KatyKnitsNYC

A few things I've learned this year

2011-12-27T13:25:00.000-05:00

About myself:
* I can live on very little and without much in the way of stuff - as long as I have a good pillow and some yarn.
* I like having things to do every day. Even if it is laundry.
* I cook too much when I have nothing to do. However, the scalloped potatoes I made a few days ago were very tasty, so it isn't all bad.

* I like knitting baby-sized things. I have no idea what to do with the baby-sized things I've been knitting. I'm thinking of selling some of them in my festival lounge this summer.

Punkin Hat

* I really like knitting toys.

Light Bulbs

About other things:
* Chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips are not as good. Adequate, but wrong somehow. The same batter with peanut butter chips are ok, but still not as good. Tollhouse, you rule!
* Butter is good, but there is a "too much" point I need to remember. At a certain point, it's just wasteful.
* Starbucks gives you a 10 cent discount if you bring your own reusable cup.
* Astoria is not as far away as it seemed when I lived in Inwood. Hm.
* Cats can't read calendars and don't care that you want to sleep in. (Admittedly, I've known this for years, but it really hit home these past few months.)
* Baby-sized things are cute. (Again, this isn't news.) Proof:

I'm a Planet!

2011-11-20T00:47:00.001-05:00

I'm the new Managing Director of the Planet Connections Theater Festivity. I think this is a good thing.

2011-11-15T12:29:00.001-05:00

My Intermediate Knitting class at the 92nd St Y got cancelled for this session. I'm a little bummed out by this. I'm blaming the busy upcoming holiday season for scheduling conflicts. The Beginning Knitting class all seemed to enjoy the class and plan to meet together periodically, but most had too many conflicts in December to commit to another class right away. I hope many of them will keep it up and sign up for Intermediate in the Spring. They were a great group of people.

On the theatre front, I'm ushering at APAC for a really great new play, "A Hard Wall at High Speed", and I'm house managing "Alba" at the Gene Frankel Theater, another really great new adaptation.

Classes coming this week

2011-10-03T16:00:00.002-04:00

I'm teaching some classes at the 92nd St Y this fall. Come learn with me!

http://www.92y.org/Uptown/Classes/Adults/Games-Crafts/Knitting.aspx

I might be adding a Beginning Needlepoint class in the Spring session.

I'm still here

2011-07-22T01:50:00.002-04:00

I've been sort of busy and not up to writing anything person about myself and it's too hot for serious knitting, so instead I'll write about other projects I'm involved in.

Dia de los Muertos - running now through July 31. Bar brawls, gun fights, revolution!

Much Ado About Nothing - running in August as part of the NYC 2011 Fringe Festival. 4 Actors, 3 outdoor locations, 2 sound cues, 1 lounge chair, $0 ticket price.

Trojan Women - (no website yet) - coming soon. Atrocities of war. Did we learn nothing from history? Must we keep repeating our mistakes?

There is also some potential knitting in my future. I will be teaching some classes this fall at the 92nd St Y. Beginning Knitting, Intermediate Knitting, Quilting, and Embroidery. My roommate is moving out of the state and is handing over her class schedule to me.

Long time coming

2011-01-29T17:39:00.002-05:00

I'm making a stab at promoting myself more. I have decided to work at knitting for more than just a hobby. I'm teaching private lessons more and knitting custom garments for others. Business cards are much more useful when I carry them with me and give them out when people express an interest.

I love to knit. I love to teach others how to knit. I especially love the "Oh, I get it!" moment when they realize they are knitting.

I think of myself as a personal trainer for knitting. As with working out at a gym, you feel awkward and unsure until your body (and mind) get used to doing something new and unnatural. After a while, it becomes a habit and feels natural and you forget how insecure you felt that first time or two.

It only took a year, or 20

2010-07-23T01:44:00.005-04:00

As of July 22, 2010, I found out that I'm being offered my first Equity contract. I'm joining the union.

For those of you who are not in any way involved in the world of theater, this basically means I can now get paid a living wage to do the thing I've been doing for free (or nearly free) for the past twenty years. I still have to find jobs, but at least I'll be eligible to apply for the professional ones now. Probably this won't actually change anything about my life for the near future, but hey, this is New York and anything is possible.

And if you would like to see the show that made this all possible for me, check out "With Glee" at: http://www.prospecttheater.org/

Free Pattern – Bective Hat

2010-04-26T23:51:00.001-04:00

Yarn: Pick a yarn and hook combination that you like in single crochet.
Gauge: not terribly important, but shouldn’t be too loose or too tight.

This hat is worked in a spiral in single crochet through the back loop. The increases/decreases are worked in a straight line one above the other, giving the crown the appearance of being worked in seven sections instead of the usual six or eight.

SC = Single crochet. Except for the first round, these are all worked through the back loop of the previous round.

Chain 4 and join to form ring.
Round 1: Work 7 SC in ring. [7 sts]
Round 2: Work 2 SC in each SC. [14 sts]
Round 3: (Work 2 SC in first SC, 1 SC in next SC) repeat 7 times. [21 sts]
Round 4: (Work 2 SC in first SC, 1 SC in next 2 SC) repeat 7 times. [28 sts]
Round 5: (Work 2 SC in first SC, 1 SC in next 3 SC) repeat 7 times. [35 sts]
Round 6: (Work 2 SC in first SC, 1 SC in next 4 SC) repeat 7 times. [42 sts]
Round 7: (Work 2 SC in first SC, 1 SC in next 5 SC) repeat 7 times. [49 sts]
Round 8: (Work 2 SC in first SC, 1 SC in next 6 SC) repeat 7 times. [56 sts]

Continue working in this manner, adding one more plain SC between the increases each round until the crown measures about 11 inches in diameter (across).

Work 4 rounds even without increasing.

Begin decreasing by either skipping one SC or SC 2 together in the same 7 sections of the increases.

Continue working the decreases until it is the right size for the head. Try it on to see if you like the fit.

Band – Work 1 inch (or desired depth) even without decreasing.

Optional: Make a pom-pom for the top.

Romance Romance

2010-02-11T00:51:00.000-05:00

http://www.theactivetheater.com/
No, I don't have a love life. I'm working on a musical. Come see.

Looking for 3rd roommate - furnished room in Inwood

2010-01-21T10:27:00.000-05:00

Large furnished room in real 3BR apartment available March 1 (or possibly earlier). $750/month.
Approximately 13 x 18 + closet.
Good light, furnishings include queen size bed, 2 dressers, table/desk, bookcase, television.
Shared bathroom with both shower stall and large tub.

3rd floor, elevator building. 200 or 207 stop on the A train. 1 train is walking distance. Express buses stop on the next block. Target in the Bronx and the Marble Hill Metro North stop are walking distance.

Apartment has wireless internet, cable, dishwasher, eat-in kitchen, cozy living room, and 2 cats. No additional pets, please. Rent includes food like the occasional shared meal - or leftovers.

Other two roommates are self-employed as fiber artists (knitter/quilter) and a stage manager.

Contact me if you or anyone you know might be interested.

Knitting in the New Year

2010-01-03T12:35:00.003-05:00

Hand Puppets

In keeping with last year's (2009's) New Year's Resolution, I'm attempting to finish all the major projects I've already started before starting any new major projects. So far, I've finished a giant blanket, a lap blanket, 3 sweaters of my own design, countless wristwarmers, and am about halfway through this promised hand puppet project.

Happy New Year! Goodbye Old Year!

2010-01-01T11:04:00.003-05:00

Out with the old, in with the new.

I spent the last week or so trying to finish things long since abandoned. I did get through a few things:

Garden Shawl - Blanket
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13851200@N03/4216945671/
Started just after Thanksgiving... 2006.
Finished just after Christmas... 2009.

Hemlock Ring Blanket
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13851200@N03/4222864958/
Started just after Thanksgiving... 2008.
Finished just after Christmas... 2009.

Wristwarmers
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13851200@N03/4222135723/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13851200@N03/4222899134/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13851200@N03/4222899534/

Hat
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13851200@N03/4222136987/?rotated=1&cb=1262362226375

Restarted the Great Hand Puppet Project of 2008
I'm 95% done with 5 puppets - 7 more planned

Fisherman's Sweater
Bought the zipper. Just need to sew it in. Must do that soon. It's cold outside.

Peru Hoodie
95% done. Just need to weave in ends and finish the second half of the hood.

Pictures coming soon. Thanks, Jill for the camera. It works great.

What's up with me?

2009-12-23T00:34:00.003-05:00

http://aguildershand.wordpress.com

Nancy and I are starting a small business. Or, more acurately, we are turning the things we do anyway into a small business. We are still in the talking about possibilities phase, but we both think this is still a good idea.

So, to any of my friends who are thinking about buying garment quantities of yarn, I now have access to anything KFI (Noro, Debbie Bliss, Louisa Harding, Mirasol, Katia, Sirdar, Sublime, etc), but you would have to buy by the bag (10 skeins). We can also get Jade Sapphire in bags of 5 skeins. If you are thinking of anything Brown Sheep (Lamb's Pride, Burly Spun, Lanaloft, Cotton Fleece, etc.) we can get that by the skein - no need to order a whole bag.

Oh, and, FREE delivery in New York City. I'll come to you or meet you somewhere in the city. What yarn store offers that?

And, if you have a bin of not quite finished things that you would love to just be done with but don't have the time or desire to finish it yourself, we will do that as well. Contact us for more information or a quote. No promises on the Christmas gift list. Maybe next year.

My horoscope often entertains me...

2009-12-09T09:23:00.000-05:00

"It's impossible to stop you from trying what you think you need to do, and even more difficult to talk you out of saying what's on your mind."

Two Rooms

2009-12-08T09:17:00.000-05:00

http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW_Special_Feature_99_and_Under_the_Radar_A_Look_at_Indie_Theatres_Movers_and_Shakers_20091204

(I'm the ASM and running sound.)

2009-11-28T23:53:00.000-05:00

"Happy Belated Thanksgiving! I've been without internet since Tuesday. I've moved back up to Inwood. I've not unpacked. I'm in tech for a show. I'm starting rehearsal for another. I'm starting an online yarn store. I'm designing knit things. I'm living with 4 cats. I have nothing to do on December 18th. Yet. Ok. You are all caught up."

Glad it wasn't me

2009-11-14T10:01:00.002-05:00

On my way home early this morning, I saw two pedestrian accidents on 23rd St. I blame the rain. And stupidity.

The first was the weirdest. Just after crossing 7th Ave, I saw a bike go past out of the corner of my eye. I look up and see the bike and it's rider tumbling to the ground out in the middle of the street. As he gets up, so does another person. I think to myself, "That was weird. Were there two people on that bike?" But then the second person gets to his feet and starts cursing and looking at his wet dirty clothes and stumbles to the sidewalk. The bike rider gets up, picks up his bike and bike lock and replies to the cursing and tells the other guy to watch where he's walking (among other things). I can only assume the pedestrian was a few drinks over the limit by the odd stumbling walk and slurred speech. And the fact it was 1:45am on Saturday morning.

Not two blocks later, at the weird intersection of 23rd, 5th & Broadway, I saw a group of pedestrians crossing against the light because they thought there was no traffic and it looked like they had time before the light changed at 24th. Wrong. A cab comes screaming down 5th and starts honking. I thought to myself, "Oh, crap. That cab isn't going to stop. Run!" The driver swerves to miss a girl, which he does, but instead slams into a guy ambling in that "I'm cool... I've got my pants hanging under my butt and bunched up over my shoes so I can't walk fast... I'm cool..." way that too many guys around here seem to think is a good look for them. He isn't hurt from what I could tell. His shoe got knocked off (because it isn't tied and just loosely attached to his foot anyway) and whatever was in the bag he was carrying got broken, but he was fine. He and his "boys" start cursing at the cab driver and threatening to sue and, for no good reason I could see, also yelling at the passenger. The passenger is yelling back. The driver is yelling back. I just kept walking... now that the light changed.

I'm just glad I got home with no further incidents. Except for the hairball Bob yacked up just as I was ready to go to bed.

Free Night of Theatre

2009-10-29T01:08:00.001-04:00

For those of you who didn't already know, I'm working on an off-off-Broadway adaptation of Moliere's "The Imaginary Invalid" again, under the new name of "The Hypochondriac."

I can invite up to 5 people to our final dress rehearsal on Monday, November 2nd AND to our press preview on Tuesday, November 3rd. If you would like to attend either one of these performances, please leave me a comment ASAP.

I'm looking for technology

2009-10-27T08:34:00.001-04:00

I'm looking for some props for my current show. Anybody have an extra iPhone, Blackberry or laptop sitting around? They don't have to work. The iPhone will be dropped repeatedly, so it really doesn't have to work. I suppose it could be an iTouch since you can't really tell the different from 20 feet away... Let me know. Thanks...

Sy-fy

2009-10-02T23:11:00.002-04:00

Tonight I went to a screening of "Stargate Universe" - sponsored by the SyFy channel - not something I would normally do. I am a closet science fiction fan. I honestly love the books, even the 40's goofy stuff, but mostly read the epic space opera type novels and am not a huge fan of most of the movies or TV shows. There are a few exceptions. Tonight I realized I am not a true Sci-Fi fan. I've never even heard of most of the movies/shows people mentioned. I don't follow Lost. I'm not even sure what Fringe is. Anyway, there was a raffle. I won a $25 gift card from iTunes.

I'm taking suggestions on what to do with $25 worth of iTunes...

Thank You letter

2009-09-08T15:09:00.002-04:00

This is an open thank you letter to my mom and former teachers and other mentors I've had in my life:

Thank you for teaching me how to think for myself. Somewhere along the way, I learned not to take everything at face value just because the media said it. Take my friends at face value; not the news. Everything has more than one point of view. Even tragedy has some good in it somewhere. Maybe I learned this from theatre. Possibly I learned this in Mass Communication class. Probably I learned this just from life. I've also learned that not everyone does think for themselves. I find that sad.

Thank you for teaching me that decisions have consequences. Sometimes I learned this from my own mistakes and sometimes I learned this from watching others make weird choices. Sometimes the decisions were the best thing I ever did for myself (moving to New York, quitting my job). Sometimes they were hard (moving to New York, quitting my job). The end result of my decisions have brought me to a place I like. I know I will have more decisions and consequences every day. I feel prepared to take those choices as they come and live with whatever happens. So far, it's worked out pretty well for me.

Thank you for making sure I know the meaning of the big words I use before I use them, and for showing me how to look up those big words I don't know. The dictionary, wikipedia, google, and reading in context are all wonderful things. I do have a fairly extensive vocabulary and often choose to employ "big words" in my everyday life.

Thank you for making me aware that I really can do anything I want to do - if I'm willing to work for it. Yes, it would be really cool to be famous or rich or a reality TV star or whatever, but not if it is handed to me for nothing. It means so much more to me to know that I've worked hard to be good at what I do. And it makes it worth it when others recognize it, too. I'll probably never be famous outside of my little world. I'll probably never make a 6-figure salary again. I don't even want to be a reality TV star (heaven forbid!!). But I'm happy.

Thank you for encouraging me to be the best me I can. I'm working on it.
K

p.s. If you want to know what brought this on, let me know. I could explain further, but it might involve big words.

Police Action!

2009-09-05T01:08:00.003-04:00

Sort of.

Walking to the subway, I saw a fight just above the West 4th St station. I think it might have been a girl fight, but I didn't go look. I know there are mulitple police officers hanging out in the station every time I go through there, so I just mention it in passing as I go on my way to the train. "By the way, there's a fight going on up there." "Really? Where?" "By the newsstand." "Ok. Thanks." I'm guessing the fight was over before they managed to make it upstairs, but whatever. I did what the signs say: "See something. Say something."

What seems like hours later, but wasn't really, I was walking down my block and there is a big ol' SUV from NJ literally blocking the sidewalk. It seems to have jumped the curb and hit the building next door. No one was in the vehicle. (I checked.) The airbags did not inflate. Possibly, they just got tired of looking for parking and decided to try to fit into a space that was too small and they are just around the corner at the sports bar or something. However, since I was already in a "see something - say something" sort of mood, I called 311. George at 311 transferred me to 911. I didn't think it was really an emergency, but 911 lady took my information anyway. I'm guessing they will send a squad car and a tow truck. I hope Jersey driver is ok. I'll check on the building tomorrow.

TimeOut review

2009-08-21T10:22:00.001-04:00

http://newyork.timeout.com/events/fringe-festival/298270/just-dont-touch-me-amigo

fashion capital?

2009-08-20T11:56:00.003-04:00

A rant on fashion and clothing shopping in general.

It is mid-August. It is 90+ degrees for days on end. I need to update my sorry summer wardrobe. I'm in the "fashion capital" of the world. I can't find a pair of shorts anywhere. I apparently missed the shorts-buying season back in February and now I'm out of luck. I didn't need shorts in February. I need shorts now. Now, when it's hot. Not then, when there was still snow in the forcast and I was wrapped up in wool. I need summer clothes now, when it is summer. I'm not ready for fall and winter clothes. I can't even begin to think about layers - I'm trying to get by with as little as possible since it's only going to stick to me in the humidity anyway.

GAP doesn't even have any shorts in their clearance area. I looked. (However, I did get a couple of $5 tank tops.) H&M isn't even worth speaking of. Urban Outfitters makes me want to run out screaming. That isn't fashion, that's just ugly clothes. I saw fall clothes already on sale. It isn't fall yet. Why would fall clothes be on sale??

I'm afraid of attempting the department stores. I think I would be depressed and annoyed by the craptastic selection of fugly nonsense that passes for clothes these days.

I've got to go spend 7 hours on a boat and I don't have the proper clothes - because I can't find them in the stores. I'm going to sweat in jeans when I would rather be in shorts. Why must the stores be 6 months ahead of nature? I'm not ready to shop for my winter coat just yet. Bring back the summer clothes, please.

Sometimes, I've just got to laugh

2009-08-10T09:22:00.005-04:00

My horoscope for yesterday and why I laugh...

Another Day In Paradise
It's hard to tell whether your professional life or your personal affairs will make you happiest right now. Either way, it's going to be a very, very close race for the finish line. This is the best of times. Enjoy it with the ones you love.

Professional life consists of Tech Week for two Fringe Festival shows (The Green Manifesto and Just Don't Touch Me, Amigo). They will either be the best things I've ever done or the worst. I'm hoping for "the best" end of the spectrum.
Personal life is hard to separate from the professional for me. The only people I have time to see are in the shows I'm working on. Except for the Manhattan Cares parties, which still fall into the professional for me since I'm a host. However, I do get to socialize. More on that in another section.
Either way, I am pretty happy with myself. I'm trying to remember to enjoy myself. I have caught myself smiling for no reason. What is the world coming to?

Love
There's something in the air, and it smells awfully sweet. Before you decide you've found the one, however, at least lock in a second date.

This really made me laugh. As mentioned earlier, I'm an assistant organizer/host for a series of events as part of Manhattan Cares. What that means is that I've been in charge of food for a bunch of outdoor house parties this summer. Usually, I'm just standing in front of the grill all night, flipping burgers and trying not to burn anything. For some reason, last Saturday, I was responsible for all of the food from menu planning to shopping to preparation to presentation and still working the grill. I did have a few volunteers (and Jill) helping out with little things here and there, but not the usual team. I was a bit stressed out and working on adrenaline. After I snapped at Boris, the wine guy, threathened him and told him he couldn't have any room in the fridge for his wine until someone else cleaned off the tables so there would be room for the food, I felt better. Either that or the scotch on the rocks Dan brought me. Anyway, there was food. Plenty of snacks. Not quite enough meat, but whatever. People seemed happy.
I don't know if it was a full moon or what, but I was getting hit on all night long. Guys I've never seen before. Guys I've known for years. A couple of girls even. Maybe my perceptions were off a little, but I swear I was being touched way more than normal. Hand on my shoulder or arm. Arm around my waist. Hugs. Air kisses. Even a shoulder rub from some woman I've never seen before. Every guy on the host team checking in with me all night to see if I needed anything or just to give me a pat on the shoulder. Guys talking to me about things I don't really want to know (bellydancer coming on to him, leading to sex, etc.) while he is hitting on me. Standing between two guys who are both either touching me in a familiar manner (I've known one of them for years, so it wasn't that unusual) or trying to (just met him, so it was unusual). Random guy giving me his card and suggesting I invite my friend along so the three of us can hang out. Weird. But in a good way. Go me...

Energy
You made a promise, all the while fervently hoping that the time would never come to pay up. Unfortunately, it has. Ever hear the expression, 'grin and bear it'?

Perfect Storm of Fringe Festival rehearsals, Manhattan Cares party and not enough sleep. Tech week is exhausting enough without doubling it up. Adding in a party that takes most of the week to pull together and then agreeing to start yet another play (The Confidence Man) on top of it all makes me just a little nuts. I've resorted to using Google Calendars just to keep my life straight. I think I got about 5 hours of sleep this weekend. I've not yet recovered. After I finish unloading all these random thoughts in my head, I've got a couple of errands to run (including mailing a book my roommate who is in Italy sold on Amazon - vacation settings anyone?) and attempt to clean up just a little before I plan out prop layouts and get set up for two long days of tech rehearsals. I'm fine. Why did I give up Mt Dew??

Career
That pat on the back you've been waiting for? You won't have to wait much longer. The next sound you sound you hear will be a very hearty 'congratulations!'

This one was the best. Just before I read my horoscope for yesterday, I opened a couple of emails from the director and writer of the musical I'm working on. They were both very complimentary. Virtual pats on the back. I hope I get a chance to work with them again. I've enjoyed it and I learned more than I expected. This was a good team. I can see the difference from the last one. Age and experience does mean something in the world of theatre. I need to remember to not waste myself on youth if I can help it.

I'm so glad I moved to New York.
I'm even more glad I quit my job.
I would be even more glad if I could get paid enough to live on doing what I love.
Come see my plays if you get a chance.

Double Fringe, please

2009-07-29T23:16:00.002-04:00

I'm also the Co-Stage Manager* for this Fringe Festival prodution:

The Green Manifesto
Two Cookies in association with m2 Productions
Writer: Book and Lyrics by Anne Berlin, Music by Andy Cohen
Director: Valentina Fratti
Madison's in love with Adam, an environmental lawyer building NYC's greenest housing complex. But she's falling for Patrick, an impassioned conservationist. Join Pete the talking puffin as he marvels how well-intentioned people lose sight of what's really important.
2h 15m Local Manhattan/Brooklyn, NY Musical Comedy
Staycation:To the Zoo My NYC Story www.greenmanifestomusical.com
VENUE #10: Minetta Lane Theatre
Fri 14 @ 9:45 Sat 15 @ 5 Sun 16 @ 12 Wed 19 @ 4:30 Mon 24 @ 10:15

I saw the stumble-through of Act I tonight and I think it will be a cute show with an interesting message.

*By "Co-Stage Manager" I mean I will miss most of the early rehearsals because of conflicts with the other two shows I'm working on, but will run the show for all the performances. The other co-SM will attend all the rehearsals and take care of the administrative work, but can't make it to the performances. Weird, but I think it will be fine. We are still looking for a PA/ASM.

Review

2009-07-29T23:01:00.002-04:00

http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/showpage.php?t=imag8362

For those who want to know whether or not someone else likes it before they see a show...
And for my Mom, who won't get to see it.

Fringe Festival, here I come

2009-07-27T20:33:00.001-04:00

http://justdonttouchmeamigo.blogspot.com/

I'll be the Stage Manager on this show.

A Little Rant

2009-07-26T15:58:00.002-04:00

Just opened “The Imaginary Invalid” in an environmental space. I’m the SM and lights/sound operator. We are using a big flat screen to show infomercials at the top of the acts. Opening night, last minute change from the Blue-Ray player to a cheap DVD player because the screen saver adds too much light and turns off just minutes before we need it again. Set designer gets everything working, actress learns which buttons to push. House should have been open 5 minutes ago. I practically beg to rehearse the scene change, but no. I barely get the "talking through what is supposed to happen" conversation. The director looks at me like I’m being an unreasonable child and why do I need to know what the actor is doing. The Set Designer is done, he leaves the theatre and heads home.

So, 20 minutes later, the play begins. Curtain speech, light cues, actress turns around and pushes the button. Infomercial begins… lights fade to black… DVD player stops. ?? Bring the lights back up. Actress pushes the button again… infomerical begins… lights fade to black… DVD player stops. ??

As I watch the lightboard % drop to zero, I realize that the Set Designer plugged the replacement DVD player into the same extension cord as the practical lamp on the side table. If I go to black like the Light Designer planned, the DVD turns off. I choose to leave the “special” light on for the infomercial, which means we can see the actors getting into place as they walk up the stairs, which wouldn’t have been a problem if we were in a blackout.

I look out into the audience and see the Light Designer scribbling furiously. She hasn’t figured out what is going on. Ha.

At the end of the infomercial, as we start the play proper, the main character starts his lines. Screams “Oh!” and runs offstage. I’m the entire crew. I have no idea what is going on. I can’t see most of the stage. I can’t communicate with the greenroom. I can’t leave the booth without crossing through the set. WTF? He comes back on (with his glasses, which THE CHARACTER DOESN’T NEED) and keeps going. As I didn’t see the director panic again, I choose to ignore this crisis.

At the end of the next scene, a different actress sees what she thinks is a prop remote that she has never seen before, picks it up, looks at it… and takes it offstage with her. As the actress who is supposed to turn on the next infomercial is looking for the remote, the director (who is sitting in the audience) realizes what the other actress took offstage. He crosses through the set, goes backstage and gets the remote, hands it to the actress, then sits back down. Again, when I leave the light on so the DVD player will work, I notice the Light Designer scribbling furiously again.

Note to actors: If you see something new on stage that you don’t know anything about and that doesn’t affect you or your character in any way, LEAVE IT ALONE!

The next night, the director calls the cast an hour early to give final notes. Everyone is there sort of on time. The set is prepped. I round up the actors for notes. I can’t find the main character. I’ve seen him. He’s already checked his props. He is nowhere to be found in the space. HE WENT TO GET COFFEE! He didn’t ask. He didn’t let anyone know he was leaving. He’s a freaking equity actor and he didn’t let anyone know he was leaving!

Notes to actors: Get your coffee BEFORE you show up. Starbucks doesn’t deliver and you don’t get to leave.

More notes to actors: If you really must run out for bobby pins because your hair blocks your face and you are a light suck because you are not as good an actress as you think you are and can’t hold your head up to save your life, don’t even think I’m going to let you do so in costume after the house is open, even if the drug store is only across the street. (This would be the same actress that took the remote into the greenroom…) I fixed the hair problem by sending another actress who isn’t in Act One (not in costume) to the store instead.

And one more note to actors just to get it off my chest: If your instructions are to wait for the music that plays during the blackout at the top of the act to cross through the set and up the stairs to get in place, don’t be surprised when you get caught in the light if you move during the special that happens before the music. It isn’t my fault if you can’t tell the difference between “silence with light” and “music without light”.

And, speaking of light: If you can’t see a blinding spot of light when you look up, chances are really, really good that you are NOT IN YOUR LIGHT! If you can’t see the light, the light can’t see you. GO FIND YOUR LIGHT, DAMMIT!

*****

I feel better now.

Should I?

2009-07-19T04:45:00.003-04:00

If I know I have to get up in about 3 hours, should I bother going to sleep? If I have a 10+ hour day of last rehearsal before tech and we open in 4 days?
Yes, you are right, I'm too old to pull a 36+ hour day... I'll be at Starbucks in 5 hours...

Because No Sense of Humor is No Laughing Matter

2009-07-18T01:56:00.001-04:00

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=93667844314

or

www.deadlineproductions.org
The Imaginary Invalid

I'm here. Every day (at least lately). Come see me here. Through Aug 2.

Invalid

2009-07-10T22:13:00.001-04:00

http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/THE_IMAGINARY_INVALID_Comes_To_The_Cell_Theatre_72326_73082_20090707

Why you won't see me for the next 6 weeks...

2009-06-30T00:27:00.004-04:00

http://www.deadlineproductions.org/
"The Imaginary Invalid"

I have $15 advance tickets if anyone is interested in seeing a modernized Moliere comedy. Funny stuff from 17th Century France that still applies today. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I guess I should add that I'm not so "not busy" anymore. Woo Hoo!

not busy...

2009-06-23T20:52:00.002-04:00

I need an incentive to get up every day. Checking the latest on Jon & Kate or whatever other pseudo-celeb gossip is not a reason. Knitting a jacket for someone else is not a reason. Cleaning the cat box is not a reason (even though it does need to be done).

Anybody want to meet for lunch? I've got all kinds of free time. Going to the Post Office to drop off a Netflix DVD is not enough to fill my day. The ladies at the local D'Agostinos are starting to recognize me. That just tells me I go there too often. It's been cloudy and rainy too much to go sit by the river or at the park. I suppose I could spend more time at the library. It's only a few blocks away.

I have had a couple of stage manager interviews, but nothing has come of them. I was supposed to have a phone interview for another finance job, but they never got back to me, so my guess is that is going nowhere. I am not really enjoying this enforced vacation.

On the upside, I've got plenty of time to listen to baseball games. And, I can read and knit while I listen to the games. Multi-tasking, that's me.

Why I don't Twitter...

2009-06-12T11:06:00.004-04:00

My tweets would look something like this:

12:28am - Deicde I should probably think about going to sleep
10:32pm - Notice that the traffic has slowed down and it is dark outside
9:20pm - Knit & watch something on Netflix
9:14pm - Eat more cheese crackers
5:20pm - Knit & watch something on Netflix
5:15pm - Eat something else, probably grilled chicken
2:35pm - Knit & watch something on Netflix (unless the Mets or Yankees are playing a day game)
2:30pm - Eat something else, probably cheese crackers
11:35am - Knit & watch something on Netflix
11:30am - Get back from store, take off shoes, sit at computer, eat bagel
11:25am - Put on shoes and head for the grocery
11:20am - Brush teeth & hair
10:30am - Check email for important news & information - not. Got friended by someone I barely knew in high school (he was in jr high, hence the "barely knew").
10:24am - Dress
10:06am - Shower
9:57am - Wake up again (but no horrible stench)
8:30am - Finish book, go back to bed
7:16am - Since I'm not alseep, I grab a book to read (Book 6 of "Saga of the Seven Suns" in case you care)
7:15am - Hear roommate head to the bathroom
7:09am - Hear third alarm from roommate
6:59am - Hear second alarm from roommate
6:56am - Go back to bed
6:50am - Find (and clean up) more runny poop in bathroom
6:49am - Smell horrible stench again - and hear first alarm from roommate
6:31am - Begin to clean up runny poop smeared all over floor as cat attempts to wipe butt
6:30am - Wake up to the horrible stench of runny poop (from cat)

Everything from 6:30am to 11:30am is actually from this morning. Most days I'm asleep, so there would be no tweets...

I've got to go see if I can make this list come true!

Edited to add:
Well, the Yankees are playing the Mets, but not until 7pm, so that fills that time slot.
I took a little bit longer at the grocery store, but still didn't buy much.
I'm adding a 2:20pm time slot to add a trip to the post office, but that is mostly an excuse to return a DVD to Netflix and to walk off the cheese crackers.
Otherwise, this list is pretty spot-on.

Sad, isn't it?

WWKIP 2009

2009-06-10T11:29:00.003-04:00

World Wide Knit In Public Day, June 13th, 2009

Come join me. I'll be knitting for ME, not others on this day. I'm taking the day off from knitting for others and being a little bit selfish.

Where: Central Park, Southern end of the Great Lawn
When: Noon until we get tired, but at least 4pm

Please bring a blanket or chair to sit on (I'll bring both, just in case), your fiber-related project, and snacks to share. There are also various food vendors around the park if you need a hot-dog, pretzel, or ice cream.

To-Do List

2009-05-21T19:12:00.003-04:00

As I am once again recently unemployed, I've started keeping "to-do" lists again. My list for today looks like this:

* Finish watching Torchwood DVD
* Go to Post Office (mail Torchwood DVD and book sold on Amazon)
* Go to Park
* Knit
* Listen to Yankees game

Heh, I got my list done...

Tomorrow looks similar:
* Watch next Torchwood DVD
* Go to Post Office (mail Torchwood DVD)
* Go to Annie's to pick up more knitting
* Go to grocery store for chili fixin's
* Knit
* Listen to Mets game

Unemployment is driving me batty and it's only been 2 weeks. At least I've got knitting.

Also, WWKIP is June 13th. Join me in Central Park, just South of the Great Lawn at noon-ish. More details and stuff coming later.

Did I mention I'm mean and scary?

2009-04-27T21:16:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I've needed to use my "mean and scary" side. Today, I did. In a yarn store of all places.

Early this afternoon, a possibly mentally unstable man who definitely needed a good wash wandered into the store, mumbling things about needing a hat. He picked up several and studied them very closely, asking how much they cost. Nancy was very clear trying to convince him that they were not for sale. He went into some story about his grandmother in Jamaica that didn't seem to have any relevance to anything. He walked to another area of the store and picked up another hat, Nancy followed. I was trying to eat my lunch, so I wasn't paying that much attention. Then, everyone at the table said in stage wispers "he just put a hat in his pocket," an looked at me. I got up, walked over to him. Nancy just looked at me and went back to helping a real customer. I told him to take the hat out of his pocket.
"What hat?"
"The one you put in your pocket."
"Oh." He hands it to me.
"You can't buy hats here. We only sell the yarn."
"But I need a hat. I hit my head."
"Please leave and don't steal anything else."
"I'm not a thief. I'm a God-loving man."
"Fine. Just leave and stop stealing our hats."
I didn't back down.
He mumbled something else about his head needing a hat and wandered out.

The customers at the table gave me a short round of applause. They seemed to think I handled it pretty well. I was just mean and scary enough without being rude (much) and without having to call the police.

I think I'm out of practice.
I think that's good.

Moral of that story: Don't be stealing hats...

Book Signing/Knitting

2009-04-08T08:56:00.001-04:00

Kate Jacobs
Comfort Food
April 09, 2009 7:00 PM
Manhattan - Columbus Circle - Borders
10 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10019
"Assisted by a handsome chef, Oliver, Gus invites a select group to take an on-air cooking class. But instead of just preaching to the foodie masses, she will teach regular people how to make sensuous meals, real people making real food. Gus decides to bring a vibrant cast of friends and family on the program. And when she begins to have more than collegial feelings for her sous-chef, Gus realizes that she might be able to rejuvenate not just her professional life, but her personal life as well."

Come meet the author of "Friday Night Knitting" and knit with me.

Yarns on sale at Annie's

2009-03-25T09:11:00.002-04:00

Annie & Company Knitting Tax-Time Yarn Sale
Winter Yarns are on sale 20% off now until April 15th:
In Stock quantities only.

* Mountain Colors - everything
* Noro - Kureyon & Iro
* Rowan - Cocoon & Tapestry
* Berroco - Ultra Alpaca & Peruvia
* Lang - West, Carpe Diem, Soft Shetland & Zoom
* Bouton d’Or - Ksar & Yak
* Filatura di Crosa - Tibet
* Karabella - Puffy
* Takhi Stacy Charles - Baby Print
* Gedifra - Highland Alpaca (Ruth, this one is for you)
* Montana
And anything else you can convince us is “Winter” yarn.

Winter Cashmere Sale - 15% off:

* Lobster Pot
* Jade Sapphire

In stock quantities ONLY. Special orders are regular price.

Also, a reminder that Franklin Habit of The Panopticon will be in the store on Saturday. Please come if you can.

Hmm

2009-03-21T10:17:00.002-04:00

Remind me again why I love knitting...

I used to actually get some knitting done around here. Not so much lately. At least not knitting I chose to work on. Instead, my life is full of OPK (Other People's Knitting). Fixing moth holes (that are more likely scissor accidents), snags, hems, etc. Recreating antique crochet hats from Greece with no clue what I'm doing (but it's working out, so I'm not really complaining). Elastic, fur, zippers, kitchener facings - why?

I did knit a sweater this month, but it isn't for me. It's for the store. Come by and see it. Several people already want to make one. Nice design, Mathew. I'll take a picture tonight.

I did also design and knit a little tank dress, but again, it isn't for me. It's in the window of the store if you want to see it. I'll try to take a picture. My camera was acting up yesterday. I need to change the batteries and recharge the old ones.

I also knit a shrug, but I don't want to talk about that one. The money was good, but the metallic thread hurt my fingers. I'm still not recovered. I've got another sweater for the same woman that needs to be done soon. Right.

I bought yarn for a sweater for me (Valentina by Sarah Hatton), but I won't have time to even look at the yarn for weeks. And by then, I'll have other finishing and still won't have time. I'd really love to finish the red sweater from several years ago and the green sweater from last year.

There is also a sweater pattern I need to write out - for the store. And the cabled pillow that needs to be typed out. And the Gillian Scarf that needs to be typed out and then knit up - for the store. And Nancy is making store samples that need to be finished (if she knits them, she doesn't want to do the finishing).

So, all that is to say I'm a bit busy. But in a good way.

On the other hand, I read "Comfort Food" this week. Kate Jacobs is going to be doing a book signing event in April and has asked the store to do a tie-in event. They sent a copy of the book. It isn't about knitting, it's about a TV cooking show host, but along the same lines as "Friday Night Knitting Club". I liked this one better. I'll put the event data here when it gets a little closer. Please come.

I love knitting

2009-03-07T22:51:00.001-05:00

I hate contract knitting.
Kreinik is wearing the finish off my size 8 24" Addi Turbos. Ask me if I'm happy.

Want to know where I'll be in March?

2009-02-20T09:08:00.002-05:00

Call Annie's if you want to join in any of the fun.
212.289.2944

Special Events
“It Itches” Book Signing
Free, but RSVPs are encouraged.
Saturday, March 28th – 5:30 to 8:00 pm.
Franklin Habit, author of “It Itches” and the Panopticon blog, will be in the store for a talk and book signing. Join us for some wine and cheese as he talks about his book of knitting cartoons and essays and his knitting experiences.

Classes & Workshops

Beginning Crochet
Mondays, 6-8 pm (first 3 Mondays in March)
$100 + supplies
Instructor: Katy
Learn the basics of Crochet. Chains, single crochet, double crochet and more, reading patterns, reading your crochet, and the lingo. From Granny Squares to Flowers and other interesting things to do with crochet.

Pick-A-Project
Tuesdays, 6-8 pm (rolling 4 week sessions)
$125 + supplies
Instructor: Katy
You pick a project you want to do (knitting or crochet), we will help you through the process, from picking the right yarn and needles to understanding the pattern, all the way to finishing it. This is a rolling 4 week class.

Drop-In Help
Wednesdays, 6-8 pm (Every Wednesday, don't wait until March)
$20 + supplies
Instructor: Nancy
Have you tossed a project under the bed because you just can’t stand to look at the mess any longer? Did you drop stitches off that lace project and can’t figure out how to fix it? Does the pattern read like an alien language? Do you have a skein or two of yarn you just don’t know what to do with? Bring it to Nancy. She will get you all straightened out and back on track.

Knitting With Wire
Thursday, March 5th, 6-8 pm
$75 includes supplies, but not needles
Instructor: Joyce Goodman
Learn to knit with wire and expand your skills and imagination in this great knitting direction. This workshop will focus on gaining comfort with metal wire as knitting material. We will knit with a few kinds of wire (you might even get to try a few stitches in gold!), talk about technical considerations regarding wire vs. yarn and start a jewelry project.
NY artist Joyce Goodman knits 22k gold and silver into fine jewelry, and knits large and small sculptures in other metals. (www.JoyceGoodmanJewelry.com) She is the creator of Knit Kit Jewelry by Joyce Goodman. (www.KnitKitJewelry.com)
Materials are included. Please bring size 1 or 2 needles. Circulars are best if wire knitting is new to you. A set of double pointed needles would be good, if you have them.

Finishing Techniques
Saturday, March 14th, 5-7 pm OR
Sunday, March 22nd, 5-7 pm
$65 + supplies
Instructor: TBA
Now that you have the knit and purl and shaping under control, learn how to give your projects the well deserved finish. Learn about the mysteries of the mattress stitch, three-needle bind off, Kitchener stitch, and more.

Crochet for Knitters
Friday, March 20th, 6-8 pm
$65 + supplies
Instructor: Katy
Do you skip patterns you would really like to try just because there is some crochet involved? Do you hand off your finishing to Nancy because you are afraid of the single crochet edge? Stop it. Learn some simple crochet commonly used in knitting. Learn a provisional cast on, single crochet for edges, picking up dropped stitches, and some simple embellishments.

What Facebook can do for me...

2009-02-10T21:31:00.001-05:00

I just found out my older brother is considering a run for Congress in 2010. Hm.
www.deanmoore.us
Good luck to you bro!

Delores is coming!

2009-02-08T14:35:00.002-05:00

Ok, maybe not Delores herself, but I'm still very excited. Franklin Habit of The Panopticon is coming to Annie's at the end of March. Saturday, March 28, to be exact. I'm thrilled!

Reservations are encouraged. Please contact the store at 212-289-2944 or leave me a comment here on the blog and I'll put you on the list.

Contract

2009-02-07T10:00:00.003-05:00

I recently started my first contract knitting project. I have to say I don't like monogomous knitting. I get bored with deadline knitting. That might be why I have so many started and uncompleted projects. Right now, I would rather be working on the bright yellow cotton tank dress for the store, but what I need to be working on instead is the cotton/mohair blanket that has me covered in fuzz. It is getting heavy and longer and is rather dull to work on. Big solid stockinette blanket. I think I'm not even half finished at the 20+ inches it currently measures and it needs to be done by Monday morning. The customer who needs this blanket was making it for a long-time friend (her best friend since they were 15) who is dying. The friend was accepted to hospice care last weekend and won't last long. I must finish this blanket this weekend. At least I can watch movies and knit at the same time.

Hospice Blanket

A couple of new classes at Annie's - And the February Yarn Sale

2009-02-03T09:09:00.002-05:00

It’s a new month and time to put new yarn on sale.

February 8-14: All PINK and RED yarn will be 14% off to celebrate Valentines Day (excluding yarn already on sale).

For the rest of the month, here is what else is on sale:

40% off:
* Loop-d-Loop Fern
* Mission Falls 1824 Cotton
* Alchemy Silk Purse
* Alchemy Silken Straw

25% off:
* Berroco Keltic
* Rustic Wool
* Modigliani
* Kaleidoscope
* Reynolds Kids Playtime
* Loft
* Bottone

**************************************************************
And a few new classes, too.
Mondays
Beginning Crochet- First three Mondays of March
6-8 pm
$100 + supplies
Instructor: Katy Moore
Learn the basics of Crochet. Chains, single crochet, double crochet and more, reading patterns, reading your crochet, and the lingo. From Granny Squares to Flowers and other interesting things to do with crochet.

Please contact the store to register. 212-289-2944

Thursday, March 5th
Knitting With Wire
6-8 pm
$75 includes supplies, but not needles
Instructor: Joyce Goodman
Learn to knit with wire and expand your skills and imagination in this great knitting direction. This workshop will focus on gaining comfort with metal wire as knitting material. We will knit with a few kinds of wire (you might even get to try a few stitches in gold!), talk about technical considerations regarding wire vs. yarn and start a jewelry project.

NY artist Joyce Goodman knits 22k gold and silver into fine jewelry, and knits large and small sculptures in other metals. (www.JoyceGoodmanJewelry.com) She is the creator of Knit Kit Jewelry by Joyce Goodman. (www.KnitKitJewelry.com)

Materials are included. Please bring size 1 or 2 needles. Circulars are best if wire knitting is new to you. A set of double pointed needles would be good, if you have them.

Please contact the store to register. 212-289-2944

To-Do List

2009-01-31T10:24:00.002-05:00

This would be a typical to-do list for me:

* Think about yarn
* Knit on a hat
* Play with yarn
* Knit on a sweater
* Look at pattern books
* Make time for personal grooming needs
* Knit on a sample for the store
* Take out trash
* Rearrange some yarn
* Take laundry around the corner
* Go to work to look at/play with/choose more yarn and help others do the same
* Remember to eat
* Knit on a toy
* Stop at grocery store on the way home to get food for dinner
* Feed cat
* Watch a movie on Netflix (while knitting stockinette in the round, probably a hat)
* Crochet a flower
* Figure out what that ball of yarn over there wants to be when it grows up
* Think about what knitting or crochet books might need to be ordered for the store
* Read, maybe about knitting, maybe not (currently reading Cryptonomicon, which doesn't include much in the way of knitting, but does help me fall asleep)

Oh, and work would look like this:
* Straighten bins of yarn
* Wind hanks of yarn
* Suggest appropriate yarn for patterns
* Dig through bins and bags of yarn looking for 7 balls of same dye lot
* Peruse Rowan, Debbie Bliss, Vogue Knitting, Sirdar, etc booklets
* Straighten bookcase of knitting books
* Teach one person some random bit of knitting knowledge (like why you want to knit through the front loop... so you don't twist your knits) while three other people listen in and go "ohhh".
* Write out the pattern for some random scarf or hat
* Forget to eat
* Forget to drink water
* Help someone learn how to single crochet around the edge of their knitting
* Sell yarn
* Sell buttons
* Sell project bags
* Get ideas from the customers for store sample patterns

So, if you haven't figured it out yet, I'm really enjoying the new job. I hope it lasts for a long, long time.

Decisions, decisions

2009-01-29T09:03:00.003-05:00

Sometimes it's hard to pick a favorite.

Finished Object

2009-01-19T19:39:00.002-05:00

First of four planned...

Dragging the Designer in me to the fore...

2009-01-14T21:23:00.002-05:00

As I spend more time in my new job, I'm learning more than I expected to more quickly than I expected. I think the last decade spent in a field I knew nothing about has, in an odd way, prepared me for spending all day in a field I don't know enough about. Yes, I know how to knit. Yes, I know how to teach others to knit. Yes, I do know the difference between various fibers.

However, every day I find more things I know nothing about. Decades of knit lore I have never known. Patterns I've never seen. Books. Designers. Yarns.

One aspect of my new career is the opportunity to design and experiment with fibers and colors. Nancy and I were discussing this earlier today. I won't go into detail, but I will say I spend more time than I expected listening to people telling me what they think I should do or what they would do if they were me. With most of the "suggestions" I just let it go in one ear and out the other, however, on this topic I totally agree with Nancy. I would like to start a series of store patterns. I hope Nancy will help me with this project. I'm not sure I have enough good ideas on my own and expensive scarves won't pay the rent. Good designs and good use of yarn/color/texture is a better plan.

What?

2009-01-04T10:18:00.003-05:00

For a minute there I thought I was going to blog three days in a row. What's up with that?

Well, I left out an "Intention" from the other day. I also Intend to blog more often.

Jenn, I have the sock yarn I promised you. Ty Dy Socks, color: Butter Blue. Even though, it seems to be mostly green with some yellow (butter) and some blue.

I'm also nearly finished with my first neckwarmer for our New York Cares Knitware Accessory Drive. I should be starting #2 this afternoon, unless I decide to work on my sweater instead. I did intend to finish that while it is still cold...

Not Exactly Resolutions

2009-01-02T22:52:00.003-05:00

Ruth was asking this evening if anyone had made New Year's Resolutions. We were all so "resolutions are never a good idea..." and "whatever" about the whole thing. Instead, I have Intentions.

I "Intend" to finish at least _____ percent (fill in significant percentage of your choice - leave me a comment on this if you like) of my languishing unfinished projects before I start any new significant projects. I say "significant" because I seem to have no trouble finishing accessory size projects. Hat = done in 2 days. Wristwarmers = done in 3 days. Wacky scarf = done in 2 days. Hemlock Ring Blanket = apparently a week or so... who knew. At least three sweaters = never ending, just need to finish the fronts from the armhole shaping and sew the thing together...since the summer, or maybe last summer.

I "Intend" to use up at least _____ percent (again with the fill in bit) of my stash before I buy more yarn I won't use, even though I do have a "work in a yarn store" discount and access to great yarn at reasonable prices.

I "Intend" to make as many of the most popular Ravelry patterns as I can before I go nuts as store samples for Annie's. (No need to fill in here - I'm not setting a limit.)

I think three Intentions are enough for one year, don't you?

Happy New Year and FREE pattern

2009-01-01T21:25:00.005-05:00

Some of us were sitting around talking on Tuesday night and the topic of knitted gifts came up. (Big shock, right, us all being knitters and this being the holidays?) Someone brought up the New York Cares Coat Drive. Well, we thought it would be a good idea to do our part as knitters and make the cold-weather accessories. Yes, it's a lovely thing to make a 2-row ribbed Noro scarf for your loved ones, but what about the homeless and nearly homeless in this frigid season? (Current temperature in NYC: 23F/-5C)

So the current plan is to make hats, scarfs, mitts, gloves, warmers, or whatever during the month of January and gather at a date to be determined later, most probably at Jill A's, for food and beverage and to hand in (or work on) whatever we feel we can give to those less fortunate. I've already got a list of charities I knit for anyway, but I'm going to make a few extras for this.

If you would like to participate, please do. Search your stash for a skein or two you don't really know what to do with and make a hat or a simple neck warmer.

***************************************************************

Neck Warmer Pattern

yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 100 yds.
needle: 7 or 8 16" circular
gauge: not really all that important as long as you like the way it looks
Size: Small (Large)

Cast on 88 (96) stitches.
Join for knitting in the round.
K2, P2 ribbing until it is at least 6" or until you almost run out of yarn. Bind off loosely. Weave in your ends.

Employment News

2008-12-21T08:43:00.003-05:00

I'm not yet officially unemployed (since I'm still getting paid through the end of the year AND getting a bonus) and I've already been offered a new job. Yeah, me!

A few weeks ago, as I was sitting around Annie's Needlepoint & Knitting, minding my own business and chatting with the employees, I decided to ask Annie if she could use some help for a while since I had nothing else to do and wasn't going to start looking for another job until January. She said yes. I started in the knitting store the next day. These past few weeks have reminded me how tiring retail can be. However, I also remember that I like it.

For some reason, repetitive stupid questions from my coworkers (who should have taken notes and have the answers already) annoys the snot out of me but repetitive silly questions from knitters (or wanna be knitters) doesn't bother me at all. The difference is very slight, but people asking questions because they really want to know the answers is so much easier to deal with than people asking questions because they can't be bothered to learn the answers.

So anyway, Elizabeth asked me if I would be interested in staying on longer. I said maybe. She mentioned that we need a manager (which we do) and wondered if I might like to do that. Hmm. Hadn't really thought about it. She then mentioned it to Abigail, who said something to Annie, which made it seem more like "wouldn't it be a great idea" than me asking for a job. Apparently, Annie liked the idea. She and I need to talk this week to work out the details, but she has offered me the Manager job in her knitting store.

**Edited to remove some things that shouldn't be made public.***

I want to make the store a place where people want to sit and knit and talk and share and feel free to bring their dogs or their lunch. Annie's should be more than just a place to buy yarn, right?

So, at some point soon, I'll be learning more than I ever thought I would want to know about the retail side of yarn.

If you have any suggestions for me or for the store, feel free to comment. I'll see what I can do. I've already started making more store samples and will soon have more free patterns. Claudine is going to write out at least one of her sweater designs. I'm going to write out at least the one I'm working on now and probably the three others I've got started.

Not unemployed long...

2008-12-08T19:36:00.002-05:00

So, I quit my job last month. I knew it was a bad time to quit the world of Finance. People looked at me like I was maybe going quietly nutso (technical word, right, Josh?). I really do like to do what I was doing. I really was very good at it. I really didn't do so well with the elevated frustration levels in the office. A whole lot more communication between co-workers would have made so many things better for everyone. Don't try to work around me. Work with me.

Anyway, I left on a Friday, went to Greece for a week (not this week, thank goodness - who needs riots to interrupt a vacation?), and came back to what was supposed to be a month off before looking for the next job. Instead, I spent a few days catching up on sleep and being sick, and then fell into my next job. This is only meant to be a temporary situation, but who knows.

I started last Friday at Annie's in the knitting store, but knowing I could also help fill in if needed in the needlepoint store. I forgot just how exhausting retail can be, but so far it is exactly what I need. No pressure. The questions don't seem stupid yet. I get to fondle yarn and browse books and get thanked for it (and paid for it). The dogs like me. The customers like me. My co-workers like me, too. What a change.

Now my biggest dilemma is which yarn to buy first. Not really because I need yarn, because I don't, but because I can. I'm taking suggestions. Cashmere? I do like the Jade Sapphire. Ummm. Alpaca? The Misty worsted is very nice. Sheep Shop? Alchemy? Artyarns?

Where to begin...

Greece Again

2008-12-03T08:26:00.002-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13851200@N03/sets/72157610577700363/

I got lots of sleep and saw some parts of Athens tourists would never think of trying to find (like the Immigration jail...). The photos also show my knitting progress. The cream colored circular project is the Hemlock Ring Blanket. I only took one skein of yarn with me and I nearly finished the thing halfway through the week, so I did what any desperate knitter would do while on vacation. I found some yarn shops. Four of them in fact. All in the same general area, two across the street from each other. They were all a little different, all very small. They all cary mostly European brands we can get here in New York or awful fingering weight acrylics. I finally settled on 3 balls of black laceweight mohair that reminds me of kidsilk haze without the silk. I'm just making a simple ribbed scarf because I needed stupid knitting and knew that any pattern easy enough to memorize wouldn't show up anyway. At 3 Euros per ball, I think it was an excellent souvenir.

I spent most days wandering around the same places I wandered last time, but I did spend several days trying to track down Made (the guy I met last time). I didn't find him, but then again I'm not a detective and I don't speak or read the local language, so what progress I made wasn't too bad. I went to a local police station and asked some questions. Yes, they really can hold people for no reason for 90 days and then just let them go with no explanation. Weird. However, the officer was nice and sent me out to the Immigration jail. The gate guard was helpful, in that he gave me the phone number for the Immigration Department. He said they were not currently holding anyone from Made's country of origin, so I have to think he isn't there. The guard also said the police stations are not very well connected, so he could be in any of a hundred police stations anywhere in Athens. Great.

I did actually go to the Parthenon this time. I don't know why I skipped it last time. I've wanted to see the Karyatids for most of my life. When I got in past the stairs and the grand entrance and past the Parthenon and I saw the little building I was underwhelmed. A bit disappointed even. Then I turned the corner and read the sign. They are just the concrete casts of the statues. Ah. No wonder they look dull and lifeless. Concrete is no comparison to sparkly quartz marble. Five of the statues are in the Museum across the street. The sixth is in London. I go see the Five. The museum isn't really open yet. There is one small exhibit of reclaimed objects and the main entry is open to let you walk under the Karyatids and up to the first floor where the sculptures from the Parthenon will be, but you can't actually go any further than the top of the stairs. There are most crates and boxes and a few bits on display here and there. Those things are huge.

Little News Flashes

2008-11-01T08:16:00.003-04:00

Some of you I've seen in real life already know some of these.

News Flash #1: I'm moving this month.
Not too far away, just across town. (58th & 1st, just above Rosa Mexicano) However, I'm seriously down-sizing my life and will need to get rid of all the "things" I've been storing in bins and boxes and closets. There will be no more living in a storage space for me. If you've ever been at my place and saw something you would love to have, let me know, it could be yours. (I'm not even avoiding the yarn. If I don't know EXACTLY what I'm going to make with it, it could be finding a new home.) I'm selling books (not knitting books) on Amazon. I'm giving away lots of stuff on Freecycle (you have to be a member of the group, I think). I'll be sending bags of clothes and knick knacks to some thrift store somewhere. I'm not completely sure I'm mentally prepared for the lack of stuff in my life, but I think I'll be fine once it happens.

News Flash #2: I'm quitting my job.
This is a good part of the reason I need to do Flash #1. This is a good thing. I'm bumping up against the glass ceiling in my current job. No where to go and I'm miserable. There is not enough time spent dealing with the needs of the employees because everyone is busy dealing with the needs of the clients. I read a book last week on the plane out to Las Vegas. Normally, I find those "how to be a good manager" self-help books a load of hooey. However, this one was written especially for me. I now know why I don't want to go to work. It isn't the work itself. I like the work part. I don't like the "not meeting my needs as a person" part of not being managed... at all. I'm good, but I'm not psychic. I need to know what is expected of me and that I'm respected as a person. So, I'm back in the "looking for a job" market. I've got a couple of leads on some things, but nothing lined up yet. I am still at my current job for another 3 weeks or so while I train people and write up "how-to" guides for all the things I'm the only one who ever did because no one else wanted to take the time to learn or it seemed too complicated. Well, it is complicated, that's part of the problem. If I'm the only one who knows how to do so many things, the business becomes dependent on me to the point I can't take a day off without getting phone calls or urgent emails, then I should get paid more. Things won't be the same when I'm gone and I don't care. I didn't do most of what I used to do for the past 2 weeks and clients can see the difference even though they couldn't possibly know it has anything to do with me not doing the work. I'm just saying "I told you so" in advance.

News Flash #3: I'm going back to Athens.
I'm spending the week of Thanksgiving back in Athens. I'm using up my vacation days right as I leave my job... how ironic. Anyway, I met a guy when I was there last time and we became friends. (Mom, don't get your hopes up. I'll let you know when there is anything you need to know about.) He was having trouble with his job and immigration officials or something and was arrested back in August. From what I understood, his boss either did something wrong or didn't pay the right bribe or something and my friend is paying the price since he is an illegal immigrant in Greece. Greece doesn't like immigrants. Greece doesn't have the best human rights record and I'm a little concerned. We lost touch in September. I want to go try to track him down. If he is still in jail, I want to see if there is anything I can do to help. I don't really expect to be able to do anything, but I'd like to at least try. If anyone has any suggestions on how to do this, I'm listening.

So, that's all the news for now. I've got to run to the post office and mail off some books... and sort through that bin and that bin and that bag... and dust off that cd player... and ...

Happy August

2008-08-01T17:45:00.003-04:00

I've got nothing...

The apartment is finally starting to feel like mine (sans roommate). Now I just need to tackle the kitchen and rearrange and toss and clean and see what I didn't notice I don't have anymore (like a skillet and good knives...).

I think there will be a party on the agenda sometime this month.

Crossing Jerry

2008-07-20T17:42:00.002-04:00

I just saw Jerry O'Connell on 8th Ave as I was walking home from late brunch with my friend, James. Ironically, James and I were talking about the current trend of younger men dating older women.

Nothing worth writing about going on right now. I spent 4th of July weekend trying to finish things. I finished sewing together a sweater. I finished yet another pair of wrist warmers. I finished everything except sewing in the ends of a tank top. I found a few projects I forgot I started.

My roommate moved out of the country on Friday, so this weekend has been all about sorting through her detritus and rearranging and cleaning. More cleaning is still needed. There is an odd layer of hair and dust and crumbs all over everything. You don't notice it so much when there is clutter, but I'm noticing it now that the clutter is gone. (Some of the clutter is mine, as is quite a bit of the hair, I admit, but most of the crumbs was her...) I haven't decided if I want another roommate or not. I think not, but I might need the income. If anything, I'll look into short-term sublet people looking for a fully furnished room. Also, the IT guy at work sometimes just wants to crash in the city instead of driving back out to the ends of Long Island. He's willing to pay, so I'll take him up on that. First I need to clean the place to make it presentable again. I should start now.

Twilight Zone Knitting

2008-06-23T13:56:00.003-04:00

I went to see "IronMan" yesterday afternoon. I took along mindless knitting. My usual wristwarmer pattern. I cast on during the pre-show commericals for coca-cola, TBS, and the new Sprint phone that just won't really compete with the iPhone. (What happened to the movie quizzes and pop culture stuff??) I was knitting along, watching things explode and appreciating the fact that not all of the foreign language dialog was subtitled (only the parts you couldn't figure out by watching them point at the door or shake their head "no" or point a gun with threatening motions... or the "I don't speak Hungarian, I don't know what he said.") and that dude really did bulk up to beat on that hot iron plating with the hammer. (And, no, I'm not giving anything important away - it is IRONMAN, after all.) At some point in the last third of the movie I put away the knitting because I wanted to count the rows before I got too close to the place I need to start the thumb gusset. (More things exploding and crashing and flying and what not.)

This morning I checked. I went 1 stitch too far.
Not one row, one stitch. I think it might be possible that I've made so many of these things my knitting memory knows exactly how many stitches to knit. Weird. Cool.

And, Pictures from Greece.

Enough of nothing...

2008-06-01T04:05:00.003-04:00

... or why I've been AWOL.
Winter is hard on me. I don't like being cold. I must have SADD or something. My creative flow stops flowing. I don't want to do anything. I don't want to go anywhere. I just want to sit or sleep.

How do I fix this? I go on vacation. I just got back from a week in Athens, Greece. (Pictures will follow as I have time to upload and sort.) It was exactly what I needed. I barely thought about work. I spent much quality time either sitting on a rock, on the beach, or asleep. I'm now relaxed and tan and happy. I met some wonderful people. I did my best to avoid the tourists. I didn't actually make it to the Parthenon, which just means I need to go back. Which is now on the agenda for probably the end of the year. There were a few things I still need to process before I can talk about them, let alone write about them here, but it was all good. Except for the part where the security chick made me toss the Addi Turbo Lace needle. That part sucked.

It's now 4 am and I'm still on Athens time. Jet lag is such a weird thing.

I love my Credit Union

2008-01-24T10:40:00.000-05:00

I joined a gym last week. (NY Sports Club)
Last night I signed up for a Personal Trainer package. The guys at the desk didn't know how to do that... so of course they screwed it up. They rang it up under a different person, Leon something. I'm a nice person, but I don't want to pay for someone else to get a personal trainer. So then they reversed it. I hope. And then they couldn't recharge the amount to the debit card because it went over the daily limit.

Anyway, the reason I love my Credit Union is that today they called me at work to verify I really did mean to charge only one transaction at the gym. I've had them call before to verify large amounts. Once, it was so fast I was barely out of the store before they called on my cell phone. Good customer service is so nice.

The gym thing, not quite as nice. I'm so out of shape that it hurts to move and feels weird to walk. Give me a few weeks to see how I feel, but if it stays like this, I'm in trouble. I'm walking like a drunk trying to not look drunk. Very deliberate and pausing at steps up or down. It might be amusing later, right now it is a little srange. I'm just reminding myself that it will be worth it in the long run. (Not that I'll be running...)

Wow

2008-01-20T22:58:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe the Giants are going to the Super Bowl. I'm nearly speechless.

I watched the first half of the game at a bar down the street until I started to feel unwelcome. Which was very odd since I watched a hockey game there earlier in the day and a football game there last weekend. First, the bartender told us we couldn't knit at the bar. We thought he was kidding. He wasn't. Then we practically had to force him to take our food order. Then he took away my water before I was finshed with it. The final straw was when he refused to give me a new glass of ice water. It wasn't like the place was packed. I found it odd in a very negative way. Ravi thinks it was either racism (which I have to say I've never really had to deal with or at least noticed pointed toward me) or possibly they thought we were gay (which again, I've never had to deal with since I'm not) which I find odd since we were obviously there to watch a football game. We didn't have anything like the obvious crappy service when we were there earlier in the day to watch the Rangers lose to the Bruins. The service was lousy, but because there was only one waitress for the floor and she was busy, not because she didn't want to give us drinks and food. We even got refills of ice water. I'm wondering if it was the manager or the bartender. I can't really figure it out. It's a shame the hamburgers are so good because the service and management sucks.

Go Giants!!

Stupid Cough and other not so stupid things

2008-01-14T16:12:00.000-05:00

I've got the cough that won't go away.
Rumor has it this thing can last for months. Great. Will my voice sound weird for months? Will I get addicted to cough syrup? Will this affect my knitting?

Speaking of knitting. I finished some. I finished a shawl on Saturday, but I don't really like it. The ending seems lame. I think I might undo the 6 rows of garter stitch and do a better edging. I've got plenty of yarn and I think it's too short anyway. Hmm.

I also got some yarn this weekend. I forget the name, Julia or something, but it is a wool/alpaca/mohair blend that I really like working with. It is a very nice shade of red (a blue red, not an orange red) that wants to become some sort of cabled something. I think it might even be the same shade of red that is all over my house...

***

Go Giants! I don't think they have a chance against the Packers at Green Bay, but maybe the game won't suck. The Giants always play better on the road for some reason.

Not quite Chicken Noodle Soup

2008-01-06T17:29:00.000-05:00

I've caught whatever it is that is going around this season and seem to be coughing and sneezing and blowing and... well, I'm sick.

However, I have soup.

One Pot, Not Quite, Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
Chicken Stock
Better Than Vegetable Stock (because I didn't have enough Chicken Stock)
Water to make 2 Quarts

Fresh Direct Soup Greens - includes the following:
1 Parsnip
1 Turnip
1 Fennel
2 Carrots
4 Celery Sticks
2 New Potatoes
1 Onion (which I left out, because I don't like them)
Fresh Dill
Fresh Parsley

To that I added:
1 chicken apple sausage (left over from New Year's Eve dinner)
Egg Noodles

I cut/chopped/sliced everything into bite size or smaller pieces.

Bring stock to boil, turn down to low, add all ingredients, cover and simmer until vegetables are soft enough to cut with a spoon.
Add Egg Noodles and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat. Let sit for a couple of minutes, eat.

Yum. I feel better now.

Happy New Year! Goodbye Old Year!

2007-12-31T17:30:00.000-05:00

The streets are already blocked off and the NYPD is out in force. Everywhere I looked on my way home was either a glob of tourists taking pictures and blocking the corners or a police officer (or 6) out walking the streets of midtown. I'm curious to find out if I can see the Liberty Island fireworks from my apartment or not. If so, that will be very nice to know. If not, well, so what. I'm at home relaxing with friends and I don't have to go to work tomorrow.

Maybe I'll even take some pictures... or not.

Unwilling, but doing it anyway*

2007-12-08T09:03:00.000-05:00

So, just to finish off the work related venting. I've sucked it up and realized that I don't have the resume to go elsewhere and get paid boatloads of money to do less work than I'm doing now, so I might as well stay where I am where I do know everything and know that they know it, and use the perks and get over it. There are very few options in this industry. Either I am a grunt getting paid less than I make now (which isn't really an option if I want to continue living in Manhattan), or I manage the grunts and move up the corportate ladder. Someday, if I don't change careers completely, I'll have head hunters finding me COO jobs. (I really wanted to be an astronaut when I was a child. I wonder if it is too late for that?)

For now, I'll just read the goofy "how to manage people when you don't really like people" books. I'll try to stay outside the box, and watch how full my bucket is, and go find my cheese, and build my teams, and praise the good jobs, and whatever. I suppose I'll have to get over that "whatever" attitude as well...

Early New Year's Resolution - join a gym. I heard over dinner with the boss, his wife, the Exec Sec and Bookkeeper last night (accident, I happened to still be at the office when they left for dinner), and it seems one of the perks we are going to have available next year is New York Sports Club memberships. Sort of. They pay 2/3, I pay 1/3. Classes are not included, but there is a discount. Sign me up!

Next Resolution - drink more water and eliminate Mt Dew from my system. I really don't need the sugar or the chemicals. I'll get the caffiene from somewhere else, like tea. But not today. I can't do this cold turkey unless I have about 3 days to sleep off the headache. I don't have 3 days right now.

I've joined the Victorian Lace Today KAL group. I want to make just about every pattern in the book, so I'm sort of looking forward to the challenge of letting someone else pick the pattern. I wasn't so good with the mystery shawl. I never got past clue #2. Maybe I'll have better luck with this one. For practice, I've started one of the scarf patterns.

The group consensus on the jacket was to rip back the sleeves, add some needed sleeve shaping, ignore the lace border and I-cord instead, add some I-cord ties and call it done.

* Also unwilling - going into the office on Saturday.

upsides & downsides

2007-12-04T07:16:00.000-05:00

I'll start off with a little venting about work. Useless coworker is still here. He will continue to be here until June unless he finds a job on his own earlier. I was looking through the server trying to find things that can be deleted to make room and found his offer letter. I should never have read it because now I'm even more pissed about this whole situation than I was before. I sort of thought he made about the same as I do. I was wrong. He makes $40K more base salary and a guaranteed year end bonus within $1K of mine. I don't even know what to think. However, I also read what his job was supposed to be and if he had actually done that job, it would have been worth that salary. Unfortunately, he didn't live up to expectations and is doing the same job as an hourly employee making around 1/3 the money.

I'm not sure yet whether this next part is an up or a down. Since useless coworker was hired to manage my department and just can't/won't/didn't, it seems I am now in the position to be pushed into managing. I don't want to manage people. I don't like managing people. People don't like being managed by me. However, I have no real choice if I want to stay employed here. They will pay for classes or seminars or books or whatever I need to help me with this. They don't seem to understand I don't want to do this. Of all the people who work here, I am the least appropriate person to be a manager of people. I'm an IT geek here. Leave me alone with the system... ask me for reports... let me do my thing and I'm happy. Force me to interact with stupid people on a daily basis and I get really cranky really fast. I know this is a character flaw and generally I'm ok with that. This is why I don't work retail.

So, the point of all of that was to ask if you know of any good or even half-way decent "how to be a manager when you are really an introvert and don't like your co-workers" books, seminars, classes or whatever. It's on the company tab.

On the knitting front, where I also have ups and downs, I have been knitting. I finished a scarf I started in 2004 or 2005. (That would be an up.) I also finished the knitting for the Chocolate Covered Cherry Jacket from Big Girl Knits, but haven't sewn it together because it looks odd. (That would be a down.) I'm bringing it to The Point tonight to ask if it is worth salvaging or if I should frog the whole thing and try again with yet a different pattern with this yarn. I even brought the camera so I'll have someone take a picture so you can vote also. I like the yarn. I want to wear this yarn. I can't figure out what this yarn wants to be... Cascade 128 Tweed - any suggestions?

Is it real or is it...

2007-11-17T09:25:00.000-05:00

Wednesday morning:
Packed and ready to go. Wait on car to LaGuardia. I've never been to Las Vegas before. I can't really say I'm excited but I am looking forward to it.

I'm going for a Technology & Operations conference, so the excitement level is not very high.

Wednesday night:
Good thing my expectation levels were fairly low to start with. I'm always a little grumpy after spending all day on airplanes and in airports. This is one of the never-ending hallways on the Excalibur Hotel. Fake Camelot theme. Bad reproductions of bad oilpaintings and tapestries. The signage is fun. "Welcome to Excalibur. You Rule." and other things along the same lines.

My hotel room is almost as big as my apartment, but the view is a little different.

You want bells with that tower?

I especially like the exposed structural elements. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain..." Sorry for the blur. My zoom is not that great and it is hard to hold the camera still long enough to get a good shot at night with no flash.

I've got to go get ready for my massage now. More fake places later...

Hello, Sports Fans

2007-11-11T07:52:00.000-05:00

Ok, so maybe I'll give the Yankees another chance. I'm not going to become a Dodgers' fan just because they got new coaches. I was right about A-Rod, though. It is all about the money. Mets, you don't need him. Just walk away.

However, I am still serious about the Mets tickets. I'm going to get some sort of season ticket package. I really enjoyed their games and the LIRR makes it so much easier to get there and back.

So, I'll just focus my sports energy on football for a while. Roommate and I went down the street to The Molly Wee for a bite to eat last night. (Fish and chips for her, cheddar burger for me.) Air Force was beating the tar out of Notre Dame. That never would have happened in the 80's. The two guys sitting next to us at the bar apparently either went to ND or still go to ND or just call it "their" team. They knew way too much about college football players to not be in college or right out of college. They were young, so I guess it's ok.

Food critic: The burgers at The Molly Wee are very good. The Italian Wedding Soup was nice. I've also heard the shepherds pie is worth the trip. The Molly Wee is located at 30th & 8th Ave, just South of MSG/Penn Station. I think it is a requirement to actually be Irish to work there.

Neighborhood News: In the wee hours of Saturday morning, the local traffic woke me up with the unending sounds of emergency vehicles. 3:30am is not when you want to be searching for the source of sirens. I kept looking out the windows, but 9th Ave looked normal. I kept hearing sirens and seeing nothing. It turns out the deli next door to The Molly Wee over on 8th Ave caught fire. Serious damage to the inside and the apartment above. No wonder I couldn't see anything. Wrong Avenue.

Knitting: I am almost done with a project I started last weekend. How did that happen? I never seem to finish anything larger than wrist warmers. Chunky yarn and size 11/13 needles go so much faster. I'm making the Chocolate Covered Cherry Jacket from Big Girl Knits, but mine is called the Grape Jelly Jacket because Cascade 128 Tweed in purple with white flecks just looks like a grape jelly to me. Anyway, I've got the body completely done, one sleeve finished and the second one is half way there. I don't have enough yarn (no big surprise) to finish it as designed, so I'm eliminating the hood I wouldn't have used anyway so that I have enough to do the front bands. If I could find this yarn anywhere in town, even in a different color, I might have considered doing the band in a contrasting color, but no LYS seems to want to carry the entire Cascade line. I would use this yarn again. Knitty City carries Cascade, I should look there on my way uptown today. It's Sunday and I'm going to go watch football all day. Sports are really the only reason I miss having a TV. Weekends were made for watching sports.

I'll be in Las Vegas next week, so hopefully I'll have some interesting photos. I bet my hotel room will be better than the one in Cardiff. I have high expectations for the "theme park" feeling at Excalibur. Also, I'll be eating dinner one night at the top of the Eifel Tower, so the photo ops should be interesting.

ESPN Not

2007-10-30T21:07:00.000-04:00

My week in Sports...

Sunday I took Ravi to her first NFL game. NY Jets v. Buffalo Bills.
The game was fun. The Jets suck.

For those of you not from around here, the blame for the suckiness is placed squarely on Chad Pennington's heavily padded shoulders. I disagree. If nothing else, football is a team sport. If the line can't provide half-way decent coverage, it's no wonder the QB gets sacked. If the receivers can't get open, don't be surprised when the ball is thrown away or intercepted. If the running backs can't stop moving backwards, again, no surprise when you have to punt. At least the kicker can score... On the upside, the defensive line was mostly evenly matched with the Bills offense. By that I mean, the Bills sucked, too. They just managed to score more often.

Jets fans are a strange breed. The two guys sitting next to us were nice and friendly and didn't make fun of us knitting. They even asked how long it would take to make a pair of gloves, hoping we could knit up a pair so they could wear them. It was cold. So cold, in fact, that one of the guys apparently borrowed his kid's halloween costume. Under the Jets sweatshirt was a plushy hoody teddy bear head, complete with ears and whiskers. At one point, he pulled the hood part way off and it looked like the teddy bear was eating his face. Quite a sight.

The ten year old behind us was a bit over the top with his comments on the players lack of ability, the coaches bad decision-making ability, and the taunting of the Bill's fan a few rows down. If I weren't so amused by it, I would be saddened by the lack of manners in the next generation.

And, even though the Baseball season is now officially over (Boston won the World Series in case you live in New York and don't read past the cover of the Post), the NY media thinks there is major news in the world according to the Yankee organization. A-Rod is gone. Good. News flash to Steinbrenner: A-Rod is NOT a third baseman. He is a shortstop. News flash to A-Rod: Baseball is also a team sport. There is no "I" in team. Go play somewhere else. And, yes, it really was about the money. (I keep deleting nasty comments about strippers. I don't know why.)

Torre is out (asked to stay for less money, only bonuses if you win the ring... whatever). Mattingly quit (retired, walked away, decided to do something else... whatever). I've officially become a Mets fan. I'm going buy season tickets and everything. Anyone want to go in for a seat with me or next to me? I have more fun at Mets games than Yankees games anyway.

So, on to other sports. Knitting. I've got a sweater or four to work on.

Jets v Buffalo

2007-10-26T09:18:00.000-04:00

I've got 2 tickets. Anyone want to go with me?

4:05 pm
Jets vs. Buffalo
I've even got a free parking pass if anyone would like to drive.

Rhinebeck Weekend

2007-10-22T22:32:00.001-04:00

Rhinebeck 012
Originally uploaded by Katy5289

It was a perfect weather weekend to be outside, surrounded by sheep and goats and alpaca and llama and don't forget the yarn.

This is the view from the main gate. I'll try to be more clever tomorrow.

I did manage to buy everything on my list:
Wine
Cheese
Soap
Yarn
more yarn
needles so I can play with the yarn

Rhinebeck Weekend

2007-10-19T09:26:00.001-04:00

Washcloth 2
Originally uploaded by Katy5289

I think I've repacked my bag at least 3 times. "Do I need that extra pair of jeans?" "I might want to work on that shawl... and that top... and that..." "Don't forget the toothbrush."

You would think I've never gone out of town for a weekend before. Why does it take three bags for three days? Oh, right. Hobbies. I did remember to pack the camera, so hopefully I'll remember to take pictures. Llamas, alpacas, sheep, dogs, pumpkin tossing, odd knitting. Those are all things I should remember to look for while I'm there.

It feels very strange to not be a work today. But strange in a good way. Off I go.

About the washcloth: Found in a bin of stuff I thought was something else. Proof I used to finish things. (smallish things, but still things)

Long time

2007-10-13T09:38:00.001-04:00

Natural Scarf
Originally uploaded by Katy5289

Either I have nothing to say or I don't have time to say it.
Note to self: I need to be better about this blog.

I've got travel plans. I'm going to Las Vegas in November for work. Any suggestions of things to do on a Saturday in or around Vegas. I don't really drink or gamble or have a need to use a drive-thru chapel... so keep that in mind if you comment.

Also, I've decided to go on another Vacation in May. This time Italy. I'm still in the reading the travel books and looking at maps stage, so if you have any suggestions there, I'll at least consider them. I figure I've got a couple of months to decide where and what. I also need to see how much of a bonus I get this year. These work projects I'm working on better start showing some results or my bonus will be crappy.

And, I've figured out how to fit knitting back into my week. I can't knit and walk to work, but I can knit while my computer runs reports. Not much progress, but at least I'm still knitting. I helped my boss' wife's best friend with a knitting problem this week at work. She was working on a toe-up sock and was past the toe and into the foot. However, she realized she didn't understand the lace pattern that was going to happen after the heel turn. It was just a basic feather and fan lace, but she had never done paired decreases and it confused her. The pattern assumed you knew what "s1 k1 psso" meant. She didn't. Now she does.

I found some old finished objects I've decided to mail away to charity:

The Red Scarf Project is going to be 2 scarves heavier.
There is also an orange one just like it.

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Chunky.
Needles: 11
Knit almost entirely while reading Sci-Fi online (www.baen.com)

Mets Game

2007-09-25T10:42:00.001-04:00

I've got 2 tickets for two games this week.

Tonight at 7pm against the Nationals.
Thursday at 7pm against the Cardinals.

Anyone want to go with me?

Time keeps on slipping...

2007-09-17T22:39:00.000-04:00

I got my Ravelry invite today. I just spent hours wandering around in there. Very cool. It makes me feel the need to get my camera back out and take shots of yarn and finished things and unfinished things and...

Oh, if only I didn't have to work full time to support my yarn habit.

Saturday night was GAME NIGHT here in the new apartment. My roommate even joined us. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Ravi, you can have game night whenever you want. As long as you bring food, we will be fine. Chocolate works, too. Invite someone who hasn't heard my weird family history and we can watch their reactions.

3 day weekends

2007-08-26T18:13:00.001-04:00

I took Friday off to get some stuff done around the apartment. Important things like hang shelves and pictures and rearrange dishes...

I even wrote out a list:

Clean out old apartment - done (sort of)
Bring to new apartment: cat box, broom, clean out fridge, curb anything else - done (except for the curbing bit)
Turn in keys - not done (couldn't find super, must mail on Monday)

Buy 10 yds white/cream broadcloth or linen - not done
Buy vertical blinds for kitchen - not done
Buy more wall anchors - done (must have for rest of list)

Hang organizers in kitchen - almost done, still have one to go
Wash remaining dishes - done
Organize kitchen cabinets - almost done, still have cookware to go

Measure Met posters, then buy frames - not done, but I did find the posters...
Hang LACK shelves - not done (went all the way to IKEA and haven't hung the shelves)
Hang pictures or take them to the office - not done

Take RECALL boxes back to the office - not done, but did tie them up to carry easier
Bring big Litter Robot box home from the office - not done
Reture Litter Robot - obviously not done

So, the list didn't get quite as done as I would have liked, but I did enjoy having a 3-day weekend. I'm so glad I get another one next weekend. Maybe by then I'll finish the list.

And, since the moving in phase is just about complete, it is time to plan the housewarming event. We (my roommate, Robbin and I) have decided on the Saturday after Labor Day. If you know me, consider yourself invited, I'll try to send e-vites later in the week. If I don't have your email, leave me a comment and I'll get in touch. And, speaking of the party, we originally talked about a "stock the bar" party, but now that I've finished the unpacking, I don't really need much for the bar in the way of glassware or tools (I had all the glassware, Robbin had all the tools). So no need to stock the bar. Just bring your favorite beverage or snack. We will be doing some cooking just to try out the kitchen and use some of the massive quantity of cookware we have between the two of us.

I'm off to Shea to watch the Mets. The downside to that: I have to deal with MSG/Penn Station crowds, then 42nd Street/Bus Terminal crowds, then Mets game crowds... both ways. But I love living in Chelsea. And, if you are in the area, the Molly Wee Pub (30th & 8th) has a really good cheeseburger and I hear the Shepherd Pie is amazing.

Jets v Vikings

2007-08-17T08:56:00.000-04:00

I can get 4 free tickets to the Jets game tonight if anyone would like to go hang out with a stadium full of slightly drunk, loud, badly dressed men watching other men chase a ball around...

No, really I like football and Jets games are quite fun. I even bought a hat last year. If you would like to go, leave me a comment.

Moved

2007-08-08T22:45:00.000-04:00

I'm nearly done with the big move. All my stuff is here. I say nearly done because I still have to go back to the old place and throw out some trash and clean and return a few things etc. I did manage to sell the window a/c unit, which beats setting it out on the curb.

I'm still a little overwhelmed with the amount of stuff I've managed to acquire in a short amount of time. Of course it all fit in the old place and doesn't seem to fit the same here...

A trip to IKEA is in my future. And another trip to The Container Store. And probably a few other places as well...

The commute is way easier. Even with the weird weather we had this morning, I had no problem. Very nice.

I've got too much...

2007-08-02T23:49:00.000-04:00

... stuff.

I went to the new apartment today to pick up keys and make sure they were cleaning/painting before the big move tomorrow. I'm relieved that, yes, they are cleaning and painting and it will be done and dry before I arrive. However, the place shrank over the last month. Ok, maybe it didn't really shrink, but aren't rooms supposed to look bigger when empty? Not this place. The kitchen is bigger, but the living room seems shorter and wider. After a closer look, it seems this 2 bedroom apartment started out as a really big studio. It would make an awesome studio. It makes a "cozy" 2br. And the view is not of anything remotely interesting, unless you find the Chelsea skyline interesting.

Anyway, I have too much stuff. I'm beginning to see the errors of my packrat tendencies and the consequences of hobbies requiring "stuff." Sewing, requires machinery and fabric and oodles of random tools.
Costuming, while related to sewing, is not the same and somehow ends up with a collection of useful random objects I'll never need again - until I need them again.
Knitting, requires a different collection of oodles of random tools, yarn, books, magazines, etc.
Needlepoint, requires yet another different yet similar collection of oodles of random tools, fiber, books, etc.
Reading, doesn't actually require keeping the books, or even being printed and bound, but still, it's hard to pass up the $1 carts at Strand.
Cooking, required yet another completely different and not at all similar collection of oodles of tools, books, ingredients, etc. The upside is the end result is consumable. I'm looking forward to doing this particular hobby again soon...
All stash building hobbies. Maybe I shouldn't take up any more hobbies. I'll be more than ready for the next yarn swap, except I'm planning on more of a yarn "leave it there" instead of a swap.

I guess it could be worse. It's not like I have 8,000 pairs of shoes.

7

2007-08-02T11:30:00.000-04:00

Your Life Path Number is 7

Your purpose in life is to find truth and meaning
You are very spiritual, and you are interested in the mysteries of life.You are quite analytical and a great thinker. You have many theories and insights.A life of solitude is perfect for you. You need time to think and do things your way.
In love, you are quite charming. You attract many with your confidence and wit.
While you enjoy being alone, sometimes you take it to an extreme.You can become too isolated, shutting out loved ones and friends.Express yourself a little bit more, and you'll be surprised where it takes you!

What Is Your Life Path Number?

Packing and procrastinating and more packing

2007-07-28T14:27:00.000-04:00

I should be busy packing up all this stuff I own. 5.5 Days until the movers show up to load it all in a truck and drive about 8 miles south. Am I packed? Not really. I have what is becoming a wall of Fresh Direct boxes (I've been saving them for a while), and I brought home a pack of storage boxes from the office (I've got to take them back when I'm done), but it barely looks like I've started. Granted, most of what is packed is the stuff hidden behind various doors (closet doors, cabinet doors, bathroom door), but still. The bedroom closet is finished except for the shoes and the luggage which will be saved for the clothes currently at the laundry. The bathroom is finished except for the cleaning supplies, which will be packed after I use them all at least one more time... and the cat box. The hall closet hasn't been opened in months, so I'm a little afraid of that one, but it is mostly in boxes already. The coats are going to be used to make the boxes of books not quite so heavy.

Speaking of books, I've sold over 40 books on Amazon.com the past several weeks and have packed at least 3 boxes of books, but you'd never know by looking at the bookcases. Why do I have so many books? Oh, right, because I like books.

The kitchen is mostly done. I think I've got about 6 more boxes worth of stuff to pack. Mostly the bigger things like the pasta pot and mixing bowls and the every day dishes I just washed. Paper/plastic for me for the rest of the week. No cooking anyway, the non-perishable food is either out in the hall for someone else to take or is already packed away. The perishable food has either been tossed or will be consumed by the end of the week. I need to remember to finish off the fruit pops. They are too good to throw away, but I don't think popsicles will last through the move.

So, instead of finishing the packing today, I'm going here. And am I looking to the longest subway ride of my life? Of course I am... I've got my knitting, and a book, and a snack, and some water. I only have to transfer once, in the place I've transferred every working day for the past nearly three years, so I'm sure I'll be fine. If I can't find Coney Island, something is seriously wrong with me.

I'll finish packing tomorrow. Or maybe Thursday night. The movers don't show up until 9am Friday...

Infrastructure Issues

2007-07-20T21:14:00.000-04:00

Again, only in New York can a person see a tow truck in a hole in the middle of a major street after a steam pipe explodes and causes major damage mere blocks away from where I spend most of my waking time... And then later that same day see a subway car travelling up Broadway on the back of a semi trailer... Now I have proof that MTA did buy some new cars.

My boss actually got caught in the affects of the explosion. She was about half a block away when the street exploded in a cloud of brown-black gunk. Her backpack still has little splotches of "stuff" on it. I'm guessing her lovely purple silk jacket won't be seen in the office again any time soon.

Knitting is on the back burner while I wait on a few yards of Koigu to finish off the pink shawl and since I need to be packing instead. However, I'm distracted by Battlestar Galatica. Gotta go.

A new home

2007-07-07T18:59:00.000-04:00

I think I found my next apartment. I put in an application and a deposit. Now I just have to wait for the landlord to approve and then fork over a huge amount of money.

West 30 & 9Ave
7th Floor
Elevator
laundry in the basement
balcony with a view of the river (and the Post Office...)
small bedrooms (2)
large(ish) living space
3 large closets

It's not exactly where I wanted to be, but I'm ok with it. I'm going to have a house warming/birthday party some time in August. If you know me in real life, consider yourself invited. Details later.

It's now time to pack and purge. Don't get too excited, the yarn is coming with me.

Happy 4th!

2007-07-04T09:17:00.000-04:00

My mother is in town and I'm doing the touristy things I would never do by myself.
I think I'm stressing her out. She didn't do any research about what she wants to see, but she obviously wants to see things. Unfortunately, she wants to know things that I don't know. For example: "What is that building?" - Random building somewhere on 6th Avenue. Answer: "I don't know. An apartment building?" Or: "How long has this been here?" - Random statue or structure somewhere in Central Park. Answer: "I don't know. Since they built the park?"

What do you want to see?
Empire State Building? No.
Statue of Liberty? No.
Ellis Island? No.
Metropolitan Museum? No. (Any Museum at all? Oh, ok. Which one? What kind? I don't know.)
Rockefeller Center? No. (Oh, that's where the Christmas Tree is? Wow! Ok.)
Bloomingdale's? No. (Where the butterfly was in the subway in "You've Got Mail"? Oh, ok.)
Central Park? No. (Do you want to see the "Imagine" mosaic? Oh, ok. The Zoo? Oh, ok.)
Washington Square Park? No. (What about the Arch where Harry dropped off Sally? Oh, yes, I want to see that!)

Random Hardware Store somewhere in SoHo? Yes.
Korean War Memorial? Yes.
Battery Park Waterfront so we can stare at New Jersey? Yes.
Barnes & Noble Union Square? Yes.
Books of Wonder? Yes.
The Corner Bookstore. Yes
Rice to Riches? Yes.

"I just want to wander and look and spend time with you..." Wander where? Look at what? Wouldn't a better place to wander be somewhere where there is something to actually see? Like a museum or a park? Or an actual destination instead of 17th Street between 6th & 7th just because we happen to be there?

Is there a guided tour of "You've Got Mail" available? That's really what she wants to see.

Mom, next time you travel somewhere, do a little bit of research first. If you were trying for the "no plan, just see what happens" thing like I did in Wales, it didn't work. It took a lot of research to decide what to do or not to do in Wales. I on purpose went somewhere with few choices. You came somewhere with too many. Don't do this again.

I do have some pictures. I'll save them for later. Just in case.

Randomness in NYC

2007-06-30T01:12:00.000-04:00

* Tall, thin, young black man walking up MacDougal, carrying a black cocktail dress in a dry cleaners bag. Is it his? Did he borrow it? Is he just picking it up for someone else? I wan't to think he "borrowed" it from his roommate and then had it cleaned and will now attempt to sneak it back into the closet. He would look smashing in that style...

* Overheard in the hallway of my building.
Mom: Blah, blah, blah, blah...
Child: Where's my toy?
Friend: Yadda, yadda, yadda, yadda...
Child: Where's my toy? (focused)
Mom: Blah, blah, blah, blah....
Child: Where's my toy? (concerned)
Friend: Yadda, yadda, yadda, yadda...
Child: Where's my toy? (getting desperate)
(They didn't actually say "blah" and "yadda" but they might as well have been for all the little girl noticed. I hope she got her toy.)

* Me sitting on the Uptown platform at 59th Street waiting for an A train. A voice to my left says, "Katy?" I look up into a cute face that looks a little familar, if out of place. "It's me, Steven B." Wow! It is Steven B! A guy I knew in my previous life - more than 4 years ago - is walking through the subway station. He is just in town visiting and sees me sitting there and recognizes me. We don't really get a chance to catch up because my train arrives and he is with his friend. 8 million people in this city and I can still run into people I know who don't even live here. Weird. He looks a little different and his hair is grown out more than I've ever seen it, but he is growing up nicely. He was a bit scrawny when last I saw him.

* Overheard at Yankee Stadium in whispers during the top of the 6th inning.
Dad: Can you keep a secret?
Daughter: Um. Yes.
Dad: The screen is going to say Happy Birthday to Mom. You just watch.
Daughter: No way! That is so cool!
"Happy Birthday Judy Bloom!"
(They almost missed it. Distraction provided by the ground crew dancing to "YMCA".)

Baseball anyone?

2007-06-28T13:45:00.001-04:00

I've got 2 tickets to the Mets tonight. Anyone want to go?

Thinking back on Wales

2007-06-14T14:07:00.000-04:00

Some people seem to think I didn't have a good time in Wales... I just want to clear that up. I had exactly the kind of vacation I wanted. I rested. I slowed down and enjoyed the view. I spent quality time with myself. I had fun. Well, what I consider fun at least.

When I asked "what do people do after 6pm...." I wasn't being critical. I really wanted to know. Then I thought about it and other than the total lack of people out on the streets, people everywhere do mostly the same things. We eat. We drink. We watch sports/movies/game shows/soap operas. Most places don't have an active street life. I think I just got so used to New York being open and active all hours of the day and night that I forget all the other places I've lived aren't like this. The biggest reason I couldn't live there is the total lack of good yarn. I don't need night life. I barely have one now and it's not because there is nothing to do here.

I would go back again, but to a different region and with someone or a group. The trip started to get a little lonely at the end when I had no one to talk to or eat with.

I think I'll do some sort of 4-day trip this fall somewhere on the East Coast. There is still quite a bit of this country I've never seen. Anyone want to go with me? Late September maybe?

Wales 2007 - Sunday, June 3

2007-06-11T23:13:00.000-04:00

Time to go home. Wake up at 8am local time. Shower. Pack. Breakfast. Cab to the airport hours too early.

So early I can't even check in. I go to the corner and knit and watch other lines form and dissipate. I wait. I family sits down next to me. The grandmother is very chatty. She talks about my knitting and tells me about (her son?) Ian who is going back to Ireland after the wedding they all attended over the weekend. The younger boy (teenager) is getting sullen and wants to eat. There is some mention of finding a McDonald's in town. I would apologize for the Americanization of their food, but I've been eating their food for days now and it could use all the help it can get. At least McDonald's uses salt. I've never tasted such bland food.

Random tangents: Why would they put butter on overcooked roast beef, slap it between two pieces of soft white bread and think that passes for food? Chips (french fries) were good, but every choice of side dish was either overcooked green beans or some variety of potato dish. Mash. Au gratin. Chips. Baked. Different questions - Why are the cucumbers shrink wrapped? Why are the bananas all over-ripe and starting to turn brown? Are there only two varieties of apples in the country? (That's all I ever saw. Two.) Why are the salads the weird lettuces that taste like grass instead of Romaine or Bibb or even baby spinach?

Anyway, I check in and go up to the departure lounge. Fancy name for another place to sit. I wander through the two shops. I think seriously about buying a Wales t-shirt or key chain or something, but choose instead the more realistic purchase of tea and chocolate. This should make Rachel and Ravi happy. Possibly Heather and Johanna will approve.

Finally, the flight is called and we all bunch up at a door that will lead to stairs that takes us down hallways and more stairs to yet another room where we wait. I remember my first impression of the Cardiff airport was hallways and stairs. Well, so was my last.

The flight is full. We fill up the room, so it's hard to imagine how we are all going to fit in the plane. We manage. I trade seats with a guy who reminds me of Sting in the 80's. He was obviously with the woman sitting next to me. He told me he was in seat 7D. Wrong. He was seat 9E. I move again. My seat mates are not talkative, so I read. It's a short flight, interrupted by a weird snack-like meal of mini sandwiches. (I've already mentioned how I feel about the food, so I'll just leave it at that.)

**** later ****

Two hours to wander the airport. Schiphol (Amsterdam's airport) isn't a bad place to wander, but I'm tired and possibly dehydrated. A visit to the ATM for some Euros solves the second problem. I'm curious what the Dutch consider a "California BLT" and decide to be brave. Apparently, it is a rough (thick) cut of bacon, plum tomatoes, and more of that weird lettuce, with a heavy dose of black pepper. Now, I love fresh ground pepper, but this was way too much. The drink choices were Coke products, fruit smoothies, or tea. I know carbonated beverages are not a good choice before flying and I'm developing a healthy lack of curiosity about fake-fruit blends (or any food blends) in Europe, so I opt for the Lipton Tea. I don't really care for lemon in my tea, but I prefer it minerals in my water.

By the time I eat most of my sandwich and drink the tea, they have started the security screening / pre-boarding process. The 777 is a large place, so this starts an hour before we are scheduled to leave.

Odd thing about this airport, instead of doing the security screening near the entrance and then total freedom within the airport, they do it the other way around. The concourses are all available, but to transfer from one concourse to another you go through a "transfer" point. (I didn't, so I can't tell you anything about that) but the actual gate is the security point. Each gate has it's own security station. The cityhoppers have a central security point then six or eight gates. The larger airplanes that use the gangways all have their own security. The downside for the passengers is you can't buy anything after the point. The only thing left is to get on the plane. No water. No toilets. No nothing.

We file slowly onto the plane. I get slightly more interesting seat mates for this flight. Jared, on my right, apparently works for Match.com. And he has serious discomfort when flying. His ears hurt really bad. I didn't actually talk to him except to get up once and to offer gum as we were descending. I just couldn't help noticing. He worked most of the flight answering emails and updating Excel files. I'm guessing he's either in Marketing or Advertising. (It's amazing what you can find about about someone while not talking to them...)

The guy on my other side was more interesting, but we didn't really talk much until the end of the flight. He is Dutch, visiting friends, loves New York. I got through the Immigration line faster, but his luggage come out first. I never saw him again.

I'm home now, but it took over four hours from the time we landed for me to get home. It took about an hour to get out of the airport. I took the subway. It's cheaper, but not faster. The first train didn't stop. I called Leslie to let her know I landed. Bad news. The A is only running to 168th Street. It's pouring rain. Anyway, I get on the next train and knit to stay awake. All these street names are unfamiliar. I didn't know there was Ralph Street. We sit at Euclid Avenue for a long time while the crew changes. The C train isn't running so we go local. Then there is construction between 59th and 125th so we go express, but very slowly. Finally, I get back above ground and call Leslie. I try to call a car service, but no luck. I get on the shuttle bus then drag the luggage up hills in the rain, use the elevator at 184th Street, drag the luggage up more hills in the rain, and finally get to Leslie's building to get my keys back. We chat for a few minutes, then I drag the luggage back out into the rain and manage to find a cab. What a shock. Yellow cabs are hardly ever this far uptown. I make it home and drag the water-logged suitcase up all the stairs. (Note to self: Next time pack lighter. The suitcase is heavy.)

Bob (my cat) can't decide if he is mad at me for leaving or happy to see me again. I don't care, I'm just glad to be home.

I unpack the clothes straight to the laundry basket, dry off a few things, feed Bob, and go to bed. Oh, my own bed. I've missed my bed. Hotel mattresses never feel right.

It's good to be home. I'm glad I went. I'll have to go somewhere else next time.

**** End of Travel Journal for Wales 2007 ****

I really did have a good time, even if the food was bland and I didn't do very many things. It was exactly what I wanted it to be.

Where should I go next time?

Wales 2007 - Saturyday, June 2

2007-06-10T09:11:00.000-04:00

This post was delayed because I couldn't get Blogger to connect last night.

*****

Next time, I'm not travelling to Europe (or anywhere else) alone. I think I need a little bit more structure. Either that or I need to check the sports schedule before I travel. I picked a strange day to stay in this hotel. I'm literally next door to the local stadium. Wales played the Czech Republic this afternoon. The streets around here have been packed with Football fans all day. The family groups have mostly gone home, but the mostly male fans old enough to drink are still going strong. What do people do around here on the weekends other than shopping (but only before 6pm), eating, drinking, and watching sports? (Stupid question.)

I spent most of the afternoon walking aound the park next to the Castle and through the various shopping arcades. I bought a book. I tried to take a nap, but the noise level from the stadium and the children with their air horns kept me awake. I wouldn't recommend this hotel of you want quiet or relaxing. It looks very impressive, but the karma is all wacky.

I'm glad it's time to go home. I miss my pillows and my shower and my cat. I do have more stories, but I'll save them. I also have some questions:

* What is an "advice center?" What kind of advice to they give?

* Why is everyone such a lousy dresser? Are they trying to look American? Even overweight middle-age women in strappy tank tops with inadequate support think they look fashionable. I don't get it. I understand the Converses with the kilt better.

Other weird fashion disasters:
* A group of a dozen 20-something girls come around the corner in Hen night "outfits" I think were supposed to be Pebbles from the Flintstones.
Two guys were walking just in front of me.
Guy to Friend: "Not very often do you see that."
Friend: "Not very often indeed.
My internal answer: "And it's a good thing, too."

Oh, I did manage to find yarn in the Market. Great big bags of baby acrylic in icky candy colors. No yarn for me in Cardiff. I know there are sheep here. Where does all the wool go? Rowan and Colinette can't possibly turn all of it into yarn. And if they do, why do they export all of it? Doesn't anyone here knit? Maybe not.

Strange country.

View of the sky out of my hotel room in Cardiff, again at 9pm.

Wales 2007 - Friday, June 1

2007-06-08T13:38:00.000-04:00

8am wake up call. I make it to breakfast today. I try the full English Breakfast just to see what it is. I should have ordered scrambled eggs and toast. I don't care for the sausages. I've never understood cooked tomatoes and I now know I don't want to eat baked beans in the morning. The mushrooms might have been ok if they were fresh instead of from a can. I'll know next time. I finish packing, ask for a cab and go to the train station. Goodbye, Abergavenny!

Hello, Cardiff! I arrive, get a cab to the hotel, and shortchange the driver because he doesn't have change for a 20. It's only about 10 pence short, but still. I feel bad. What cab driver isn't going to have change?

I check into the hotel. The lobby is supposed to be impressive, but I think I'm over being on vacation. The room is small and crowded with too much furniture that clashes with the building. There is a lovely fireplace, but instead of highlighting the architectural features, they've rolled a TV stand in front of it. It's odd. Victorian building contrasting with tacky, cheap, pseudo-modern matchy furniture.

I went across the street to Cardiff Castle. Yet another odd contrasting building/decor thing going on. Medival building. Victorian intrepretation of Medival interior, with a heavy layer of whimsy and gold leaf.

(Main building - part 1)

(Main building - part 2)

(Peahen)

(Peacocks)

(Drainspout - I love this!)

(Yard)

(Falconry)

(Keep)

(View from inside Keep, down the stairs)

(Back Gate)

(Keep and Gate)

I wander through a couple of tacky gift shops and a shopping arcade, go back to my room and take a nap. I'm ready to go home.

I eat dinner in the hotel restaurant. Why would a lamb chop taste fishy? I can't imagine it was on purpose. The food was not very good. I'll eat elsewhere tomorrow.

I'm torn between going out for a walk and to back to my room. Options: (1) Watch David Beckham's return to International Football (soccer) v. Brazil at the new Wembly Stadium. (I don't care at all, but this has been one of three news stories all week...) (2) Wander the streets of Cardiff with no idea where to go.
I vote for my room. I finish my book. England scores the first goal. I knit. Brazil ties with about a minute to play. Disappointment all around.

I'm uncomfortablly full from dinner. I'm not used to eating large dinners. However, I haven't had any Mt. Dew since Monday, so I'm past the headache phase and there is a chance I could stop drinking them completely now. Maybe that is part of the reason I slept so much this week.

I wish I could sleep now. It's after 1am and I can't get to sleep. The bed is lumpy and the air is stale. I can't open the windows and even if I could, it wouldn't help. There is a street light right outside the window. It would shine directly on my face if the curtains opened.

*****
Notes:
* The "I'm ready to go home." thing was written in the late hours of the night when I was tired and a little cranky. I really did enjoy my stay in Wales.
* The guy walking down the steps of the Keep in the green vest was in my Tour Group when I went through the Castle. He is originally from Lehore, Pakistan, currently living in Birmingham (England, not Alabama). I took some pictures of him in front of the castle with his camera from him.
* The Sports Announcer didn't use the word "tied" in reference to the Brazil goal. He used the word "equalized" which confused me for a moment. Still, I don't care.
* The quitting Mt. Dew thing only lasted through yesterday. We have them in the fridge at work and I just can't stop.

Tomorrow: Comments on fashion

Wales 2007 - Thursday, May 31

2007-06-07T13:25:00.000-04:00

I missed breakfast again. I can't seem to wake up before 9:30. I'm definitely getting plenty of sleep while I'm here. I should be well rested by the time I get home.

(View out my hotel room at the street below)

The skys are still overcast, but it isn't raining. I'm not sure I want to risk getting caught in a downpour, so I'm not going for a long walk. I think I'll go buy a book and sit outside for a while.

... later ...

I don't know where the day went. I did buy "The Fourth Bear" and sit outside for a while. then I sat in the Sitting Room knitting for a long time. Hours, I suppose. I ordered tea and scones. Yum. I see the point of milk in tea now. I also bought some yarn while I was out. Three balls of Rowan Kidsilk Haze in a light green color. That was about all there was even remotely interesting and it was 25% off. There was also some Summer Tweed that was a contender, but not enough of any one color except the white, so I left it at the store.

I'm much more relaxed now, but I don't get what people do when all the shops close at 5:30. TV is either News repeating the same three stories over and over, reality shows, game shows, or American cop shows. Utter crap.

To make it worse, sunset is so late you've got hours of daylight left even after eating dinner. I went for another walk around town. The pubs are open, but everything else is closed. I don't drink and I don't like hanging out in bars, so I just keep walking. This is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here. I'd go mad.

*****

I'm taking suggestions for what to do with 3 balls of Kidsilk Haze. I have "Victorian Lace Today" and "First Book of Modern Lace Knitting" and several other lace books, so you can site specific patterns if you like. I'm also willing to buy a really great pattern if I don't already have it.

The Abergavenny craft store did have more than just weird acrylic and some Rowan, but it was not a very good selection. There was some drab, itchy sock yarn and the weirder Rowan yarns and a little bit of wool/acrylic blends from Patons, but mostly not very interesting. Of course, they also had a little bit of every odd craft you could imagine. Strange store.

Oh, and yes, I'm saving each day's journal for each day. It's makes it easy for me. I'm also saving up some of the more common questions (mostly from my Mom) to answer at the end. Cardiff tomorrow!

Wales 2007 - Wednesday, May 30

2007-06-06T10:57:00.000-04:00

Even after an 8 hour nap, I managed to sleep until almost 10 this morning. It's cold and wet outside. The rain should clear out by this afternoon, but I'm going back out anyway.

The bathroom takes a bit of getting used to. The tub water is separate from the shower water. The tub is long and skinny. It is also very high. I think I'll take a soak next time. I'm going out for a walk now. Maybe a side trip to the local castle. Definitely some food. Possibly some knitting.

I walk down main street into one of the side streets to a coffee bar. I get a hot chocolate and have a seat. I am in the smoking section, but after the fact I'm glad I sat there. by the time I leave, I've been joined by a whole table full of locals. Some know each other, some do not, but they all are perfectly content to talk and ask questions. They tell me about Welsh history and some of my own history. One man refers to the WTC as "that tragedy." Another tells me about "The Star Spangled Banner" and that it was written by a Welshman. Hm. I'll have to look into that one. One woman suggests some day trips I can take by bus. I'm struck by how foreign I am to them. Everyone is very nice and friendly. I have to listen very closely because everyone seems to be mumbly when they talk. Yes, it is English, but there is a bigger difference than I expected. It's nice and soothing in a way.

I finish my hot chocolate and the rain lets up to al ight drizzle. I wander through the flea market then around the town center again looking for some lunch. The cafes are crowded. I even go into the grocery store (Tesco's) looking for something to eat. I finally settle on a cafe in a side street. Cheeseburger. Not especially good, but not terribly bad. I think I'll try the hotel for dinner.

I walk through some residential areas on my way back after lunch. I wonder what people do for a living around here. There are quite a lot of people out and about for a Wednesday afternoon. they can't all be on holiday.

I sit in the Sitting Room knitting for several hours. They serve Tea between 11 and 5:30. It looks better than the cheeseburger. There is a couple drinking wine across from me, and a family having tea & scones in the area to my right. The older woman seems to be the mother of the 20-something woman. The guy seems either like a surly brother or a friend-boy.
The couple leave and are replaced by an older couple who order tea & scones. The 3 people to the right leave. The waitress clears their dishes and replumps all the pillows on the sofa. Soon, two older women take their place. As the older couple gets up to leave, she sits down next to me to ask about my knitting. She has vener seen anyone knitting anything like my lace shawl in soft silky yarn. (JaggerSpun Zephyr) She mostly sees scratchy (he called it oily) wool sweaters and not in public. She jokes about Stitch 'n Bitch in the States. I just say "yes." I don't try to explain. I think it would be too much for her.
The older couple leaves and is replaced by a family with two middle school aged childre. They order the Full Tea. Sandwiches, cakes, scones. The children are picky eaters. They don't like butter. They don't like the icing. She doesn't like the bannana one. The Mom was right to only oder 2 servings. The children don't eat much. I leave before they finish.

It's now about 5:45 on Wednesday and everything is closed except the grocery store, the hotel bars, and the local pubs. The streets are empty. The stores are dark. Very odd. I didn't realize everything closed at 5:30. What do people do?

I went for a walk. I wandered over to the local castle. The museum was closed but the grounds were open.

I really can't imagine how people lived way back then. There was very little privacy. I guess you just dealt with it. I don't think I would have survived those days.

The views were fabulous. If it stays dry tomorrow, maybe I'll leavethe town and head into the hills. Then again, maybe not.

Since everything is closed, I guess I'll head back to my room and then some dinner at the hotel. There is nothing on TV I care to watch. I go to the restaurant. The waitstaff is very nice, if not very fast. I order the roast lamb with green beans and potatoes au gratin. Very good. Very filling.

By the time I get back to my room, it's later than I thought. 11 pm. (See, I told you the waitstaff were slow.) Story about dinner. Behind me is a family with a 9 or 10 year old boy. He hasn't yet developed the "inside, public voice." He talks quite loud. He has a very good relationship with his parents. They are explaining to him how girls and boys pick on each other when they like each other. And, they suggest ways to get a girl to leave him alone if he is not interested in her. I think he is just a year or two too young to "like" girls in that way. I ignore them for a while, but during some point they start talking about buying a tent. They already have two tents, but the mother wants to get a bigger tent so they can have a place to sit inside, not just sleep. (With the weather I've seen this week, this makes sense to me.) The son says things like "we don't need three tents. Why don't you eBay the smallest tent and get a good price for it then put that toward a really good tent?" This sort of thing goes on for a few minutes. It leads to this:

SON: You've been outvoted. Two to one. Outvoted and outsmarted.
FATHER: (clears throat)
SON: Ok, maybe not outsmarted, but outvoted.

This devolves into a conversation about the family finances and the difference between pocket money and money for bills. I'm not sure the son understood. But it was a nice try.

I went back to my room and tried to watch TV, but it was the same stories over and over from earlier and since I don't follow Welsh Football, I really didn't care that their captain signed with Manchester United.

Wales 2007 - Tuesday, May 29 - Still Traveling

2007-06-05T22:12:00.000-04:00

We arrive in Amsterdam. I say goodbye to Dimitri & Sergei and make my way through the airport to my next flight. I've basically been awake for 24 hours now. I'm too tired to read and not coordinated enough to knit.

I'm going to sleep again now, but when I come back to this I want to remember to mention the rubgy team on a stag weekend and the old woman with the spotty pink hair.

... later ...

I slept much later than I intended. So, back to yesterday. The layover in Amsterdam is only about an hour, which is just long enough to walk slowly from one terminal to the next, trying to figure out the signs and listening to the Dutch-accented English announcements. I'm definitely the foreigner here.
I find the gate and follow the signs down an escalator. Another Security Checkpoint to get into a "City Hopper" terminal. A something that uses shuttle buses to transfer people to a big airplane parking lot on the other side of the airport. We go through the boarding area then wait for the shuttle.
There is a group of guys in the mid-20's who have been on a stag weekend. They seem to be a rugby team. Cute guys, but not very bright. The most talkative is especially dense. Example: Guy: "Does KLM have an Amsterdam thing going on?" Friend: "Uh, yes. (laugh)" Guy: "Is it a Dutch airline or something?" All friends: (laugh).
That is just a random example. Most of the rest I heard seemed to revolve around sports and teasing about who would get married next.
A couple of other fellow passengers I noticed for various reasons. There was an older woman who had spotty pink dyed hair. I can't tell if she did it on purpose or did it herself but couldn't control the dye on the back. She just flew in from Khazikstan and told me it was the strangest place she had ever been. Since I've never been anywhere, I'll take her word for it.
The two guys in the seats across the aisle on the plane were both going to Cardiff. One, the younger (mid-30's, I'd guess), was just getting back from traveling about in the Philipines, Malaysia, India, and other island countries I didn't catch. He's been gone for what sounded like a couple of months or more, so he kept using the phrase "this will be a reality check, coming home."
The older gentleman sitting next to him was also going to Cardiff, but to visit a sister. He lives in Germany (Hanover, I think). As they talked, they discovered they have quite a bit in common. They both scuba dive. They have both traveled to some of the same places. The older gentleman is staying one street down from the younger guy. Small world.
My seat mate was not so talkative. I think she was going for a job interview or something. She seems very concerned about wrinkles in her clothes and asks about a closet for hanging clothes. Prissy. I'll just doze.

We land in Cardiff. It's a short flight. My first impression of the airport is hallways and staircases. We finally get to customs. I have to fill out a "landing card" and answer questions. They want to know where I'm staying, when I'm leaving (I have to show reciept of my return flight), proof of finances (debit card, credit cards), occupation, etc. He also asks who I'm here to see. When I say no one, he asks why I picked Wales. I've got it down now. Same story.

(Note: I must have been the only non-European on my flight, no one else had to fill out the landing card.)

After stopping to pick up the luggage and a short visit to the ladies room, I find an ATM. I decide the bus schedule is too much for my brain and go to the cabstand instead. Off to the train station. Repeat of my "why am I in Wales" story. This cab is much more comfy than NYC cabs. The weather is beautiful and clear, if a little windy. Yes, it is green. Yes, there are sheep. Yes, I'm a bit slap-happy from lack of sleep. I make it to the train station just in time. I buy my tickets and get to the platform just as the train pulls in. If I had stopped for a beverage or if the train had been ontime instead of 5 minutes late, I would have missed it and been sitting for another hour. Very lucky.

I manage to wrangle the suitcase onto the train and sit down. My new seatmate is a 30-ish woman from Manchester. Not that she actually offered up this information, but sometimes you just can't help overhearing cell phone conversations. She asked me if this was the train to Manchester. I said yes. I only knew this because the announcement just said "This is the train to Manchester, with stops in Newport, Abergavenny..." Duh. She really didn't pay any attention. They clearly said the train wouldn't arrive in Manchester until 5:15, but she made arrangements for someone at her garage to pick her up at 3:30. I think she has no idea how long the trip really is.
The conversation I heard from behind me was much more interesting. Two senior (early 60's) women talking politics and National Health care and so on. One of them lives outside of where I'm staying, so I paid more attention to them. Same complaints I hear at home: local politicians can't make good decisions, don't bring in the big box store because it will drive out all the little stores, school system is in a shambles, home prices are too high, how do the elderly manage on no pension (or very little pension)? etc.

We arrive. I wrangle the suitcase off the train, walk around the little train station and wake up the cab driver. He takes me to the hotel, changes my 10 pound note for coins, and says "thank you luv."

I check in and find my room. I still don't really know what time it is, but it feels like a very long day. I change shirts, grab the toothbrush, take care of a few things, and go for a walk.

Abergavenny is a cute little town. There is a pedestrian-friendly city center. I walk up and down this street just to get a feel for the place. The side streets also have little shops and cafes. Book shops. Pet shops. Dress shops. What I would call Thrift Shops, raising money for various causes. Department store. Grocery store. Cafes and coffee shops. I did find the craft store. They do have some yarn. Mostly Patons, some Rowan (25% off) and a brand called Wendy's, which seems like a Lion Brand equivalent. No yarn for me.

I'm tempted by the book stores. I still might go back for that Jasper Fforde book I haven't seen yet in NYC. I'm suddenly hit by how tired I am. I walk back to the hotel and try to connect to the internet. Either I don't understand the instructions or my laptop isn't setup properly for their broadband system. Either way, it's not working. What is working is the clock. No wonder I'm tired. I've slept about 1 hour in the past 30 hours. It's 11 in the morning at home and 4 pm where I am. Jetlag strikes again. Nap time.

... later ...

Might have been a bad choice. I wake up at midnight. That's a long nap. I watch some TV. 6 choices. One of them is home shopping. What up with that? I watch BBC1/Sky News for a while. Is it right that I travel all this way just to watch Katie Couric on the CBS evening news? That's what comes on at 12:30 or 1 am.

Wales 2007 - Monday, May 28 - Day of Travel

2007-06-04T13:38:00.000-04:00

Note: the next few entries will be from the journal I kept while on vacation. First, I'll just copy what I wrote, then I may fill in some gaps or elaborate or add more detail. I'll also add in pictures where appropriate.

*****
I now know it takes just over 2 hours to take the A train from Inwood to JFK. The Airtrain is very nice. I'm not convinced it's worth $5 each way, but it beats the parking fees I suppose.
JFK is a very large airport. I had no idea. Since I left my house at 5:30 I was even earlier than necessary. (Note to Rachel: you can get Cadbury Dairy Milk bars in the Duty Free Shops.)
Speaking of Duty Free Shops, I sat just in front of the Pick Up Desk. Strange System. You buy cigarettes, alcohol, candy or perfume in a store in the main concourse, the purchases are placed in a sealed bag, someone else comes and picks up your purchases and takes them to the Pick Up Desk behind the security checkpoint at the gates. After you go through Security, you stop and pick up your purchases.

Time passed as it always does. I knit for a while. Mostly I wandered up and down the gate area. I wanted to walk as much as possible since i knew I wouldn't be able to stand for a long time. My flight was called. For some reason, the door of the plane wasn't open and we were all backed up in the skyway ramp.
The boarding took longer than I expected. Maybe there were things going on I can't know about, but it seemed a slow boarding process. Row 42 isn't the very last row of a 777, but it is close. It's always interesting to me to see what kind of person ends up next to me. For this leg of the trip, I was next to a couple of Russian guys who currently live in Sweden. Dimitri and Sergei.

I know quite a bit about them now. Dimitri cam to New York to buy a Mustang Convertible (2006). I know he isn't married but does have a 4 year old daughter. I know he is 41 years old. I also know he snores. We talked (well, he talked) for the first three hours of the six hour flight.
Somewhere over the ocean, the cabin lights were turned off and he finally stopped talking. His English got worse the more Bailey's he drank. He was very entertaining. Sergei dozed most of the trip. Well, when he wasn't listening to Techno and drinking Bailey's straight from the bottle.
*****

Looking back, the overnight flight was maybe not the most effective use of time, but with a talkative neighbor, the time went by fast. We watched the flight tracker and talked about places we've lived or visitied and all kinds of things.

Pictures tomorrow.

Getting away - the beginning

2007-05-28T09:14:00.000-04:00

What is it about packing the suitcase that makes the trip seem real? It's been "I leave on vacation in X days..." and "I'm going to Wales in X days..." for weeks now, but it didn't really seem real until this morning when I started packing the suitcase. What to take, what to leave, what to carry on.

The dreams I had last night didn't really help either. I don't remember details, but there was a sense of forgetting something important (like the passport) and getting stuck in traffic and running through a park. I turn around and my luggage has been emptied in the middle of the park and everything is gone but the suitcase. (Since the suitcase isn't mine, I'm a little relieved at that but in shock about everything else.)

Anyway, the suitcase is mostly packed. The carry on piece is not. I still need to clean out the fridge of anything that won't last a week, do the dishes, throw out the trash, clean the catbox, leave out food for the cat (yes, someone is coming by everyday to feed/water the cat), and stay occupied until it's time to leave for the airport.

I have no set plans for this trip, but I do have hopes.

I hope I come home in a better frame of mind. I've been under quite a bit of stress at work for the last 18 months. I'm almost at the end of that, but I'm also almost at the end of what I can take. It's getting a little better. Slowly.

I hope I remember how to listen. It's been a long time since I could just sit and listen to the world around me without needing to be somewhere or do something. NYC does that to people I think.

I hope going away reminds me of why I moved here in the first place. I love living in New York and don't want to live anywhere else any time soon, but I want to recapture a little bit of the "wow, I'm in New York" that I've lost. I'd like to be somewhere to remind me that not everywhere is like this. Again, NYC does that to people.

I hope I remember to take pictures. I don't think anyone would forgive me if I didn't.

I hope I remember to take time to enjoy myself. I realize the things I think are fun may not seem like fun to most people, so I'm going to have my kind of fun, maybe not typical fun.

I think it's time to start. See you in a week.

3 trips in 12 days and other randomness

2007-05-22T21:56:00.000-04:00

* Pack for overnight stay in Midtown...
* Pack for weekend stay upstate...
* Pack for week long stay in Wales...

All 3 of these things are happening in the next two weeks. I need completely different clothes for all 3 trips. (And, yes, I do consider Midtown a trip.) I need completely different luggage for each trip. I might even need different knitting projects.

I don't think I have enough clean clothes for all this. I know I don't have enough luggage. Anybody got a "week long stay" size suitcase I can borrow? Can I get it by Friday?

Rachel, do you have that list ready? Ravi, what was that tea again? Can someone remind me to tell my mother where I'm going? (I mean, she knows I'm going to Wales, but I haven't emailed her the exact contact info for the hotels and the flight numbers and all that stuff. She's not worried yet, but if I leave for the airport without telling her those important details, she will not be happy.)

On the work front, things are looking up for a change. My bosses finally listened and realized that my "team members" are not as swift as they could be and possibly it would be a good idea to more clearly define areas of responsibility. I have gladly let go of all the daily nonsense and am just "available as a resource" on the monthly nonsense. I get to do the special projects and start up things and new client setup and the website and the "fun stuff" I would rather be doing. However, for the next several months, I'm still "training" the other team members. The red pen is out in force, circling things and checking things and marking things... I hope being away for a week will be good for everyone. I know it will be good for me. I need to relax and lower my expectations.

Random thought: Why should I lower my expectations? Why can't others live up to my level instead of me always having to expect less? I don't think it is unreasonable to expect adult members of our modern society to be able to think. Why is that too much to ask? If you have thoughts on this topic, I really am interested.

Which leads to these random thoughts: I don't really know everything about everything, it just seems like it sometimes. I once read that Einstein didn't bother to remember things he could look up. I think that is how my brain works. If I can look something up, I often remember where to find the information, not necessarily the information itself. However, remembering where the information is, is often enough for me to recall the information. With one big huge exception. Popular Culture. Especially music. I can talk about most major sports (and some minor ones) and the insides of cars and why you should save for retirement (and how) and explain mutual fund dividend reinvestments and weather patterns in the midwest and a wide variety of theatre terms and color theory and science fiction and why the sky is blue and why the ocean is salty and where sand comes from and why cats howl when they have sex and why you can't pull apart dogs when they have sex and what starfish look like on the inside and how to keep a fetal kitten in a jar without it decomposing and how to tie a bow tie and thousands of other trivial things, but ask who sings that song playing in the background at a bar and I'm clueless. I probably can't even hear the song (or you because the song is so loud).

Disclaimer: If you really want to know about any of that stuff I just mentioned or anything I didn't, I can probably talk about it at length, so only ask if you really want to know. Same goes for my opinion about anything.

6 Days to Wales

Baseball, Mom & Apple Pie

2007-05-10T16:27:00.000-04:00

I've got a free ticket to the Mets on Mother's Day. Anyone want to go with me? If I can find a pie, I'll spring for that as well.