! I hate it when I do that!

Just so reading this wasn't a total waste of time, I give you pictures! Here's a couple more pics that I took while on my recent trip. But these are a little different...

This is what happens when you knit dishcloths and send them to your grandmother! GOOD GOD, she wouldn't want to use them and "ruin them!" (a direct quote). So what is a good Italian Nana to do with said dishcloths?.....

Why, use them as dresser scarves for her religious icon statues, of course!! You might recognize this cute, spring-colored ballband from several months ago. I like what she's done with the color coordination, too....

And here's the poinsettia dishcloth with the bobble berries....

I'll bet the Blessed Virgin never had such a colorful display in any other Italian Nana's living room anywhere, any time! I love my Nana dearly. How cute is that?! BTW, she laughed really hard when I told her I wanted to take pictures of her creative uses for the dishcloths.

And just to complete the record, here's a picture of said cute Nana (age 88! and with no makeup, by the way...), and her equally cute husband, Papa Don (age 92!). They are both incredible and as you can see, the picture of health! I feel so lucky to have reached old decrepit-ness myself, and still have such a young, lively Nana to call my own!

As my Nana always tells me when she puts me in a prayer Novena (approximately weekly, since she's usually always worried about my sorry ass for some reason...), "Nana's prayers go straight upstairs!" Let's hope so.

Um, Nana, about that job I just got? Could you put in a good word? I really don't want to be fired in my second week on the job....I would put in something about annihilating this cold virus, but I guess that would be inappropriate....the killing and all...

I don't know about you, but I feel better already! She must have put me in the Novena this week, and I haven't even talked to her yet!

Love you, Nana! Have a happy, healthy week, everyone!

When viruses (viri?) attack....

This is getting ridiculous. It has become apparent to me of late that my newest superpower is round up assorted viruses and fling them all over myself. ugh. Yep, hard to believe, but I started feeling those unwanted feelings coming on yesterday, and sure enough, woke up with a cough and a runny eye (singular....fun) this morning. Being able to be sick on a weekly basis is not exactly what I would have chosen personally for my superpower, but I guess it's mine for now and I'll have to embrace it. At least I seem to be gathering up assorted viruses, and not the same one every week. (Hey, I'm trying to find a positive in this...).

Actually, I believe I can attribute the onset of this cold to starting at a new job. I have a history of getting a cold some time within the first month of most new jobs I've ever started, at least in recent history. This is understandable-----you know, new germs and everything. But after my pre-job-start punishment of last weekend, I was hoping for a reprieve.

And for those of you who might be thinking it.....I even washed and/or sanitized my hands about 2,000 times more per day than usual, just to avoid such an occurrence, so it can't be blamed on that. (And it has not escaped me that I have actually been reduced to using the word "sanitized" on my knitting blog)

The funny part is, apparently I am not the only one this happens to! When speaking to a colleague at a prior job, she informed me that she, too, gets a cold every time she starts a job. I have since heard this from a few others as well.

I don't know why that makes me feel better. I guess I just don't want to think I'm the only one who acquires viruses as a skill at each new job I begin. To add to my purely anectdotal evidence, one of my fellow newbies at the job was out sick on Friday. See? Really unscientific evidence, but proof of my theory all the same. I say, the answer is to screen out all germy people from any jobsite. That's right! All of them! Out!

Oh, and since I'm mentioning germy people, I'm all for a light and buzzer that goes off when someone exits a restroom and did not wash their hands, accompanied by an announcement----"Attention! This person did not wash their hands! They are icky and contact with them should be avoided!" That may sound dire to some people, but hey, I've been attacked twice in one week and I just know it's because of one of those non-hand-washers!!!

Just out of curiousity, has anyone else had similar experience with attacks by lurking viruses at new jobs? I realize that this is not the usual type of question one might be asked on a knitting blog, but I'd be curious to know all the same! Unfortunately, I really didn't want to make a virus the subject of possibly the only post I'll have time for this week, but my brain is too fogged at the moment to think of anything else...Did I already say this?....ugh.

I have actually had time to complete about 20 rows of knitting this week! I know that doesn't sound like much, but I've been away from the house for 13-14 hours each day, so I consider that a stupendous feat! Unfortunately, 20 rows does not make for enough progress to bother with pictures---at least pictures that don't look almost exactly like the last ones I took.

But a pictureless post is too boring, especially with attack by viruses as the subject. So if you didn't click away in disgust or boredom already, here's a couple of more pictures from my lovely recent vacation, when I was carefree and unhindered by viral acquisition....

Here's a picture of cute husband with a lorikeet at the aquarium...

Here's one from our cruise of Alamitos Bay on the little electric boat...

These are baby jellyfish in a natural breeding ground area in one of the alcoves of the bay. They've been breeding there for as long as anyone can remember, but nobody knows why...

Kinda look like viruses, don't they? (okay, I'll stop...)

And a couple of more acquarium pics....a lion fish...

and a very lacey-looking seahorse (in case you can't tell, his head is facing downward) Very cool!...

Next time: Knottykitty attempts to exchange her current superpower for a much better one---like the ability to complete one FO per day, even on a work day! Yeah!

What a day.....

Here, my trusty assistant toe-cat will demonstrate how I am feeling this evening....



It has been a loooooonnnnng day! As life would have it, I came down with some sort of cruddy, mystery stomach-viral thing, so I was sick all day yesterday and all of last night....Nothing like being sick and no sleep to make that first day at the new job just hum along!

I did manage to drag my beaten-up ass to that new job today, but I was this close to being so sick and weak I couldn't make it. But us nurses are tough stock, and I made it through the day....barely....

Sorry, no knitting content today. Haven't been able to get near a knitting needle for a few days now, and the rest of the week's not lookin' so good either. It was a 12-hour day today, and the rest of the next five weeks will be about the same. Sigh.

Maybe I'll take a couple of my knitting projects with me to work tomorrow, and fondle them longingly under the desk in my training class. I don't know about you all, but I think this work thing really sucks and ought to be outlawed immediately. I tell you, it's enough to tempt me back into unemployment!

I proclaim unlimited knitting time for everyone, and screw the 12-hour work day and commute! You can tell your boss I said it was okay.

I'm going to drag myself to bed now. I hope I live.