Happy New Year!

Postidays

It's a word I recently learned and it certainly fits.  Post holiday = postiday!

It's always a bit of a let down, isn't it, if you celebrate the holidays?  After Christmas is over, there's sort of a black hole.  It's like you spend all this time getting ready, presents and wrapping and decorating and getting into the holiday spirit and remembering the reason for the season and there's this great big lead up and then...splat...it's over.  And quickly too.

I'm trying not to get the positdays blah get to me by keeping Christmas up for a bit longer.  Maybe next weekend, or even the weekend after, I'll be ready to take down the decorations and let the season go.  But for now, I'm still enjoying the garlands and wreaths and twinkling lights on the tree.  

I'm headed off to work in a bit.  But I have the next two days off.  Of course, that makes going in today extra difficult.  But I'll muddle through somehow. :)

No big plans for the New Year, just a quiet night at home.  I'm very much looking forward to that.  2013 was a big year for me.  2014 holds even more possibilities.   

Yarn Induced Guilt

So, I sort of failed on the Christmas yarning this year.  Firstly, I on purpose didn't plan to make that much because I've gotten way, terribly, overly stressed out in recent years past over all the stuff that needs to get done and not enough time to do it!  So instead, I told myself that I wasn't going to make a buttload of stuff this year.  Of course, that comes with it's own layer of guilt (all heaped on by yours truly and no one else) because, well, you know that the yarning is my thing.

I did manage to work up some dishcloths for Sis.  Remember I told the story of Grandma's dishcloths?  Well, I popped out to the yarn store and got some awesome colored yarn and made a couple more for Sis.  And we she opened them she was rather gleeful.

I was going to make some other things, but as I started to stress and get worried over it, I decided it wasn't worth the worry and stress.  So, I've pushed them off for upcoming birthdays instead.

I also decided, rather selfishly, that the Scottish yarn I bought really is for me and not for Auntie.  So that shawl has gone on the shelf for a wee bit (I'll eventually finish it for me) so I can get her present done.  I had a couple of skeins of the super chunky extra warm awesome yarn that I used to make Sis's blanket so she's getting a snuggly shawl out of that instead.  Incidentally, when we were at her house on Christmas, she was telling me that she wanted to get a shawl pin and asked me where I got the one that I gave to my cousin.  I told her about The Shawl Pin store because I didn't have the heart to tell her that I already had a Shawl Pin for her to go with her birthday present (it's January 5th)  Then I felt a little bad about that before I remembered that she can totally have more than one shawl pin.  

The BFF and I are doing our Christmas exchange next weekend.  Which is actually perfect because I have this weekend and then the 31st and the 1st off from work.  Now, it's certainly not going to take that long to complete her gift (to go with the things that I bought) but it's nice to know that I have that cushion.  And have time to complete Auntie's present too.

Of course, I still have to finish Izzy's as well.  

Sometimes, I'm such a slacker.  Damn life for getting in the way!

To Blog or Not To Blog

I've been at this blogging thing for almost two years now (about 21 months) and I've written 400 posts.  Being honest, I sometimes wonder if it's worth it.  I get extraordinarily stressed out sometimes, trying to think of what to write.  I feel bad when I don't put a post up because I have nothing to say.  It can be stressful and nerve wracking.

But then I remember how it makes me feel to write things down and send them out into the ether.  To know that people are reading even if they don't comment.  To read they comments when they are posted.  It's so helpful me to me and my state of mind.  So even if sometimes I think of packing it in and getting rid of the blog, the good far outweighs the stress inducing moments.

Thank you to all of you who take a moment out of your day and read my ramblings.  It is so greatly appreciated.  And as long as there are readers willing to come check out the blog, I'll keep writing. 

Happy Christmas!

Wishing everyone a warm and joyous Christmas!

 

Christmas Random

--I swear the cats have extra super-sensitive hearing.  Simon in particular.  If he's hungry and he's decided it's food time and he hears me on the stairs or opening a door, he'll appear from nowhere, crying, dancing around my feet, rubbing on my legs just begging to be fed with his "oh my god if you don't feed me I'm just going to perish and die!  Please, please feed me because I'm too pretty to die!!!" act on.  Since he doesn't care if getting under my feet and tripping me so I fall to a horrible death down the stairs is the result of his antics, he's not getting catnip in his stocking this year.

--Last night, I made a dishcloth.  It only took about an hour since, lets face it, they aren't very big.  It's sort of a gag gift for Sis.  See, Grandma (my mom's mom) was a knitter.  Fanatical, really.  (Guess I come by it honestly)  And she used to make this dishcloths.  Now, I hate using them on my dishes because I think they are a bit bulky.  But Sis?  They are her favorite when she washes dishes.  And I had some cotton yarn that someone gave me--people give me yarn all the time.  You don't know how many times I hear things like "My mom/grandma/aunt/some other obscure relative had all this yarn and..." and I can't say no--so it's not the best looking thing.  But it was apparent that Grandma's pattern was really easy and after a bit of studying, I figured it out.  I think it looks exactly the same, so I'm happy with that.  I might pop to the store today and pick up some better yarn to make another one with.  But I haven't officially decided yet.  Anyway, she'll get that as a wee giftie under the tree and it'll make her grin.

--The rest of my holiday yarning has been kind of a bust, but there is one thing that I need to complete.  The BFFs gift.  We'll probably do the Christmas thing right after Christmas though so I have a little bit of time.  I'll get it done.  

--Finally going to decorate the tree today.  I'm so excited I can barely stand it.  It's going to be fun and when I'm done, I can sit back and admire.  One of my favorite things about Christmas.  

--There will be Christmas music while the tree is being decorated.  

--When I'm done, there will be hot chocolate and a Christmas movie.  I'm looking forward to that almost as much as decorating the tree.

--I love this time of year.  I love the snow and the joy and the giving of gifts and remembering the reason for the season and all of it.  I just love it.  And with Christmas only a few days away, I'm getting as excited as...well, as a kid at Christmas!

Christmas Yummies

Today, we're having our Christmas Lunch at work.  What does that mean?  Well, basically, everyone brings something in, the boss buys us pizza for lunch, and we spend all day eating at our desks while we work.

I'm going to be so stuffed!

My contribution?  My (sorta) famous apple bread.  Looking at the list, everyone was bringing real food.  Buy that I mean, things that are actually meal-like.  I wanted something sweet and dessert-like to go with it.  So last night, I spend the evening baking.  I forget just how much I enjoy baking until I'm actually doing it.  And considering that I just baked some banana bread a few weeks ago, you would think I wouldn't forget so fast.  But there's something soothing about mixing the ingredients and putting it all together and have it turn out tasting like awesome.  At least there is to me.  And the delicious smells that waft through the entire house while the goods are in the oven ain't half bad either!

But I enjoy it and I was happy to do it.  Of course, I was also happy when it was done and I could set it on the rack and let it cool, too.  

So I'm going to thoroughly enjoy my day.  And I'll be spending the weekend trying to get as much yarning done as humanly possible!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!  Be kind to each other!

Happy Birthday!

Everyone, please join me in wishing Alder a happy birthday!

Alder, my friend, may your day be filled with nothing but awesome.  You deserve only the best, not only today, but every day.  Here's wishing you many more!

 

Angering The Yarn Gods

Yep, I think I pissed off the goddess of yarn.  

I'm not sure what I did to make her so angry with me but I'm currently trying to figure out a suitable tribute to make her release her wrath.  But she's definitely angry.  Because everything I try to make ends up looking like crap.  Big piles of steaming poo.  No lie.

I started the BFF's Christmas present and it didn't work at all like it was supposed to.  I can do something else, but the fact that it looked like rubbish and I had my heart set on making it upsets me.  I actually know what I'm going to do instead but still...I'm sad that it didn't work out.

And then, I was going to make a pair of fingerless mitts.  But it just looked like...like a monkey made it.  It looked awful.  So I had to frog it.  And then, in a fit of pique, I threw it across the room.  Then I had to get up and go pick it up, untangle the yarn, and find my needles (they managed to make it into the closet).  So, really, not worth the momentary venting of frustration that it gave me.  

Which makes me nervous about a present that just may be opened tomorrow, because if the yarn goddess is against me, how is that going to go over?

Anyway, this all happened last night, so I put up the yarn and crawled into bed.  Hopefully by the time I get home tonight, I can figure out a fitting tribute that will appease the yarn goddess.

An Evening with Bilbo, Dave, Buster, and Izzy

Yesterday, we went to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  Now, I didn't see the first one and I only went to this one because it was Izzy's birthday celebration.  So really, you can't go by my impression of it.  It was gorgeous though, I will say that.

Then we went to Dave and Buster's.  First time I had ever been there.  It was loud and crazy and I didn't play a lot of games.  I did help Marv win a stuffed thingie out of the worlds largest claw game to give to Izzy.  The claw then refused to drop the present.  So we had to call a guy over.  And then, one it did drop it, it didn't want to open the door.  So the guy had to mess with it some more.  I did play a few games but I gave all my tickets to Izzy.  She wanted to redeem them for a particular prize and she had to get 7,500 tickets to get it.  With the tickets she won and then the tickets that the rest of us gave her, she did manage to get enough.  So it was like an extra birthday present.  

But both the restaurant and the theater were at the mall.  So we spent a really long time trying to find a parking place because, you know, the mall at Christmas time is nuts.  We ended up having to park really far away.  Which would have been fine except it decided to be winter.  I'm talking like 12 degrees and about six inches of accumulation at that point.  We were icicles by the time we got back to the car.  

We were supposed to go back to Izzy's house for more partying but the roads were shitty.  I think the city forgot it owned plows.  Which is crazy nuts because there's usually plows going by all the freaking time.  I have no idea where they all were.  So instead of going to her house we came home.  It was just too crappy.  Which sucks but seems to be a pattern were Izzy's birthday is concerned.  

Once I got home, I curled up with an electric blanket (that works off of the USB ports) and a cup of tea and it was very cozy.  Exactly what was needed on a cold wintry night.

And hey, if you haven't heard, Eric Arvin, a fantastic and amazing writer of gay fiction is in the hospital and in pretty bad shape.  He's going to be there for a while.  A fundraiser has been set up to help defray the medical costs, as well as the incidentals like hotel room, necessities, and food for his family and his fiance, TJ Klune (another amazing writer).  If you have a couple of bucks to spare, you can donate here.  If you don't, that's okay too.  But please keep Eric, TJ, and their families in your thoughts and prayers.  

Dang It

So, we're celebrating Izzy's birthday tomorrow.  There's movie and then dinner and then back to their place for prezzie's and hanging out.  Except...I'm not going to be done with her present.  

I sort of screwed the pooch on that one.  It's all my fault.  I didn't yarn as much as I should have on the week that I had off--kept having that "there's plenty of time, I'll get to it later" mentality.  So, now I have to show up tomorrow with a promise of a future present.

I think it's worth the wait.  And I know Izzy's totally low key and would be happy to have it whenever.  Plus, that means her birthday gets to happen again, sorta, on a different day.  And that's always fun.  So it'll all work out in the end.

At least it won't be like Sis's birthday present and be ten months late.  Which, yes, okay...better than the year before.  But no, I'll get it finish it up after the holidays and then gift it to her and she will be well pleased.  Of all the presents I've made for birthdays this year, I've managed to get 5 out of the 7 done on time.  One, I even got done way early AND managed to get it mailed so that it arrived in plenty of time.  Which is only like 71% but it's still totally a passing average.

But still, I feel badly about it.  It's one thing to make Sis wait--especially because she insisted on the hugeness of it--it's another entirely to make someone else wait.  But there's nothing to be done about it now.  Unless I can somehow squeeze an extra 24 hours in and not have to eat, sleep, or pee, that is.  Considering I'm not a Time Lord, I'm going to just have to suck up the embarassedness (yeah, I totally made that word up) of it and just admit defeat.  

I'm pretty sure she'll forgive me once she sees the finished product.    

Invisible

You ever feel like you're invisible?  Like you don't matter to the world at large and they can't even see you?  Like everyone who matters to you seems forget you exist for a while?  And then it sort of becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and you do sort of become invisible?

Sometimes, I feel like that.  

Or worse, someone you care about is hurting, and you have no idea how to make it better.  In actuality, you can't make it better because it doesn't work that way.  You try anyway but it doesn't help.  And it's like you're invisible to that person.  Like they can't see you at all.  Like they don't even remember you're there.

Sometimes, I feel like that, too.

But it's all right, actually.  I'll go on being invisible.  But I'll be here.  And when those people remember I am, when that person needs me, I'll become visible again.  And it'll all be good.  

Home Again

My nephew is just beautiful, thank God!  I was afraid that he wouldn't be and I hate it when I have to be all "Oh, isn't you're baby just so cute?!" when they aren't.  It would have sucked worse considering it's my brother's kid.  But he's adorable and so sweet and snuggly.  It was so good to meet him.

Back to work today...which I'm not looking forward to at all.  I really enjoyed my vacation, of course, and after a week of doing nothing, I'm certainly not looking forward to getting back to the rat race.  But I will and hopefully, it'll all settle in nicely.  

I'm going to have to work like mad to get Izzy's present finished by Saturday.  Remind me again why I do this to myself?  Yeah, I'm not sure either.  Somehow, it felt more important to read and write and nap this last week than get anything substantial done on her shawl.  And now I'll have to crochet like mad to get it done in time.  Because I'm fairly certain she suspects what it is and I don't want to disappoint.  I see some long nights in my future this week.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend and that the week ahead goes well!

Hello Nephew!

Off to Massachusetts to see my nephew!

Well, I will be in a few hours and it's a long trip for just one night, but there's no way we can't go give our love to that new bundle of joy. With parents like his, I have no doubt that he'll be in Mensa, surpass his father in how many languages he speaks (Brub is tri-lingual and can get by in at least two others) and do amazing things.  

Promise, I'm not biased! :)

Enjoy your weekend everyone!  See you on the flip side!

Lazy

I can't even begin to tell you just how lazy I've been this week.  It has been utterly glorious!  I've read way more than I should...and wrote a bit...and hardly yarned.  But mostly, I just hung out and did absolutely nothing.  It's been wonderful.  It really has.

I don't even want to think about having to go back to work.

In other news, my nephew has arrived!  Yesterday, at about 5 P.M. and after an emergency C-section (because his arm was blocking his exit) he finally came into the world.  Mother and baby are doing excellently.  He's 7 lbs 6 oz and 20 and a half inches long.  He has a head of dark hair and is utterly adorable.  He actually looks a heck of a lot like Sis and Tato when they were born.  No doubt that kid is related to us.  Brub is over the moon and already in love with his son, which is how it should be.  

So that's all the news I have to report.  Everyone have a lovely weekend!

The Week Ahead

Wow.  Big day yesterday.  And I'm still sort of riding high.

I have the week off and I'm super happy about it.  I didn't actually manage to sleep in, which is okay, but I'm drinking my coffee in my pajamas and that feels like a luxury.  

Sis decided to make some Christmas decorations for her desk at work.  She's actually figuring out and crocheting them herself.  I'm incredibly proud.  She's not one to figure out how things work and though she's been asking my opinion on what and how, I'm just telling her what I think and she's figuring it all out on her own.  We raided my yarn stash so she could get all the colors she needs.  She said it was like going shopping.  I had to grin.  

I have to make a trip to the post office at some point today.  And also make banana bread (because the bananas are overly ripe and need to be turned into bread) but other than that, I have to get yarning.  Izzy's birthday is in a couple of weeks and I haven't made much progress on her shawl.  Needs to get finished, especially because I know she suspects what it is.  Which is fine, but I need to get on it!  I've only got one repeat done.  But I'm making it it with a slightly heavier yarn and a bigger hook than the pattern calls for so I don't think I'll have to do as many repeats as the pattern calls for to get a full sized shawl.  

Really, that's my plan for the week, pretty much.  Spend the whole time in various version of comfy clothes, yarn, write, read.  Maybe do a little cleaning.  A bit of decorating. I might end up having to spend some time babysitting my goddaughter but that would be a treat too.  All in all, just planning on relaxing and taking it easy. 

Hope everyone enjoys their week as well!

Release Day!

Jackson Bennett and Ryan Hennigan met and fell in love while Ryan worked on Jack's family's Christmas tree farm.  Back then, Jack broke his own heart by convincing Ryan to leave to pursue his future.  Ryan went, but only after they made a pact to reunite after Ryan graduated from college.  Now, five years later, it's time, but Jack is convinced that Ryan won't show--and when he does, Jack is certain Ryan can't possibly want to stay.  Ryan, however, has no intention of being anywhere other than in Jack's arms.  But he faces a hurdle he never expected: proving to Jack they can have each other without having to sacrifice their dreams.  

So, um, yeah.  I wrote a short story and it's part of the Dreamspinner Press Advent Anthology--Heartwarming.  That's the delicious cover by Paul Richmond.  And the blurb.  If you're interested, you can buy it here from Dreamspinner.  

**Or, if you prefer Amazon.  Or, if you live in the UK, this one.**