Purlene’s Corner

by ames :)

So, you probably noticed that I didn’t write the entry below with the pretty yellow socks and the fuzzy bunny and the beach. Introducing AYA! She’s one of my best friends from way back (because I think ten years of friendship counts as way back). We met when I moved to Boston – we worked together, and she invited me to go out with her and her crowd for what turned out to be her birthday. It was great fun, and we’ve been friends since. She saw me knitting a sock in the Atlanta airport a few years ago when she came to visit me at law school, got a gleam in her eye of “WANT THAT”, and by the end of the week, she was a knitter. I’m so proud. I love her lots, and she’s much better at posting pictures than I am, so this blog will be livened up a bit, yay! It will probably be a nice mix of our lives and our knitting. So, you know, rock on aya. Post your little heart out.

‘Twas Memorial Day Weekend here in the States, which means a day off from work and road trips. The BFF and I hit the highway and met up with four of our favorite people in Ann Arbor, MI. We had a wonderful weekend of laughing, gossiping, a little bit of knitting, two calls to our friend in New Zealand who couldn’t make it :c food food food, and a cut-throat game of Spoons. (me: Ouch, CBI, my fingernail is all bent back! CBI: oh, ouch ouch, did you see my blood?) We watched Danielle Steele’s Family Album, which is a little bit of a tradition in this particular group, due to one infamous hospital scene and the “nooooooooooooo” from hell, and Getting Married in Buffalo Jump – also in my netflix queue there on the left. Total Harlequin romance, but it stars hottie Paul Gross, so the eye candy is sweet indeed. I’m hoping this becomes an annual event – friends like this shouldn’t have to wait forever to get together. Oh, and those of you on Ravelry reading this – the Zombie Chicken has been given away! CBI was the intended recipient, and she loved it. I kind of miss the little freak, though. Maybe I’ll make a new one for me.

In knitting news – I am working on finishing things! Later this week, I’ll post a picture of the socks that are fondly known as Chum. Yes, like the shark bait. They’re actually really cute, but the colorway was a little surprising in how it pooled and striped. I’m almost done with the back of a top that may or may not fit me. I really need to take a class in how to take a sweater pattern and make it fit. :P

In cat news, because I know you care – well, “Bocci” just didn’t stick as a name. I never called him that! Apparently, his name is Buddy when I’m talking to him, and “the BOC” when I’m talking about him. Good grief.

My first blogpost here, yay! I’ve finally infiltrated The Blog.

I’m going to drop vox soon. It languishes, needlessly. Best to put it out of its poor misery.

So!

Some pics from the past weekend.

Kelly and I headed out of Charlotte around 4 pm on Friday. We were heading to the coast, and conveniently getting the hell outta Dodge for Race Weekend. Charlotte is the home of Nascar, and this past weekend was the Coca-Cola 600, right here, about 4 exits up from where I live.

Race traffic (oh, the irony, right?)

It actually wasn’t that bad, we only had to go two exits.

Some clouds. Kelly broke the sun.

Clouds through the trees.

Random shack on the side of the road:

There’s lots of shacks on the side of the roads around here. Kelly was telling me that a lot of them are tobacco sheds – where they used to dry all the tobacco out. Pretty neat, I thought.

More traffic, this time at the coast. This was the line (after we finally started to move a bit) to get across once the bridge closed again. It opens up to let the boats by.

The view of the marsh, from the bridge.

It rained on Saturday, so we just loafed about. It was nice and relaxing. (I *told* you that Kelly broke the sun!) It was cold though, so we had to go out and get some sweatshirts to wear. Which we did, for about three hours. It finally cleared up right before the sun set for the day, so we took a nice long stroll along the beach.

Sunday dawned nice and bright, and we got some beach time in:

It was packed over by the pier – that’s where the public parking is. We were about 4 streets over though, and it wasn’t that bad.

We saw a parasailor:

And, last pic of the weekend.

Yes, I got burnt. I did put on sunscreen, but I must have missed a few spots, heh. We weren’t even in the sun all that long, maybe an hour or and hour and a half. That’s what happens when you’re from the north, and of irish heritage. This side was actually the worst, because that’s the angle the sun was on. My other side is pretty much fine.

Use your sunscreen!

In other news:

• I worked a few hours (okay, 6 1/2) yesterday. It wasn’t too bad, aside from that fact that I was radiating heat, blegh. Bras hurt. Double blegh. :p
• James Taylor concert in two nights, yay!
• long days today, tomorrow, and Thursday – I’m flying home Friday morning.
• Em’s sleeping over on Friday night. I can’t wait. Miss the little booger.

In bunny news:

• I’m such a proud momma! Ollie went and learned how to get up on the couch. He’s pretty smart when he wants to be (which isn’t too often, actually….he’s not the brightest zombie bunny). He climbed up on the arm of the couch, which slopes down a bit. He did it repeatedly last night. Just because he could. Go, Oll!
• Stanley turned 1 last week. Yes, we had a birthday party.
• The boys have taken to following me everywhere, which I just adore. That must mean that they’ve decided to to keep me, right?

Other tidbits:

• I’m watching a two-parter on A&E, Andromeda Strain. Which I’m pretty sure is an updated remake, right? Anyways, it’s weird to see Eric McCormick playing a serious role, and not Will. Oh, and Rick Schroeder added the y back on to the end, and is going by Ricky again.
• I made a kick-ass meal last night, and enjoyed the leftovers tonight. Bratwurst (cooked in beer) and sauerkraut. YUM. All that was missing was the spaetzle.
• I finished a sock. Actually a pair of them.

Wanna see?

These are my No-Purl Monkeys.

Stan, of course, had to get in on the pic. He is a pic whore, and also a sock addict. See?

Notes on the socks: I adored the yarn – so soft, and such pretty colors in it. I would definitely go with this brand again. The NPM pattern was simple, especially after knitting the real Monkey pattern first. I will go back to both the no-purl and original pattern. My, how I kicked and fussed and avoided the pattern, but I have finally been converted. The (knitty) gritty details are over on Rav, if you’re interested.

Well, I’m off to rummage through the stash and decide what to cast-on for next. I could be the second seaside zen, but you know it won’t be.

toodles.

(should have been posted Monday, but I’m having Wordpress issues)

I AM IN SUCH AN INCREDIBLY GOOD HAPPY MOOD TODAY! Here is a Top Ten List of Why:

1. It is BEAUTIFUL outside, and will be perfect all day. I spent yesterday running errands with my friend Tara, which was great fun. Here’s a cute fact – we were actually friends way back in 1994-1995 when we both watched Lois & Clark, then lost track of each other for about twelve years – fast forward to now, and we live about two miles from each other, and life, people. It’s all a big circle. Yes yes yes. My living room remains spotless after the deep spring cleaning of Saturday, Chara came over for dinner and due South (MOUNTIE ON THE BOUNTY) and it was just a great day.
1a. Actually, I live in a nexus of awesome. Me, center. 1/2 mile thataway, Chara. 1/2 mile the other way, celli. 2 mi. thisaway, Tara. And it’s just a hop and a jump to deannie and noel’s, so really, I am perfectly placed in the universe.

2. As I spent yesterday running errands, I go running today. I’m looking forward to it! Today I think I will run by the Chicago River and mow down tourists. Awesome.

3. I look hella cute today, and I cannot deny it. I am wearing my most favorite of all tops, which is flattering and fits me well (also the one that I wore the day I met KATEE FREAKING SACKHOFF, so it has good memories), my hair is curly without being huge, it somehow spontaneously generated highlights (thumbs up, hair!) and seriously, I look GOOD today.

4. At home, I have a big orange cat who has decided that my home is going to be his home, and my Sergei is going to be his playmate and boyfriend, and that the $40 cat tree with attached toy I purchased on a whim Sundayis an awesome place to hang out.

5. A week from Wednesday, I hop on a plane to Charlotte to visit two of my best girls, aya and meg, and other assorted friends. I am beside myself with glee. I get a Wednesday night with aya, a Thursday all alone in her apartment to indulge myself in baths, R&R, and playing with her two bunnies (if they let me), knitting, watching tv, etc. Maybe Kells will meet me for lunch again, which would be awesome. Friday aya has the day off and who KNOWS what we will do? Add in time to spend with Meg and baby girl Hannah, and it’s going to be a fantastic weekend.

6. Weekend after that is Bitcherie Weekend in Ann Arbor with more of my favorite people, including my bi-annual opportunity to slur drunkenly on the phone to halo in new zealand and hope that I’m making some kind of sense, but still secure in the knowledge that even if I sound like a blithering idiot, I WILL BE ENTERTAINING. Also, Bitcherie 5K 2008! (Or, realistically, the Bitcherie 30 minute walk/run, haha.) (background into: some of my best friends live far from me, which is sad.)

7. Jewel Staite has been added to the guest list for Shore Leave, omg omg omg. Also, hey, if anyone is familiar with the Baltimore environs, [info]kiffle and I are looking for good places to a) have sushi, b) drink and dance, c) kidnap Jewel and Kate (rawr) Hewlett, and David if he wants to come, for the above. (I’m mostly kidding about that last part. Mostly.) But seriously, my days of hanging around Charm City are long behind me, so any suggestions would be welcome. I haven’t been dancing since [info]overloved came to visit.

8. I got oodles of sleep last night in clean sheets with two cats who were well-behaved omg. This going to bed early thing is finally kicking in.

9. Callum Keith Renne and Paul Gross. Also, um, I may have purchased the collector’s edition all seasons in one pack la la la of due South for $30 at Best Buy. :X I still want the Canadian version of the final season, though, with Paul Gross commentary. Or, really, just the commentary tracks.
9a. buddy breathing.

10. You know that undefinable ineffable bubble of happiness that just hits you once in a while and makes even crappy office coffee yummy? I’m floating on it. I don’t know why, I don’t care, I’m rolling with it baby.

TODAY WILL BE AWESOME. Just by being today. ♥

Well, it is 4:39 on a Friday, and I think I have officially given up on work for the day. This is kind of bad, because it means I’ll be taking it home with me to do over the weekend, but hey – gotta get those billables in somehow, right?

My knitting malaise is mostly gone, but I’m casting about (ha) for a project that will keep my interest for longer than one or two nights. Socks are usually the way to go, and as we all know, I have a ton of sock yarn that’s begging to be knit up. I’ve got a skein of Tofutsies in my bag now, along with five short little dpns, and a working copy of the Vine Lace pattern from Socks, Socks, Socks. If I get a good seat on the bus today, I can cast on and start that while listening to the Battlestar Galactica podcasts (soooooo interesting, omg). Maybe my mojo will come back to me! I’ll tell you this, though – Tofutsies yarn smells wonderful. Very clean and fresh, like a nice newly made bed. Sans cats.

Yeah. Cats. Allow me to introduce the newest member of the family:

Name: Bocci (see below, it’s not as pretentious as it sounds)
Breed: I don’t know! Domestic short hair. Orange. Sweet.
OMG: I KNOW!

The thing is, Sergei needed a friend. It’s been a a little over a year since Jake died (aka the best dog in the world, for those of you who don’t know), and while Sergei and I were doing fine on our own, I think we were both feeling the lack of another warm furry body. I can’t have another dog, for reasons both practical and sentimental, so a cat it was. I spent some good months scouring craigslist and the various pet shelters looking for a gray cat to match Sergei. Lame, but true – I wanted a set. I wanted a boy cat, not a kitten (or at least a year old) and gray! Then a friend of mine in NYC started fostering kittens for her local shelter, which was the doom of me. So many cute kittens. So many cute pictures. And one adorable orange kitten she named Captain Jack (oh, the Torchwood fans) who completely stole my heart. Well, I couldn’t get him, obviously. NYC to Chicago is ridiculous. But my eyes were drawn to the cute orange fur, the sweet expression, and I thought – hey. Orange!

The craigslist ad said “Big Orange Cat needs home!” Well, yes, of course I clicked. I am a sucker for kitties in need. His owner died (sad), the next door neighbors were keeping him for now, but couldn’t forever, and he needed a place to be. They don’t even know his name! “OK,” I thought. “This one is mine.”

So. Big Orange Cat –> BOC –> Bocci! See? SEE? My friend D. thought it up, and after I stopped laughing hysterically, I decided that while he may LOOK like a Pete, he’s going to BE a Bocci. And so far, we’re doing great. He definitely is 100% cat, which is adding fuel to my secret belief that Sergei is secretly a dog in cat skin. Bocci is in EVERYTHING – dresser drawers, the food bag, under the bed, on top of the table, behind the television, omg. Sergei and I just sit and stare at him in awe. He loves to play with the mouse-on-a-string which is hilarious because he will jump multiple feet straight up to nab it with his little declawed front paws. (He came to me declawed, but honestly, I have absolutely zero opinion on that topic. Sergei has his claws and only uses them to scratch up cardboard and occasionally hook my shirt sleeve so I can pet him.) Anyway, he’s been taking up a lot of time and energy – I have to be SO on top of the litter box thing, you have no idea. Or maybe you do, I don’t know. I just am learning that while one cat can be pretty much odorless, two cats are stinky. I am all OVER that litter box now.

Yay, time to go home. And empty the litter box.