December Blahs... no, make that Blues

Well folks. I must apologize for not posting for a while now.

If you heard a loud thump a few weeks back it was me. I was happily knitting along when it finally occurred to me that all these great presents I was knitting would not get to their destination. Once that realisation had sunken in, my happy mood dissolved to sadness.

Why won't they make it to their destination you ask? Very simple answer... Money. The green stuff or aka Monopoly money aka Canadian dollars or lack thereof. With my latest job placement ending on Christmas eve and no prospect of employment for at least the following 2 weeks means our meager budget suddenly became non existent. So sending presents is definitely not on the list of must haves. Oh well, at least this way I have more time to knit everything and I guess I'll just send them all post Christmas when I have steady work again.

It just kind of took the wind out of my sails to put it mildly. So yes, it took me 2 weeks to snap out of it. At least I dug my way out of that pit of despair :)

I have been knitting! Almost finished the mystery present for my darling daughter. Will only post pictures after she's received it though since she reads this blog :)

Also working on a cabled hat of my own design. Currently figuring out how to line it and I think I'm just going to do a straight knit in the round after I've done the k2, p2 hem and fold it to the inside and attach it at the top. That should work to keep the wind out. It looks pretty neat so far.

I also knit a jubjub to enter in a competition in Neopets. I could not figure out for the life of me how to embroider eyes on the thing so my darling husband photoshoped the eyes, mouth and eyebrows on. Looks pretty neat!

Mourn for Pushing Daisies

ABC pulls plug on "Pushing Daisies"

New episodes will not be ordered after this season. Oh, just fracking great! A show that was actually entertaining and intelligent, one of a handful out there in TV world that actually kept my interest and ABC is burying them. How sad, how truly and terribly sad.

But then again, we've also seen shows such as Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls go the same route. Firefly was another of those gems that tv executives did not understand and therefore axed. It seems that if you are intelligent and have an attention span of more than 5 minutes, you are not part of the average population.

It seems the average television viewer wants to be entertained with insipid sound bites, visual oohs and aaahhhs. Case in point, Dancing with the stars, American Idol, Wife Swap, Supernanny and many many others of the same ilk. Come on now, have we become as goldfish, with only enough brains to turn on the tv, sit and watch whatever drivel the executives "think" will get them the most advertising dollars? Have we become so inured by these that we can't even find within ourselves the strength to say NO more!!! Judging by what is on TV these days, I would have to say "I rest my case" and turn the box off.

I will truly miss Pushing Daisies, the knitting, Digby and all the lovely intelligent characters that made up such a wonderful show. Shame on you ABC, shame!

Goodbye Pushing Daisies, you will be missed by many.

Friday Follies

I can't really say what I'm knitting right now since it's a Christmas present for my daughter and since she reads my blog.... :)

It's been very cold here, -13C brings back memories of home where you had to wrap the kids up in their snowsuits in October to go trick or treating. And by mid November, you better not forget your mitts, tuque or scarf or you were in trouble with bright red fingers, noses and cheeks. I know I said in a previous post I don't like winter, what I really don't like is a ton of snow especially with the lousy snow removal this city has. I hate walking down the street because the sidewalks are piled high from the snow plow going by. Drivers aren't really being cautious either which means it's a crap shoot every time I step out the door to walk to work.

The city in their infinite wisdom decided to equip their skid steer type snow removal machines with rotating brooms. Sounds cool for cleaning off sidewalks, but all these lovely rotating brooms manage to do is polish the sidewalks so they are sheer ice and with no sand/salt mix to give you a foothold, the street is safer to be honest.

Fall has fallen

As I stepped outside yesterday morning there was more than just a nip in the air. It was downright cold! I guess it's to be expected considering it's past mid-November already.

On my walk to work I pass several trees which are all but barren of their leaves by now. But, there is one stubborn willow tree which still has all it's leaves, albeit yellowed, but still hanging on for dear life.

I can smell woodsmoke, someone has their fireplace or wood stove going, more than likely a fireplace since this is a city. I have a feeling wood stoves are getting rare these days, except maybe in the countryside. A few birds flit by, European grackles aka Starlings looking for a quick breakfast. Not much to be had out there right now, everything is looking seriously frozen. The ground is still soft though. A few chickadees and wrens huddle under some shrubs looking decidedly cold. And there's the ever present couple of raucous blue jays squabbling at each other over a few fallen seeds from a bird feeder. You definitely know when you have a couple of blue jays taking up residence in your neighborhood. They are the loudest neighbors you'll ever have.

The sky was gray, the wind blew in from the north east. Definitely smell winter in the air. If it wasn't for Christmas, I'd hibernate. But with the season coming up fast, 37 Days and counting!

There are some things I look forward to around Christmas. It's not so much the food but more the time spent with family. One of our favorite things to do on Christmas eve is putting together a meal buffet style. All small amounts, eaten with our fingers or chopsticks put out on platters and bowls. While we share our food we usually watch A Christmas Story. This is a movie not to be missed. You will laugh so much you'll squirt pop out your nose. It's a classic as anyone will tell you if you haven't seen it... yet. So get out there, rent a copy or wait until Christmas Eve. The movie runs for 24 hours on a continuous loop on one of the American TV stations.

I also look forward to having my kids over for a few days. This year though, it looks like that will have to be in January since my daughter works during the season. Understandable in the restaurant industry. The cooks have to work!

I've finished the cat ears my daughter had requested. They are definitely interesting LOL I'll have to add pictures when the batteries have recharged.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

What is beauty? What constitutes beauty?

What defines beauty? That which brings enjoyment to the person who looks or contemplates. What can we learn about ourselves, our personality when we show others what we think is beautiful.

Beauty can be many things, a touch, a taste, what we see, hear, feel. Beauty can be found in all the senses. The thirst for beauty is what keeps us questing throughout our lives to find the ultimate.

What is beauty to me? What I find beautiful may not be the same for others, but these are the things that give me peace, make me feel that the world is a good place to live. I find beauty in images, photographs, sights, feelings, smells, a touch, a sound, a taste.

the sound of a purring cat
the feel of a baby's skin
listening to my husband's heartbeat
the smell of lilacs and lilies of the valley
storm clouds
music in any genre
a bite from a sun-warmed tomato fresh from the garden
fresh cut hay drying in the field
a robin's song before a rain storm

the smell of sweet grass
my daughter's eyes
my son's strength
drumming, dancing, singing
a warm summer breeze at night

You,know your job is mind numbing when...

Yes, you read it right.

You know your temp job is mind numbing when...

1. you catch yourself working out a pattern in your head while doing data entry or sorting and filing parking tickets for the city.
2. you actually wish you were home working on your knitting Christmas list.
3. hold entire conversations in your head just to keep yourself from falling asleep.
4. you plan out ways to shut off your coworker's singing without being rude because she sings to every song on the radio.. off KEY!
5. you zone out and sadly realise you've been entering the wrong data!
6. you watch the clock hands crawl towards lunch and then go in reverse for the end of the day... or so it feels
   
7. you check your email at lunch and actually look at the spam email for entertainment!
8. you are grateful when someone else walks into the room.
9. you take a butt break even though you don't smoke
10. you keep telling yourself that it's only a temp job and you need the money
11. You look like you have the hang over to end all hang overs at the END of the day!
    

That is one thing I have come to realise. I do not want to do data entry full time! I'm a gemini, the repetition is killing me!!! LOL

Wristwarmers II

I have one completed and half way through the second one. I'm still debating on the finish. These look pretty just as they are and would actually be nice for a man to wear since they are cabled with no frilly stuff I like the bronze color. It makes them look like bracers






Darling husband modeled the finished bracer and Gambit not to be outdone decided he had to model for one as well. Note the evil gleam in his eyes, I'm sure I will pay somehow. LOL