Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Ahhhh...My Precious...

...aka The Post Of a Lunchtime Trip to The LYS for Some Decent US1 Circulars That Resulted In...

Yes...yes, ladies and gentlemen. I, Betharoopie, am now the proud owner of some addi Turbos (cue Brenda's pssshhaaaooowwwwnnnn sound effect here - for non-Cast-On-listeners, it's very lightsaber-y). Well, that and some more Mountain Colors sock yarn (Burgundy above, Deep Grape below - this pic does the colors absofrellinlutely no good). I'm hoping to make Joe some nice cabled socks that he will actually wear.

Of course, this is after the Snarktember Sockalong that starts THIS SATURDAY. I'm furiously trying out my new mad skillz (and addi Turbos...pssshhaaaooowwwwnnnn) so I can participate in this competition for the most righteous of handspuns!

Note to self: lay off the caffeine so late in the day...

Monday, August 27, 2007

ANSWERS!

Only because 8 people will never respond, and I have no patience...

1) TRUE - I have played piano since I can remember. I've played recitals, weddings (ach, if we hear Pachelbel's Canon one more time, Pammy!), receptions, graduations, judged competitions, etc. But I *HATE* playing in front of people. I always have. Most days I play when I'm alone now. I love it, but I hate it...

2) PARTIALLY TRUE - Everything about that statement was pretty much true except for dating Alan Jackson's nephew. I had a major crush on him, and I hung out with them a lot (there were a lot of GT boys I had the hots for, let me tell ya), but he never paid me no mind. Don't know why, though...I'm such a catch... ;)

3) TRUE - Yes, Eric - they scheduled SATs on a UGA home game day. I called Pam's parents, and Sherrie answered. I was so very happy to have someone rescue me. Yes, it was a boneheaded move on the part of the test folks. Let's hope they learned from their mistakes.

4) TRUE - Yes, I just about took home a stranded kitty from Arkansas. At the time, I was flying the corporate jet (sounds impressive, but it wasn't), and I was thinking of how I'd get her on the plane. Fortunately there was a cat rescue group in Ashley County, where I was working, and I found out later a former coworker adopter her. The kitten later died of a disease, but she was happy until her final days.

5) FALSE - I should have known you Athens gals would have known that. Our school did have a wall knocked down from a tornado, but I think it was a weekend, and it was a wall that did nothing but shield a parking lot and say "Barnett Shoals" on the side.

6) TRUE - My dad and I raised white wyandotte bantams early on, then after he retired from his "day job" he started with different breeds. Here's something I found just tonight - he wrote this about a year before he died. He'd won a few awards at the national level, and people paid for chicks from his top-winning birds - from all over the country. One of these days I might share what his dear "chicken buddy" friend wrote about him in the publications. He was something.

7) I did meet Joe in a bowling alley parking lot - somewhere near the Dollar Theater on Buford Hwy in Atlanta. I thought he looked like Mario from Nintendo, and I thought it was odd he brought his own ball and shoes. I was totally infatuated with his friend, Neil. I found out soon enough what a hound dog Neil was, and at the mutual birthday bash (me, Pete, and Joe), Joe showed up with a white stuffed elephant (after I'd mentioned that the way to a girl's heart is through cute stuffed animals) and a card with a trumpet-and-sax-and-trombone-playing rabbit that said "I have the hornies for you." Tim was our wonderful designated driver while Joe first hit on me, then I totally tumbled for him. The rest is history...er...until he passed out and gave us the BEST party photos ever. ;)

Well, that's it. Thanks for reading my self-indulgent tirade.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Eight Random Things

Okay - I'm stealing this (tewtally) from Mistress Snark, and here are the rules...

RULES: We have to post these rules before we give you the facts. Players start with 8 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their own blog post about their eight things and post these rules. At the end of your post, you need to choose eight people who get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they are tagged.

Let's just say I don't think eight people even read this, so - for what it's worth - it's just "out there."

1) I began piano lessons when I was four. I continued until I was in my early teens, when my teacher recommended I try another teacher to learn more (better! faster!). I had another instructor until I went to college, then I studied for a few semesters with the music professor. While I rejoice in Chopin and Rachmaninoff when I'm alone, I can barely play Chopsticks in front of others.

2) When I was in college in Atlanta, some buddies of mine from high school (all boys) went to Georgia Tech, and we did a lot of things together our first few years. Someone's roommate or suite-mate was Alan Jackson's nephew, and I had a major crush on him. When my friends moved off-campus, he was their housemate, and I was over there a lot. There was much drinking and much fun to be had. I dated AJ's nephew once or twice, but it just didn't work out.

3) When I took the SATs, I drove to the UGA campus, parked in a perfectly legal parking zone, and proceeded to take the test. When I came out (many excruciating hours later), my car was blocked by MANY campers and RVs. It was Homecoming Game Day, and during football games most traffic laws in Athens were suspended. There was no way to get my car out. I begged the use of a tailgaiter's cell phone (they were big and expensive then) and called my friend's sister. My folks were out of town, and I don't remember where my friend was (probably taking the SATs as well), but her sister really saved me that day.

4) When I first started working full-time as an accountant, I traveled to Arkansas weekly for four months. One night, while picking up my takeout from the local restaurant, I saw some kids gathering near my car, laughing and throwing rocks. As I came closer, I realized they were torturing a kitten who was hiding near my front tire. I shooed away the kids, put the kitten in my rental car, drove to Wal-Mart for litter box, carrier, litter, and food, then sneaked into the side door of the hotel with the little sweetie. I kept her for a few days while trying to find a home for her - I ended up giving her to a local rescue group, and she was adopted by a friend/coworker there.

5) When I was eleven, our town was hit with a severe tornado one school day. I remember the sirens going off, the hands-on-back-of-head, kneeling position we all took under our desks. The freight train sound ripped through our cafeteria - just next to our classrooms in the fifth-grade wing. One janitor and two cafeteria workers were hurt very badly, but no children were injured. I still dream about the vibration of the walls and floors, all of us hiding underneath the desks and tables.

6) My father and I used to raise chickens "for show." At the time we had white wyandotte bantams, and they were such fun. I cleaned their feet and feathers, treated their beaks and combs for maximum sheen and color. We toured all over the southeast. When my father branched out into different breeds, he became nationally recognized for his chickens.

7) I met my husband in the parking lot of a bowling alley. I was living with my best friend's boyfriend, and he had a few classmates that wanted to join us one night. Joe had his own ball and shoes, and I was actually more impressed with his friend than I was with him. Mere weeks later, I was shown the light at my 21st birthday party, when Joe proceeded to hit on me with a vengeance. He passed out in our living room, but he made our 2nd date very memorable.

8) Of the above seven things, only five of them are true. One of them is partially true. One of them is an outright lie. Instead of tagging eight people, I’m going to ask you to guess in the comments about which ones are true, which one is partially true, and which one is completely false. After eight people have guessed, I’ll tell you which ones are which.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Secret's Out!

My Ravelry friends have already seen this, but due to my lazy ass not sending a simple package in the mail for almost a freakin' month, I've had to keep quiet about this post...

Ladies and Gentlemen - I now introduce to you....

HEDGIE MCFROGGERSON!!!! *

This little guy was created for my dear friend Jane who collects all things froggy. She is the reason behind the Adventure Frog pictures during our trip to San Francisco (a lovely traveling companion he was, I must add - didn't complain much and was good protection on the late-night subway, even though he was a bit of a ham). Knowing how shamefully prejudiced large groups of frogs can be, I knew Hedgie needed to be able to fit in. Like ET in the closet.

I think he'll do just fine, don't you?

Jane, Senor McFroggersons was sent with extra special hugs that he only gives out every so often. So whenever you need that little something, give Mr. Hedgie a squeeze and know it's from your friends.


* Middletown phone book not included

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Drywall...and More Tomatoes!

Joe's been hard at work (like a mo-fo!), and this is starting to look like a freakin' bathroom, y'all!

Even though I haven't been able to help much with the installation (other than hefting the big pieces up over outlets and such), I do admit to much help carrying those bastards from the shop, to the porch, through the front door, to the upstairs den, through the currently-not-a-wall wall, into the bathroom. Props to Joe for working long days at the office only to come home to long days with endless drywall. My only hope (and prayer) is for a functional bathroom come October. It doesn't need a ceiling. It doesn't need paint. It needs a working toilet and shower. IN A MAJOR WAY.

On to other happy things...TOMATOES!

What you see here are tomatoes cooking (left), cooling (middle), and preparing to die (right). The majority of these toms are from LAST week - they lasted forever. I added a few weird ones (like the bazoomba yellow one on the right, as well as purples and greens) to make into sauce, because it just wasn't feasible that we'd eat them fresh anytime soon. I still have about 8 "sandwich type" tomatoes and a dozen golf-ball-sized ones ripening, and since we're having a wee block party this weekend, I thought I'd serve them then.

I kid you not. Our freezer is full. Tomatoes are taking over our home.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Busy Season

While most accountants have a busy season around tax time, my busy season is during our budgeting process. My weekends are not my own, and I barely have time to clean the cat box, much less post anything exciting. I will do my best, but when I'm not working I'll be knitting away at my sweater (due October) and my snark-a-l0ng socks (due September).

When October comes along - which signals the end of budget season, beginning of beautifully cool weather, and a slew of visitors and travel (Mom & friends early Oct, Knitting pals mid-Oct, I'm going to GA late Oct) - most likely I will be one big party gal. Until then, I'm boring accountant loser. :(

I can has bettr jawb now?

Thursday, August 16, 2007

It's Like Crack...I Guess...

...not that I would know...

I've had a rough week at work. Rough enough to be bitchy at home. To be tired. To be whiny. And yet, here I am at 10:30pm, hangin' out online. Why?

Because of Ravelry.

To explain to non-fiber-arts-folk (I could call them muggles, but there's a big to-do about that right now, and I don't want to be a part of that hoo-ha) - it's a community. A kick-ass community.

Let's say you're a woodworker. And you made a table out of pine. You took pictures of your pine table, made notes about it, referenced the plan (was it from Norm? was it your own?), and commented on the wood. What if folks from around the world - folks who were looking to make a table - or folks who needed a use for their pine - what if they could find your project with two clicks of a mouse? And what if finding your project led them to a Pandora's Box of ideas...?

Yeah. That's what Ravelry is. And that's why I'll never get sleep again.

And it's while I'll probably get fired one of these days. It's definitely like crack...I guess...

Saturday, August 11, 2007

To the Vet

Alas, today was a rough day for the boys...

Yup - three of the four were due for their exams and shots. Milo had already been taken care of, with his health issues earlier this year. You'd think after 10+ years that these guys would be used to it by now. Not.

- Otis gets really quiet and hides under the towel in his carrier.
- Coz, who used to be difficult to catch, now takes it all in stride, since he's had so many health issues lately. He had a little asthma attack after the...er...thermometer insertion, but I had the meds to help him through.
- Dobby...oh, poor Dobby. He loved the vet's office (he spent 2 weeks there before we adopted him, and he totally owned the joint) UNTIL HE GOT FIXED. Now the poor boy is scared shitless. Literally. He loses control of ALL of his bodily functions on the way to the vet, meaning I have to carry a stash of cleaning supplies for his vomit, pee, and poo. Oh, the joy.

Otis and Dobbs had clean bills of health, and Coz had some more blood work done - he's lost a lot of weight in the last few months. Poor guy just isn't doing well. We'll see what's up and take it from there.

The boys are back, they're happy, and Joe and I are working on drywall. Oh, yay! And tomorrow, I get the honor of having to go into the office and work! Double yay!

Yeah. Stellar weekend this is. >:P

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

I Wasn't Lyin'!!!

We've got a freakin' lot of tomatoes!!!

(cue Psycho theme here)

Off they go to make sauce. As much as I loooooove me some fresh toms, I just can't keep up with the supply. So they become chopped, frozen goodness to be enjoyed at a later date...

...maybe an Italian night in October? ;)

I'm in!

Well, they finally got to number 8,031 last night, so I am a fully funtioning member of Ravelry now! Of course, there's not much to see - haven't caught Flickr up with my stuff, and my poor, neglected house and sleep patterns will be totally off-kilter if I have any "let's just play with this for a few minutes" moments in the evenings. So basically I've entered my profile. And changed my picture several times.

I have to keep knitting Tubey, as our busy season at work is already rearing its ugly head with potential weekend work. Oy with the poodles already.*

Tonight I have to devote to putting vegetables up. Yes, even after a week of making fresh tomato sauce and a lovely eggplant rollatini, I'm once again in dire need of fridge space. Another 2 dozen ears of corn, about a dozen zukes and summer squash, and close to 2 dozen humongo tomatoes. Not to mention the eggplant that has been shoved into every available nook of my refrigerator - one fell on my head this morning when I opened the door.

So, yeah. Not too much time for playing with The Rav. Except for the final 10 minutes of my lunch hour...see ya!

*How I miss thee, Lorelai Gilmore...

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Happy Dobby Day!!!

As most of you know by my pictures and postings, I have a very photogenic little black cat named Dobby. Five years ago today, I first laid eyes on the little boogerhead, and it's certainly a day for celebration...er, the normal kind...not the crazy-cat-lady-who-dresses-animals-up-in-strange-hats kind.

Five years ago this evening, I was waiting in the vet's office for blood tests on another cat, when a lady brought in a small, mewing box. She said she found a kitten on the road (though I suspect she was just dumping the cat), and left the box on the counter. Out of the box came the cutest, tiniest fuzzy kitty face I'd ever seen.

I knew something pulled at me, but I just couldn't bring home another cat. The next day, however, I called the vet and asked if anyone had adopted it. They answered no, and I went to work on Joe.

I took him out to our favorite bar, bought him a few drinks, and pleaded my case. He gave in, reluctantly, and after getting the okay from the vet, we took him home. The poor guy had to be quarantined for a few weeks, though, in order for us to make sure he wasn't going to get the other boys sick. I'd thought of all kinds of creative names for him, but the moment I brought him home, I knew he was Dobby. There could be no other name for a kitten with those ears.

In the meantime, he grew up to be a lovely, albeit petite, kitty. And Joe ended up making some very long business trips (6 weeks in Iowa, yeesh), so I bonded with Dobby more than I had with any other animal.

We played fetch with toy mice for hours at a time.

His story was chosen as "Rescued Animal Of the Week" in our local paper. Here he is, basking in his 15 minutes of fame.

He found lots of creative napping places...

...and hiding places...

...and places to warm the feets...

...all the while helping me do laundry and other chores.

He has a few bad table manners, and he tends to send out snot-rockets when his sinuses are bothering him, but he's an expert mouser and great sleeping buddy.

To my sweet Dobbster - may your day be filled with rabbit-chasing dreams, messing with your older brothers, and lots of crunchy treats.

More WIP pics

This weekend has been filled with progress - house, knitting, reading, and fun...

It's been hotter-n-hades this week (and really humid, too), so Tubey has not been my priority. I have, however, made a little progress on the first sleeve.

Then I chose and started playing with a yarn for an upcoming sock-a-long...

It's Paca-Peds Superwash Alpaca Sock yarn, Colorway "Tye Dye." It's so lovely and soft I want to bathe in it. Since the big A/C unit is in the living room, and since we were having a ceremonial repeated watching of The Big Lebowski, I didn't use my swift and winder to put this into balls - a fun, mindless task when it's too hot to really knit.

Aren't they cute?

Meanwhile, Joe spent some time crouching down in the shower.

...digging out notches in the studs...

...in order to put up this bracket thingy...

...so we can have a seat in the shower.

Joe wanted me to make sure and tell everyone that, although it LOOKS simple, it took him well over 1.5 hours on a very hot day, covered in wood shavings. Soon afterwards, our good buddies (with a pool!) told us to get our asses down there and hang out with beer and pizza. Done.

Today should be uber-productive - it's a refreshingly cool morning, and I'm still 300+ away from my Ravelry invite. In the meantime, The Dude abides...

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Comin' Along...

We are SO TOTALLY making progress with the bathroom! Hooray!

The rest of our bathroom stuff (shower walls, sinks, mirrors, counter, etc) will be delivered Friday. Below is what Joe has been working on. And by Joe, I mean ONLY Joe - right now he doesn't want me in his way. I'm totally down wit dat.

We have lights! We've had them for a while, actually, I just haven't posted about them. These two are the "main" lights, and the 3 in the back are over the shower and toilet.

We got the tile a few weeks ago, and thanks to a great coworker-friend, we were able to borrow a tile saw. While this platform thingy is definitely level, the floor isn't. The platform has been shimmed, and we wanted to distract "the eye" from such a blatant unlevelness in the floor. We picked out tiles that would fully cover the front of the platform, then Joe cut them according to the floor's idiosyncrasies. Knitting ladies - notice the bottom, available for your pinching pleasure. ;)

Joe's still working up there tonight, and I just cleaned up from a night of blanching MORE corn for the freezer (2 dozen ears a week). It's keeping me busy, but OOOH, I love our CSA farm. Never before have I had No! Desire! to have anything on my corn. No butter, salt, or pepper. The sweetest, bestest corn I've ever had.

On that note, after putting up the corn and cleaning up the kitchen, I leave you with the cutesy love shot of the night - Dobbs and me, just hangin' out in the kitchen.


Peace, love, happiness...and may you all have a fuzzy purrmonger to love you this much.

ETA: Look at what my Studdly McHubbylove did during my post tonight:

Yup - ladies, he's all mine. :)