Anniversary

With the hoopla of the inauguration and the unfortunate excitement of last weekend, I did not mention my first knitting anniversary...I did not forget it, I just didn't talk about it here. On 20 January 2008, I took up knitting needles for the first time and I have been hooked ever since, although saying that I am hooked would sound much better if I had started crocheting...

I don’t mean to sound flip or melodramatic, but knitting has changed my life, definitely for the better. I had no idea that I would take to it so easily and do so well at it. I have never been a crafty person but I can follow directions, and following directions allows me to knit beautiful and functional items. I love poring over patterns and yarns and much like I plan ahead on books I want to read, I queue up knitting projects. I have met some of the nicest people on Ravelry and I count some of my far-off knitting pals as my closest friends. And it thrills me to no end to be able to present my knitted items as gifts (but only to the knitworthy!).

Knitting is calming, it helped me lose weight last year (if I am knitting I can't also be snacking) and it gives me an excuse to carry around two pointy sticks!

25 random things about me

Over on Facebook, this is all the rage...posting 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you, then "tagging" others on Facebook about whom you want to know more. I resisted at first (don't I always?) then decided to play along. Here are the 25 things I chose to say about me:

1. I am married to a wonderful man who is patient with my quirks and idiosyncrasies. I often wish that we had met earlier in life, but I also understand that the younger me might not have recognized him to be the gem he is.

2. I am really quite shy, unless I am comfortable in my surroundings or meeting/greeting is part of my job.

3. Even though I adore dark chocolate, I am usually quite ambivalent about sweets and will choose salty, savory snacks.

4. I am terrified of clowns.

5. My age is on a need-to-know basis and most people simply do not need to know. I lie about my age so much that I often forget what age I really am.

6. I love to eavesdrop when my son is playing by himself. He makes up games, conversations and songs that are wildly inventive, and his laughter always makes me smile; sappy, I know, but it does.

7. I make the best spaghetti and meatballs, and pancakes that I have ever eaten. I don’t like to eat those two items prepared by anyone else because I know they will not taste as good as mine.

8. Coffee – freshly roasted, dark, rich and hot – is one of the greatest pleasures in life. It’s what gets me moving in the morning; that, and wondering what my child may be doing downstairs without me.

9. I miss my dad terribly. He died almost three years ago and there is not a day that goes by when I think of something I want to tell him – we used to have great conversations about a multitude of topics. He would have heartily enjoyed the 2008 presidential election and we would have dissected every minute aspect of it. I get a catch in my throat when I realize that I can’t pick up the telephone and call him.

10. If there is a hell, I believe that a special corner that is extra hot and painful should be reserved for the founder of Chuck E. Cheese’s and the person who developed the concept of a child’s meal having a plastic toy. Oh, and Dick Cheney, too.

11. I adore drag queens but also loathe them for looking better than me.

12. I started knitting just over a year ago and I can’t believe how much I enjoy it. I have never been a crafty person so it amazes me that I can make something beautiful (and often functional). Knitting is calming, plus it gives me an excuse to have two pointy sticks in my possession.

13. If there is a funeral for me when I die, I want the song “It’s Raining Men” to be played. I adore that song and it always makes me smile.

14. I still cry whenever I see video of the space shuttle Challenger exploding.

15. My favorite books are mysteries but I am not very good at determining "who done it".

16. Bad grammar, spelling and punctuation aggravate me beyond belief.

17. I went skydiving to celebrate a milestone birthday. Yes, I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane voluntarily just “for fun”. I will never do that again.

18. Unless I am ill or have to make an unexpected trip to the ER, you will not see me outside of my house without eye liner, brow pencil and mascara. Part of the reason is vanity and part is because I don’t think anyone in the world deserves to see me without my eyebrows on.

19. I used to be near-fluent in Spanish, after six years of study in grades 7-12. Sadly, I remember little now except how to order a beer and how to ask where the bathroom is located; good to know how to ask the second question when you have already asked the first!

20. I crack myself up and I enjoy my own company.

21. Another of life’s greatest pleasures for me is a new pair of shoes or a new handbag. Can you ever have too many shoes or handbags? I don’t think so, or at least I have not yet arrived at that point.

22. I don’t like unsolicited advice. If I tell you something that is happening in my life or you read about it in my blog, don’t then tell me what I should do if I have not asked you. Sometimes I just need to share my issue and not receive advice.

23. I have a weakness for any event or product that raises funds for breast cancer research.

24. While in grad school, I got to shake President Carter’s hand after a speech, and I just know that I was probably stupid with awe and respect. I also got to shake hands with Ted Turner, but all I remember is that for all his money, he was poorly groomed and badly dressed.

25. Olives and raspberries are two foods that I think I should like but I don’t; every so often, I try them again just to see if I like them yet.

Trauma king

Parenthood is not for sissies.

It is now 3:50 pm EST on Saturday, 24 January. Since 7:30 pm yesterday, our lives have been a wild and scary ride...

James and Aidan went over to Aidan's school last night for the offical Cub Scout Pinewood Derby car registration and weigh-in; the derby was this morning. James called me last night around 7:40 pm enroute to the ER with Aidan. At the weigh-in, Aidan was running around (after being told numerous times not to by James) when he fell and hit his mouth on a chair/bench. His lower lip was bloody and one of his front teeth was pushed in.

We were at ER until 1 am. If a pediatrician is on duty, then only the pediatrician can see pediatric patients…and there were a bunch last night. When we finally saw the ped, he couldn’t tell us much except that we needed to see an oral surgeon ASAP to determine if there was an alveloar fracture (the alveloar is the bone of the upper jaw, I think).

We called the referred oral surgeon this morning and he opened his office to meet us right away. X-rays showed no fracture, nor is the tooth broken…but we have no idea if the tooth will survive. It is an adult tooth but is still forming and erupting, so at this time, the doc will not move it into place; growth may take care of it for us. Or the tooth may be so traumatized that it dies - we just don't know. We will be spending a lot of time at the dentist to monitor the progress of the tooth.

He wrote a prescription for the antibiotic amoxycillin, a preventive measure for Aidan’s cut lip. Aidan is also restricted to soft foods for the time being, which will make lunch packing a bit challenging.

After lunch, I gave him the first dose of amoxycillin. Within 15 minutes, he was crying that his stomach hurt and that he felt itchy. He threw up, and his face started looking blotchy…holy crap, he was having an allergic reaction although he has taken the same antibiotic just a month ago for strep with no problems. We called the pediatrician, and she prescribed Benadryl to counteract the allergic reaction and a different antibiotic, and off James went to get it. She also said that an allergic reaction can develop at any time, despite past use with no problems. I was with Aidan in his bed - he was asleep by then - to monitor his breathing when suddenly he sat up, looked at me and announced that he was hungry!

He has had one dose of Benadryl so far and already looks/feels fine. I am on my first Jack and Pepsi, and am starting to feel better. But oh my goodness, what a wild time this has been…he is usually such a healthy, hearty little guy that it really threw us for a loop!

And although he was not there to race his car, the rest of his den took over, raced his car for him and he placed 2nd in the Tiger Cubs!

What she said, part 2

As I said, there would be plenty of other people who would express their thoughts and feelings about Inauguration Day 2009 far better than I could ever dream - so here are some of their words:

Franklin Habit (love him!), The Panopticon:
"For eight years, I have watched the government–my government, the one I was always taught was of, by and for the people–do everything in its power to divide the country into us and them. I have listened, shattered, as my fellow citizens have questioned my loyalty, my liberty, and my right to exist.

Well, I'm still here and I'm still loyal. This place ain't perfect, but it's mine and I love it. In spite of eight years of misrule by as sorry a pack of weasels as ever held office, I still believe that America, at its heart, is a nation founded on noble instincts and good ideas."

Leonard Pitts (love him too), The Miami Herald:
"Every four years, America gets the option of reinventing itself. You wonder if Americans really appreciate what a miracle this is.

Maybe this year, they do. Maybe in this crisis moment, with the economy broken, with war on two fronts, with palpable fatigue of the lies, alibis, incompetence, and tolerance of incompetence that have characterized the last eight years, they have a renewed appreciation for their ability as Americans, when displeased, to choose something new."

Kathleen Parker (starting to love her), The Washington Post:
"For awe is the truest word to describe what transpired and what was inspired.

It is not only awe for Obama's meteoric rise to the highest human power. It is not only that so many trekked so far to be present for the moment. It is not even awe for the peaceful transfer of power for which Americans are deservedly proud.

It is awe for what is, in fact, not change, but the natural, if difficult, progression of an ideal that is true and good and transcendent through time. Barack Obama's presidency isn't a change from, but a continuation of the American experiment toward its hoped-for destination."

Crazy Aunt Purl (girlfriend makes me laugh):
"Even if you didn't like the guy and didn't vote for him, I'd imagine you have to be amazed and surprised at how he's bringing people together to feel good about our country, even on a cold January day (well, cold in Washington D.C. I live in Los Angeles where summer started two weeks ago and people are wearing flip-flops and tank tops.)"

John Kass (just learned of him but my friend Noelle loves him), The Chicago Tribune:
"Yet his speech was a success because it tapped into that identical nerve running through moderates, liberals, conservatives and libertarians: love of country. His speech clearly told us that Obama loves this nation as an immigrant's son, a kid who grew up with a funny name, a young man who accepted the American offer to reinvent himself."

Wow. What they said.

Happy day

Today was a marvelous day. I ran the gamut of emotions from grinning ear-to-ear to crying to bouncing on my feet like a little child. Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United State of America and I couldn't be more pleased.

There are at least 3 gazillion people in the world who will describe the day in more eloquent words than I can possibly muster, so I am not even going to try. Here is just a smattering of my thoughts:

• People people everywhere. Smiles!
• Love Michelle’s outfit – girlfriend looks gorgeous.
• Aretha’s hat is beautiful, just like her singing.
• Love the quartet playing John Williams’ composition – so beautiful, so moving.
• Chief Justice Roberts goofed up the oath? Oh for goodness' sake.
• Excellent speech, really liked this line: "But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions – that time has surely passed."
• They walked for a good part of the parade route - good for them!

James made an excellent observation when he said that although we were initially Hillary supporters and that she was/is immensely qualified, her election would not have inspired the hope that we are now experiencing...and hope is exactly what we need right now.

So not knitworthy

On my favorite knitting website, Ravelry (called "MyKnittingSpace" by a friend's teen daughter), there are often very animated discussions of people who are not "knitworthy" - people who do not appreciate a handcrafted gift. I have now encountered the first person in my life who is not knitworthy: my hair stylist, to whom I gave the Party Lace scarf that I knit as part of the Ravelympics back in August.

I gave her that scarf for Christmas, at the last appointment before the holidays. Jennifer was in a hideously bad mood that morning and barely even noticed that I handed her a gift, much less open it. Friday was my first appointment since Christmas, so I expected some mention and received...a grand total of nada. She did not say one word about it. So I learned that not only is she not knitworthy, she is also not giftworthy at all. After all, if she does not have the good manners to say "thank you" for a gift, espeically a handcrafted gift, then she does not merit anything more than payment for her services.

In other, happier, knitting news, I recently finished a few more projects. Here is a silk blend cowl that I knit for a friend who shall remain nameless, since I have not yet sent it to her and she may just read this post:


I finished a third felted knitting basket, this one for me:


Another item for me - because I am knitworthy - is this wool/cashmere blend neck warmer:


Here is a close-up of the very cool ceramic buttons that I purchased from Summers Studio Etc. on Etsy:


And, lucky me, it actually got cold enough this week for me to wear my lovely new neck warmer!

3.6

Caution: unabashed and totally biased parental bragging ahead. Don't say that you were not warned.

Report cards for the second nine weeks of school came home this week. Once I got over the shock that we are halfway through the school year and regained consciousness, I took a look at the results. Overall, not too bad. Aidan is performing at or above grade level in all academic subject areas. In academic and behavior traits, he is considered satisfactory in all areas except one: uses self-control. Yes, he continues to struggle with not acting on the first impulse he considers, so we still have work to do. However, since that was the only "blip" on his report card, we were pleased.

Yesterday Aidan came home with a report that details the results of a STAR Reading diagnostic. According to this measure, Aidan scored a national percentile rank of 99 among students in his grade. Additionally, his grade equivalent score is 3.6, which means that his reading skills are comparable to those of an average third grader after the sixth month of school. Wow! Our six year old (seven in two months) who has been in first grade for five months reads at the level of a third grader after six months!

Based on my experience giving Accelerated Reader quizzes to the students in Aidan's class, I know that he is one of the best readers in his class. But I had no idea that his reading was as good as it is, and I am so pleased and proud. We have worked since birth to instill a love of reading and it is really starting to show: he adores reading, and reads anything and everything, every chance he gets.

As a rule, we don't reward academic success - it is, as we tell him, his job to do his best in school - but in this instance we are going to give him a special treat. We will take him to the bookstore this weekend and let him pick out a brand new book. If I know my child as well as I think I do, he will be thrilled. And we will, of course, be proud.

Six degrees and all that

Most people have heard of the concept of six degrees of separation, namely that any two people are separated by six links, or people that they know. There was even a movie by that name back in the early 90s, which I saw with my friend Barb in a cool movie theater on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh, NC. I can't remember the name of the theater to save my life, but we liked it because it served beer.

Six degrees plays an interesting role in Facebook, the social networking site. I joined Facebook back in November, at the arm-twisting suggestion of my friend Evelyn, who pretty much said that I would never hear from her again unless I joined Facebook. To my surprise, I have enjoyed my experience thus far, catching up with people with whom I had lost contact and just staying abreast of my friends and their activities (although some people take the updating WAY too far - do you really need or want me to know what you are doing every minute of the day?).

Thanks to Facebook, we have our own little six degrees of Facebook example. The aforementioned Evelyn attended a Catholic grade school in Florida for 3rd through 5th grades. Last month, she created a Facebook group for the school and has received several requests from alums to join, not just people she knew as her classmates. A few weeks ago she received a request from a man that she didn't think she remembered from school, but she approved his request. As she scanned his list of friends, or people with whom he is connected on Facebook, she recognized one of the names...none other than Barb, whom I mentioned at the beginning of this post.

So although Evelyn does not know Barb, Barb knows me, who knows Evelyn, who went to school with a guy who knows Barb. To quote Evelyn: "This whole six degrees thing is, well, real and scary."

Cleaning up our act

With Aidan back in school, I turned my attention to getting our messy house back into order. I slacked off on my regular schedule during Aidan's holiday break, doing only the bare minimum to keep us off the health department's "most disgusting" list.

I knew the house was dirty but had no idea just HOW dirty. Catching up on laundry and cleaning the kitchen and downstairs entry/hall was the Wednesday task. Thursday I thoroughly cleaned the downstairs half bath and all of the floors on the main level, which included moving furniture. I even dusted, and I hate to dust. On Friday, it was the upstairs' turn, with the scrubbing of bathrooms, more dusty (ick) and vacuuming of every square inch of carpet.

Not a fun week, but necessary...but I got to do it all by myself and at my own pace. Spenser, of course, was alternately mad or scared out of his mind the entire time; why are cats so afraid of vacuums? In his almost twelve years of privileged existence, has he ever been sucked up by one or even come close?

Now perhaps I can get back to the usual easier cleaning rotation. But at least now we don't stick to the floor nor do the dust bunnies gnaw at our ankles!

Back to life as I know it

Hear that? Neither do I...and it's a wonderful sound. Aidan went back to school today and life, as I know it, returns to what passes for normal in our house. And it is very very good to be in the house by myself.

One day during the holidays, James made a comment about not doing something because he "was on vacation." And all I could think of was, when is my vacation? During the holidays, there is no break for me; in fact, my work load increases. And although it sounds as though I am complaining, I really am not - my life is pretty darn good and I know and appreciate that fact. But when husband and child are home on their holiday, there are still meals to prepare, clothes to wash, cat messes to mop up, rooms to clean...and more obstacles to prevent me from doing those tasks.

So while my glamorous life of a SAHM resumes today, there really won't be much of a celebration; just grocery shopping, laundry and an attempt to improve the sanitation level of our living space. Sounds good to me!

Things I want to do in 2009

As with last year, I am going to create a 'this year I would like to' list - nothing big, just things that are on my mind as needing a change.

In 2009, I would like to:

• Make bagels. This was on my list last year and I never got around to it. I have all the tools, I just need to put my mind to it.
• Organize my recipes. My recipe notebook is stuffed full of newspaper clippings, pages printed off the Internet, and scribbled notes. I need to sort, cull and put them in usable order.
• Get active. This one is another repeat from last year. I loathe exercise but understand that my body and my mind will benefit from regular physical activity.
  
• Stop worrying about making friends here. I have actively - even rather desperately at times - tried to make friends since moving here to Hooterville and I have failed dismally, so maybe if I sit back and stop stressing about it, it will happen naturally...and if it doesn't happen, I won't be any worse off.
• Take more risks, live more spontaneously, and believe in myself more.

Happy new year!