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Tuesday, December 9, 2008

WW: Aran Socks of DOOOOOM Edition

I love these socks but, boy howdy, they are going slowly. I'm not the big fan of the cable needle, I'm just sayin'.

But they looook mahvelous.

How about you, dahlinks? Do you feel mahvelous?

39 comments:

KLee said...

Wah! I just jammed my finger! I looked down, and there was a bug on my hand, so I went a little mental, and flung my hand out to rid it of the bug. Only, I flung it into the stove. Yeowch! Can i have a lollipop? Or at least some fudge?

Liz Miller said...

I haz brought teh lollipops.

Sorry about your poor finger.

kathy a. said...

OMG! Mahvalous! Over-the-top!

Fudge, definitely, for Klee. AND a lollipop.

esperanza said...

I have a gingerbread man, KLee--you can bite his head off, if it would make you feel better.

Point of information: I have made the momentous decision to break up with my little buddy the breastpump. It's time.

Leading to Whine #1: teh Second Thoughts, they are killing me...which probably stems from Whine #2: teh boobs are not in favor of this plan. At all.

But, Coming Antiwhine #1 is outweighing all that: the glimpses of freedom, pixies, are amazing. And further Antiwhine #2: we have a stockpile of milk in the freezer to last about 3 months, if my calculations are correct.

Unrelated whine: Mr. E and the Sweet Baboo have generously shared their cold with me. Sniff. Cough. Ugh.

Anonymous said...

Esperanza--If you're engorged, cold cabbage is your friend. You probably already know, but putting one of those suckers in the fridge and then taking the cold leaves and putting them in your bra until they wilt--sweet relief. Odd, and I don't know why, but man does it work!
downside: making cole slaw is never quite the same after that...
Good luck!

--Neighbor lady
p.s. Klee--sorry about your finger! OUch!

kathy a. said...

Esperanza brings 3 months worth of remembering what it's all about! Yay, mama! It has been a long while for me, but the relevant body parts are ouching in sympathy.

Antiwhines: Daughter is coming home on friday! And [cross fingers, knock wood], she thinks she crammed enough with her dad to pull off the chemistry final. Teh internets and long distance are miracles, I tell you.

Animal-related whine: Why did my dogs think it was a good idea to leave a bird carcass in the garage?

Old skool: Heater is out. Heater guy cannot come until friday.

Whine of this fireplacing year cannot be done soon enough: It really can't. My SIL continues to be batshit. My difficult sister was just diagnosed with breast cancer. They and my mother, who died this summer, are the trifecta of damaging relatives. I'm trying to be a decent person, but the temptation to just book the cheapest trip to anyplace else while I still have credit is very strong.

I think my sister's cancer was caught early, and is very treatable, and we're like talking and everything. So that's an AW. [Even though my teeth are grinding, wondering what the next nastygram will be about.]

kathy a. said...

Just to be clear -- the awful stuff that has happened to difficult family members is *not* all about me. I just find that negotiating the right responses is a lot harder when there is a difficult history there, and little emotional distance. Bleah.

esperanza said...

I've heard the cabbage rumor. My SIL recommended it. I'm a long way from that point...just cutting down on sessions per day and minutes per session at this point. And still the protests.

Sue said...

Cabbage? Where were you people 25 years ago when I weaned son #1??? (Be kind - don't answer that. You were either not born or in pre-school) Ouchie!!! But a big Hooray for esperanza for remembering what it's all about.

Whine: I'm typing this at 6:09 in the fireplacing morning!!! This particular time of the day is also known as THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

*spits*

I curse you Morning Breakfast Meetings. A pox on you for all time.

As you were.

I will back after work and a nap. Grrrr......

Anonymous said...

Old Skool votes for KLee.

@esperanza - I remember when I stopped pumping and I could see freedom, and I'll tell you - that month of frozen milk I had was extra awesome because I was finally unstrapped from the milker but I was still able to give my daughter my milk.

You are a hero, so I hope you are not beating yourself up about this. Trust your inner voice. If you feel done, then you can be done. Some things that helped my milk dry up were mint tea (any mint oil will slow production), sage (a popular flavor at this time of year), and OTC decongestants.

Which leads me to my vote for the whole E household for Excellent Timing with that cold. Find yourself a decongestant you can take while pumping and *take it*. Decongestants dry up all the fluids in your body, including milk. (Your Mileage May Vary.) And check out KellyMom for other ideas to slow the milk. That's where I learned about the mint.

Best of luck, my dear. :)

Liz Miller said...

On that front, 6 years post-pumping I still leak enough every day to stain my foundational garments, but not my shirts.

Liz Miller said...

Weather Whine - rain all day today and tomorrow

Weather Antiwhine - High of 60 degrees F for today!

Madeleine said...

Sue, I was in high school I think. Does that help?

I offer a pair of haiku about my slippers. I work at home, so my slippers are an important professional tool. Ahem.

New slippers! Pretty!
Cushy like walking on air
I love my slippers

Months pass, slippers worn
Lumpy bumpy not cushy
Still pretty, at least

Unknown said...

I wrote my usual diatribe and the freaking comment got eaten by Blogger. Harumph. Official Whine, yo!

Pretty baby kitten Pepper, not yet 6 months old, went into heat 2 days ago. It is like living with Yowly the Oprah-Copying Kitty. Yoooowwwwoooooowwwwwwwww. Kill me now.

Trying to get her into an emergency low cost spay program took hours but hopefully she'll be done by the weekend. In the meantime, would someone let me borrow some ear plugs, tranquilizers, and perhaps a gigantic crate (for me)?

Son's holiday party is today so naturally I had to make a gallon of my "special" cranberry sauce. What makes it special? Orange peel and a squeeze of fresh orange juice. I make it every year.

Daughter brought home so much of a bonanza from Panera that we had to throw out a full shopping bag. Just too much bounty for us to eat and nobody would take much of it. I tried!

Dishwasher is still not working and landlady has ignored several requests for repairs.

I LOVE my parents group and all the women (and one man) that attend. They keep me sane. I need sanity desperately.

My regular and beloved home health care worker hurt her back so they sent me a replacement: the one that was so bad I asked them to replace her. She forgot to dust and sweep. Um, what the fireplace is she doing if she can't even dust?

Blogpost attacked by a bunch of haters and my stats have been through the roof. Maybe I'll make some money this month! What I did discover is that all the haters are linked together, so I got rid of every vestige of them on twitter and bloglines, and voila... whirled peas.

A NEW PRINTER that scans. I'm going to start with the baby pictures. My poor children. They have no clue of the embarassment factor I have in store for them.

Lastly, my first column in the local paper. Go me!

kathy a. said...

sue, i'm older than you, and my kids are younger, but we both lost out on important mommy-info because the inter-tubes were not working for civilians back then. my mother was horrified by the idea of breast-feeding, so she wasn't much help....

madeleine for style!

margalit -- glad the kitty is getting fixed, that there will be happiness around the special cranberrry sauce, and that your parents' group is great!

esperanza said...

I was in elementary school, Sue. I hope you got a good nap.

Thanks to all the pixies for the hints and advice and sympathy. Things seem to be adjusting more smoothly today...maybe I'll cut down some more tomorrow. What will I do with all this extra time in my day? Oh yeah, chase the Baboo around the house.

JenR said...

Liz ... I think our 8 inches of snow yesterday trumps your rain. Although I suppose snow is more fun than rain. Maybe a tossup?

My whine... mold! Growing on the wood of my bedroom windows, safely hidden from view by curtains we never open. Perhaps that explains some of my never-ending cold symptoms? We've doused the windows in vinegar, since the internets says that's the way to go. Let it dry, and put that weather-sealing plastic stuff up to keep it dry for the winter. I'm praying the mold doesn't reappear inside the plastic.

KLee said...

Sue, I was about 13 25 years ago, so maybe that helps you out a bit -- not preschool. I'm old, too. :)

HUGE whine -- Amy STILL hasn't updated her blog, AND I have yet to see pictures of Tater! Man -- me no likey the waitie.

Sue said...

I did have a lovely nap, thank you.

Now it's snowing and I don't have to shovel. I never tire of saying that.

JenR - I hope the plastic keeps the mold under control!

Anonymous said...

What a timely lead-in. I was planning to whine that I can't seem to get a moment to myself, so much so that I haven't updated my blog in weeks and weeks.

Not that excuses are needed here, but mostly it is due to a nine-week-old baby who still only sleeps 3 hours at a stretch, tops.

Am tired. And I feel like Charlie Brown: UGH!

Anonymous said...

Anti-whine: I have finished the results section of That Damned Dissertation.

Whine: Again. I think this is the third time. People, *stop asking for new analyses* at this point. Pretty, pretty please....

Whine: And now I need to write the discussion.

Whine: Around six or seven hours of commitments tomorrow, including a budget announcement meeting.

Anti-whine: I am going to bed. Yes. Now. At 7:45 pm.

Much love to all the pixies, you are in my thoughts.

purple_kangaroo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sue said...

nighty-nite redzils. yikes!!! Sounds like a VERY busy schedule. Do take care of yourself.

purple_kangaroo said...

Hey, pixies. Even though my pain levels have hovered around 6-7 all week, life is overall pretty good. I am a little worried about a localized headache I've had for a month or so now, which is unusual for me, but I can handle pain. I'm used to pain. At least if it stays below 7. It starts getting really incapacitating at 7 or above. But that's beside the point.

Anyway, I'm not as dizzy and weak and foggy, which means I'm able to drive again, and not needing the cane most of the time at home (though it's still really helpful for outings), and enjoying my family.

So, I have a couple of old-skool silly little insignificant whines:

Last weekend, I was talking to a friend, who was asking me for an update on my health issues. I told her that I was still testing positive for mononucleosis all this time later and my rheumatologist just ran Epstein-Barr titers to try to see what's going on with it.

She said, "That's not contagious, is it?"

I said that it was, technically, but not highly contagious through casual contact, and that 95% of the population has had it (most without even knowing it) by age 30 or so, anyway.

She quickly excused herself from the conversation and moved away from me.

I've had enough reactions like that, that I'm now hesitant to tell people I know IRL about it. Ugh.

And, remember a few weeks ago the graphic design project that I mentioned? Well, the person who had "hired" me and DH to do it (it was a barter deal) decided to give the project to someone else. I finally talked to DH, and found out that he didn't exactly say what that person and my brief, aborted conversation with him had led me to believe he said. He says he made it very clear to them that it would be hurtful to me, that the project was important to me, and that they should discuss it with me before making a decision. Which they never did.

They basically sent me a 2-sentence e-mail after the fact saying they'd decided to have someone else do the project, said they would call and talk to me, never did, and then when I e-mailed them they said they weren't going to "belabor" it all again, and that they had already explained their reasons and that was the end of it.

After more than a year of stalling on getting us the stuff we needed in order to complete it, and having STILL not given us all the information and materials that had been promised. Even with me contacting them every week or two, asking for the information we needed. Even though by the deadline that person had set, they still had not given me the photos, text or other information they wanted in the project.

The reason given for taking the project away and giving it to someone else? That they were concerned it would be too much for me with my health issues. And that, because of my health issues, they would never have been able to insist on a deadline. That was it.

So, basically, they didn't follow through on their end of the deal. I did my part, as far as I could without that information. In fact, I think I did a pretty fireplacing good job on the project. But it wasn't quite finished because I can't make photos and information up out of thin air to put in it.

But it was all the fault of my health issues, you know. And because of my health issues, they couldn't talk to me about it.

The real clincher is that this is the one person, out of all people, who should know that it drives me crazy and is hurtful to me when people assume I can't handle something because of my health issues, and so treat me like a toddler and don't talk to me about stuff or don't bother to ask me things in the first place.

This was someone I really trusted and admired, and had felt was a safe person--even someone DH and I had gone to for advice in the past. Not any more.

I may be disabled, but I'm not stupid, unreasonable, or completely incapacitated. And I'm not invisible, either.

purple_kangaroo said...

I am, however, unreasonably wordy and long-winded today. Sorry about the lack of conciseness.

And, to the above whines, congrats on the article publication, new baby, and impending pumping-ending, and I'm glad the mold was found. Hugs to all the pixies, and a vote for Kathy A. with all the difficult relatives in crisis.

purple_kangaroo said...

And fudge for Klee.

Unknown said...

Sue, twenty five years ago I was newly married and trying for baby #1. I had given up teaching high school, gotten a job in high tech, and was about to move to Apex NC (the peak of good living) for 2 years of agoraphobia before I left and came back to Boston.

The next year was my first year on the internet, when there was nothing but Usenet newgroups. misc.kids was the group for parenting information.

See, I keep telling you pixies I'm ancient but you don't believe me!

purple_kangaroo said...

Hmmm, 25 years ago I was the same age my oldest daughter is now. Wow.

purple_kangaroo said...

No, wait, I guess I was between AJ's and M&M's ages. I was just about to turn 7. AJ will be 8 in February, and M&M is 6 1/2.

Liz Miller said...

25 years ago, I was 14. In high school. Already seen RHPS at least 4 times.

Liz Miller said...

I will keep my comments about PK's "friend" for tomorrow's awards. Suffice to say...the air is blue around my desk with words I know PK won't say.

kathy a. said...

liz, i am guessing there will be a lot of "fireplacing" around the award for PK. because, wtf? xoxxo to PK.

margalit, you're a pioneer! i mean that with respect; 25 years ago, i only knew a couple of people who had their own computers and were excited about making connections there. my computer-science sister [MA plus several patents] did not have her own computer until many years later. who could have known where things would go?

purple_kangaroo said...

Thanks, Liz and Kathy A. Still, it's not as bad as the friend who told me (after the fact) that she would have asked me to be an attendant in her wedding, but she assumed that because of my health issues and Baby E's, it would be too much for me.

I would have loved to do it, and would have managed it one way or another if she had asked.

I get stuff like that all the time.

The huge antiwhine is the friends like the one I talked to last night. I am applying to a training program for myself and Mira, to help me get her fully trained and certified as a service dog. I have to have tons of application forms filled out by me, my doctor, Mira's doctor, etc. and need references and letters of recommendation from people who know me.

I called this friend last night to ask, hesitantly, if she'd be willing to be a reference and write a letter for me. She immediately waxed eloquent about how she would be THRILLED to do it, and how she would "write a letter that will knock their socks off!" and how lucky the program would be to have me participate in their program.

That was nice. And I have quite a few friends like that. They more than make up for the other ones, really.

kathy a. said...

still, PK. cluesticks to the other ones. it is just wrong to cut someone out by assuming they can't/won't be able to do something they care about.

purple_kangaroo said...

Yeah, Kathy A--I try to always ask or invite people even if I think I know they won't be able to do something, because I figure they'll appreciate knowing they were thought of and wanted even if they can't do it--and maybe they really can.

esperanza said...

p_k, I hate that!

I'm up early, fretting for some friends, can't go back to sleep. Yet too sleepy to get some work done while the house is quiet. Ugh.

kathy a. said...

((( esperanza )))

purple_kangaroo said...

I hope things work out for your friends and you can get some rest later, Esperanza.

purple_kangaroo said...

Oh, and Liz I forgot to say that I don't much enjoy knitting, but love the way it looks. Not enough to make me choose to knit over crochet the vast majority of the time, though. Crocheting is so much less complicated, faster and easir for me. :)