Better late than never?

Yeah, I suck.  My life has been a little crazy lately.  First, I've spent the last month trying to move, trying being the operative word.  I had to delay moving day by a week, and I'm still not completely unpacked, and it's having a profound effect on my ability to deal with life.

Second, I just got back from a week-long vacation in Canada where I got to visit with my brand-new niece!

She is the most beautiful little girl, and I am completely in love with her.  It was sooooo hard to leave her and come back to my boxed-up home.  Luckily, my sister is all about the technology, and we've already Skyped several times, and I've been getting 'baby-of-the-day' photos in my inbox everyday, which makes me very happy.

Third, since I've been home, I've been sewing.  Many of you have already visited Colby's blog, so you know how awesome she is.  This week, I made her a dress.  No, not just a dress, a snake dress.  For last night's Harry Potter opening, Colby was dressed as Nagini.  It was pretty epic.  Soon, I shall have photos to share, because it really was awesome.

I know, I know, I shouldn't have abandoned you all like that, and I'm sorry, Blogglings. But I have been busy, and out of town, and it's always been my policy to refrain from mentioning any travel plans online until after I have returned.  I am, however, fully back, with real internet and everything at home.  Hopefully, this post marks the return of your regularly scheduled blog-reading.

Enjoy your weekend!

I might be an idiot.

Or maybe I'm just sleep-deprived. You see, in the past week, I've been trying to switch over my cable service, so I haven't had Internet access at home. I can't blog from work (not only is personal internet use frowned upon, many sites are blocked). So what did I do? Nada. I didn't blog.

Today, however, I remembered that my phone, being an iPhone with an unlimited data package, could get online. D'oh. Let's blame this little lapse on being really freaking hot in the past few weeks, and being preoccupied with my sister's pregnancy. Which is now done! She has a beautiful baby girl! So I'm busy being an auntie this week ;)

I'll try to have some photos up, and I'll do my best to a) get my cable sorted and b) remember that I can post from my phone!

Getting back into the swing of things. Sort of.

Today, I took another step towards getting things back on track!  I'm always amazed at how much a show can throw off my life.  It's like everything else just stops, and I have to wait until the final curtain before I can get myself together again.

Tonight, I went out for dinner with friends.  Back in the day, we used to get together every Wednesday night for dinner and TV and board games and fun.  Of course, when I was at rehearsal, I couldn't make it, and then other folks couldn't make it, and it stopped for a while.  I think, though, that we're all interested in starting back, and that's exciting.  I like my friends, and I like spending time with them, so this is a good thing.

On the blanket front, however, I made no progress today.  I took my knitting bag to work, thinking that I could do some at lunch, but I just couldn't get myself comfortably arranged.  Working with three balls of yarn at once, I find that I need a big ol' chair or couch to spread out on, so I don't get tangled or have the yarn hanging out on the floor.  So I'll just have to knit extra fast tomorrow to get caught up with my 2 rows/day minimum.

In other news... um... well, I've got a Sekrit Projekt that I'm working on, but I can't tell you about it!  But it's going well so far, and will take some skills that I haven't used since high school.  When it's done and delivered, I'll share more. :)

I'm ba-a-a-a-ck!

Yes, that's right, after almost two weeks away, I have returned!

So what was I doing to keep myself so busy I couldn't blog?  Well, I'll tell you!  I was at the theatre.  A lot.  Like, every night.  I just finished stage managing a show, and it kept me out until after 11 every night.  Back in the day, when I was all young and stuff, that wouldn't have been a problem.  Now, though... my usual bedtime is 10, so being out till after 11 is problematic, to say the least.  By the time I'd get home, take care of Mia, get my stuff together for the next day, and do my night-time tooth-cleaning-face-washing-wind-down routine, I was hitting the hay after midnight.

But the show is now finished, and it was a fabulous success!

Today, being Memorial Day, was a day off from work, so not only did I not have to go back to the theatre, I didn't have to go to work, either!  It was glorious!  Of course, I woke up at my usual time.  The light in the summer makes Mia wake up much earlier than I'd like, and she won't let me sleep.  Since I was up, I decided to have a productive day.  I did 7 loads of laundry, knit 14 rows of Baby Bear's blanket, packed two more boxes, watched Julie & Julia, The Pursuit of Happyness, Mona Lisa Smile, and Fame, and the first four episodes of Season 1 of Dexter.  Wow.  I also made lunch and dinner, walked the dog several times, and vacuumed my living room.

Oh, and I've been working on a new story.  It's not on paper (or screen) yet, but I'm ironing out some details in my mind, and I should have something tangible very soon.  It's nice, doing some more writing.  I've been on a reading kick lately, and it was a nice break from writing, but I'm ready to dive back in.

What about you, blogglings?  What have you been up to for the last few weeks?

A quick one

Hello blogglings!

It's been a long week, so this is a short one.  I have done a bit more work on the blanket for Baby Bear, and I even managed to find my camera, so here's a picture!

Section A: 10/10 rows completed
Section B: 90/90 rows completed
Section C: 21/111 rows completed
Section D: 0/90 rows completed
Section E: 0/10 rows completed
Total length: umm... forgot to measure!
Percentage complete: 39%

But you can start to make out the logo now!

I'm proud of myself!

I went to the dentist yesterday, and I didn't cry!

Yes, I realize that, for most adults, this is a normal occurrence, not something worthy of celebration.  Well, I'm special.

For years, I've had severe dental anxiety.  It was not good.  I didn't go to the dentist for 10 years, because I was so terrified.  Visits to the dentist have been the bane of my existence.  When I was a child, I had a series of horrible experiences with hygienists.  My teeth are very close together, and it's hard to get dental floss between them, even when I'm being super-gentle at home.  These hygienists (and I never seemed to have the same one twice) were brutal.  They didn't care that I was crying and bleeding.  They told my mom that it was because I wasn't taking good care of my gums.  I still firmly believe that it was because they were SLICING UP MY MOUTH.

I had all four wisdom teeth removed at once, under general anesthesia, because my dentist at the time was quite certain that if I only had one done, I wouldn't go back again.  And if I just had local anesthetic, I would never go back to a dentist.  Ever.

Not long after I moved, I chipped a tooth. I was tempted to just leave it, but it was rough and uncomfortable, and I realized that I really did need to see a dentist.  I ended up calling the dentist that everyone in my office sees.  I got an appointment right away, and started panicking immediately.  By the time I was in the chair, I was hyperventilating and squeezing the stuffing out of the stuffed bear I had tucked into the pocket of my hoodie.  (Yes, I brought a stuffed animal.  Like I said, severe dental anxiety.  The bear helped a little.)  He started working on the tooth, and it broke all the way through (not his fault - it was just a defective tooth, hence the original chip).  And do you know what that meant?  That's right!  Root canal!

I freaked out.  I was crying in the chair, and the poor dentist was trying to reassure me, but it wasn't working. He did a temporary filling, and set me up with the uber-dentist to do the root canal a few days later. (I can't remember the title of the root canal guy - cosmetic dentist? Dental surgeon?) By the time we pulled up in front of the office, I was already sniffling.  Tears were running down my cheeks as I filled out the new patient paperwork.  By the time I was in the chair, I was full-out crying.  I feel sorry for the poor technicians who had to deal with me.  I really don't remember much after that, other than more tears and squeezing my bear.

Slowly, though, over the last three years, I've gotten better.  At first, I was still sniffling and hugging my bear during all of my cleanings and exams.  Yesterday, though?  No tears, and the bear stayed in my purse.  I totally blame the awesome dentist and hygienist combination for this change!  Since seeing this dentist, I've had the same hygienist for every visit.  Charlotte knows me, and knows my mouth, and she can distract me and laugh with me while she's doing the cleaning.  The flossing part still sucks, but she's careful and she knows  that's where I can get upset, so she usually launches into a story about something to keep my mind off of it.

So yes, it's a big deal that I didn't cry at the dentist yesterday.  Let's hope this pattern continues!

Blanket update: I've managed two rows.  The pattern now runs from one edge of the blanket to the other, and I've got to twist strands every 2-4 stitches, so it's taking about an hour per row.  It'll be a while...

It's Terminal.

Wow, that title sounds way more ominous than I had intended...  Anyway, here's a post about one of my non-writing problems!

I can't sleep.  I've had this problem for a while.  Years, actually.  I talked to my doctor about it, and he told me that I have 'terminal insomnia.'  It sounds way worse than it is.  It's not going to kill me (not any time soon, at least).  It actually refers to the fact that my sleep 'terminates' - I wake up.

I've done a bit of research, and it actually sounds like 'middle insomnia' is a more accurate diagnosis, since I wake up several times, and usually end up going back to sleep in fairly short order.  I was surprised to see that the main cause is thought to be anxiety or stress.  I'm actually feeling way more relaxed in the last few months than I have in a while.  My doctor suggested that it might be allergy-related - as I get all icky, my nose and throat don't let air pass as easily, and I might not be breathing properly.

Lately, I've been waking up about three times a night.  It's been remarkably regular.  I usually go to bed around 10, and fall asleep around 10:30.  I'll wake up around 12:30, 2:30, 4:30, and 6:30... which is ten minutes before my alarm goes off!  That part really sucks.

But then I did more research, and I found this pretty graph, which indicates that a standard sleep cycle is in the neighborhood of 2 hours long.  And I've been waking up about every two hours... So now I'm wondering just what is going on in my head to make me wake up every time I get into that lighter sleep phase.  Maybe that's when I'm suddenly more aware of sounds outside?  Or my dog's movements?  Or my sniffling?  Hmm... much to think about.

Meanwhile, here's the update on Baby Bear's blanket.  Yes, I've only done 4 rows since last time.  And those four rows took 2 hours, because I'm still new to this whole knitting-with-multiple-colors thing.  And I've lost my camera, so no photo tonight :(

Section A: 10/10 rows complete
Section B: 90/90 rows complete
Section C: 15/111 rows complete
Section D: 0/90 rows complete
Section E: 0/10 rows complete
Total length: 17.5 inches
Percentage complete: 36.9%

The Future is Now!

Yesterday, I attended a baby shower in Canada, from my comfy chair down in the US.  It was kind of awesome.  My sister and I hooked up our computers and I was able to watch her open all of her presents via Skype.  It was more than a little awesome.

I remember, growing up, when video phones were a thing of sci-fi movies.  It was a crazy thought, that anyone could use videos to have conversations.  And now?  The newest iPhone does it portably!  Holy cow!

I'm all about the technology - I've been online since... well, let's not admit how long I've been online.  Point is, I love the way tech is evolving, and I can't wait to see what's next, even if I can't quite afford all of the latest toys.  Funny thing is, though, the more time I spend around hi-tech gadgety bits, the more time I spend on the rather low-tech crafting hobbies I have.

And speaking of crafting, here's the blanket update:

Section A: 10/10 rows complete
Section B: 90/90 rows complete
Section C: 11/111 rows complete
Section D: 0/90 rows complete
Section E: 0/10 rows complete
Percentage complete: 35%
Total length: 16.5 inches

Finally! Finished a few!

This week has been, well, crazy.  I'm feeling pulled in a dozen different directions, and I've been multitasking beyond my standard capacity at work, but that's okay.  I went out shopping last night, and in addition to buying the pillowform I needed for one of my projects (see below!), I bought a new notebook.  There's just something that feels good about a new notebook.  I used to be a Moleskin gal, but lately, I've been using the Ecosystem notebooks and loving them.  I'm feeling the need to write by hand, and I'm about to start the re-write on HEA, and it just felt right.  So the new version will start out hand-written in a pink notebook.  Very princess.

I've put the blanket for Otter/Baby Bear on hold, mostly because I tried doing the color-blocked section, hated the way it was turning out, and ended up frogging ten rows of blanket.  Otter, you'll appreciate this - I'm using Grandma's needles for the blanket!  Our grandma was notorious for getting almost all the way done with a project, realizing she had made a mistake somewhere earlier, then ripping out the whole thing and starting again.  I didn't rip out the whole thing - I kept the first 100 rows, so it's not too bad.  But I'm waiting until I have time to go to the yarn store and ask for advice on how to proceed.

In the meantime, I've actually finished two other projects.  The first was a birthday present for a friend - Matt bought a sock monkey for Brie, and wanted her name embroidered into a tattoo on its arm (like those commercials where the toys went crazy - do you remember them?).  I've been putting it off for months, but tonight, I finished it!  It wasn't hard at all, and it didn't take long to do, but I just didn't get around to it.  Now, though, it's off the list!

The other project I finished (at 10:30, which is after I wanted to be in bed, and has delayed this post) is a sweater-turned-pillow.  I started this one YEARS ago after finding this awesome yarn.  Unfortunately, I didn't get enough to actually finish the sweater I started, but I really liked the pattern. So I modified it, and voila! Years later, a knit/crochet pillow cover.  I'm pretty happy with it.  And there's just enough of the yarn left to make a simple scarf or something small.  Maybe.

So that's what I've done while waiting impatiently for the weekend.

I love Buffy.

Let me just say, you guys are awesome, blogglings!  Thanks for the well-wishes in the comments and via text.  I'm still sniffling, and my eyes are a bit itchy, but now that I've got my allergy drops, things are better.

Last night, I finished watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer again.  I think this is the fourth or fifth time I've watched the whole series through, and it made me cry again.  I think that's the mark of a good story - even though I knew how it ended, even though there was no element of surprise, even though I knew who would live and who would die - I had an emotional reaction to it.  I connected with the characters.  I could identify with their flaws, and I admired their strengths.  Joss Whedon's world, the Buffyverse, was filled out.  It wasn't just a random town with a bunch of demons thrown in.  Buffy wasn't just some girl with superpowers.  Spike wasn't just a blood-sucking fiend.  Every character, even one like Anya, who was supposed to be almost one-dimensional because she was an ex-demon who didn't understand humans, every one of them was real to me.  The writers on the show were consistent and true to the characters.  If they hadn't been... I don't think I would have cried.  Again.

My favourite part, though?  I loved how the end of the series felt like the end of the series, but not the end of the characters lives.  Granted, I now know that Joss went on to create a series of graphic novels that continue the story, but still, I didn't get the feeling that, once the show ended, the gang would go and rent an apartment in LA and sit around doing nothing.

And speaking of the Buffy graphic novels... I'm so disappointed that I can't read them!  I tried.  I picked one up at Barnes & Noble, and I tried, but my brain just doesn't like graphic novels.  I feel all ADD, and I can't follow the flow, and it is incredibly disappointing!

But not as disappointing as hearing that there's talk of a new Buffy movie, and that Joss Whedon won't be involved.  Seriously???  I'm a hard-core fan (you may have figured that out on your own...), but if Joss isn't involved, I won't be watching the movie.

Tonight, there is no photo of the blanket in progress, partly because my camera is running low on battery and I can't find the power cord, and partly because, well, it looks the same, just longer.  But here are the stats:

Section A: 10/10 rows complete
Section B: 86/90 rows complete
Section C: 0/111 rows complete
Section D: 0/90 rows complete
Section E: 0/10 rows complete
Balls of yarn used up: 3
Total length: 13.25 inches
Percentage complete: 30%

And tomorrow, I think I'll head to the yarn store to get some professional advice on how to do the different colours...

I want to scratch my eyeballs out of my head

I have allergies.

This isn't, like, news to me.  I've had allergies for most of my life.  And actually, the older I get, the more I seem to develop, which seems totally unfair, since the rest of the world apparently outgrows allergies with age.

Somehow, I managed to avoid most of the pollen issues that everyone seems to have in this area for my first three springtimes.  Unfortunately, this year, it's getting to me.  I'm having a hard time telling, though, if it's true allergies, or just due to the ridiculous levels of pollen in the air.  Every morning, my red car looks yellow.  And I've washed it twice in the last week.

In any case, my eyes are so itchy tonight that I can barely keep them open, so I'll be retiring now to listen to audiobooks and knit some dishcloths (because I can - and will - literally knit those with my eyes closed), and I'll try not to rub my eyes too much.

Man, if only I didn't spend my days working with eyes and knowing how bad it is to rub at them!


Day 5:
Section A: 10/10 rows complete
Section B: 62/90 rows complete
Section C: 0/111 rows complete
Section D: 0/90 rows complete
Section E: 0/10 rows
Balls of yarn used up: 2
Total length: 10.5 inches
Percentage complete: 23%

More POV musings and a new tracking thingy

After writing about possibly trying the first-person POV last week, I feel like the universe is sort of conspiring to make me try... In my blogroll today, I came across this post about first-person.  The whole thing has been marinating all day as I've been working on other projects at work, and I think I'm going to do it.

Well.

I'll try the first chapter or so.  We'll see how it feels.  The thing is, I've already started mentally rewriting it, and it feels good.  I just need to try it on paper and share it with someone else, I think.

In other news, with Otter's maternity sweater done, I've moved on to Baby Bear's blanket.  However, I work best when I feel pressure, so I'm creating pressure by posting my progress here.  Until it's done, at the end of each blog post I'll be including the current progress of each section of the blanket, the number of balls of yarn used up, and frequent photos.  If that doesn't motivate me... well, then the blanket won't get finished :)

Day 3:
Section A: 10/10 rows complete
Section B: 32/90 rows complete
Section C: 0/111 rows complete
Section D: 0/90 rows complete
Section E: 0/10 rows complete
Balls of yarn used up: 1
Total length: 7 inches
Percentage complete: 13.5%