What a smashing start to the day!

Let me begin this tale with... it was 8 am. I had just stopped to pick up Bernice, a colleague of mine, that had sprained her ankle this past weekend. The poor thing can't drive herself to work and since I live nearby, I offered to go get her today and bring her to and from work.

So I show up at her house... drive up her very long driveway, and pull in front of her garage, right next to a little sapling. I had gotten just a bit too close to the sapling so some of its branches were bent against my driver's side window. No biggie. It's a sapling. She hops in the car and that's when the fun began. I put down the hand brake, began to roll (hadn't even pushed the gas pedal) when I hear a crack, a pop and the distinct sound of glass smashing. I look up just in time to see a good chunk of black plastic go flying over the hood of my car. What had I done? Ha! This...:



Here's the other side:



Can you believe it?! I wasn't even going 5 miles an hour nor was this sapling tall enough to even make it to the top of the car! *laugh* All I could do was laugh and shake my head at what I had done. :)

So I dropped Bernice off at work and went to the clinic. I had four (count em four) doctor's appointments today. I got a lot of knitting done today. *laugh* I had a CT scan, my allergy treatments and some follow up with the doctor in ENT. That's where I got all my knitting done. My appointment was for 10:30. By this time, all my other appointments were done with. The gal at the front desk told me the doctor was running late. (Nothing new with this doctor.) So I pulled out my knitting and sat down. Two and a half hours later, I finally got called into his office. O_o *twitch* I'm soooooo happy I had my knitting. See how much I got done...



Now I'll be honest... I wasn't knitting the whole time I was in there. At least an hour of my time was spent chatting with Eric (telling him about the car) then calling my insurance agent and then calling shops to find the parts I'll need to fix the car. When I was finally done with the doctor, he told me that my sinuses looked 100% better and that while he still wanted me to come back in six months for a re-evaluation. He said the option of surgery was (at the moment) my personal preference more than anything else. In six months though he still might recommend it, but right now he said to wait unless I wanted him to operate. Then he showed me my CT scan. It was neat looking at the inside of my own head. How often does one get to see their own skull and brain? It was so nifty! He printed me off a pic. I asked him to email it to me but he couldn't. *snaps fingers* Of course, what the heck would I do with it? Seemed like a good idea at the time when I asked him... *smirk*

So when I got home tonight, I was pleasantly surprised by a box from my SP! Can I just say again how wonderful she is? :) Lookie what she sent me!



A drop spindle, some roving, some roving samples so I can order more, a card, some info on spinning, some nifty knitting needles... and some milk chocolate turtles. *drool* I learned many, many years ago on a wheel... but I'll be honest, I haven't done any spinning in so long, I'll be learning all over again. I'm so excited to start spinning!

Look at the card she sent. I love it! :)



And to top it all off...



They are making an absolute mess of the floor, throwing kibble everywhere, but they are eatting next to each other. No hissing. No fat-tailing. No growling. Yay! This has been a great day!

Back!

I got back from Dayton last night. (And yes, I'm already booked for another trip up there again this Friday!) :) It was great to see Eric! While Dayton itself was dark, dreary and cold, it didn't affect me one bit. :) I got to meet both his roommates; Jeffrey and Richard. They are both great guys. I can see why they all get along so well.

That Friday, Jeffrey and Eric took me to Wilburs. It is the bar in the hotel they had been in when they were in training. I had heard nothing but horror stories about this place and really, it wasn't as bad as they described, but true to form... the bartender -did- strain drinks with her hands. Eeeeeewwwwwww!! We didn't stay for long. They had just wanted to show me the place. *laugh* After that, we went back to their hotel to get Richard and we all ended up going out to a local bar called Celebrity to see a Drag Show/Live Mike competition. It was a lot of fun! I think I'd like to go back to that bar. Cheap cover. Good price on drinks. The DJ was pretty good too. *laugh* While there were a few guys and gals that were just awful, there was one guy with the handle of "Champagne" that was just wonderful! All of us were screaming and clapping whenever he came on stage. I hope he won. We didn't stay long enough to see who won but he really, really deserved it!

On Saturday, Eric and I went shopping in Dayton, then saw Constantine. I'd never read the comic but I really enjoyed the movie. Then Sunday, I flew home. Of course, we did a few other things too *wiggles eyebrows*, but this is not an X-rated blog so... no details for you! *wink*

Here's a few shots of the plane ride up to Dayton:



And another:



Isn't it beautiful? I forgot just how pretty the sky is when you are above the clouds. I took those pics right before we started our descent into Dayton.

Of course, while on the plane, I had plenty of time to knit. Lookie... my Sockapalooza sock is kicking right along!



I'll finish it tonight for sure.

When I got home last night, the cats were fighting. *sigh* But it seemed more of a playful fight than an actual fight. While there was some fat tailing, growling and hissing going on between the both of them, there was some purring too. *shrug* I think they are actually getting along better than before my trip. I just think they were putting on a show for me. *laugh*

Sock it to me...

The sock grows...



a different angle:



I'm halfway through turning the heel. I was going to finish tonight, but I have to finish getting everything set for my trip tomorrow. I'll finish it in the airport. I decided to invest in a Clover pendant too. They have different colors and styles now. See...



While I liked the burnished gold that you normally kind find, I wasn't honestly too keen on the really flowery patterned one. *shrug* Just not me I guess so I was really happy when I saw the other styles and colors. :)

Not much going on with the kitties. There was some nose to nose sniffing again, but this time no hissing. *rae* I was pretty surprised. At one point in the evening, I was resting on the futon and nodded off. When I awoke, I realized I had both cats sleeping on me. :) I think a tenative peace has finally been reached.

Well, I'm off to Dayton for the weekend! Buh-bye!

All kitties. No knitting.

Nope. I didn't get any knitting done today. (Well, not so far...) While I was at work, I was busy putting up decorations for our party on Thursday. When I got home, I chatted with Eric for about an hour and a half and then it was time for dinner. Since then, I've been burning some CD's for Eric so he'll have some music while he's away from home. You know, I didn't realize how long it takes to burn a CD! *shrug* Maybe it's just my computer but whoo, it takes some time! I don't know what I was thinking when I told him I'd fill a case for him. *laugh* I've got about 15 done out of twenty four and I've been burning CD's every night since Sunday!

But I do have some progress to show between Trouble and Velvet. Lookie here. Velvet is taking a bath while Trouble sleeps...:



and another:



Velvet woke Trouble up when she started meowing at me to pay attention to her. *laugh* Would you believe there was no hissing going on during either of these shots? It happened because I had been sitting between them. The phone rang and of course, I had to get up. When I hung up the phone, they were still sitting there. :) I thought, "Wow... they are making progress after all!" and then that is when Velvet got up to get closer to Trouble and Trouble began hissing. Oh well... I spoke too soon. :P

To reply to comments:

Carole, Ana, Wendy, Donny and Monkeemaven... thanks! :) And Donny.. yes... they are supposed to be cheese boobs. LOL! Ana, I ended up getting and keeping that break away collar on Velvet. She struggled for only a few minutes but I think she's pretty well used to it now. And to the other Anna.... thanks for clearing up my Intarsia/Fair Isle confusion for me. :)

Oh and a correction. Azuredrake's friend is Bronwyn. Sorry about that!

Welcome to the family!

*clears throat* Ladies and Gentlemen. Announcing the newest addition to our family... *drum roll* Velvet!



It's hard to see, but she's got a good amount of orange fur. She has one predominantly orange paw. It's hard to see against the carpet, but you can see it. It's her left paw. So cute! Here is the welcoming committee:



Here was the introduction:



Funny... I didn't actually get the shot where Trouble's tail was bigger. ...Cuz it was... A LOT bigger. *laugh*

So there you have it. I finally have another kitty. She's six months old. And her story is a sad one. Her mother first came to Wake County Animal Shelter about six or seven months ago. Heavy with kittens, she would have been put down immediately if not for Amanda from Have a Heart. Amanda took her and placed her in a foster home. There she had 6 kittens (including Velvet). There Velvet lived until about two months ago when she was put into the Oberlin Animal Hospital because the woman that was fostering her just had too many kitties to take care of. Velvet has been sitting in a cage for two months and when I saw her... I just had to have her! She likes to snuggle. She's a purr fiend! And while she didn't say much at all when I first showed up, she talked to me a bit in the car and a bit when I got her home. Right now though, neither Trouble nor Velvet is saying a damn thing. Well... unless all the hissing from Trouble could be considered conversation... *smirk*

Besides that, I had a good day. I went into Raleigh and had lunch with Nik and Justin. Here's Justin at work, working it as usual:



And pimping some cheese...:



No knitting today. I'm in mediation mode as well as trying to keep Velvet from ripping her collar off. Apparently, she's never had one so it was a bit of a fight to get it on her... :)

Seal of Approval!

I got a call this morning from Amanda from Have a Heart Animal Rescue of Raleigh. She's the gal I spoke to about the tortie named Velvet. Well, I've been approved to adopt! Yay! And they know I am declawing her and they have no problem with that. So tomorrow, I'll be going down to Raleigh to actually see her and see if we get a long. If we do... I just might have a new kitty tomorrow. Of course, this also means I will most likely have another pissed off kitty at the house. :)

So that was good news! Then I went off to the Stitch N Bitch in Carboro. Azuredrake was there! See...



She's wearing her lovely Clapotis too. :) And you can see her great Skully bag to my left! Nifty huh? I think she did a great job with it. I'm not a bag person but I'm just loving all the Skully bags everyone is making. I think I'm going to make a small one for clubbing and a big one for another yarn bag.

She also brought her friend Broadwynn. (I hope I spelled that right!) Here they are. This is the composed pic.



And here's the other one. ;)



Broadwynn was really nice. She is going to do the smaller Skully bag with a nice green lopi for the skull. I think it will look great! Sorry I kind of bogarted the conversation ladies! (I can chaaaaaat some times!) :P

In other knitting news, I made some more progress on my Sockapalooza socks. I'm on the fourth stripe and I've decided, I will turn the heel. Yup. Gonna do it. So once I'm done with the green, I'll be turning the heel. Here it is so far...



And here's a close up of the pattern I'm doing in the color change...



Now I'll be honest, being the newbie I am to knitting... I'm not sure if this is considered Intarsia or Fair Isle. I just happened to find the chart in a book. Oh yeah, I'm doing part of this off a chart. :) So with these socks, I am learning to read a chart, do a toe up sock and change colors. Why is it that I always seem to learn three techniques at once when I take on a new project? *shrug* By the way, no you are not seeing things. If you have looked at previous pics of my sock progress so far, you'll see that I was using metal double pointed needles. I bought some wood ones today from Needle Works because I'm going to be flying to Dayton this next Friday and I wanted to be sure that I could bring my knitting on board the plane. I reviewed the TSA guidelines and I should be good. Plus, I have never used wooden double pointed needles. I can tell you, I haven't noticed a difference between the wood and metal for how well the yarn slides. *shrug*

Oh and in reply to some comments:

Koh said: Wow...im usualy not really a cat person (unless they are super friendly and loving to everyone, the hiders make me a little paranoid) but your kitty is soooooooo cute!!!!

Thankies. She's my baby. (Said like 'bay-beh') :)

Gotta focus...

Okay so I was sitting here, working on a different project and looking at my Sockapalooza sock, thinking to myself... "I've got all sorts of time. They don't have to be done until March." That's when it hit me like a bolt of lightening... March is in about 18 days! Holy crap! So I made some good progress this past hour. See...



I'm not the fastest knitter in the universe so I really, really need to focus. The thing is, I am not sure if I want to turn the heel or just make a set of tube socks. I also have a green yarn to add to the stripes. (That should be nifty!) I think I'll wait and see how it looks when I finish the green row.

I think Eric's just been on my mind too much lately. He left for Dayton this morning at 4:30. He drove up so he'd have his car while he was there for the next few months. I'm so glad he took his car (the Jeep) because it has four wheel drive and he told me the snow was pretty bad on the way through West Virginia. It took him right on about 8 hours to get there. Not bad at all considering the weather he ran into...

Good news though! I'm confirmed on a list *laugh* for a flight to see him on the 18th. So really, it's not too long from now that I'll be able to see him again.

Now it's off to bed because it's midnight and man am I tired! I really, really need to get some rest tonight... I have sign language class in the morning. :)

Kitty update and a sock grows...

So I wrote back to that lovely lady about the cats I was interested in. Here's what I said:

I am aware of the procedure and how it is accomplished. It is why I would find a veterinarian in the area that either does the tendon clip, or uses the laser procedure. I know exactly what the procedure entails. When I had Trouble declawed, I interviewed about a dozen veterinary clinics, asking them all about how the procedure was done, and the potential complications. I got references from some of their clients' owners. I was assured that Layton Veterinary, while they did do the last digit removal, was the best, most comfortable and most humane. I even asked the clinic about such things. I can honestly tell you that I am extremely surprised, nay shocked, that I would be declined on this one condition/consideration alone. If you contact my veterinary references, you would see that I have done everything and more than the average pet owner to make sure that my animals are comfortable, happy and healthy. I just took Trouble to the clinic this past month for her yearly checkup and shots. Would your office reconsider if I was able to find someone that performed the laser surgery? Yes it's expensive, but it was my intention in the first place when I thought to adopt another animal. I had sincerely hoped to rescue another animal from life in a shelter but I guess I was incorrect. I wish you all the best of luck in finding them good, happy homes and hope that I can find another cat for our home. Have a good day, and I thank you for your time.

I think I was pretty rational all things considered... Here's her reply this morning:

Lisa - As a private, foster-based rescue group, we urge adopters to find other alternatives to declawing, including "Soft Paws", a rubber tip that can be applied to cat's nails, if a scratching post proves inadequate. It's wonderful that you are looking to rescue a cat that otherwise would have no chance. Independent Animal Rescue brings in dogs and cats from all over the Triangle, including rescue from shelters, and our volunteers keep the animals in their own homes until we are able to place them permanently with adopters. However, there are many previously declawed cats surrendered to shelters in Durham, Orange, and Wake counties, and your rescue from there would also save a cat's life and provide a loving home.Let me know if I can be of any further help.

Rubber tips?! So I decided she was a crack fiend and called my vet. She informed me that she performs the tendon snip and finds it quite humane. Go fig! And she even had a contact for me to a woman in Raleigh that helps place shelter kitties. Amanda is her name. She has a tortoiseshell. 6 months old even. Her name is Velvet. And no, Amanda doesn't care if I declaw the cat. Hopefully I'll be able to meet Velvet sometime this week to see if we are compatible.

I stopped by the Orange County Animal Shelter to see one kitty they had there named Summer. It seems Summer and I didn't hit it off. While she was a sweetie, she was more interested in the woman next to me than me. *shrug* This is why I want to go meet all the potential kitties I'd be interested in to see if they would be interested in me too. Hopefully that woman that had been next to me took little Summer home with her. :)

So with all of that out of the way, I got to working on my Sockapalooza socks. Yay! Lookie... a toe!



I've never tried any such pattern but hey... we'll see how it goes! :)

I just got told I am inhumane. Reeeeeally?

Yup. I did. This all started because Eric told me I could have another cat. *blink* He had restrictions:

1. Must be a female. Fine!
2. Must be another tortie. Fine!
3. Must be declawed. Fine!
4. Must be a kitten or a real young kitty. Fine!

The rule had stood for so long... I wasted no time in looking online for a new kitten. What rule you ask? I was regulated to one mammal of twenty pounds or less. *laugh* If not for that rule... the house would be overrun with small, furry mammals. :) I found three at a shelter in Durham that I was interested in. I filled out the questionnaire and submitted it. I got this back as a reply:

Lisa - We received your application; you have indicated that your current cat is declawed, and that you plan to declaw the cat you would adopt from us. Until I began volunteering for Independent Animal Rescue, I did not know exactly what cat declawing entailed. I would have thought it was only removing the nail,but it is actually removal of part of the digit, comparable in humans to removing from the last knuckle up. It can be considered inhumane, and many vets will no longer perform the procedure. Independent Animal Rescue works to educate in this area, and when we find homes for the cats we have rescued, we ask that there be no intention to declaw the animal. Unfortunately, we will not be able to pursue adoption in this case, and urge you to contact local shelters for cats that have already been declawed, if that is what you prefer. If I can answer any questions you may have, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank-you!

*blink* ... *double blink* I got declined?! *blink* WTF? I had to read this email about four times before I realized what she was saying. I ended up replying to the email, explaining just how shocked I was. I even offered the possibility of getting the tendon snip procedure or even the laser surgery option. Neither would remove the last digit. I gave two references for the veterinarians I have taken Trouble to since I adopted her. I also commented in the email that I would have preferred to give a cat a good home but if they prefer to leave the animal in the shelter in a cage for the rest of its life, so be it. -That- seems inhumane to me... *shrug* I guess I'll have to wait and see if they reply. As will Trouble. This is her waiting for a little sister:



Isn't she a cutie? Look at that face. Is that not the face of a happy kitty wanting to get on mommy's lap while she's typing? Now how could anyone think I am inhumane? Did I mention that I went to college to be a veterinarian? No? Well the reason I'm not one is because I ran out of money my second year. I don't know... maybe I'll check a few other shelters and see what they have to say about the whole situation. I'll call my vet in the morning too and talk to her about how she feels about declawing. *shakes head*

On to other things. Eric is in Philadelphia tonight. He's on his IOE (Initial Operating Experience). It begins tomorrow with five flights. He'll be watching the flight attendant, taking notes and assisting him/her. Then on Tuesday, he's got three flights. On these three he will be the only flight attendant on duty. The person testing him will not be able to assist him. They will just observe and grade him. Then on Tuesday afternoon, he'll come home for two days. He was so nervous last night, he didn't sleep very well. We had a good nap in the middle of the day and then I put him on the plane to Philly. He called about an hour ago. He's feeling good about the whole thing but is still a bit nervous. I'm sure he'll do well. He said he's going to have a three hour layover between flights in D.C. Ugh. He'd give me call then to let me know how the day is going.

And now, on to the knitting! I finished the first of four scarves for the troops. See...:



Here's a close up of the pattern:



This pattern sucked up three of four balls of yarn to make. I think for the other ones, I'll use a different pattern. Maybe one of the actual Zib's Sniper Cozies website. There are some good, quick patterns there too.

I've gotten a little further on my other sock too. Those dominos are kicking my ass! I knew I should have made the other cuff when I finished the first one. *laugh* Lesson learned there!

Okies, so I have changed my mind no less than four times as to what the heck I am going to do for my Sockapalooza pal but I have finally made up my mind! I'm casting on tomorrow. I pinky swear!

Tag! I'm it!

Ah ha! I have been tagged by Wendy and I must answer the following questions. Here I go:

1. Total amount of music files on your computer?
None. Funny huh?

2. The CD you last bought is?
Labyrinth by Juno Reactor. Totally rocks.

3. What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?
The Crablouse by Lords of Acid (yes, I know, I'm a dirty girl!)

4. Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you
Mad About You - Sting (Makes me think of Eric and he said long ago, it makes him think of me)
The Way Love Goes - Janet Jackson (Only song Eric has ever danced with me to)
Bounce Around the Room - Phish (Reminds me of just how happy I am to snuggle in bed)
P.E.T.R.O.L. - Orbital (First song I listened to as we drove out of Utah! Good riddance!)
Save Me - The Tea Party (Reminds me of how lucky I am my husband never had to go to combat.)
(Wow, it's mostly romance related... Wow, I -am- a sucker for some sweet loving!) *snicker*

5. Who are you going to pass this stick to? (3 persons) and why?
To Azuredrake because we just met and heck, I haven't sent her nearly enough spam yet! *laugh*
To Helen because heck, she helped me with my blog and I haven't spammed her enough either! *snicker*
And to Glittrgirl because we both enjoy a few good sparkly things.

And to you three lovely ladies that I have beset with being tagged... it's not that I don't love you... it's that this is not normally my gig, it seemed fun and well, you were the first three people I thought of that I knew I had not offended yet. LOL!

Now to the knitting!

Here's that scarf I've been working on:



and a close up:



If not for the fact that I've been helping Eric with getting housing set up for Dayton, I'd have finished this by now. Poor guy... he thought he had his crash pad (temp housing) set up in Dayton but the deal fell through. The damn hotel they had been negotiating with decided to quadruple the price. So he and 19 other people are now scrambling to find a place to live for the next few months in only a few days. I think I have a few good leads though... hopefully they pan out in the morning. I'm so glad I could help... it's what I'm good at. I'd hate for him to have to stay at that awful hotel he was at for training but if he has to, he has to. Wish me luck. I'll be putting on my best wheeling and dealing hat tomorrow!

And with regards to Wendy's comments posted yesterday: And your boobs comments makes me think I do some strange contortions to poke myself on purpose or something...hum.

Yeah. I don't know how I do it, but no matter how far I try to keep my hands from my chest while working with double pointed needles, sooner or later, a boob gets poked by one! *shrug* Like I said, maybe I'm just a bit too enthusiastic about sock knitting... *a wink and a giggle*