2 Years, 2 Months, 3 Weeks, 1 Day

This "little" project first debuted on the blog in September 2006 as I was settling into my life in Boston and having an itch to knit something substantial for J, who I was missing terribly and whose previous Go-To sweater had recently retired.

It was just a quick little thing - simple, mindless knitting, you know.

And that was its downfall. I'll spare the excuses. Truth is, this one bored me to tears, and was the easiest project to talk myself out of working on...EVER.

As winter again approached (for the third time) without J having a beloved grey sweater, it was time to buckle down. The last of the knitting was finished during the Olympics, and still, the seaming loomed ahead. I managed to put that off awhile longer.

And then, the pinky swear. J would have a sweater before Thanksgiving, and Pam witnessed and would be holding me to it.

Finally, c'est fini.

I could say that it was a "labor of love" - in truth, it was. If it weren't for my beloved husband, I would have frogged this damn thing 2 winters ago.



Pattern: Cambridge Jacket from Summer 2006 IK (rav link)
Yarn: Cascade 220 in Charcoal Gray
Needles: US7 (4.5mm) and 6 (4.0mm)
Started: 18 September 2006
Finished: 9 November 2008
Notes: Really, it is quite a handsome sweater. Attractive in its simplicity. That said, I hated the color (there is nothing more boring than miles of grey) , I hated the yarn (Cascade 220 as a work horse yarn - true - but NOT enjoyable), and I hated the infinite purling that goes into pieced sweaters. I won't mention further, but I never did get it seamed quite right - at this point, it looks fine and I am DONE. This project was so mindless that it was mind numbing, and not in a good way.


But - he loves it. And isn't it cute on him? Well....I guess I'm glad I did it. And maybe I'll knit him something else. More interesting.

The Game of Chicken

Various counselors over the years have told me that it doesn't serve me well to keep my feelings bottled up. After what I've been through in the past couple of days, where I am now, and where I'm going in the next few days, I'm rendered quite afraid and mostly speechless.

So, I thought I would draw a picture to express my feelings.

One of a long line of traits that I firmly believe that I can attribute to nature over nurture is my aversion to doctors. Or, at a more global level, I have "control issues." I know this, I accept this - but that doesn't make anything one damn bit better. Basically, anything unknown or out of my control sends me into a one-track-mind fit of two-year-old-style PANIC.

Enter flight anxiety meds, for example.

Or - strange pains that seem to be one thing, may not be, and leave me sitting for days on end convinced that I'm dying. Drama! Drama! The sky is falling!

After visiting two doctors and being poked and prodded every which way, I am no closer to an answer. Last time, the doctor felt Frankie right away. This time, he felt nothing. Good? Bad? What about the other symptoms - actual? Psychological?

Today finds me tired, feeling a little bit better on the pain front but now with other symptoms and a knot (tumor? DEATH?) in my stomach, and just waiting for more tests. Ultrasound. Then a CT scan on Monday morning. Then a blood allergy test. I'll be at this until next week - maybe by this time a week from now, I'll have a clue what's wrong with me. Maybe not.

My mother says I should feel "relieved" - my doctors have suspicions that do not involve imminent danger or death, and they are proactive in sending me for further testing. I interpret this as SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH MY BODY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IF IT'S KILLING ME? WHAT IF THEY'RE WRONG?

Likely, not a helpful mindset, but not one that I've ever been able to talk myself down from.

Three things I have established at this point:

1. Anyone coming after me with an IV for the contrast for this CT scan gets ONE FUCKING SHOT to put the needle in, and then, I will deck them.
2. I am hereby providing fair warning to any medical professionals in the vicinity - it's called SYMPATHY. Please act for once like you have a goddamned heart or I will make your day miserable. (We Bad Patients require skills AND a good bedside manner.)
3. Mojitos and flight anxiety meds are my friends for the time being.

Finally, I partially rescind my comments on being thrilled with being 30. As my 90-something year old grandmother-in-law (may she rest in peace) once said: "Sweetie, the engine's runnin' but the parts are fallin' off!" Parts have started falling off far earlier than anticipated and I am NOT a fan of this.

)@&#%)&#%)@&$%)@&*

He's back. Not him - something like him. Or more likely - not. It can't be the same thing because of when he's here and the medication I'm on, but it hurts, and I'm scared. Same side - started yesterday. I won't be waiting it out this time - I'm calling the doctor Monday.

Frankie.

You stupid f*cker.

You ARE DEAD MEAT.

So - Which do YOU Choose?

Bacon, or Fries?

If I to really make that choice, I'm not sure I could. I mean, it's BACON! Tasty, fatty, bacony goodness. BLT's rock my world.

And fries are the best vehicle EVER for ketchup.....what to do?

Well, the people of District 14 in Colorado have voted, and the winner is......

Thanks to Laura for this one - hil-ARious....!!!

Returns

After seeing the lines on the way into work in the morning (an HOUR before the polls opened), J and I decided to leave an hour early to get to the polls and hopefully avoid long lines. Everyone else had the same idea - traffic was atrocious. But - the polls?

*crickets*

Well. Lesson learned.

We spent the evening watching returns, with me progressively getting more stressed and cranky and plotting to move to Canada, while J told me repeatedly that I just needed to calm down. He's right, but I just get so wound up. There's a reason I don't typically watch sports, or debates, or....election returns. Finally, awhile after J had grown frustrated with me and left the room, I just determined I needed to go to bed and turn it off. I'm glad I did, or I would have been up half the night and hubs probably would have strangled me.

Nonetheless - I'm pretty thrilled with the outcome. It was a historic event, and for the first time in however many years I've been able to vote, I'm pretty pleased with both my choice and the nation's choice. Usually, it feels like I'm voting for the lesser of two evils, but this time, I have some hope for our President's potential. Here's hoping he can rally the government the way he has rallied the people. He's got a lot on his plate.

And now, for a new sticker. After the incident, I had a Red Sox sticker. Eventually, I started to like having a sticker there, and kinda haven't had it fixed. A couple of months back, I switched to an Obama-Biden sticker. I don't want to be one of those people who still have a candidate's sticker on my car 4 years later, so - now what? Too early for the Sox again....hmm...any thoughts? Must be oval, not a huge bumper sticker.

Or, maybe I should just suck it up and get my bumper fixed.

I Think A Diet May Be in Order.....

Stewie: "Uh, Mom? Max is fat enough to balance himself on the chair...did you notice this?"
(Taken with phone, hence crappy - but hilarious - picture)

What Sick Looks Like

J's got a cold of some sort, and he's been "kind" enough to pass it on to me. I'm not totally sick yet, but I'm tired and a bit congested, which is always a good time. Combined with a cold, blustery, rainy evening, we aimed to stay awake until at least 8:30 and huddle under blankets on the couch. Time for a batch of our favorite Tortilla Soup.

Mostly, "sick" looks like no makeup, comfy clothes, and cuddly animals.....

Really, if I had opposable thumbs, I could SO cook a better meal than this. Srsly.

The orange kitteh prepares to purr his round self off the table.

Calm. For once.

Probably the only smiling I did all day. Ugh.

We made it until 9:30, probably only because Dancing with the Stars was on. There's serious Halloween festivities to be had this weekend, so getting better is a top priority.

If anyone needs me, I'll be at work and then sound asleep. Zzzzzzz.