The military

I personally have been so sick of all the negativity surrounding our military, especially in the news.  Since my step-dad is an Ex-Ranger, and I went to college with several Army brats, I have a deep respect for the military.  What they do isn’t easy, or pretty, but I’ve always felt it was necessary.  Isolationism has never worked, and can’t work in an international arena where oceans no longer provide a buffer.  Unless anyone else would like to have another Pearl Harbor?  Oh, wait.  Not to sound insensitive, but we did.  With our own planes.  It was called 9/11.

Anyways, sorry to sidetrack into a rant, but as I was surfing the blogosphere, I stumbled upon a couple of great military blogs providing a more truthful look at what’s going on.  Blackfive and This Ain’t Hell are two great blogs writing on the military and some other topics of interest, like how the media has distorted everything towards the eventual downfall of the US.  They’ll stay in my blogroll, but please check them out.  And realize, if you happen to be one of the ones who doesn’t support the military, there are some great countries out there that would suit you just fine where you don’t have any freedoms, so anytime you want to leave please do.   Without our men and women out there doing the hard work, we would never have the freedoms we so enjoy, because the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

good news/bad news

Ok, bad news first.  This has been one heck of a week.  Starting Thursday, I pretty much thank God for getting me through.

• My mom called to tell me Thursday that my Uncle was on his way to Richmond with serious heart issues.  According to the physician in his local hospital, no one else has lived with a heart rate as fast as what he had.  He is home now, and has to go back on Monday for more tests but there are no blockages at least.  Massive prayer was going on, and I think we kicked the Devil in the teeth on that one.
• Friday DH leaves me a message that my step-mother-in-law had gone to the hospital ER and at some point while in the ER, her heart stopped.  They got it restarted but she is in for a battery of tests to see what’s going on.
• Also Friday my window dropped out of track (they are power windows) in my car, and we had to hurriedly take it to the garage to get it at least temporarily up until they can get the part and actually fix it.

If anything else happened, I was going to crawl under a rock and hide.

OK, now good news.

• We got our new cellphones!  Although for some reason I can’t set downloaded ringtones as actual ringtones on my phone, they are pretty nifty and I’m thoroughly enjoying my new electronic toy.
• Magnus’s neuter went well, and he is doing great.  He doesn’t act like he is missing much, and is just as playful and happy.
• I’m almost done with the heel flap on my second Pomatomus which means I almost have a complete knit pair.
• Went last night after such a crazy week to hang out with a couple of friends downtown and ended up having a blast!  I am so glad I went and I really want to do that again at some point.  It really helped me recover from the craziness.

Well, that’s all from my end.  We are hopefully having a couple from our church over, with their adorable new baby, for dinner.  Otherwise I really think I’ll just knit all day.  Something soothing.

Updates

The camera is still suffering from battery withdrawals, so I’ll try to update as best as I can.  The DH is currently having fun playing Madden ‘08.  I hate football, so I’m knitting hard in protest.  I’m almost to the heel flap on my second Pomatomus and I can’t wait to finish and get to wear them.  Almost have another set of beaded stitch markers done in glitzy black and silver.  I got my KnitPicks yarn on Thursday, which was a nice pick-me-up considering that my left kneecap dislocated earlier that day at work, I had to go home and felt like a dork.  Even though I couldn’t move really for the rest of the day, at least I could sit and pet my yarn.  I got some Merino/Silk blend lace and sock weight, and picked up beads on Saturday at Plumb Alley to go into my Swallowtail Shawl.  That’s right, I can finally start the thing.  As soon as I locate all my circulars that have mysteriously gotten spread all through the house.  It must be their migratory season again.  Also got the superwash Merino for my newest “nephew’s” sweater for this winter.

Thursday we also got a quote on putting in the new driveway, which is $2400 for the whole deal.  DH has a bit of sticker shock, but I think he’s coming around.  I have a couple of other companies to call, and get estimates from, but for now, this one company seems the best work for the price.  They guarantee no cracking as long as proper maintenance, ie using sealant at the recommended intervals, is continued.  They were extremely nice, easily accessible, and most importantly, did not sound like they were talking with gravels in their mouth.

Magnus continues to get hunormous.  He’s at the moment sleeping on the floor next to the desk while I type and knit.  He hasn’t gotten in my yarn recently, but maybe it’s because I’m doing a better job of hiding it from him.  We did get him a nice big pillow for his crate, since he’s now up to using the whole thing, and a new Jerry the Giraffe, since the other was getting very thread bare.  Shhhhhh . . . don’t tell him but he’s getting snipped on Wednesday.

drowsy writing

So, the camera is still essentially dead so no photos.  Magnus had an accident in the tiled media room of the liquid kind.  That upset me because he was doing so well.  He’ll go about 2 1/2 weeks and then slip up.  Makes me regret bragging on him.  I have started the second sock and am done with the ribbing and will be going into the lace pattern during church tomorrow (I’m in the sound booth, so I don’t distract anyone and actually pay very good attention during the sermon).  Finished the Cat Bordhi basic moebius scarf from her Second Treasury and am absolutely in love with moebius knitting.  Now I’m stuck because all the other projects require needles in sizes/lengths that I do not own and will probably cost me ~$15-$20 a pop.  So I have to wait until next allowance to get even one set that will work.  I’m sleepy and while having a 3 day weekend has been great, at the same time there has been some stress.

The characters of this story . . .

So let me introduce you to the characters of the story of my job:

Jyoshico - she is awesome and very easy going. I really look forward to working with her and I’m glad I ended up with her.

Michyo - she is the big shot. What she says from on high goes for everyone.

Mother Goose - another woman I work with, she is a mother to her kids. They’re only 19 and high school age. There may be personality clashes but you’ll have to wait to see.

Old Bat - this older woman only visits sometimes, but she is an avid Obama follower and I’ve been told to avoid any discussions of religion or politics with her. I’ve already encountered her argumentative side, so I want to be prepared if it starts from her.

Sweetie - one of the others I work with. She is a sweet and hard working woman.

I think that’s it for now, but there are others I just haven’t had a chance to really meet. We’ll see what happens in . . . Days of the Office!

battery death

OK, I wanted to post about my lovely zucchinis and herbs that are growing outside.  About how I had to “frog” my tomato plants and replant them.  And how its good I’m growing both in pots for the time being since my outdoor garden is totally unprepared and it is too hot to actually manage to work on my yard.  I tiptoed outside to my plants on the patio, hoping not to wake them in the early sunlight.  I turn on my camera, which is fabulous, and it dies.  Well, the batteries die.  And I have no more AA batteries in the house.  Mostly this camera is awesome, on new batteries.  And thankfully, on vacations, batteries are cheap and so, it dies, you pop new ones in.  Except I have no new ones!  I’ll attempt to describe the plants for you instead.

My zucchinnis are about 3-4 in tall and I think I see flower buds on them.  I’ve got stakes in the pot and will tie them to the stake when they reach 6 in or so.  I have some good basil, cilantro, and italian parsley going, with 2 teeny tiny lavender plants trying to make it.  I love growing stuff.  I just hope my tomatoes make it.  I really want tomatoes so I can make some awesome marinara sauce and season it the way I want.  I’ve made it before.  Its so sweet and I usually make mine a little spicy, it was fabulous.

On to knitting, this weekend, I managed to get a hold of Cat Bordhi’s book, A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting (raverly link).  It is like being in the mind of a genius!  The way she views knitting is so amazing.  I’ve started on the basic scarf pattern to get used to moebius knitting, but it brings such astonishment to watch as I create something, and I’m not quite sure how I’m doing it.  I also finished sock 1 of the Pomatomus (ravelry link).  And as I promised myself, to combat SSS (Second Sock Syndrome), I have started to cast on the second sock.  Magnus kinda made me stop, since he crawled into my lap and he’s awfully big at this point.  Hopefully, I’ll get going on the second one and actually have a pair out of this pattern.

Dogs on Thursdays

Well, raising and loving this dog of mine has been interesting. First, the cute factor seems to increase everyday. There is such intelligence in his eyes. He is aware of so much and has learned so quickly everything that I’ve taught him. He has also caused a bit of trouble. He doesn’t like DH and I cuddling, at all. He would prefer all our attention go to him. The other night, he decided to nearly chew the plug off a cord. And attack the carpet. He’s pretty much housetrained at this point which is good, so he’s not peeing in retaliation. That is always appreciated.

The newest toy: a simple tennis ball. He is absolutely fascinated by it. He can play with it solo, by dropping it, nudging it with a paw and then chasing it. It’s an easy toy for the hubby and I to use while we do other things. He can chase it for hours as we bounce it off the floor and walls. I really need to get Jerry and his pillow stitched though because he really loves those two toys. They have small holes and I honestly am not sure where Jerry is at the moment.

And for an idea of size:

My wonderfully smart DH had the brilliant idea of getting on the scale by himself, and then picking up and holding Magnus while on the scale. Our scale will calculate the difference and by this means will tell us how much Magnus actually weighs. Ready for this . . .

28.6 lbs. That’s right, he was 14 lbs when we got him about 2 months ago, and he has doubled his weight since that time. It’s all muscle and he is far from lazy. I’d say he will easily reach 65 lbs in the next 2 or 3 months. We’ll see. And that is all on the Magnus.

Doesn’t he look like his dad!

uh-oh!

Someone’s hand got caught in the cookie jar. Democratic representative Rick Boucher, for the 9th district, reversed is position along with 92 other Dems on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.  Originally he had a position against this bill, because it would provide legal immunity to the telecommunication companies involved in the wiretapping of phones after 9/11.  The big factor:  $25,000 in contributions from telecommunication companies.  That’s right, money does speak on the Hill.  All 94 Dems received some form of contribution from those companies, and proceeded to change their stance.  Whether you agree with the bill or not is not the issue here.  It’s the fact that Congress is listening to money, and not the constituents who voted them in.

Work and more work

Well, the new job is under way.  In some ways it’s a lot of fun, a lot of interesting skills to learn.  Some ways not as stressful as previous job.  I have a set list of to-do, and that list doesn’t change.  Even when it gets slammed, it still means I don’t have any more to do than what is on the list.  And I am a lot less stressed.  There are some interesting people that work there.  Of course the lack of internet there is really horrible.  No blog updates, no ravelry surfing, no email checking.  I’m going to miss all my internet surfing.  I’m really going to miss reading on Obamalamadingdong’s latest gaffe.  Or what new bogus climate change theory or doomsday prophecy the media has put out.

Knit Note:  I have around $100 to spend on yarn-y goodness for my b-day.  I just can’t wait to go shopping.  I will have about the same for clothing shopping.  I’ve almost got a Pomatomus sock done (link opens to Ravelry.  Sorry for those still waiting to get in)  and I’m going to get yarn and beads for the Swallowtail Shawl KAL over at Fashionably Late in ‘08 Blog.  Really looking forward to diving in to a full blown lace project.

Dog Tails:  Magnus is great.  He’s probably gained a couple more pounds, and proved my idea of his goodness wrong by chewing he end of the plug for the gas logs.  It wasn’t plugged in, and now shouldn’t be plugged in.  I think he was jealous.  He doesn’t like Mum and Dad smooching, cuddling, or otherwise hinting that we love each other instead of only loving him.  He did this, right near us, while we were cuddled on the couch watching National Treasure 2.  Which was a fabulous movie!  Yay!  Plot, acting, cleanliness of language and body, and worth watching.  But at least Magnus should now know to avoid such cords so he won’t get fried by chewing one actually plugged in.

It’s friday!

Not sure what that means anymore, though I think I’ll get a feeling in a couple of weeks when I start my new job.  Check-out receptionist for a medical practice.  It’s only 10 minutes from home, and will pay me more.  So I save double on gas at least.  Magnus has to get dipped today for non-contagious mange.  And I am packing up the knitting since I don’t know how long it will take for this stuff to dry on him.  I’m not as familiar with Abingdon, so I don’t want to do too much running around up there and get lost.  We’ll see.  At least they have plenty of pretty spots outside in park-like settings, unlike Bristol.

Other news is that the house is almost entirely unpacked.  We’re having friends over tonight to “christen the house” and play pool.  Just hope Magnus behaves.