Monday, March 23, 2009

I am such a dork...

So, there I was. Saturday night, happily watching Doctor Who on BBC America. And suddenly a commercial for Graham Norton's talk show. With Greg Kinnear. And they mention that Greg's last has name has become a verb...

Well, heck! I knew all about that appearance. And that they talked to Stephanie, AKA The Yarn Harlot, and sent her a picture of Kinnear "self-kinnearing".

Between Doctor Who and Graham Norton were two episodes of "Ashes to Ashes" (which I enjoyed greatly). And... well... I was ready to go to be about half way through the first episode of A2A. And I knew, having stayed up to watch Graham Norton in the past, once I started that show, I'd watch to the end.

But... Well... It was THE Harlot! Had to stay up just to listen to her phone conversation!!!

I'm such a dork....

Thursday, March 5, 2009

So, there I was thinking that the blogs I love to read are currently not getting updated with much frequency. And I was thinking that I was so missing them. Then it occurred to me that if I wanted to read updated blogs, perhaps (Just perhaps, mind you), I should update my own! Been quite a while, and quite a bit has happened…

Hospitalization. Such fun. My thighs stopped wanting to keep me vertical, and the express care doctor I saw was worried that it could be something very bad – Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Which, yes, could have been quite bad indeed. Luckily, I responded nicely to potassium being intravenously pumped into me, and all seems okay. I still seem to have some issues with electrolytes, and will have a follow up appointment with my regular doctor. After I get a bunch of blood drawn. And I have found a most marvelous sugar- and dye-free electrolyte replacement: http://www.nuun.com. It will be so nice not to have all that sugar and dye going into my system. I’ve had a couple of quarts so far, and it seems to be very effective. And it really tastes icky when I don’t need it. So, life is grand!

Single and available. Once again, I’m on the market. Guido and I talked and determined that we were both miserable and yet both wanted to remain friends. I find that totally awesome, because I do care for him and his son very deeply. And I would hate to lose his friendship – or his son’s. It was perhaps the gentlest and quickest breakup in my existence. I think we decided to split about 5 minutes into the conversation. And then continued to talk for over half an hour. Awesome. Sad, though. He really is a very special person, and I’m going to miss getting those big hugs on a regular basis. But, I’ll still get some hugs. Just not regularly.

Projects started and projects finished. And what is it with all this knitting I want to do? I’m up to my eyeballs in plans for making things. And I keep putting aside the complicated things for instant project gratification. Really have to stop doing that! One pair of socks that were supposed to be a Christmas present for 2008, that I wrapped on the needles!, ended up fitting my much bigger feet. So, I have started a second pair, having analyzed all the issues with the first pair that caused them to be too long in the foot. And made some changes that will make the work flow a little better for my sensibilities. I’m going to try very, very hard to get the Christmas socks done ASAP. Why? Because the first sock kit of the 2009 Tsock Flock is about to arrive and I want to knit it something fierce!! “Fearful Symmetry”. Oh, baby, what a sock!! And then I want to immediately jump into a sock in the same pattern, but a different color scheme – Panther in the Grass. Bertimus Maximus Tsocks! Evil Tsocks! Happiness and joy will abound!!

And now that I have my weekends back again, I’m going to try to kick the furniture creation and refinishing into high gear. What furniture? Let’s see… I have to strip a small rocker, a large rocker, a chair with arms and a small shelf/cabinet. Then, I need to repair the large rocker and refinish it. I won’t actually know what I’ll be applying until I see what the wood underneath looks like. The small shelf/cabinet needs another shelf and/or doors. The armed chair needs a wood finish and reupholstering, as does the small rocker. Just reupholstering, we have on deck a recliner, a Danish modern living room set, consisting of a couch, two chairs and an ottoman. I have a bench seat that needs a new cushion. Window treatments for 4 rooms. And (and this is really interesting), other than stuffing, I have pretty much everything I need to do all of them. I’ve had much of the fabric for a very long time. Very long. Especially some of the windows. And I just keep putting everything off, because it’s really hard to cart everything for a reupholstering job to my ex’s house. And it also seemed wrong to take a project with me that would consume an entire weekend. So, I just kept putting them off. “Maybe I’ll stay home next weekend…” I’d say. But I wouldn’t . So, the goal for the next several months is to get caught up on all the projects I’ve planned. Oh, I forgot creation: two blanket chests (2 sizes, from a single sheet of birch plywood) and a little writing desk that will be designed after the one my brother has in his house that used to be in my bedroom at one point (a family of 5 children – I think at least 3 of us had claim to it at some point in its life!). It’s just about the perfect size for my intended use. And I can hardly wait to design and build it. First, I have to get someone back in Pennsylvania to take some pictures of it so I can work on plans! My poor brother has a crazy job that can’t really been done in a normal workday, and is working at home a lot. So, I’m going to see if I can get my nephew to come through for me! Oh, please! I really would like to get that desk soon.

Why do I want the desk so badly? I want to have a little writing nock, and little space that’s just for writing, and not for getting online, or for eating, or anything else. I want to start writing again. (Yes, I may use the little net book that I’m using right now to type this blog entry to do writerly things, like type blog entries, but I have bigger writing fish to fry!)

I think it’s time to start The Artist’s Way again. Now, when I’m single. Now, when I keep having dreams that would make excellent books, but don’t follow through on them. Now, when my head is full of a ga-jillion knitting patterns that I want to make and write up. So, yes, it is time to be creative. To reawaken the creative side of me. To find that joy that I used to have when I would sit and write. And, yes, I can sit and write for a long time, as evidenced by this blog entry!

So, there’s a glimpse into where I am in the Universe. I’m looking forward to seeing how It unfolds!