Hey, hi, hello

As I sit here, nursing my minor hangover (which is really just me being reeeeeally tired; I didn't drink nearly enough to warrant it), I finally decided I felt up to reading through the family blogs. I haven't looked at them in several months; I didn't want to know what everyone thought, remembered, wrote about Grandpa. Today, though? It's sad, but it makes me remember good things. Bittersweet. I don't think I'm up to writing my own, and I'm definitely not up to touching THAT AFGHAN, but....baby steps, y'know?

I'm eagerly awaiting my pizza. I decided I deserve a treat. Olives and tomatoes on the pizza, then also chicken...nuggets? And breadsticks! I won't eat it all at once, don't worry.

The times, they are a-changing.

It's Christmas at Ground Zero

When will I learn to make gifts ahead of time? It's crunch time again! I'm nearly done with the birthday gifts I need by Saturday night (finishing to occur on-site...buttons must fit properly), but I have so many Christmas gifts to make! Luckily, most of what I've picked is with worsted-weight or larger; some even use SUPER BULKY. Quick work-ups, and they won't hurt my fingers as much. The things I'm making right now are on #1 straight needles. I'm actually kind of afraid I'll break them before I'm done. They've already bent (they're bamboo) into a curve, and one of them has a bit of a ditch going on the side. I'll keep on, it'll work out. I only have 16 more rows, and some of them are short-rows! Super exciting stuff.

After all of the holiday nonsense is over with, there are a lot of things I want to do without a time limit. I'm making some surprises for my grandparents. They don't like to ask/accept things, so I just decided to go ahead and do it. They may end up seeing this some day, though, so I won't say what I'm making. Just in case.

I also need to finish several gifts from years past. Amanda's gift has been languishing for years, at this point. Stupid hardware. I can't find it! It's the most frustrating thing. The damn gift is done. I just can't find the hardware I need for it. I also have most of one slipper, for Kate. I forgot where I was on it, so I may pull it out and start over, but it's doubled yarn on...a K-hook? Something like that, nice and big.

Then, of course, there are the helmetliners I've been promising my brothers forever. Rob may not want his anymore, he's being sent to Hawaii, but Jake's still in Afghanistan for another 8 months, or so, so I want to get it done. He's based in Colorado, too, so I think he's cold a lot. I've offered, in general on Facebook, to make them for other people I know who are in the military, but I don't think most of them read my posts. It's mainly people I knew in high school. I'll still make 'em, though. For serious.

Joey broke jail, yesterday. That was exciting. He also ate my only pair of jeans. Well, they were my only INTACT pair of jeans, until this happened. Looks like I'm wearing khakis for a while.

I guess I could wear PJ pants, but I guess I've grown up enough that wearing them beyond lounging on the couch just seems a little.....low-brow to me, now. I'm sure my mommy's very proud. I'll be lounging on her couches in them, soon enough, though, so she'll surely get sick of them. Or something.

Super tired. Brain's doing funky things, but I can't fall asleep yet. AAAAARRRRRRRGH.

I have to open one job tomorrow (in at 730a), then close the other (out at 12a), and then on Friday, I open again (in at 730a). It's going to be terrible. I might be delirious, at the end of it all. I'm off Saturday, though! It's the day of the annual Wine Party. Mmmmm, wine.

Mmmmm, wine.

Clumsiness is genetic.

I have a long-standing disagreement with my right ankle. In the last couple of years, my left ankle has joined the fight. I don't think it needs to be said, but it's joined the right, not me. At this stage, at least once a week I have a minor sprain. I fell twice, ten minutes ago, while I was walking the dog. Once for each ankle. Well, not exactly. The left one was more of the foot twisting, not the ankle. The right was a full-on roll. Ouch. I need a hot pack.

This goes back to when I was 14 (-ish? I think). I was walking our two dogs, each around 70 lbs or so, down the deck stairs, and something happened, and I fell down the stairs. It was my first real sprain, and holy crap. My fabulous sister got me ice packs, and was very sweet to me, and I used crutches for a little while. Some weeks later, I was walking to strengthen the joint (and because you should walk, it's good for you, and because Mom said to), and I fell about halfway through my walk. I had to walk all the way back, on a re-sprained ankle. It's just been downhill from there.

Several years ago, I had what's called a Brostrom procedure to reattach the ligaments, which I had torn. From what I remember of his explanation, the orthopedist said I had completely severed one ligament, and I had smallish tears on others. It was a painful couple of months, but I made a decent recovery.....mostly. It's much stronger now. Before the surgery, I'd fall constantly, and it hurt, and I couldn't not limp. You shouldn't limp, it worsens your gait, but I just couldn't walk normally. In the best phase post-op, I had significantly less pain, and I was barely falling at all. Maybe one bad one every few months or so. I never have no pain in this ankle, but it's a dull ache most of the time.

The last six months or so, it's just gotten so much worse. Falling so frequently. I've even had to dig out my old braces, steal wraps from Ben (his injuries are a different story...he's a mechanic who has had a car fall on him, soooooo that's what that's about).

Waaaaaah.

This hot pack's pretty nice, though.

It's his fault you choked on a hamburger

I'm watching Christine with a couple of friends. It's hilarious. I'm fairly sure that's not the most common response.

I was reading the family blog (Illegitimus Non Carborundum), and Em's talking me up. I'm a "budding German/Spanish high school teacher" in that I'd like to do that...but that's about it. I don't know if you know this, but if you don't use a language for years, you start to lose your vocabulary. I still remember the basics, a smattering of weird words, and also some basic grammar, but I have to think really hard to come up with a cohesive sentence.

Pi randomly has colored patches on him. Not the usual black splotches, these are red, brown, etc. I think he lies in his food, or something.

I'm reinterpreting a pattern for girl-sized wristwarmers. It's mental exercise. I finished one, and I'm just giddy at how I did it.

I'm watching the kids wreck up the car here, on this movie, and I'm just waiting for them to get eaten.

It's John Carpenter.

The world is his vampire.

Sandwiches are Beautiful

Ben's been in Charlotte for the "AAA Superbowl of Knowledge" convention. Last night was an open bar, but I'm reasonably sure he survived (he was alive as of 10:50pm, anyway). I've been alone all weekend.

When I don't have a responsible adult to provide an example of what grown-ups and real people do, I devolve into a creature of the night. Friday night, I was up until after 4. Last night? It was 5am. I only really went to bed then because I can't quite bring myself to be up 'till sunrise. Not just yet, anyway. Maybe some day I won't be working, or I'll be working a fun job, or a from-home job, and I can do what I want, as far as my sleep schedule goes.

I've gotten a lot of knitting done this week. I finished 2 hats (to give as gifts), then I made a washcloth. I don't know why I made a washcloth, but I did. It's spring green cotton, and it has a heart on it. Would anyone like a washcloth? I also made the first of a pair of wine-red wristwarmers. I'm working on the second one right now. I dunno, I've just been sitting, staring at the television and knitting.

We use the Netflix free streaming to the Wii and the Xbox. Actually, I use the Wii, and Ben uses the Xbox. I've never used the Xbox, and I don't really want to. The Wii works basically like any other remote. It's simple, for my simple mind. Yes, I have a more complex mind to use, but if I'm already rotting my brains, I don't want to contaminate the complex part.

Purple monkey dishwasher.

That's not a non-sequitur, I found a pair of wristwarmers to knit flat (not the ones I'm working on now), with that name. It's from "The Simpsons" a while back, Homer yells it out randomly. I don't remember the context.

I think the key to getting myself to blog and get things out of my head is to make myself relax. I don't ever pull up the "new post" window because I think that whatever I'm going to write isn't something the world at large, or even my family, will care about. You know what, though? I don't care today. Stream of consciousness.

I think the main thing that has helped me with that line of thought is reading Hyperbole and a Half. I read through everything she's written, and it's all very interesting and entertaining. It keeps my attention. Maybe someone out there will like me, too.

I'm going to go shower and dress myself. I've been wearing the same pajamas for 2 days now.

Inconsistency kills training

My dog is usually fairly well-behaved. He's quiet at bedtime, he doesn't chase the cat, and he NEVER barks. He hasn't peed inside since the first day we brought him home. Yeah, he poops in the kitchen now and then, but I'm pretty sure we're just bad at reading his "walkies time" cues. Mom tells me to train him with a bell, like her dog does, but he's afraid of things like that. All-in-all, pretty good.

We haven't had to put him in "jail" more than once every few months or so for a long time. He's always been fairly good at taking cues on what he can chew and what he can't. I give him lots of toys, so that probably helps. Lately, though, he's been a pretty bad dog. We'll wake up or come home to shredded crap all over the floor. Paper, food, medicine, plastic wrappers, pencils (wooden and mechanical), anything he can find on the table or in the living room trash cans. It's usually Ben who finds it, and he'll fuss at the dog for a few minutes before just cleaning up and moving on. I think this has given Joey the idea that it's okay to do, as long as he doesn't get caught.

When we first got Joey, he'd be in Jail when we were gone, and sometimes all night, too. As he began to behave, we started letting him out more and more until he had complete freedom. I think that he has really taken this freedom to mean that he can do whatever he wants when we're not here.

No more. Joey's in jail as I sit here typing. I'm still cleaning up the mess I found this morning. He ate a cough/cold pill. It's half of the dose, so he's probably going to be just fine, but still. That and eating pencils is bad for him, and I'm sick of the mess. He'll be jailed for every infraction, for at least a couple of hours. Maybe he'll take the hint. Maybe he won't. I don't know, but either he'll start behaving himself or he'll start living in his crate.

Vindication!

I knew I'd slack off. I haven't completely abandoned this yet, though. I feel better knowing that all of my relatives have also been slacking :)

I got a ticket this morning. Boooo. I learned a valuable lesson, though. That Charger isn't tailgating you. It's a f#$@ing cop!