Good Friday

The roads were deserted, the office is deserted... why am I here?  I really should have taken today off.  At least the sun is out and it's kinda warm.

Holidays have gotten wonky since Dad died.  The first Thanksgiving found me driving Mom to Maine.  I hate travelling on holidays but her youngest son wanted her (not me, just her) in Maine for Thanksgiving.  So, I drove. Not a good time and I refused to do it again last year.  Christmas, birthdays, Easter... all have drifted from family gathering at our parents to everyone doing their own thing.  It's funny, Dad turned out to be the glue that kept eveyrone together. 

This Easter Mom's youngest son will be in Manhattan for the weekend and she's planning on taking the train into the City and having dinner out with he and his wife and Gretchen is going with her.  I won't be going.  I think it will be a nice, quiet crochet/knitting marathon in front of the television.  Gretchen is planning on doing Palm Sunday festivities with the kids the last weekend in April.  I'm all... WTF?  It's just weird.  I could have done it with the kids last weekend but no one else was available (except the kids), so I let it go.

More than two years

and so many changes in my life.

At the end of January 2011 I was fired - due to the "economic downturn".

March of 2011 the last of my three grandmothers died, at the age of almost 99.

May 2011 I started a new job with a long commute and far less money.

May 2011 old car literally flamed out - bought new car.

August 2011 Dad died at the age of 72.

November 2011 the job moved and now I have a 75 mile daily commute.

2012 was chaotic, frantic, hectic... but death free. And, I kept my job, so that's a plus.

2013 has brought two suicides... and it's only the 5th of March. (Happy Saint Piran's Day!)

I feel like the hamster on the wheel and no one will let me off. I keep telling myself this is going to get better, but I think I might be a congenital liar.

This is going to get better.

Really.

Anyway... for sanity's sake the needles, hooks, yarn, thread, canvas, etc., came out of storage late last year and I'm knitting, crocheting, stitching up a storm.

So I don't crazy and start beating random people on the street.

Yarn therapy.

Because I can't afford meds.

If I can get the camera to work, I'll upload some pictures of what I'm working on.

Snow Days

Yesterday was a snow day for me. I stayed inside all day, hair in a tangled, messy pony on top of my head, wearing my favorite faded jammies and holey socks, knitting and watching tv: Angel, Charmed, The West Wing, JAG and NCIS - in that order.

Nothing like life down on the farm, eh? If you are determined to remain single, unattached and alone in this life, re-read the paragraph above. Works for me!

Raven and Pewter were a little shocked by my mid-week interruption of their equally exciting lives. Every time I left the chair Raven would hop up and take over. When I shoo'd him he'd glare at me and then hunker down on the floor at my feet. Pewter showed his confusion by chatting at me all day (instead of sleeping) and dropping one of his meece on my feet for me to throw for him every half hour or so. They're probably shredding the couch as I type this. It's never a good idea to confuse cats.

I'd guess we got eight-something inches of snow at the farm. It's hard to tell because there was steady, howling gale all night and this morning. As soon as the drive was plowed it was recovered with blowing snow. Hopefully it will be cleared enough for me to get back to my little bungalow tonight. I have a spaghetti dinner at the nursing home to attend and won't be back before nine. Getting stuck out in the country, on a cold night, where my cell phone doesn't work is not my idea of a good time.

See the first paragraph for what is my idea of a good time.

Christmas gifts

Edited to add an LOL!


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When I handed out my wishlist for Christmas to family it included Dunkin' Donuts coffee, suggestions from the Nordic Needle (or just a gift certificate), a gift card for iTunes and gift certificates to Knitting Central in Westport, CT. My family, being generous and kind, filled my list to bursting. A week ago Saturday Mom called to say she saw a sign saying Knitting Central was going out of business - damn! I was going to use the gift certificate for more advanced classes in knitting but I think I'll use it for shopping this weekend.

Normally I hunt down yarn for crocheting and knitting projects as cheaply as I can (see Noble knits) because I'm cheap, but I'll be getting some really nice (and expensive, no doubt) yarn on Saturday. Knitting Central will continue its online store but the bricks'n mortar store will be closing in March. It's always sad to see those small businesses close and there are so few in southern Fairfield county it just makes it doubly sad to see. People like me are a small part of the problem. I just cannot afford the higher prices for yarn or stitching projects the small stores have to charge. Shopping online means I get more bang for the buck but it also means the small specialty stores cannot compete with the lower prices. Vicious circle. Economics sucks.

le sigh

~ ~ ~

For Haiti

Google Critical Response has a list of well known charities accepting donations for Haiti relief. Please give what you can.

And, if inclined, wish hangnails on Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh. Edjits.

Global Economic Crisis

Icelanders knit crafty response to global crisis

"At least there's a silver lining," says Sara Eysosdottir, owner and head designer of the psychedelic clothing store Naked Ape. "Because of the exchange rate, more foreigners are coming here, and they're buying what we've got in the stores: local design.

"And in a sense, the financial collapse has gotten young people busy," Ms. Eysosdottir says. "They have realized that they can't just be on Facebook all day; that if they want to survive, they're going to have to use their creativity and start making things to sell."

The upside to the current economic crisis is that people are getting crafty - not only finding new ways to save money but digging into old skills to make new money. I don't think there fortunes to be made here but some things are more precious than gold.

CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Obama: greatest wealth destruction ever

It's been an interesting media week. Rush Limbaugh is being targeted by White House/Democratic insiders and they are, basically, acting like bullying school boys. Limbaugh brought this on himself, but the childishness is reaching new lows. Now Cramer has done an about-face on his Obama-worshipping of last year and has declared that the President has “basically put a level of fear in this country that I have not seen ever in my life.”

Hm. I would argue that was the previous administrations gift to America.

Will the media ever engage in worth-while debate? Are they ever going to get past mud-slinging and deal with real-life issues?

Probably not.

Back again

Yes, I disappeared again.

Did you miss me?

probably not

I've moved... again. Back in Bridgeport. Full circle in four years. It's a nice little two-bedroom condo and I'm mostly unpacked. Still some boxes to empty.

Still in the same job, sadly. I should probably do something about that.

Let's see... news: The Anglicans have their knickers in a knot; the Pope is in Australia for World Brainwashing (um) Youth Day; Obama raked in some serious cash last month, but he is still behind McCain; US economy is... a sick joke; Tony Snow died (RIP) and Bush admitted his love for the man - in the national Cathedral no less! And some nutjob geek is in jail for holding San Franciso hostage.

Not much new, is there? Oh, wait, I've picked up a new addiction ~ knitting. I kinda suck at it at the moment, but hope springs eternal!