Monday, June 22, 2009

Oh For Crying Out Loud

I tell you what.

Planning this trip may very well get the best of me. I have stressed over money; that part is out of the way. But apparently planning is something that even I didn't realize that I have such an affinity for.

It's eating me alive.

I have a massive envelope containing all of our confirmations and e-tickets thus far. This envelope gets bigger by the day. I have them saved in email too. I have lists, links, maps, routes, prices, and every other thing you can imagine. I have made an itinerary. I add to it. Frequently. And now, I have been given permission to totally abandon BF in the planning process. This is now my project, my fixation, my madness.

I've been making lists.

I don't know when I did this, but I made- are you ready for this? a List of Lists to Make. Yep, I did. Every other list now becomes a sub-list to the List of Lists. Is this a sign of a problem. I fear it is so. The List of Lists is really a peek into my insanity at this point:

Things to Get
Things to Make (yay)
Things to Do
Things to Pack
Things to Plan (wtf?)
Things to Pack to Make

Things to Pack to Make. What? What is that? The best I can figure is that it's a list of knitting to bring along. But really. Why didn't I type Knitting to Pack? or just Knitting? Things to Pack to Make. Huh.

The dorkiness, it's reached Epic Proportions. I feel bad for BF. I think he's resenting this trip, and the fact that it's taken over my life.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

One Year's Time

This photo was taken on June 29th, 2008.



This photo was taken today.


The dog in the top photo winced when you touched her. She avoided eye contact. Well, really any contact. The dog in the second photo sits below my chair with her head on my feet as I type this.

Good girl, Maya.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Time Spent Pondering

How's about today I skip the "my my, where DOES the time go?!? How long has it been since I posted again?" stuff. I believe I will.

The past two weeks have been both good and bad, with ups and downs, and all that. You know, life stuff. We are still adjusting to life together. Some days it's all eyelash batting and frosting- the days when I come home to a clean house, and we go to the swimming pool and I do Sweet Jumps off his shoulders or knees- those are the best days. Other days it's gnashing of teeth, slamming of doors, and seeing who can yell, "NOOOOOOOOOOO! FUCK YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!" the loudest. (Hint: it's usually me. However, I laugh when I say it. What I possess in sheer volume, I lack in conviction.). But that's everyone's life, isn't it? Please say yes.

Anyway, more job stuff, and more dog stuff ( I do believe some of that is share worthy, perhaps tomorrow) and more knitting stuff, and then there's the travel stuff. More on that later, too.

So anyway. I have been thinking. About blogging. And my blog. And all the blogs I read. And why I like them. And the purpose of mine. And what it's about. And what my story is. I can be crafty, but I don't even find my own crafty posts interesting. I can follow directions, but rarely am I clever in my application of said crafts. And oy, the knitting. I don't knit quickly enough to post anything much knitting related, and I have just been too lazy to post the awesome photos I have been taking. But, I plan to fix that. Yes sir. But really, what is my story?

Do you ever wonder that about yourself? Maybe not in the bloggy sense, but in the big picture sense? What is your story? I think my story is of a girl who knits, travels, has weird neurotic animals, loves a rescued foxhound probably too much, loves a boy who makes her crazy, and often fails miserably at keeping it all together, much less packaging it nicely to show to others. Is that a good story, though?

Ya know, I gotta work on eliminating self-indulgent musings from this blog. They bore even me.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Job Woe. Then Triumph. Then Woe. Then Triumph.

Here at the Stupid house, it's really been a week or so of big ups and downs, especially of the Job variety.

Down: It seemed as though even the Wine Store down the street did not want BF's help. Sigh.

Up: He hit the streets, literally, and dropped resumes off in person. And it paid off! Someone who was not even hiring would be in touch!

Down: The holiday weekend came and went, and no one was in touch.

Up: Then they finally got in touch! On Wednesday- could BF come in for an interview that Friday?

Down: Later that afternoon, we learned that I would have to take a pay cut. We didn't know how much, but I was advised to find a second job. Commence to wringing of hands.

Up: He got the job! The upside is he got the job! It's sales, so working on comission isn't always favorable, especially when no one wants to buy anything, but it's a job! And it's one that I know he can succeed in.

Down: Part-time job searching proves tough on me. I don't do F&B, I hate the public, and I really just want one job.

Up: Today it seems that it was just a false alarm. No pay cuts after all! Still looking for a second job, just a bit of extra cash to put away before the trip. The main thing is we are no worse for the wear, possibly better even, and things will be fine.

This week has been a booger. And it's only Tuesday! I feel like I have been on a roller coaster. A fucking serious one, at that. We've gone up and down and up and down, and I just squinched my eyes shut tight and held on for dear life. Now it feels like the ride has come to a stop, but I am a bit scared to open my eyes. I'd like very much to get back to the business of knitting and singing to the dogs.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Landing at CharlesTowne

In our continuous search for things to do that don't cost a lot, we are playing tourist a lot. I am also playing Intrepid Photographer, and it's been loads of fun. Last weekend (again, painfully late on the pics, but oh well) we went to a hidden gem of educational fun that's just right down the street from me- CharlesTowne Landing!

It's loads of fun, and I got some pretty good pics. We ended up going twice that weekend- once without the dogs, once with them. Maya LOVED it. You could really see her little hunting dog instincts come out- she had her nose to the ground at all times, splashed through puddles, and pointed at things that we might be interested in (but could not see since we are not goofy dogs). Anyway, by taking most of the trails you end up doing several miles' worth of walking. It's good clean fun for only $5. Can't beat it.

You can click any picture to enlarge, but be warned that in doing so, the pic will REALLY enlarge. I didn't really resize them, as I am planning something for a lot of them.

A blue heron at the shorebirds Exhibit. He was SOOOO close to me. I mean, kind of scary close. the exhibit is very cool; its a marshy area that's sort of netted so that the birds can't get away, and you just mingle with them. I was sort of afraid of having my eyes pecked out, but they really don't seem to be interested in people at all.
since when were bison native to SC? I really am calling shenanigans on that idea, but then again what do I know?

The magnolias are beautiful, and huge there. This was the pic that showed me that I have indeed mastered the manual focus.
Shortly after the Triumph de Magnolia Picture, it became very overcast, and stayed that way for the rest of the weekend. So, I switched to black and white, or occasionally sepia. I really liked the effect it had on the live oaks.
It is at this spot that I was once held at knifepoint by a gang of wayward turtles. I am serious- they know that people have snacks, and will give them to you if you can manage to outnumber them. I surrendered my snacks and made it out alive.
A tree. Some oars. Yup.
Maya taking a rest in the shade. Find me a prettier face with a more gentle soul behind prettier brown eyes, and I will go back and fight those turtles bare-handed.
I will confess something to you. I have been walking under these oaks since I was little, and each time I still feel the same way. Especially when it's overcast, my imagination gets the best of me. It was gray, just a bit breezy and sort of ominous. I lagged behind everyone, taking pictures, staring up at the trees, and I have to say- I spooked myself out. I thought about being lost and alone in a spooky forest, and what sort of boogie boogies might be waiting to pounce on the one lonely girl who got separated from the rest. I literally ran to catch up with the others. I've always been that way, easily spooked by an extremely active imagination.
This guy almost gave me a heart attack! We heard a CHOMP! sound, and then a big splash, and you have never seen someone scoop up her 40 pound dog so fast. There are signs all over that warn of alligators, and I was sure it was a huge one with a taste for either foxhounds or girls with cameras, or both. It turned out to be just a little 5 or so footer (Dept. of Natural Resources won't even come get a gator that size and remove it even if you wake up one morning and see it at your kitchen table, eating your terrier and reading the paper!) and i think the splash was him moving to get away from us, but I sure did my best to get away from him.
Yet another place in which I lagged behind and spooked myself out. I have never gotten the courage up to see what's behind those gates. At this point, I am sure it's some park offices, or a lounge for the rangers. Maybe a soda machine and a place to store the golf carts they drive around. But if you let your mind wander a bit, maybe there are ghosts back there in a creaky old house, or shadows that move around amongst the moss. Maybe.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Knitted Things Unfinished

And now, the things that I am occasionally knitting on, and thusly they remain unfinished.


Fetching, by Cheryl Niamath
US5 needles
Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK yarn

I love the color and the pattern has made for good movie knitting. However, it's sort of a hollow victory, working on stuff like this and then realizing that once you finish it, try it on, and then take a pic of it, the item then heads to the top shelf of the closet till the fall (at least). Curse you, temperate climate.

Anthropologie Inspired Capelet, by Julia Allen
US11 needles
Mirasol Miski in Snowdrop, held double (it's the best thing ever)

This is almost done, but now that all is left is one sleeve's ribbing and weaving in all those god forsaken ends, I am sort of bored with it. I hate how I get like that. Anyway, it seems to fit pretty well, and it's awfully cute, and will look good in the spring over a sundress. I consider the long, long time before I can wear it to be the perfect time to scout around the thrift stores for a truly magnificent brooch for pinning it closed at the neck.