Armed with Pointy Sticks

Something Awesome

So, Chris asked me what I'm going to post about.  I told him I didn't know.  He said "Post about something awesome... like me."

So, I is for Inspiration, and my husband is mine.  I guess my lack of post is not due to lack of muse.  But even the most fantastic muse can't get salmon fillet out of chum.  My mind has just been in other places.  Something did occur to me, though.  I've let the "You must have pictures to make a blog post" get to me.  I've stopped myself from blogging lately because I didn't feel I had the pictures to back the post up.  So enough of that.  If I feel I have to force pictures into a post, then I don't feel that I'm being organic.  My strong suit, I feel, is my language.  I will not always post pictures, and I won't apologize for it.  I'm sorry I let all of "those people" get to me.

But today I have some pictures.  K is for Knit in Public, and we had a good one.

 

We've met some new friends (on the right is Heather, our new buddy who I hope we see a lot more of.  On the left is Donna, my mother in law.  She's pretty awesome too, not new, but still pretty great).

We also got to meet Pat, who is a wonderful lady, and a great knitter (I learned all of this in the 5 minutes that she had to share with us, we WILL HAVE to meet up again).

Did we get the crowds that we were ready to enjoy?  No, but we still had a fantastic time.  Lots of knitting got done, lots of jokes were shared, weather was enjoyed, hula hooping was reveled in (until Lora's oldest boy picked up a hula hoop for the first time in his life, then he picked up a second, and hooped with both of them.  Yeah, spirit was busted.  I haven't touched my hoop in that long.)

But even with only us, we used our powers for good instead of evil. 

So many people brought yarn, bags, gift certificates, hand knit socks, and so many wonderful goodies to raffle off.  We actually had more gifts than participants, so we joined some together.  We ended up raising just under 100 dollars for New Horizons, Manchester's soup kitchen/food pantry/shelter.  These people do such wonderful things for our area, and we're glad to help them do it.

So I want to thank everyone who showed up, everyone who bought a raffle ticket, everyone who donated something to raffle, everyone who expressed a desire to be with us, but couldn't, for whatever reason.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  See you again next year!

L is for Lazy knitter, which I am not.  Want to see?

Not a very recent photo, I've got a few more inches done, but I'm done letting photos, or lack thereof, stagnate my blogging, remember?

I've finished something else, but I'm not ready to share that yet ;)

L could also be for Lazy blogger, I guess, but here's a list of the other things that have been taking my attention: gardening (tomato above for proof) Wii Fit (5 pounds lost, as proof), reading (yeah, I've forgotten how to do that lately), wanting to spend time with my husband instead of upstairs on my computer (on his laptop now) and (AND!) Friday I got my Master Knitter's package. 

Ok, so the Master Knitter program that I just got can't really give me an excuse for the last month, but I may need to use it later, so pay attention to it.)  I get my yarn tomorrow, UPS willing.  I'll be keeping up with my progress on my Ravelry projects page, if you're inclined to keep tabs on me.  You know, that is if I don't blog it.

Ok, I'm going to stop here.  I feel the whole post is a little disjointed, and I don't think that adding more will correct that.  So everyone have a pleasant sleep tonight, and let the week be smoothe and sweet.

A Meme to Prove that I have Life Within Me

A little, anyway.  Meme courtesy of Gina.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago? Waiting for the summer vacation after my Jr. year of high school. 

2. What are 5 things on my TO-DO list for today? Play Wii, figure out a menu of things that I will actually cook and eat when I'm alone all the week.  Seriously, any suggestions are welcome.  I forget to eat when Chris is away.

3. Snacks I enjoy: Pickles, salt and vinegar chips, marshmallows, chips and salsa. (Any of these items suggested for my diet for next week will probably be considered, but seriously...)

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Buy a house that's a drive away from everything.  With land for a garden and long strolls, and a big kitchen, and a bathroom with a tub that I can soak in. Start finding things to keep me busy that would help the world I live in and those in it.  Billions is an awful lot to have and not try to make the world a better place.  I think I might also like to raise goats.  And I'd like to foster my local artisans.

5. Places I have lived: Sherman Mills, Maine.  Derry, NH, Manchester, NH, Great Lakes, IL, Yokosuka, Japan.

6. Jobs I have had: Walgreens checker girl, pharmacy tech, night stocker at Wal Mart, Navy Hospital Corpsman, nursing aide, Medical insurance customer service, tech support, and customer service for yarn distributor

Bloggers I am tagging for this MEME:  I don't know who's left... Caroline, Gigi, Jennifer from Yawn Over (I haven't heard from Jennifer and her cute pup in a bit)

All right, I'm alive.  I've even been knitting!  And spinning a bit!  Crazy, huh?  I'll have pictures some time this week.  With Chris gone I'll probably be sitting in front of this machine a fair bit.  After my Wii fit workouts ;)  That's a little bit too much fun for work, I tell you.

See you later!

J is for Joke

Feel free to add your own.  I've been down, jokes are good.  The first bunch is even clean!

When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat the problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 300°C. 

The Russians used a pencil.

A dog went to a telegram office, took out a blank form and wrote, “Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof.”

The clerk examined the paper and politely told the dog: “There are only nine words here. You could send another ‘Woof’ for the same price.”

“But,” the dog replied, “that would make no sense at all.”

A bear walks into a bar and places his order. "I'll take a gin and.... tonic"
So the bartender says, "What's with the pause?"
And the bear says, "I was born with them."

Two fish are in a tank.  One turns to the other and says "Do you have any idea how to drive this thing?"

Not so clean after this.  You were warned...

How many perverts does it take to put in a light bulb?
Just one, but it takes the entire emergency room to get it out!

One day at work, Bob hears a voice in his head.

its says "Quit your job sell your house, cash in all your assets, go to vegas."

Bob is shocked. Nothing strange ever happens to bob, and this is strange.

An hour later the same voice in his head repeats itself.

"Quit your job sell your house, cash in all your assets, go to vegas."

Bob decides what the hell! Ill do it!

So he runs up to his boss with a big smile on his face and quits.
He then immediately contacts his neighbor whos always wanted his property, and sell his house for 100 grand.
He then hops on a plane to vegas.

Hes standing in the Las vegas airport thinking "Now what?"

No sooner than he had thought it, the voice answers back, "Go to Ceasar's palace."

Upon arriving at the casino, Bob gets a thrilling feeling that something bigs about to happen.

The voice says, "Go to the roullette table."

Bob finds the big no limit roullette table and begins to sweat excitedly.


The voice says, "Put all your money on black."

Bob complies, the pit boss nods, and the wheel goes round and round. Bob is finally going places.

The ball lands on red and the voice says,
"Fuck."






One of my very favorites in the whole world:

So bob has a bad day at work, and he needs a drink so he decides to go out for a drink.

He is tired of the same ol spots, so he decides to try this bar he's heard about that sits on the top floor of a skyscraper.

So there he is, sitting at the bar admiring the view of the city below, when DING! the elevator doors open up and this big handsome man walks in.

The handsome man walks up to the bar and orders a warm beer. The bartender brings him one, he chugs it, walk over to the balcony, and jumps over the edge.

Shocked, bob rushes over to the balcony in time to see the handsome man fall 10 stories. at about the 4th story from the ground, the man suddenly slightly lifts up, swoops around the building and lands on the pavement in an easy roll.

A few minutes later DING! the elevator doors open up and here comes the big handsome man. Bob runs over to him and says, "That was fucking amazing! how the hell did you do that?"

The big handsome man replies, "Its simple really, the carbonation from the warm beer gives you the extra lightness you need for the 4th story updraft to roll you around the building. happens every evening about this time. Winds just strong enough to give you the ride of your life."

Bob says with extreme excitement, "Man! thats exactly what I need! You think I can do it?"

The big handsome man replies, "Sure, just chug a warm beer and don't hesitate, the carbonation doesn't last too long."

So Bob goes up to the bar and orders a warm beer. The bartender look at the big handsome man, the big handsome man nods, and the bartender gives Bob a warm beer.

Bob chugs it, smiles, runs over to ledge and dives headfirst overboard.

SPLAT! Bob hits the pavement like a hefty sack full of tomato soup.

The bartender looks at the big handsome man and says,
"Superman, you can be a real dick when your drunk."


There, don't you feel better?  Honestly, a joke told well is better than a joke read, but this is the best I can do right now :)

Drive by ABC's

Worry not, Mr. Roger's did not move to a new 'hood, and we aren't discussing playground violence.

I'm just really behind on my ABC along.

F is for Finished.

I'm not nuts about that picture.  I can't take pictures of myself, though.  So oh well.  I have plans to rip out the neck band and the lapel borders and knit them smaller.  Kaffe designs, but he doesn't know a whole lot about womanly curves.  Anyhow, there's my colorwork for the decade.

G is for Garden.

No picture here.  Imagine three pots with tomato plants.  And a few other pots with dirt.  Yay dirt.  Wet dirt.  Lots of rain.

H is for Harlot. 

No pictures of said harlot.  The flash went off, I'm pretty sure, but oh well.

We had a great time seeing Steph.  I always really enjoy seeing her, and I love to hear her talk.  I do feel sad that she seems so worn out this time around.  I hope she gets the week of sleep that she seems to need.  Shoot, sometimes seeing my small band of friends is tiring.  People wear me out!  I can't imagine meet n greeting with 1000 knitters in a few hours.

She should have gone our route.  By the time we go to Webs, we were buzzed.

It's not our fault.  See the bottom of the beer?  They hid blueberries in the bottom of our beers!  Of course I had to find them. 

Twice.

And then Heather's, because she didn't finish her last drink.

Webs drunk?  I fully recommend.  I got up to Steph and told her about those bastards who hid fruit at the bottom of my beers.  I'm not quite sure how she labels me in her head, but I'll be you this will be a defining moment.  Then I told her about The Champions of Cumulative Action (which I named for one of the concepts she spoke of last time I saw her).  So, it wasn't all drunk girl talk. 

 

But you know what?  Drunkenness affects my yarn buying almost as much as my knitting, which is to say almost not at all.  I will warn you, I am a hell of an enabler when I'm drunk.  Actually, I am when I'm sober, too.  So much for the warning.  I'm as dangerous to your yarn budget drunk as sober.  Caroline said that shopping with me was the way to go, though :D  That makes me happy.  We got her a bag of Jaeger Pure Silk, which is in my top 5 yarns to roll around naked in. 

But I almost didn't buy any yarn for myself.  I was on my way out the door, happy, when Chris talked me into some Greater Adirondack Lolita in the Foliage colorway.  It's purty, and I'm happy aging it until I can knit it.

So, the Harlot, the yarn, and the people.  The people are sublime.  I got to see old friends and make some new ones.  I got to carpool with some of my best friends.  I'd say that there may not have been one thing I could have done to improve Sunday.  Except I wish Steph was well rested.  Poor gal, we wear her out.  (((Huge note here, do not take this blog post as a declaration of Steph's failing health.  I am not her doctor.  I am not her mother.  I am not her.  I'm merely expressing concern and well wishes.  I want all of my friends to have as many naps as they want.)))  Jesus, can you tell I've been spending a bit too much time on Ravelry's main boards, leaving a disclaimer like that?

I is for Invisibility.

I don't know if we're on J yet.  I'm not, anyhow.

The Champions of Cumulative Action!

2008 was a success!

The Champions of Cumulative action raised over 1,000 dollars, contributing to the over 55,000 raised in total, and you helped!

We ended up walking 7 strong, and we'll be doing it again next year.  How could we not?

We were surrounded by people who had love for the cause.  Great company and high spirits.  The weather was absolutely sublime, and it didn't hurt that they had respite and snacks for us every two miles or so.  (food is never not a good reason for me, honestly.)

Want to see the team I have so much love for?  I don't know how it happened, but I didn't get pictures of everyone (I didn't know Christina could move that fast)  but here's a sampling of the day.

First, we all got tshirts.  I'm collecting these now, and I like this year's design.

This is Amanda exhibiting the "change your tshirt in public" technique, with my help.  Classy broad, ain't she?

Here's the closest thing I have to a team picture.  We have "official" ones coming from the chapter, but for now this will do.  Before anyone asks, Chris does still have both of his legs and is not hobbling on a badly-aligned prosthetic.

And here's the start!  This picture does nothing to show the huge crowd that just boiled out of the schoolyard and onto the street, but it's an idea.

Did I mention that the weather was sublime?

After the 5 miles they fed us, and we all got medals!  This is Chris and my dad-in-law.  There's a serenity here that overcomes the tired legs.  Seriously, where is Christina hiding in all of these pictures?

There was a guy there letting people ride his Segway, and I'll have to tell you.  I love this little gadget.  It  is incredibly intuitive, and it has a whole bunch of giddyup.  I only wish I had a practical application for one.

Don't laugh.  I challenge you to look cool on a Segway.  It just can't be done.

And that was our day. 

But that's not it for you!  I have prizes! 

To the lovely Noolie and Donna H. go one skein of Can-Do!
To Gigi, the Wollmeise gift certificate!
To Caroline, the Knitter's Critter, Shiver!
And... a surprise 5th gift goes to Patti.  We'll let it stay a surprise for the now :)

I used a random number generator over at random.org and contacted the winners through Ravelry.

I want to sincerely thank everyone who donated or linked this walk on their blog.  I love this community so much.  We will be walking again next year, and come about February we'll start putting the word out for donations and walkers.  I want to hit that 2500 this year, and maybe have ten walkers on the team.

I want tshirts.  Something with an awesome design proclaiming the awesomeness of COCA.

Yes.  It will only get better.  All of it.

One Week Left!

One week left to donate for the walk to end MS!  One week to be registered for wonderful prizes!  One week left for me to figure out how much Motrin I'll need after walking FIVE FREAKIN' MILES.

I am so friggin excited.  I'm anxious to see how much everyone raised.  I can see who donated on line (and that's all of you lovely people!) but I have 5 other people on my team, and I know that they're all doing fantastically.  Honestly, I just can't wait for the walk.  I know I'll suffer with people I like.

MS Walk!

Two weeks until we walk!  The Champions of Cumulative Action is 6 strong and ready to kick ass on MS!

Thank you to everyone who has donated!  I have a surprise.  I'm giving prizes!  Heather has donated 2 skeins of her Can-Do colorway, and I have a 15 euro gift certificate for Wollmeise (enough for a skein of sock yarn and most of the shipping), and a very cute, nay, adorable Knitter's Critter from Popsie Daisy's etsy site. 

Want in on this great raffle?  I'll be drawing names after the walk (April 20th) and it is not too late to donate!  Hop on over to my site for the MS Walk, and then over to my blog.  Leave me a comment letting me know you've donated (doesn't matter which post, I get them all) and you'll be entered.

2 weeks away!  I'm getting so excited :D  Thank you!

The Debate Within

The MS community is a little daunting for the newly diagnosed.  It is so daunting, that after finding it, I decided to go it alone.  The on line community that I found five (yes, five) years ago was small, defeatist, and depressing.  There were shining spots, but I didn't feel the love that I later found in other communities.  Like the knitting community. 

I was recently found by Lisa Emrich who fosters Brass and Ivory, a blog which finds and cultivates the very community environment that I so badly needed five years ago.  I may still need it now.  And if I don't need it now, I may find myself profoundly grateful for it in the future.

Lisa is looking for people to contribute to an upcoming issue of Carnival of MS Bloggers.  She is looking specifically for bits on what we do to express ourselves creatively.  I thought about it for a while.  This is not an MS blog.  It's a knitting and cats and whimsies and life blog.  Its blogger just happens to have MS.  But, you know, I really kind of like what Lisa is doing.  Life is hard.  It's harder alone.  While I have many, wonderful, various friends, I don't have many people I can call on that have MS.  I know most of you would listen and come over in a flash if I fell and couldn't get up, but sometimes you just want someone who understands.  If you don't understand that, you've never excitedly run through the house full of non-knitters trying to find someone to impress with your new technique on how to turn a heel.  No matter how much they love you, most people just can't wrap their heads around it.  In hopes that there will always be someone around who understands the humor behind fall down and getting up before anyone knows you fell, I do believe I'll write.

But about what facet?  The fact that I started knitting after my MS felt it wise to steel my hands is a good one,  but I've written it before.  I'm proud of it.  There are other things that could be said, though.  I'm sure.  The fact that I have such wonderful friends and great things to look forward to each week is a result of my knitting, so why not that?  I just don't know, but if I'm going to help, I'll have to know soon. 

To cheer me up from the writers' block, I have good news!  The Champions of Cumulative Action is now 4 strong, with Melissa having joined us.   That goal is looking better every day.

It gets even better, though.  I am a little bit more overjoyed with each donation, and I want to show all of you people just how wonderful I think you all are.  I didn't think I was going to be able to do this before, but... I'm going to draw some names and award some prizes for my lovely pledge makers.

Each 10 dollar donation will get your name entered into the drawing.  Prizes are not yet solidified, but there will be 2 skeins of Heather's new sock yarn, Can-Do, (I urge you to go read this post and learn what goes into the making and selling of this wonderful colorway) and a gift certificate for Wollmeise yarn.   More to come.

So thank you to everyone who has helped us raise money, and thank you to everyone who is thinking of it, and thank you to everyone who has spread the word on your own blogs.  You are my community, and you keep me strong, even if you don't find falling down the stairs funny under the right circumstances :D

More soon.  Good night everyone!  Go Red Sox!

E is for...

ENDS!!!!

Oh yes, ends.  Ends and ends and ends and ends.  In fact, I don't have an exact count, but there were over 1,000 of the little bastards.

I haven't really blogged about this piece yet, because it almost felt like talking about it would steal it's momentum.  This is my Kaffe Stripe from Rowan 43.  It's knit in Rowan Cotton Glace, and I have been knitting on it almost exclusively since the beginning on January. 

Am I done?

Very close to almost.  I've got all these pieces sewn together.  The only thing left is to sew borders for the neck and panels, and ties.  Easy peazy lemon squeazy.  I should have a finished object picture for you soon.  I'm really proud of myself for this one.  Even after 3 months of going steady with this piece, I could still hold it at arm's length, drink in all the color and perfect stitches, and go "Damn."  so I know it's love.

Ends.

See, I told you this blog was still about knitting.  And cats.

As an aside, I want to warmly thank everyone who has helped out the Champions of Cumulative Action in some way.  Some of you donated, some of you spread the word by blogging this wonderful cause, and one of you even joined the team.  Thank you, thank you, thank you :)  2,500 is a large goal, but being a part of this incredible community (heh, commuknity) makes it easy to count the drops needed to fill the bucket.  Thank you.  We've still got a long way to go, but what's the point of setting a goal if it's easy to reach?

All right, I'm going to bed.  Gigi, you'd better be there tomorrow.  I've already packed your shawl in my bag.  See?  All kinds of things to be proud of tonight :D

Time to Walk

Hello everyone!

It is truly getting to be spring time.  More melty than freezy, the birds are coming back, and it's time for the MS Walk.

Many of us know someone with MS (I know most of you do ;)).  They may be older, wheelchair bound, or they may be younger, with very few signs of the disease.  They may be male or female, any color, any walk of life.  The disease rarely discriminates.  It just comes in and changes stuff around.  It's annoying, it's embarrassing, and it's a thief.  It steals stability (har har), self reliability, and pride.  I have lost vision, lost balance, lost control of facilities that no one should lose control of, and once or twice, I've lost faith in myself.

There as my savior stands the Multiple Sclerosis Society.  NMSS funds research, treatment, and education.  It is a beacon in a world filled with people who could very easily make a hobby of hating them selves.   The NMSS gives hope.  Hope that we will continue to treat this disease, taking away it's hold on the lives that it affects.  Hope that one day there will be a cure.  Hope that I won't ever have to knit a wheelchair cozy. 

This year I am incredibly lucky to be walking with a team.  We have named ourselves The Champions of Cumulative Action.  Those of you who have seen The Yarn Harlot speak know part of the reason for this name.  The rest of you yarn wranglers will catch up quick.

When you knit a sock, you don't knit it all at once.  You knit it one stitch at a time.  You make thousands of stitches, one at a time, and you have a sock.  When we walk 5 miles next month, we will do it one step at a time.  Through many small, repetitive actions, we will achieve great things. 

Which brings me to the peanut butter.  Why we walk.  We walk to raise money for the NMSS, and we'd be deeply touched if you'd help us do that.  If you can only give 5 dollars, that may not seem like a big deal to you.  If I can get 19 other people to donate 5 dollars, well, all of us together, cumulatively, if you will, have just raised 100 dollars to kiss MS goodbye.

Please help us by donating to the Champions of Cumulative Action.  Or, if you feel like it, you can use the same link to join us and walk with us on April 20th (we'll probably be knitting while we walk).

Please feel free to look over the NMSS website to answer some further questions about MS.  It was the first place that I went when I was diagnosed.

And please keep in mind, I started knitting after I was diagnosed with MS.  One day I lost feeling in my hands.  I couldn't do anything with my hands without looking at them.  It irritated me so badly that I decided to teach myself how to knit.  I wouldn't know most of you if it weren't for my MS.  Is that a mixed blessing, or what? :D

Thank you :)