A riot is an ungly thing...

undt, I tink, that it is chust about time ve had vun.



Nice to know that the neighbors just to the south are discouraging riots and fires. There's your CrMeUSat. Let's Go Mountaineers~

Knew Knit Knight Knowledge. KNQDebbie- The larger needles in my Boye interchangeable needle set flair out at the bottom. Come to find a metal nail file and/or fine sandpaper may solve that knitting problem in my life. Stay tuned next week for the awesome ornaments on the Knit Shoppe Christmas Tree.

The puppy has magical powers- I fell asleep on the couch with a serious bad ugly headache last night and she went to sleep on my head. When I woke up, the headache was gone. She sucked the bad mojo right out of me.

Last but very much not least- congratulations are in order for this former co-head teacher in charge who finally had the knitting balls to say "no thank you" to extra work for next to no money and increased stress levels. I'm FREEEEEEEEE!

note to self... just because you CAN do something is no reason to feel that you HAVE to do it.

a post between posts-

Every 4 vs. Every 4th as I understand it.

Decrease every 4th row means knit row 1 knit row 2 knit row 3 knit(4th) decrease row : Knit row 1 knit row 2 knit row 3 knit (4th)decrease row.

Decrease every 4 rows means knit row 1 knit row 2 knit row 3 knit row 4 knitdecrease row : knit row 1 knit row 2 knit row 3 knit row 4 knit decrease row. (knit 4 rows THEN decrease)

That's just my interpretation via KNQ-Debbie-it has always puzzled me-especially when knitting in the round. The rule is read EXACTLY what the pattern says then do it. (a future sidebar quote)

More knit night knowledge to share but de puppee kneeds attention.

note to Magatha and anyone else with turkish hat pix/ideas. Please send them along to blts At alltel (dot) net.

I can picture what he's talking about a little bit- I'm thinking 1950's "cool jazz" sort of thing but I may be mistaken.

Just for the record-I don't think husband realized what an unwoven end fashion statement he was making. We'll just keep it that way.

Thanks for the comments this torturous month of elementary music education except for maybe the one from Throws Like A Girl who should be severely scolded for her SAHM gloating during this music teaching time of year.

Like the Shifting Sands in the Hourglass...

These are the days of our lives.

Seriously my blog friends, I'm hoping I'll be back to my delightful blogging self around December 19th or so. In the meantime I share with you a few belated episodes of "CMUS" (Crack me Up Saturday.)

First- a brilliant plan. It's amazing how easily elementary school students can be bribed into learning lyrics that I'm burned out from teaching after 20 years. Type up the lyrics and when they show you that they are memorized, give them 3 entries in the Official Winter Program Lyric Bonanza Give-away. (The fabulous GHB has suggested that I may be spending a little too much time at the casino.) They have absolutely No sense of the odds of winning (or lack thereof), believing that they will indeed be the prize winner. Hooray that they don't teach statistics in elementary school.

Tell them it will be a Giant Christmas Stocking stuffed Chock Full of Dollar Store Goodies and they'll learn the words in an hour. (Did I ever tell you that in spite of its many shortcomings, the 'burg IS the capitol of all things dollar store?)

Nothing funny yet? Well... Note. To. Self. Proofread all lyric sheets passed out to students when singing Rocking Around the Christmas Tree. Otherwise you may have 5th graders in their classroom oh so cleverly singing rfocking around the Christmas tree. Ever notice how close the r and the f are to each other on the keyboard? Damn. Or should I say rfock?

On the knitting front. I'm about an inch away from the bottom ribbing of Wicked. Nothing worth seeing.

What happened to the Rowan Big Wool sweater? It's finished however, there is a distinct difference between "repeat decrease round every 4 rows" and "repeat decrease round every 4th row." Knit Night Debbie once again helped me see the error of my elephant sleeve ways. I have not yet attended to these sleeves. I'd like to think I will someday.

I used Ann Budd for the Tam idea- underestimating the vastness of Dear Husband's skull. It's a tam. It doesn't fit him. I'll try again another time. Doesn't he wear unwoven ends well?

Can you say better living through book/yarn therapy? These arrived from Amazon (also home of the borrowed photos) I believe husband's request for a "turkish hat" is actually a tam. Some Paton's birthday wool is working it's way into Tam-City. We'll see if that is what he really meant.

As can be seen in the sidebar, there have been interesting dog-cat antics in the house. Great Laughing Fun. Stupid blogspot cropped my pictures incorrectly though. Will fix "Tam"orrow.

A little more on knit night (kn)

Loud kn'er: COME ON QUIET KNITTER, IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TALK AT LEAST EAT A COOKIE!

Quieter kn'er: o.k. I'll have a cookie, thanks.

Loud kn'er: I'VE SAID MORE IN THE LAST 5 MINUTES THAN YOU SAID ALL LAST WEEK AT KNIT NIGHT.

sophanne: But she Heard everything.

insert minimally snarky grin and nod of understanding between sophanne and quieter kn'er

Later..

'Nother Knitter: If you had a lot of this, what would you do with it?

Loud kn'er: in a surprisingly tactful moment it would make nice fringe.

'Nother Knitter: No, I have A LOT of it. I'm thinking something you might wear, any ideas?

So, Nablopomo'ers, any thoughts on that one?

12:25 and all is even better

So here's the dealio- I've decided to bribe myself into the holiday spirit by purchasing 16 skeins of my favorite yarn at the Knit Shoppe. If I start to sound "Grinchy" I must remind myself of the early Christmas present, smile and say ho ho ho.

If you stash it, the pattern will come. I'm thinking maybe the Citrus Yoke Pullover in the winter IK- another knit that I think might have to be seen first hand to be appreciated. Knit Shoppe Debbie has one in Magi and it was a magi-net to me. I'll definitely let it simmer in the stash bin, ravel it a little and reward myself with it once the Christmas break begins.

It was a good day. An uneventful knit night though someone should slap my hands when I think it's just o.k. to drink coffee at 6:00 in the evening. Even if it is German Chocolate Cake flavored coffee. yum.

12:09 and all's well

How do you like THIS innundation you NaBloPoMo'ers? *insert wicked laugh*

The question of the hour- Is it possible the Liza the Dog learned to use Annabelle the cat's litterbox to avoid a nighttime deposit? I swear this shit looks like dog. And while I know I could likely get an immediate answer with a visual aid, I don't recall hearing about NaShiPoMo so you'll have to trust me.

Also on the "deedoodeedoo spooky" factor. How often did you think of Mr. Whiffle and his Charmin prior to yesterday? And yet today during one of the Fantasy Island episodes, he played the part of the minister set to perform Rowdy's daughters wedding.

All bets (except the vet and knit night) are OFF. Comcast's On Demand TV Entertainment category of Tube Time has Fantasy Island on it. I just heard "the plane the plane" for real for the first time in 30 years and Tattoo is giving out diplomas to monkeys and Rowdy Roberts Queen of the RollerRinks is one of the guests and wants to be a "lady" for the weekend. Now if THAT doesn't crack you up, ain't nothing can.

A series of short posts- because I can

Today's post is a tribute to all of you dedicated NaBloPoMo participants. I just couldn't handle it in November (check back in February) So instead I've decided this is NaBloPoDay. I'm going to spend the day watching for things that crack me up and as they do, you'll be the first to know. I wouldn't be surprised if the AP (Associated Press) picks it up.

yesterday- 1 1/2 inches until some shaping on Wicked. Oh how I love that yarn. Things I did yesterday thanks to having to be accountable on the blog. Household budget (I know- I can't believe it either)-found the recipe-got a haircut-went to the post office-dropped of a prescription. I know- it makes for some kick-ass blogging.

Things on today's list- clean the oft-neglected stash room. More on Wicked. A little spinning. A trip to the vet. AND.... KNIT NIGHT!!! woo hoo!

2 things making me laugh this morning.

Liza the puppy will help me clean the oft-neglected room. Anything she picks up and tries to chew I know needs put away.

This morning's dog walk involved collecting a sample in the not quite light outside. It's in a mini-pseudo- tupperware container. Husband was a little disappointed that I didn't use the ziploc baggie he had saved for me. He suggested that I put the tupperware in the ziploc bag and put Liza's name on it in case I confuse it with other containers of dog poop I'm carrying around today.

Abbreviations- and a recap

It's no surprise to any of you bloggers what a little anxiety does for blogging quality. In an effort to make the most of this Thanksgiving break, it's an Abbreviated Update Of Life As I Know It. (AUOLAIKI)

On The Knitting Front- (KF)

I haven't tried it on yet, but I am of the belief that the malabrigo/wicked combination has the potential to be my most favorite FO ever- when it's done. This picture doesn't look much different from the last but the sleeves have been removed and there are about 4 inches of mindless knitting before there's any more excitement.



New thoughts as a result of knitting Wicked-

I'm not a very good judge of patterns when I look at them on paper. My visualizing skills are continually improving.

Note to self- really LOOK at the picture instead of the cursory glance. You might just love it.

That big pile of handspun that I got at the Waynesburg Sheep and Fiber Festival has long-sleeved Wicked written all over it.

Note to self regarding stash enhancement- if you purchase it, ideas will come

As a result of 16 hours of committed "really looking" at patterns, I've found 5-10 things that I'd like to knit.

Note to self- Notes to self aren't always in your best interest.

On the Puppy Front (PF)

Things puppy can now do- go up and down stairs, get on the couch by herself,sit, give a paw, fetch a small pink bunny and find a spot. The last two are more or less when she feels like it though. She seems to have some sort of "herding" dog in her mix. When I woke up yesterday, all of her previously skewed puppy toys were in a neat pile together. We also worked on walking on a leash. For some reason when I see husband and puppy together I think Jack and the Beanstalk.



On the Get off Your Lazy Ass Front (GOYLAF)

anyone find it ironic that this abbreviation ends with "laf"?

I include this part of the post because maybe if I tell all my blog friends what I'm going to try to accomplish today, I'll actually feel accountable.

I want to:

Prepare for our household budget meeting so that I can prove to husband that we do indeed have enough moulah to buy "the house" a Playstation 3 for Christmas- as well as show off my own fiscal responsibility (an only recently acquired trait.)

Clean out the closet and remove clothes that don't fit and organize all the things that I can/will wear to school in such a way that I can "grab and go."

Find the recipe for the chicken/stuffing/gravy casserole type thing I made 10 years ago so that we might not have to go in search of an open restaurant on Thanksgiving.

Note to others on the GOYLAF- What do you do to inspire yourself to accomplish tasks such as those above? Whenever I try to pull this off I hear Chris Farley in that Saturday Night Live skit saying "Yea, that's another one of those things I'm never gonna do."

Do you want to hear an elementary music teacher complain about Christmas programs?

Do you want to hear what I think about a boss who ducks out 2 hours early on the day before Thanksgiving break?

Do you want to hear about puppy poop? (diamondless puppy poop I might add)

What about falling asleep after knitting 2 rows on Wicked every night?

Yea, I didn't think so. I wouldn't want to hear about it so much either.

On the other hand I could go on and on about the great husband who makes dinner when I have to come home late, the kids at school who still give me the secret happy "I like you" smile in spite of my crankiness, and the studentt teacher who picks up some slack when I think my brain is going to explode.

Seems like Liza Jane is the way to go. Maybe I'll have some brilliant thoughts with some days off. (and just how long can I blog puppy pictures until this turns into a dogblog instead of a knitting blog?) I need a knit night fix.

But was there knitting?

Of course. I cast on the mint Malabrigo purchased from Tammy and began Wicked. I love Malabrigo.



There was snow at the peak of the Allegheny Mountains. Here's a scenic view of the World Known (so the conductor says) Horseshoe Curve. This would have been a perfect opportunity for the Rowan Big Wool turtleneck sweater which is finished except for the end weaving and the fact that I still want to tweak the length of the ribbing.

chickenlips tags- I'll play.

o.k. chickenlips- this one's for you-

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? My husband- he's the funniest man on the planet.

2. What were you doing at 0800? Just finishing a $2.00 breakfast at "Laverne's" and heading toward the airport.

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Playing with the new click trainer and the puppy and chanting "pick a spot."

4. What happened to you in 2006? I started blogging.

5. What was the last thing you said out loud? "Pick a spot."

6. How many beverages did you have today? 2 coffees and a few glasses of water.

7. What color is your hairbrush? Pink

8. What was the last thing you paid for? The dog clicker

9. Where were you last night? On a train.

10. What color is your front door? brown

11. Where do you keep your change? In a giant purple crayon bank with the letters "mfp"... which of course stand for Magic Fairy Princess and NOT m** f** pennies

12. What’s the weather like today? It's gray and all I've heard are complaints but I secretly like it that way.

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? Chocolate.

14. What excites you? Yarn stores. When GHB wins at slots. FO's that fit. Yarn that I've spun. Having a puppy.

15. Do you want to cut your hair? Since it hasn't been cut in 6 months, I'm thinking yes but I hate going to get it cut. The small talk makes me crazy and Frederick, the possible transvestite who cuts it so well , always asks for a little smooch after he cuts my hair.

16. Are you over the age of 25? 42 last Wednesday.

17. Do you talk a lot? It depends on where I am in the med cycle.

18. Do you watch the O.C.? I don't know what that is.

19. Do you know anyone named Steven? I dated someone named Steve and the nightmares only recently stopped. There is a 4th grader named Steve who's my favorite kid on the planet.

20. Do you make up your own words? I'll make up a word now and again. More often I require some verbal sound effect/non-word to get my point across.

21. Are you a jealous person? Not one bit

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A'. Friends?

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. See above.

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? What does that mean?

25. What does the last text message you received say? No text messaging in my life

26. Do you chew on your straw? no.

27. Do you have curly hair? Depends on the humidity and the last time it was washed. Right now? Straight city.

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? Outside to see if the puppy wants to "pick a spot" yet.

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? This one is best left unanswered- who know who reads this.

30. What was the last thing you ate? Egg and cheese on Texas toast. They called it a "Tweener." That Laverne.

31. Will you get married in the future? I'm feeling pretty lucky to be married in the present. No future plans

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? I swear there will be a question I can answer soon. Who looks at titles when you're counting stitches?

33. Is there anyone you like right now? Did this meme start with a 7th grader?

34. When was the last time you did the dishes? Does throwing the paper plate away count?

35. Are you currently depressed? Chickenlips wrote-No, Effexor is a magic drug. I thought so too until I switched to Selexa, lowered my blood pressure, and no longer need a sleeping aid at night.

36. Did you cry today? No but it's only lunchtime.

37. Why did you answer and post this? Because I like Chickenlips.

38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey. I can't do it- too much pressure. I love reading them, feel a little self-indulgent doing them, but always feel like I'm inconveniencing my busy blog friends it I tag them. Jump in if you're feeling like it. All 5 of you!

Fortunately and Unfortunately

Fortunately we had a well-planned trip to NYC with pre-purchased train tickets, show tickets, and hotel reservations.

Unfortunately when we arrived in the city I did not have the hotel street address.

Fortunately I was able to get the address from directory assistance.

Unfortunately we had already travelled 15 city blocks or so in the wrong direction.

Fortunately it wasn't raining.

Unfortunately when we arrived at the hotel they had given our 2-double bed room away.

Fortunately they gave us the "penthouse" and $20 off.

Unfortunately it only had one bed.

Fortunately it didn't matter much because we had a show to go to.

Unfortunately after walking the 12 blocks to the theater district we found the stagehands were on strike and the show was cancelled.

Fortunately one of the striking stagehands sent us on our way telling us to "have a beer on him."

Unfortunately he was only kidding.

Fortunately we found a deli and had a great sandwich and some wine.

Unfortunately we paid twice as much for the mini-bottles as we would have at home.

Fortunately we had an extra one and we took it to the striking stagehand.

Unfortunately the show was still cancelled.

Fortunately we had money left from the ticket refund and went to the Borders Books next to Madison Square Garden.

Unfortunately we probably could have done this in any city and didn't need to travel 8 hours by train.

Fortunately we had a large hotel room next to the "rooftop bar" where we could enjoy our new books and rest our weary feet.

Unfortunately the drunks from the rooftop bar thought ours would be a good door to pound on while waiting for the elevator at 4:00 a.m.

Fortunately we had 8 hours home on the train to sleep, read and knit.




I call this picture "Spam-a Not"

Please Help Us

Our Puppy has a Monkey on Her Back



reports Eliza..."If you had a monkey on your back, you'd be peeing on the floor too."

we have a winner

Using this random number generator Iput in the numbers 1-21 (removing my own comment) and Deborah is our winner! Thanks to everyone for the great advice.

It was a great birthday and I am a lucky person on the planet. We have a staff development session this afternoon and a train ride this weekend so look ahead to some FO's next week.

The Power of the Internets

Two posts in one day? Stranger things have happened as evidenced by the dogcat photo.



This is what is known as Pet Heaven

A Girl and Her Dog Blowing out the Candles

Balloons, streamers, 42 Cupcakes, a new puppy, some NYC mad money- and a beautiful card (all a night early because he just felt like it.) I'll tell you what it says if you promise not to tell him I told you

I see how much you love me and Eliza- have a happy birthday and love yourself that much

Could a girl ask for a better husband?

Lizer's (it's how you say Eliza in GHB's Brooklyn accent) foot is healing nicely. Thanks for all the great words.

Did you notice the frosting bone on the side?

How many people can say...

"this year's birthday present ate last years?"

Yea, well we continue to be indoctrinated into the land of puppyville. This morning at about 10:00 I did the ritual "ear check" for the 1/4 ct diamond studs to make sure the backs were securely fastened. One was missing. I knew I felt a little unbalanced. Was it while I was donning the fleece sweatshirt? Couldn't be- that's never happened. Then I remembered the 7:00 a.m. puppy ear kisses. Puppy either has a belly worth a fortune or- more likely it's somewhere between the folds of the afghan on the bed. i'm mostly too scared to look (in either place)

fast forward 6 hours..

I pulled into the driveway relieved to see GHB's SuperSport in the driveway. Puppy's day at home wasn't so so long after all and she and husband had some bonding time. And he was home to clean up the first day mess. The look on his face told me something was wrong. What could she have possibly done in a days worth of work to buy her chow? She did nothing. Except run and play all afternoon with husband, get a bath, and then get underneath GHB's size 13 foot with her paw. We're thinking it was just bruised. She puts a little pressure on it. It's not swollen. She is not in constant pain. In fact- here she is now (a side view as I blog)



and yet I fear the ASPCA will be soon knocking at our door. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Where are all the pictures? asks Jenn

Thanks Jenn!



This puppy is cracking me up. It's been one big old Crack (Me Up) Weekend.

She does more than sleep in a ball but I've been too busy playing with da puppee to snap the picture.

She did her first bark earlier today. I think she was "protecting me" from (or maybe scared of) the Big Guy. If she only knew what a sweetie he is. So now she's sleeping on his lap. Must. Share. Puppy.

commands...

So I've really taken to the "hurry up" and "pick a spot" advice on puppy potty training. I think she's understanding it every now and then only sometimes is it hard for me to hang onto the alpha voice.

Hopefully most of you have seen the Will Ferrell/Pearl clip about the rent. I'm seriously considering using "You Pay Now!" as the "hurry up"-"pick a spot" command. I can pull that one off in the alpha voice, it cracks me up in my head, and it's a little bit accurate- if not perfect.

And I finished a sleeve on the Blue Rowan Big Wool Sweater-one more sleeve to go- it should be ready for next weekend's trip to NYC! woo.hoo. (just in case the blog police are checking for knitting content)

3:00 a.m. note to self...

Liza Jane may not pee where she sleeps but that shouldn't be misinterpreted as saying she won't pee where I sleep. I swear mom, I'll wash the sheets before you get here.

On the other hand, everytime we go outside there's a little squat and piddle so I think puppy has a genius I.Q.

Must get some sleep. Enter the happy birthday don't forget about *this* with your dog contest

Cute-o-rama-city-ville

You'll just have to accept a large photo file or two as I get over newness of puppy. In the meantime go to the post before this one and enter a contest!