Monday, January 30, 2006
East Meets West
For dinner last night I make shrimp spring rolls (with my own peanut
butter-hoisin-rice-wine-chili dipping sauce!), and he makes chocolate
chip cookies.
Prey Meets Predator
In the middle of a lively game of cat and cat
The boys get frisky after one finishes his business in the
litterbox. Cat gives away his whereabouts by noisily scratching the
box, alerting the other cat to quickly take low position
behind the doorway or the scratching post. Cat exits litterbox,
and is immediately aware that he is being stalked. He waits, sniffs the
air, pupils dialating a little, and finally puts one tentative paw
forward. That's when cat behind doorway or scratching post reveals
himself with a savage spring and BOING! Eight paws go thundering across
the room!
Conehead Meets Domehead
Look! Knitting! So grumperina
laid the smackdown last week when she posted the nipply conehead
properties of the shining star hat, mine in particular, and in so
doing, exposed my knitting slackness for all to see. I knew something
was iffy about the pattern but chose to let it be. I am not a
perfectionist, at all. Ever. Never. But thank goodness someone is.
Better her than me to improve upon the pattern. I made another shining
star sans nipple and it is sooooo much better. Much more like a skull
cap, which I like.
During this process I've come to the decision that I don't like
cashmerino anymore. While it is very soft and luxurious, it's also very
limp and saggy, and doesn't hold its shape. You should see my bolero
aubergine and how sad and lifeless it is. I blame the microfiber
component for that. The new creme hat I made using 100% wool, and
while the size and gauge is the same, the cashmerino version fits
way too big. It just stretches and stretches.
Rabbit Meets the End of the Rainbow
Happy
Chinese New Year again! I was born in the year of the Rabbit. I
am a LUCKY rabbit who eats CLOVERS all day and...plays with
LEPRECHAUNS. I just received news from the Irish Consulate that my
application for citizenship has been approved - woot - and now all I
have to do is send them exactly 126.97 Euros, drawn from an Irish
bank. What. The lady at the consulate said, "Just get a friend in
Ireland to do it for you." Ha ha what friend?
Filed Under: Life | Shining Star
Sunday, January 29, 2006
I am craving boiled crawfish and beignets something fierce.
My mom is in Taipei now celebrating New Years. There is family and food and partying and I am extremely jealous.
Last night Duck and I took a small road trip to visit a college friend of mine who was having his first art showing in a little gallery in Rhode Island. Afterwards we stopped in Providence for dinner at my favourite restaurant and old college haunt, Cafe Paragon. It's always crowded, always yum, and now a lot less smokefilled. I ordered myself a Southern Comfort manhattan, and being thus affected by alcohol I was weeping nearly all through dinner. A good kind of weeping, but strange all the same. We were talking about Taipei, and suddenly I was weeping about my having been deprived of growing up near family, them over there and my parents and me in the States. I was weeping over how outstanding I found all my aunts and uncles to be, how much I admired them, and one very charismatic uncle in particular, and how nice it would be if I could just be near them, all the time. And my cousins and their little children. It's funny, there I am crying over my dinner plate in a crowded restaurant (and another round of cocktails. Bad move). I had no idea how much I cared. In fact - and this might sound queer - I had not much given family beyond my parents much thought in the past, and if I did it was only in the knowledge that I had one, a very big one, whom I see only very once in long awhile.
The last several years I have gone back to Taipei more often than previous years put together, and have found, maybe from the perspective now of a more adult pair of eyes, just how nice it would be to live there. How nice, if only for a couple of years, to be surrounded by family who look after you and dote on you as if you were still a child, and with such an easiness as if they saw you every single day. Ha it might sound like a nightmare to some, but it sounds perfectly lovely to me.
Luckily for me Duck isn't at all opposed to the idea. In fact he brought up the idea of relocating initially. We've been talking about it seriously for the last year, but last night over dinner I was just about MAD to pack up our bags and leave now. It definitely was the alcohol talking. I'm still quite serious about us going, but now that I've sobered up the thought of what we'd do with Bunny and Veebs makes me hesitate a little. Do we bring them and risk their lives to cabin pressure or do we give them up to semi-permanent catsitters? Can they handle the travel? Can we handle a separation? Waah!
Anyway what was I saying. Oh yeah, Happy Chinese New Year. Stay away from the Southern Comfort.
Filed Under: Life
Monday, January 23, 2006
View from igloo window
On Saturday we went on a hike through the woods in 60F weather, and even got warmed up enough to go in short sleeves. In JANUARY. Now, there's I dunno, 5 feet of snow on the ground. Boston weather is indecisive like that.
Well, it is so nice to know that they are complete strangers out in the world who care about another stranger's welfare. It is week 2 of the Swollen Pinky Saga, and even though it's still plump, it doesn't hurt or throb anymore, enough that I have managed to get a dozen rows or so of knitting the last couple of evenings.
Here's the situation at our house, as some of you have asked, and given the kind of advice (very thoughtful advice, btw) I've gotten as to how to keep warm, I've realized I've been kinda lazy with the details:
- Our house has about 2000 sq ft of living space.
- I occupy 150 sq ft of it during the day.
- There is only one thermostat for the entire house.
- I do have a space heater for the office, but it sucks. Bought a new one. Much better.
- I wear 3 layers of clothing and a hat everyday.
- This is the first winter I've worked from home consistently. Hence this is really the first time warmth or lack of warmth has become an issue.
- The windows are new. (But I can tell wind is seeping through the front and side doors. Must replace)
- We used the plastic thingy for them last year and noticed no difference.
- Our first winter in this house in 2001 led us discover that this house had NO INSULATION. At all. The floorboards were ICE. It's now insulated. (A house in New England without insulation?? WTF?)
- Oil prices back then were about $1.15 per gallon.
- Right now it is $2.50 per gallon.
- I just remembered that part of the heating bill is, and has been, tax deductible. You know, on account of this being a place of business and whatnot. I've known this but it has only now just occured to me. GOD I'm an idiot. TIME TO CRANK THAT SHIT UP.
My parents are despairing that I should have what they call a "poor, old woman's" condition. Here's a conversion between mom and me, spoken in our usual mix of Mandarenglish. Did I just invent a new word?
MOM: Oh I am so sad, that you have this problem!
ME: It's not a big deal.
MOM: But it's like you're too poor to afford heat!
ME: No I'm saving the environment.
MOM: What about yourself? I cannot imagine my own daughter do damage to herself just because she won't turn on heat!
ME: thinking: she has a point. Well it's just not efficient.
MOM: Maybe you need to have the heating system redone. I will buy you some long underwear.
ME: OK
MOM: Tell Ya-Tze ("Duck" in mandarin) that he can turn up the heat a little. Pleeeeeease?
ME: It wasn't really his decision. I'm the one who stays at home all day.
MOM: Well, then tell him he needs to get more flaffy and sit on you to incubate.
ME: HAHAHA!
MOM: HA! HA!
In lieu of having Duck incubate me, I have this new space heater and it kicks ass. I've only had it on a couple hours this morning and the office is still nice and toasty. I have no idea why I suffered with that shitty one for so long. You had to be 1 millimeter away from it to feel any heat, and none of it lingered once turned off. I'm stupid. It clearly sucked.
This space heater is cat and whale approved
I also bought a pair of sheepskin moccasins and oh my god. I cannot believe I have lived in New England for what?! 12 years now! and have never discovered the miracle that is sheep fur. All those winters tromping through the snow without the benefit of sheep? Why do I still have toes? Do they make sheepskin bodysuits?
In other good news...My feline sidekick Kitty is in town today from NYC. We're going to Hamersley's Bistro in the South End for dinner. Their winter menu includes cassoulet. I LOVE KITTY AND I LOVE CASSOULET.
Hopefully more knitting content to come. Thanks for all of your concerns and advice! I'm almost healed!
Filed Under: Life | WTF
Friday, January 20, 2006
My doctor thinks I have Raynaud's Syndrome. Cool! It will likely reoccur as long as it's winter. Bah! I really thought it was ulnar tunnel. She thinks my issues have all to do with the chilly house temperature, and not at all with my job or the knitting. In fact she didn't tell me once to refrain from knitting.
She did tell me to wear thermals, to wear mittens and not gloves, and for chrissakes to turn up the heat. My revelation that our house hovers around 55 F prompted her to conduct a little poll around the office. Most everyone said they kept their house at 65 to 70 F. Dude, we just received our oil bill yesterday right, which was about 5 weeks after the last fillup, and it was nearly $300. $300 for TURNING ON THE HEAT FOR LIKE, ONE HOUR A DAY.
AND! this has been an extremely extremely mild winter so far!
So if it costs us $300 a month just to have two hot showers in the morning, I can't even IMAGINE how much it would cost to maintain toasty all day long.
But, ha ha, the funny part is that precisely due to my maybe overzealousness to save on oil, I have f---'d up my hand and will have to spend gajillions on today's medical fees. My doctor had x-rays taken of my fingers, just in case I broke it without my knowing. I said to her, "No thanks, I'm sure I didn't," when I really meant to say, "No thanks, I dn't want to pay for it." Insurance isn't covering this one.
But I had the x-rays anyway, and of course, everything was fine.
I'm going to be MIGHTY UPSET at myself if the bill for the x-rays (oh and bloodwork! in case I have lupus!) come out costing more than what it might have cost to heat the house at 70F all winter.
PS! I wore Aimee to my appt. and got a few compliments. Tee hee. I didn't tell them I made it.
Filed Under: WTF
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Well, one way to get over your boredom of knitting is to be told that you can't.
Check out the little piggy. If you dare.
Hey wow. Fingers are kind of gross.
On the left: a normal, wrinkly pinky
On the right: a fat, smooth pinky
The right pinky and ring finger are worse today, damnit. I think I might have ulnar tunnel syndrome. It is caused by a pinched ulnar nerve, due to occupational hazards such as sitting on butt and typing all the live long day. And knitting all the live long night. Knitting isn't explicitly mentioned, but I'm so sure it's not helping matters. Also I favor sleeping on my right side. Ulnar tunnel affects the pinky and ring fingers, not the thumb or others. Ding ding ding! The middle and index finger aren't swollen like I thought yesterday. Just cold.
I ruled out Raynaud's Syndrome. Even though I have much of the symptoms, I don't have temporary "attacks" and it doesn't affect the rest of my digits. This is more chronic and relegated to just my last two fingers.
I've taken heed and made an appt with the doctor tomorrow morning. And I was going to let this pass too. We'll see what she says. Who knows, maybe this time tomorrow afternoon I'll be typing a post with 9 fingers instead of 10. On the plus side, I'll have to learn how to knit continental for sure. Or to knit with my feet. Heh heh. Nervous laughter.
Filed Under: WTF
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
My fourth, middle finger and index finger on my right hand are now swollen too, mostly at the tips where it's all tingly and slightly numb. My pinky is still very fat and very taut, especially the middle section. If my pinky had feet he wouldn't be able to see them. Is this the sign that the end is near? I'm not allowed to knit anymore. And I have to remember to get out of this seat once every half hour or so and run up and down the stairs a few times. It's so pathetic.
So who watched AmericanIdol last night? I did. The audition episodes are the best. Normally I don't really get excited about it but there's something so enjoyable in seeing other people's lack of self-awareness, and then laughing at them.
Did you know I went to high school with Ry@n-S3acrest (sorry for the wacky "encoding" but I don't want this site coming up on a search for his name). He was a year older but although fortune has been very good to him, time has not. He looks a good deal older than he actually is. Then again I look like a 12 year old boy, especially with certain haircuts, so it's all relative I guess. Anyway he used to do the morning Pledge of Allegiance and school announcements, and on hearing him the first day of high school I thought they had hired some professional, especially since he always started and signed off with his name.
Like, "Good morning, this is Ry@n-S3acrest! I pledge allegiance...to the flag...of the United States...of America ...Today the cafeteria will be serving fried steak with a side of hashbrowns..." He made school announcements sound like news you could depend on. Then he did the local top 40 radio station at nights all through high school. I'm really not sure how he pulled that off and still graduated.
He sounded good though, a nice voice with all that nice enunciating and pitch modulating (whatever just roll with me), although it's too bad he sucks when there's no script to read. His professional announcer voice hasn't been able to save him in those many instances that Simon calls him a pretty little girl in front of the entire world, for example. Too bad he's so without wit. And height. I could put three of him in my pocket.
But whatever, kudos to him, really. He's now like this huge conglomerate. Thanks to him I'm separated by a mere 2 degrees from everybody in Hollywood. Me 'n Paula are like this [crossing my two fingers together]. (Ow)
Filed Under: WTF
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Poor wording, that.
No...I don't think I will watch.
Update: I just did. WTF.
Filed Under: WTF
Sunday, January 15, 2006
I'm bored you guys. Suddenly bored and unexcited about my knitting. I've only finished the bottom ribbing of the Cabled Toad and already wish it would just be done already so I can move onto the next project.
Even so I don't know what that next project will be because I haven't been moved by anything lately, or the things that once did no longer do. Blah! I want to use my Japanese stitch books to come up with my piece, but am too lazy to sit and choose a stitch pattern and decide what I want it to become. Scarf? Sweater? What kind of sweater? Kimono style, hooded jacket, vest?
I want to learn how to knit socks, and I also don't.
Also, my right pinky, for the second time in a few months, has suddenly swelled to the size of a US35 needle. I can hardly bend it, it's so fat, which makes for rather painful knitting. Trying to knit without using the pinky does not work. He plays a crucial part in maintaining yarn tenesion, as I have discovered. He's no good fat, no good.
I'm not sure how this happened but it could be my already subpar circulation (the extremities are always ice-cold), made worse by the all day sitting in front of the laptop followed by the all night sitting in front of the TV. Working from home really does have its drawbacks. I don't move as much. There's no walking to the trains. No killing time 10 times a day by walking upstairs, down the hall or whatever to chat with Joe Schmoe at his desk. There's no daily walking breaks down Newbury Street.
There's mostly just sitting now, in this igloo house whose temperature we keep at an arctic 52 degrees F. YES IT'S CRIMINALLY COLD IN HERE, but priorities, ok? This house is old and drafty and to keep it constantly warm the heat would have to be almost constantly on. With the oil prices the way they are, leaving the furnace boiling away is just not an option.
Well I mean it could be, we're not paupers or penny pinchers (ok maybe we are), but this is just a part of our yin-yang approach to finance: want something, take something else away. You can have a house at 68 degrees this month, but one of the cats must go (bye bye Bunny, bye bye). Or you cannot have that nice dinner or two out this month. Or that nightly glass of wine for the entire month. Or all the yarn. No more yarn.
If you watch Smallville you'll know that this season Jor-El also issued this same sort of decree to Clark, except, in saying that he will have to take a life in order to restore a life, his own son's life no less, he was much more of an asshole about it.
Our priorities are pretty simple. We'll suffer the cold to keep being able to do and buy the things we love to do. Bunny and Veebs are staying put. We'll always choose that nice dinner out at Oleana over heat. We'll always choose booze over heat. And of course I will always choose yarn over heat, knitting ennui or not. So that pretty much settles it. The house stays at 52 degrees this winter, I'll wear my own sweater out to a dinner of kobe steak with a bottle of wine, and our savings-to-spending ratio stays the same.
So while I was thinking how brilliant we are with our money, I became curious as to just how much I spent on yarn and knitting books in 2005. I went through the year's AMEX statements and first off noticed I spent, on average, $80 at WEBS January through April, so already before I hit the half year mark I was feeling slightly queasy.
The grand total: $1260 in 2005. Is that a lot? I can't decide. It really doesn't seem so bad knowing that when all is said and done for 2005, I came away with about 13, 14 finished pieces and millions of hours of enjoyment and learning. And a swollen pinky.
Hopefully I'll snap out of this knitting ennui soon.
Filed Under: General Knitting
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