More Random Stuff

including some knitting content, I promise. Tomorrow I will post pictures. No more ranting about my mother. I nearly went back and deleted that post, but stopped myself. Because that is part of how this family dynamic works - my childhood was rewritten and edited, their relationship with their grandchildren would never be described as it was, of course everything was always Fine and Happy and What Are You Talking About? The whole thing was sad and a sham. I'm tired of editing myself on this subject, I'm almost 49 and I'm pretty sure I have a valid perspective about this, but I do promise not to get into it too often.

Anyway - it's May 1. MDS&W is this weekend, and it looks like the weather will be breathtaking. I love that area so much, I know it will make me sick to leave and come back to FL, where it is already over 90 degrees and we are hazy with smoke from a brush fire in GEORGIA. I am nowhere near Georgia. Anyway, about MD - I have cash to spend, and I'm going to be smart this time and sit down with some books and patterns and make notes of things I want to knit and note the yardage and weight required, so any yarn I buy will be bought with a purpose, for something I really will make and not just fantasize about making, and not because "Oooh, pretty!" And two years ago I talked about buying a nice wooden swift and didn't, so I may go for it this year if the spirit moves me. I'm looking forward to getting Baby out for a long drive - the trip to my mother's was the longest Baby had with me. I bought her and 10 days later my brain popped, I hadn't even put gas in the tank yet. Baby is much fun to drive, and has a very impressive passing gear which surprised me greatly (I got to use it yesterday). For a boxy little SUV, it's FUN to drive, and fast.

Speaking of my brain, the home health care nurse called again today. I saw her exactly twice back in March and there was no need for her, they are about to close my file, so she called to ask how I was doing, just to make sure. I told her I was doing an hour at the gym 5x a week and the neurosurgeon told me to come back next year, so I think it's okay to close the file. Ya think? I've been so damn lucky. I talked to one of my neighbors, and the sister of one of her friends had gone through the same thing I did - she has permanent memory problems and physical impairment, and can't hold a job anymore. I have been SO damn lucky.

Cousin C is off on her adventure in Greece, and she won't be back until early June, so no hilarious calls and emailed dirty jokes for an entire month. I'm going to miss her! We decided that she needs to bring us a 3 generation stinking rich Greek family as a souvenir, she gets the patriarch, I get the father who runs the business now, and Girl gets the heir. If he's hot and intelligent, that is. Because Girl started out hot and is now working on smokin' hot - she's been a gym regular and has toned up, by Memorial Day she'll be frighteningly perfect. Me, I just dream of getting the body I had at 35 - because I was pretty damn almost hot way back then. Now I'm tepid, but I'm working on it, and there has been some slight progress in the assular region.

This is good, because I'm finally bored with flying solo and it's time to seriously get back out there. I have had toes Out There already, but got tired of meeting golf-obsessed men in need of an instant mommy/wife. I was so surprised to find that it is that way - I had no frame of reference, and you always hear these things about desperate older single women who want a man, any man. Shit. It's easy to get a man if all you want is a man. If you're picky, it's slim pickings. And I'm fine on my own, and if nobody worth the bother of a relationship comes along I will not mourn. I'm just ready to put more energy into shopping around.

Back to knitting. Someone on KR had the very nice idea of a group knitting project in MD, fluffy scarves in honor of one of the girls killed at VT, who was a knitter. I had some KnitPicks Suri Dream in my stash - I bought it because I'd read raves about it, it is indeed soft and fluffy, and I swatched it, wasn't sure about it, and put it aside. So boy, I was set, I have fluffy scarf stuff in the stash! I've done a couple of inches on a very simple scarf and I still don't like working with it. It's definitely funky and fluffy so I shall persevere, there is nothing really wrong with it that I can put my finger on, but I have yet to try a KnitPicks yarn that impressed me. Love those Options needles, though - pointy and slick and with smooth joins, they are great. But so far, the yarns haven't been my cup of tea, and I can't quite say why - the ones I've tried just didn't feel good to me. I'm no yarn snob, I'll defend Lion Brand Cotton-ease to the death, and if the acrylic blend is appropriate for the project I'll use it. So I can't figure out why the KnitPicks yarns I've tried didn't work for me. But there you have it.