My reaction: Hey, what about re-planeting Pluto, dummies? Sorry, I'm still loyal to the whole 9 planets around the Sun in the Milky Way thing. But I guess what they say is true, size is everything to some people. Not placement, not association, not orbital context. Phooey. Pluto will always be a planet to me, no matter what they label it with.

I wonder if any of those new planets were graded like cheese? Explorability comparable to edibility? Possibilities of atmosphere or cheese flavored core?

K. Nuff goofiness there.

I have a new Job2. But part of the dress code is “trouser socks” amongst a few other things. The few other things are fine, I use them already as my “uniform” for Job1. But trouser socks? Gasp. I have all these lovely, handknit, warm, soft socks. In a myriad of colors. Bright colors. Only a few in “dress” or dark colors. Very few.

So, now I have to rush to get a pair of socks finished enough for nakeding needles, and then dig through my stash for the yarns I was holding onto, as the, well, boring colors. Yeah. Boring, drab, not as interesting. Or rather, not as bright as the eye popping hand-dyed concoctions of sock joy that have been gracing my needles lately.

I get to experiment with making socks that are “trouser sock” enough and “dressy” enough to qualify for work dress code. Job1 doesn't care what color my socks are. And so far, I've been able to squeak through with my socks so far at Job2. The other girls at Job2 have pants legs long enough to cover the tops of their shoes. I was raised differently, my pants have a “perfect” length of inseam, and come above my shoes. I don't walk on my pants edges.

I also have to empty and naked a set of needles so I can pull out a sock kit from my stash of tsock kits. Why? Snow. That ugly four lettered word. I want something fun to work on as the ugly white stuff falls down and confounds my driving abilities.

Snow. I have the dubious joy of driving to and from work (Job1) in the middle of the latest snow event. Forecasters are dancing with glee, calling it the biggest snow storm in the DC metro area for the month of December, biggest in years. I call it annoying. As of rush hour traffic time, forecasters were gleefully proclaiming 14-20 inches, with more possible in drifts or accumulations in some areas.

Snow. I hope the idiots that were making rush hour traffic horrendous (as I drove home from Job2 today) bought all their milk, toilet paper, eggs, bread and other necessities today. And stay off the blooming roads tomorrow. And Sunday. Dudes. If it's snowing, and you absolutely don't need to drive, unless someone's dying or there's a fire or other emergency, stay the blankety-blank home!

Anyhow. I want something fun to knit on between periods of shoveling the junk. Bad enough I have the contemplations of driving through 6 or 12 inches or so. Maybe they'll close the store early? I'm packing a dry change of clothes with me tomorrow. Just in case. And my usual carry-along sock. Just in case. And a notebook for sock sketches. Who knows what sock inspiration I'll get?

I was having weird connection problems, where pages weren't loading, email wasn't loading, and internet explorer was giving weird “timing out” error pages without even any time passing. Hellllooo!?? Anything out there??

So, I did my basic things of checking and making sure all was running correctly first.

Disk scan: check.

Registry and disk cleanup utility: check.

Good wifi signal: check.

Wifi security settings still good and signal strong and not being hijacked: check.

Reset to original settings on MS Internet Explorer: check.

Load and try using Firefox browser: check.

Load and try using Google Chrome browser: check.

End result: zip, nada, zero, still junky connection.

And this wasn't just on my computer, this was happening to another computer in the household that uses the wifi signal. If it was connected with a wire to the LAN, it was fine. Go figure. Why the crappy no-load no-man's land using wifi? Grrrr!!

Finally, last night, I did my favorite low-tech way of using internet pipe cleaner. I pulled some plugs.

Yessirree, pulled the power connection to the modem, then plugged it back in, and watched lights blink.

Ah, bliss!! No more weirdness! Well, until the next time I want to work or even THINK of working on blog backups, or posting to the blog...

I'm still using Moveable Type, haven't even moved to WordPress. I'm blaming the internet connection crazy weirdness. Why try moving files around if your connection hiccups and things disappear? It was bad enough I typed emails that disappeared into la-la-land.

At least knitting doesn't rely 100 percent on the internet. Just yarn and needles. I have one Christmas gift hat finished, started another, and still have to yarn-end-finish the D&K winter warmers so I can take some pictures. When I thought (ha!) that I could sit down and work yarn ends in, someone (nameless) had me doing something else with my time.

Hey! This is knitting work! (laughing to myself now) Ah well, that's part of the fun of designing at home. Home thinks if you are sitting still on a Saturday morning, you need to do something else.

I'm just happy I finally have a new Job2 lined up. If I get my paperwork in line on Wednesday, I start the same day, and will have another retail job, but slightly different from Job1. Job1 sells candles and dishes and furniture, oh my! Job2 sells shoes. I'm so glad I worked at (unnamed chain) retail business in 1990, it prepared me well for both jobs. And I'm so glad that the manager of Job2 believes more in fully training her employees, and from what I gathered from the interview, she'll let me bring good selling practices from Job1 to Job2. Completely different from old Job2, where I had to literally ignore customers to finish a task. Helluuuuu, um, customers ignored equals no sales equals no money equals missing budgets...what part of doh doesn't this meet? So, now for both jobs, I get to help customers over tasking, with tasking a low point on the list of priorities. Yippee!! I'm happy!

Okay, waiting for the lightening strikes.

Ka-blam! That's the sound, right?

The reasons I like snow:

• It's pretty on the tree branches.
• It's good for cross country skiing.
• It's a good reason to stay inside and knit.
• The cats look funny as they “swim” through the piles taller than their tummies or bunny hop to keep their feet from freezing.

The reasons I hate snow:

• It piles up, and then I have to shovel it.
• It melts and refreezes as icy patches that you can slip on when you walk around outside.
• I have to scrape it off the car before I drive it to or from work.
• I have to move it around and make empty clear places. And try to keep it from making icy spots.
• There are idiots on the roads when it snows. Idiots that don't realize that the gene pool is not for skating on when the roads are cruddy and the visibility is piffle and they have no headlights on. Pfft.

But, it sure can be pretty after the snow stops falling and the sun starts shining.

And when it gets heavy enough, it trims the tree branches for us.

Stupid tree, doesn't it know that the leaves are supposed to be gone by now?

There are a couple of phases that the snowy weather goes through with me.

• Oh, look, it's pretty. What a nice photo that would make (very fleeting).
• Wow, that's a lot of snow (only when it goes over 6 inches).
• Darn it, that's a lot of snow to shovel (when it's over 4 inches, too deep for the snow-blower and needs shoveling out of the whole blah blah blah driveway, around the house, halfway up the mountain...).
• When will this junk ever melt? (when it's been 6 weeks of the same snow level and I'm ready for spring thaw and temperatures in the 70's)

As long as it doesn't ice over, I can handle snow as a nuisance. But add ice, and I start to feel a little irritable.

Freezing rain in the forecast? Argh. It means the possibility of power lines down, not being able to go outside without the risk of slipping and falling (at least snow will crunch underfoot), and even more idiots on the roads that never learned that if it's black and wet looking, it's not just wet. Hey stupid, that's black ice, which is more dangerous than just wet spots. Think no traction. Think major sliding sideways.

They should be ashamed of themselves.

These are horrible recommendations. In fact, these really aren't recommendations or true findings, these are idiot opinions.

Why?

Ask any breast cancer survivor or their family members. Read the real facts about diagnosis and why doctors themselves are recommending yearly mammograms and monthly self-examinations. Read the real facts at the American Cancer Society website, the Susan G. Komen website, or any website you can find through Google, Yahoo, any search engine out there.

Idiots.

Jerks.

Cheapskates.

Bottom line, they are trying to protect pockets, not using real, true common sense, no true science.

I don't care what they are backtracking and trying to un-proclaim, they are serving only themselves, not true health, not true prevention.

My mother is a survivor. She was diagnosed and had surgery in 2001. She found her cancer as a lump in her own self-examination. And the placement of the cancer site was such that a traditional mammogram machine could not image it properly. But it was still in the breast wall. She even had a second doctor examine her, and she received a correct and proper diagnosis from him with confirming lab test results.

Would the exact same group of idiots make the same kind of recommendations for, say, a male cancer? I so don't think so!

The only time I've not had a mammogram is when I didn't have the funds to pay for it, and a horrific work schedule to deal with. I've been having annual mammograms since I turned 35. I religiously practice thorough self-examinations on a monthly basis. I just wish I could have started the mammograms at age 30; when I did bring the subject up with my gynecologist, he only asked if I had found a lump and said wait until 40. Well, Mom's cancer showed up when I was 34, and I had my baseline the following year. So there, doc!

I still have strong feelings on the earliest age any woman should get a mammogram, and that I feel should be age 30. Maybe every 2 years until age 40, but definitely her baseline at age 30.

And if they are so concerned about the great numbers of false positives, well, darn it, fix the reasons for them. Mostly they need better trained people who do the examinations and reading of the mammogram xrays and diagrams. More time for these people to do the examinations, so that they don't rush and just mark them as “positive” instead of the correct analysis. Better imaging and better methods of imaging.

And here's where I add more to the rant: use digital mammography, and more use of sonograms. Both methods are extremely more accurate than the current mammography methods. Why not use something that works so much better, more accurately, and gives better images?

To quote a certain cartoon character: Doh!

Okay, rant over.

I think I'll go sketch a breast cancer sock idea.

My D and K pattern is progressing quite nicely on the designing end, and now I have to make the next transition. The one where it goes from design note scribbles to typed, clean instructions. And then from first version instructions to final pdf instructions, and then maybe to a selling venue. If I'm lucky, Ravelry, otherwise I'll have to find out how to sell it in another way. Adventures, all around!

I'm still working on the transition of notes-to-book-segments-and-patterns for my sock designs. Wow. I had forgotten how weird my notes could read to someone else until I started the transcription from handwritten to typed. Good thing I understand myself, or I would have to start a few designs from scratch! As it is, I have, ahem, put a couple charts of a couple of designs in a, well, safe location. Well. So safe, they are totally safe from me. I'll be doing a little re-engineering on one chart, and maybe one total new re-design on another. Might be for the best, playing with charts, and re-working or re-designing that other sock.

I'm toying with an idea of making lots of small warm items to sell next year at a craft show. Still just an idea. Someone close to me keeps adding on trigger finger gloves or mittens, hats, and other items to the list. Me, I like to keep the list small for now, mittens or half-mittens with a few variations, to see how well they may or may not sell, and what kind of market I'll be looking at. So, lots of lists, planning, plotting, and guesswork until I make the final decision of to booth or not to booth at the craft show.

I've got so many ideas floating around in my head, I've been trying to limit myself to the sock book, the D and K pattern, and just a few items for a possible booth. If I go beyond, I'll be out-designing myself, or over-planning and overwhelming, yikes! Of course, I'll be happy to slow down a little in the ideas and designs if I find a new Job2 soon. Applications are in, I'm waiting, and hoping and praying and crossing fingers and crossing eyes...a new job can't come too soon for me! So, until then, lots of knitting to be done to get ready for winter and Christmas gifting.

As I listed in my Ravelry project page, the target for these items are teenagers.

The scarf may or may not be fringed, depending on what the end result is desired by the knitter or wearer. The half-mitts are easy, with 2 sizes of medium and large “adult” sizing. The hat will be stretchy ribbed, and fit a head size as large as the ribbing stretches out to.

I'm working on the pattern as I go along, so this is pretty much a work in process. I'm also hoping to make it nice and pretty in the OpenOffice Writer, pdf format it, and offer it for sale. Big ambitions, me.

In other knitting projects, I've finished knitting 3 pairs of socks, with the ends worked in and socks have been washed and dried, just waiting to be worn. I have another pair on the needles, sock 1 is into the ribbing, with the foot and heel worked. Someone has been watching the socks and on occasion handling the knitted section, and has no clue that the socks will fit this person. Yep, surprise will occur!

One pair of socks is sitting about 2/3 done on sock 1, going “la la la, finish me” and waiting for me to decide which way I'm going to finish the ribbing/top portion of the sock. Yes, another toe-up sock pair, with a twisted stitch design that I keep playing with in my mind. At least the body of the sock worked out, just working on the top part from the ankle upwards.

No pictures, I finally figured out how to copy pictures taken on my cellphone to a computer, but I haven't been snapping any shots of anything lately. Hmm, wonder if it means anything when I prefer to knit and fondle yarn over taking pictures? Well, that's one thing I'll have to correct, and start getting in the habit of taking pictures of what I knit!

At least I have one last picture of the itty-bitty-kitty, who is no more.

He went to sleep one last time, never woke up. At least he lasted longer than last year's bottle baby, about 3 months old poor itty-bitty. His sister is still around, nice and big and kitten-chubby. She adores people still, and I'll have to consider putting a kitten collar on her soon so nobody snatches her up, and to start training her for a flea collar.

I have three little orphan kitties. Not sure how it happened, but momma-cat went missing one day, and it's been several days of her not showing up for food or anything. Hence, orphan kittens three. All orange tabbies of varying stripes, two girls and one teeny tiny boy.

The girls are definitely going to grow up, but the little guy has me just a little concerned for him. Thank heavens I still have the KMR kitten milk powder from last year, I mix up a little in a dish and he slurps it down. He's too old for a bottle and so far it's helping him grow a little fatter, or appear a little fatter. He'll need the fat under his fur as the weather cools down, and especially since he's not nursing on a momma-cat.

There's another momma-cat with three kittens too, two black (one each gender) and one orange tabby (girl) and so far she's been a sweetheart and letting the two orange sisters mob her with her own bunch. The little hopalong guy got tired of being pushed out by all the others, he's the smallest of both bunches. He also has the messiest face of them all, but has been learning to wash his face more often so that his human “momma” doesn't wipe him down with a wet paper towel.

At least all of them are old enough to know how to chew dry food, and where the food and water stations are, and I have seen them going off and “grazing” when they get hungry. Smart kitties!

I hate credit cards. Really. They are a necessary evil method of payment in these days of electric transactions. What I really hate the most is how quickly the charges accumulate, and how they weasel in other charges and fees on you, in spite of what the media claims about limitations and all. All I can say personally here is that as soon as I have certain cards paid off, I'm closing them down forever. Period.

I'm back to designing socks again, funny how it happened. I had some sock yarn leap out of my stash at me, and I finally turned the skeins into two balls of yarn, finished another “plain” pair, then used those needles to start a toe-up sock. Hmm, wonder if this stitch will work, or if that stitch will work, and what happens if I do that kind of stitch?

My camera batteries need re-charging, that's my latest excuse for no pictures. Well, I could probably use the camera in my cellphone, but I'm not sure if I'd get the kind of picture that I really want, and I'm still trying to figure out the download-from-cellphone-to-computer steps.

But I can definitely say that I have another sock design to add to my list of socks that will make it into “the book” when I get to the designs part. I'm still working on the outline, or rather fleshing out the outline, and writing the rough drafts of two sections. I'm also writing down in my flow-of-consciousness method bits and pieces of my sock knitting philosophy and design methods, or lack of methods, or just how it sometimes happens to me.

Back to the current sock in progress. All I will say is that I never expected the yarn to knit up as nicely as it is, and I originally thought, hmm, plain sock, watch the colors shift in the yarn. The yarn is from Spirit Trail Fiberworks, in the Paivatar yarn. I'm not sure what the exact colorway is, my mother bought it on my behalf at last year's Maryland Sheep and Wool when I had to work.

The yarn has a great stitch definition, you can see each knit or purl stitch, and if you cross stitches in a cable-like manner, well, stunning! And in the colors for this particular pair of socks, the criss-crossing of the stitches is not hidden, and both the colors and the stitches are playing off each other. Boy, do I need to recharge those batteries!

All I can say is, there's no satisfaction like what comes from digging up your own potatoes, brushing the dirt off, finding HUGE potatoes where you expected average sized ones, cooking them, and loving how good they taste. Yum!

It might sound crazy, but our potatoes taste so good because we have “good tasting” soil. Yep. What you plant your potatoes in helps determine how good or ehh they'll taste after growing. Example: placed grass clippings from lawn mowing around potato plants, and potatoes grew in the grass/soil combination. Dug up, cooked, eaten, ew. Not such a great idea, those grass clippings. Now we compost them or use them as mulch on other things, definitely NOT as mulch and growing medium for potatoes.

On the current-work-situation front, I quit Job2.

It was either my sanity for a paycheck, or walk out. I chose the walk out. I'd rather have basic human decency and respect for less pay than get browbeaten or verbal abuse for a paycheck. Really. I tried to treat the employees that I supervised with decency, and with a basic human respect, and I hope with some kindness.

What it got me? A couple thank you's from one person in particular, as in “thank you for not treating me like I'm stupid” or a repeated statement that I was that person's favorite manager to work with. Which made it a good workday, whether that person knows it or not.

Some of the others? Not quite sure, other than the store manager would use small comments they made, take them completely out of context, and then save all the small things as huge problems to make major mountains out of. Yes, isolated, one-time incidents, converted to long-term problems. Oh, yes, and to yell at me over the phone about, or in person, repeatedly.

I'm out of that situation now. Completely.

Now, I just have Job1, with a better working schedule there, and the manager at Job1 is a bit relieved that she can now give me a few more hours, and have more flexibility as to when I can be scheduled during the day and during the week.

Best part, my “limited” healthcare benefits are through Job1, for which I am very grateful for that choice. When I compared plans between jobs, there was considerable more “bang for the buck” in the plan through Job1, so that was the plan of choice. I recently added dental onto that plan, so now I can plan on more regular preventative maintenance and checkups in the near future, instead of worrying about emergency maintenance or fixing. So far, knock on wood, teeth have been staying put and not breaking.

I think I inherited my dad's teeth, as I see fine hairline cracks in them and worry about future breakage or that the grinding I do at night will fracture them more. I have an over the counter thing I have to heat and fit to my teeth, costs way less than the couple hundred thing Mom got last year that needed a casting an fitting for, plus the dental consultation/office visit fees.

On the yarn/book/store front, I'm cash poor. Very cash poor, with only one pay source, and for maybe less than I can afford for more than a month, two if I tweak things carefully.

Bad thing is, I drool over yarn I see advertised. Good thing is, I have a nice stash of yarn to play with. Yep, wool fetish can be a bit distracting. Good thing I'm not actively selling yet, I'd have to pull out one of each color to play with if I had any stock on hand. I'm still figuring out how to make $$ and $$$ cost of internet sales services per month/year/whatever work on $ leftover from my monthly budget. Or if I sell soap socks by consignment, will I really make any money worth considering that would help pay for more than my supplies and time? Hmm, thoughts, plots, plans!

Short term, if I decide against consignment shop locally, there's eBay, and I have my PayPal account, so that small end is covered. Just have to decide if dipping into and almost cleaning out my small savings to start a small online yarn venture THIS year would work, or if I would do better to wait on another job showing up, saving a bit more up, and then doing the online store in a year or two, and after the sock book (which needs finishing, yes, I know, so everyone can stop waiting on me just saying that I'm writing it) is put into ink and paper.

Crazy thing is, I'm knitting some basic toe-up socks in a soft, “new to me” sock yarn for a friend, and she has no clue that I'm making them for her. The colors remind me of a 1960s sweater, shades of brown with a few color hints of soft orange and green, and they are so her colors, I can't wait to see her face when she gets them.

Funny how I almost never do “traditional” socks from cuff to toe any more. Most of what I do is toe-up, but it doesn't mean that the cuff-to-toe architecture is obsolete in my knitting lexicon. Interesting how my preference and knitting style has grown and changed over the years. And continue to change, as I never think I have mastered all there is to know about knitting or yarn, or spinning. That's right, I do have a spinning wheel with an incomplete project on it...which comes first, knitting, writing, or spinning? Answer: finding a new job first, then writing and knitting...or is it...we'll see.

If I hadn't worked all day that Saturday, my Forrester would have been back in my sweaty hands then. I'm just happy it's fixed, it was a simple fix, and not that expensive. In fact, if I hadn't been working Friday afternoon/evening, I would have been driving my own car Friday night.

But as of Monday a week ago, I have been back in business, very happy to have my own wheels back, at a minimal cost of $30 and change. To quote the worksheet, “broken rusted shield” was the problem, and the excellent repair folks at the dealership were able to make the minor change of removing that, test driving before and after to make sure the noise was gone.

So, I've been driving myself nuts now, with crazy hours at work adding to the mix. Job2 will be going through inventory on Friday, and I am not looking forward to it. I'll be the “manager on duty” for most of the day, and I just know that I'll be dragged into sku-checking and other inventory related problems. I just know it.

At least at Job1, when I was involved with the inventory, I knew exactly what I was doing, double-counting and double-checking behind one of the outside hired inventory people. She was terrific, and we pretty much agreed on the counts for each section she did. Since I was right behind her, and sometimes counting the same area as she was, she could ask questions about the merchandise, and that we I knew we were counting the same way with the same things.

I almost had a serious scheduling snafu for this week. Job1, knowing I will not be able to work for them on Friday, assigned Thursday evening hours to me. Job2, being crazy, set me up for Thursday evening hours. Same hours. I cannot be in 2 places at once, yikes! I tried one person at Job1, can you switch hours with me? No go, no babysitter available. I fully understand, and knew it might be a non-possibility. Thank you Person 1, you're a sweetheart for trying. Person 2 wanted all of Thursday off, and was trying to get someone to cover her hours earlier in the day. I ended up swapping my evening hours with the daytime hours of Person 2's swapper. Confusing, yes, but it did get worked out. A big THANK YOU to Person 3, who helped me keep my sanity, save my scheduling life, and is a precious person. I owe you!

Soap sock count: 5, with number 6 on the needles. I've worked up 2 somewhat “standard” lacy patterns for the soap socks, and hope to work up a third or a fourth pattern yet. I want a little variety in the design appearance, even if it's only in the patterning between the basic start and finish of the socks.

I've also come up with an additional way to market the socks when I finally get enough to visit the consignment shop. Not only can they be used as soap socks (primary design purpose) but for holding anything a young-at-heart female needs to keep separate from the rest of her purse, like a cellphone, or sunglasses, anything that is roughly shorter than 7 inches (estimated length of the sock), roughly about the size of a bar of soap, hmm, that's a lot of things that could fit in one!

At least I know not to price myself out of range, where nobody buys even one of the socks, but enough to recoup my expenses for making the socks. Reasonable, but not too cheap, not to expensive, or as we put it in my family, “baby bear” price. Just right. I hope so.

And if they turn out to be rather marketable, I might place the pattern for sale on the original G-Woolykins website, or sell the fully made soap socks, not sure which yet. I still have to do a re-look at the website, remodel or rework it so that it's easy to navigate, and start setting up links for future merchandise. I also have to make sure I have an operational shopping cart, which has been a little disconnected and disabled lately.

I've found out that I can work at least one or two needle's worth of stitches (20 stitches or half of the sock) while waiting for traffic lights. Not that I advocate driving around, with a sock (or soap sock) in your lap, double pointed needles sticking out every-which-way. Ugh, I hate to think of getting whacked by another car, the airbag going off, the needles going gawd-only-knows-where...ouch!! I toss the sock into the passenger seat as soon as the light changes and I go mobile. It's only when I'm fully stationary, not moving, that I pull it out, knit away, and watch the traffic light and driving idiots.

I've also been knitting a wee bit during work breaks, or just before my work session starts. Drop all the windows down so that I don't pass out like a dog baked in the car, sit there and knit until 5-10 minutes before my shift, then shove everything into my work bag, and hope I get to take my full lunch break (if I get one at Job2).

Funny how you find the time when you want to finish something off, and get it done soonest.

My four-wheeled baby is at the dealership, waiting her turn at being examined and diagnosed. I keep hoping that it's a relatively easy fix, something that doesn't keep her out of commission for too long, and that's not going to cost me an arm and a leg. Or in wool/yarn terms, several pairs of socks or a sweater's worth of yarn.

At least the service people are nice, and they were able to pull my car information up on the computer, and had the paperwork ready and waiting when I arrived with the poor baby. I left the keys and sadly left with my ride, to come home again to await a phone call, have some toast for a mid-morning snack, and to (hopefully) get some more book writing done. And hope I can do it before I have to do my afternoon/early evening shift at Job1.

Yes, I have a backup version of transportation, but I'm not happy about leaving someone else without a car while I'm at work. At least my hours are weird and short enough that I'm not far from home, and not for long.

And I wait. And wait. And hope it's not that bad while I wait.

Hey, where's my knitting book notes and draft? Might as well make some good use of time, right?

The soap socks are at the count of 2 partially done, one just re-started. The first 2 need their endings worked in, and drawstrings added, then I'll wash and dry them before popping in the soap bars. The one that was re-started, it's only to the first round of knitting after caston.

My personal socks are languishing, one set draped across the back of the living room couch, woefully watching me from across the room. Wanting to become a full pair, instead of one sock and a partial mate. My backup knitting sock is buried at the bottom of my go-to-work bag, growling on occasion, trying to remind me that it needs more ribbing done to be made into a proper sock, hah!

And my latest frustration: the car is making noises.

Unhappy noises.

Grinding metal noises.

Noises that could be a multitude of possibilities.

It's not the oil level, that's fine, just a little dirty. I tried to change it today, but the drain plug just refused to budge at all. And I got all sweaty, grumpy, swore at it some, fought it for a good half-hour, then packed it all back up. So the dirty-ish oil is still present in the car.

It's not the fan, I checked the blades and they are all present, unbent, and it turns freely and without wobbling.

And it's not the underskirt (or apron, or whatevertheheck you call the part under the suv that keeps snow or mud and rocks from getting stuck on the underside of the engine) or anything loose underneath. I checked when I tried to unstick the very stuck drain plug. Nothing's loose there that shouldn't be, it's all connected correctly, no cracks or breaks, nothing there as extras either. And the loose bits that live there, well, they are the correct loose bits too.

I just can't figure this noise out, and dread finding out what it is.

I hope it's not the engine, or the drive-train in the front. Fanta has all-wheel-drive (2005 Subaru Forrester 2.5x, go look it up it you want the vehicle specs) and I don't think it will be cheap to fix a major part of what makes her go. (yes, it's a girl car, so what?)

A family member said it could be a bad bearing in the water pump, or some other parts he listed, but my brain froze at “bad bearing” and started envisioning unhappy dollar signs jumping off the bridge and drowning.

My pay situation still isn't great. I supposedly get a “pay adjustment” starting for this week's pay at Job2, to reflect the fact that minimum wage increased. Big whoop. Not. I'm still getting the same number of hours and pay rate at Job1, for which I am very grateful for.

And my hours are still being jerked around at Job2, the latest being removed from the schedule for one day this week, which happened to be today, then getting a text message (now is that unprofessional or what?) asking me to come in and work a partial shift this afternoon, totally confusing the head boss and the worker who thought she was working the evening shift by herself.

As the saying goes, someone else's poor planning is not my crisis!

Just worrying about the car, and hoping like crazy I can get it fixed for much less than what my piddling bank account and paychecks allow.

Big Sigh.

I wasted a book-writing day on car woes and weird work hours. And some serious knitting time too. Bleh.

Today's almost over, and tomorrow is but another day.

I drive with my headlights on almost all the time now. Yes, my SUV comes equipped with driving lights. But many a time I turn on the headlights on full. That way, if some idiot does hit my vehicle, I can put it forth to the police officer who will be there at the accident scene that I had my headlights on, why couldn't so-and-so see me? Huh? I'll let the official one figure that one out, as well as the idiot, and try not to clock either of them. So far, no accident, my reactions and responses have been excellent, and no collisions have occurred. I like being able to drive too much.

I've become a mini-expert on Lyme disease. With insect bites happening to family members, I've started reading and researching. Amazing what you can find. No details of whom has what, and what the bite site looks like. I'm not in the business of being gross and ookey, I'll let the horror writers do that. And I can't see how that will pay that much.

I finished the knitting part of my first soap sock today. Now I have to write up my notes, and start on a few more socks, finish in ends and make them look professionally “done” and then market them, hopefully with some success. At least the cat who watches me knit them hasn't commented on them, but then again, I'm not her person. I'm visiting her once or twice a day while friends are out of town, keeping her company a little bit, and making sure she has her food, water, and kitty meds. Ah, the small price of a geriatric cat, some medicines in your wet food. And regular treats, meow! She loves her treats, good thing she gets the ones for hairballs. So far, she's only presented me once with a hairball to clean up, and this time it was quite tidy and easy to get up off the carpet.

No, she has not met any of “my” cats. She's inside, they are all outside, and I'm not about to wrangle any part of the “herd” to get one in a carrier and then all the fuss of out of the carrier, into the carrier, stop fighting you two, um, it was your cat that started it, and no, the fleas didn't come from my cat... Nope. Not gonna happen. Better to dream of it than worry about it, and I'd rather laugh about the idea and visions the whole idea brings. I'd rather bring her people to my house to see the cats. Well, the ones that would allow themselves to be seen, that is. Bring in strange people, and hey presto, invisible cats!

I have a niece that will turn 21 next month, and I miss visiting with her. Yes, I can text message with her, but it's not the same as talking, hugs, and just being around someone. She has a special touch, where she can approach just about any animal or person, and be their instant friend. Once she learned how to be quiet around animals as a small child, she's always had the knack. I hope she doesn't forget any of her massage therapy training, and one day does get her official certification. She had a traumatic experience, and used it as an excuse for not taking the final examination for the certification. Shame that. Even if she doesn't use it immediately, at least she has it, and if she wanted to, could probably transfer some of that information to pets and animals if she wanted, maybe even do some veterinary assistant training too...hmm, wonder if I could get her to read this?

I hope she's still knitting, and that the knitting needles I bought for her (the last time she was in town and I got to spend more than a few hours with her) are getting well used. I almost consider on rare occasions of going through my stash and picking out some nice yarn to send as a care package to her. Or I see some on sale at Job2, and consider buying and then sending it to her. Yes, I miss her giggles, and talking semi-seriously about some things, very seriously about others. I'm not sure if she remembers all the times I just let her ask things, and then discussing them with her, one-on-one, as she was growing up. Anything from why parents are in charge to why I slow down and stop all all train crossings. I'm just glad I was able to share those times with her.

But, I might develop a sock style just for her. I have her sock/shoe size, I have yarn that keeps jumping at me, and a set of knitting needles that will work just fine...now to decide if they will be somewhat practical, or fun, or pretty, or just a little quirky.

Oh, and I might tuck in a soap sock, just for her.

I'll write the way I always do, with a general outline, a slightly organized listing of what I want to include, and then just write as the ideas and thoughts flow from my feeble brain to speedy fingertips that type or scribble away. Just as I write a blog entry, except with a lot more spell-checking (I don't trust the electronic versions, I've found too many spelling errors in those auto-checks!), a lot more proof reading, a lot more cutting and pasting of sections of writing.

Trust me, the sock book will be very readable. I always worry about the final “how it looks” when I've got the words and how-to-say-it parts done. I've learned to write a little bit in the style of “flow of consciousness” or I'll forget to say this, or to include that, and it's saved my bacon a couple of times with term papers or reports.

Back to the title, that's what I had for lunch. Yes, I actually eat a lunch. And I try to remember to eat breakfast. Somewhere, I forget exactly what web page or article (magazine? newspaper? Blog?) I read about eating breakfast and not gaining weight, or maintaining. Phhbbbt, my memory is a weird thing sometimes. Anyway. I do actually eat.

I've heard too many times in recent history about “how skinny!” I am/have become. Yes, when I look in the mirror, I now see a face I haven't seen in, well, years. Years, wow, what a concept. This time last year, in July of 2008, I was overweight (easily 210 plus poundage, wearing misses size 16 jeans), depressed, stressed. Today, I weigh between 150 – 155 pounds of weight (most of it muscle mass), and depending on the clothing cut, wear size 10 or 12 jeans. Really.

No big secret to what happened. Short and sweet: I left old job end of August. De-stressed in September. Started 2 part-time jobs end of October/beginning of November. Walked more. Ate a little less. Ate on a more regular basis. Cut down on sweet stuff, junk food. Drank more water, less soda and sugar-junk drinks. Tea with breakfast, occasionally coffee when I need a jump-start. Now, I save the sodas for late nights, or when I want to stay a little more alert on work evenings. Now that I'm a reasonable body-size for my height, I indulge a little now and then. The pastries everyone knows as a pop-tart for breakfast, snack. The once in a while oatmeal pie for a quick snack at work if I can't have a full meal break.

But, for real, walking does work. Really, truly, works in getting your metabolism back under control, builds your overall stamina, helps you sleep better.

I just have to figure out what size to make any new clothes, if size 10 or 12 or 14, depending on the fit and cut of the garment. Or if I need to wait another month or two, and see if I lose any more body size. Or if I can make something smaller yet loose, that I can easily modify or cinch in. Or how my measurements stack up against a knitting pattern or chart, and if I can pull out a languishing sweater from the U.F.O. pile that I was “too big” for, but now can finish and try on as I go. At least I can pull out old favorites that had to sit on the sidelines, and wear the sweaters I wished I wore during the winter, or other garments that were, ahem, a little too tight.

Some of my sizing angst is being triggered by a co-worker at Job2, who told me about costuming she was making for her boyfriend and herself in preparation for the Maryland Renaissance Festival this year. I have a small stash of sewing patterns, that put together would enable me to have a nicely “Renn” outfit for the festival.

All I have to do is figure out which size to REALLY make, and if I can afford to splurge on the fabrics to make the garments. Basically, a chemise/underdress, a skirt, and some kind of bodice/vest to go over top of the chemise. But the yardage, oy moy! I priced some of the fabrics I was interested in, and the math ain't pretty. Needing about, oh say 5 yards for one garment, and about $8 (US) per yard, that's about $40 in my budget I can't afford yet. It would mean not eating (not an option!) and not driving (again, as I am my own transportation to and from work, not an option).

So, off to my other options I've been cooking: write the sock book, figure out what pot-boiler projects I can knock off my knitting needles and attempt to sell at the consignment shop, and hope like crazy that it provides enough money to enable me to do this crazy idea. I'll keep the costume as simple as possible, and if necessary, let the idea of the costume sit there until next year. Or the following year. It would be fun to do, though, go in “period” costume. And carry my knitting and enjoy the muggle reactions.

Hey, I can really dream silly stuff, can't I?

Sadly, I think I may have deleted a real comment from a very nice person. Many apologies if you go looking for your comment, it truly was an accident. I blame it on the wannabes who run 'bots that dump all sorts of junk into the comments areas of 3 entries on this blog, and NO, I am NOT mentioning which 3 so that you can run out there and junk it up again! (wink)

I'm really hating my work hours at my 2 retail jobs. Really hating the hours of Job2, because they keep changing, and mostly have been less than full-time hours. If it weren't for Job1, I'd have no money for paying bills, and even then I'm chewing nails that the next set of paychecks will help fill in the gaps I might have for paying for food and gas.

Job2 is cutting my hours back, and lately it's been pure luck if I get more than 20 hours in a week between Job1 and Job2. I average between 40 and 50 hours for 2 weeks' worth of working. Sigh. I miss a few months ago, when I was averaging about 40 to 50 hours a week from both jobs. Definitely time for a new Job2. Definitely.

Especially since I hate missing the morning hours. Those peaceful, still fresh feeling moments, when the air smells newer, everything's quiet, nobody is up or a few people are groggily stumbling off to work. When I do get up now, I feel like half my day's been wasted. That's because I need my sleep, about 8 hours worth, I end up oversleeping clock-wise, my earliest wakeup being 8 am, my latest 10 am. I hate it. I want my 5 or 6 am wakeups back, where I am alert, perky, bouncy, not dragging my but behind me like a dragon's tail, sucking up multiple cups of tea and coffee to get alert and functional. Yeah, yeah, yeah, welcome to middle-age!

I think I'll pull out my palm needles and mohair blend yarns and knit up some pot-boiler scarves, and see if the local consignment shop will sell them for me. Even though this is July, someone will soon be looking for soft, light, warm, pretty scarves for fall and winter. I'm hoping! I'll also have to pull out my cotton yarns and refigure out soap socks, to see if those will sell too. I can't sell my socks yet, all I have to show for all the sock-book knitting is prototypes that I am currently wearing, socks my friends are wearing, and the samples I'm re-designing so that the book will have clear, real directions for anyone to work off of.

What I'm starting to wonder about is how to work up yarn packs to work with the book. I'll have to get a sales license, I'm guessing, and figure out how the wholesale-to-retail game works, nuts to soup, other than what I can hope to get in the way of pricing but not too high. And I'm hoping I'll pick out yarns and colors that are “want” and “love” colors and not too gourmet, too pricy, practical, wearable, long wearing and won't felt too quickly. Yes, kind of like the description of the perfect beginner sock yarn, isn't it?

By the way, I can give knitting advice, or descriptions of what knitting can be, or share my own stories, but I'm no longer an expert for advice on college, learning institutions, or graduation ceremonies. Since I no longer work at a community college, and don't work at the institution that I last went through commencement from, please don't ask me what to do. Contact the institution or college or university you are attending, and ask them what to do, how to do it, and what their guidelines and deadlines are. They govern themselves, not me. So sorry.

Yes, I did visit the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. Yes, I did buy few skeins of yarn, and a little roving to spin up.

But best of all was when I pulled out my spinning wheel the weekend after that. I dusted it off, oiled it up, put a new drive band on and....

Spun wool!! Yippee!!

It felt great to be creating yarn from fluff again after who knows how long, maybe a couple of years. I pulled out some green wool I had bought at Dancing Leaf Farm, hmmm, maybe a year or two before I stopped spinning, and stashed away. Well, now it's green yarn, and I'm not sure how much yardage.

Now I have something in pinks and purples on the wheel in a fine single ply, don't remember which wool farm it came from, but it has some silk blended in it, and it kinda glows on the bobbin. Anyone who sees it has to comment on how pretty it is. Sorry, if that's a hint that I knit it into something for you, I'm not hearing it!

And I'm still knitting socks for myself. Just finished a random pair, pulled out another random ball of yarn, and started some in a wild colorway from Online, oranges and pinks with stripes. Can't wait to see how the heel turn looks in those colors.

I'm in the pricing computers stage, so that I can get a new laptop and FINALLY!!! finish THE book. Yep, the sock book that's been haunting me for several months now, with the sample yarns still sitting in my toy bag and taunting me with that nyah nyah nyah that yarn is sooo good at! I promise, as soon as that laptop computer is in my hot little hands, I'm downloading my book writing software, and setting to it! And I'll be transcribing my patterns from messy notes to consise directions, creating neat diagrams, and making sure that anyone can create socks from their own yarn chaos.

Sigh. Yarn chaos. If my work life was based only on yarn, and if only I had a new job, but I am still searching for something to replace Job2. The hours still suck, they've been cut back drastically, so much so that when a co-worker at Job1 asked if I could help her this weekend by working her shift, I jumped at it.

But, I am positive. Positive that there's a job out there, somewhere, and I'll find it and excell at it, and tell Job2 to kiss me bye-bye. At least I still have my stash to dig into, no matter what happens with Job2, so I'm not going to go depression-mode. So much to knit, who can get depressed with happy yarns?