Alive

Hey, just realised that I haven't posted in a week and a half, wanted to let you know I am still alive, it isn't mono, but I haven't been feeling 100%, so there has been mucho knitting and menos blogging. Sorry kids! Another couple of good night's sleep, and I should be rarin', rockin' and ready to go. Promise.

I Knew I Was in Trouble When...

... I didn't want to knit.

What I thought was a "nasty arse chest cold," in fact left me thinking I might have mono.

Um, yeah.

Not looking like it is mono, although in my hypochondriac brain, I was convinced for two days that I did have it. What worried me the most, is that I didn't even want to knit. Not socks, not mitre squares, not scarves, nothing!!! It made me both very sad, and very nervous.

I took Monday off work, then Tuesday and I went for acupuncture in the afternoon. I tried going in yesterday, and my boss looked at me and said, in a sweet way "The phones are slow today. You can go home. Really, you can go."

The nice thing about an office job is they don't want you there when you are sick, which is such a different thing from working in the restaurant where, unless you are bleeding severely or vomiting profusely, if you cant get your shift covered, you must show up.

So, I left work yesterday, went to an urgent care facility since I don't have a primary care physician, and saw a physician's assistant who spent a total of 3 minutes with me, told me I didn't have strep, it probably want mono, but I should go for a monostat test just to be sure. Drink lots of fluids and rest; resume activity as your energy levels allow.

Golly gee, 'ya think? Here's $110 for telling me what I already knew and looking at me like I was a whack for going to acupuncture before going to the "doctor." You should have seen the way she looked at me when I said I don't have a primary care physician, I go for acupuncture. After that visit, it just confirmed my belief that I am doing the right thing by avoiding Western medicine.

On a positive note, I am feeling better today. Not as tired, not as achy, my throat is feeling better, my appetite has come back, and last night, I knitted! I am pretty sure it isn't mono, but the lab results wont be back until Monday. I stayed home from work today again because I'm not 100% and I didn't want to get there and feel like poo an hour later. I am getting ready to take another nap today, and I might try taking the dog out for a walk later (it is a gorgeous Spring day out there), we'll have to see.

At any rate, it is clear to me that I am a giant baby when it comes to being sick, but I already knew that. No surprises there. My only regret is that I didn't want to do any knitting, and I feel like I lost a lot of "free time," but as my mother said, it wasn't free time, I was sick. Just a gentle reminder that from time to time, we all need to be gentle with ourselves.

I am officially pooped, time for a nap...peace out happy knitters. Seeing as we are still having camera issues, I know that blog posting without pictures are dreadfully boring, and while I have no knitting pictures to show you, I do have lots of stock dog photos to share...how cute is Mr. Kendall??? Gotta love the pup! Just look at that mug...

Ugh!

Well, I managed to get my taxes done, and by the way, I will be getting a very nice ball winder, thank you very much! But, as soon as I got everything done on Saturday morning, a huge grey cloud swallowed me up and started raining all over my parade.

The "slight tickle" in the back of my throat that had been there every since the family came to visit for Easter and my mom was smoking in my apartment, turned into nasty-arse chest cold. This happens to me frequently: I have a lot of stuff that I need to get done, and as soon as it gets finished, my body just crashes. So, I have not left the house since I went to work on Friday, have been holed up in my apartment all weekend drinking ginger tea and reeking of Vapo Rub.

Good times.

I called in sick to work today because 1. I can and 2. I need to be healthy for the end of this week - clients, Massage school reunion dinner and a trip to NYC with my friend Dr. Alicia (she's in Chiropractic school and she is fabulous!). Better to take a day, kick this stupid bug out of my system and get on with my life. I've been taking the Flu Away remedy from the Arvigo Massage technique that I specialize in, and drinking Aloe Vera juice all morning. I am wearing 3 full layers of clothing and I hope that I am going to be able to sweat this out of myself. At some point today, I need to migrate out of the house, go to the bank and get my new glasses readjusted. I may stop out and pick up some echinacea throat drops and a large container of OJ. I am kind of in the mood for chicken noodle soup, but I think that some nice hot Miso with rice crackers might do instead.

Enough about my physical illness, lets start taking about my new mental addiction. It seems only fitting that since I have now watched all the episode of The Shield and 95% of the DVD commentaries, that I need to find something else to become obsessed with. That thing, my dear readers, are mitered squares. I bought the Mason Dixon knitting book a few months back. I looked lovingly over its glossy, hard-covered pages, and I said "hmm, those squares look like fun, but I sure wouldn't want to ave to sew them all up."

I will reference back to this post at a latter date when I have been admitted into the Sane Home for Insane Knitters.

I got 3 1/3 squares done last night. I am making them out of LionBrand Homespun, and they are for my parent's Christmas present, a bedspread. The nice thing about using the Homespun in my mother wont "accidentally" felt the blanket, and trust me, out of necessity, things at my parents' house get washed A LOT. Also, using the pattern in the book and casting on with 72 stitches, it works out that the blocks are exactly twelve inches square...so I only need to do 48 of them (6 blocks wide by 8 blocks long). I just can't wait to see what this behemoth will look like when its all done.

Still having camera issues, although I could afford to get a new one with my tax refund, I am being a judicious shopper and not just running out to buy the coolest new gadget I can find (please don't ask me what has happened every time I have ever bought a cell phone). I am waiting to find the camera I want at the price I am willing to pay. This is a balancing act that we cannot rush people, except that I do need to hurry up and have a camera for next weekend. It'll all work out, it always does.

Well, this is a super long post for me, even without any pictures. Just wanted to say that while my mom was here, we went to Trumpet Hill (my LYS that still does not have a website up otherwise I would link to it), and while I was not able to convince her she wanted to knit, the first thing she picked up in the store was Noro. I take that as a good sign. Then she wanders over to the sock yarn (on her own, like she instinctively knew where to go or something), and picked up a skein of the yarn I have been knitting into socks for her for Mother's Day, in a different colorway, and she said "I'd like this if it came in purple."

Two guesses which colorway this smart knitter was already using.

I love it when a plan comes together!

Happy knitting kiddies, and I'll see you on the kniternet!

I'm Alive!!

Sorry for the abcense, but it has been a crazy week.

Last Thursday, I had what amounted to a day long panic attack, good times...

The family came to visit for Easter, which, also was good times (even if it did involve an insane amount of cleaning on my part).

Just realized this morning that it had been over a week since my lat post, and I had missed not one, but TWO WWWdotWEDNESDAYdotCOM-s...Super Sorry.

I am in the middle of finally doing my taxes. What, me wait until the last minute??? Surely, you must be joking!! So I promise to post as soon as things fizzle down a little bit.

On the good side of life, I have successfully completed watching all the Shield DVDs, and have found a wonderful way to watch the current season...details and love for Vic Mackey to follow shortly. Hugs and kisses and happy knitting to you all!

Whew!

I am pooped, it has been a very long, rather rushed kind of a Tuesday. I had an eye doctor's appointment today (because the one from last week got screwed up!) and the day as been filled with general business. If it wasn't for the gratitude posts, I would not be here tonight.

So, without further delay, I present Five Things I am Grateful for tonight:

1. My dishwasher - Duh!

2. New eye glasses - won't be here for two weeks or so, but I am already grateful for the fact that thick frames are in, andthey hide the thickness of my lenses (see #3)

3. Being able to see, even if my prescription is so bad that my Optometrist informed me today they will never be able to make my vision 20/20...if they increased my prescription so that my vision would be 20/20, it would make me start to see double...I told him things are fine just the way they are, thank you very much!

4. Free samples - I say "free," but really I dropped $400 at the eye doctor's today, the least they could do is give me a free set of disposable contacts with some solution and a lens case, right? Any way, free things make me happy...I am a sucker for Clinique Bonus Time, let me tell 'ya.

5. Vision insurance - please see #4, and add on $475...that's what it would have cost me if I didn't have vision insurance. I don't even want to think about it. I shudder...

Well, this completes my day. I did not once today pick up any knitting or even touch yarn. I can't even remember the last time I did this, but I assure you it was quire some time ago.

Must. Go. To. Sleep.

Must. Not. Go. Start. Knitting. Must. Not......Zzzzz....Zzzz....

Monday Mania

I have gotten soooo much stuff done today, even with having to go to work. It always amazes me, I leave the apartment dirty all weekend, and then wake up on Monday with a surge of energy to clean and organize. This sometimes leads to me looking at the clock and seeing that it is 7:45 and I have to leave the house in twenty minutes, and then panic quickly sets in.

Not today though! Today, I took a nice hot shower, cleaned the kitchen (including mopping the floor), made a pot of soup, did several banking transactions, did a fair whack of knitting whilst at work and have managed to stay awake until almost 8pm!!

In honor of this, I bring you an abridged 5 grateful things today. I feel these are things that require no real explanation.

1. Cheesecake

2. Honesty, and people who are honest by their nature. There is an important distinction, hard to put into words, but I know what I'm thinking.

3. Cell phones

4. My family coming to visit me (ask me how I feel about this one on Sunday around 3pm)

5. Watching DVDs on the laptop while taking a bubble bath.

I only mention #5 because I have not discovered that I am a capable enough knitter to avoid dunking my yarn in the tub water. At least with the DVDs in the tub, I can just sit back and relax and enjoy, no need to participate. Sometime a girl just has to tune out, 'ya know?

Peace and joyful knitting, I wish you all a wonderful evening, and seeing as there were no comments to Friday's post, I guess I don't have to give away any knitting. You're loss, it was going to be something beyond fantastic, the epitome of knitterly love, made with only the finest yarn and carefully executed and specifically counted stitches: you know, the kind of knitting I don't actually do, lol.

Just kidding, it was going to be a warshrag! Catch you on the flip!

Oops! I ALmost Forgot!

I sooooo almost forgot to blog today's 5 grateful things list...that would have been pretty stinky of me. Sorry for the late post, but I have been busy doing not a whole heck of a lot. As we speak, I am actually on hold with Time Warner cable to inquire what the procedure/cost would be of me obtaining cable.

I am weak.

I am obsessed.

I am aware of these two qualities in myself and am working on making peace with them.

What can I say, you all know I love the Shieldy goodness, even more than I loathe Time Warner cable.

Anywho...5 Things I am Grateful for:

1. Paper and ink... I went yesterday to Staples to get a paper shredder, some plain white paper and an ink cartridge. All basic, tax deductible supplies. Didn't think much of it, until I loaded them into the car and realized that it would be that ink cartridge and that paper which would become the final version of my novel as I send it out to publishers and agents. I am that close, I just need to get my arse in gear and do it. Realizing this about that paper and that ink cartridge yesterday may have just been the kick I need.

2. Spring rain...Not so much because it will bring flowers later, I just really love when it starts raining in the spring and it isn't the freezing cold rain that makes you wish it was snowing instead. I wouldn't classify the rain we are currently experiencing as "warm," but it sounds nice outside, and it is warm enough that I can have the window open to listen to it and not be cold. Good enough for me!

3. New massage clients...There is just something so nice about working with someone for the first time; of having them decide they think enough of you as a professional to trust you to perform bodywork on them. Possible one of my favorite things about doing massage.

4. Relaxing Sunday afternoons...I spent most of today surfing blog to blog looking for WWWdot WEDNESDAYdotCOM fodder, and came across a lot of good blogs. Kinda makes me wonder if people do that and come across my blog and think I am cool, you know what I mean? At any rate, it was a very relaxing way to spend the late afternoon until I fell asleep in the knitting chair with El Perro Malo's stinky dog butt in my face. Don't ask.

5. Realizing Time Warner sucks monkey toes...to have BASIC cable, it costs almost $52 a month, and that's without any premium channels. PLUS a $27 hookup charge AND I would have to be home for them to do the installation. Um, no! There will be no Vic Mackey goodness flowing trough my cable lines any time soon. This is what people invented YouTube for anyway, right? I would not mind having to pay to watch the shows I want, but there's no way in hell I am paying that kind of $ to watch ONE FRICKIN' SHOW!!! Seriously people, I have yarn I need to buy. I must keep my priorities straight, after all. My judgement may be clouded, but I am not blind here. Sheesh!