She's BAAACCCKKKKKKK

Yeah, Socks in The City Podcast is BACK!!!!!

Adrift

I have been adrift waiting for the next Knit Along to begin. Our Mystery Lace KAL is in a holding pattern for the time being. I have been working half-heartedly on my socks. Miss Laura Perry of Crazy Aunt Purl blog fame is to blame for that - I have been watching the Deadliest Catch. I cannot knit and watch the Deadliest Catch because I want to see if someone is going overboard, going to be rescued and how many crabs are in each pot. Then there is the torturing of the Greenhorns. I am riveted, so no knitting gets done. My tumor is still growing, but it is not a factor because it does not bother me when I am knitting.

Best Place to Work in the SF Bay Area. Our firm won this honor for the 4th time. It is Staff Appreciation week. Monday we were served Breakfast. Tuesday we received 2 Golden AMC Theater Passes each. Wednesday we had Make-Your-Own-Sundaes Ice Cream Bar. Thursday we received $25 VISA Gift Cards. Today we are being served Dim Sum from the best dim sum restaurant in the city, Yank Sing.

Booked. I was shocked when I booked our cruise to the Panama Canal. There were only 6 cabins with windows available above the 4th deck. OMG, we are 6 months out. I have always booked our cruises six months before sailing and never had any problem with availability. Geez, what goes on????? I got THE last cabin on deck 8 with a balcony. My Mom will be 73 this year and our vacations together are getting fewer and farther apart so we NEED this time. That probably sounds wierd since we live together. But I leave for work at 5: 30 am and get home at 6:30 pm. I eat and go to my room to do mail, computer stuff, maybe watch one TV program and knit for maybe one hour, then it is bed time. On Saturday and Sunday I do chores, laundry, cleaning, filing, dusting, etc. and rub the dog for about an hour. So even though we live together, we don't get to enjoy each other's company for more than a hour or so here or there. Our vacations we get caught up on family gossip, and world events and watch golf together. So we are off to the Panama Canal, Costa Rica and Mexico for 14 days in October on the RCCL Radiance of the Seas.

14 Night Eastbound Panama Canal Cruise Ship Name: Radiance Of The Seas Departure Port: San Diego, California Ports of Call: San Diego, California; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Acapulco, Mexico; Huatulco, Mexico; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Panama Canal (Cruising Canal); Cristobal Pier, Panama; Cartagena, Colombia; Fort Lauderdale, Florida 2008 Date(s): Oct 26

We have lots of cruising days, or days at sea. I am trying to decide which knitting project to take with me. On our last cruise to Alaska I finished my Mom's ribbed Cardigan and the back and one front panel of my vest. She got to wear her Cardigan off the ship on her birthday. I have read some Ravelry and travel blog entries that it is very humid on this cruise and that the wool starts smelling a little funny. Also, that it might get a little damp if stored in plastic. I am thinking I should choose a project which calls for silk or bamboo yarn instead of something made of wool. There are a gazillion shawl/stole projects in my queue. I have several hanks of silk yarn I bought in the Marketplace at the last TKGA/CGOA Conference in Oakland. I don't think I have enough Bamboo yarn in my collection for a Shawl, but maybe a lace scarf.

I am also trying to pick a project to take to the Conference in San Diego week after next. I need so much stuff to do lace - I use rulers, and post-tape and highlighters, and pencils, and tons of stitchmarkers and most of my lace yarn is cones. I have my two non-lace projects in hibernation. Maybe I should take one of them. There's always socks, but my love of socks has twindled since I did not meet my 52 pair plunge goal. Maybe I can rekindle the joy - I really like the Rocking Sock Club pattern I am working on. But I have to rip it all out and start over. The gauge is all wrong, the cuff is HUGE. I could restart them and work on them during my stay in San Diego. That sounds, good.

My cough is finally gone. No more headaches and sore throat or ears. The guy in the Vanpool who sits behind me is still sick though, I hope he does not give it to me again!!!!! Mom's cough is back and has worsened. We have had a death in the family and we also lost a very good family friend. Glynda Oliver-Allen was a superior educator, loving sister and wife and one of the best friends you could ever hope for. I will miss her. My Uncle Earsel Neal was the last of the family historians. He was married to my Aunt Jurestine who was the oldest of my Mother's Sisters. When my Grandmother lost her eye sight due to diabetes and glaucoma I went to Arkansas to take care of her until we could arrange to move her to California. My Uncle Earsel drove down from Minnesota to help out because I was too young to drive. He was a wonderful man, he remembered all of our names and interests. He knew every branch of the family tree. When we had our family reunion in Minnesota he had 5 generations represented at the picnic, he being the oldest and my Cousin Sylvester's 3 week old great-great- grandaughter being the youngest.
I cannot tell you what a loss this is to our family. Minnesota was planning to host next year's family reunion because he could no longer travel. He was not able to attend the reunion in Las Vegas and it really bothered him. So we were all going to him next time. I miss him already . . .

Trying to Focus

I have been under the weather. I could barely raise my head from the bed for four days straight. Such a waste of good knitting time!!! But before the plague hit I did finish a ball of yarn on my Dimple Shale scarf and got started on ball 3, it is a 4 ball scarf. The yarn is so soft and the pattern is a four row repeat. I am trying to focus on one pair of socks and one lace project at a time. I did not get to finish the Sassy Socks as planned because I fell over and could not get up. I really don't know why people take drugs when they don't have to!!! I hate being incapacitated by cold "remedies". I made it to work today, but I still feel puny and cotton-headed. Geez, I hope I don't look as bad as I feel 8-/

Well at least I got good yarn love in the mail. Five skeins from the Yarn Chef and two of Schafer Anne from the Loopy Ewe. Don't know when the next photo shoot will be, but I will get to it eventually.

Ick

Well I saw the Orthopaedic Specialist and what I have is a Giant Cell Tumor on my thumb bone. Surgery will be required. It is non-cancerous and can be removed while awake. I opted for being put to sleep because the one I have is so large it is pressing against two nerves - hence the pain and discomfort. It is best if there is zero movement when they are cutting around the nerves. The surgical waiting list is 2 weeks to 2 months long, which is common in our area. I am still waiting for an appointment for the nerve conduction study regarding my carpal tunnel. These are two separate ailments but Dr. L says they can probably do both surgeries at once. A ray of light at the end of the tunnel :/

Anywho, I can still knit for awhile. I almost finished my Sister's socks. I need to do the toe decreases. Then I am going to pick one of my Lace WIPS and work it until it is done. I have learned a lesson with the Mystery Shawl/Stole KALS. I am not going to be concerned with keeping up with the clues each week. I just ripped out two of them Sunday because I did not like the finished piece(s). I lost a little Zephyr on one of them, got entangled just at the end. I also had some major problems with some Wollmeise, trying to wind it into a ball. I got about 2/3 of it in a nice perfect cake, the rest looks like my hair after swimming when I was a little girl still wearing a press and curl (sorry if you don't get the reference).

I have informed my cast and crew at work that they will be called upon to do high-click tasks for me, cause it hurts to mouse!!! Now who can I get to cast on The Bad Nauheim shawl for me, hmmm?

Thumb-el-ina

The knot on my thumb has grown some more and was sore and red on Tuesday. I iced it which helped a bit. I have not knit since Monday night. I did cast on my 2008 Year of Lace Fire Brick Red Shawl and the Mystic Lights Mystery Shawl. I am using Schaefer Heather Rapids for the Mystic Lights shawl. I have an appointment with an Orthopaedic Specialist Monday and hopefully he can fix me!! Michael has taken to calling me Thumbelina :/ I swear if the man did not give me Coach, Louis Vuitton and Chanel I don't think I would put up with such things.

I am almost done with my taxes. I usually mail them out in February, this is very unusual timing for me. I just wasn't in the mood this year. The amounts don't change much year to year. I still have to plug in my cost basis for some stocks I bought and sold and my expenses for my home based business. Easy peasy, I already printed out my MS Money report, I just need to plug in the numbers. I am going to e-file again this year.

I am representing today!!! We have some students coming to the firm from James Lick Middle School. They are learning about civics and how laws are made. I am on the brief tour of the law firm representing the Accounting Dept. I like these types of programs, I was in Junior Achievement and the mentoring and good experiences were helpful in my plans for my future.

Month-end again. I have reports to do and a few recurring payments - boring. At least I have a good book to listen to.