Presumptuous??

Passed a vehicle with vanity plate "BND4HVN"

I read this as bound for heaven....

"Hello" (echo) (echo)

The ol' blog is getting away from me.

We've been doing small house projects, working, spending time with Meatball, working and somewhere in there is sleep, but it seems to hide. Trying not to be a doggy-blog, Meatball is doing well, he's loosing some of his puppy-ness including his blue eyes and puppy fur but he's gaining in mass and has darkened up as well.

Last night we went out with another couple to watch Taken, we went to the Claremont Cinemas, which while better than the Leb theatre, still reminds me why I prefer to wait for the movie to come out on DVD/Blu Ray. The movie plot wasn't bad, the scenes left a taste of Speed, Die Hard and Transporter all mixed together but I think at this point originality is hard to find. That being said, there were some moments that surprised me, there was a happy ending, and the lead character was a good guy, so again, not bad.
We also saw Gran Torino (not last night, but recently) with Clint Eastwood. I like Clint Eastwood, so it's hard for me to not like any movie with him in it. The movie definitely strayed from politically correct, and while perhaps offensive, it was believable. The ending definitely wasn't what I predicted. (Has anyone noticed that in all Clint's movies, if his character has a wife, they usually end up dead?)

This weekend I get to watch my niece Anna while butterbones and wife attend a wedding. I'm excited as she's so much fun to be around. There may be a small issue because we aren't sure if HG will have to work, in which case I might be bringing Meatball with me. Should be interesting...
Anna turns two (!!) next weekend, which shocks me in how fast she's grown up, but man oh man, she gets cuter and cuter. Phil one of our family friends jokes that "there is no way something that cute could come from 'butterbones'... must be the milk man's" To which his wife responds "Nope, the UPS man". I'm biased I know, but I swear I have the cutest nieces and the cutest cat & dog. Life is good.
Except that a week after celebrating Anna's 2nd birthday, it'll be my 28th. Getting old man, it's hard. Well partially. I still think in terms of young, and how much more I can do before getting old, but then I also think of how much I wanted to do and haven't. It's all good though, I'm younger than my husband and the majority of our friends so no matter what age I am... I'll be the 'youngin'. Can't beat that!!

Have a wonderful February and Valentines day!

Happy Holidays....

Sometimes you get more than you asked for, and sometimes its more than you bargained for.

Meet Meat Ball, our Dogue de Bordeaux more commonly known as a French Mastiff, and popularized by the movie "Turner and Hooch". He will grow to be as big if not bigger than me. I love him, except at 2 o'clock in the morning in the freezing cold with the wind blowing. He appears to not enjoy that time as well. He was our Christmas present from my husband, who clearly must have lost his mind to agree to a puppy in the middle of winter with his sun and hot weather loving wife.

We picked Meat Ball up from the airport Sunday, and he has quickly turned our lives upside down. I worked from home yesterday to spend a little more time with the pup and in hopes of helping to get him on a regular schedule. We had a great day together, the morning he sat in his bed by my desk as I worked and he hung out. We took a car ride back to the UV to visit the people at work, then to the vet's office for a typical "meet and greet" and then drove home. Given his limited vehicle exposure, he was shockingly good in the car. I set his dog bed on the seat beside me, he made some attempts to get into my lap, but after being denied, he settled in to his bed and slept. Yesterday was awesome.

This morning.... not so awesome. HG rationalized it by comparing a puppy to someone off their meds, "hey you'll have great days, and you'll have bad days".

course for the par, par for the course

Hi! I'm alive, albeit not posting.
So much has been going on, both good and bad, that I feel like I haven't had any time to write anything down. For a while, the blog was an the pressure valve that I could let some steam out and prevent my head from exploding in real life. Lately, I've not felt the need to, so what purpose does the blog serve now?? I'm still overwhelmed with my workload, and yes I have days when I'm ready to walk out (but who doesn't?) but I'm trying to get back to my old ways of separating work from life, because the two are entirely independent of each other, I just allow the lines to be blurred too frequently. (Mike, if you're reading, that doesn't mean I won't bring work home, physically. It just means I'm trying not to allow the stress / anger rule my life. It should make me more pleasant to live with ;-p) That's my work spew for the day (or ahem, the past month)
The exciting news, although also a bit exhausting.... drum roll..... we moved into our new house the day after Thanksgiving! Many days and nights have been filled with stripping wallpaper, painting and various house tasks. With the recent ice storm, and Mike being gone nearly every day and night, I tackled the last room we wanted to get painted before my family comes for Christmas dinner. My brother (butterbones, father to the greatest almost 2 year old, ever) is being proven right daily when he remarked that as soon as one project is done, the list doubles of what needs to be done. And in true Ange style, I don't complete the tasks for one room before being bored with it and moving to the next room. Therefore our living room is painted, but I pulled all the curtains off intending to salvage the hooks and buy updated curtains, our foyer is painted but I haven't put the table that I want in, the dining room still has the carpet remnant I didn't want rolled up, and the framed pictures still sitting on the floor, the kitchen is unpacked, but I feel like things aren't in the right place so again I've jam packed everything into two cabinets and there remains two empty cabinets, and on and on the not quite finished task list goes. The house is putting a severe beating on my ability to focus, clearly I am not task oriented.

Other news, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary a couple weeks ago. It's funny, I know we've been married for a year but on so many levels it feels like many more, and yet not even a year. I'm taking that as a good thing, since I don't think we are out of the honeymoon stage, which is fine by me if we never leave it. There are small quiet moments when I'm hit with the happy sentiments. Usually when he's in bed sleeping and I'm out on the by myself with my cup of tea, (or lately eggnog and rum, what it's the holidays after all) and I just feel a surge of contentedness, like "this is where I am supposed to be". I'm slowly letting go of these preset notions I had of time lines and when I needed to be at certain points, or have achieved certain goals. It's not that I don't want 'more' in my life, or don't still have goals, but perhaps just realizing I am fortunate in the life I have.

On the craftiness front, I'm lacking. I think the house is sucking up my mojo right now. I did complete the baby blanket for Evey, I like it, but I'm not in love with the acrylic blend yarn. It'll be good as her first blanket though, so mom can throw the baby burp in the washer, but I'd like to (after the holidays of course) work on a more heirloom quality blanket for both Evey and Anna. For Anna I did up another sweater as requested from her momma, and found the cutest hat with I-cord bow to help keep it on her head. I just finished up the hat last night, the quickest knit ever (really all baby-esqu things satisfy my immediate gratification needs) and just need to do up the I-cord tonight wrap those gifts up along with the books I got them and the bambinos are done. I have both my parents left to buy for, and am trying to find something not commercial for them, but am failing miserably. My mom wants a GC to the local greenhouse, so that's easy and it's not a big box store so it makes me feel better. My father on the other hand.... not so easy. It was suggested we (as in all us kids) get him a GC to a particular box store since he's been looking at new flat screen TV's. I have a couple issues with this. First, that one store may not have the best deals, or end up being the store that carries what he wants- so then what? Secondly, all the options for where he gets his TV are big corporate box stores, and that leaves me with a little bit of guilt given my the current economic situation. The other person I have to buy for (and I do say it slightly begrudgingly) is for my parents exchange student whom I've met all of two times and only briefly. I haven't decided what to get her, and I would feel bad for her if she had nothing to open with us on Christmas day, but she's not someone I am close to, or really even know. I'm thinking if I can make the time in the next 8 days to make her a scarf, that would probably be alright.
As for 'our' actual Christmas, we have agreed to only buy each other a gift relevant to the house. Not as fun, but more practical. Really, I can picture being excited over this big heavy box, opening it up and having it be a toilet. (Don't worry we have a working toilet, but we don't have one downstairs where there is a shower and sink... odd combination, don't you think?) I'm not so sure either of us would be excited to open that baby up.
This year, for the first time, we are hosting the family Christmas at our place. I'm a little unnerved by it, cooking for 14 could be it, but also just having everyone there... if they are all at my house I can't use the normal excuses to leave, and am you know, trapped. I am stock piling my eggnog and rum, and hopefully am still able to function when dinner time comes around ;-p Actually I don't think it will be all that bad, it may actually be rewarding to have the entire family at our house. If I need a breather I may resort to "oh, I'm outta sugar, be back soon".
I have an image of having my brother's & their families in the backyard just chillaxin and chasing the two girls barefoot thru the grass. I'm not sure where it came from, but it seared into my brain.

A question for the readers ( the 3 that are left :-p)
As we near the end of the year, and approach a new year, any particular memories/goals?
And just because I'm not sure how soon I'll be back up on the ol' blog Merry Christmas happy holidays, festivus, Kwanzaa etc.

Next

I finished the Baby Angora cabled scarf last night, next I need to knit a sweater for Anna and a baby blanket for Evey. Here is my dilema. Anna's mom really liked the coral baby sweater (pictures in flickr) for a number of reason. The two main reasons being how easy it was to get on and off, and the thinkness (or not thickness). So I want to use the same yarn and pattern but make it a bigger size. The pattern I used has no sizes so it means that A) I have to do a swatch (oh the horror!) and B) I have to sit and do the math out (Again, the horror!).
Hence why I've only *thought* about starting the sweater.

I was digging thru my yarn last night trying to remember what yarn I had used for the first sweater, and while digging thru I realized I should ban myself from any more yarn purchases. Everything of late has been bought for a project that I've finished, but I haven't used anything out of my big tupperware container (which now has become a dust collecting table). Hmm... maybe I should have done the warm hands-along that was happening at the LYS to use up some of my stash. Its' a good thing HG doesn't realize how much is in there....

Proof

To fulfill the empty promises of pictures and to prove I do have a life outside of my work :-p

I know, I know..

I KEEP saying I'm going to load pictures and post more frequently.... and then I don't. What can I say? Life gets away from me, I'm out building memories instead of documenting it all. Anyway...
I have been trying to get out and riding as much as I can before snow flies... but I heard on the forecast during my drive home that we might see some flurries Tuesday! Ack! I have to bring my bike into the shop for it's first service.... that I am already 300 miles over (oops!).
I went out for a ride this weekend with some guys I've met thru a local web forum, which was great. The ride took us thru some interesting (and a couple scary) switchbacks, some great sweeps, and some really excellent views! It was a great ride, a little chilly but I was so layered that I think had I fallen over I wouldn't have been able to get up. (Ok I admit that might be exaggerated a little)
I have been knitting, although still no pictures to prove it. I've finished two of the "Fake Isle" hats that are intended to be Christmas gifts. I am working on some mindless dish clothes now, and then back to a cabled scarf from some Baby Alpaca. Angelic Wife gave me some of her knitting books a couple weeks ago and talked about some felted bags that she had loved but never got around to making, so I'm thinking that may force me to try felting.
Family wise, I was spoiled and got to spend the day with Anna, my niece. I loved it, she's such a riot, and man oh man did my brother luck out with such an easy funny girl! I loved seeing her, we got to play outside, we went to the mall, we had lunch it was awesome. I can't wait to see her again, I'm going to have to beg my brother & Angelic Wife to get a life so I can watch Anna more :-)
I haven't seen the newest baby since I she was born, but I'm told she is doing well. Hippy brother & wife update me regularly with an email and pictures so that's great. Once she gets into the more fun age (um, where she does more than sleep, eat, poop rinse and repeat) I'll be more excited to see her. Right now I think mom and dad are enjoying their time together.

Work is still insane, I am more willing to consider selling crack, you know, whatever to pay the bills but get me away from the corporate politics and away from my desk! Ce st La vie...

Rushing past

First, can I just say it does not feel like we had enough summer weather? Really, Autumn, I love you, I really really do, but do you think you could give me a nice two week bout of Indian summer? I'd love to see sunshine before next summer. Please?

So, I've been meaning to (and failing miserably) update my blog, post baby and knitting pictures, but it seems that my head is spinning predominately because corporate doom occupies my every waking moment. There are days where I'm pretty sure I'm going insane, or at least loosing all mental capacity, days merge into each other, I can't recall which day I tested which system, nor whom I talked to and which day.

I am actually knitting, reading and trying to sneak in a moto ride here and there. I'm currently knitting a "Fake Isle" hat, and trying a new method for holding a strand in each hand (aka continental knitting). I had some trouble getting used to knitting continental style, and while it still is slower for me (and I already knit slow!) it works pretty slick for the stranded color work. Part of my family has already drawn names for Christmas, so I'm keeping my person in the back of my mind as I try to plan out holiday knitting. I don't have any big plans, mostly little things, hats, scarves, baby blankets- but I still need to get the yarn & patterns together and organized so maybe I'll be able to go straight from one to the next.


I had bought some knit picks crayon, and intended to use it for a baby blanket, but as I started it I realized I didn't like it. I'm going to try it on different needles, otherwise I'm going to be looking for different yarn, in something super bulky for a quick knit.


Other topics... the newest addition to our family: Evey Rose

Yay, another!

I am an auntie for the second time!
My eldest brother's wife had their baby girl this morning at the ass crack of dawn, oops I mean 3:30 am. Hippy wife started having contractions on Tuesday, but didn't go to the hospital until Wednesday as the contractions started getting closer together. I showed up at about 8 pm last night, no baby, but her contractions were playing games so we all kept thinking it was about to happen.... hence how we ended up staying there until 4 am instead of leaving like sane and rational people last night at oh, I don't know 10.

I was pleasantly surprised by how cool and supportive my brother was, it was touching to watch. Mamma was a cool ticket as well, although I saw her after her epidural. She and my brother were telling me about how things were before the epi, and really I'm glad I wasn't there for it, as it may have further cemented how much cooler it is to be an Auntie then to have to go thru the 9 months and delivery!

HG and I are headed for a nice rainy vacation in Florida to celebrate HG's 35th birthday. It was a surprise trip, I booked it after one of the last hurricanes hoping it was the last one, and then Ike came. For a bit it looked like Ike was going to hit FL while we were there, but thankfully Ike is headed in a different direction but the forecast was indicating a nice rainy week.

I'm at work... trying to get some of the last minute things done, all while trying hard not to curl up in fetal position under my desk to take a nap. I'll be headed back up to visit the new addition after work with HG, I'm sure I'll snap some photos and will load them most likely when we get back.

In the mean time....
chanting to myself "dontcloseyoureyesdontcloseyoureyesdontcloseyoureyes"

Another week

This weekend was better, in the sense that it was beautiful and warm and in no vehicles were damaged. We had a memorial/benefit group ride Sunday, that initially was going to be just HG on my bike with the boys. Then all the boy's wives were going, so I felt like I was missing out, but given that we hadn't ridden double on my bike for anything more than just going up the road, wasn't going to go. I did end up going, and we quickly realized we had both been right, my bike was not meant for doubles, as it was. HG's legs are significantly longer than mine, so his legs were a bit cramped up from the placement of my pegs. The back seat? Yeah, not comfortable and by the end of the ride felt more like a hard metal seat with no cushion, and the angle of my legs because of the passenger foot pegs also left one of my knees swollen and sore to hold weight when standing. Nothing like taking a ride to feel old. However, it was great to ride for a good cause, and to ride with friends as well. It's likely the last ride we'll all do together since HG and I will not share my bike again, his is not likely to be out of the shop in time to ride, and I'm not likely to ride with HG's friends without him. It would be a little insensitive, don't you think? Like added salt in the wound. Although I have to say the guys gave him so much crap about his accident that at this point I doubt HG would feel me rubbing any more salt in.


The only downfall of the group ride is having to register, than wait. It left everyone being social, which I like, as long as I know you, or silly small talk is not required. I'm not really a big fan of strangers, or small talk, and especially not the combination. Unfortunately I seem to draw these people out of the woodwork.



I rode home, while HG drove his car home, we decided we'd be happier that way. We were. HG did shoot some pictures from his car though, which, it's always interesting to have someone pull up to you on the interstate with a camera out the window.

This week is likely to be another sucky week as I'm on the road again for a few days for work. Which means that once again while the weather is fore casted to be lovely, I'll be stuck in the dungeon of one of our corporate offices. Yuck.

Knitting wise, I casted on for a Fidget-a-long with the local knit group, and completed it but need buttons. I am on the search for buttons. I may do another as it literally took all of a few hours, and this time in a more luxurious yarn since it's only a single skein. My lace scarf? Ah, only a few lines knitted lately, but I'm on the second half so at least I've made it that far. While I like how the lace looks, and am certain I'll like it even more after it's blocked, it feels like it's taking me forever. And ever. Maybe Fidgets will be my new addiction.