Boston

Sadly I am still inundated at work. To the point where my wrist has started to give out. Too much knitting and too much keyboarding are not good at all. I iced it last night and it seems to be better today. Of course you're not here to talk about my pain are you?

We had a great time in Boston. Unfortunately the two things I was most looking forward to I didn't get to do. We didn't get to Salem and I didn't get to catch up with Susan. I suppose that just means I'll have to go back soon. As much as I loved the city that shouldn't be a problem.

Of course I hit the most important spot:
Lovely people, lovely yarn. I'll share my acquisitions on Friday.

Not to be outdone the husband's very first stop was here:
They were having a moving sale but amazingly he didn't pick anything up. He actually got more at their Cambridge branch when we went there.

We did the typical touristy type stuff, like the Duck Boat. They even let my guys drive:


This was the day before Avery's 13th birthday, it's nice that he's still such a kid.

Avery and I being history buffs did the Freedom Trail. For those who don't know it's a trail of historical sites. You literally follow a red line in the street. It changes form but it's always there:

We really enjoyed the cemetery oddly enough, or not oddly if you know us;) Here is the grave of the men killed in the Boston Massacre, including Crispus Attucks:
Here's Sam Adams standing outside Faneuil Hall. I wasn't a fan of his until the John Adams miniseries on HBO. He was such a troublemaker, how could I not love him. Well that and the beer...

Ian got into the colonial spirit as well:
We enjoyed walking around Cambridge for shopping and soaking up college town atmosphere:
We were there on Avery's birthday and amazingly he found the new book in a series he loves that was not due out until the following week:
We all enjoyed the easy train system. Nothing pleases a New Yorker like good mass transit. Of course I decided that this particular train, was the product of an affair between a NYC bus and a 42nd Street shuttle. They obviously ran away together and raised a family in Boston.


I know, I'm weird, you can't be surprised at this point.

I also had no idea that Wonderland was in Boston:
Who needs a rabbit hole?

Of course the most important spot for me was Ye Olde Starbucks:
Good mass transit, tons of history, easily walkable and Starbucks? I LOVE Boston!!!

Happy Blogversary to me!

I had no idea that today was my blogversary until Teena in Toronto left me a comment this morning. Thanks Teena! My little blog is five years old. I did plan on blogging today but who knows if I actually would have gotten around to it. Since my return from vacation, work has been bloody in-freakin-sane. Which hinders my ability to take care of things of real importance like blogging!

Plurk also eats up a fair amount of time although I have managed to not spend every waking hour on it, which is good...I suppose.

Boston was fantastic. I was going to do a post about it today but I think I will devote a complete post to it on Wednesday. There was much absorbing of history by Avery and myself and all around fun for all of us.

I have been knitting although not quickly by any means:

I'm actually further along than this photo. I am at the toe decreases now which means there is a good chance it will be done tonight. My plan is to then go dig out the RPM sock from it's time out corner and try to finish it by Thursday night. Why Thursday night you may ask? Well because I'm just insane enough to participate in the Ravelympics (ravelry link). Friday morning is the start by NYC time. I'll tell you my projects and the teams I've joined on Friday.

Happy Monday all!

Where's Nancy?

Having a great time, wish you were here!

We've played with ducks. Avery and I walked a historical path, while Ian and Dad went to play and learn. We ate at an familiar place, but no one seem to know our names.

Don't worry I always find a way to feed my habit when I'm away.

Miss you!

Love, Nancy

A series of "Firsts"

I have stuff to blog I suppose but no time to do it justice. Today's the husband's birthday and we start vacation Saturday so today and tomorrow are a little crazed at work and home. So I subject you to the following:

The First Meme Stolen from my dear friend the Spinning Goth

1. Who was your first prom date?

I didn't go to my prom.

2. Do you still talk to your first love?

Nope, he's a psycho. I would cross the street if I saw him coming.

3. What was your first alcoholic drink?

A Screwdriver at one of my parent's parties.

4. What was your first job?

Cashier at Barnes and Noble at 48th and Fifth Ave.

5. What was your first car?

Technically I didn't drive it but the family's first car was a very old Aries K car.

6. Who was the first person to text you today?

No one yet, but it's usually Tisha, Maribel or Amanda.

7. Who is the first person you thought of this morning?

My youngest since I woke up before him which is unusual.

8. Who was your first grade teacher?

Penelope Pulis, she a was fantastic!

9. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane?

Cancun, Mexico. I was 20.

10. Who was your first best friend, and are you still friends with him/her?

Susan she lived downstairs. We have recently reconnected.

11. What was your first sport played?

Sport, whats that? ;)

12. Where was your first sleepover?

Maribel's house.

13. Who was the first person you talked to today?

My youngest to remind him to wish his dad a happy birthday.

14. Whose wedding were you in the first time?

My dad's.

15. What was the first thing you did this morning?

Picked up the copy of The Stand that I dropped last night but was too lazy to pick up.

16. What was the first concert you ever went to?

Oh must we? Ok it was Menudo. I think I've admitted that on the blog before.

17. What was your first tattoo or piercing?

My ears when I was 13.

18. What was the first foreign country you went to?

Canada.

19. What was your first run-in with the law?

Hopping the train.

20. When was your first detention?

I never went to detention.

21. What was the first state you lived in?

New York

22. Who was the first person to break your heart?

Ernie the store detective at my first job. I dumped the psycho boyfriend for him but he wasn't as into me as I was him.

23. Who was your first roommate?

The psycho ex-boyfriend.

24. Where did you go on your first limo ride?

My dad's wedding.

Weekend fun

Much fun was had this weekend. We visited with that Crazy Fiber Lady and those adorable Fiber Twins. My eldest spent most of the day like this:
Since Risa's favorite pastimes echo those of a 14 year old boy my nearly 13 year old had a blast playing with her Guitar Hero on Tour. Thankfully Grandpa got him his own, which arrived yesterday and we were nice enough to let him have early.

He did pull away from the screen long enough to get in some water play with everyone else:
Those are Risa's twins and Avery's head. He had to perform many "rescue" missions to retrieve them from the diving board area.

Even my non-water-loving baby enjoyed himself:
After awhile just having the water ring and a rope was enough. He joined the twins in their game of making Avery rescue them or tortured his father by having him pull him across the deep end of the pool.

I brought knitting but in such good company I never even thought to pull it out. There were amazing burgers and franks from the grill and my new favorite drink Mike's Hard Lemonade or Lime, I can't decide which I loved more. Risa and I sat by the pool shooting the breeze and enjoying each others company. I cannot think of a better way to spend a Summer Sunday.

I had a package waiting for me at home yesterday. I'm enjoying my Buffy yarn so much I decided to see what else was available. I found the Doctor Who colorway:

I decided Avery would love it. Orange and blue are his favorite colors and as Rinaldo put it everyone should have one bright pair of socks. Any suggestions for a nice boy pattern for it?

Re-visiting the Birthday Goals

I've avoided this as long as I could. Why? Well the results were mixed and on some level a tad embarassing. I wasn't quite sure I wanted to share my failures with the world.

Here they are again to remind you. The goals I set for myself to achieve by my birthday. With the result listed below:

1- Apply, yet again, for my learner's permit.

Here's the one I didn't want to admit to. I walked in and took the written test again for my learner's permit. It had been 5 years since I got my last one so I had to take it again. I hadn't picked up the book or gone online to refresh my memory. I've taken it many times and passed with no problem so I wasn't concerned. Guess what?

I failed.


I'm torn. I sort of take it as sign that all hope is lost but I did pick up the booklet and I suspect I will try again soon.

2- Take the Notary Public exam. My grandfather was a notary and for some silly reason I've always wanted to be.


I sent for the application and the study materials but I haven't had a Wednesday free so I can go take the test. I hope to do that when I get back from vacation.

3- Continue with the health kick. The eating habits haven't been great but I have been exercising a bit each day for almost a month. The scale doesn't show much difference but my clothes are fitting a little better.

I wasn't great heading into my birthday but I've been better of late. My morning routine is up to 6 exercises and I'm back on WW as of this week. I've lost the 5 pounds I gained heading into my birthday so at least I broke even on that one.

4- Learn a new skill. I'm trying to learn web development so by the end of the month I'd like to have picked up at least one of the codes/languages involved.

I learned about CSS. Now realistically this was cheating and I knew it. I've played with my blog template enough to know that I had played with CSS but I didn't really get what it was so now I do. It remains to be seen if I can learn something brand new in this online format but I have high hopes.

5- To knit 1 baby kimono, 2 washcloths and one beaded bracelet for gifts.

Done.

What are your summer goals?

I don't recognize myself

Damn I was productive this weekend. I went through the storage room in the basement and collected 5 garbage bags full of old clothes to donate. We even managed to get them out of the house to the donation drop site. I then rearranged the room a bit so I could put together my sewing table and set up my sewing machine. Are you impressed yet?

I got the house cleaned, that took some ordering around of the male folk as well. I moved some things in the game room so there is more room to move in there as well as there being a clear path to the laundry room which is always an issue. Laundry was done, floors were mopped, clothes were put away. We even had time to get to the movies. Avery and Rinaldo went to see Get Smart and Ian and I went to see Wall-E. I also got to spin, knit a bit and lay around on the couch. Again, are you impressed? I sure as hell am.

Here's where we are with my Summer of Socks project, nutkin:

Bast is not amused.
Lovely no? I really am enjoying the pattern and the way it shows off my yarn.

My spinning, not as successful:

My wheel was fighting me and I couldn't figure out why. My spinning ended up more than a little uneven and in some places severely overspun. I played with the settings a bit and pop went the rubber band. It had pretty much given up the ghost. I'm guessing that's why I was having such issues. A new rubber band solved it. Hopefully the second half of my Spunky Club batch will come out better.

Risa has me hooked on yet another time waster. I've been hanging out on Plurk far, far too much. It's fun but boy that will kill all the productive mojo I've been collecting.

Gina and I have been discussing setting mini-goals for ourselves each week. After such a successful weekend. I've decided to try it. My goal for this week is to finish getting my cds into albums. I have one album left to fill and M - Q to put away. I'll let you know on Monday how that goes.

Summer of Socks

I forgot one more gift that arrived on my birthday (do you see how spoiled I am?). My cousin decided to feed my Icelandic candy habit:



The yellow bag is this chocolate licorice concoction that I love. I have one left. There's a bit left of the chocolate bar too. The Opal is next in line to go.

Yum!

Since it is the Summer of Socks you may recall I decided to finish the RPMs. Well I did. In fact I got right up to sewing up the toe. I decided to compare it to the first one just to be safe and it was a good inch to an inch and half shorter. I got so pissed I ripped it back to the heel, since I'd screwed up there but decided to let it go at the time, put it on scrap yarn and tossed it in a corner. Maybe it will learn it's lesson and behave next time.

I decided to jump back on the horse. I took Shameka's suggestion and cast on for Nutkin. It has an interesting cuff. You knit for 5 rounds, purl a round, then knit for 6 more rounds. You turn it on the purl round and knit the live stitches with the cast on edge, see:

It makes a nice cuff, let's see how much I like it when I'm wearing them. The yarn is my Buffy the Vampire Slayer sock yarn from White Oak. Maribel got it for me last year for my birthday.

I'm loving the way it's turning out:


My plans for the weekend involve house cleaning, dyeing, and spinning. Of course I may just lay around like a vegetable. We'll see.

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Celebrating my birth

While most of my weekend was spent endlessly counting books there was some time for celebrating. I took Friday off. Most of the day was spent with the boys just hanging out but Rinaldo and I did escape for awhile with Tisha to go see Wanted. If anyone is interested I actually wrote up a review for Pink Raygun. It's got a bit of a crafty twist to it.

There were presents to be had as well. First up the husband got me some music and a dvd:
Then my darling workers also made their contributions:
See the new Motley Crue!!!

On Sunday Maribel came over and brought the last of the gifts:
Finally I got my Go Knit Pouch, now I can stop complaining, lol.

There was more:
The dyes and blanks came from Knit Picks but the holder and the bottles Bel picked up at the Container Store. She wanted to make sure I was completely prepared.

But the best thing of all? When you teach your best friend to knit there may come a day when it pays off:
It's nice to be loved:D

Wow is it Wednesday already?

The week is getting away from me. Which is unusual to say the least. I spent Monday doing my self evaluation for work, doing evaluations for the two managers who work under me and playing hooky with my husband while we waited to get the car fixed.

Fixed you say? What happened you ask? Well my husband occasionally parks our car on the street. Typically this is because he is going somewhere early in the morning and is afraid someone will have blocked our garage, which happens all the time by the way. Seems that someone noticed the thingie for the GPS on the windshield. It was empty but they figured it must be in the car somewhere. They smashed the window and rifled through everything only to discover it wasn't there. It was actually in the house. I do take some joy in knowing that must have ticked them off a bit, all that nefarious work for nothing. In the end they didn't take anything at all. Anyway we needed a new window so I took the day off to be supportive. We dropped the car off and headed to the movies to see the Incredible Hulk. Which was fun by the way.

There's been some knitting. Some projects finished actually but I'll save that for Friday. Yesterday in honor of the Summer of Socks I decided to pick up the dreaded RPMs to take to knitting group. I've been working on them since last night and I just discovered I am only half an inch away from the toe decreases:


...a-freakin-mazing! I never thought I'd see the day. Maybe they'll get done tonight, maybe, just maybe.

I have been spinning too:



...and a close up:


I've spun every day but yesterday since Friday night I believe. I spend a bit more then 10 minutes but it's been easy to find the time when I'm only aiming for 10 minutes. I hope I can keep it up.

Sew Easy

Ian and I were walking to school this morning and we ran into this:
For those not in the know, this is the Bronx Tour Trolley. It's a free trolley that stops at various places in the Bronx. I've often seen it on the road but oddly enough I've never seen it up close. I think I was more excited than Ian. I love trolleys! We picked up a schedule from the driver. We will definitely make plans to take it one day this summer.

On the knitting front, we have a kimono blocked and ready for sewing:

We have one bootie, finished and ready for sewing:

This is where bootie #2 was this morning before I left the house:

It is now a few rows away from finished and then it will be ready for sewing.

Can you all guess what I'll be doing tonight?

Have a great weekend!

ooh pretty beads...

A few years back Kathleen was the Queen of Bracelets. I admitted to my dear friend that I was intrigued by the shiny, sparkly things. A few Christmases ago she sent me all the fixin's for my own bracelet. The beads, et al have sat in my basket sadly neglected. When I was trying to figure out what to make for Ian's speech teacher, whom I adore, I suddenly remembered my crafty care package.

At around 8:30 last night I started stringing beads, by 10:30 or so this is where I was:


...by 7:00 this morning this is where I was:


...best of all? By the time I got to work I had a completed bracelet:


I still have to put the clasp on it but damn that was easy. Now I'm totally addicted. I need more beads!!!

Knitting in public and private

I did manage to knit in public this past Saturday. I took Ian to see The Backyardigans Live. While we were waiting for the show to start (and during intermission) I worked on the baby kimono. At one point a woman walked by my seat looked at my knitting and said, "great idea". I also knit on the subway to and from the show. Nothing out of the ordinary for me but at least I can feel like I represented a bit.

I signed up for a spin along this weekend. Carol is challenging people to spin at least Ten Minutes a Day:


Since I've been desperately missing my spinning I thought this might be a good way to get back into it. Unfortunately I didn't even find 10 minutes to do it this weekend but tonight I will do my best.

This reminded me that I signed up for the Summer of Socks 2008 awhile back:


Of course the irony is not lost on me. I had to temporarily give up on my socks to get my knitting mojo back but I am confident that once the dreaded RPMs are finished I will be happy to start another pair of a different pattern. I am really a fickle woman. Once I've knit a sock pattern I appear to be done with it. No matter how much I love it the first time, the next time I do a pair in the same pattern it is like being boiled in oil. Funny that.

Ahh Monday how I hate you so.

Friday, Friday, Friday!!!

Can you tell I'm happy it's Friday?

There was a bit of a blip first thing this morning when my mother in law called to say she was not going to be able to pick up Ian. Her back has been bothering her. She called out Tuesday as well to go to the doctor but I guess she woke up worse this morning. That means I have to leave work early. Most days that would be a pain but on a Friday in the Summer? Doesn't seem like much of a sacrifice does it?

My Ipod is in a weird mood this morning. I don't know if many of you have ever put an Ipod on a shuffle but they tend to have minds of their own. One artist will come up repeatedly. Today Caprica Six, so named because it is my sixth ipod (that includes shuffles), is in a Queen and Billy Idol mood, ooh now it's New Order. Sweet.

The baby kimono? Not done but not so far off that I'm stressed.

I was hoping to get some of the shots that my BFF and our friend Irene took at the Duran Duran concert a few weekends back but they haven't uploaded them yet, slackers;) Irene did send this link for a site that had some good shots. The concert was amazing. I do enjoy a good outdoor concert on occasion and the boys of DD were in excellent form. It's also a small venue which is a pleasure when you're seeing a band you really love.

Just to keep you interested here's yet another meme. I think there have been some interesting ones going around lately.

Got this one from Bag'n'Trash

Yes/No

YES/NO GAME RULES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

You can only say yes or no. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages you and asks!

Over 18? Yes
Danced in front of your mirror naked? No
Ever told a lie? Yes
Been arrested? No
Kissed a picture? Yes
Fallen asleep at work/school? No
Held an actual snake? Yes
Have YOU Ever run a red light? No
Ever drink and drive? No
Been suspended from school? No
Ever been fired from a job? Yes
Totaled a car/motorbike in an accident? No
Sang karaoke? No
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes
Ever laughed until you wet yourself? Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes
Kissed in the rain? Yes
Sang in the shower? Yes
Sat on a rooftop? Yes
Thought about your past with regret? Yes
Been pushed in the pool with your clothes on? No
Shaved your head? No
Blacked out from drinking? No
Had a gym membership? Yes
Been in a band? Yes
Shot a gun? No
Liked someone with nobody else knowing about it? Yes
Played strip poker? No (Strip Uno - Yes)
Been to a strip joint? No
Donated Blood? Yes
Liked someone you shouldn't? Yes
Have a tattoo? Yes
Have or had any piercings besides ears? No
Made out with a complete stranger? No
Caught someone cheating on you? No
Skinny dipped? No
Regret any of your ex's? Yes
Been to a rodeo? No
Been to a NASCAR race? No
Been in Love? Yes

Have a great weekend!

Don't Mess with Mother Nature

I guess Mother Nature heard me yesterday when I was bitching about the heat. She sent quite the storm to cool things down. About 10 minutes after I got home from knitting group the wind suddenly kicked up violently and then down came the rain. I swear I was standing right in front of the open window sucking in that cool air like it was water and I was in the desert.

There was quite a bit of damage around town this morning. Both Avery and his godmother sent me some phone shots of trees they ran into heading to school and work, respectively.

Avery's:



...and Bel's:



Don't mess with Mother Nature...

Can somebody please explain...

...where the hell Spring went?

Seriously I feel like I went straight from the grey days of Winter into the (hell) dog days of Summer. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the heat? Have I? 'Cause I do, I really, really do. Plus my whole family is ready to toss me out the window because of my "no air conditioners until July" rule. I know I'm evil but I'm just recovering from paying the heating bills from the winter, I'm not ready to pay the damn electric bills of summer.

Risa and/or Ann be warned, Rinaldo is threatening to invade someone's house if they have a pool. You may wake up Saturday morning to find him swimming around in one of your backyards!

Does anyone knit in this heat? Oddly enough I do, see:

I'm just about ready to decrease on the arm and then finish up the left side. I might have finished this weekend if it hadn't been so freakin' hot. Still nice progress for me and my mojo. I'm hopeful it will be done by the end of the week. I'm making it for a baby shower on the 21st which means I'm in good shape for a change. I had to adjust the pattern a bit for this, my third, kimono. I'm doing it with a DK weight yarn so it will be nice for the summer, babies always need something for the air conditioning. I'm also doing the border in seed stitch just to keep it interesting for me.

Weather Pixie tells me its 93 degrees, that's 34 celsius for those of you who speak metric. I hate it. Swear to the gods I'm retiring to Iceland, screw Florida...

Who am I?

I loved this meme when I saw at Vicki's yesterday, I loved it just as much at Margene's this morning:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Mathews 2nd Annual Memorial Day BBQ

While this year's BBQ was not quite as exciting as last year's it was still a lot of fun. We were noticeably light on the knitter and hooker front but Maribel managed to represent by getting her Gilmore Girls socks closer to completion:

She actually finished them the next day.

Rinaldo held court over the grill:


This is practically p*rn for Ann so I had to show it;)

We did let him get away from the grill later to play with the other kids:
There is nothing more fun than getting together with good friends. There were a number of people who I hadn't seen in years. A friend since preschool that I recently reconnected with came as well as some friends who I hadn't seen since Ian was born. They came with their new son. It was the perfect way to spend the holiday weekend.

Birthday Goals

June is the month of my birth as such it usually is also the time I get the birthday blues. I'm not sure why that is it but it's been that way since I was fairly young. I have coping mechanisms for it. This year I decided to come up with a to-do list that I'd like to accomplish by June 27th.

1- Apply, yet again, for my learner's permit.

2- Take the Notary Public exam. My grandfather was a notary and for some silly reason I've always wanted to be.

3- Continue with the health kick. The eating habits haven't been great but I have been exercising a bit each day for almost a month. The scale doesn't show much difference but my clothes are fitting a little better.

4- Learn a new skill. I'm trying to learn web development so by the end of the month I'd like to have picked up at least one of the codes/languages involved.

5- To knit 1 baby kimono, 2 washcloths and one beaded bracelet for gifts.

Let's see how much gets done by the 27th.

I might post some more this week. There was last week's BBQ to talk about and the fabulous concert I went to. Finally blog fodder!

All your daleks are belong to us...

I don't have a lot to say about this week. I turned the heel on my second RPM but I haven't had the patience to actually pick up the stitches to keep going. Work has been fine. I had a great trip with Ian's class to see pasta being made in Little Italy (in the Bronx of course). We went to Borgatti's. I had at least as much fun as the kids did, if not more.

Otherwise not much is going on at all. I did want to mention this. It seems the BBC doesn't want you knitting Dr Who patterns. It's all a bit ridiculous considering it's just fans trying to celebrate a show they love. Tsk tsk, it's certainly bad PR for the BBC.

Have a great weekend all!