First Week

I just made it through my first week at the new job. It always unfolds differently than you predict. Before starting, I had imagined myself being completely, drop-dead exhausted from the new routine and information and sensory overload. Considering I had two back to back nights that didn’t get me home until after 10 pm: an evening class and then a professional development event I was presenting at – I was doing pretty well. I was taking stock of things Friday night and thought how much I underestimated the capacity of my wonderful self. And then Saturday afternoon hit and all the grandiose plans of items I was going to accomplish this weekend had to be mostly rescheduled. But much more in alignment with the norm and what I expected.

Now it is Monday and I just popped down to NYC for the day. I really wanted to write that as it sounds so smart. But the truth of the matter is that although I tried to recharge and rest up this weekend, it was all thrown out the window this morning having to catch a 6 am train (which was a 5 am wake up). It was a sleepless night. I really need to find a new alarm clock that I know works 100% of the time. Even still I had scheduled a taxi pick-up so knew I had a check and balance so should have slept better than I had.

It’s been quite awhile since I was last in NYC . Popping up on the busy city streets outside of Penn Station, I was struck at how different and unique New York is. And everyone was so…. New Yorkish. It was a whirlwind day before I found myself back on the train full of suits… and all predominately using Think Pads. Just what I have personally and now for work. Although the work laptop I had to leave at work as I found myself packing up Friday afternoon only to discover the laptop and not the docking station was locked (as I was incorrectly led to believe). And no help as everyone had gone for the day. I need to get that resolved tomorrow.

Work last week was mainly an overload of meeting people. The company has hundreds of employees and the Boston HQ is spread over 8+ floors. And I have to say the engineering world hasn’t shifted too much from the days I was in it – comprised I would say by about 80-90% white young to middle-age men. All with pretty much the same names – Jims and Johns and Joes, Mikes and Matts and Marks, Bens and Brians and Bobs. And no cheat sheet! No master list with pictures, job roles and seating assignments. I may have to do some recon and buy one of those pens that are cameras and make my own master list.

There’s so much – my job being one that crosses several departments and is throughout almost all aspects of a project from working to the land the gig to following up with clients after the project is completed and everything in between. So a lot of my time right now is absorbing everything and making sense of it all. Understanding what are the key items and what are the “wouldn’t it be great if” items. There are a lot of opportunities and a lot to achieve which makes it hard to turn the brain off at times. But I’m settling in and looking forward to what is to come and finally mastering the names of my cohorts in crime.

4 Days And Counting Down

Monday is quickly approaching.  (Is fastly a word?  I had to switch it out just now).  And I'm heading out of town tomorrow.  Which means I really only have about 18 hours of non-sleep/non-out-of-town time left.  Not much as I try to get everything wrapped up.  I've found I've been kicking myself with my nemesis - the eternal "shoulds".  As in, "I should have done this... or that".    I was thinking about the content of my next blog post and about how I hadn't really tackled my great american novel, or rebalanced my retirement accounts and set up investment portfolios, or tried out all those cooking recipes I wanted too or got into a good excercising routine.  And I realized that was unrealistic.  That's how the "shoulds" are though after all - unrealistic expectations.  Instead I shall be celebrating the "dids":  the big and the small, the expected and unexpected, the small discoveries.

• Weeding - with a limited budget, I did the opposite of retail therapy.  I went through my things and started weeding out the stuff I love but don't really need.  For me this usually takes a few rounds.  Pick the easy stuff first round and just keep digging in subsequent rounds.  I do this with clothing on a regular basis but this year I also tackled other stuff including the once completely off-bounds - books.  I'm on Cicero's side of a room needing books.  And true to point, every room in my place has books of some sort - excluding closets.
• Spring Cleaning - I hate cleaning (have I mentioned that before).  But I notice the dirt/dust/grime, especially right before guests come over which is when you have the least amount of time.  My idea was to do an entire spring cleaning.  Although I didn't do all of it, I do have to give myself that I accomplished a good chunk.
• W+W - I was suprised about how my time off worked with my guys - Walter and Winston.  I've spent a lot more snuggle time and our routines completely changed.  I hope they are able to cope with S-withdrawl.
• Projects - This one is the kicker.  I was able to knock off a few projects that have been on "the list" for awhile.  But really the big take away, is that for the remaining ones - of which there are a lot, the question is "If I didn't tackle this project when I had time off from work, will I really ever tackle the project?"  The classic case of if not now, than when would this ever happen.  This has helped with the first item I listed.  I'm able to let go of more things now.  This time is a good test of reality.
• Travel - I think I spent less time visiting folks than I do when carrying a full time job in the mix of things.  Funny, isn't it?  Part was financial and keeping to a tight budget but also it had to do with recharging the batteries too and segues well into the next item...
• Pace - This time off allowed me to shift my pace of life.  Sit back and enjoy things differently.  In a strange way I think it had the effect of speeding time up for me too.  After all, time is a man-made construct.  Of course it was a challenge having the pace of a retired life meshing with the pace of the working world I was still a part of through some side projects.
• Cooking - I thought for sure I'd be cooking up all these great meals and trying out new recipes.  Instead I realized more about how I am with meals and food.  I work best cooking for others.  I did find myself slowly clearing out the pantry.  As a result I came up with some interesting meals.  I suprised myself with this great quiche that required absolutely no shopping - I had all the ingredients on hand.  Usually when I'm trying out new recipes I've got to make a run to the store to get the fresh veggies or other items.
• Indulgences - Being able to unplug does allow for any addictions you may be inclined towards to float to the top.  For me, I found my sweet-tooth got sweeter.  I organized the hell out of alot of stuff.  And found that I have a preclition towards movies and tv.  I think my downfall was the system I put in place at the end of last year.  I don't have cable - instead I have the ability to watch an almost unlimitless selection of movies and television shows through my netflix and hulu subscriptions on my TV.  Before, it was relatively easy to say no to the junk on tv.  But now.  Oh my lord.  I've had fun with the creative and smart shows and movies I've stumbled upon.  In a way I was able to swap media based on availability.  Before I read a ton due to my 2+ hour commute time spent each day.  Now I've been able to explore the video realm. 
• And finally, I was able to recharge the batteries.  I think I've been experiencing professional burn-out for awhile.  Having a break from the work world has made a world of difference.

All in all, this hiatus has been just about perfect.  Especially if you look at what I was able to discover and get done.

I'm Back ... Kind Of

How the time flys!  I've been enjoying some time being unplugged but am getting back into the swing of things now.  My little hiatus is coming to a close.  I realized after I got a few sweet emails from friends and family this past week that I should throw up something of an update.  So here it is in bullet format:

• I got a job - heading up the sustainability department at a major company here in Boston.  Great opportunity that kind of fell in my lap.  I start a week from Monday.
• The countdown has begun and I'm stressing out trying to get done everything I wanted to get done with this time off.  
• My pair of february socks morphed into finishing a scarf for a friend that was long over due.  Pictures to be posted later, hopefully. 
• I haven't started March's pair yet.  The countdown is ticking.
• Here's a link to an adorable picture of the sweater being modeled by the new owner that I posted about back in January.  How perfect is that? 
• All the snow is melting.  I'm in denial about winter coming to a close.  I'm probably the only one within a 100 mile radius.  I love winter, especially good snowy winters.
• I'm heading up to VT next weekend for the sugarbush open houses and two friends are coming - Bill and Dawn.  It's become a bit of a tradition (i.e. this will be the second time).  I've got a few great menu ideas I want to try out and share.  But I'm a bit stumped about what amazing piece de resistance for the best meal of  the day.  I love breakfast food but egg dishes and gluten are off the menu.  That leaves hot ceral and me digging a bit more in the recipe books.  The countdown continues.

So that's most barely everything in a nutshell and me off to do some more counting.

Welcome: Noah

I was catching up on old New Yorker's yesterday and a line caught my eye about how blogs are really a form of procrastination.  There is definitely truth in that, at least for me.  And then I found myself not procrastinating as much now that I don't have a 9-5 gig, hence the void of posts there.  Interestingly enough, there is a slew of new posts - why may you ask?  Well, I have some work - free-lance style.  So welcome back dear old friend, procrastination!

This last month has been full of a ton of great times I'd love to capture in posts but unfortunately I've already forgotten half of them, and have no pictures of course.  So I decided I'd welcome some (potential) new readers.  It's always fun reading about yourself.  I get a little thrill when I read my name (or know it's me) - of course around good stuff.  I have a rule that  my blog is for my friends and family I don't see often.  A way to stay in touch.  For those friends I see on a daily basis, there is no need for the blog.  I see them and share with them all the same stuff in person.  It would get a bit repetitive and there is something that goes against my grain about using technology to communicate with people instead of just talking.  Technology is great when you don't see people.  But face-to-face trumps all.

Alot of my friends I saw daily - we all worked together.  But now we've all flown the coop so I'm sharing the blog to a larger group.  One dear friend I've recently shared the blog with is Noah (who benefits of having pictures posted from our days in Paris.  You may remember him from my Paris sojourn last summer.  He's off at Duke this year enjoying the academic life pursing a graduate program in aqua-enviro-fishy-law.  It's an official program - honest!  Ok, not really and Noah is going to kill me I still can't remember the name of his program and that I threw in stuff that probably isn't in the program.  We spent a whole day on me trying to memorize the name (it's really simple, it's just me) when I was in Paris.  He made it back to Boston for a quick visit the other weekend in early January and Dawn, Colleen, he and I had a too brief get together one Sunday evening to catch up outside of Harvard Square at a quaint turkish style coffee place.  Yes, I'm really bad with names and too lazy to look it up.  It was good seeing everyone, just like old times.

I was just downloading pictures from my camera and found these Paris shots.  It was a fun time and strange having two worlds overlap.  Noah is like my little brother from work and Nick is like my real little brother.  And there they were together!  Strange.  Below is Nick and I at the Paris apartment with Noah and his cousins.  The little girl had the biggest crush on Nick.  I just don't get it ;)

The other shots are from the market we'd visit twice a week for fresh food - produce, bread, butter, cheese, eggs.  All the goodness of french food.  I'd order sometimes, but Noah had a real repartee with the vendors.

This last picture I love.  The old lady in the background is hilarious.  She was probably cursing the bloody americans that descended upon her marvelous city.  We were in the Luxumborg gardens enjoying a Chopin concert.  (Again just made up the names - it might have been Schubert but the park was definitely in Paris).

Welcome Noah!

Maggie's Sweater

Non-knitters beware - two knitting posts in a row!

Backing up, to put things in context, I do pretty well with my Christmas shopping. I have most of it done before the summer is over, keeping an eye out for gifts throughout the year.  But there is always the mad rush at the end of the year to close up the holes for the missing gifts.  One person who fell in that category (and in no way reflects my level of love) was Maggie.  I got her brother a bunch of stuff, but for her, I just didn't really come across anything.  As her mom puts it, when asked what she'd like for Christmas, she replies, "Cameron".  She loves her brother and is pretty chill about playing.  So when, in doubt, knit something, right? 

Unfortunatley I have no pictures to show for my hard work done initially.  I knit a striped sweater - pink and red out of leftover yarn.  It was so cute and modern.  Only it wasn't enough.  So it stalled.  And Christmas came and went.  And she is only 1 so of all the years to not have something, this is the one.  And Maggie's sweater slowly disappeared into the void. 

Fastforward and I was recently over visiting, knitting, and Cece asked about the sweater.  Turns out, it's not that Maggie would appreciate yet another sweater, she really needs one.  I didn't realize she had only one at the moment.  I thought she must have a closet full.  I felt horrible to leave my poor girl out in the cold.  So went home and cast on immediately using other stash busting yarn.  It's not pretty girly pink, but a nice staple - grey.  I know.  It doesn't sound snazy - but will go great with all the pink outfits (and she has a lot of pink hand-me-downs).  I rustled through my button collection I inherited from my grandmother and found these cute (and I'm sure vintage by now) pink buttons. 

Pattern: 
- Drops Design 0-684 Baby Cardigan with Short/Long Raglan Sleeves
- Size for 2 year old with the short sleeves

Yarn:
- Wool-ease by Lion Brand color light grey (I no longer have the tags)

Needles:
- US 6 and US 8 for both circular and DPs.

This was a quick knit for most of the project I wondered if it would be a little too plain and blah.  But then I got to the yoke and I like the lace work.  If I did it over again I'd probably get a little creative and add a little lace work at the cuffs too.  I like the pink buttons as it makes it a little more snazzy.  Initially I tried to morph the short and longsleeve instructions to get something in between but then thought better and ripped it back and just stuck with the pattern for the short sleeve.  I left out the bottom buttonhole as she really only buttons the top.

The yarn was easy to work with.  It's not my favorite but I have a ton of it.  And when I say a ton, I mean a ton.  My very first project (socks) and my first sweater is made with this same exact yarn (same color).  When I first started knitting I was not in on all the secrets of where to shop so went crazy when I found a Jo-Anns that had a bunch of color selection for the Wool-Ease.  On the upside it's a good washable yarn so am trying to knit it up into kids stuff.  It's a good solid yarn - just not anything super luxurious.  But then again with kids and all the washing it is a good fit.

I can't wait to see it on and will try to add a picture later of it being modeled if I can snag one.  I really hope it fits.  It looks small, but then again baby sweaters always look small.

Here's an adorable modeled shot:

 

January Socks

For non-knitting readers, beware.

One day early in January, Cece and I put together sock kits similar to what the yarnharlot did last year for her self-imposed-sock-club.  Strangely, simply putting the yarn and the pattern together in a ziplock bag makes a world of difference getting you all that closer to getting a project done.  I brought all my sock yarn over (not much compared with Cece's collection, but much more than I thought I had since I don't knit socks much) and some favorite patterns and we spent an afternoon figuring out just the right combos.  At first I was going to do 6 kits for the year as I still have two pairs of unfinished socks started in 2009.  Figured a sock a month was more realistic than a full pair.  Well, I'm happy to report, I exceeded expectations for January.  Behold my first pair of socks for the year - completed a week ahead of schedule.

Pattern:
- Cozy Armchair Socks by Nora Gaughan in Weekend Knitting
- Size: women's 9.5 (second size)
Yarn:
- Reynolds, Signature color 022 (magenta)
- Brown Sheep Co., Lambs Pride Superwash color SW90 Northern Lights (dark purple)
- Brown Sheep Co., Lambs Pride Superwash color SW08 Mowtown Mauve (light purple)
Needles:
- #7 DPs

Fast knit partly because I loved the colors and the yarn.  This gauge (18sts/4") is much more my cup of tea - quick knit - think the initial socks only took about two days to knit.  They were cuff down with an afterthought heel.  I really wanted to use up all the yarn, so after I finished, I picked up stitches on the cuff and added another 4 inches almost.  I like tall socks.  Short socks = cold ankles.  You can barely tell where the transition is.  Also, the foot was initially about 1.5" too short.  So I ripped it back and added more and now it is about 1/2 an inch too long.  Room for growth!

The yarn is a funny congruence.  They almost match the picture of the original pattern.  It calls for Reynolds Signature and I was surprised to have some.  It was a half ball that I had picked up from Cece's disposal pile - I have trouble letting go of yarn regardless of quantity.  And the Brown Sheep yarn I do believe I picked up almost a decade ago when I was in Berkeley, CA.  Not sure what I thought I'd do with the two balls, but this just goes to show it all comes together in the end.  Overall, very happy with the socks and I now have  happy January feet. 

Now on to the next sock project.  I'm choosing a different approach than Cece.  She blindly picks her next project.  For me, I peek.  I'm thinking of trying toe up and doing some more stripped socks in an attempt to stash bust.  Although I may need to go needle shopping.  I don't have many double pointed needles - lots of holes in the sizes and strangely am missing one here and there.  I don't know how I only have 3 #6 dps.  I'm sure when I bought them, they had more sisters and brothers.  I'm usually so good with my needles.  Oh well.  New year, clean slate.

Job News

I was driving home this afternoon and was just marveling over the beauty of the sunny day and the freshly fallen snow.  It was so beautiful and crisp and shiny out.  I was thinking I need to blog about it all and then realized that 1) trying to write about what it feels like when it snows out is really hard and not my forte, and 2) my last post was about the new snow so I really should change things up even though we are getting a ton of snow.  Since the last post we've had several more snowfalls without melting between so the snow drifts are above my head in some places.  Gotta love it!  Here's a picture my step-mum just sent of dad's work up in VT shoveling.

Instead of snow I will report on the job front.  I feel like it's official since I finally filed papers today for unemployment benefits.  I am happy to report that I am currently jobless.  This last summer there were some massive layoffs in my office which basically changed things for me and gave me the heads up of what was in my future.  I don't want to write much here as 1) I legally can't disparage my work place and 2) things in writing have a tendency to show up later when you least want it.  But let's just say I was ready to move on and am enjoying a little break from the daily grind.

One of the first things I did was write a list of all the stuff I could work on now that I never had time to do before (or at least didn't think I did).  Things like jumping back into my book I started writing or sorting through the boxes of papers I've accumulated or doing more art work and knitting and all the chores I never get to.  Granted, I've not really done much on the list other then the knitting and even then only a little.  Instead, I'll give you a list of what I've found I've enjoyed so far having a much more flexible lifestyle:

1. Shopping in the middle of day.  The grocery store is no longer a crowded bumper car craziness.  Actually, if I realize it's evening or a weekend, I shy away from running errands.  I'm getting soft.

2. Knitting/Ravelry.  I took stock of my knitting and yarn supplies at the beginning.  Organizing is my happy place.  I went through and organized my yarn, knitting books/patterns and projects.  My list on ravelry (a knitting website) has grown exponentially recently of projects I want to start.  But I've been good.  I haven't started anything other than a pair of socks.  Trying to finish the 6+ sweaters I have that are soo close.  More to report on that in another post, hopefully.  I love yarn. 

3. Started Spring Cleaning.  I don't clean much and when I do I don't dust.  Five years of dust has gotten me to start an extensive spring cleaning.  At first I was frozen as it was too much.  Now I just work on a corner and stop when I want to stop not when the room is done.  I got most of the bathroom done - walls, ceilings, floors.  It's uber clean.  I'm just hoping that by the time I finish I don't have to start over again.  It's all about maintenance.  I need to get better at that.

4.  Hanging Pictures.  I've got all this great art work - most of it framed.  And some blank walls and I keep trying to figure out what to hang where.  I've tried hanging a coat hook and that doesn't work - it falls down.  Long story short - I've gotten closer to having just the right configuration - pictures later on progress.

5.  Watch Movies.  I've been enjoying lazy mornings and emy netflix and hulu.  I found tv shows I'd never thought I'd find again - try looking up something on the internet when you don't have a title, actors names or anything. I've come across a lot of great movies and shows.  I love how netflix categorizes selections based on your ratings.  Apparently I like not only comedies and action/adventures but also "Emotional Military 20th Century Period Pieces" and "Quirky Indpendent Road Trip Movies".  It's been fun watching and knitting and just recharging the batteries - much needed, especially after the holidays.  At first I went a little overboard, but I deserved it.  Now I have a more balanced schedule.  Having the office up in the loft helps - the ladder is arduous enough that I don't make too many trips each day.

6. Visiting friends.  I'm not as stressed out squeezing in seeing folks when events and parties pop up.  A lot less to juggle makes that so much easier.  I had a great time at a farewell party for some dear friends last weekend - hopefully I'll do a post on that in a moment, it deserves it's own.  The biggest indulgent is seeing my god-son, Cameron and his sister Maggie (and their parents of course).  I just downloaded pictures from the camera and here's one of Cam from this summers fourth of July festivities. 

I'll end on 6, a perfect number.  The only thing that is a downside is that I'm worried I'll get a little too used to this lifestyle.  It's like being retired in your thirties, only I'm not independently wealthy and still have about another thirty years of work in front of me before I officially can consider retiring... and even then.  But for now, I'm enjoying my little hiatus break from the daily grind.  And taking stock of what I want to do next.  Still trying to figure out that magical question - what can you do that is a ton of fun, pays a ton of money and doesn't take much time each week.  None of this full time craziness!