You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January 2009.
I made a sweater-coat for Floria last year. She wears it almost every day and it has recevied considerable mileage! Well…. even though she is quite petite, she’s outgrown it, time for a new one. 
What I typically do when I make up a handknit is block out the rough dimensions required. In this case, I sat on the phone with a diagram of the sweater in front of me. Julie read me the existing dimensions and then told me where she needed the increases (sleeves and length mostly). Then, I simply swatch the yarn, determine my gauge and go! When I resumed knitting again about 10 years ago, I was big fan of Debbie Bliss. She typically provided a pattern diagram in addition to the written pattern and since I often substitute yarns (typically based on something Julie picked out) I followed the diagram in lieu of the pattern. I guess this is a habit that stuck around.
Jules wanted ivory again, but we are trying a new color too. I’ve never been fond of purple, but I’m trying to figure out a way to like it. Some deep purples are lovely, and this is one of them. I bought the zipper from zippersource again, because I love to customize the pull, material and color. This was a very quick knit, easily completed in a weekend (minus the zipper).
My internet connection has been incredibly slow and spotty all week. The service people are coming tomorrow. We also have no phone. I’m not sure if it’s from the ice storm or what, but it sure leaves me feeling cut off!
I was tagged by one of my favorite bloggers!
Let’s see… the theme seems to be 6 random things. I can honestly say I don’t know where to begin because what about my life isn’t random? Here we go:
1. My life centers squarely around my dog. I spend a good amount of time laughing and playing with her, and as a result I think she’s the funniest, smartest, cutest thing in the world. I’m worse than a new parent, I’m like a new grandparent when I talk about her. So, I’ll shut up now.
2. I hate grocery shopping. It causes my blood pressure to sky rocket, and I can’t figure out why. I love to eat. And I used to love grocery shopping, but now it makes me want to go fetal. I think it’s all the people.
3. I think this is one of the funniest skits I’ve ever seen on SNL:
and I can’t help but channel this character periodically. My husband likes to channel the guy from Little Britain “I’m a lay-deeeee”, but Amy Poehler is way funnier!
4. I’m hysterically, illogically, deathly afraid of swimming in the ocean. It will never willingly happen. I will go ON the ocean, in a boat. But not IN the ocean. No way, no how.
5. I’m the youngest of 6 six kids. 4 Older half-siblings and one older full sibling. My sister Julie is my best friend in the world.
6. If I could go back in time and do college and graduate school all over again I would – to study geography and human migration patterns. I love architecture, and I’m a very good architect. But, my passion is maps, places and settlements.
A new friend has been made at the apple store. My appointment at the Genius Bar was fruitful on many levels. The person assigned to my case was a happy fellow with a passion for iBooks. (It’s also worth noting that this fellow’s past time activities involve a fair amount of D&D and LARP). When I explained my story, he looked at me and said “I love these computers and you’ve taken excellent care of this one”, which of course made me tear up. To which he responded “See my necklace, it’s made of iBook parts”. And on that note I felt I was in good hands and MP rolled his eyes and walked away. Disbeliever!
He had me type a few things and right on cue the keyboard went nuts. He popped off a couple of keys and low and behold – a tiny little piece of paper towel was stuck under the control key. That’s it. Problem solved! No triage, no surgery, no potential lost hard drive. He smiled and we had ourselves a hearty guffaw. Hilarity!
Then came the tough love. He commiserated with my fear of losing the little machine. But he also had to lay it on the line for me: Parts for this machine will no longer be available through Mac in about another month or so. In fact, the plastic macbooks will not be available much longer at all – all metal, all the time. My long-bearded genius and I, we walked s l o w l y over to the laptop displays and he showed me some neat things the new machines do. And I asked him to confirm that they could completely transfer the innards of my machine into the new machine seamlessly. He made a squinty face that said volumes, saying since I’m 2 operating systems out, it’s not likely to go off without a hitch. MP walked up at this point and rolled his eyes at me again, smirking.
So now, I’m biding my time. Backing up and trying to act like everything is back to normal. But I know that in the coming months (weeks?) I may have to visit my genius again and walk away with a new machine. For some reason, this is not an exciting or fun thing for me. I like this computer and it does everything I need. I don’t like that there’s no option to extend the life of this machine, I’m forced to abandon it and just move on. Perhaps I’ve taken WALL-E to heart too much?
Today will start a new outlook. The horizon is brighter, the path clearer. The gravity of this day has not been lost on me, and I can’t help but thank my parents for my upbringing. Regardless of political affiliation, this is a profound speech whose every sentence bears tremendous grace and meaning.
My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor — who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again, these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West: Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny. This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
“Let it be told to the future world … that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive… that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].”
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
- American President, Barack Obama
My laptop is dying. It appears to be a slow death, starting with the keyboard. They very link from me to…her. The way we talk. The way she knows what I’ve needed for the last 6 years. It’s awful.
It started before Thanksgiving. Little skips or oddities while I was typing. I came up with a little work-around (pop out the keyboard and pop it right back in), but now I must go through this little exercise every 3 or 4 minutes. It’s becoming complicated – the simplest commands are now laborious, and it’s breaking my heart. Why can’t she just understand?
A trip to the Apple store today confirmed my diagnosis, it may technically be a simple fix. However, it may be a costly fix and I should prepare for the weighing my options. The 12 year old salesperson (okay, she may have been older than that, but I’m talking 18– tops) talked me down and explained that they can transfer everything about THIS computer onto the NEW computer so that when I turn the new computer on for the first time, it will look and work exactly the same as my old computer….except newer, faster, cleaner….. I have no idea why, but I started to get a lump in my throat. And when I asked “what do I do with the old one, if it’s broken no one will want it” and she gave me a delicate shrug. I bit my lip and the wall of water on my corneas gave way. How humiliating. There was an awkward moment where she just stared at me, and I leaned back against a very patient MP, gripping my computer like a stuffed animal. Next weekend we will get the ‘genius’ diagnosis, but I have given myself this week to say good-bye. Sniff.
An evening of music, a warm meal (that I made, no less!), five little loaves of Kidsilk Haze waiting for me, and explorations with my new lens. I’m enjoying it so much, and I can’t wait for the days to get longer so that it’s not pitch black when I get home.
Another set of 3: pillows that I’ve put off for a tremendously long time. I’m still not sure this is the fabric I’m looking for – but I had to get the pillow forms off the floor and onto our bed. I made the pillows in lieu of working on things that should have been done months ago, but at least my procrastination was productive.
Someone is having a hard time adjusting to the lack of attention around here. She went from a constant, raptured audience to a passing glance.
A little skirt that will find it’s way 1,000 miles west of this place. I didn’t follow a pattern, I didn’t write anything down. I just visualized the little person it’s meant for and whipped it up. It was more of an exercise in trying to keep busy, keep my mind off what I left behind, and keep my energy productive.
The fabric is a gray, lightweight corduroy- printed with butterflies and flowers. The pockets are granny smith-green cotton. The front of the waistband is flat, and the back is elasticized. Just a small memento to remember me until the next visit….
