Knitting and produce update

I took some pictures and have updates! First, I finally got around to finishing my sweater I started while visiting India back in February. It's from Jaeger Book 34 and I have no idea what size needles I used as I 'finished' the project in February and must have borrowed them for another project. That is, I knit the front. I knit the back with literally an inch of yarn left. And there are no sleeves, so for a brief blissful minute I thought it would work out (who would see the mismatched yarn to sew up the seams, right?) Except there is edging around the neck and armpits. So the project has sat in the basket for months. Until last month I went to Webbs, and suprisingly they still had a ball left - same dye lot and everything (I think there were only two balls left too!) and yesterday to justify taking a day off from work I tackled some unfinished projects. This morning during the staff meeting I finished weaving in all the ends and it's done! Of course, now it's cool out and no need for a tank, but July is coming. It's fun looking at the projects as it brings back memories. As I sewed the seams, I remember this dear old lady on the London subway who was sitting next to me as we were heading back to the airport. I was working on the back and she was so excited I was knitting - in public, but very reserved about initiating conversation. Normally I would have engaged, but having just finished an entire day of rushed sight-seeing, on little sleep due to the red eye we took the night before, I just wasn't up to it. Now, well rested, I wish I had, but really didn't have much energy left - as we headed on towards another red eye. Word to the wise, don't fly double red eye shifts, back to back.

And, in other news, my asymetrical cardigan I've been working on isn't looking good. Actually it looks and feels gorgeous. I love knitting with this yarn and find myself slowing down as I approach the end (like with a really good book that's been with you for awhile). But this is where I am. Starting the second sleeve. And that ball of yarn in my hand - yup, that's all that's left. I've rummaged around, in the hopes that a ball slipped behind a bookcase or something. But even then, I have a sinking feeling I need more than just one more ball - if you look at the link, that neck is pretty volumptious. But there is a fix. Tonight I have to go home and be realistic about how many more balls I need and my friend cece is heading to Webs tomorrow and will see if they have any more left. Fingers crossed. Still don't know what buttons to use, but realize I'm getting ahead of myself. Must focus on one sleeve at a time.

And finally in produce news, I ended my streak of riding my bike to pick up produce. I ended up getting back a bit later, ran into my neighbors, and frankly it was so hot and humid I was in a sweat just walking home (1.5 flat blocks) so hopped into the car and was the last person picking up the produce. I justified the car by swinging by Trader Joes which is only a few blocks away and stocking up on goodies. This week I got pretty much the usual - garlic snapes (yummm), zuccini, swiss chard, and lettuce. Not bad. Until I started putting things away in the fridge. This is a picture of the head of lettuce I got last week (minus a few leaves that I had eaten):

Not bad. Nice and fresh. A bit bigger than the average head of red leaf lettuce you get at Whole Foods. Pretty descent. And this is what I got this week:

At first glance, everything looks good. Great deep colors (full of vitamins). Nice and fresh. What's to complain about you ask? Well let me put it into perspective:

Yes, my friends, this latest head of lettuce is from the Freaky Farm. I've never seen a head of red leaf lettuce this big! I could barely fit it into the crisper it was so big. It could eat the regular lettuce for lunch (if it were a canibal and actually ate stuff) and still be hungry it was that big. And they say they farm au natural - no pesticides or growth hormones. So it's not like this is lettuce on steriods. It's just a freak of nature. I swear, the box of produce is full of surprises each week. Well, I've eaten some salads, and we just had our work salad party - third week in a row and still very popular, and well, Mr. Freaky has been reduced to his neighbors size. I was a bit worried there - I could invision lettuce taking over my apartment and than town and than the world!

txt msg

So a couple weeks ago at a friends one night over a nice evening of wine and chilled company I got in a friendly argument about text messaging. I wasn't a fan. It costs extra money. People text to avoid talking on the phone it seems. And it takes forever to write a text. Well, I was considered old-fashioned - not embracing all the new technology that is thrown at us. Later in the night I was taught how to properly text message - noone ever told me about T9! I was tapping away until I got to each letter on the phone. Using T9 - which is just automatically 'on' for my phone (it's a newer improved version apparently), I just type away and it predicts what I'm writing and really cuts the time down alot - so there goes that argument.

So first a little background, so you understand where I am coming from. Back in my day there were no cell phones, let alone texting (yes it's a verb now). Frankly we didn't even have internet or email. Now kids all have cell phones - younger and younger kids. It's their generation that texts. But as my friend pointed out, there are advantages to this alternative medium of communication. For his line of work where he's always on the road - it's part of his business - lining up gigs and jobs. It's a great way to communicate when you don't want to bother someone (they're busy in a meeting, asleep, or whatever) and he attested it was a great way to flirt. I wasn't sold. Although looking on wikipedia, "there is no age limit to SMS usage" even the retired folks are doing it. And apparently in Malaysia it used to be that the Islamic traditional divorce (saying "I divorce you" three times in succession) wasn't valid via text messaging, but txting has caught on so much now that in 2003, they now allow it. And apparently that's how Britney Spears let K Fed know she wanted out!

Anyways, back to me. Things have changed. As I'm busy, running around, but wanting to drop a note - I could text. I don't have internet at home, so txting is really the way to go. Also, I have more friends now that text on a regular basis. When I went to NYC last weekend - that's how we coordinated getting together most of the time. It was much easier to text while in a museum rather than having to run out to use the cell phone. And, as my friend pointed out - it is really fun to flirt via txt msg. So there is this boy in NYC (not this boy from before, but a new one) that I hung out with with Saturday night. Not sure where things will go, just having fun with the here and now (at least trying). He's a great guy, really fun and gentlemanly. And also preapproved by having mutual friends. We really hit it off and I had a great weekend in NYC. But he's horrible on the phone - like most boys (why is that?). That's where my second argument get's thrown out. He's a big flirt txting. My friend was right.

So all that I have left in my camp is that it's expensive - and it is. At $0.15 a message (both ways - incoming and outgoing), I don't want to see my bill for this month, it's going to add up. I mentioned it to a colleague and apparently there is an add on I can do on my bill. For a flat fee, I can get unlimited txt msging for only $4 or $5. Apparently I don't really have a case against txt msging anymore.

The one problem (ok two) I have is that, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not succinct. Text messaging is short. I've been having to re-adjust to saying things with less words (and of course abbreviating). Short sentences. The second issue is that T9 only works if you know how to spell the word. Case in point - I had to just look up 'succinct' and 'sentences'. I'm still learning.

NYC

Before I jump back into the work week I wanted to record my time in NYC this last weekend. It was a very thinking trip for me and of course I left my camera at work so all you get is stock pics. Noah (from work) and I left early and on our way out picked up his roommate Linda. Bad traffic just getting to pick her up and than leaving Boston - everyone was trying to hit the road early for the weekend and we were traveling directly under a storm cloud. Beautiful, vibrant colors though - super green next to the slate grey sky and even a rainbow or two. We hit traffic outside of Hartford, and than again in New Haven and so by the time Stamford came and we were in traffic from there until NYC we were getting tired of it all. We ended up playing car games which was fun (I apparently know my cars better than countries). In the end we got in about 2 hours later than anticipated.

I was still able to meet up with Ankan who is an old highschool friend. After getting off the subway, I walk up into... the heart of NYC - Times Square. It was just what I needed after being trapped in traffic for several hours and running around trying not to be late. It was a moment to be stunned and breathe. It was so light out (even at 11 pm) with all the billboards lit up. The crowds were stunning. NYC is definately one of a kind - nothing like it.

It was great seeing Ankan. As I mentioned earlier, this seems to be the year I reconnect with people from my past. It's always a pleasent surprise to meet up with friends from the past only to discover a new friendship and a whole new overlap in interests. He's been living in NYC for awhile and just finished law school - working 60+ hour weeks. It makes me appreciate that I don't have that schedule - basically he just works and plays golf. But he was still same old Ankan that I knew growing up - it was a bit strange. We ended up just talking and catching up until before we knew it was 3 am! Even though we both had to get up early - he had a golf game the next morning and I had to get up early for tickets.

So Saturday, a little hung over/dehydrated, I rolled out of bed and hoofed it over to the Jersey Boys theater to stand in line for the student tickets that went on sale at 10 am. Unfortunately, I should have just gone from the bar the night before to the line. People were in line since midnight! It's gotten so bad recently - people getting there earlier and earlier, that tempers flare and the weekend before there was a fight with someone going to the hospital! So they are discontinuing the student ticket rates - this was the last weekend.

Since I didn't get the student tickets (along with half the line) I ended up waiting in another line to get standing room only tickets that went on sale at noon. Luckily the lady working the line was talkative and mentioned John wasn't performing that show - he takes matinees off - so I was a bit frustrated that I had just spent that time waiting. And to top it off, if I just bought a ticket for that evenings performance, the cheapest seat was $300 - a little steep. So I tried. I will just have to come back another weekend, with my $100 ticket in hand already purchased.

After that I got a bite to eat (mmm food - super hungry after all that waiting). And wandered over to the first batch of museums - stumbling upon a street fair (picked up some NYC souveigners) and an international parade - only in NY. Turns out the Moma is $20 these days and since I wanted to go to several musuems, I passed this time. Got to check out the architecture of the new American Folk Museum that was designed by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien that taught at my school and I had studied. Fun to see in person - suprsingly the pictures made the space seem bigger.

As I headed up to the Met I stumbled upon a Jamba Juice. I used to get an orange zinger with coworkers when I was in San Francisco - ages ago. I was so excited that I splurged and got the larger size of something that seemed comparable - they've changed the menu over the last 10 years. And, it was disappointing - seemed a bit mainstream - artifically sweet. So Sunday I treated myself to a Naked - much more my style for fruit drinks. But it still fit the bill as I strolled through Central Park. The crowds were amazing - just tons of people out enjoying the wonderful day - kids running and laughing, people sun bathing - lots of events going on. After walking for quite a bit, I ended up stumbling upon this great musical group performing at one group of benches. I needed a rest - the lack of sleep was starting to catch up wtih me. I ended up just sitting and enjoying the old cajun style music while knitting away on my sleeve (I'm down to the last ball, and still have the other sleeve and the large collar to go - not looking good). I think I spent a good 2 hours just hanging out knitting, thinking, people watching, enjoying the outdoors. It was really quite relaxing and just what the doctor ordered. I just googled for an image of the group and found this blog.

Funny thing is that only some of the band members are the same - same singer/guitarist (who kept flirting with me through some of the songs) but it's the exact same benches they were sitting on before. I got their cd and hope it's similar - great bass and trumpet. I geared up and made it to the Met - didn't have a map (the theme of my trip) so ended up roaming through the exhibits. I really forget how many great museums there are in NYC. I ended up visiting the Cooper-Hewitt on Sunday which I loved - someone I knew from Michigan had a product of theirs on display as well as an architect I'm working with on a local project. Funny how small the world can be.

In the end the trip was great - lots of walking so my calves are killing me today and the ride home wasn't that bad - glad I had company. Lot's more, but have to run. The weather was great, the company was great and the entertainment was great - what more could a girl ask for (and I met a new boy - but that's for later).

Garlic Scapes

At lunch, I was looking up what my mystery vegetatble was - it's the infamous Garlic Scapes listed on the "what to expect" list of produce I would get throughout the summer. I can't wait to cook them up tonight - found some great suggestions of ideas for cooking them here - steam them like asparagus, or saute like onions - in pastas or salads. Still not sure if I'm supposed to cut off the top part - will have to experiment.

Control

I've been good and getting into work early this week (although not today - went from a 7 am arrival time on Monday and Tuesday to 10 am this morning, but I digress). Because I came in early, I took the opportunity of leaving early yesterday - 4:30! I felt a bit strange, but had lost my steam and had to pick up the produce before my town meeting that evening.







Let me just say that knowing where I was going and what to expect, I was much more "normal" in my bike riding. I had a good episode of This American Life on my mp3 player and paced myself the whole way there. It was quite a pleasant ride, was able to relax (while still feeling the burn - that last hill is a doozey, and getting the heart rate up). I got more lettuce - which doesn't freak me out as much now that I have my Friday Lettuce parties I host at work and which have been very popular. The swiss chard I cooked up right away and it tastes so much better when it's fresh. I also got some squash (I think), some bok choi (need to look up a picture to compare) and something I'm guessing from the onion family. It's like a hybrid between chives and scallions. I brought one into work with the hopes that someone might be able to enlighten me with: 1) what it is, 2) what parts I can eat, and 3) how to use it in cooking. My big fear now is that they might give me some produce I don't know and I cook it all up and eat it, even though the leaves are poisinous. They need to let you know if that's the case - right?







I had tons of energy after the ride - which is a hopeful sign I'll keep with the weekly ritual into the hot and humid summer days. I got a fair amount done last night and was up until 11 pm - no problem- still wide awake (very unusual as work usually konks me out by 9). It was great as I was able to catch the first two episodes of Coupling on PBS. Mom had recorded some episodes for me that I watch periodically, but I had never realized I hadn't seen the second episode. I was literally laughing out loud watching the "new-to-me" episode.







It was a nice relief from things going on. I think I've started figuring out why I'm in a bit of funk this last week or so. It all has to do with control. Now I've long accepted that I have no control of the big scale of life. But it's the little things that have slipped away from me that have thrown me off balance. I think it started with that boy I had met awhile back that seemed very promising. He was in NYC, I'm in Boston - not great, but he promised it wouldn't make a difference. Except I'm busy, and he's busy, and we keep missing each other - I've talked with his voicemail more than him now (a bit of an exageration), we keep almost having a weekend work out for a visit, and than it falls through. All good intentions, but things out of my control kept getting in my way of getting what I'm used to. So, besides realizing I'm spoiled, I keep plowing along trying to force it to happen and becoming frustrated when it doesn't.







Then, secondly, someone I know all of a sudden ended up in the hospital. It's been five days and we still don't know what's going on. Again, no control over the situation, not knowing where things will head and what to do. And finally, Winston, who seems so peaceful on the outside, is sick on the inside. They keep trying to make the medicine work, but perhaps surgery, but even that might not work. There's more, but you get the idea.







I think normally I would have been fine, these aren't monumental issues. But I realize that this wasn't exactly where I thought I would be at this age. I'm not complaining, but the realization is starting to make me seriously reassess what my priorities are. I remember an old quote someone in college wrote that always struck a chord with me: "Is life what happens while you're waiting for the train?" - or something like that - will have to look it up. I just feel like time is starting to slip by. So in other news, to help capture the here and now, I've started a new blog. It's a little strange - but I figure it's good to put things down in writing to be able to use as subject matter for a book or something later on in life. It's about my neighbors. I see them almost daily, even though I've never spoken with them. I feel like I kind of know them - it's like that strange relationship we have with celebrities - we know part of their life and they have no idea who we are. Maybe it will turn into something fictional, maybe it will be based in reality, or rather both.

And finally, as I learn to let go and just let things happen (so easy to say, so hard to do). I find I am heading to NYC this weekend. I had pretty much given up. And then... it happens - I have a bunch of friends going down Friday (ride - check), I found a place to stay - thanks to good friends (room - check), I have friends to visit and two exhibits I want to check out (entertainment - check), and it turns out this is the last weekend to see John for the cheap rate (cheap musical - check). I haven't told the boy yet, so if he is in town - great, if not, so be it. It is what it is - you've got to work with what you've got. I looked at my priorities, I realized, it was John's musical that I wanted to see most in NYC, so that was what I focused on making happen (still don't know if I can get the cheap tickets - have to wait until the day of the performance, fingers crossed). In a strange way, the Serenity Prayer has been floating in my head. If you cut out the God part - I really like it, it's where I am right now:

Give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.

My Monster

It's been a little hectic and I still need to book an appointment for the dentist, but was good and made an appointment to bring the boys into the vet. Walter hasn't gone yet and I wanted to make sure Winston was making progress after his surgery in February.



Now let me preface that I understand the vet is not a pleasent place to be - where strangers poke and prod you, there is no place to hide, there are scary new sounds and smells with other crazy animals around and they (the vets, not the animals) keep stabbing you with sharp objects. And that I also understand that this is where the boys lived at the beginning of their life, in cages, without me. And that this is also the place that they lost their little furry balls. So I understand that this is not the number one spot on their wish list of places to visit.



As a reminder, Winston is my big white boy. He is a mama's boy, and is a bit on the lazy side. When people come over, while his brother, Walter, is making love with them, he's off hiding in the closet. He's pretty laid back - although he does love his food.



Well, yesterday, thank goodness, I was stuck in traffic after work and running late. I had been thinking of just packing the boys up into their carriers and walking to the vet - it's literally three blocks away. It seems silly to get in the car, drive for a minute, and find parking. But I was running late and did I mention Winston is a bit on the heavy side?



We make it into the exam room and they're doing relatively well (don't forget this is where they lost their manhood)... but I'm not. All of a sudden, out of the blue (and I stress - completely from right field), my stomache decides to divert the latest hurricane off the coast of Florida and have it visit. It's - a - rumbling, things are turning upside down, it's not going well. I'm listening to the vet. Winston is getting weighed (he's gained a few pounds - that's my big boy). I'm ignoring the storm that's brewing - maybe it will pass. The vet explains things. What things I'm not quite sure. I am focusing on keeping the storm contained. Winston is being examined. The storm is getting worse. The storm is not going to pass - it's going to do some damage. I need to find a bathroom. I excuse myself, leaving the vet with a tense Winston, who is quietly trying to wait out his own internal storm. Walter has put on his cloak of invisibility and is quietly trying to disappear in the far corner of the cat carrier.



Relief, somewhat, and I return - to chaos. Winston and Walter are hissing at each other, the vet is in the corner and the tension in the room is thicker than molasses on a hot summer day (actually I guess a cold winter day would make it thicker, never mind). The instant I stepped out the door, Winston lost it. His mom abandoned him and damn-it, he wasn't going back - they weren't going to take him - not alive. And he turned into Monster Winston:



Well it all went down hill from there. I was back, I could calm them both down (naive me). But unfortunately Winston had lost it and was not to be reassured. Walter got his examination and shots. He wasn't happy anymore, especially since his own brother turned on him. My stomache still wasn't happy and Winston was not happy with anyone in the room and everyone would feel his wrath. But, it wasn't that much worse than what I had seen before, until it was his turn to get his shots. And than he turned into this:



Yes, the scariest, meanest, monster ever. The vets (an assistant was brought in) had the full on protective gear - gloves up to the shoulders, towel and still it took awhile to wrestle him into submission to get his shots (and here I thought I could get them to trim his nails, that was definately out of the question). It didn't get really bad until we had to put him back into the pet carrier. Up until now, he was wrapped in a towel which muted his anger and attacks. The second he was unwrapped from the towel he was lashing out left and right at everything and everybody. The vet, Walter, and I were all backed into our respective corners while the monster dominated the room and the assistant "worked up a sweat" wrestling him into the carrier.



And it wasn't over. Winston was a pretzel in the carrier - it's a duffle bag with mesh sides - not the hard plastic one. So his claws were stuck on everything and he looked like he was in the midst of an intense game of Twister - where his life was at stake. He wasn't backing down. Anytime anyone came near he went into attack mode. So I spent some time comforting Walter, paid the bill (ouch) and made one last run to the bathroom to let the storm pass. Since the bag with the monster was scary, I ran and got the car and double parked outside. When I picked up the bag, I realized it wasn't completely closed, so I literally ran to the car to dump the Winston monster in it.



The vet had mentioned that Winston might need a room to himself last night. Boy was she wrong. I brought him upstairs, right near his closet he hides in, and out of the pet carrier comes - ta da - plain old, lazy Winston. The monster had disappeared. It was a miracle. We quickly resumed our old habits and were one happy family last night, all snuggly on the couch watching tv.



Except, Winston isn't doing well - he's getting clogged up again. We've upped his medicine, and he has a follow up appointment in two weeks (that's not going to be fun). But it looks like he might have to have surgery - where they remove part of his intestine. I don't even want to think how much that will cost - I might be the one turning into a monster at that visit. The angry money monster.

Lettuce and my Life

It seemed like a good idea last year, actually like a brilliant idea. I was finding that since good produce was no longer right around the corner, I wasn't buying it as often as I used to (compared with other places I've lived). So along the same lines of people joining gyms with the intention of working out each week since it's already paid for, I bought a farm share, as mentioned previously. That way I would have a well stocked fridge - with fresh produce each week.

Last week I couldn't wait to leave work to go get my first box. It was a little difficult as I had to leave work early (i.e. at 5 pm when I normally should), as I had an evening meeting in town. But yet again, this is intentional. I know that every Tuesday I am forced to leave work on time and enjoy the summer nights. So I brought the box home and of course the boys had to check it out. It was like Christmas - not knowing what you were getting. The excitement mounted...

Little did I know. Granted I knew it would be difficult keeping up since the box does feed a bit more than just one person. But I thought the early months I would be able to ease into it since the crops are somewhat minimal. So last week, I was a bit surprised to open the first box to discover more than just a head of lettuce (as alluded to in the orientation). Here you will see a nice selection of produce. But if you look closer, what I have is a head of red leaf lettuce (a big head too), a head of (I don't know what kind - normal) lettuce and hidden in there between the two heads of lettuce - do you see that bit of plastic bag - yup that's a huge pile of mixed greens. I don't even buy that much mixed greens when I go to the store - it's like 10 pounds (or a bit less, but still tons). Plus I hadn't planned so well and still had a bit of Boston lettuce left over in the fridge from the store. No problem, I like salads, I could do this. I needed more greens in my life, that's why I signed on. And prep for salads is minimal so I wouldn't wimp out because of being pooped from work.

So I dug in. My standard PB&J sandwiches have been replaced by salad. When I come home and have dinner I have salad. I have salad with fruit. I have salad with beans. At first it was a big bowl of salad, now it's just a side salad. And I wasn't making a dent. I couldn't bring myself to eat salad for breakfast and I started to wonder if you could OD on some of the vitamins. Calculating ahead, counting the fact that I would be in town on the weekend and could eat 4 maybe 5 salads, I still wouldn't finish it up before the next box. What to do.

My brillant idea - I had a Friday salad party lunch at work. I brought in salad - basically the big bag of mixed greens - almost untouched, as well as some toppings. Everyone else brought in other toppings, dressings, etc. We had about 7 people eating salad. People even had seconds and all that got finished was the bag of mixed greens (it was a big bag). It was a huge hit - I do work with a bunch of environmentalists so they're more of a produce versus junk food crowd anyways.

So I almost made it. I still have about two half heads of lettuce left. But last night when I picked up my second box (sorry no pics), there was only one head of red leaf lettuce, so I have a bit of a reprise, at least on the lettuce side of things.

The fun thing is trying out the other food they include. Last week, what looks like white radishes in the picture are actually Japenes turnips, I think called Kabu. The food comes with a newsletter which had a great receipe for sauting the turnip and leaf portion in butter and lemon juice. It had such a great nutty flavor - I totally had no problem eating those. And this week I got escarole. I have to admit it took me a while to figure out the red radishes were not the escarole, but what I thought was a second head of lettuce was. It's got a bit of a bitter taste, but I found a receipe to cook them. Also got a huge zucchini and some radishes (as mentioned).

Lastly, to add to my whole experience with becoming a dominant herbivore (not that I wasn't one before, just less quantity), is my biking experience. So, being an environmentalist, the idea of having your food be local makes you warm and tingly. It seemed a bit silly to than hop in the car for a quick drive to pick it up. The bike trail is right near by, the weather was great, it wasn't hot and humid yet, why not? So I dusted off my bike, pumped up the tires (ok it's Nick's bike, but hey, he's in India, so it's mine now), and headed off. Again, such a simple plan. Yet, you don't notice things in a car you notice on a bike. One is that the whole trip is up hill - didn't really notice that before. Second, a short distance by car is a bit longer on bike. And thirdly, the bike trail is gorgeous - an old reclaimed railway line, but all you see are the backs of houses - hard to get your bearings. I had a bit of being lost in some of the residentail areas having gotten off the path at the wrong point, but finally made it to the pick-up. And I have to say, that last hill was a killer. I was definately not expecting so much in the way of hills. They kept coming, one after another - steep ones too - where you're standing up cycyling to make it up the last bit. I felt the burn, the heart was racing, out of breath - it was definately a good cardio run. But I was a little worried, would I have enough energy to make it back. Not having thought this out, I hadn't brought water (opps), I had forgotten in my excitement of the new box of goodies, that I had started getting hungry at work around 3 pm and hadn't grabbed a snack (double opps), and I bascially jumped into the deap end exercise-wise so the body might not really have much left in it. Worse case I figured I could just walk back, with the bike and the food - a bit cumbersome but doable. But surprise, surpise, after loading the produce into the back pack and heading off, I discovered that simple rule of physics - what goes up must come down. I basically coasted the whole way down. It took about 30 minutes of solid biking to get there and about 10 minutes to get back home - definately sweet. Of course, there is that one bit of a hill right before my house, which just uses up the last bit of energy. So I got home, unpacked and hunkered down for a night with the boys. And not to be outdone by his brother Winston, here's a picture of Walter and I resting (he likes to snuggle up into the armpit).

Reunion Weekend Part 2, NY

I just got pics from Joanne (finally), and it's Monday and the procrastination bug is going around and I just downloaded my digital pics finally, so figured I'd post stuff about two weekends ago before it escapes me.

First thing, we swung by Emilia's and were able to chill and hang out with Emilia and Marguerite (sorry about the spelling). It was good to see them so soon after my last visit at Easter, just under two months. I think Griete (again sorry about the spelling) even remembered me. Right away she reached for me - doesn't that just melt the heart. So she gets a bunch of pictures posted. This first one will seem common enough. Baby, stuffed dog, shoes. But she just loved crawling around with her shoes on.... her feet. She was very dexterous with putting on the second shoe while her hands were occupied with the first shoe. Also note the dog, about the same size as her. She was very proficient at carring him around (his name is Josh, not Joe, I think) while crawling - she did this whole cage thing, trapping him between arms and legs and torso - wish I had a picture but no luck.

One of her favorite things right now is climbing onto the dining room table, where she isn't allowed, and knows it. At one point, she was up there, playing with the newspaper - it was such a good shot, but again, the cameras come out and the moment is lost. But I did get this funny shot. She seems to be in thougthful contemplation, rubbing the chin. When in reality, she is in the process of eating the newspaper for lunch.

Ok, enough pictures of Griete (for now) - she is stealing the show. But she is so cute and adorable... and strong and smart (I began teaching her some math - never can start too early - we'll see what she remembers next time).

Cece and I drove over to school. It was weird driving through town, eerily similar yet a little off (some new buildings and landscaping). Same thing with college. Met up with Joanne and Emily and Jill and little Rowan who was in need of a nap. Walked around the engineering buildings. Old Butterfield is completely remodeled (and not for the better in my opinion, but I don't like change) - it was quite sad. The saving grace was the third floor which was exactly as I left it. This classroom brought back tons of memories. I remember doing my first ever powerpoint presentation here (can't remember on what, but remember I was brilliant in pulling it together literally an hour before the class whereas classmates had spent all night - I was a really good and efficient procrastinator even back then). Studying with the guys on the weekends, even my last math class on logic was held here. It seems just like yesterday. Or I guess more like a parallel universe, where I could just step back in time.

Really, we just walked around campus checking out the new buildings and renovations, hanging out in Jackson Gardens (knitting). I really think the new architecture is on the cheap side, not great design or materials. The library was truely sad. Back in my day it was this hodgepodge of additions built over a century or so. There were all these great nooks and crannies with great architectural detailing you could find to study in. It was nice and old and full of character, you could imagine the generations of students before you, the men in suits back in the 18th and 19th centuries - very Ivy League like. Now it's this gaudy, mall-like gut overhall. Nothing good remains in the interior (that I could find). It's just a shame. But it was good to see alot hadn't changed. While waiting for the different events we hung out on the green in front of the library and poses were taken. Here's a series (I took the the last two shots).

Joanne and Emily in Jackson Garden

Exhuasted from the heat (at least I was)

My shot of Joanne and Jill, first with the grass, but Joanne made a face

... and than Jill did.

And to close out the face shots, two of Griete:

Who is aquiring the technique of flashing a very disarming slight smile.

And loves the baby's asprin just as much as I do - but, hey when you use your hands while crawling and your clothes don't have pockets, the mouth is your next best thing for transportation.

Some reason I didn't post this yesterday - must have gotten lost in the shuffle. Coming soon - my life and lettuce.

Reunion Weekend Part 1, MA

Fortunately I remembered my camera for this trip. Unfortunately I didn't really take any pictures. So figured I'd get started on recording the trip, but wait for some pics from Joanne and others to supplement the last part.

Wednesday I was good and still went into work for a half day, trying to wrap things up as best as possible. Said a final good-bye to Kevin, my boss, whose last week it was and ran home and did a warp speed packing and cleaning and headed to Cece's. We took her "cecebug" and headed to Northampton to see the Yarn Harlot talk at the Calvin Theater. I was bummed I didn't have a knitting project with me (that would soon change) so was pleasently suprised when we entered the theater to be handed a bag of goodies that mainly included a ball of yarn, needles and the mission to knit a 7" square to be part of an afghan for homeless people. It was somewhat surreal to enter into a huge theater full of people and hear the low hum of metal kneedles at work. Part of the schtick that the Yarn Harlot does is take a picture of the audience which you can see via the link above. But stole the picture that had me in it. You see the two flashes? Look at the one on the left near the aisle, the head just to the right of the flash (look closely), that's me!! (I think)

Anyways, Stephanie (aka YarnHarlot) is hilarous. I read her blog regularly and have read a book or two of hers. But to hear her read her stuff is just wonderful. She has a much deeper voice than I imagined, and wonderful delivery and stage presence - like a regular stand-up comedian, Canadian style. Which you would never guess from her blog as she is always so nervous about making an "arse" of herself. We saved a seat for Kate who is in the knitting world and Cece knows. After the event, we went out for dinner with several of Cece's buds from the knitting world which also included Marcie, who makes spinning seem so natural (and is also mentioned on the Yarnharlot's blog). We walked over to the infamous Webbs where the Yarnharlot was still signing books (hours after the event) with a line way back into the warehouse. And guess what, as we were leaving, Cece poked her head in at the front of the line and said goodbye to this famous person and Stephanie totally knew her! Knew her name and everything.

Well, after all that excitement, we headed to Bernie's, cece's father-in-laws. He has this wonderful house just north of Northampton (I think). I'm a bit confused where everything was because we had borrowed his GPS system and I could see how lazy you could be, just letting it direct you to where you needed to go. It was really neat and am thinking it would be perfect for the New England area (where one tends to get lost a bit more than usual).

Thursday I got to drive the bug - it had turbo which is fun - and I barely stalled it which is a frequent occurance apparently. We ended up spending the day in Northampton. After cece's yoga (it's one of those really, really hot kinds - the one that is like 110 degrees - crazy), we grabbed lunch - both had the same thing (realized we eat fairly similarly, more on that later) and than headed to Webs. The night before we had just popped in which doesn't give the store justice. Although I did find the ball of yarn I needed to finish the latest sweater I was working on. They only had 2 balls left, so I was lucky. We basically spent about 3 or 4 hours at the store. I did a very thorough search through all the yarn (they had tons of sales in addition to the warehouse prices). And in the end got some gorgous burnt orange wool/silk blend yarn to make this Assymetrical Cardigan. Cece thought I should do swatches first to get the right gauge. I sat and knit and knit and knit until I got the right size - checked and double checked. I was almost tempted to buy yarn for another sweater but decided to hold off. I splurged and treated myself to some beautiful yarn for this gorgeous scarf (which I can't get the pattern to work, but that's for later), and some sock yarn. And left satisified, with a project to work on, and not that dreaded feeling that maybe I spent a bit too much on wooly yarn.

I knit and knit and the sweater began to emerge. Beautiful yarn to work with and by the time we reached Lee, MA the next day, I was past the armholes, only to discover, while waiting for our wonderful sandwiches at the organic co-op that cece knew of (didn't I tell you she was a woman after my own heart when it comes to food when traveling - no fast-food junk), that the sweater was way too large - the swatch lied! It blatently misrepresented. I even checked gauge part way up and was still good. I don't know if it was because I was travelling and entered into another gauge zone, or the yarn drapes differently and doesn't hold gauge, but it wasn't right. So here is the sad picture cece took of me right before I ripped. The sad part was that I couldn't start right back up again since I no longer had the right size needles. I've started it again yesterday and am about half way, but need to measure again (I don't want to do it - I'm scared).

Anyways, last thing was in Lee, we went to the outlet mall and Cec found a pair of sunglasses, bras and capris that she was looking for. And me, I actually found some pants that I was looking for - plus some other pants and some more. In the end I walked away with 6 pairs of pants/capris/shorts which is perfect for summer and the trip since the weather report lied and instead of being cool and overcast, it was hot and sunny. And that's all for MASS. Next post - NY.