It was supposed to say "Chemotherapy gives me a buzz".

For anyone who might be interested, my mom has a cancer journal. Actually, the cancer is gone, this is all about the chemo. But hey, it has to do with cancer and I'm a Cancer, it's Cancer Nation here. Click around, I encourage you to check out the photos to see my mom's 'buzz' and first chemotherapy session with more photos to come.

On the knitting front, well, I joined some members from my ward and we braved wind and weather to head north to Omaha where we did some work inside the Winters Quarters Temple. It was COLD, to say the least and our driver seemed to be adverse to heat until I humbly asked if I could at least blow some heat on my benumbed toes. I should have grabbed some woolly socks but they wouldn't have fit in my shoes. Only room for nylons in that puppy.

Anyways, I was working on mom's Pomatomus sporadically. It was near 8pm when we finally got home and it wasn't until the next morning that I realized that the little silver Lacombe bag that held my sock knitting had been left behind. Drat!

However, that won't stop me, I've just wound some more skeins and am starting another sock. And because I'm not a goldfish, I am certain that I will not forget the remaining Pomatomus but I do have to wait to hear back from said driver. Or his parents, it WAS their van. I hope I didn't leave anything else behind, I did conscientiously put my garbage in my purse so that I didn't leave THAT behind. I'm so thoughtful.

Until the skies clear and I can get a better shot of my progress on the new sock, I will have to leave you all on the edges of your seat in suspense.

By the way, the Jacket? Yeah, it keeps visiting the frog pond as I keep realizing mistakes I have made way back. Double drat! I won't be done with that thing until June! It sure won't be done tomorrow like I had resolved. Hmmph.

Keep your toes and the rest of you frosty, I'll have better content later.

A little rough'n'tumble

First things first, I lost my job. They learned about my immunocompromised state, said I was too much of a liability and took my job away. At least I got a paycheck to hold me over until I get another job. Not to mention I've applied for Vocational Rehabilitation and they can teach me how to do something like, oh I don't know, medical transcripts. Something in the back of my head screams injustice but I believe everything happens for a reason and so I'm doing alright.

Secondly, mom got her port put in today so they have easy access to give her the chemo. She's resting right now, sleeping through Rear Window. No, I wouldn't be able to sleep through that movie.

On brighter news, I have finished one pomatomus sock so that she has at least one warm tootsie while she goes through her Chemo.

And the right front panel of the Nantucket Jacket is nearly finished.

Finally, I challenge someone to tag me for a meme because, uh, I want to be. So if you take a meme and need someone to tag, I'm your woman.

Winter isn't all bad.

I love romping around in winter. In winter, I can wear my knits. In winter, I don't get mud on my shoes. In winter I don't get sunburned or hot or sweaty. And I'm not the only one who loves winter.



Daisy loves the wild romps in the fields just beyond our home. There's a lot of new development going down back there but for now it's just streets and trees and the occasional power-box-thing. Daisy and I, however, were not alone in the wintery wilderness as we explored the frozen-over, crunchy snow. As I ventured on, I saw a strange white figure in the distance and began heading over.



Someone had been busy because that figure just happened to be...a snowbear.



Here he is from the side:



Clever little creation. I don't know who could have made it, perhaps the same people who decided to go four-wheeling over the landscape, dragging behind a sled. Or perhaps it was someone else. All I know was that it sure was unexpected and fun to walk up on my snowfriend here.

Not much else to add, the pomatomus ended up a little long so I'll have to pick it apart.

quit your whingin'

I parked it in Borders today, took out the Pomatomus and knit away at it for an hour. I guess I did it for the attention because I had about three people come up looking completely floored at my mastery over four needles. At least, they were until I quietly explained, two of them were holding stitches while I worked the other two. They got it right away then. But they still acted as if I were creating worlds with my mind and moving mountains with a sigh. Not really, that's for later.

When I took Tae Kwon Do from the charming Mr. Pepper, I was taught a precious lesson about having a Black Belt Attitude. No, it's not the sort of swaggering attitude that immediately sprang to my mind. It's a can-do attitude. It's amazing how self-defeating we can be. If we believe we can't do it, do you think we'll even try? And then it won't be accomplished. And then we end up being dull, glassy-eyed, unadventurous drones. I'm not dull. I know that if I set my mind to it, I could rebuild a car from parts, I could fly a plane, I could defeat ninjas with my eyes closed. Not without practice, not without training, but I could still do it if I really wanted to. And that's what it takes. Desire, persistence, and hope.

And the next time someone tells me that they can't do something, I will ask them "Have you tried?".

Socksy in progress

Mom wears her socks a lot in the house. It makes me smile every time I see them on her feet but I have to admit, she needs more than one pretty pair of socks. And so I'm working on a second pair. No occasion necessary, these are just to keep the winter chill that pervades the home from biting her toes. I wear my own frequently in the evening. It's funny, wooly socks not only keep the feet warm but keeps the rest of the body warm, too. The cotton socks I wear with my shoes do not do as good a job but they fit better. And when I'm running around madly at work, wool socks would only make me warmer and that's just unnecessary. Old people are colder than I am and frequently I perspire enthusiastically when I enter their room.

I am liking my new job but there is so much that I need to learn that the four days of shadowing the nurses just never prepared me to anticipate. Like, admissions. Yesterday I came onto the floor and the two sickest patients had passed on. This was a slight relief because not only did this ease my caseload but now I knew they were no longer in pain, no longer chained down by their own disabilities.

But Karma hid a giggle that I'm sure I heard and only an hour or two later, there were rumors of new admissions. And just that afternoon, we had a new lady come in. I believe there's another to come but I managed to go off shift before the second came in.

But it's all very exciting and other than getting into trouble for coming early (it blows the mind), it's a good work environment and I feel like a Real Nurse. Even if I'm not quite sure this is what I want to do forever, it's good training.

Knitting is slower now. I don't have as much time to stay up and knit but I'm not in a race. It'll come.

I hope everyone else is having a good week. Happy Humpday!

Mob mentality?

So, yes, kind of annoying what happened to Socks That Rock, no? The bank can't fathom so many people wanting to knit socks so they shut down the account, tossed the money back.

But for the love of little fluffy sheep, CAN WE SETTLE DOWN? It's a bummer, sure, but put on your Big Girl Panties. This is not a sexist thing. This is a Bank Business thing. I mean, if someone steals our card and goes crazy in Vegas and the bank closes the card down, we're happy, right? The whole buyer protection thing is awesome, no? This is the same sort of business. And we the buyers are not hurt (okay, I'm excluded, I felt that the whole STR Sock Club was overpriced), the ladies are doing all right, so take a breather, sit down, relax.

It's snowing today. In the typical Kansas fashion, that means that occasionally it rains and freezes when it lands. But the oddest thing was that yesterday it was a balmy 60-some degrees! I walked out the Manor (where I work now) and I drove home with the window down.

Well, nothing says curl up and knit like nasty weather. Which is just what I believe I shall do today. TiVo has some new Doctor Whos saved (I like both of the new ones but who DOESN'T like a bit of dishy eye-candy, wot?) and tea sounds quite refreshing at the moment. Mmm. I will have some progress pictures on Monday, that's a promise.

Something to blog about

Well, actually, that's what I'm looking for. Something to blog about. My job has had me training for 4 days, 6am to 2:30pm. What I have learned is that there is a whole lot of paperwork to be involved and I really wonder if I'm not somewhat in over my head. I've been struggling with panic but I've realized that I always tend to worry more than necessary. I will do my best and they'll understand that it isn't perfect.

However, this has cut down a bit on the knitting. I started another Pomatomus though but it's not far along enough to really mention much about it.

So for lack of content, I will distract you with...A CHICKEN WITH A SCARF AROUND ITS NECK!!!

Buckaw.

What flew up Kit's butt, episode 1.

I'm a part of several knitting communities and it never fails. There's always that small group of people (generally women) who find that pretending that they have highly abusive husbands is popular and/or funny. There is always that post about some woman giggling about how much yarn she had to hide from her husband and boy would she ever get a whupping if he saw what she spent on yarn or if he ever saw her stash!

And I wonder, do these SIMPERING MORONS ever realize how very real and very frightening domestic abuse is? How it can effect not only your life but the lives of those around you? IT'S. NOT. FUNNY.

Not to mention, if you feel the need to hide your purchases from your spouse, I can only shudder at the utter chaos that ensues when the checkbook needs balancing. Which is the least of the problems if the poster finds it not only acceptable but also anecdotal to keep secrets from their spouse. It reminds me of stories about how in some countries, it's not only acceptable to engage in affairs but EXPECTED. Think about seeing THAT in a forum?

Please, my friends, honor your spouse. And also, honor your stash. If you want what you already have, then you will always have what you want.

It's not a yarn diet, it's just a priority issue.

I signed up for several 'stash busting' things. For example, the sock-stash picture from previous was for the Lime & Violet Sock Marathon. My piddly not-even-2-miles-of-yarn stash doesn't hold water to some of the other stashes but that's alright. This means I have plenty of room for more.

I am also signed up for The Yarn Focus Challenge. This means that all yarn shopping must be pre-meditated. No ferret-shock shopping at the LYS. Not only that but to be a part, you must give up yarn for a pair of socks. I am not quite sure what I could give up but it's gotta be something. I also must make a chemo hat. That's fine, I have plenty o' yarn for that.

So here's to a new year for making space for more yarn. And with this new job, I'll be able to fund filling that space once the 'yarn diet' is over.

Perhaps for now, I'll concentrate on buying some of the patterns floating about in the ether of the internet.

Sock yarn stash flash.

Everything you need to know is right there on the picture, just hover your mouse over it. Isn't technology great? I hope to have this all knit up by June-ish. I like June. I oriented all my goals for June. Except my sweater, I want that done by February. ;)