I'm back ....

...and wish I could say, "better than ever", but alas...it would be a lie.

Here's the short list of what I've been up to:

My mother and father-in-law are celebrating their 93rd and 91st birthday's respectively. Gotta love it. They're slowing down a bit in all aspects, but still living independently. Independently enough to make us wish that they'd consent to bring someone in a few hours a week to help. Not happening yet. This is the cowl I made for my mother-in-law for Christmas. (Still have Blizzard yarn in my stash.) Looks pinker that it really is. It is a pattern that I bought at my LYS. It was knit in a super bulky alpaca. I made it a bit longer so she could slide it over her head if she wished, or could button it up close. The buttons go through the cable crossings.

I'm thinking of making one for me in black alpaca for running. I think it will be very convenient with the buttons.

This is the ornament I created for my sister-in-law who shoulders the primary responsibility for the parents. Every year I bead her an ornament. I try to do something very different each year, but I cheated a little this year. The ornament you see is one of my personal favorites, and I added pearls as a twist. I was especially fond of the large pearl drops you see on the bottom. For Christmas 2012, I'm going to have to start much earlier.....like now. Taking care of elderly parents, is a pretty thankless job, frankly, so we try and do nice things for her whenever we get the opportunity. That included taking dinner with us when we visited, so she didn't have to come to the house for two nights (she did anyway, and we were happy to see her, but she didn't have to worry about someone checking on meds, food, etc.)








The rest of the break we spent finishing up chores (seriously), relaxing, eating and exercising. And just to show you what an exciting couple we are, we bought THREE, no kidding, THREE irons, before we found ONE that actually worked. (My hubby is an ironer, and he's really tough on irons. Well, between him and our calcium rich water, they don't last very long.) So this time we invested a little more (Rowenta) because I was becoming so frustrated with our current iron. (I really didn't like it overall. The hand controls were poor, it switched heat settings unexpectedly because of how it was designed, ugh.) So into the trash. But the first iron we bought didn't shut off as it was supposed to. We depend on the auto shutoff feature, so I returned it, and got another. Different store, different city, and what do you know - this one shut off while one ironed. What the heck?!!!! So New Year's Eve (see, I told you we were an exciting couple), I took it back once more. As luck would have it, it was the same clerk who had taken care of me the NIGHT before. This time I also bought,  an additional (more expensive) model. Well, thank goodness third time's the charm and I got to return the more expensive iron. Now to train my husband to use spring water, instead of tap water. And what store was so patient with a seemingly crazy customer. Target. Never a problem returning to Target. (I do keep my receipts.)

And now I must ask for some advice. In a prior posting, I mentioned that I was making fuzzy feet for my husband. Well, I knocked them out pretty quick. I used Knitpicks, Wool of the Andes, and based on prior experience did not expect any felting difficulties. In fact, I was expecting it to felt like a sonofagun. Well, I would have been incorrect.

Here is a photo of the drying slippers. See anything unusual? Maybe not yet.












How about now? The black, foot portion is felted, and the yellow is completely not. And though you can not see it in the photo, the heel flap on the right one, is also not felted. This is all the same wool folks. Do not consider the white. That is a leftover, from another project and NOT Wool of the Andes. I had two choices. Try and force the yellow to felt, and then the foot would be too small, or just call it a day. Has anyone else experienced this?


I'm thinking that I'm going to stick to wools that have a touch of mohair for felting from now on. Like Lambs Pride. Any other suggestions would be most welcome. I'm putting the Fuzzy Feet in time out for now.

And don't even ask about the new coach. I don't have any idea or opinion. And I'm trying to decide if I even care.

Signing Off

Signing off for 2011...Can hardly believe it!

If I were a slick blogger I'd have some fancy schmancy tree or ornament photo to put here--but I'm not so I don't.

Instead I'll leave you with this.

Watching it gives me the chills.....Another secret out...I'm a LOTR geek. Srsly. They are the only movies I've seen in theaters in a decade...(oops, is that another secret?)

December 2012

JUST. CAN'T. WAIT! (Listen to that dwarf song....!!)






So everyone have a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year see yunz in 2012.

Thank you knitting elves.....

 Plain vanilla pattern, fancy cotton/wool yarn!!

By some miracle, the final toe was kitchenered yesterday morning, and they didn't have time to even be "blocked flat". Immediately into the box, wrapped, then on to the post office. I finished knitting the foot in the wee hours of Monday morning. No I didn't stay up to finish knitting, I was up for another reason, and found it convenient since I needed to finish knitting anyway.

Whew. I'm now making a(nother) pair of Fuzzy Feet for DH (by request, with more Steeler gold than last time), but I'm neither worried nor in a hurry. He gets 'em when he gets 'em. I know where he lives. I'm now working on Christmas cards. Again, not worried whether they get there before Christmas. Afterward will be just dandy with me.

Where's the wine?

P.S. And notice the other Christmas miracle in the photo.....the striping pattern matches exactly and I didn't even have to work at it. (And here's what I dufus I am. I didn't even look at the ball band and  was shocked when I saw the fair isle striping appearing. I bought it because I like the way the colors looked in the ball. Duh.)

Some things I think, I think....

1. And on it goes.....
   I got a little bit of a snarky thrill, when I heard that Sandusky waived his prelim at the 11th hour. (I had been wondering about that myself, why bother?) However, to let the town of Bellefonte (Bell-font - see the last item) get their town knickers in a knot: bring in law enforcement - from the state police to off duty corrections officers; cover over the courtroom windows to discourage peepers; cordon off parking for the media; then allowing everyone to gather, only to walk away, can you say passive aggressive? Well, as far as the media goes, I was delighted to see them get their just desserts. The legal system will grind along with or without 'em, and I'd prefer without. From what I know of the man professionally, this is classic Amendola. He does everything "by the book", takes his time, and lets the prosecution run themselves ragged. I know of one case where the defendant wanted the issue resolved, but Amendola counselled patience, and the outcome was was better than expected.I also think this may have been a little payback for how they re-arrested Sandusky last week (appeared at his home with a warrent, perp walk etc.) Rather, in most rearrest cases, the attorney is notified by the police and they ask that the client surrender at a certain time. There may have been a bit of grandstanding..... It cost the town (pop: roughly 6,000), about $21,000 for the 5 minute circus. Can't wait for the trial. (NOT!)
2. Don't let the door hit you on the way out....
   Finals week. Students are leaving. This town needs the rest.
3.  The lawyer....
   One of the questions that I keep hearing people ask, and that I see people write in comments, is the self-righteous comment "How can he sleep at night (meaning the lawyer)?" Let me say for the record that Joe Amendola is well liked in the community. He is active in civic affairs, he's an Elk,  he participates in charitable causes (probably the Second Mile among others), he closed his office for four days when a neighbor experienced a tragic and unexpected death in his immediate family, so he could focus on helping. And here's the kicker, law enforcement LIKES him. I quote, "He's just doing his job. He's a "good guy", from a law enforcement acquaintance when the question was posed to him. What would the collective you rather? That we operate like Iran, and we just execute someone because he's creepy, or is accused of doing creepy things? I'm sure that's fine until it's you or someone you love. For the record defense attorneys do (should) not lie. They need to go into a courtroom to tell the judge and jury that you are not guilty, and will avoid your confession at all costs. Any evidence the defendant offers must be shared with the prosecution. So it's a no win, unless a plea deal is the outcome. That's how he sleeps at night.
4. Knitting Elves!!
   I'm officially issuing a plea for an appearance of the knitting elves, along with the shopping elves, and decorating elves. Holy cow. I'm so far behind, I don't know what to think. Would it be so bad to send my mom one sock with an IOU?

Why polls are meaningless....

..... in the past month, my home answering machine has participated in two political polls.

The first was just before the general election in November. I arrived within earshot to hear the "disembodied voice" ask, "what party will you vote for, primarily, in the election on Tuesday. Press 1 for ....". I fully expected to hear the "voice" say "we did not understand your selection, but instead, I heard the voice say. "Thank you for participating." Huh? I said to my husband, apparently our answering machine will be voting on Tuesday, however, I'm not sure for who."

Then there was yesterday. I heard the phone as I walked in the door. I didn't rush to answer, but instead stood at the bottom of the stairs to hear if it was a call I needed to attend to . Rather I hear the disembodied voice again, announcing a survey. Thinking that it would sense that there was a answering machine on our end and would terminate the call, I went about my business. A few minutes later I arrive at the desk where the machine is STILL recording the voice as it asks: "Who will you be voting for in 2012. Press 1 for Barak Obama, Press 2 for.." As I listened, the survey was apparently getting some kind of feedback it was interpreting as responses. When it got to "what party will you most tend to vote for". Press 1 for.... I intercepted the call and hung up. Who the heck knows what or how the signals the survey was getting were being interpreted. Bizarre.

So there you have it. Surveys are crap. Especially if it is administered by a computer, instead of a human.

And I'm still wondering who the answering machine voted for for school board.......

Send out the clowns...

We're down to two...as of this morning's count. NBC and CNN still have trucks set up on College Avenue, and tents set up on Old Main lawn. I'm hoping they'll waste away from boredom. We're on fall break.

I think this article pretty much covers the craziness. If you look at the photos, you'll see what I tried to describe in my last post.

Please go home now.....

We're now getting used to the new normal. I can tell you that there are about 40,000 year round residents, and 39, 990 of us hadn't a clue as to what was happening. It is completely disconcerting when I think of it. We're now in a wait and see mode, and I think this mode is going to last a very, very long time. The one thing we are sure of, is that the abuse, at least from this alleged abuser, has stopped.

In the meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that you have much to be thankful for. We do. When we get back, I WILL have knitting....no kidding. I've not been knitting as much, because I've had an ongoing headache (what a shock!), and I'm way behind on Christmas knitting. There may be some Christmas knitting that won't get done....and so be it.

Now back to our regularly scheduled...

...ummm...not so much.

Welcome to the "new" normal. It isn't pretty and it makes me throw up in my mouth a little.

I've been mighty snarky about the media circus that has ensued. But Friday, took me to another, very bad place.

DH and I attended a campus theater performance. (Life does indeed  go on here, and there are other students.) Afterward, one of the local taverns was advertising jazz as their entertainment. Well, because this is such an unusual occurrence, we wanted to patronize said tavern. We also thought we'd get a bit of a break from the non-stop barrage of bad news.

B.I.G. mistake. As is true on most college campuses/towns, we left our car in our legal space and walked from the theater (walking is generally the travel mode of choice on a campus like this). As we approached the administration building we came across students who were leaving the candlelight vigil. As we continued to the downtown area, things changed rapidly. First, the main drag was as bright as daylight from the television floodlights. As we approached I could see a few satellite truck dishes above the screening hedge. But when we stepped into the street there were approaching 20 of these trucks and their attendant ghouls in a  line up and down the street, clearly waiting for "something" to happen.  It was just jaw dropping. In the mere block we walked we saw, literally, 6 state, local and PSU police vehicles on a slow cruise. Sometimes one behind another - with multiple officers on board. I can't even find a way to describe the scene adequately. It was horrific. We beat a path back to the dark center of campus as soon as we could. I was, and continue to be, stunned. The good news is that NOTHING happened.

The fallout hasn't stopped yet, but with any kind of luck, it will slow down enough to eventually allow the business of justice to move forward.

To the whiners and know-it-alls:

Joe Paterno was dealt with the way he was because by his "retirement" announcement, he was trying to do what he's always done. Whatever he wants. Sorry, that's the fact. For years many bemoaned the fact that there was no succession plan in place. He refused to think about how to handle this team he loves so well, and the multimillion dollar business it had become, when it was time to move on. The words selfish and Paterno were being linked more and more often. The message the board sent was that you are not the most important person right now. I believe they saw the standing ovations he would surely get at his last "official" games as antithetical to the "right thing to do". It is really that simple. And let's talk about coaching....can someone tell me how one coaches from a box, with no communication equipment and a cuppa coffee in hand? Shadow puppets? Telepathy? No one knows better than I that he and his family are consummate philanthropists. They have contributed to this community in ways that transcend just money. But it doesn't change the fact that EVERYONE HAS A BOSS and the board finally put on their pants and made that clear.

Lastly, this is not about football. This is about a group of powerful people throughout the community who somehow thought that they could control an alleged predator. They mistakenly thought that hiding information was going to protect the community at large, and their various organizations. I have no idea how anyone could possibly come to this conclusion. I also believe that holding this information in secret, put the rest of us as guardians out of loop.

There are two satellite trucks still here today: NBC and someone generic. However, with interim President Erickson sending an email to the campus community about every 15 seconds. I don't think they'll be getting much. So, move along folks nothing more to see. We're going to have to figure this out for ourselves. All that's left is a sad, stunned community.

Lord help me there's more....

..... We are currently embroiled in a circus, inside a carnival, within a rodeo. I am beginning to scream at the radio because EVERYONE has[is] an assh.... uh, opinion, and apparently no one has taken the time to think this through. (Also my regular coffee shop was completely filled. No seats! How rude! And the streets are FILLED with satellite trucks.)

Here are a few more "facts".

Fact: The graduate student is not named in the indictment as a witness. GET THAT? NOT NAMED      ( go ahead, read it, I dare you). It is a pretty easy inference, especially here, but still. Because someone speculates on a blog is not an adequate reason to crucify someone. IMHO.

Fact: Another eyewitness, named in the indictment, to a second, later, equally horrific event, at the same facility, was reduced to blubbering when he met with his shift supervisors. Does this not tell you what this does to a normal psyche? Also included in the report, is the little line that the perpetrator and victim saw both witnesses at the times of the incidents. For those that are hollering "why didn't [witness] stop the assault"...well, maybe it's because it did stop when they were seen. This information may possibly be in reports that will be used for prosecution. Didn't think of that did'ja?

Fact: For all of this, the victim of the first witnessed incident has yet to be identified. I have very good information (you can't imagine how small this town really is), that indicates two full time state authorized investigators have worked full time for six months to identify this individual, with NO success. While not deadly to a conviction, this can be used to cast doubt in a defense strategy. While on the search, they participated in gathering all the other witnesses that the GJ heard. (And yesterday, Victim Nine was forwarded to them.)

Fact: Has it not occurred to anyone that being quiet is the best strategy for the prosecution? If ONE of these allegations is true, this man is a monster, and I do not want to risk him getting off. That being said, another fact, is that he is being represented by a pretty sharp lawyer. He's local, but he's one smart cookie. I suspect he is waiting for information he can use to "pop up" in the press. I hope everyone who may be part of the prosecution just shuts up! NOW!

Fact: Everyone is making a big deal about Paterno's cancelled press conference. Here's the unvarnished story. Paterno has become the Andy Rooney (RIP) of the sports world. The filters between his brain and mouth have deteriorated. He regularly intimidates the local sports media,  backing them down, they're afraid for their jobs and need PSU access, but the national media is another matter. Of course, he doesn't see it that way... We were settling in for a Woody Hayes moment, where he'd say something completely off the wall and he'd have to be locked in a closet for the remainder of the season. Also, there is the possibility I alluded to above that he might have compromised the investigation and prosecution. I can't imagine that this situation is REALLY a complete shock to him. Call me a cynic. Then there is the turmoil within the administration, while I have no sympathy for anything that's going on there, let's not make it worse. No matter what happens they're all pretty much done. Call the realtors now is my advice. So we have someone who is deluded at best, mean at worst wanting to answer questions--from a bunch of sharks..... Does this not sound like a train wreck to anyone?

Fact: ESPN is reporting that Paterno has announced his retirement. Too bad he procrastinated so long he's riding out on a wave of crap, rather than glory. Leaves his team and staff in a bad situation. Another post for another day. Won't be any retirement celebrations any time soon, I suspect. 

ETA: As I walked back through campus, from honest to goodness university business...the worker bees are still toiling, every person I passed had a cell phone glued to his/her ear and what I inferred from the one sided conversations is that the board of trustees has asked the president to step down or be fired by the end of the day. Nothing official has been released. No surprise there. The PR faculty are thinking that this is the worst PR performance since BP, which recently overtook the Exxon Valdez as the way not to address a crisis. Nice, huh?

Let's get a few things straight....

We are not a "state university", despite the name, due to an anomaly in funding. Our state schools are a set of loosely affiliated small universities-fourteen to be exact. So "the state" can't fire anyone. Officially, we are a state-related public university. So much for media fact checking.

There are literally, thousands of faculty, staff and students who are stunned by the depth and breadth of the indictment against the former coach. We toil, heroically for the most part, so those that attend get the best education possible. From the folks that wipe the desks down each day to the course designers, web developers, and subject matter experts, our focus is to enhance learning. We understand where we are in the "food chain" and just have to trust that those in responsible positions, will make reasonable decisions. And there's the breakdown.

It doesn't always happen. Particularly when it comes to a certain 80-something football coach. A friend from athletics and I used to joke that "everyone has a boss"...."except Joe Paterno". It's too bad it was true.

That being said.
Fact. The 1998 incident you are hearing about (and if you have the stomach for it I suggest you read the indictment--it does take a strong stomach though) was not pursued because, apparently, the DA decided he didn't have a case. Why? We'll never know because he disappeared in 2005. Yes, you read that right. Disappeared. Drove his car about 30 miles east, parked and "poof". He was declared dead this past spring. The only assumption that can be made is that there was not enough evidence to file charges. (He was a pretty cautious DA overall.)

Fact. In 2006, the next DA took, what is now a series of incidents, and decided it needed a bigger office with more investigators, and citing "conflict of interest" kicked it to the state AG (who is now our governor), and the investigation began in earnest. The grand jury was convened in 2009, and that brings us to today.

Fact. The university officials who were arraigned yesterday, were charged with perjury, nothing more. Unfortunately, there is no legal basis for shirking your ethical or moral duty to humanity (mores the pity).

Fact. We have people here pointing their collective shaking fingers at a certain graduate assistant who actually had the temerity to tell his boss what he saw. If you read the indictment and [his testimony] description of what he saw, you begin to understand how horrifying that experience probably was. He will not have me second guessing him. And here's the rub. I also suspect that when he went to a certain 70 year old, and used words like "inappropriate" rather than rape. My 70 year old mother wouldn't have gotten it either. Let me also say that graduate students are in horrible positions just generally. They can be kicked out of their respective programs for seeing the wrong movie, or changing a syllabus. They walk on egg shells. In this light it was particularly gutsy. Maybe not far enough, but hell, he did what ordinarily would be the "right" thing.  (If you want to argue this point, fine. However, I see what goes on here with GAs, and it isn't pretty.) Also please keep in mind that in the past three years he gave testimony to a grand jury investigation.

Fact. Even though this former coach was banned from campus, particularly with kids in tow, few knew it. If I had seen him last week on campus with a kid, I wouldn't have thought twice about it.

Fact. We are all being painted as worshiping at the "shrine" of Paterno. Not so much. Rumors are now swirling around campus that there will be an "announcement" at Saturday's game. My current earworm is the "Hallaujah Chorus".  

(Speculation: The administrators will be found not guilty, or have their charges dropped. And plausible deniability exists for the president and Paterno.)

Hit and run ...

Hi!

Here is where we were  a week ago Saturday:

Fort Ligonier

Please notice the blue skies and sunny weather.

This was this past Saturday:

Yeah, snow. Heavy wet, snow. It wasn't the earliest that we've gotten snow like this, but jeepers. It just wasn't fair. I was so glad we sold our tickets to the football game.

There's lots more about Fort Ligonier that I will save for a future post. The hair on the back of my neck stood straight up at the sight of original George Washington journal entries. And his saddle pistols.....!! I had no idea I was a history geek, but there you have it.

While I had the time I finally finished the languishing Leyburn Socks.

Please ignore the fancy pj bottoms....it's still cold here.

Zitron Trekking Pro-Natura
Lovely yarn. Has bamboo in it.
Pattern needed reworking (details here), and I had to fuss with the slip stitch pattern too much to make it worth my while to knit again. Another reason why they languished. They are very pretty though.


In addition to the socks, I also finished ANOTHER father-in-law knit cap (his favorite) this time in blue multi, and a neck warmer for my mother-in-law. Photos soon.

A little of this, a little of that..

It occurs to me that I've been talking to myself lately. About what one may inquire? Well, about my astonishment that people I gave credit to for being tolerant, aren't. And not just intolerant, ignorant. It is upsetting and depressing.

I've said many times that I'm a true centrist. Because it is so important for folks to have labels, let me be clear about this. I evaluate issues independently. I base my judgements on my own thought processes and experience. If I can't figure something out, I wait until I can. Though it is occasionally difficult, I try and not judge others on their opinions alone.

Right now, I'd describe myself as a fiscal conservative, maybe even a Regan conservative fiscally, though I never voted for him, and a supporter of capitalism as the most resilient of the economic approaches. I've finally figured out that I lean toward social libertarianism, very different than being socially liberal mind you, except in two aspects, drugs and smoking. (I didn't say I was perfect, did I?) So that's the broad side. I can pick my way through discrete topics and can find myself on one side or another with perfect comfort and can accept that others will disagree without losing sleep over it.

What has me losing sleep is this: two people whom I know to be "good people" have begun to take to name calling. One is calling all Christians idiots because they disagree with him. I'm a Christian, I have a libertarian point of view when it comes to his pet cause, and it is opposed to his. As a libertarian, I feel that the citizens of his state have a right to self-govern. Some day they may change their minds, and in fact, probably will. But until then....suck it up. I am appalled that he finds it OK to publicly denigrate 85% of the country because he's having a snit.

The other attaches herself to every liberal nut that comes along. I already know this about her and like her anyway. She has contributed to the likes of Howard Dean, John Edwards, and is now posting the Elizabeth Warren rant on her FB page. The fact that the rant simply solidifies the notion that tenured faculty are not all they're cracked up to be (and some are, in fact, cracked), doesn't phase her. For a brief moment I toyed with the idea of shooting this nuttiness down publicly, but good manners held me back. Then I thought about maybe just sending an email privately, but I let the notion pass. It is too late. I understand how easy it is for someone surrounded by like thinking individuals to just grasp this stuff. Opinions are fine, but how about backing it up.

These two people live in the same state, and I'm beginning to think, instead of floride, they are putting intolerance in the water.By contrast, I live in a world where I must evaluate and support most everything I think. As one might expect I am rather an outlier.  I must find the path that allows me to be true to myself, yet support others to be true to themselves too. Tolerance is everything. But apparently I'm an outlier in that respect too. Seems to be what I'm talking to myself most about.

As an antidote, my blankie....still in progress.......knitting the "connectors" between squares now.

The synopsis, and a burning question.

Flooding, the quick synopsis:

 Mother and extended family are fine. The levees held even in spots that were of concern. Turns out this was the ultimate test, and now they can "fix" the spots that were causing trouble. The crest ultimately was ABOVE the crest in 1972, as well as the "public" figure for the current levee system (41') at 42.66'. Apparently, the Army Corps of Engineers gave them a little "wiggle room" to 43' and that turned out to be the thing that saved the two towns (Wilkes Barre and Kingston).

I just spoke to my mom today, and things still aren't good however. River Street, one street below Main, where she lives, was inundated (outside the levee system) and remains closed. Thus all the traffic destined for Rt 81 is rerouted to Main Street . It makes it nearly impossible to get out of the driveway (if you're an 81 year old nervous driver).  The water system is intact, and she didn't lose power. There are still three bridges closed, pending inspections. Market Street was opened this morning . Two in Pittston, and one that adjoins the county courthouse in Wilkes Barre remain closed.

Now the next new fight is going to start. When they reconstructed this levee system in the 10 years following Agnes, there were arguments about the height, and also about what would happen in the towns up and down river when the water was held out of Kingston and Wilkes Barre. Now we know. Folks that had water in their basements in 1972 had four or more feet on their first floors. Both up river, Pittston and West Pittston, and down, Bloomsburg, Shickshinny etc. Have no idea how they'll deal with this. I really feel for these folks.

But even so, the devastation is nothing like I remember from 39 (!) years ago. More dispersed, though.
 
So now, in the space of three weeks we've had a hurricane, earthquake and flooding. We're ready! Bring on the locusts. ( Re: the earthquake. The most interesting thing I noticed was that I became motion sick as the floor shook and the window glass waved. That was disconcerting.)

Finally...somebody please explain to me what are "they" thinking?????!!!!!!!

Attack Watch(!!!)

Please note the Twitter hash tag......#attackwatch!

Again?

Have another post in draft, but must suspend operation until this is resolved

‘POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC’ FLOODING

My mom is above the flood plain, but I'm having Hurricane Agnes flashbacks (I was 15), and we're hoping the levees hold and the bridge barriers are enough. I don't know what we're going to do if the crest is higher than the levees (41 feet) and she is without electricity and water for any length of time. I've got 100 miles of low lying roads along the Susquehanna to traverse to get there.

Not So Short and Definitely Not Sweet...

...I had a post nearly ready about 10 days ago. I can't believe how long it has been since I connected with the innernuts. But I deleted it. So I'm just going to summarize. The clue phone is ringing Mr. O. and surprise, IT'S FOR YOU! Keynesian economics is a theory, and apparently, a lousy one. So far, there is not ONE example where it has panned out in the long term....ask the USSR, how about France, maybe Greece, I could go on. I'd have lots more respect if the idiots who are advising this administration, most of whom are faculty with tenure, said, oopsy, not working, let's move on. Sigh.

So a few short hits:

• Tomorrow my age and the speed limit ( the lower one) will match. That's not so bad, except for the above dilemma. Age to retirement is decreasing rapidly. (And I once had a fantasy of retiring at 59.....fantasy is right.)

• About 10 weeks ago I started to run (C25K) and can now ALMOST make it 20 minutes without stopping. For those counting that is week 5 in a nine week program. I just keep rerunning the same weeks until I can do it without falling down dead afterward. That is a real accomplishment for me. And better yet, the owner of Rapid Transit Sports here in town fitted me with running shoes that have mostly mitigated my heel pain. I must stop in and tell him so. (He also told me I shouldn't be running, but walking, but let's split the difference and call it trotting.)

• I was compelled to do something drastic (for me) because I know my age, genetics, and physical condition, are going to catch up with me SOON. I don't have much disease in my family, but I figure err to the side of best advantage. And if you think I'm shedding weight like feathers....think again. I've not lost a pound (bad). But I sleep better (good).

• Santiago Rodriguez, a phenom, which is not nearly descriptive enough, gives me chills every time I hear him play (piano). He looks a little like Count Dracula, but plays like .... sheesh, I don't even have a good description. He specializes in Grieg, and Rachmaninov so he's no shrinking violet. If you are a classical music fan at all, listen to one of his performances. You will NOT be sorry.

• The only thing I feel like knitting is the loony Parcheesi blanket. I don't know why. I need to move on soon, as I have no Christmas knitting in the pipeline. But it was so easy to carry around with me. I have no current photos, but I'll try to get some over the weekend.

• I will not be going anywhere on my birthday. I'm not dumb. It is Arrival Weekend here in HV and we will be lousy with students, parents, and tourists by noon today (Friday). I'm thinking that driving to a state park and hiking to the top of the mountain, might be a good option.

• I am conflicted over Marcellus Shale drilling. But that's another post.

I leave you with a "rain approaching" photo of Pine Creek:

Two Mysteries.

Mystery One:

The photo of the finished Summer Mystery Shawlette (Rav Link)

I used my first shipment from Foxfire Sheep Shares.

This is Flock Sock in Marigold. I used a touch more than a skein and a half. It is about 48 x 29 and I probably could have blocked it more aggressively.

This was lots of fun to knit and I needed (read: was compelled to) to download the second clue while I was in Atlanta because I wanted to knit it on the plane. It was a fun and easy knit. And I'm not usually a KAL kinda gal. (I may even make another!)

I ordered two skeins of this in natural to make another Cable Crossings hat. I'm so glad I did. I really loved working with this yarn.




Mystery Two:

Why would you keep this as the name of your law firm?

Click to enlarge.

I've even seen this firm advertised on bus benches.

Seriously!!

(ETA: I thought the dumpster added to the ambiance.)

What were they thinking?

And what didn't you understand about sending digital photos into the "wilds" of the internet?
And what made you think that someone who used inflammatory rhetoric as part of his schtick wouldn't be a target even for the most benign images?
And are you just a garden variety idiot? Never mind don't answer that ...rhetorical question.

Clearly, some twits shouldn't tweet.




Holy crow!!

With your multi-millions, you had to use campaign funds to hide your chicka?
How did the fact that this is a crime, escape your steel-trap legal mind?
I particularly like the addition of getting your staffer to lie for you.

I have no words.....Yes, I do. One. Slimy.....





And then there's my mom who's equating Christie flying to his son's ballgame with misappropriating campaign funds...ummm, one is stupid, but not a crime. The other is a criminal offense...... Yea, they're equivalent all right.

So I lied,,,

Pictures today.

First things first, trip to Atlanta went well. Between forty and fifty folks attended my session (and there were nine other sessions at the same time) and NO ONE left, even though it was right before lunch.....Also, I didn't get tarred and feathered, which I half expected. In addition, I was given, what I considered a prime slot, the second time session the first morning (Saturday).

When I arrived on Friday evening, it was around....oh...90 degrees and there was a big bright thing in the sky. Looked vaguely familiar, but it had been so long since we'd seen anything like that in the sky in Central PA, I couldn't be sure. As if Atlanta knew I was coming, the aquarium, which usually closes at 5:00 pm (on a Friday! How dumb is that?) was open until 10:00 pm and had jazz in their atrium! It was about 6 blocks or so from the hotel, I was a assured it was a "safe" walk for a lone woman, so I went.




I guess I could have taken a pumpkin coach, but my name is Cindy not Cinderella.









The music was excellent, and I made many new friends:

Meet Ms. Grouper. Holy hell she was enormous!!
I wish this lousy cell phone photo could convey the size of this creature.

They have a window viewing tank, like many aquariums, but I've never seen fish get this close, and be so large. I tried to get a photo of the whale shark (about 60 feet long) and a graceful ray (they had a whole school of them) but I just wasn't lucky.







This "ocean" has a tunnel built right in. This is what I dubbed the "tunnel o'fish". The gentleman you see to the left is an aquarium volunteer, that has all the statistics, facts, and trivia about the animals at his fingertips.....He even knows the NAMES of the larger fish, like Fred and Stacy, (and can identify, male and female). Maybe he needs a life, but I'm glad he was nearby.









This is a freshwater rock eel. I don't know anything about him except that he has a face only a mother can love. Looks like he's having a bad day too.











On Sunday, after the conference wrap up, I found ONE yarn store that was open on Sunday afternoon, and with the help of Andre the concierge, got on a bus, and rode about 5 miles to the Needle Nook. The bus driver was very helpful in giving me a head's up when we were coming to the correct area, and lo and behold there it was in a little shopping center. Needle Nook has wonderful yarns (Malabrigo, Bamboo, Noro, all the Cascades, too many for me to remember), a wide variety of bags, needles, books, notions, jewelry and what not. And you wouldn't know it from the outside. From the outside, it looks like a garden variety shopping center craft store. Another unusual attribute is that the person running the store that day was a middle age gentleman (the owner is Arlene who I corresponded with briefly), and there was another middle age gentleman already there knitting a fair isle (or entrelac, I couldn't tell) chula hat. A lovely chula hat with llamas or alpacas dancing around it. I spent a fine hour deciding what I could fit in my carry on, which was my only concern (I brought a space bag with me - be prepared, and I'm not even a girl scout). The one disconcerting moment came when I was trying to decide on a color of Malabrigo Silky Merino for the Drifting Pleats scarf I've always wanted to knit, and two women joined me at the yarn rack. They smelled...no stank...of cigarette smoke. It was totally off putting and gag inducing. And I've never been known for a weak stomach. In desperation I wandered away but they were there for more than 10 minutes, chatting about the relative merits of lace weight......not Silky Merino (DK). I'm sorry if I'm insulting smokers, but criminy...you should know that you can't keep smoking a secret.

After the smokers left, and I made my decisions and retreated to Starbucks(!) which was a short hop across the parking lot, had a cold frapp (it was 90 degrees again), and knit for about an hour uninterrupted. Is there a better configuration - a yarn store AND a Starbucks? Except for the 90 degrees (which really felt like 90, unlike Denver, Atlanta has no shortage of humidity. Ask my hair!) It was then I caught a bus back from whence I came, meeting another nice bus driver, and getting to the hotel in time to have dinner with excellent sangria.

So here's my haul:


The red, which isn't this red, is Silky Merino for Drifting Pleats, and a light green Sublime Extra Fine Merino for the Victoriana Scarflette (please don't ask why that pattern appeals to me, no idea). And, yes, that is a Laurel Burch bag in the background - a little one. And yes, it fit in my carry on.

I'm kinda glad I had a limit. I could have done some REAL damage.



Soon, some process photos.....sorry nothing finished. I can only wish.

Still here.....

.... barely. I've had the month from hell. With the end of the semester, my workload exploded. Usually this is the time of year, when we slow down; town gets semi-quiet, we stop and catch our respective breaths. Instead:

There were grant proposals to review, I am PRESENTING at a conference in Atlanta this weekend. My title "What does your syllabus say about you?", a workshop I can do in my sleep, however, I've had to crank it up to the next level. So now I'm worried. Probably don't need to be but .... I'm working on a "course" with two other folks and I'm disappointed in the progress. I was tasked with the last session on Tuesday, the day after I get back from Atlanta. So EVERYTHING has to be ready by TOMORROW. Sigh. It's been a forever and a day long month. I may collapse on Wednesday.

Still knitting...one. more. Leyburn. sock. My left sock is languishing. Parcheesi blanket seems to be my favorite knit when I can't sleep, can't read, and am exhausted. I've started Wendy's KAL Mystery Summer Shawlette with my Sheep Shares Cormo Flock Sock in Marigold. I really love it. I'm thinking I'll take the sock and the KAL with me to Atlanta. I'm hoping to go on a yarn crawl on Sunday. Pictures maybe tomorrow.......

Some things I think, I think ....

So, Sunday evening I'm waiting for DH to meander downstairs so we can watch the last installment of Upstairs, Downstairs (as an aside I'm not sure what the fuss is all about...it's OK, but maybe I'm not "highbrow enough), I'm flipping through the channels, and settle on my buddy Geraldo on Fox News. (I have a soft spot for Geraldo, has to do with my late dad, and it started in the 70's.) It's his usual show, but he's waiting for the president to make an announcement...This is about 10:27 pm..

G: We're waiting for a statement from the White House and we're speculating that it has to do with the fact that Quaddafi's house was bombed by NATO today, and he may be dead or injured.

More time killing chatter interrupted by Geraldo clearly listening to something on his earpiece.

G: My producer was just saying that wouldn't it be interesting if this has something to do with Bin Laden...... at this Geraldo brightens VISIBLY and begins to wax poetic about how great that would be. (He was one of the first press people into Afghanistan and Iraq after 9/11. And possibly one of the first to be tossed out on his ear....but I digress.)

10:35 pm (5 minutes past press conference time)
G: Another pause where he is clearly listening to his producer even saying..."Can you repeat that?" Then We've just been told, UBL has been killed by US forces in a house in Pakistan. UBL is dead! Can we confirm it? Yes? Now it is confirmed.

I took this time to flip around the channels and NONE of the other channels (I admit, I forgot to check CNN!) were broadcasting this. By sheer dumb luck Geraldo scooped the competition. Funny how that happens. Then we watched the last of Up/Dn.

So why is this important? I'm fine with the op as it unfolded, I'm delighted we won't have to talk about it anymore (soon I hope), I love the ignominy of a sea burial (whoever suggested that should get a raise), kudos to all the covert ops, the presidents, CIAers etc. Do I worry that it will incite more violence? Nope! Why? Because there is nothing we could do, or not, that won't. The jihadists, do not need an excuse. And if they want to they'll find one. Instead of sleeping with the fishes and Big Pussy, they think UBL is communing with a retinue of virgins (with horns, hooves, and big man parts, I hope), and hope they will eventually do the same.

I was, however, a little put off, or more correctly mystified, by the "celebrations" in the streets. Something doesn't sit well with me. Though the context is completely different, it reminded me a little of the dancing in the Gaza streets, when 9/11 happened. There was no celebration when McVeigh was executed, or Ted Bundy, both monsters in their own right. I'm working on this.

Never did find out what happened with Moammar......

Hey...Maybe I should write a posting???

Ya, think?

Lately I've found myself wondering why most of my online "friends" have absconded to Facebook and Twitter. I run through all my blog links (I've never done the RSS thing. Don't know why.) and am bereft when no one is posting. Well, yeah, I kinda get it. You only need two minutes to post a poorly spelled 140 character posting. And if you're a perfectionist (NOT!) then writing a blog posting can be an arduous task. Yeah, I get it. But I live in an academic world, and I've drunk enough of the kool aid to be wordy--to like whole thought through ideas. I even like to read things I may not agree with. S'Ok with me. Then I had a revelation...ummm maybe I should write something. Since I've not posted since...gulp...3/31!

Yeah, it's been a busy spring. And I've got a MAJOR ongoing project that will take me through the summer into September. My hairdresser/colorist is going to have her work cut out for her. Srsly!

Then there are the little "things". Gas prices [today] verging on $4/gal. The University declining to give cost of living increases for the second time in 3 years. You can't blame them really. The governor, who I can't blame either, is trying to balance the balance the state budget and has proposed cutting appropriation to state related institutions by 50%. That's a lot! So even though, as an institution, we are running pretty lean, some offices are still at risk for being collapsed. We won't know for about a month. Then that is only for the next fiscal year. Sigh. Hard to plan around that. And with gas prices, we are curtailing our personal travel, even though we have [elderly] family at either end of the state. The only bright spot is that everything here is less than 10 miles away from anywhere else, and we can get away with one vehicle and travel 10 miles or less on a "normal" day. Even with necessary "errands" we don't have to drive very much. How different it would be if I were living in the burbs and working at Pitt! So thank goodness for small mercies.

I'm still knitting away, though. Not really exciting stuff. I finally finished ONE of my Leyburn Socks, after many tweaks. Now I have to try and understand my notes and make the other one similar.

Here's the Bead Knitted Bracelet. I taught this class recently at my LYS and it was so popular that they turned people away....so wash, rinse, repeat. I'll be teaching the knitted bracelet class in June, and a crocheted bangle in July...... They're fun because when the participants walk out...they have a piece of jewelry. No washing, no blocking, no weaving in ends...how great is that? The crocheted bangle will be tougher to teach. It is a tricky technique, especially getting started. After about row three, though, it gets easier. I have a few tricks that I can share so we'll see how it goes.

I'm scheduled to give a presentation at a national conference in Atlanta next month, and even though I can do a variation of my presentation in my sleep, I'm beginning to panic. I'm in faculty development/programming (i.e., a performance artist) so this SHOULD be a slide on ice. Which we'll probably have tomorrow, since it's 75 and thunderstorming at the moment.

Anyway, anyone know of any good yarn stores near downtown Atlanta?