lack of blogging time...

i have had a heck of a time getting on here and updating- sorry about that to the few folks who visit occasionally to see if i have dropped by. 

we are still waiting for our building to have wi-fi available- so we have to go to coffee shops for internet access, which can be difficult with spotty availability and on top of that, usually i am focused on 

two things: paying bills and checking email. Often i only have time for those two things and not even replying to the emails i read! Sucks, but such is life when you have irregular access. we have been told since october that it will be one month until we have it at home...and you see how that is working out! I expect by March we will have it and it will work reliably. :-)

Christmas was nice here, lots of decorations for sale everywhere, so we had a little tree, lights, and other stuff- Jes got me a stocking with a stuffed camel on front holding a present sack that says UAE  on it! so cute. Haven't yet sent out the presents we got for family, since i am not even sure how to mail anything except documents, dhl is what i use for that, but they are extremely expensive for packages and there are other options, i just haven't found the locations yet. Folks should get their gifts by the end of Jan. lol. 

We enjoyed our first overseas Christmas with a traditional dinner, turkey and all the fixin's- turned out really good and we stuffed ourselves silly. Santa even managed to find us in our new place and we got some great gifts :-)

New Years is coming, and it is also our anniversary, 9 years! I don't know the plans- jes hasn't told me yet, but i am sure it will be fun. Today is the Muslim New Year, so he is off work today. We are hanging out near the beach and may take a walk after i finish this post. the weather is really nice- very temperate and comfortable- i need a light sweater in the evening, and have occasionally used my shawls to cover my head (found out really quick it's easier than bringing a warm hat, and keeps you really warm!) 

We may be attending a local wedding soon- and I will need to wear an abaya- looking forward to shopping for it with a friend who will help me navigate that process and then experiencing a traditional Muslim wedding. 

I will be looking for a job soon (finally!) since my residency should be completed by next week- that will be fun and I am looking forward to having something to do!

Merry  Christmas and Happy New Year! xoxo to all- keep in touch!

d

more pics

pic 1:
home in the morning

pic 2:
the shopping carts (some of the stores, not all) have a slot that you put a dirham (like a quarter/dollar coin) into, and it releases a short chain that connects each cart to another in the corrall area. you shop, then unload groceries into your car, take the cart back, insert the chain into another cart or the corrall gate, and you get your coin back! Brilliant! no carts left in the lot- since those who are too lazy to get their coin back and do leave it- someone else gets the coin! nice ;-) one of the little things i love...

dubai photos

one to get the ball rolling- the view from my apartment

I AM ONLINE!

oh mah goodness!

I finally have my own computer and it can get online- it seems like it took forever!

Just one more step towards being settled here- the couch arrives this afternoon, we have a tv, a wardrobe, and the basic kitchen stuff :-) almost feels like a home- the couch will help a lot with that feeling. An empty living room just seems so cold and uninviting.

I am such a hypocrite sometimes (aren't we all?) I rant sometimes about Americans being unwilling to integrate into foreign cultures when they move there, and that I wanted to really experience this part of the world fully- the culture, the food, the language, everything...and two days ago the most exciting thing happened: we found Miracle Whip! I can't tell you how happy that made me. Embarrassing, really. We had chili dogs after stopping in a supermarket called...wait for it... Safestway. LOL.

Just about every American brand you can think of! the only thing they lacked was Hidden Valley Ranch :-( but they did have american style ranch, and it was edible, unlike those others i found at the english market in our neighborhood, Spinney's. We had chili dogs with shredded cheese, tostitos with Pace salsa, and pickles- not the healthiest meal I have ever eaten, but it was delish.

Don't get me wrong, the food is great here, but one craves the familiar very quickly- at least I did. Jes really enjoyed it as he had been here so much longer. What really kicks ass here is the service- above and beyond anything i have had before, anywhere. I can usually rave about the South and SF- best service in the US for sure, but omg. Talk about catering to your every need- at times it is overwhelming and you have to ask for a break from the attention.

I remembered my phone cord, but have yet to upload- will do so today... more later

xoxo
-nay

sitting outside, online, and oh so happy!

the only things that could make it better would be jesse here(he's tired and stayed home), and if i had remembered to bring my phone cord....

Whoa! finished typing that and who walks up behind me? jesse! :-)

but still no pictures, sorry...

had a busy day, relatively. went to sleep around 4am, insomnia, my forever mistress- and got up at 8 to be ready for the workers coming to install my curtain wire (ikea type). that took awhile, but now have privacy in my bedroom :-). then another few folks showed up to fix the hot water. It was running too hot, and overpowered the cold water. made for some scalding showers! glad it's worked out now.

so most people want to know the differences in day to day life, so i will attempt to cover some of them...

Very Cool Difference Number One

The Power Options:
-as you get off the elevator on our floor, the hallway lights are off- and power up as you walk towards your apartment, and are on a delay to turn off several minutes later.
-in the apartment- each outlet has it's own power button, so you can have things plugged in but without power running to them in standby.
--the hot water heaters (2 for our apt) you can turn them on independently. so if i don't plan on cooking, or go out of town, I can turn one or both off for as long as necessary. they are smaller so will heat up completely if turned on the night before for a morning shower. the hot water will last at least 2 days after being turned off.
--the stove has it's own power switch, so it also does not run on standby (electric not gas), one turns on the power then turns on the burner or stove or both.

Not So Cool Difference Number One:
-The Delays
simply put- everything takes longer to do. internet set up, getting an apartment, getting a visa, fast food (not so fast) getting water turned on, driving anywhere, repairs, phone service, you name it- it takes longer than in the US. \it can be maddening.
-Two things that people say in response to this are: insha'allah (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insha%27Allah) hyper links not working- and "It's easy to live in Dubai, it's hard to get settled here"

i find no comfort in infuriating moments with either of these responses, lol...

I love that we are sitting outside a restaurant, smoking shisha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah), about 400 feet from the Palm Jumeriah. the place is busy, but not crazy- the weekend starts on Friday so this is the equivalent of a US thursday night- perfect. i miss Flea like crazy but am happy that she is safe and sound with my mother until i take care of her import.

speaking of- need to close so i can look up the location of the office- going there tomorrow to hopefully get an exception for her, or advice otherwise.

xoxo
denay

safe and sound in Dubai!

So much is going on, but i have not had much time to post since internet access is spotty at best. our building is working on getting it all set up- the building is practially brand new- so i must get jes to go to the cafe with me after work.

sitting in starbucks now enjoying being with my husband, the air conditioning, and being online!

i have a phone, but don't want to display it to the world- send me an email and i will be happy to give it out. i recommend getting a phone card, much cheaper than any other option. i used www.speedypin.com when jes was here and i was in the states, but any that you find that offer calls for under 20 cents a min to cell phones is good. google search is how i found speedypin.

we are moved in to our apt. no furniture to speak of- working on that this week. we have an air mattress that is the most comfortable air mattress i have ever slept on, and a wardrobe- which solved a lot of problems right away. Curtains are being hung tomorrow, and the couch and tv should be done by the weekend.

we are on the 16th floor of a building in the Marina - we can see the Sea from our balcony and have the marina in view also- very beautiful :-) we like to be close to the ocean.

more in a couple of days- pics too! forgot my cable. xoxo- denay

seriously- who took this picture of my dog?

Mine is just a little cuter, this looks like her tough uncle who rides a Harley.



this one too is remarkably similar... (the one on the left)

hello from san antonio!

my goodness! It's hard to get back into the swing of things once you have been offline for most of a week!

I spent yesterday evening and most of today working on my parents computers. I am giving them one, setting up mine so they can access it while we are away (just in case) and updating their main one. It has been a pain in the ass! Spent most of that time working with a slowed down DSL line that was operating at 17 kbps! OMG. you have no idea how slow that is, unless you do...then you can understand how frustrated I was downloading 319 MBs of an update from Windows! 5 hours to get a corrupted 159 MB file only to find out I had to start over again!

final result- fixed the DSL line, got the non-corrupted update, and am now installing lots of anti-everything and setting up automatic updates, defrags, and disc cleanups. installed Firefox, and lots of plug-ins...omg.

pain
in
the
ass
!

note to self: buy a MAC!

I am just starting to think of everything it took to get me here, unpacked the car entirely this evening and it's sitting in the rents living room. whoa.

you know who you are...
THANKS

I couldn't have done this without a single one of you
period.

I am also remembering that there are some things I was supposed to do, like forward my mail- lol. I hope my incredible landlords won't mind sending me a huge package of junk mail.

there was also some stuff that I was supposed to put on craigslist that I left at the house...please remind me if you know of what I speak (type?).

LOVE YOU GUYS! pass it on if there are those that don't frequent the knittynay blogworld. (and there are many)

missed you all badly on Monday night. *single tear
xoxo

it all worked out...and I turned 35.

13 hours to scottsdale arizona
18 hours to austin texas
phew. two days, two best friends, 1760 miles, lots of coffee, lots of potty breaks...lots of blurred memories.

will be in san antonio on Tuesday, longview on the weekend for grandma's birthday, back to SA on sunday. buffalo on the last weekend of Sept. Dubai sometime in the first two weeks of October.

good times. got gorgeous flowers from j for my birthday (the first one he hasn't been here for since we started dating14 years ago).

love to all
need sleep!

movers are here- i feel my sanity returning...

things have been nuts- little sleep, trying to stay on top of everything, no food in the house, packing like crazy, emergency emails asking for help (and receiving it- THANK YOU), and a huge feeling of dread about the stuff that will be left after the movers leave...

it will all work out- I can take a nap this afternoon, plan some more stuff, post an ad on craigslist, etc... it will all work out...say it again knitty nay, 'IT WILL ALL WORK OUT!'

pics from dubai tomorrow perhaps? and the move...

negative.

because Perle Stellar is my friend...

1. What time did you get up this morning? 8 am

2. Diamonds or pearls? blood free diamonds

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Stepbrothers (it sucked)

4. What is your favorite TV show? oh god. too many to choose from. TV addict here...

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? cereal or an egg taco
6. What is your middle name? Denay
7. What food do you dislike? slimy, congealed foods- like jell-o
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? I don't do cd's, but I just heard a snippet of Lily Allen's GWB-F**k You Very Much and I love it! (click on 'guess who batman')
9. What kind of car do you drive? jeep liberty/cherokee
10. Favorite sandwich? BLTA
11. What characteristic do you despise? dishonesty
12. Favorite item of clothing? any pair of jeans that is comfortable and makes my ass look good

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Yucatan Peninsula

14. Where would you retire to? haven't decided yet- I'll tell you after I have seen the world a bit...

15. What was your most recent memorable birthday? All my recent ones have been great- but esp. my 30th- it was a surprise party and I got to do everything I love to do with some of my very favorite people.

17. Person you expect to send it back first? n/a
18. When is your birthday? sept. 6 - virgo

19. Morning person or night person? NIGHT PERSON!

20. What is your shoe size? 9

21. Pets? love them, want more- currently parenting Flea, an 11 yo chihuahua

22. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share? Moving soon- find out if I am preggers soon... garage sale this weekend :-)

23. What did you want to be when you were little? a lawyer or a phychiatrist

24. How are you today? tired, but busy

25. What is your favorite flower? gerber daisy

26. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? two: the day I find for sure if I am pregnant, and the day I arrive in Dubai and see dh again.

27. What are you listening to right now? channel 32- Classic Arts Showcase is on

28. What was the last thing you ate? Egg, onion, and sausage tacos, and cherry tomatoes on the side - yum

29. Do you wish on stars? yes

30. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? blue

31. How is the weather right now? no clue, somewhat bright at the moment thru the curtains...

32. Last person you spoke to on the phone? someone is calling right now- it was a wrong number...
33. Favorite soft drink? Dr. Pepper
34. Favorite restaurant? Zarzuela in SF

35. Hair color? born blond, now I am closer to a light brown... unless I dye, which I do on occasion. Right now I am highlighted blond-ish

36. What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbies - hands down.

37. Summer or winter? summer
38. Chocolate or Vanilla? vanilla

39. Coffee or tea? Coffee. I miss it so...
40. Do you want your friends to email you back? of course

41. When was the last time you cried? Last Monday

42. What is under your bed? Under-bed storage bins- one with linens, another with crafting stuff, and an empty one (it did have yarn in it)

43. What did you do last night? watched the olympics- worked on garage sale stuff

44. What are you afraid of? drowning, friday's results, screwing up

45. Salty or sweet? How about both? SALTY
46. How many keys on your key ring? lots
47. How many years at your current job? I have been married for 8 years.

48. Favorite day of the week? Thursday

49. Do you make friends easily? yes, keeping them after I move is much harder, but I am getting better at it.

50. How many people will you send this to? whomever reads my blog will see it...
51. How many will respond? who knows?
52. Do you like finding out all this stuff about your friends? yes, perhaps not all of it, but i guess it's a good read.

PS- Perle- don't feel guilty! It's okay! :-) xoxo

Garage/Household/Moving Sale

this Saturday :-) 9-3

everything I am not taking with me is for sale! (except the bed, i need a bed to sleep in the next two weeks)

if you want to buy before the sale or look at my big ticket items- let me know- I am doing appointments for Friday the 15th... email me thru blogger and we can set it up.

Big Stuff
Large espresso stained solid wood dining room table- 5'x5' and gorgeous, imho -$400 firm
Sofa Bed- queen size, great bones, not so great upholstery, comes with a neutral slipcover (2 pc, from Sure Fit )very comfortable - about 15 years old - asking $100 (was over $2500 new)
Red Armchair- modern design, microfiber, good condition-great bones- no tears or rips- 6 years old -asking $100
White Armchair- shabby chic, traditional overstuffed - very comfortable, but has tear on one arm- I have used a denim throw as a slipcover and you can have it if you want it. I intended to recover this one myself... asking $50
Computer Cabinet- Blonde wood, some composite material also- (veneered of course) sturdy- houses the computer I am using right now...I will not be letting this go until after the sale, so we can set up a pickup date for after if you want it. Asking $50
Rocker/Glider and Gliding Ottoman- i purchased it used for $40 recently and re-covered the footstool and made a matching pillow- very baby room friendly. Two arm pockets, white wood. I hate to give it up. (it has only been used by adults since I purchased it) $40 firm (picture below)
Washer & Dryer - practically brand new- Whirlpool, both electric specs upon request. Still has the blue film on it from the store. Bought and used for 5 months in 2003, since then have been in storage and have been moved three times. Have all manuals- $350 for both


Ikea Stuff- (everyone has some...or needs it!)
1. large bookshelf/display/room divider thing- espresso- we got in the damaged area so it has some flaws, but none you can see if it's against a wall. I actually can't even remember what the flaws were, but I think they were at the bottom... asking $50
2. Nightstand-espresso (this style not sold anymore) very simple, single drawer with open space underneath
3. Side Table- White melamine and chrome legs- $8
4. Lamps- several lamps- 2 desk, 2 reading, one tall multi light - $40 for all - or $10 dollars each- some come with lightbulbs- the new efficient kind
5. Bookshelves-1 small Billy similar to picture except mine is an end piece, the shelves extend past the back side- picture below -and 1 larger Billy - have earthquake hardware, really good condition, sturdy for ikea! asking $85 for both

you can see the two bookcases, the glider & ottoman, a floorlamp, and the computer armoir in this picture...

and lots more stuff! no kids, some electronics, a few xbox games, lots of yarn (some of it really good!) Lots of needles, straights and dpns, kitchen stuff, board games, etc...

that was a pain in the ass...

I went thru my stash...

and (with lots of help/cajoling/shaming/etc...) made some hard decisions about getting rid of a lot of yarn. It was a long time coming, and I seriously don't understand why I have such a hard time with it, but I feel better. Thanks L.

and then, when L was leaving, I found some more stash! omg. a huge bit too. She will be proud to hear that I kept a minimal amount from that bag, and I decided something else too: said found bag will become my storage bag for most of the yarn that ended up in the bag we kept. IOW- won't be going across the Atlantic with me! but I am keeping it all.

pictures soon- too ashamed for y'all to see my home in the state it is in right now. I have a lot of work to do this week. whew.

nothing new...

just wanted to say hi.

They look good, don't they?

texas trip

My 95 yo Mamaw (that's my maternal great mother, btw) - J and my grandpa in the background. She would have preferred we all let her know we were coming so she could have had her hair done, but we wanted to surprise her :-)

Buffed and Polished...

I highly recommend this place...i feel amazing. smooth and loose! Seriously, it's like I got a brand new epidermis. Weird at first, but oh-so-worth it! "More car wash than spa..." in a good way.

I am focused this week on taking care of my sanity, so I am not getting too worked up about anything in the moving department. There will be plenty of time after Monday to think about those details. Until Mon. I am all about being calm, and just letting time pass as it will. It's especially hard without the dh, but I will be fine. :-)

Monday morning I will find out if we have a shot at getting pregnant. There are two potential kids in a freezer that just need to make it thru the thaw...I will update as soon as I know.

Details and pics of the trip to TX soon...

home again

I am home- tired and missing J. had a GREAT dr. appt today- things are progressing well. more updates later, or if you are following that saga- check vox in about an hour :-) more news there.

xoxo
d

Giants Win, Denay gets a great fitting hat!

but I did not finish clapotis- wtf was i thinking? I maybe got 5 rows done. at least i got to drop two columns. I hope the recipient forgives me if it's even later than I thought- I just don't know if I can finish it by Thursday. sigh.

Stitch and Pitch was fun, wish they had swivel seats so I could have seen and chatted with everyone- i felt kinda removed from everyone nearby, even just two seats away seemed awkward to try and chat. :-( nevertheless, I was happy to be there, and had fun. The OC has pics I hear, although I have not checked them out yet...I hope I look okay! perhaps on her blog? or on her ravelery?...you will have to find them yourself- links on the right to get you started.

There will be a garage sale in the near future, with lots of things going for great prices, we need to purge rather than drag stuff around the world with us. I will have a pre-sale sale for those near and dear to me- and there will be yarn.

Yarn.

I hate to part with it- but I see this move as an opportunity to free myself from things that anchor me, and a huge yarn stash keeps me from buying yarn I love AND have projects for...it's time to purge. so, if you have need of yarny goodness, I have some, and i am selling it at really reasonable prices. I will post details as they become firm.

more pictures of Dubai

some construction- if you click on the pic- you can see all the effing cranes- there was quite a bit of sand blowing, hence the distortion, plus- J was in a moving car. I believe the tallest building in the picture is the Burj Dubai - when finished it will be the tallest building in the world...
this picture is near the marina- I think -and shows some of downtown Dubai... I could be wrong- i guess i will find out soon and let you know. :-)

Moving

I hate moving.

You'd never guess that based on how many times I have moved in my life.

Lubbock TX
small town? KS
Guyman OK
Moore OK
Norman OK
Tulsa OK
San Antonio TX - 11 homes
Buffalo NY- 2 homes
Columbus OH
Louisville KY
Austin TX- 2 homes
Sacramento CA
Pacifica CA

that is 25 moves in 35 years.

I am excited about going to Dubai, but sick at the idea of all that has to be done to make it happen. Don't even mention to me the emotional side of it all- I am so sad to leave Pacifica and all the wonderful people I have met. I hope you all can come and visit!

whoa... I have accomplished NOTHING in the last week.

no knitting, no laundry, no packing, no crafting, no thrifting, nothing!

i think it's finally over. details later, I have to clean for the folks coming to look at the house tomorrow...

i guess I should officially announce here that we are moving- but I think everyone who reads this knows that already. Here's a picture of where we are going :-)

This is JVJ in Dubai.

progress on KAL

I finished clue 2 :-) It's looking pretty good, I think I am happy with this project as a whole, we shall see if that holds true as the clues continue. I expect another tomorrow.


I used the first two clues with a thicker yarn and larger needles, added ribbing and decreases at the end and made a hat! I need to block it to see if it works or not, but I think it does, a slouchy, tam-ish, lacy hat. I like it so far. no pics until blocked.

We are headed to a Bar Mitzvah tomorrow in the am, LA after that, back on Sunday night. Flea will be staying with Aunt Pearle, whom I am sure will spoil her rotten, lol. Cousin Radio is in for a long weekend!

housekeeping...

edited to add: please scroll to the bottom of this post- after the 4 pics- for a very important link.

no, I will not be posting any pictures of my actual housekeeping in progress, although that might make for a fascinating post later this week...

I finally got around to cleaning out my memory card from my camera... it's been a while:

the yarn harlot, The Sock, and me at Maker Fair- i was sick as a dog, I am trying really hard to not infect the sock nor the Harlot- she wasn't worried, but I was. My mood that day can only be described as pitiful, yet thankful...i got free tix to go the event, and was estatic to be there, but I was exhausted, sick, and way beyond needing a nap. I still had a good time :-) -Thanks PS.














I am not sure why they decided to use chain link fence to separate areas....it looks really bad in pics, quite industrial...

GEORGE MICHAEL! OMG! PONIES!1!!!!1!














beach photo from my mom & stepdad's visit in April-lovely day huh?
















I didn't want to double post this morning, in case it got lost in the shuffle... will repost next week probably. Here's the important edit I added:

Wrapped in Care
ravelry link for WiC
I am going to ask about making this local as well...

busy week!

I have been busy this last week, will do a better update later...

just want to say hello to all- thanks to the newlyweds for the postcard, and looking forward to hearing all about paris!

on the agenda tomorrow- penguin feeding in the am, then some one on one time with a baby penguin (!), laundry, then to San Jose for a concert :-)

sounds like a good day to me, we shall find out...

i forgot something...

I recently posted about some magnets I made; and am in love with btw (I touch them when I pass the fridge). I totally forgot to give credit for the method. Not Martha is my hero!

I already had some I bought at Stitch in 2007, but had no clue how to make it happen. Then I Stumbled Upon Not Martha :-) the rest is magnetic history.

totally random photo- me and my dog flea at the Hoover Dam... 2004. I was skinnier then.

Greetings and Salutations Lurkers! :-)

I have to chalk up my recent increase in international traffic on my little blog to joining the Mystery KAL group on Ravelry early this morning... I couldn't help but notice that updating at 2am pacific time meant I was online with many other other members of the group from the other side of the world.

That is the only explanation I can think of for the badass showing on my hit map! (check the sidebar, towards the bottom)

However you got here- Hello! Happy to have you. I try and update as often as possible, and the more knitting I do, the more updating I am inspired to do. So let's hope this KAL goes well and I am not too ashamed of the results to post pics. I love comments, and will do my best to respond to them all in a timely manner. I also like to post silly pics that strike my fancy on any given day...I am a huge dork, lol.













I am very excited about this KAL- I am, in fact, surprised at just how excited I am as we get closer to the first clue!

thanks - KnittyNay

ps- a big hello to my North American visitors as well- I am just as excited to see you too, and in such big numbers! (big numbers for me at least!)
:-)

I am cheating on Clapotis...

with a new lace shawl, it's a mystery knit-a-long. I just finished the gauge swatch! I know, I hate & rarely do gauge, but since it's my first time doing the mystery thing, and my first time doing a huge lace project, and I want to give it to my MIL for her b-day, I want to get it right. So I have given in to the rules and done a swatch.

(fyi- OT- i also updated the hell out of my ravelry projects tonight, if anyone is interested)

Pics are before blocking and after- final measurements=
4" wide x 4.5" tall - 5 sts x 6.5 rows per inch

Knit Picks Shadow, Pink Posy, 100% Merino Wool -
$18 for over a thousand yards! :-)

I learned that I really want blocking wires or a blocking frame.
I have accepted that I can't bind off for shit.
it's always tight, no matter how hard I try to make it loose... (that's what he said)



























ps- this was on my KAL group re: casting on for circular work- it's AMAZING.
it's long, but worth it! (that's what she said)

how would you do?

Brought To You By Lovers Toy Stores

how in the flying EFF did I not find this until today?

see more dog pictures

seriously- LOLDOGS! omfg. it's too much, I have been laughing my ass off for twenty minutes, so very very funny! this one isn't even the best- go look yourself. It will be on my sidebar today.

In other news: embryos and procedure are paid for :-) Aunt Flo needs to arrive asap so we can get those potential kids thawed and in my belly!

I crafted today...see pics- first come first serve to my friends- tell me which two you like and I will give them to you! (L won't get to choose, but she will get some, because I am punishing her for going to Paris without me- that, and she won't be checking my blog for a bit, lol)

I think you can click on the pic and make it bigger to see the details- skulls, dancing girls, flowers, abstracts, I heart , and not pictured are a set of googley eyes ;-)

boring old monday

so we have our first phone call tomorrow with the clinic about the embryos :-) other than that, there is nothing new to report. Knitting tonight, hope to see everyone there that I like to see there:-) clapotis coming along slowly but surely- camera is under repair, so you will have to wait for pics, or come to knitting tonight.

may get to see L there, otherwise it will be later this week to work on wedding stuff! woo hoo! less than a week, I am sure she is either a basket case, or completely at ease- haven given in to the wedding gods and trusting them. L, call me if you're living in crazy town, I'll take on a task.

WhereIveBeen.com

love this


blue for where I've been, red for where I've lived, and green for where I want to go :-)
pins on the cities where I have spent more time than a flight layover or just driven thru on a road trip

no decision yet on the embryos- waiting on a call from the RE Dr. to ask some questions...will let you all know when I know!

and also:
~~~~safe and happy birthing vibes to my friend who is in labor~~~~~

exceptionally good news...

omg.

I had the greatest phone call today- one of the best I have had in a very long time. I spoke with my fertility clinic- we have moved up considerably on the embryo donation list (as recipients), to the point that they have offered us the opportunity to review the history on two donated embryos!

holy shit.

That means two things:

1. WE ARE AT THE TOP OF THE LIST AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE OFFERED EMBRYOS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE!

2. We have another chance at getting pregnant in the next couple of months should we choose to move forward with the embryos offered to us today.

I am very excited, this is huge. HUGE I TELL YOU!

obsessed with basketball and knitting

I missed my SnB for basketball- I hope my yarn forgives me for cheating on it, but we won!

'we' as in The Spurs, of course. :-) My adopted hometown won game 7 last night, and it was wonderful, a nail-biter, but wonderful.

My Clapotis sat waiting patiently for me; had it been a blowout, I would have picked it up before the game was over, but it wasn't. It was close until the last minute or so. Now I am behind on this KAL. :-(

I was way ahead of schedule, but now I will have to put in a few serious hours whenever I can tomorrow. I am determined to finish by June 2. Those tiny effing needles were a mistake.

And in other news- I am in love with this annoying little dog!

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

in case you didn't notice...

it was hot today.

What do you get when you add together an 11year old dog that has a heart condition, 95 degree weather, a house with no air conditioning, and the absolute absence of any discernible breeze?

Chihuahua swimming pool, that's what.

I jinxed myself...

I actually said "I just might get thru this third attempt at the Clap without a huge mistake..." a couple of days ago...

stupid girl.

Have you have ever wondered what would happen if you dropped the wrong stitch in Clapotis? let me tell you, it isn't pretty. It wasn't a complete catastrophe, but it was not fun either.

I was one stitch off, don't ask me how, but I managed to drop the twisted column before the st. marker instead of the regular one after it. it was a long one too...and I fought the damn thing all the way down the column too. Thinking 'why in the hell is this thing so hard to drop?' duh, every other effing stitch was twisted you idiot!

I then had to pick up the column and carry it up all the way to the top again, twisting every other one, all while watching my Spurs suck it big time in the playoffs.

Come to think of it, I am just going to blame it all on the Spurs, it's their fault entirely.

I am back on track, and I am hoping they follow my lead and kick some ass tomorrow...

Edited to add: Right after I wrote this I took the dog out and slipped and fell, and scraped the hell out of my knee. Awesome.

KAL Clapotis on the needles and flying!

my snb is doing clapotis for a KAL- good times. (ours isn't on that link, but I thought it was interesting)

doing well and going much faster than I expected since I (for some unknown reason) decided to use tiny needles, size 5 no less! I am happy with the results.

ps- I love that I can type in 'clapotis' into my Firefox address bar and it goes directly to the pattern on knitty- popular pattern that it is and all...

looking forward to dinner...

can't wait to join my friends at my favorite restaurant tonight :-)

I am feeling especially...i don't know... tender? towards San Francisco today. I am really happy to be so lucky in life- great friends, good food, happy days :-) all I need is a kid and things really would be (dare I say it?) perfect.

Tender isn't the right word, but I am out the door to have breakfast and don't have the time to make my brain work, perhaps grateful is better?

have a good weekend all!

ps- anyone else having trouble with spammy comments?

I am a total thief...

I 100% stole this 7 things list from another blogger whom I do not know, but only stumbled upon (although the answers are mine):

Seven things to do before I die:

1.) be a mom
2.) find a job i love
3.) Own a home
4.) learn to spin yarn
5.) live overseas
6.) learn Spanish (this should actually happen before the mom bit, as my child will be bilingual thx to the dh)
7.) go back to school

Seven things I cannot do:

1.) Math
2.) stop cursing
3.) Sing
4.) eat candy like a normal person instead of my insane ocd ways, don't ask.
5.) dance with a partner- I only dance alone
6.) be a morning person
7.) ignore babies and dogs in public- I must pet them all

Seven things I say:

1.) Good Times.
2.) Fuck.
3.) Oh Dear.
4.) Dude.
5.) No Way!
6.) doooooooood
7.) hot pants (as a term of endearment, although this one is waning in my repertoire)

Seven things that attract me to my mate:

1.) his brain
2.) his hair
3.) his eyes
4.) bootie
5.) sense of humor
6.) he gives me handmade, super crafty, amazing gifts
7.) that he picks out and surprises me with shoes and purses (and they fit, and are gorgeous)

Seven books I love:

1.) Picture of Dorian Gray
2.) Stellaluna
3.) Mother Nature
4.) Wrinkle in Time series
5.) The Vampire Chronicles series (the first three were the best)
6.) Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy
7.) The Velveteen Rabbit

Seven movies I’ve loved: (all but #5 I could watch over and over and over and over...)

1.) Pulp Fiction
2.) Heathers
3.) The Princess Bride
4.) Grease
5.) No Country for Old Men
6.) The Sound of Music
7.) Tie: Cable Guy and Tombstone

Feel free to steal it for your own blog now :-) ( I really really hope the chick I stole it from doesn't mind!)

she's crafty...

I am not sure if I like them or not.
I know my camera sucks, or the camera operator sucks...these are so not the true colors!

more hot pink than purple
more purple than blue

the other colors are okay...

I had some leftover wood from the shelves I made a couple of weeks ago, and they happen to look just like little canvases to me so I decided to force myself to be creative and actually create something from nothing without a pattern or picture to copy. You don't know how hard it was not to print out my dragonfly tat and trace it ;-) I may still do that if I decide I don't like the stripes and circles, or if I can't figure out what to do on the third piece still left to be done.

Peanut gallery...what are your thoughts? Think baby...

no sew project

Good friends are due in about two weeks with their second kid- I finally got on the ball and got a gift figured out.














A no-sew fleece blanket! don't let the no-sew part fool you, it's work! Granted it's only because I insisted on doing it at midnight last night that it may have seemed to take so long, but the cutting of the fringe and tying of said fringe is monotonous.


I love how it turned out- so soft and cuddly, I may make more! JoAnn's is having a 1/2 off sale on fleece...tempting!

Simple scarf WILL be finished!

I am determined to not end up with yet another project in 'time out'.

this one is simple- a feather and fan scarf - in a divine yarn...it can't go wrong! (I know, I so shouldn't say that...tempting the knitting gods and all)

I love it so far, and hope I remain enthralled. :-)

getting ready to adopt!

so we have decided to adopt!

I know- i haven't blogged in a hundred years, but december was nuts, the new year even nuts-ier and things are just calming down enough for me not to feel guilty about blogging again.

we went to Carmel today, and it was lovely. we just wandered around and I found this awesome diaper bag clutch! OMG. it is too cute for words, that is an embroidered bird on the bottom right corner! I also picked up some onesies and will embroider them soon- with my affection for procrastination, the kid may be born before I finish (and that usually takes about a year from the time the adoption is started)

so...to sum up- busy end of 07 and beginning of 08- things are better now and I am obsessed with adoption! I will try and update regularly, although not every day until November :-)

ttfn.
-nay