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.