And the Winner Is...

Todd, for the funniest moment of our 1-week vacation at the River (with Donna & Nicole in tow).

Here it is:

We were all playing a game called Talisman. An oldie that was out of print for about 15 years, then suddenly got a major reprinting in 2007. Gorgeous. Somehow Todd managed to get three of these new ones for Christmas. Thanks, Amazon's Shitty Wishlist!

I digress.

So while we were playing, we were listening to my iPod on speakers; my playlist of 1980s gems. So at one point, Bonnie Tyler's throaty (and cheesy, I'll give you that) Total Eclipse of the Heart was radiating out of the speakers:

Every now and then I get a little bit angry
and I know I have to get out and cry
(Turnaround)
Every now and then I get a little bit terrified
but then I see the look in your eyes
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then I fall apart
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then I fall apart...

Todd turns to me and with a completely straight face asks, "So, is this song about Planet of the Apes?" And I'm totally puzzled like, "...whaaat?" And he says, "Bright Eyes? That was Zira's pet name for Charlton Heston." And then I started screaming, flailing, and choking from laughing my guts out.

1st Runner Up: Weird Al Yankovic for the following line uttered during the Rifftrax for Jurassic Park. The scene: Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill are in the green car waiting to begin their tour of the park. Goldblum tries to explain 'chaos theory' to Dern by caressing her wrists and dripping water on her hands. Here's the line:

"If you wanna see a creep grope your girlfriend, just go to the Jersey Shore!"


PS: I finally have some color! I was beginning to look like lumpy oatmeal. Now I look like lumpy toasted oatmeal. :-P

One Down, a BAJILLION To Go

I forgot to mention that before I left for VA, I finished a baby blanket for a professor at work whose wife had a baby (a boy). I knew I was going away and he only teaches 2 days a week. So I stayed up one night until 2:30 in the morning (not even kidding) to get it done.

It's done in the Log-Cabin pattern. Overall, I think it turned out ok. I used Bernat's Denim Style yarn, which is 70% acrylic/30% cotton blend. Very soft. I used the stonewash colorway, which was a grayish blue with white. Instead of doing all garter, all the way, I mixed it up a bit by using seed stitch for one trip around, and then double seed stitch on my last go around. Since it was in monochrome, I really wanted it to have something at least a little interesting about it.

Oh and I just have to say, I fucking hated picking up the stitches. But after this, at least I am good at it. Still hate it, though.

The professor seemed happy with it!

Here are a few pictures. Incidentally, this was really hard to photograph!































So now I just have to finish knitting for the 48 million other people that seem to be having babies. I started another blanket for a colleague at work who had an adorable, teenie-tiny baby girl (a little bit of a preemie). Then another colleague is having a baby in October. And I just found out that my long-time friend from grade school is 5-months pregnant with her second child! HELP MEEEEEE.

I'm Sure I'm Doing This Wrong

But I saw this meme on Kenny's blog. And I thought it looked interesting, so I am attempting to "tag" people into doing it as well.

Nosy Meme

“The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.”

Ok here goes:


1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

Ok, so 10 years ago was 1998. July 1998. GAH. What WAS I doing? Well, I was working at CHF. I was just about to move out of my parents' house and in with my sister. And I was in a pseudo-relationship with a guy who never wanted to admit that we were ever in any kind of relationship, pseudo or otherwise. He was weird. Librarian. Canadian. 'Nuff said.


2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

Go to BJs to buy Fiber One bars in bulk and birthday cards. Seriously. Cards are 50% off there.
Pick up Donna from my parents.
Do some laundry.
Pack for the River.
Knitting, of course.



3. Snacks I enjoy:

If it's food I'll eat it, unfortunately. So, I am back on WW again. I've had a very good 2 weeks into it, so I guess that's positive. But that means my snacks are limited. However, some WW-approved snacks that I love, love, love: popcorn, blueberries, pretzels, sorbet.


4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Pay off everyone's debts that I know and like.
Build a huge animal sanctuary here on the East Coast, kind of like Best Friends in Utah.
Hire a full-time personal trainer, nutritionist, and chefs.
Hire full-time people to play with and take care of our cats.
Travel all around the world to all the places I've ever wanted to go.


5. Places I have lived:

Philadelphia, PA
Bear, DE
Wilmington, DE
Claymont, DE

not much there LOL.


6. Peeps I want to know more about aka, the "tagees":
Katie
Marsha
Beth
Nicole
Michelle
Corinne

Stupid Rental Car

I just sent this on the "customer support" page of Budget Rental Cars:

Several things:

1) I entered a coupon code online to receive 10% off this rental and I did not receive it.
2) I never received an e-mail confirmation of this rental until 4:49 pm on the day I picked up the vehicle, which happened to be 49 minutes AFTER my scheduled pick up time.
3) The car, while fuel-efficient and suitable for my needs, smelled horribly like cigarette smoke. I clearly stated (it's on my confirmation, too) that I wanted a non-smoking vehicle. This made the 2 hour car ride to my destination less than enjoyable.
4) Upon return of the vehicle on 7/13, I was greeted by a very grumpy representative who was unhappy that I returned the vehicle 20 minutes before the actual "opening" time of the Budget office. She didn't even bother to offer me any options as to what I could do to return the car without having to have a representative check me in. I had to ask her and she grudgingly gave me an answer. I filled out the front of the rental-agreement envelope and put the keys on the counter and asked "Can I just leave this here?" She didn't even acknowledge me with a response. I can only assume the car was returned properly, as I received an e-mail from Budget asking me to enroll in the RapidRez program.

Eddie Izzard on Eating While Aboard the Death Star

Seriously funny.

Home Again, and Thanks!

Well, I made it home in one piece. Overall, Donna and I had a great time in Ocean City. However, may I just point out how much I hate driving in New Jersey? Particularly CIRCLES. Who thought those were a good idea? Sheesh. Whoever it was should be frying for eternity in hell.

When I arrived home today I found a package of goodies awaiting me from my Dishcloth Pal! WOO! My secret spoiler was Ann Marie H. Here's a picture of the lovely, thoughtful goodies contained within the parcel:

The yarn above is 2 skeins of Pakucho Organic cotton. I really like the colors: sage green, and an almond brown. The other skein is 100% bamboo yarn in a lovely colorway that reminds me of seashells on the shore. It's so soft. I love just holding it in my hand!

On the left there are three divine soaps, all handmade my Ann Marie! Two are Cedarwood and Lime and the other is Orange and Lavender. They smell terrific! I can't wait to use them! Also in the package was an absolutely beautiful washcloth (seen in the back).

Thank you so much, Ann Marie! I absolutely adore everything!

More Cuteness

Ok, I love this picture. That's my nephew, Ethan, serving as a rather handsome seat for Aubrey.

Mini Vay-Kay

So tonight after work I leave for a mini-vacation with my sister, Donna. We're heading to the Joisey' Shore, Ocean City, NJ. Donna is part of Temple University's Alumni Association. I think. Or maybe she's just on their mailing list? Whatever. Anyway, they are having an alumni weekend at the shore. Family and friends are invited. Since Donna doesn't know how to drive (long story), she invited me along. It should be nice, though. I haven't spent time at the Jersey Shore (beyond a day-trip in Atlantic City, which doesn't really count) since I was like 15.

We're staying at a place called the Scarborough Inn. In fact, my family stayed at the Scarborough 2 or 3 times when we used to vacation down there. This was pre-Donna, so you can imagine how long ago it was! I remember one summer that we were there; it was the year that Princess Diana married Prince Charles. So what was that? 1980? It was called the Scarborough Hotel back then. They've totally renovated the place, too. It looks positively lovely. I recall playing shuffleboard with a bunch of old ladies. Well, actually, it was more like them making me fetch the pucks when they would shove them under the shrubbery. Ah, memories.

We come back Sunday morning. Then it's back to the grind. But we do go back to Virginia the week of July 20, so that's all good.

Oh also? I know Christmas is a long way off. And my birthday won't make it around until next May, but seriously, I want these, like STAT. For reals.

Just Too Cute

10-months old, and she loves the treadmill. Like mother like daughter!

The Grrr In All Its Glory

As promised, here's a picture of the Grrr washcloth. I am so happy with it. My hands hurt like the dickens while knitting it. But the end result made it worthwhile!

I decided to knit a full face on it, too. The original pattern shows just eyes and a nose. I think it looks cuter this way.

A Letter I Can Never Send

Dear Recipient:

I really don't think I can talk about this. But, since you are the only person to address this issue on a personal level, I feel compelled to respond.

I am so overwhelmingly angry about this whole thing that I can barely function. Not even calling him in for an interview is a slap in my face that I won't soon forget, if ever. Then to be lied to about why he wasn't brought in? More than I can take. Not only does this confirm that I can never trust anyone again, but also confirms the lack of respect that everyone here has for me and my intelligence. I don't have a Ph.D., but I am NOT an idiot.

Todd keeps telling me to let it go, get over it, move on. I simply cannot. He keeps saying, "Don't burn any bridges." He believes that he might actually have a shot at a future position. I am not about to swallow the crap that was just fed to me in the blind (and false) hope that he will be hired --- or even considered --- in the future. Because I know now that it won't happen.

It probably isn't rational or healthy being this upset. But for me, Todd is worth it.

Weekly Topic #4

Here's this week's topic: Go check out one other person's blog who's answered some of the weekly topics.. find someone you have something in common with, who posted a really cool cloth pattern, or who 'calls' to you for some other reason, and post about them on your blog sharing why!

Ok, first of all, I have to say that I really enjoyed the swap this go-round. I think because we were a small group, it made it much more cozy. I've been poking around on a lot of blogs of the other participants. So many talented people out there!

I think the other blog that speaks to me most is Carola H.

We both knit so that we don't kill people. And we both have like a zillion cats. And we both clearly have an obsession with yarn. LOL Also, she's a damn fine knitter and a crocheter! I love the knitting notions case she made.

Happy Birthday(s)

So yesterday was Todd's birthday (June 30). He is 37 years young. We took the day off from our respective jobs and spent the day doing a whole lot of nothing, which is a nice way to spend a day off. Although we did manage to get in a little cleaning, so we're not entirely derelict.

Today is Hercules' birthday. He's 4 years old. It seems like yesterday when we picked up off the street a scrawny, 6-month-old kitty on a bitterly freezing morning in January 2005. I think he's much happier with us and the rest of the Waters brood. He loves Todd best of all, too. It's kind of cute.



Also, Marsha, you will be happy (and amazed) to know that I remembered to say "rabbit, rabbit" today when I woke up! Woot!

I sent off my package to my Dishcloth Pal on Thursday. And in an amazing feat (the planets must have aligned), she got the package on Saturday! SCHWING! So I can tell you that my downstream Dishcloth Pal (my spoilee) was Michelle F.! I really had a blast this time around. It was great spoiling Michelle and getting to know her better. And now I have another knitting bud. :-D

Oh and! I finished my Grrr washcloth! I'll get a picture up here soon! It turned out really well. It's SO cute!