It's almost over

I've been silent for a while but I'm in the middle of finals for this term and it's taken every spare minute of my time. You can ask the ladies who haven't seen me in a few weeks at knitting night or other ward activities (and I'm a die-hard knitting night attendee).

So today I took my Algebra final, and it took me all of 4 hours to finish it. So what did I do after I finished that? I had a bowl of watermelons sherbet and then dove head first into another revision of my PowerPoint for my Honors Cognitive Psych class with my husband's help. He's lending me his eye for design and tweaking my PowerPoint so that it looks more polished. I've even had him time the slide transitions for me because after reading the material so often, I can speed-read right through and that doesn't really help any if the instructor has to keep going back to the previous slide because it's going to quickly. In the mean time, my house is cluttered with clean laundry and dirty dishes, and I'm really tired and didn't plan dinner for the week or buy it, and I just need to sleep for a few days. I'm really looking forward to my two weeks off and a much lighter course work load next term. It's gotta be easier after dealing with the amount of work I've had for Algebra this term. And after spending 4 hours on that final, I didn't even get to see my grade when I finished. I have to wait. That's just crap considering every other test I've taken with this program graded me instantly.

The job is becoming tolerable. I just hope it stays that way after they learn about my position next month at the team meeting. I guess that's going to be when it's announced because when I was being chewed for my internet usage, my boss let me know that she had intended to announce it then but didn't feel like she could right now. (And after all the fuss, the girls are online every day shopping for dresses or throw rugs, or reading odd news articles and I haven't touched it since so we'll have to see how things go from here...) I'm just praying about it, and I spent some time on it today (being fast Sunday and all) so I just have to turn it over now and see what gives. I'm hoping that I can show all the ways that I can improve on their daily routines and that will help. If not, I'll just live with it till Aaron gets working and then go back to full time student and house-wife. That'd give me time to use my brand new pasta machine!

The vest, she is in progress and looking lovely. I just need time to work on it and next week I'll be full time Ivy League Vest and see how far I can get. I might even have time to take a photo!

Maybe, AKA "Not Bloody Likely"

Today I found myself down in the vault putting my cash can away when our accountant (who took us down to the vault for the first time since I've been working there) and I got to talking about sweaters and I casually mention that I'm working on a new one and this triggers her to say "working on one?" and I say "yeah, I knit. I made my red one upstairs, and that blue one I wear sometimes, and these socks (show accountant said socks)." and she says..."Can you make me a sweater?". Only she looks serious. Usually people just say that stuff but nothing ever comes of is, especially when you get into yarn choices and how much said yarn would cost and it gets really complicated for non-knitters really fast and they just sort of wander off looking glazed over (I just wanted a sweater...). So I said "possibly" when what I really want to say is that she has a snowball's chance in Hell of getting a sweater by Christmas (she'll "pay me for my time") because I'm in school and working, and have kids to cook for and a house to clean, and a sweater to knit for Rhinebeck, and socks to finish for my Grandma (I didn't forget, Mom) and my mom's finished socks to mail to her, and a baby blanket to knit for my MIL's-boyfriend's-daughter's-unborn child, and a pretty little sweater and blanket for my husband's-friend's-baby, and books to read, and IEP meetings to arrange, and kids to drop off at Young Men's activities, and Sharing Times to plan, and a Primary Presentation looming...so no, I don't think I can have a sweater knit for you by Christmas.

Why do I do this? part 2

So yesterday I realized that I've been fooling myself and that the colors I chose for my Ivy League vest just aren't working out. Mist is too light to be next to Cream, and Ash is too dark to be next to Forest Heather so the pretty pattern gets lost in the colors. I've also been a bit unsure about using Currant. So after a week of ignoring my gut and just trudging along because people liked the colors so much, I've faced facts and decided that I can't go any farther. I've got gaps in the start of the row because of trying to carry the colors up the sides and I'm starting to think I might not want to do the fake seam on the side...I mean, the pattern only says to use the contrasting color, but that could be either of the two colors in a row so how should I know which one to use, or maybe I'm interpreting that wrong (and it wouldn't be the first time I did that) and I'm supposed to use the contrasting color that I start the ribbing with the entire way. So I sucked it up and went back to Knit Picks and ordered all new colors, and paid for 3-day express shipping so I can get started again by knitting night. I got a darker tan, a lighter brown and gray, and two really pretty pinks (one light and one dark). I think I'll really like these colors much better. And while I was there, I ordered their fair isle vest pattern in the neutral tone that uses all the colors that I've been trying to put together in this vest so I'll have one with greens in the end, but I really needed better colors for a vest as detailed at Ivy League.

Tonight, I spent my time working on my math (and I'm really cutting it close these days) and casting on my Beetlejuice socks just for something to do until I get my new yarns. I've got the fair isle itch but I'm just not going to spend any more time on this vest in the wrong colors. I really love these colors, but I don't want to get too into something that I won't want to put down when my vest arrives...if it arrives as I'm having trouble with my mail again.

This issue with the mail has been ongoing. It's turning into a saga, much like the Yarn Harlot's battle of the squirrels, only with less fur and chirping. It started with us forgetting to check our mail for a few days (it may have been about a week), and after sever nasty exchanges through letters written on our mail by my husband and the postman, they finally stopped our delivery and we had to go down to the main office to get things straightened out. It's happened a few times over the years, but the latest instance happened last week when I went out to check my mail and found that there was a brand new lock on the box, to which I don't have a key. So I've called my manager's office three times and left three messages, as well as leaving a note with the office to try to get a key and no one has called us back about it so I'm sure that the local mail man is ticked off at us again and that our mail is being held at the main office again. So tomorrow on my day off (to take a toddler to the dentist...) I'll be going into the office to find out why it is that I can't get anyone to call me back regarding my mail but I can call about a blocked bathroom sink on a Sunday morning and can get a person out here in less than an hour.

So far, so good.

I finally took a photo of the vest so far. The colors are pretty true to life and I hope that they work out. I'm not sure about this so far. My joins aren't very tight and i'm thinking that I might need to cut my strands for every row to be sure that they're tight enough. I'd hate to have sloppy holes at the sides in my decorative seam. I'm also not sure if I'm working the pattern correctly with the waste decreases and I'm using highlighters, magnet boards and magnet strips to try to keep track of where I am. Things seem to be lining up okay and I guess it's just so early that I can't really see the pattern that I'm building.

I'm so tired! This vest is going to be the death of me. Since I started it I haven't been to bed before midnight, and I've been cutting off my studies about a hour earlier each night that I usually do. I really need a nap but there won't be a Sunday nap today as my husband and his cousin are throwing a surprise birthday party for his mom. I think I may have started a trend here. So as I type this, I'm getting cozy with a bottle of Mountain Dew, thinking about all the work I should be doing on my final paper, and the ridiculous amount of laundry and dishes that are piling up in my house.

And on that note, I bring you another reason not to do what I should be doing. My buddy Heather knit a beautiful beret and now I want one. Now I have to relax my hair again so that I can wear one without looking like Bobo the Clown. I actually have one in mind, with matching glove from Vintage Knits that I bought the yarn for a few years ago but I'm actually using that yarn now in my Ivy League Vest so I guess that's off now. And to aid in my planning, I took a few balloons out of the left over pack (that we're recycling today for Linda's party) to save for when I actually knit myself a hat and need to block it. I've been in love with this one by Wendy of Knit & Tonic fame and even though I've never really worn hats, because once i get one on my head I have to live in it (due to the curly hair thing) and my job doesn't allow for my wearing a hat all day, and even though when I do wear hats I don't wear berets because I feel like I'm not French enough for that...I want this one. And hopefully I won't knit it and have it sit in a drawer forever because I under estimated how cool I really need to be to pull this off, like some of my other knits.

Edited to add:
I did not realize that I'd had some add on my page for people to "go play at work unnoticed" with some renaissance wench, so I've deleted my 'Monet of the Day'. I know how much you all loved looking at those...you'll just have to get over it :) I guess that's what I get for not checking on my own blog once in a while.

For my mom

This is from my husband's surprise birthday party. Alex wasn't very happy to find out that the birthday cake was not for him.

Anyway, it has been brought to my attention that i "haven't been blogging". Lets add this to the long list of other thinks I haven't been doing since going back to work, like cleaning, sleeping, knitting, reading anything other than a text book, or any other generally enjoyable activity. I've started unit 7 of 10 as of yesterday and I'm staring down the barrel of a term paper, an honors component power point to go with that paper, and a final exam. There's barely enough time in a day for me to just finish the normal assigned work and now I have to write a paper and create 10-12 power point slides, plus we're gearing up for the primary program that I'm sure has not been written yet and this is all starting to spin out of control and it's just not fun anymore and I want someone to stop this ride so I can get off.

Dante started school yesterday and came home with the customary flurry of papers that I need to sign and fill out and sort through. I filled out what I could today at work. I couldn't do them yesterday due to spending the better part of my evening in the emergency room with my husband waiting for them to do a CAT scan on him. Finally I had to give up and go pick Alex up from my friend's so that I could get him into bed. Dante was at his young men's activity so that took care of him and a friend brought him home. Aaron didn't get home till 12:30am and I had to wait for him to get home before I could go to bed as I drove him there and he didn't have his keys. Not a fun night, and an even less fun morning. I'm coming down right now from the last of the Mountain Dew I had to drink to keep myself from crashing today.

Work is getting better. I think I've finally cracked the shell of the other tellers and I no longer feel like a total stranger in the branch. I'm still not loving it but I'm not currently hating it so I guess that's all i can really ask for right now. I'm still bored to death and I'm still thinking about how I could so be studying or writing a paper or knitting or baking or cleaning or playing with my baby right now.

Now, as far as the fun goes...I'm going to Rhinebeck!! My first ever trip and I'm going with my friend Heather S. She and I booked a motel, and registered for a beginners hand spinning class. I've even picked up a drop spindle at Bella Yarns to take with me so I can learn on the one I intend to use, and if I see one there that I fall in love with, I'll bring it home too. I'm planning to save my "nail money" to spend there, but my first contribution got spent on parking and food at the emergency room. I need to get an account, or a jar, or a mattress or something to put the money in until October 17th when I can throw it at some nice vendors for yarn that I don't have room for or space for in my home. In keeping with Rhinebeck traditions, I'm knitting a sweater (vest really) to wear there...the Ivy League Vest from Interweave by Eunny Jang in Knit Picks Palette. I've just finally made it past the corrugated ribbing and I'm two rows into the pattern when I notice that I've already made a mistake in the pattern because I forgot where I was supposed to start and I knew I'd have a problem with that so I had to tink all the way to the start of the second round. I'm going to take a highlighter to the pattern so that I don't miss the start of the row anymore. I'm just going to leave the incorrect first row as it is because I just don't care and I don't think anyone else will notice. Maybe it's lack of sleep talking...

Junk & stuff

Yesterday I threw a surprise birthday party for my husband. He turns 35 on Tuesday and he's feeling bummed about it so I decided that a party was just the thing...but not just any party...we had a G.I. Joe party. Floating balloons, G.I. Joe dog tags, a blow up M16 and plastic military hat, camouflage bowls with chips, burgers & dogs, theme plates & cups, streamers, the whole deal complete with guests here when he came home to holler "surprise!". He was totally fooled. He got several cards from his friends with cool stuff inside, and I got him a video game, a wireless controller, and charging kit. People stayed till about 7pm and it was just great.

Saturday's party (which took away my only full day of studying) was far better than Friday's company outing on the Majestic in Newport. The weather was poor and the fog was so heavy that I couldn't help feeling like I was stepping into the movie The Fog. We went out for a bay cruise that lasted for three hours...three. hours. With people from my new job that I've only known for three weeks who started to get a little embarrassing after they had a few drinks from the bar. There are no street signs in Washington Square, so my directions to the dock didn't help me at all. The food wasn't very good and the only meatless things there were a green salad, dry roasted potatoes with too much pepper on them, and undercooked summer squash, zucchini, and carrots cooked without any salt or pepper, or butter for that matter. Then after they finished rushing the food out they brought out dry cake. My stomach started to hurt from being on the boat which really started to list from side to side as the trip went on and I just started to get more and more anxious to get off the boat. After I got back on land (about an hour later than I would have liked to) I had to make the 3-4 block trip back to my car alone in the dark on streets in Newport that were dark and narrow. All I could think about was how I was smarter than this and I was going to die because I ignored the rules and put myself into a horror movie situation by going out on a boat with a hurricane warning, then walking back in the dark to my car alone, with a cell phone with a nearly dead battery. That would come to haunt me again later when I got lost three times on the way home because the towns of Newport and Bristol don't feel it necessary to light their roads or put up street signs that are larger than an envelope (if there are any at all). I couldn't find the street sign until I was passing it and some of the signs weren't marked at all, or they were marked incorrectly. I called Aaron stressed out and tired only to have my phone die on me, which is when I lost it and started to cry. That was also when I found the correct street but I was too frustrated to feel calmed until I was turning into my parking lot. I lost an entire day to study on Friday too and it so wasn't worth it.

Today is another "no studying" day so I'm going to try to get a little knitting done and take a nap. Alex is napping right now and the rest of the boys are out of the house so maybe I could get a nap in...if I can just get the people over at the carousel to stop with the Karaoke. I can hear horrible singing clear as if it was going on in my backyard, and it's three blocks away.

It's me

Here I am! I haven't had much time for anything other than school, work, and sleep and if you know me personally I'm sure that every conversation we've had has been about one of these three. This week my actual work load is a little lower for math and I decided to cut my studying at 10pm so I had time to make my lunch for tomorrow (which I usually do) and add my newest yarn to my stash on Ravelry (which I'm bad about doing). I went upstairs to get photos of the new stuff only to discover that I haven't photographed much of my stash and I ended up spending about 30 minutes taking photos of the yarn in my middle drawer. I still have the top and bottom drawer to do, and then I'll need to update my page. This will make deciding on a yarn to go with a project much easier to do. Sadly, I was typing this as they were uploading and now that they're all done I can see that they all look yellow and blurry (thanks to taking them on Alex's cream blanket for a background) so now I have to do them all again. I was hoping to do this in secret so that Aaron won't see how much sock yarn I have...

Work is going as well as expected. I've finally been assigned a teller drawer and gotten some cash (which I was short $20 on yesterday). I'm taking some transactions now and learning the difference in how Union Federal handles things compared to Sovereign branches. It's just different enough to throw me off, and just familiar enough for my old habits to interfere with learning my new processes. I hope that the things that I'm learning in Cognitive Psych about how memory works will help me to pick this up faster than I normally would. Otherwise things are good. I'm getting to keep my old work schedule so I'm still 8:30am-4pm M-F and one Saturday a month so I leave at the same time in the morning and I get home at about the same time even though I drive to N. Providence every day. And next week we're going on an evening cruise on the Bay Queen in Newport for a work sponsored team building thing-ie.

I've been trying to stay organized so I've taken everyone's advice and I'm planning dinners for a week on my calender. Then I'm making a shopping list of only the things I need for that week. I have to take the meat out of the freezer the night before and put it on the stove so that I can prep it in the morning before work. I have to leave directions for Aaron to start dinner before I get home and I take over once I get in so we've been able to have dinner on the table no later than 5:30pm. I didn't account for my own special food needs when I planned dinners for the last two weeks so when I was at the library I found a copy of The Single Vegan for sale for .10 and I bought it. The book outlines dinners for a week and comes with a grocery list for the week. I'm going to try it out this week and see how that works for me. All the meals are portioned for one person, and so the shopping list is for smaller amounts like 2 onions, and 1-2 carrots. We'll see how this goes.

There has been very little knitting because of my really exhausting schedule but I did manage to work on my socks for the knit-along. At this rate I'm not going to have these socks done by the end of the month. I've got new yarn for a pair of Griffindor House socks, and for a pullover vest by Eunny Yang, both just waiting in the que for me to have time to get to them. I really want this vest so I can wear it to my new job. My last two projects for work are working out really well. I wear the February Lady Sweater almost every day (I'll try to get a good photo of me actually in it) and I've worn the tuxedo vest as well. I've decided that I want one in wool for the branch to keep the chill of the AC off.

As if this wasn't enough, I'm also putting together a surprise birthday cook out for Aaron's 35 birthday next Saturday. I've called our friends and they've all confirmed. Now I just have to enlist one of them to get him away from home for a little while so that everyone else will just be here when he gets here. If you know us personally (and you probably do or why else would you bother to read this blog, lol) then keep this on the down low. No mention of the BBQ around my husband, on my Myspace, or in my email as he's the one who actually runs my Myspace and he sometimes uses my email. Okay. Now I still feel like I'm forgetting something but it's past my bedtime so I'm going to have to wrap up for now.