Six Weird Things

THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the 6 weird things about you. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

Well, do I know six bloggers who would actually respond? I'll find out. Anyway....

1. If it's wrong with me, it's usually on my right side: (A) A branchial cleft cyst formed on the right side of my neck. (For really gross images, go here and scroll down a bit.) It was like a duct attached from the end of my tongue that emptied out at the base of my neck. (B) I had a cyst in my right maxillary sinus. (C) My right eye is more nearsighted than my left eye. (D) My right hip and S-I joint are the ones with the problems. (E) Psoriasis is worse on the right side of my body than on the left side.

Of course, there are exceptions, but for the most part the problem shows up on the right.

2. The surgeon that removed the branchial cleft cyst was a chest cutter (not an ear/nose/throat surgeon) -- very unusual.

3. My husband I were engaged just 11 days after we met (we didn't announce, though, until we had a ring, but that was only a month after we met). This May we will have been married 15 years.

4. I can leg-press 540 lbs.

5. I am about 7" taller than my mother and I'm taller than all of my seven sisters.

6. One of my brothers is 3 years older than me; the other is 3 years younger than me. One of my sisters is 7 years older than me; the youngest of my sisters is 7 years younger than me. Two of my sisters are 10 years older than me; they each have sons who are 10 years younger than me. It's not exact in terms of months, but it is in birth years. It's how I remember the ages of all of my brothers and sisters.

Spelling Rules

Overheard from the guys chatting in my office this morning:

J: Is it "pulldown" {one word} or "pull down" (two words) or what?

L: Well, when I worked with Col. B at Headquarters SAC, he said "fuck-up" is hyphenated but "cocksucker" is just one word. The rest doesn't matter.

I guess it's good to pay attention sometimes.

Land of the Living

I'm back at work today, feeling somewhat humanoid. I'm supposed to be past contagion, so I feel safe enough to be out, but I'm still low on sleep. I'm waking every 30 minutes or so, mostly from my own sleep apnea. (Ed says my snores are on a par with outboard motors.) I still have some soreness and swelling, but not nearly as bad as on Monday.

The guys in my office are at it again. It always seems to happen in January that they start talking about money, taxes, etc. They can't change anything, but they still b!tch about it.

I'd rather be at home.

I'm making progress on a new design for socks. I need more time to knit.

Who am I today?

You are The Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.

The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents,
beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home
decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.

The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

On Quarters Today

Is it a sign from God or something if you come down with Strep Throat in the middle of church on Sunday morning? Actually, I woke around 2:00 a.m. yesterday with a sore throat and feeling kind of achy, but I went back to sleep and felt pretty much fine -- just a little tired -- so I went to the gym as planned and got in 40 minutes of cardio along with some easy resistance training (Sundays at the gym are not a time to break records). All was fine until the middle of the Sunday homily when all of a sudden I realized my throat hurt, my lymph nodes were swollen, and I had this overwhelming desire to just put my head down and sleep.

It didn't get much better. I slept most of yesterday, took some aspirin for the pain, and slept some more. This morning I went to the doctor and discovered it's strep throat. Luckily, I don't have a fever, but the rest of me still feels like hell.

So, as part of my recovery, I've been reading through knitting books and patterns ("yarn porn" to the knitting community) and I've come up with an idea I'm going to try for cotton socks. Just as soon as a feel better. Or at least well enough to hold up the knitting needles.

PS -- "On Quarters" is a commonly used term among military people. It means you're not well enough for duty, but you're allowed to recover in your quarters (which, for most of us, is at home) instead of in the hospital. (I had visions of people sliding over a floor full of quarters until this was explained to me.)

Utterly, Totally, Steamed!!!

Yeah, "steamed" with a capital "P" (for POed).

I was going to meet my wonderful husband at the 24Hr Fitness on Cass Street for 30 minutes of cardio this morning. Mind you, this was after 25 minutes of cardio and at least 20 minutes of intense resistance training at the gym last night.

BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The Cass Street 24Hr Fitness was closed because they are having an Grand Opening. That's right: They don't want anyone working out in the gym so that they can show it off to prospective members.

What dipstick in marketing thought up this one? What idiot thought that the best way to sell gym memberships was to make sure no one was using the equipment?

So, I came home and started in on putting things back into the yarn/fabric room. Well, some attempt at organizing first, then putting things back. I'm on a break.

And I'm still P.O.ed.

Problem Solved

I figured out the solution to my creative problem. Well, the major solution is figured out, and that counts for a lot. Now it's just little things.

In the meantime, I have been sucked into the idea of knitting lace. I purchased one book (Lavish Lace: Knitting with Hand Painted Yarns), partly because it was the only one available at my LYS and partly because there was a lacy scarf in it that (1) was titled for a book that I had actually read (A World Lit Only By Fire) and (2) I already had the exact skein of yarn (Cherry Tree Hill in the Cabin Fever colorway) used in the pattern. It was a sign.

Now I've gone online and ordered A Gathering of Lace. I also ordered the paperback (used) of the novel Chocolat, and I ordered the DVD. (I loved the film; never read the book.)

Now I have more problems: How do I do all of this knitting when I have only two hands?????

Creative Headache

I have a headache today, probably from the change in air pressure that brought in the dense fog we had this morning.

But I'm also having a bit of a headache with a funky design I'm trying to work out for some socks. I am fortunate to have some of my Ginger Peach sock yarn left over so that I can work out the design in the size and type of yarn for which I want to knit this fun thing, but, oh, it's hard to be patient with US size 2 needles! I want it to go faster!

*sigh*

I want my headache to go away.

Really going to hell....but with sock yarn

My latest indulgence: Interlacements Toasty Toes from Simply Sock Yarn.

Maybe God will let me into heaven if I promise to knit Him a pair of socks.

Sweater Progress

I'm moving along well on Trish's sweater. I have the body knit (in the round) and I've divided for the sleeves. I'm working the upper back and have about half of that knit (in a simple textured pattern).

Then, of course, I got home and found my KnitPicks catalog waiting.

So much yarn, and only two hands.

Ethical Dilemma

I have some really cool scarves to finish up, and a sweater I promised to my friend Trish (I'm not even up to the armpits on it yet -- still knitting the belly), but I just got a great idea for knitted socks. Do I act responsibly, or do I give in to the passionate throes of creativity?

Or do I ignore both and just start by cleaning up the various knitting-related messes in the kitchen and living room?

I bundled up a bunch of my acrylic yarn yesterday and donated it (through my LYS) to a couple of charities. I actually emptied out 3 bins! It's such a relief -- Yarn out of my house and into the hands of people who will make good use of it. I used bags (it's embarrassing how many bags I had from my LYS) to collect skeins and partial skeins together so that the knitters receiving them would already have some fun ideas on how to blend the colors. My favorites were a mossy green paired with a variegated mossy green/tan/pale blue, and another bag that had a sparkly white and three shades of blue (looked like a winter thing to me). In fact, I had to remind myself that, no matter how cool the combinations were that I was coming up with, I had to give it away.

Now, back to that sweater (yes, I've opted for the road to responsibility).

Can't Put a Price on Love

A newbie knitter was at Sit & Knit last night. At first she was saying she couldn't knit at all, and then she was saying she'd never be able to knit socks, and then .... well, she was pretty much apologizing all night. Anyway, a bunch of us were riffing on The Yarn Harlot's explanation that knitting costs less per hour for entertainment than nearly anything else, plus you get something cool at the end. In her book, Knitting Rules, Stephanie explains that she can get a skein of sock yarn (enough to make two socks) on sale for $16. It takes her about 16 hours to knit a plain sock, so she spends only $1 per hour for her enjoyment and she gets a pair of socks at the end of it. (Try it yourself: Rent a DVD and enjoy the movie, then see if anyone gives you a pair of socks at the end of it. Not gonna happen, friends.)

So, newbie knitter pipes up, "How much does it cost to knit a pair of socks?"

Oh, can you really put a price on love?

I just got a new skein of yarn: Socks that Rock from Blue Moon in the newly released Fire on the Mountain colorway. I even got it in the medium weight (about 7 to 8 stitches per inch on US 2; I'm still knitting the gauge swatch). It's such a heavenly color, I could swear that God gives it to the angels to knit with!

And it's not just the yarn. It's the wonderful time spent browsing through patterns, knitting the gauge swatch, watching the socks come to life under the needles. It's how they feel when you slip them on your feet and your heel is cradled perfectly and even your toes can feel the smoothness of the stitches. No matter how many socks you've knit previously, you get excited when you realize that each little stitch from those skinny little sticks in your hands is turning out something so beautiful that you wonder why everyone in the world doesn't do it!

The Zen of socks: One little stitch building on one little stitch building on one little stitch. Each little stitch is a world of its own, perfect on its own and yet integral to the whole. A careful bend here, a thoughtful decrease there, and you've turned the blessed tube at a right angle so that they flex with the natural motion of the foot and ankle.

And you can't buy that for $2 per pair at Wal-Mart.

Be Quiet!

(On the left is what Charka looked like as a puppy.)

Give It Back!

So Fat I Can't Scratch My Own Derriere

What They Do When We're Not Home

Freakin' Cold!

The air temperature is -3º (F)/ -19º (C) and the wind-chill is -13º (F)/ -25º (C). This is butt-freezing cold, people. This is your-arse-ices-up-when-you-get-in-the-car-even-when-the-car-is-in-the-garage-overnight cold! Polar bears flee to the Arctic to escape this cold! It's +4º (F) in Anchorage and +3º (F) in Fairbanks, for heavens sake! I could be living in Alaska and still be warmer!

In other news, I finished up my lacy socks, but they are still drying from the blocking. Maybe a photo tomorrow.

And my latest project (in addition to those already going): Knitted covers for portable oxygen bottles. No lie. I'll post a photo when I have one.

Until then, I'm piling on the sweaters and blankets to ride out the winter.

Bummer

I was going to join the Mason-Dixon KAL, but I couldn't because I'm on "new blogger" and their site is still on "old blogger."

Sheesh! Technology was supposed to be this great thing that keeps us all together across the lightyears of cyberspace. Right now, it's sort of keeping us apart.

Time for more coffee.

And time to get started on laundry.

For real. This time I mean it.

Great Saturday

It's snowing, there is nowhere I need to go today, and I have lots of knitting to do. This is a great day!

When is "soon" ?

This is from an exchange of emails between me (Graphics) and a co-worker (Developer). Note: I've cleaned up poor grammar and misspellings.

01/05/07 8:32 am
Developer: Where do you stand on major projects? I need a [TC2] console done like the one included [as an attachment]. ... Please let me know when we can discuss this project.

01/05/07 8:35 am
Graphics: Let me get back to you on Monday. I've got some stuff I'm working on for another developer, ... but I need to be able to talk with some people and get an idea of when they need stuff done, what they're working on, etc. When do you need your console done?

01/05/07 8:38 am
Developer: Unfortunately, as soon as possible as it is for the classes we are updating for mod MOD BLK 1.

01/05/07 8:59 am
Developer: Also need the attached panel [Secondary Alarm] done, black with white letters. See the second attachment, upper left [of the photo], 2nd panel in.

01/08/07 8:59 am
Graphics: You want to come over tomorrow morning to discuss this?

01/08/07 9:01 am
Developer: Yes, this [Secondary Alarm Panel] and a new TC2 console.

01/08/07 9:30 am
Graphics: OK, so, what time?

01/08/07 9:37 am
Developer: How about 9?

Now, in the meantime, I've been hit up by two other developers for three other projects, but no one will give me a deadline. It's always, "when you can get to it." I also had to go to some meetings, get together with some people on other projects, etc. Keep in mind that I have no idea when class sections are scheduled to start, how long it takes to get things through the approval phase, or anything. I don't know if they need their work for something that will be presented next week or for next year. They just don't keep me in the loop. Each of them has a different schedule in their heads and they expect me to read their minds.

I met with the developer on this particular project at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday as planned. This is what ensued:

01/10/07 10:40 am
Developer: Can you finish the Secondary Alarm Panel before TC2 console as we need it to turn in a lesson.

01/10/07 10:52 am
Graphics: Yes. By what date do you need this?

01/10/07 1:46 pm
Developer: As soon as you can get it.


I want to tell him that the soonest I can get to this is in late March, just to see his reaction. If he'd said something like, "Our goal is to turn in this lesson by Friday noon, and this is the last piece of art needed," then I'd have a deadline and I'd be able to place it properly in the queue of work. As it is, everyone who has given me work to do has said "when you get to it," but what they imply (especially when they come back to check on how I'm doing with it) is that they wanted theirs to be done first.

If I have any hair left at the end of today it will be a miracle.

Starting Today

OK, the Biggest Loser challenge at my full-time job begins for me today. I weigh in this morning, and then the fun begins: 10 weeks of seriously committed dieting and exercising, changing of habits, and (I am hopeful) establishment of healthful patterns that keep me staying with the program until I've lost 100 lbs.

I'm scared sh!tless.

I'm wearing black today to show my symbolic mourning for what I am saying goodbye to. OK, I know I'm saying good riddance to bad habits, but I've grown accustomed to my bad ways. Change hurts, dammit!

I have made arrangements for a weekly massage in order to stay sane. There is something so magical about a good massage therapist -- someone who understands physiology and is sensitive to the tight spots. I never have to tell my massage therapist where it hurts because he can tell by look and by touch.

Another good thing about my massage therapist: We don't have to dim the lights or burn incense or play new age music in order to have a relaxing session. I mean, he'd do that if I wanted ("It's your session," he says, "so if that's what you need to relax then we'll see how we can accommodate you."), but I don't want it. I want to fall into nothingness.

If you want his name and number, email me (see the profile). He does out-calls (comes into your home), and he knows his stuff. And he's better than any prescription medication for relaxation.

When I win the lottery (or otherwise become an impossibly wealthy person), I'm going to have a full-time massage therapist. A massage every day, or nearly every day. Willful relaxation. Purposeful, informed touch-therapy.

And then I'll also have a cook and a house-keeper.

And everyone will have their own house on my extensive manor grounds.

Well, I can dream, can't I?

My Celebrity Lookalike

According to this web site, my celebrity lookalike is Catherine Deneuve. I'm flattered, but not terribly impressed. I don't know what criteria were used to make this determination, but I believe it's seriously flawed. Fun, but flawed. I'm going to look for another photo to upload. One of these times I'm sure it will come up that my lookalike is Julia Roberts. (NOT!)

Ugh....

We went out for Indian food last night. We took my sister Denise, who is visiting from Arizona. I had vegetable samosas, chicken korma, rice, and naan. I was so full! I was so overly full that I was sick afterward!

My "biggest loser" challenge starts tomorrow. I'm worried about it.

Fruitcake from Jenny & Mike

Finally, the last of the pictures from Christmas! This was a mostly apple fruitcake from good friends Jenny and Mike in Georgia.

Hermione Knitted

I'm not terribly far along on this project, but it goes well. This is the Marjaana in the Hermione color way. The bands of deep turqoise/teal (4 rows each) are actually an acrylic from my stash; they happen to match one of the colors in the Marjaana. Who knew?

In the Bins (Mostly)

This was prior to sorting. I pulled it out of the "crap room" and stacked up the bins and bagged projects. It's all resorted into the bins now (I had to get 4 more so there are 20 now), and the bin for the yarn swap this Thursday is actually overflowing. The projects that are to be finished this year are in a couple of large Zip-Loc bags (the XXL size) now.

Sorting the Mess

Click on the image (in fact, this works with all of the pictures) to see it larger. It's frightening, but it's nowhere nearly as bad as actually being in the mess and sorting it. Lots of the yarn in didn't get photographed, and of the yarn photographed, not all of it made it to the blog. The acrylics were sorted into bins by color; the rest went into separate bins by manufacturer.

From My Stash - Acrylic Hell

From My Stash - Knit Picks

From My Stash - Lamb's Pride

From My Stash - Noro

Sock Count

In addition to the items pictured, I have some Cherry Tree Hill for socks and some Koigu for socks, but that still puts me only at about 45 pairs of socks at the most, so Alcariel still has the record for most sock yarn in her stash.

From My Stash - Debbie Bliss

The cardigan is on the list to be finished this year.

From My Stash - Cascade Yarn

Some more socks from this. I like to knit Cascade worsted weight on US 4.0 to make socks. They're great! My Goblet-of-Fire socks are knit from Cascade 220 (not washable, but still fun to wear).

From My Stash - Socks

From My Stash - Misc. Wool

There's more of this than what's pictured, but this will do.

From My Stash - Unfinished Scarves

These are on the list to be finished this year. The two are the top are for charity (the easy-care ones).

Oh, the Humanity!

The only reason I haven't posted a photo of my mind-boggling yarn stash is that I can't find the little USB adapter into which I slide the memory card from my camera.

It's staggering.

It's .... it's .... OK, I'm tired and I'm only about halfway through sorting it, so I don't even know what to call it.

I do know that at this moment there is no way to set foot into the livingroom without stepping on yarn. In fact, there is nowhere to sit in the livingroom, either.

I've found six scarves I started (but, obviously, haven't finished).

I've found bags of yarn for six me-sized pullovers.

I've got two shawls and one baby blanket started.

I've found several balls of Noro that I didn't remember I'd gotten.

I have enough skeins of Lamb's Pride to knit a king-sized blanket.

I have novelty yarns which have somehow transformed from a wonderful little prize to "Why did I get this ball of crap?"

There is a yarn swap at String of Purls next Thursday. I hope someone finds great treasures in my cast-offs. Presuming I can get them all together and into the car.

Facilities Improvement Where I Work

A water pipe broke in the ground on the north side of the building where I work, so they turned off the water supply and installed the portable toilets for our use. Our site manager (in the background with the toilet paper hanging from his belt) set this up with my supervisor (Trish, left) and a co-worker (Larry, right). Then he added the caption and sent it off to our main headquarters in Memphis.

Golly, it's just a laugh a minute around here some days!

Moving Beyond the Past

This was in my book of meditations for yesterday:

"One of our primary rights is to begin feeling better and recovering, whether or not others in the family choose to do the same. We do not need to feel guilty about finding happiness and a life that works. And we do not have to take on our family's issues as our own to be loyal and to show we love them. ... Taking care of ourselves and becoming healthy and happy does not mean we do not love them. I means we're addressing our own issues."

The Language of Letting Go, by Melody Beattie

That one hit me right between the eyes. My family and the people I work with have their own issues. I can be working on my own stuff and working toward my own goals without taking on their stuff, too.

Funny, but it seems weird to have to tell myself that it's OK to be happy, yet that's what I have to do. I feel guilty about having anything nice, like I can still hear my mom in my head, screaming at me that I don't deserve anything nice because I never take care of what I have.

She was angry. She was hurt. If she had the chance today, she'd take back those nasty words. But I'm not going to bring it up to her just so that I can hear those words and feel better. She's a different person today than she was 30 or 40 years ago. So am I.

Time to move beyond the past. Time to move into a happy and healthy future.

Liberal, Pro-Choice Christian

OK, I'm really steamed this morning, and here's why:

This is my new evening prayer:

"Dear God, please help America. The Democrats are now in power, and they believe in abortion. They believe in raising my taxes. They believe in global-warming claims, gay marriage and amnesty for illegal immigrants. These are but a few of the mistakes they intend to inflict upon us.

"I will pray for the Democrats and for America, because I truly believe that this upcoming 110th Democratic Congress will lead us straight to hell. Amen."
Mary T. Murnan, Omaha

and

News organizations are doing an extremely accurate job of informing the public about the number of soldiers who have been killed in Iraq. I feel very bad for every life that has been lost. I admire the service our military provides to keep our country free.

So, if every life is very important, then why don't news organizations inform us that every day more than 3,600 babies on average are killed using abortion, a practice approved and fought for by the Democratic Party and supported through the party platform?

It appears to me that the reporting of the deaths in Iraq is a political issue rather than a real concern for life, since these news organizations, in my opinion, also strongly support abortion by their refusal to report those deaths daily.
Ron G. Becker, Omaha

(from the Omaha World-Herald, Public Pulse section)

I'm sorry, but I've really had it with these self-righteous blow-hards. They think there are only two sides to this: Theirs (which is anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-anything-they-don't-particularly-approve-of), and the "liberals" (also known as the people-who-are-going-straight-to-hell).

I'm a Christian. I'm also considered a political liberal because I believe that homosexuals are born that way (rather than making a choice about their sexuality), they should be allowed to marry (and, yes, I'm using the "M" word purposefully) and adopt children.

I also believe every woman has a right to choose whether or not to bring her pregnancy to full term.

I also believe that the right (and responsibility) to choose begins long before conception.

That means you choose (both men and women) whether to use contraceptives when having sex.

Step back once more, and that means you choose whether to have sex at all. There are too many people (both men and women) who try to substitute a sexual relationship for self-esteem, for dealing with loneliness, for the real intimacy between human beings which requires work and sacrifice and taking appropriate chances on love.

Step back once more, and that means you choose whether to be involved with someone in the first place.

Step back once more, and that means you have to be honest with yourself.

Some people get all up in arms about teaching Sex Education in the schools. I think it needs to be taught -- completely and without glossing over anything -- to both the kids and their parents. I think it needs to include more than sexual intercourse. It needs to include issues of self-esteem, co-dependent relationships, that nasty habit some people (especially women, it seems) have of thinking they can "rescue" someone with love. It needs to include how to handle your emotions (anger, happiness, frustration) without resorting to sexuality for expression.

The problems of this nation -- and of the world -- can't be laid in the lap of one group of people, whether they are "liberals," "baby-killers," or even the self-righteous and self-appointed religious zealots (and I'm talking about Christians as well as others).

The problems are with individuals who don't know how to function peaceably in a whole society.

Now, go back to your Bible and read Colossians 3. Here's a nice excerpt:

But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:8-17 (NIV)

Rosa Parks — Marjaana

My new yarn has arrived. It's magnifico, gorgioso, splendissimo! I got it through Little Knits, which has Marjaana for $42 per skein (and you get 550 yards per 8 oz skein). It's 50% merino wool and 50% tussah silk. I love it! They are out of the Rosa Parks colorway, but they still have Hermione, Edith Piaf, Mary Baker Eddy, Clara Barton, Louisa May Alcott, Toni Morrison, and Shirley Chisholm.

Soon I'll be able to post some of the Hermione I've been knitting. (Problem with remembering the flash drive adapter for the camera, and it doesn't take a USB cable. Grrrr!!!!!)

Um...., yeah, New Year's Resolutions

Hobbies/Crafts:

• I will clean out/reorganize my sewing/knitting/craft room.

• I will finish up all of the UFOs, or I will undo them and rewind the yarn. The goal is to get to the end of 2007 with all of my currently unfinished projects resolved.

Heatlh/Wellness:

• I will take my vitamins/supplements every day, just like I take my medications.

• I will get 100 to 120 minutes of cardio exercise per week.

• If I feel like overeating, it will be on "real" food with nutritional value, not junk food.

• I will track my food intake and make every effort to stay within limits. The goal is to get to the end of 2007 with at least 50 lbs lost.

Happy New Year!

I was in bed at 11:00 p.m. (Central Standard Time) only to be wakened by Charka dog when the fireworks in the neighborhood started going off at midnight. The fireworks lasted only about 10 minutes this year, but Charka stayed curled up on the floor beside my bed. About 12:45 a.m., though, I still couldn't get back to sleep, so I came downstairs to the computer room. I was listing to some of Craig Ferguson's monologues, but the feed would somehow get hung up on my computer and twice I had to turn off the entire thing because there was no other way to end the program (despite all of the other commands to do so). Ah, Windows! Such a fragile piece of junk!

Anyway, I was knitting whilst I listened to the one or two monologues that came through. It's nearly 3:00 a.m. now, and I'm finally feeling tired enough to go to bed.

Happy New Year! (And Happy National Hangover Day to those who feel that applies to them.)