Done!

Wow! Another post already! This one I've been working on since Sunday.

The title says it all. Actually, I was hoping to add a few more things to the "done" list, but I'm actually quite impressed.

On a non-craft note, Gak and I got Addey up to level 80 Tuesday night instead of having the bed moved. We'd tried to do this on Sunday, but just couldn't quite get there with some of the groups we ended up in. I'm not sure weather to be happy or sad about that event. I mean, sure, it's neat to "finish"... but... I liked the challenge of getting there. Don't worry, there is still tons of stuff to keep me occupied. I'm just done accumulating levels for the moment, not having fun.

On to the craft side. Saturday was quite productive for me really. I finished up the sweater I'd been working on for Boo. I know, he's a late spring baby, but I have the time (and the stash) now, so I made this sweater in the 12 month size. The pattern wasn't too bad, again if you have a clue of how things should look. It's a beginner pattern, if they'd clean up a few cloudy instructions in a few places. It was a freebie download from Lion Brand. I will tell you this... as nice as the microspun feels and looks, I may or may not use it again. It is so soft it just kinda falls apart.

The real tragedy was Sunday. I was trying to finish up the project that mom and I started. I was almost done too, only one more seam. Then disaster struck.

See.

This is the pin that cause the problem.

I mean, how many times do you run over pins while sewing and nothing happens? Oh well... I'll get it fixed after I get back from Minnesota.

Well, Ed just got here to take me to the airport, guess I'd better finish this up and get moving.

Peace to all and have a good week.

Moving Day?

Well, I'm done being a human pin-cushion for now. Four blood draws over the course of three hours. Let me tell you, the orange Glucola is WAY worse than the lemon-lime. *shudder* (I really don't like orange drink to begin with... orange juice is one thing, but orange koolaid or the like, blech!) I managed to keep it down. I did feel a little dizzy and woozy there for a while with that much pure sugar going into my fasting system. By the end of the three hours, I was just HUNGRY. I hadn't eaten anything since dinner last night. Ugh. My first stop on my way to work was the Wawa to pick up a sandwich or something.
A good portion of my day at work was spent moving back down stairs to my old cubicle. It is nice to be back in this cube. It's a good location and not quite so deathly quiet (actually, downright raucous at times) as upstairs. That and I don't have to go down the stairs every time I need to pee. (And trust me, that's a lot these days...)
Part of this is because I requested to move. (Remember that post about what not to say to coworkers....) Part of it is because at least "short term" they've figured out what to do with training. I put short term in quotes because, knowing this place, it really means long term. Anyhow, I'm moving back into the service group. (I've already been assigned work, but my former, current?, boss is breaking me back in slowly...) Training is being absorbed by the service group. I will continue to update manuals, coordinate training and do the local stuff. The rest of the service guys will be helping out with the travel. I actually think this is a good idea, since that way no one person has to get burned out like I did with the travel. Training is also good for the guys as it really, truly, gives them a picture of what the customers need, want and think.
I'm glad there's at least some kind of light, hazy as it may be, at the end of this tunnel called job insecurity...
Anyhow, I've got to get going. Just thought I'd update on the glucose and job situations. Hopefully by Monday or Tuesday I'll have the latest ultrasound pictures scanned and ready to post. Tomorrow I leave for Minnesota. It'll be cold but hopefully good.
Oh, the bed didn't get moved last night. Zoe was still sick and Kat decided bringing her over and getting me potentially sick with a stomach bug would not be a good idea. We're scheduled for next Tuesday.
Peace to all and may things fall into place like they should.

Busy Busy!

Just a quickie today.
This is another busy baby week. Yesterday was a regularly scheduled prenatal appointment. All went well and because Gak closed yesterday, he was able to go. It was nice that he was able to go. I really do want him to be as involved as possible with this. I know he wants to be involved, but schedules stink. This morning we had another ultrasound. Boo is still a boy. He's measuring at about the 46th% for growth for 28 weeks. This means he's right on target for 28 weeks, or a little big for 26. Either way, I'm not sure it matters. It means that at the doctor's 40 weeks, he'll be at about the "right" size. (Of course, I just looked at the ticker and it says only 80 days! EEEK!!)
Tomorrow I have my 3-hour glucose test. I'm not overly worried about it, except for the fact the doctor this morning said Boo's belly is measuring a hair bigger than the rest of him, which could be an indication of glucose issues. The fluid levels look great though, which is also another indicator. So, as with everything, mixed readings. Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you I "failed" the 1-hour test. The cutoff is 130, and well... my reading was 130. Normally my doctor would just do the 1-hour test again, but since I'm heavy to begin with... better safe than sorry. Oh well, it'll give me an excuse to crochet or play on the DS for about 3 hours.
Tomorrow night is also our 2nd baby class. Should be interesting.
Thursday through Saturday I'll be in Minnesota. This is my last flight for a while. It is both good and sad at the same time.
Well, some people are getting ready to head out to lunch and I'm going to join them. I've got a funny/sad story from Sunday to post, but I need some pictures.
Peace to all and may you be pleasantly busy.

Find!

My mom has been a godsend. Again. Or maybe it is still.
I told you she wants to pay for Boo's nursery furniture. Well... I think my mom was just handed the deal of the century.
One of her customers was in earlier this week to get a small repair job done. She brought her little boy with her, he's 2 or so. Well, of course Mom and her got to talking about the fact that Mom is going to be a Gramma soon. When the customer came back, she offered to sell Mom her son's crib for.... get this... $75! What's amazing is the fact that this is normally a $450-500 crib new! (And that's for just the crib, add another $50-100 or more for a mattress!) This is high quality furniture, that even with Mom's mini-windfall paying for things I wasn't even going to think about looking at. And she's offered a lot of other nursery and baby stuff as well. Mom's going to talk to her today to see what all she has and what she wants. I guess now, we'll definitely be able to afford a really nice rocker or glider instead of one that "will do".
I just can't believe the luck Mom has some days... and that I'm lucky enough to be her daughter. The thought of how lucky Gak and I are just chokes me up. I know a good part of it is from the hormones, but I just can't believe how wonderfully things are working out. I feel like there really is a light at the end of this tunnel of uncertainty. I'd share a picture of the crib, but the email Mom sent me with it is on the other computer, and I'm not booting it up just to fetch a silly picture. You'll get to see it when I post a picture of the nursery when we get it all set up.
I'm really getting excited now.
Tuesday we're moving our bed into the other room, so our current room can officially become the nursery. It will take a little getting used to sleeping in the other room, but that's OK. That reminds me... I've got to get a new curtain rod for the new room so we can hang the curtains. Maybe if I time it right, I can get Gak and Andy to take care of it Tuesday evening...
Well, I'm off to take a short nap. It is gray and raining and just plain ick today. Warm, but ick. Although, it sounds like my neighbor boy is up and running about, so I may not get that much sleep. Oh well. They're moving soon. I think I'm actually going to miss Aidan running back and forth. That is until we start having all kinds of baby chaos around here.
Peace to all and may you all have wonderful finds in your life!

Classes, From Both Sides

All I have to say is, I'm tired.
It has been a looong week. These week long seminars take a lot out of you on a good day. When you're in your 3rd trimester and are tired to begin with... ugh. Luckily I was both able to wrap up this afternoon and they decided not to go to dinner. This means tomorrow I get to go in at my "normal" time and I got to come home and crash until it was time to pick up Gak from work.
Yesterday was our first "prepared childbirth" class. It was interesting. There are 7 other couples. I think one other couple is due later than we are, but not by much. Most are due early May. I also think we're either the oldest or second oldest couple. That's OK too. It was weird, but Gak and I touched more than most of the other couples. I'm not sure if it's that we're just that way with each other or they're just too self-conscious. Whatever, not the main point of this... I'm not 100% sure how useful it will be. It will definitely give some good information. Hopefully the breathing/relaxation techniques will be useful now and in the future. The biggest problem is, I don't breathe right to begin with. We did some "guided imagery" relaxation lying down. It would have worked wonderfully, except for the fact I wasn't breathing quite right and I kept getting hung up on that. We'll see. Like I said, I'm sure we'll get something out of the next 4 weeks. If only to give Gak a bit more of a feeling of being involved. He hasn't been able to make any of the appointments (and I haven't pressured him too either...) and I still have too much belly blubber for him to really feel Boo kicking and squirming about. (That and usually Boo starts acting up right after Gak leaves the room...) The one thing I took away from last night's class is a confirmation of just exactly how much of a team Gak and I really are and how connected we are and how strong our bond is. We're in for one hell of a roller coaster ride soon and I know we're going to survive just fine.
Well, I'm exhausted. I'm going to get ready for bed and crash.
Peace to all and may you have loved ones in your life.

Goodbye Gygax

I got some sad news today. Gary Gygax, creator of D&D, forfather of all modern RPGs, failed his saving throw. Gary has left this world for the next. Anyone who enjoys RPGs of any description, owes him a moment of thought at the least. Without him, there would have been no D&D. Without D&D, there wouldn't be any of the other "pen and paper" games. Without D&D, the MUDs, MUSHs, MOOs and MMORPGs computer gamers have come to know and love (and hate) over the last decade or so wouldn't exist. (I guess it's not all good... I mean, you can trace WoW back to Gygax.... hmm....)
Good luck and God speed Gary Gygax. The gaming world is deminished without your light.

In other news, my class this week is going well. We've got 9 people all told for the first half. It seems to be a good group and things are going well. They're learning a lot from eachother as well as from me.
Tomorrow Gak and I start our "prepared birthing" classes. I have no idea how useful they will be or if they're really worth it. Some people have told me they're a waste, others thing they're a good idea, even if I end up having to have a C. I guess we won't know until it's all been said and done. We will see.
Well, I'm tired and mostly just wanted to say something about Gygax's passing.
Peace to all and may your dice be good to you in this life and the next.

Weekend Review

This was a good weekend. Even though Gak had to work most of it.

First I want to publicly say THANK YOU to my swap partner from Crochetville. I actually got this package last week, but I didn't get the photos uploaded until the weekend. I decided to partake in the Kitchen Swap this year. It was quite a bit of fun. My partner made me some amazing things and seems to be happy with what I've sent her. I may just have to sign up for another of these some time there's a theme I'm interested in...

Friday night Gak and I thought about trying to go see Spiderwick Chronicles. We were supposed to go the Friday before, but it snowed an with everything else, it didn't happen. Well, we end up having dinner with Kat, Zoe and Scott at the dinner and by the time we wrap up there, neither one of us were awake enough to go to the movies. That's OK. I really want to see this one, but I'll probably just wait for it to be on DVD at this rate.

Saturday was a semi-lazy day for me. Gak had to be in to work by 2, so the morning was spent fiddling around the house. It took me forever to get the laundry done for some reason, and it wasn't crowded either. I wandered through the grocery store, but not very successfully. I was tired and just wanted to go home at that point. I did make some really yummy mac-n-cheese for dinner though, with plenty of leftovers for lunches. I actually spent most of the evening watching the NCIS marathon on USA. I think that's the most TV I've watched in a long time. I enjoy that show when I catch it.

Yesterday was a lot of fun. Mom came up. We worked on the surprise project for Boo most of the day. Well, we started out looking at patterns, and figuring things out, but then we had to run a few errands. Of course we had to go to JoAnn's and pick up some things I'd forgotten to get. We also had to drop something off with Gak at work. Since I didn't do such a good job going through the grocery store Saturday, we decided to go over to the Q-Mart and pick up something for dinner. Needless to say it took a lot longer at Frederick's than planned. But, we got some really good food for dinner. (Gak's always happy when I bring home beef...) The rest of the afternoon was spent giggling and sewing. The project isn't quite done, I hope to finish it this week and you'll see. But until then, I'm just going to leave you in suspense.

Yes, I can be evil.

This is going to be a looong week at work. It is my regional seminar and I have 9 people all told signed up, 2 for only half a week. Tonight I'm supposed to take them out to dinner. Oh, that reminds me, I've got to stop and pick up afternoon snacks on my way into the office! Anyhow, they don't start until 1 today, which is good because I've got a few things to clean up and get off my plate first. I just hope it goes well. I know there will be some tough questions that I may or may not have the answers to with regards to the new reporting format. Actually, I know that I won't have the answers about the reporting format. Oh well. It could always be worse.

Well, I'd best get a shower and get out the door. Ugh.

Peace to all and may you have good friends, good times and good things to keep you occupied.

Random Thought of the Day

I'm sitting here enjoying a soft pretzel. It's a Friday tradition in this office, but I don't usually partake. (I enjoy them, but often times I'm not here on Friday or just don't feel like having one...)
In this part of the country, Philly really, it is tradition to put mustard on them. Usually a fairly good dark yellow mustard, but most people end up just using plain, old, boring yellow. Some weeks I do, some I don't.
Today I did.
The random thought:
"I used to make fun of my brother for eating 'mustard sandwiches' (two pieces of white bread with mustard in between), but here I am, essentially eating the same thing... a bread products with nothing but mustard on it." (I'd removed most of the salt as most days it's just too much...)

So, with that bit of randomness, I shall leave you to go work with a couple of the guys here in the office on using the software. This has been a busy training week for me!

Peace to all and may you enjoy a bit of randomness from time to time.

Run Away Yarn?

Well, I've finished up training our two Indian programmers. It was quite a lot of fun. I'm not sure I've really enjoyed a training session this much in quite a while. They asked great questions and are fun people to begin with.
Last night, most of software development took them out to dinner. I knew about it Tuesday, but didn't realize I was invited as well. So... since Gak was closing, I went too. It was a good time. I think this is the first really social thing I've done since Michelle came up for New Year's, and I was sick at the time. Oh, wait... we did go over to Kat's one night and played games with everyone. I'm trying to remember if that was before or after New Year's though. (I'm sure I could look it up in past posts, but I'm being lazy...) It was a good time. Rick and Uday also came. It was good to see them again. They both seem to be doing well.
Of course, because I went out last night, that means that any projects I was thinking about working on last night didn't happen. That's OK though. I'm waiting until Saturday to try and attack the sleeves again. I need daylight and brain power. The few other things I'm working on should go quickly. Especially once I get the yarn back for Mom's afghan. I really want to get it done in the next few weeks so she'll have it by her birthday. That and it'll still be cold enough to want to use it! It won't take me all that long to do, it's a fairly quick and easy pattern.
My friend Chelsea (see links) is taking a speech class in college right now. I'm sure if I'd had an entire class on it in school, I'd have been terrified and done horribly. I really don't mind speaking (look at what I do for a living!) but having to do "formal" speeches and things like that, I'm not very good at. It's the whole prep thing. Just look at how badly my senior seminar(s) went for my degree. Of course, I didn't really have topics I was interested in... so that made it even more challenging in my little world.
Anyhow, back to Chelsea. Go read her outline for this speech. It's sounding pretty good. She's talking about the social aspects of knitting. It's true, and it doesn't just hold for knitting. Crocheters are that way too. And this isn't anything new. Don't forget all the church sewing/quilting circles of the past, and the prayer shawl ministries of today. It's not just little old lades doing it either. Fiber arts of all kinds are becoming popular and trendy for all ages. I'm glad. There is just something about having a hobby that makes things, that expresses your creativity. Mind you, stamp and coin collecting and things like that are great hobbies too and have their own communities, but there's something about making something tangible with your time. It gives you a whole new window on the world. It makes you feel useful and productive and you get a real sense of accomplishment when you learn something new or finish a project. It makes your heart swell to bursting when you gift someone with something you've made and they can't thank you enough. (Although, almost every crafter has had the exact opposite experience... putting in all the time and effort into a hand made gift only to have it looked down on and tossed aside... that hurts a lot.)
I'm not going to go into all the evidence that older people with hobbies that engage the brain live longer, happier, healthier lives. I'm not going to say I'd rather go hang out with my mom in the sewing room helping mend or alter things than sit in front of the TV.... I'm not here to preach about the evils of TV and turning off your brains.... so I won't.
Anyhow, I'm rambling again. I had a different post in my head when I went to bed last night, but after reading Chelsea's blog, I guess I had to share my own thoughts and support her thesis. I wish her all the luck in the world with this class and this presentation.
Peace to all and may you all have something that keeps your hands and your mind busy and brings a smile to your face.

This Crazy World

Just a quick post this morning before I head off to the office. I'm still working with the two from India. They're really good people and asking really good questions. They are really beginning to see things from a customer point of view of why things are the way they are. Today is going to be hard though, because it's not just customer use that needs to be explained, but some reg stuff as well. Hopefully I won't melt their brains or mine too badly. But, like I said, they're good people and friendly.
One thing I forgot to mention on Monday was an email I got from my oh-so-wonderful, Fortune-500 company... They messed up a lot of people's W-2s and have given us corrected ones. They messed up the federal and state withholding on the W-2s themselves. Great. If a big company like mine can't get it right.... If we'd waited two weeks to get the taxes done, it wouldn't be a problem. Now I've got to make another appointment with H&R Block to see what we need to do to fix it. I'm glad I didn't mail out the tax payments yet. (Although, federal was only $25, it is local that's killing us...)
Everything seems to be going well with Gak and the job. He had off yesterday. Friday is inventory, so that'll be fun. And yes, he still has to work Saturday close. Maybe he'll have Sunday off. Hopefully he'll have next Saturday either off or opening.

On a non work-related subject, what is it about second sleeves and set-in sleeves? It took me two tries to get the second sleeve right, and I thought it might be easier to set in sleeves in crochet... not with this pattern. Ugh. I tried to do it Monday night, but didn't get very far because I was too tired to line everything up right and not have it move around on me, even with some pinning. Maybe I'll get it right tonight, as Gak's closing again. (I like crocheting when he's not home... I don't feel guilty for ignoring him and we get little enough time together some weeks as it is...)

Anyhow, I've got to get dressed and get into work.
Peace to all and may your work be interesting.