Favorite Things Monday: Women Working

Today I really need Favorite Things Monday. It’s the kinda day for which FTM was created: 1) I did not get a new job that I really really wanted. By the skin of my teeth. Like after they called my references (including my current boss). The other person had a “strong internal endorsement.” Argh. 2) Five minutes later, I got a call from Mr. “Why Can’t You Perform Miracles?” faculty member and I let the call go to voicemail. 3)Despite about 2 weeks of trying, I can’t seem to post this big blog-gift update. WordPress hates me. Or perhaps WordPress hates Flickr. 4) My sidebar sucks and I’ve been too lazy to fix it.

This picture came from a calendar. I don’t remember what calendar. I don’t remember what year. Considering that I’ve owned it for at least 8 years, I’m guessing it came from a political paraphenalia supply house of some sort or another. 99% of my political posters have relocated to a lovely cardboard box in the basement (as yet not the recycling), but I love this image so much that I cut it out of the calendar, framed it, and it’s hung in every home that I’ve lived in. Today, it seems particularly appropriate.

More favorites from an awesome weekend:

• a bottle of red wine with Wifey (yeah no preggie!);
• took Little Man to the lumber yard;
• re-built an 8′x10′ grape arbor with Wifey (yeah no preggie!);
• engaged in some dick swinging at the plumbing supply house (a story for another day);
• fixed the last bit of plumbing in my upstairs bathroom;
• rediscovered my local FreeCycle and scored a free lawn mower;
• celebrated a family birthday;
• knit the Dale;
• pulled the toe off a Monkey (that sounds bad);
• used a circular saw for the first time and didn’t lose a limb;
• used a chisel for the first time;
• felt like a baaaaadaaaaaaasss for most of those 48 hours; and
• got my SOCKPAL assignment!!

Howling

This is the funniest thing I’ve seen in many years. Seriously. You can’t make this sh!t up.

Drunk man parks horse in German bank

Favorite Things Monday: Quiet & Color

A.D.D.=Dale

For many moons I’ve suffered from a serious case of knitter’s ADD. Serious. I get halfway through a project and I jump ship for the next beautiful butterfly to cross my path. Yes, I have tons of excuses (buying our first house, owning an old-old house, parenting, the surrogacy, working multiple jobs, etc…………into eternity……), but the reality is — I have a serious case of knitter’s ADD. And I’m about to jump ship again, leaving yet another UFO in my wake. I’ve been working at PepperKnit’s beautiful Anastasia socks in Sophie’s Toes Froggy that was a birthday gift from Suzanne (ow, my link finger hurts). At some point I’ll post a picture (and get back to those posts sitting in draft mode – see?-ADD).

Enter shitty weather and a Wifey+LittleMan+Nora weekend departure (yes folks, I’ll be ALONE this weekend. ALONE! I’m not sure when that happened last. Did I mention ALONE?). Now I have a quandry.

After spending time with Surro-Baby and her Dads last night, I’m desperate to knit her a beautiful sweater that expresses how truly blessed I feel to have contributed to her fetal development & her birth, and my hopes that we’ll stay close for a long long time. That level of love and devotion begs for a Dale, doesn’t it?

And I need color. Lots of it. I want to sit alone in the sun and knit something bright and cheery all weekend.

F–k the stash pledge, I’m getting lunch at Windsor Button today.

ETA: I got some Baby Ull and Book #162 to do …

in green & white with bright turq & orange accents. It’s gonna be a good weekend! [and Roro's absolutely invited]

Someone’s in Deep Doo-Doo

Don’t the holes look like this?

When I screamed “NO! Not The Handknits!” Wifey informed me that “Drop!” was the preferred response. Apparently Nora isn’t the only one who needs training.

And did I mention that someone was caught in her crate with a handknit gift that’s been stuck in the edit mode while I recover from my stint at FT gig+teaching two classes+preggie+surrogacy+c-sectionWifey and at some point very soon I have to stop using that as an excuse flying under the blogdar?

I haven’t even blogged it! Bad doggie, no treats. It’s a good goddamn thing that she’s so cute!!

Not as bad …

as last year. Photos by Wifey.

Haverhill, MA

Lawrence, MA

Lawrence, MA

Favorite Things Monday: Gratitude

Massachusetts, how I love thee. Thanks for the day off.

Mother Nature, thanks for that nor’easter that kept me in my ankle-deep basement for 12 hours on my day off. You’re the best.

Hardware Pimp, why do you greet me with flowers every time I enter your shop? My basement thanks you for the new jumbo jet sump pump and industrial strength dehumidifier.

Kohl’s, thanks for those $5 end-of-season rainboots that I impulse-bought back in October.

Wifey, thanks for being the best MacGyver a girl could ever wish for. You may not be willing to put your hands into a 14 inch hole of muddy water, or snake a hose through the spider zone, but hotdamn, your clothes-pin mastery* makes it all worthwhile.

Hurricane Katrina, thanks for keepin’ it real in the Mafia-house today. Without you, I would’ve withered and cried at hours 4, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

For additional details, click on the pix. With any luck, I’ll be back to knitting posting soon, including the story of the Sneak Peek and the continuation of the Demolition Derby. I know … I’m a big tease.

*ETA: You dirty girls (roro).  I posted the photo & story of the “clothes pin mastery” story, but I’m warning you now — it’s v.boring.

Sneak Peek

Favorite Things Monday: NYC

In 1994, I moved to a place just outside NYC, and soon thereafter, into the East Village. This was a big.thing. for a girl from upstate NY. When I moved there, I felt very sassy, very chic, and very alterna-chick, which may have been compounded by my recent charging coming out. I was just a tad insufferable and a smidge self-righteous. But shortly after my arrival, I got the good ol’ NYC-smack-down and realized: I was a hick. Thankfully I didn’t let my hick identity upset me. I had the.best.time.ever. It was an era of critically-important personal-growth, as well as many other things that can be hyphenated. When I left NY, I had every intention of going back within a couple years. Then I chased a girl to Boston, got my heart seriously broken, chased some tail (and I should publicly apologize to those tails – sorry), and met Wifey. The rest is history.

This morning, with plans for Favorite Things Monday dancing around my little brain, I logged on and found an email from a colleague. She tracks Overheard in New York and sends me the really funny ones. Today, I got this one. Seriously, I almost peed in my work pants.

Then I read Nina’s blog, and clicked through her photos of her weekend excursion to NYC. Memory lane. Fun times.

Then I read AfterEllen’s Happy Birthday to Cynthia Nixon post, and with a few clicks, came to this post with photos of Cynthia Nixon and her girlfriend. I know I’m being a mega-beeatch here, but seriously, Cynthia honey … I’m heavy and frumpy and androgynous and politically minded. Why not me?

Only in NY . . .

ETA: Okay, I feel bad.  Cynthia Nixon’s partner is actually kinda cute in this picture.  Nice rosy cheeks. And I’m sure she’s very smart.  And a rockstar in bed.  At least she’d better be.  Damn it Mafia.  Stop that!

Happy Spring!

Yesterday Little Man and I walked around the neighborhood searching for crocuses, and last night, the Easter Bunny came to our house.

22!!