One

A better post title is not coming to mind, actually my mind is not working too well today, and more complex thoughts are transformed into something simple and easy to process. For example, while working today I was asked if I knew why the code might be doing what it's doing, and I thought about the problem for half a second before my brain immediately switched to wondering what time "Grey's Anatomy" comes on tonight. 8 or 9 PM? I know it's on ABC but what channel is that? Did we record the series on DVR or was it just that one episode.

I spaced the thing I was working on, and after lunch my co-worker followed up with me only to find out I'd spaced, forgotten, and completely ignored his question. Oops, sorry about that. I did find the answer, I did manage to get some work done today, and I was forgiven for my space cadetness.

It's been one of those weeks. Monday through Wednesday literally melded together into one really long endless day of work, hives, and snot. Way too much work and the hives plus excess snot just made me feel achy and worn out. This is one of those times that I'm extra-extremely thankful for my office at home that allows me to continue work during crunch times and still be with my family physically, even though I'm mentally miles away. I'm thankful but cursing the crunch time at the same time, because no one likes to work late at night, into the weeeee hours of the morning.

To top off the excess work and snot I had an allergic reaction to the cough medicine my wonderful husband bought for me over the weekend, when the nasty head and chest cold hit me the hardest. He tried to make me feel better and was so careful to avoid the chemicals we already know I'm allergic to: ibuprofen and naproxen, which rules out anything Advil or Alleve. So he got me Tylenol, because Tylenol is usually safe for me. But it turns out I'm very allergic to the active decongestant ingredient in the Tylenol cold and flu medicine he bought: phenylephrine HCI. When my throat closed up I thought it was because of the cold, my throat had been scratchy and painful anyway, but when the horrible itchy hives broke out all over my skin I knew it was the medicine. Having drug allergies sucks.

I finished reading "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer tonight. Pure brain candy, it was a cool story, and I like the concept, but once I reached the end I found myself missing the main character. That's not a spoiler by the way, just a cryptic thought about the ending.

Well, I'm off to continue knitting the lace edging of the baby blanket until Grey's comes on. Or I fall asleep. Which ever comes first.

Progress on the Edge

Holy Heat Ray Batman!

Guess what? It's WARM here today. Warm!

For the first time, since moving way out west to the ocean, I'm not bundled up in five layers with a heavy wool sweater and two pairs of socks on my feet! I can see my pale arms today. I even have the windows open for the first time - well, unless you count the burning dinner mishap when we had to open the windows to let the smell out - and the sun is gloriously shining.

Naturally, I have a nasty head cold right now, so I can't frolic through or around the blooming flowers and trees, enjoying the beautiful weather, but I bet that if I could smell anything, I would be able to smell the ocean today. I noticed that last summer when we drove up to Dyes Inlet for a visit, the new and distinct briny smell. We've seen bald eagles here too, which is so cool.

I am working with windows open today, and I love it, despite the coughing. My husband told me that if I'd stop licking the children when they're sick then I wouldn't catch their colds, but I'm their mother, so of course my monkeys hang all over me - sick or healthy - and that's just how it is. I love my children's smells, I love how they cuddle with me, I just love their very presence, and I'm really looking forward to mid-June when they'll be up here with us for the summer.

The purple baby blanket is enjoying the sun too....sitting over there, just basking in the warm rays.

Do you think that maybe the blanket will knit itself?

Then I could knit something a little more exciting. Maybe?

Sticks & Stones

Why the blog-face-lift? Why not. Think of it as my spring cleaning, new blog wardrobe, or a spark of wild creativity. The real reason.... I'm not completely sure.

I love frogs, toads, and amphibians, but something about that template just didn't fit anymore. Another reason for the blog change is simply avoidance. I'm avoiding what really needs to get done by playing with my template.

The new title is more fitting too, feels right to me, even if it is strange.

Now that the template is finished, it's time to knit. I admit too that I'm avoiding my commitment to finishing the baby blanket by playing with the template, but I guess it's time to face the music, or rather, the boring blanket.

Sun

Have you ever had something you really wanted write or talk about with everyone who would read or listen to you, but were afraid that if you put it out into the cosmos you might jinx the "something" or bring it bad luck, and then everything would change for the worse. Or worse, not change at all.

Ever had something like that lingering in you personal database of hopes and dreams? Stuck in your head, but not allowed to escape. I clearly have something along those lines, potentially more than one somehting, but I can't detail anything yet, I can't set my something free into the cosmos yet because there aren't any tangible details yet, and speculating those details might jinx the potential something, but it would be so fun to delve into the hypothetical; to imagine and play with the what-if's. I'd love to purge my mind here, get the thoughts and what-if's out, but I can't.... Not yet anyway. Sorry.

Today is a strange Monday, despite or because of the something, I'm not sure. The sun has shone all day, so far, which is rare for this rain forest climate, but I'm listening to yet another song about raincoats and rain. I've heard three songs about raincoats today. See, more cosmos jinxing! It'll probably rain soon, and that's okay because it's the rain and just enough sun that makes the stunning flowers and trees grow the way they do in this here Pacific Northwest. The azalea and dogwood photos are from my parent's neighborhood, taken this weekend.

Then there's the work-induced-ADD, and I can't seem to focus on any one task for more than five minutes before I'm distracted by co-workers and nothing in particular today. If I was actually at the office, I'd be taking several walks outside with friends, and a slightly longer than normal lunch. I'm here though, with the sun shining but the temperature still only in the mid-fifties, which is not very warm with humidity, and so I stay in my warm office with our snoring, farting dog. I have plenty of work to keep me busy and I'll get it all finished, in a minute....

The baby lace cuddle blanket is almost ready to be pieced together. I'm knitting the lace edging now, finally!

Knitting two squares at one time on long circular needles has helped speed the square knitting along at a much faster clip. I wish I'd thought of knitting more than one square at a time two, no wait, THREE years ago, then maybe this blanket would be finished by now.

Oh well, I can type with absolute confidence that this baby blanket will be finished well before my sister's third baby is born. She's due in December, and yes, I realize it's taken me four long years of mostly ignoring this knitting project to finally finish, but I'm determined to finish and give this blanket to a baby! Or a toddler. Kids in high school are still babies, right? Suuuuure.