good and bad

So on my way home today I was kinda proud of myself, thinking I had a relatively productive day. At the end of the work day I realized I didn't really check out all my usual websites I look at to take a break, or pass the time if I feel bored. I was actually busy enough to get some things done without really having much time to slack. A pretty good day. I got in to work a little later than usual b/c one of our cars is in the shop so VAP dropped me off at the MARC train station and was going to pick me up at night. I ended up taking the train right after my usual one so I could make up some time from the morning. As our train stopped at Riversdale, College Park, and then Greenbelt things were going fine until it stopped a minute or so after leaving Greenbelt. Turns out there was an accident up ahead that damaged the tracks and we couldn't go forward. Well, we couldn't go backwards either b/c there were trains behind us, so we had to wait where we were till the traffic controllers could coordinate a massive redirect of all the Camden line trains. No one could come south and no one could go north past this spot till they determined the damage. Our train finally got the go ahead to head back three stops to Riversdale where there was a cross over and then all trains were going to have to single-track between there and some point north where there was also a cross over. Well, that means all the regular trains doing the N/S commute had to take turns on this 10 mile or so stretch one at a time. By this time we are already 40 or so mins late. Once we started back tracking they let us off at Greenbelt if we wanted to get off and find alternate transportation. After a few frantic moments of not being able to get VAP on the phone I finally got him and told him to head to Greenbelt ASAP. I wasn't about the get off the warm train and wait essentially outdoors at Greenbelt w/o knowing if he was able to come get me. Lucky for me [and him] he was. He picked me up about 7:15 and we decided to get some Thai food in Greenbelt. Finally got home about 8:45. From what I can tell, the train I was on should have finally rolled through my station about 8:30, about 2.5 hours past the normal time. Still proud of my semi-productive day at work, but it stinks that something always happens to mess up your good mood. It's just like when you get the day started early and you are all proud of yourself and have plans for an awesome day and then the bus is late and you are late to work- sometimes you just can't win.

At least tomorrow is my "Friday"! Hope everyone is having a good week, despite any things that try to get in the way.

2009 Christmas Tree

Some pics of the Christmas tree. [and Betty in the foreground]

[ps. someone needs to teach me how to make the cool online collages so I don't post a long line of pics...any suggestions?]

Sweater Updates

So, I'll show a few pics of the sweater, since I've been lazy about updating.
This is from a week ago after the class. The top is the collar, but I haven't started the actual collar yet [check out the link a in the post where I show the pattern link]. So that will be added later. The yellow yarn on the left and right is holding the stitches for the sleeves. I just finished the part where you put the sleeve stitches on 'waste yarn' and hold them till you wan to finish them separately later. The only stitches left on the needles are for the body.
This my current progress. Hopefully you can see how it's going to look a little now. It's a cardigan so the two cables in the center are the front. I got excited when it got to the point it actually started looking like a real sweater not just a loop of yarn on the needles.

Alright, back to the knitting while I still have some time on my hands. Hope everyone is enjoying the snow. Here's what my back deck looked like this morning.

Sweater Update

So, I'm super excited for my new sweater I started Sunday. The woman who teaches the class is really nice and helpful and more than happy to answer all my questions and make my insecure knitter self feel better. So it doesn't look like much yet and is all curled up but I'm started! The yarn I chose is an acrylic/wood blend so its easier to care for and it was cheaper, nice yarn is expensive!

So there's no color name, it's something like color "0670" so I'm calling it "dusty green with flecks of pink." It doesn't look as green in the pics as in real life, but here are some pics:


It's knit "in the round" which means its one large needle which looks like two needles with a string in between. It helps you knit larger things and things that are shaped like a tube. So, I've hit a problem with the pattern, the number of stitches it says I should have when I get to a certain point is not what I have, so I have an email in to the teacher. I don't want to be put on hold for a week since I need to make progress for the next class Sunday. I feel like pushing my work and the rest of my life out of the way so I can just work on this sweater but stupid work keeps me away from the shop during the hours it's open...maybe I can take a break tomorrow when working from home....

Ok, enough on that. I'm taking VAP to the oral surgeon Wednesday to get his wisdom teeth out. He's a little nervous about being put under but I'm trying to tell him he's gonna be fine. I myself had a horrible dry socket or infection thing that put me out of commission for several days and helped me lose like 7 lbs [not a bad side effect]. But that's not common. We're not all that excited about how much it costs, over $1,000, thank you crappy insurance! I wish he had all of his and I had the rest of mine [2 left] done when we both had our parent's insurance and parents to pay for it. But oh well, we're adults I guess. boooooo. Why do we have wisdom teeth anyway? If almost everyone has problems with them what has evolution done that we don't need them now but we have them?

Knitting Fun

So, even though I was sick for a while, I had some joy in that I got to wear my newly finished cabled hat that I knit!

I actually made this same hat in a different yarn a few years ago but didn't check my 'gauge' [the process that makes sure the size of the needles is appropriate so that your garment fits correctly] and the hat was barely big enough for a baby :-( This time I checked my needle size correctly and it fit! Now I'm making another one for a Christmas gift.

Today I'm starting a class at a local yarn shop. The class is for 4, 2-hour sessions where I will learn how to make this sweater, the Mondo Cable Cardi. I'm super excited b/c I really want to start making things I can wear, not just hats, scarfs, and blankets. But I'm also nervous b/c it's obviously harder to make a sweater than a big square or rectangle...but that's what I'm paying for the class for I guess right? So, I'll post my progress this afternoon if it's worth it.

Now it's time to get some cleaning and decorating done!

cough cough

I'm home sick today, little bit of a cough, no real sore throat just cough that makes the rest of me hurt :-( I debated going to work today but at 5 am who really feels good enough to go to work? So, I'm home and I'm glad. However, I feel guilty about using a day of sick leave. I have LOTS of sick leave, over 5 weeks, but all I think about is that I have to save that up in case...one day...I decide to have kids. Contrary to what I would ever believe, the US Federal govt. does NOT give you maternity leave, nada. You have to use your own sick leave or take leave without pay. So here I am sick, should probably not be at work, and I feel bad for trying to get better because I'm stealing a day from myself that years from now I might need...crazy. There's plans to pass a new law that allows parental leave, something like 4 weeks for maternity leave, but who knows when that will happen. Until then I feel the need to hoard my sick leave for the future possibility of kids.

I'm going to sit on the couch and relax and try to at least enjoy not being at work :-)

it doesn't take much...

...to make my day sometimes. Monday when I was leaving work I walked past the valet parking office of my building and waved goodbye to the security guards and the parking gentlemen that I see most days. This one gentleman in particular always says hello, calls me young lady and asks how I'm going. Yesterday he asked if I was going to watch football that night. I said probably not but my husband was. He gave me this look like, "you are married!?" Then he said something about thinking I wasn't old enough, saying I couldn't be that far out of high school. Now, I am not one of those women that feels like I look old or needs to be told I look good for my age or something, but there was something about the way this man said it, that was sweet and very complimentary. I see him most days and he always has a smile on his face and asks how I am and really means it. I honestly do not even know his name. After walking by every day and starting to say hi, good morning and the usual pleasantries we started to have a little hello/goodbye relationship going on. There is one other gentleman that is in the booth every morning. If he sees me walking by he gets this big smile and waves really big and mimes good morning. Again, don't even know this guys name but I make sure to look for him every morning because if I see him and he waves hello, there's just something so nice about that gesture that it makes me smile every time. I think they have a job where most people don't stop to say hi and wait to listen about how their day is going, so when someone does, they really appreciate it. And even though I work in an office all day where I see people and we talk and know a little about each other's lives, it's not the same-these guys are just sweet, kind people. It's the little things sometimes that can make your day.