Happy Birthday Plus, Alex!



Left one major fun happenstance out - Alex celebrated the one month anniversary of being 5. We were away when he actually turned 5, so I wasn't about to let it pass without a party. And I think I may make this an annual happening, because he's got a late August birthday; having the party in September assures that his buddies will be back from vacation and ready to party.

Long Time, No Blog...

Well, there's been a lot of craziness going on with Clan Kiladitis, but I'll try to give a quick update. The good news is that it's official - I'm a grad student! I was accepted into the San Jose State University Master's program for Library & Information Science! It's an online program and I will be a Spring 2009 frosh. I'm terrified, excited, and just want to start things off already. I'm going to speak to an advisor to get a basic idea of a plan down, but for the first semester, I'll just take one or two of the pre-req courses to start the show. My 'school store' will be through Amazon, so I'm wondering about the whole selling the textbooks back business - have to look that up. And I'm hoping that I'll be able to utilize the public libraries for some of the books, too.

I'll be a freshman again at the age of 38. Wow. Actually, it's kind of cool. I've put this off for so long now that to actually have it happen feels almost unreal. Talk to me around midterms, and I'm sure it won't feel that unreal after all.

Work has drained me beyond belief. Our company was bought by another megacorp - no surprise, the rumor mill has been alive for months - and I'm not really sure where my position will be in the grand scheme of things, or even if I'll have a position. On the one hand, I'm okay with that. I haven't been thrilled with this place for a while, but on the other, with the economy tanking and jobs going away by the thousand, I'm concerned - especially with my dream of grad school in hand now - that this is the only gig in town. So I'm trying to take things day by day and just see where things go. Not a great feeling to have hanging over my head, but that's what life is giving me right now so I have to go with it.

I started teaching last week, too. I'm teaching Catholic religious ed once a week for an hour to second-year kids (mostly second graders). Holy Moses. The first class hit me like a ton of bricks. The struggle to keep control overrode everything else, including the lesson plan I'd prepared. I got through the first unit, essentially having the kids read the pages out loud (they love that stuff) and I emphasized a few points ("God made the world, He made us to take care of it") and actually used one point of interest out of the 20 or 30 I was originally going to use. I was freaked out and not even sure I could go back for another class, but Mike and my Mom both reminded me that this is something so far out of my comfort zone that it was to be expected.

My sister-in-law, herself a second-grade teacher in the public school system, really put things in perspective when she told me, "You didn't give birth to them, you don't have to love them. It's important they like you." Believe it or not, that liberated me - I was so concerned with wondering how I was going to love these kids from day one, and being frustrated with them upset me because I was giving myself the Bad Mother treatment - for kids that aren't mine! Giving myself permission to NOT be the good mom, to be the teacher, I think will help me this week.

Much knitting happening, which is keeping my tenuous grip on sanity firm. I finished scarves for Ron's daughters' Christmas gifts, and I've gotten one sock done for Mike's grandmother. I cast the other one on this morning on the train - if you saw a woman in teal furiously knitting in a circle at the stairway on 42nd Street at Bryant Park, that was me. I hate when I get to my stop before my round is done.

I've got the knitted portion of baby gifts for this weekend's shower for Mike's cousin Jen all done - the Helena sweater is done and is absolutely adorable; the two hats are in, and I'm debating on a pair of booties. I started a pair of Saartje's Booties, but I have to seam them up and I'm concerned, after finishing one, about the seam running at the base of the foot and whether or not that will irritate the baby's delicate new tootsies. I'm not going to frog the one I've done already; I may just make another one, fill them with tulle and use them as a gift wrap accent.

Sorry for the lack of pictures in this post, but I just wanted to get caught up with everyone since I've been away for a while. More soon!

Sock Meme

I was kind of tagged by TheKnittingPatch, so here goes:

When did you first learn to knit socks?
I knit my first pair earlier this year; found a dubiously named "Easy" pattern and went for it. It aged me prematurely, but I finished them and I loved them.

What’s the first sock you ever knit?
The Easy Aran Sock by Karen Konop. It called for a worsted weight yarn, so I thought it would be a good start. Turning the heel gave me a little agita, but I finished! I knit them up on Plymouth Encore, ran out with half a foot left to go on the second sock, finished it up with Caron Simply Soft in white - hell, I just wanted to finish it! Besides, that part of the foot will be in a shoe.

Favorite Sock Pattern?
I loved the Kimono Socks. I've blogged about them before.

Favorite needle method?
I'm all about the dpns, but one of these days want to learn the two circs method.

Favorite sock needles?
I love my little Tatumi bamboo needles.

Who do you knit socks for?
It's split right now between my mom and me.

How many pairs have you knitted to date?
6 1/2 - I knit up one Horcrux sock for Alex, but didn't measure out the foot right.

What is on your sock knitting to-do list?
Oh my lord, what isn't? Okay, anything that is in Fall Knitty and Twist Collective. WendyKnits' Nanners. Countless others.

What kind of socks to you like to knit?
I LOVE cables. Lace is fun, too. I like 'em all, basically, but I favor cables.

Striped? Haven't tried yet, but sure, I'm game.

Colorwork? On my to-learn list.

Plain Stockinette? Why not?

Cabled? Without question.

Lace? Yup.

Anklets? Sure.

Knee Socks? Did one pair; have to get elastic to sew in (Snowflake Lace Socks) because the cotton doesn't have the elasticity of wool and they fall down.

Solid colors? Yup.

Bright and crazy? This is me we're talking about, so the answer is yes.

Faux Fair Isle (the yarn doing all of the work)? Sure thing.

Tag a few sock knitters here:
Oh, consider yourself tagged if you like knitting socks.

Not much else to say today.

See? Productive!

Helena sweater from Knitty. Mike's cousin is due in December with a little girl, so I've been knitting away on baby shower goodies. Her mom has done three blankets so far, so I'm not going to contribute a blanket this time, but I will be making the Umbilical Cord Cap using this yarn and I found a cute pair of booties to whip up. I love how sweet this little jacket looks, and the beauty of it? Sleeves are knit into the body - no seaming! I just finished the second sleeve this morning, so I just have to finish the details.

Sock Hop socks from Creative Knitting. Oh, Cynical Knitting Gal, how I love you for this yarn. Are these not the perfect Fall socks? Now I have even more reason to wish for the cool weather.

Kimono socks, baby! I think I need to make myself another pair of these in another color, because they were so much fun. After all the baby showers and Christmas gifts are out of the way...

Twisty Hat! Yup, it's the same yarn I used on the kimono socks; I had enough left over to make this hat for Mike's cousin. I like baby hats, and having done this pattern once before for Baby Boyd, I thought I'd revisit it. The seemingly endless ribbing gets a little tedious, but it's perfect for television watching.

Don't remember if I posted an earlier picture of the Celtic Cable neckwarmer, so here you go. Baby Alpaca. Ahhhh... now I just have to get off my keester, head down to MJ Trimming, and get three lousy buttons. I think I may do a little single crochet around the edges too, just to give it a more finished look.

See? I can be productive... just not at work...

After an extended blogging vacation, I am back! Fear not!

I know before I left, I was just a mess, running to catch up everywhere. Having had the last week off to get the kids ready for their first week of school, I've managed to discover my inner whirlwind of productivity. Being back at work, however, I don't know how long that momentum will be sustained... but we shall see.

In short - Florida was great fun. We had a side trip to the Everglades where the boys (and me, shanghaied by Alex) got to hold snakes and alligators; we sampled a key lime milkshake from this awesome fruit stand called Robert is Here. My dad shocked the living daylights out of me by pulling out all the stops and throwing Alex a full-on birthday party at Dave & Buster's. I even got to joke around with my stepmother, which is nothing short of amazing. It's taken almost 20 years, but I think we've finally gotten to a point where we actually feel comfortable around one another, rather than just making nice. It's a good feeling.

We came back to Labor Day weekend and the start of school the next day. I think I was more nervous about Alex starting Kindergarten than he was. Let's take a look:

See Will's eyebrow? Yes, he is ready to pull a Sonny Corleone and break my camera.

Alex pronounces Kindergarten "Awesome"!

So yes, my boys handled separation anxiety far better than their mother. As usual. Today is my first day back at work, and I've been fretting and fussing about how Alex will handle afterschool. I know he'll be fine. I know Will is going to be fine. But it doesn't matter. Mother Guilt - never goes away, does it?

So, what else is shaking? I was a torrent of activity last week; I was able to get a start on Parents' Association goodness, I practiced my lesson plan for my upcoming Catechist duties, I knit an incredible amount and made soap. Can I just, you know, stay home and collect my regular salary? Pretty please?

Knitting. There has been much. I began a pair of yummy socks while I was on vacation - my stepmother was fascinated by the sock knitting process - and finished them shortly after arriving home. It's the Sock Hop pattern from the July 2006 issue of Creative Knitting magazine and I knit it up with the greatest yarn, received from my buddy (Not So) Cynical Knitting Gal during our Hot Sauce Swap. Wait 'til I post a picture; they are the perfect Fall socks. I thought it was just a pretty variegated yarn until I started working with it, and then I realized that it's a self-patterning yarn! It's awesome!

I also finished those Kimono Socks that I was going on and on about a few entries back. Love.

I'm working on some baby shower gifts again, but since the recipient isn't reading this blog, I can share. I'll post pictures next.

Ah, Fall. Back to school for the kids, but I still feel, after all these years, that it's a beginning for me, too. Maybe it's the promise of cooler weather coming. Maybe it is that feeling, ingrained from childhood, that it's the beginning of... something. But I do love Fall. Maybe things will really take off now.

Happy Fall, everyone!

It was supposed to be one...

I spent two hours trying to choose a project to take on vacation with me. Two hours. The equivalent of watching Star Wars, credits included. Anyway, I was supposed to choose one. Two, tops - because you know, I could finish the first one too early and have nothing to do on the way home. Highly unlikely, but I like having a plan in place.

I ended up starting a completely new thing last night, bringing an extra project in my bag to work - just in case - and have two additional projects packed in my carry-on bag. What the hell is wrong with me?

In other news, I finished the kimono socks. I heart them so much, I feel like knitting a pair for myself in every color. Did someone mention a trip to the yarn store?

Other than that, had a setback with some not-entirely-fabulous news yesterday. I'm picking myself up, dusting myself off, and looking at Plan B. I allowed myself to mope this morning and not work out (I did, however, watch an episode of Doctor Who and knit more on the project I started last night) - but then again, I didn't go on a junk food binge last night or this morning, and I not only walked to the extra train station in Forest Hills, but I got off a stop early and walked from the West side to the East side. I'm hanging in, trying to keep developing the good habits that served me so well the last time.

Cannot wait to tear into (heh heh) World War Z - I started it a couple of days ago, and it's so good; I can't believe I didn't make the time to read this earlier. I expect I'll get some reading done on the plane, and in the evenings when we're hanging out at Dad's.

Since this is the last time I'll have computer access for the next few days, let me mention that Cutie Pie is turning the big five tomorrow. Five! That's not fair. I wasn't done with his being a baby. Pictures of the big fifth birthday extravaganza to come.

The Countdown Continues.

Two more days. Actually, more like one and a half because two days from now, I'll be sitting in Florida, most likely at brunch with the family. I can't wait.

Damn, but the summer went fast. I was supposed to clean my apartment and lose 20 pounds. I was supposed to knit up all the Christmas presents I had planned. Guess how much of that was accomplished?

But I'm tired of looking back and being disappointed in myself, because that just leads to really self-destructive behavior on my part. So I'm going to shrug and say, well - I got the middle closet and the dining room done. I did knit up a few things. And while I haven't lost 20 pounds, I've gotten into a pretty firm workout routine and upped the fruit and veggie intake. So I've made steps, and that's something to be proud of.

Some nitwit at work ate my yogurt. Grr.

Holla At Cha Boy

This one's for Piera. ;-) Classic moment in Project Runway history.

Joy!

After what seems like forever, I am finally reconnected this week - Mike just got my cell phone fixed and, earlier this week, dealt with Best Buy in a way that my temper would never allow and got my camera replaced. Huzzah!

Counting the days 'til Florida - less than 7 full days now (it's actually 7 days, but at this time, we'll be in Florida, relaxing by the pool)! I think it may be safe enough for me to pack, at least some stuff. I get antsy when I can't pack early. Packing makes me feel that much closer to leaving.

I've got serious knitting ADD lately - I finished the first Kimono sock last night (and it is adorable), but felt the need to cast on something entirely different to head off second sock syndrome. So I decided to start up a little sweater for Mike's cousin, whose baby shower is in early October. I still have the ever-going stockinette stitched French Market bag sitting in my stash bag. And I finished the Celtic Cable neckwarmer, but haven't gotten the buttons for it. Don't ask me about the Tree of Life afghan. We do not speak of such things.

Finally finished the Torchwood novel, Slow Decay and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's written very much in the vein of the show, which I've come to love and I definitely want to check out more of the novels. I still have three Doctor Who novels to get to, and I just saw a Primeval book in Border's, and since I like that show, I'm sure I'll be getting that book. Yup - too many books, too little time.

I'm still working my way through Twilight. Not sure if it's my speed or not. I know it's really become very popular outside of the 'teen and 'tween market, but I think I need to finish it before I make a decision on how I feel about it. I've got World War Z finally on my nightstand, which has been one of those books I've sworn I was going to read for about a year now. It's in the on-deck circle, finally.

Sigh... then I still have the rest of the Dresden Files.

So, I've been working on my vacation reading. I'm hoping to have Twilight done, so I'll be toting World War Z in my carry-on bag. I always like to have a back-up, so I'll probably bring a Doctor Who novel with me. Or maybe a couple of magazines, this way I can lighten my load and dump them when I'm done.

Vacation knitting - I'll probably just bring the second kimono sock and be done with it. And maybe some baby hat goodness for the shower. Or a baby sweater. Something small and portable.

Must mull this over.

Catching Up

I've been remiss - my podcasts have been languishing! Having Will with me on my daily commute put a big dent in my podcast listening time, so I'm catching up this week. I want to give a shout-out to Bren over at one of my fave podcasts, Mail Order Zombie, who has given me a shout-out on several of the episodes - I'm back!

It's been such a busy summer that so much has gotten away from me without my realizing it. Between shuttling the kids to and from camp every day, working on the NYCTF application, and dealing with the little things that come up constantly, I feel like I missed a chunk of the summer. Jeez, remember how much fun we had as kids? Summer was all about sleeping late and then going out to play all day long. I could use a summer like that!

Now I'm counting down the days 'til we leave for Florida (T-minus 9 days). Looking forward to seeing my dad and having some downtime.

After the NYCTF teaching event on Saturday, I met Mike and the boys at Madison Square Garden (after a stop at Borders - three new Torchwood novels, whoo hoo!), where we surprised them with tickets to Walking With Dinosaurs - courtesy of Carol, who rocks. You see, getting tickets to this show was a bear of immense proportions - it was only in town for a short time, and weekend tickets were akin to World Series tickets in their difficulty. But Carol pulled a lot of stops out and got us four tickets - and the seats were amazing.

After it sunk in that we were going to see the show, the kids were pulling us through Madison Square Garden. Along the way, we somehow managed to pick up a dinosaur spinning light and a 3-D poster. We were initially shown to the luxury boxes, where Heartbreaker was thrilled with the cinema seating and free sodas; I was grateful for the private bathrooms (am I getting old?). Turns out that the view was obscured, so we were moved down to the floor.

The stage was actually the entire floor of the Garden, so the seats actually began in the dark purple section here:

See dead in the center? Yep - that was us. Get your dino freak on, baby. I called Carol to thank her profusely, and the boys basically screamed "Thank YOU!" into the phone. The red and yellow section comprised the stage, so you can see how close we were.

The show was great. There was an actor/paleontologist who took the audience on a tour of the evolution of the dinosaurs, with the dinos lumbering out to eat, fight, and take care of their young. There was an Icthyosaurus that dropped down from the scaffolding to 'fly' against a moving background; there was a Stegosaurus, an Ankylosaurus, an Allosaurus (T-Rex's smaller cousin), and Velociraptors for all. The boys were thrilled; Alex really thinks the dinosaurs were real. When the Brachiosaurus came out and stuck his giant neck over the audience, he was right over our heads.

The crowd went wild when the Momma T-Rex made her appearance at the end, defending her baby. She proceeded to roar at each section of the crowd, with her baby letting a cute squeak follow her up. And when the paleontologist took his bow at the end, Baby T-Rex was there, stealing the show, even refusing to end the curtain call.

If Walking With Dinosaurs comes back - and man, I hope it does - you have to go. It's worth every cent. And in the meantime, check it out on DVD if dinosaurs are your thing - it's that good.

Quick Updates

I'm in the throes of the Summer KAL-CAL, but the endless stockinette stitch of the French Market Bag from Knitty is killing me slowly. So I decided to keep my brain alive and cast on for the Kimono Socks from Knitscene's Fall 2008 issue - so. cute.

Now my cell phone AND my camera are dead - am I Magneto? Or Harry Dresden? Jeez. This is killing me, because I can't take pictures of my bag-in-progress of my adorable sockies. Dammit.

I did get my Saucy Knitters Hot Sauce Swap goodness from my pal AJ over at (Not So) Cynical Knitting Gal - and I swear to you, I will post a photo soon. In fact, I had Mike shoot the swappy awesomeness with his camera phone this morning, and as soon as he can e-mail the picture to me, I'll put it up. Two words - sock yarn. Three more - three hot sauces. One of which is my Tex-Mex restaurant face, Cholula Hot Sauce. The raspberry chipotle salsa may have to be busted out tonight, since I think we may be eating quesadillas. And the Tiger Hot Sauce. Oh my. More swappy discussions once I get the pic up. But suffice to say, AJ is awesomeness. And her doggie, Gracie, now graces a special spot on my wall o'photos. Because she's smooshy cute.

More on the teaching demo and Walking With Dinosaurs later - I've got a rumbly in my tumbly that tells me it's time to forage for lunch.

Just a quick update...

I got some exciting news tonight - Baby Benevides has joined us! Stacey Plurked about it after reading Lauren's Facebook page. Girl, you are Iron Woman for being in labor AND Facebooking it. I have those last couple of gifts to give, so when I get to visit, I'll make sure to bring them.

Saturday's coming quickly, and I've started my teaching demo run-throughs. I am seriously debating on dragging Heartbreaker and Cutie Pie out of bed to be my students, but that's probably not very teacherly behavior, especially at 10:59 p.m. on a weeknight. I gave Mike my lesson, but he was half asleep. I'll run through it tomorrow.

And to SiSi - that e-mail address is the old one. Let me see if I can make this work: Roe's e-mail. If you click on that, you should be able to e-mail me!

In knitting news, the endless stockinette stitch of the French Market bag continues. I frogged the first draft of the Celtic Neckwarmer, but the second time seems to be the charm.

Stupid Man-Eating Escalator.

I was supposed to get my stitches out today, but the doctor decided it would be best to leave them in for another couple of days. So I get to pay an additional co-pay in a few days. Stupid escalator. Stupid rush hour.

Okay, enough griping. I've got good stuff on the horizon. I haven't really said much about this because I was being superstitious and afraid of jinxing myself, but I have to get past that phobia. So here it is - I applied to the NYC Teaching Fellows program and have made it past the first round!!! Deep breaths, deep breaths.

So the next round comes this coming Saturday. I have a day of interviews downtown and I will have to give a 5-minute teaching demo. I'm excited and terrified all at once, and Nancy is a saint for putting up with my mania as I mine her years of education knowledge. She's given me some great ideas, now I have to test it out on my boys to see if I can get this down pat in five minutes.

I don't know what will come of this, but I'm really hopeful. I have wanted to get into the classroom for so long, and I really hope that this is the chance for me. So please, keep your fingers crossed, ok? Send some teacherly vibes my way.

Other happenings... I'm working on the endless stockinette stitch involved in the French Market bag, but have cast on for a Celtic Neckwarmer to keep my brain from flatlining.

I've got another swap going - the Saucy Knitters Swap Part Deux - a continuation of the awesome hot sauce swap that I was in a few months ago. (not so) Cynical Knitting Gal, someone I've come to consider a good friend, ended up being my swap partner and she totally rocks! I'm so ticked off that my camera is still dead (grr...), but I'm going to see if I can get Will's camera to work so I can take a pic of the swappy goodness. In addition to the package o'yarny love I received at home today, there's one of hot saucy goodness waiting at the local post office. So guess where I'm headed after work tomorrow.

Did I mention that I got to meet another knitting Plurker? Last week, Karen from The Knitting Patch and I got together for some tasty Yolato and knitting talk. It was so great to meet another knitter that I've been talking to online for months (only to discover that she works less than three blocks from me)! The online knitting community is really amazing.

Okay, before I split to break up the emerging fight between the boys and herd them to bed, just have a message for my friend Sisi - I do not know what is up with the e-mail situation; no one else has had a bounceback! I am sending off a letter to you by the week's end, but didn't want you to think I was ignoring you - when my e-mail crashed a while ago, my address book was wiped out and I can't find your e-mail in my address book! Can you e-mail me again? I hope we can make plans for October!

Oh, and by the way - new issue of Knitscene? Must. Knit. Every. Pattern. Immediately.

Okay, they're trying to put each other in sleeper holds. This can't be good. I'm out for now.

I just spent my literal last dollar on lunch. It was totally worth it, but I may have to ask Mr. ATM to loan me some cash so I have 'mug money'. You know what mug money is, don't you? My mother always told me to have some money handy in case you get mugged, because if you're empty-walleted, apparently that would make it worse. Ah, the '70s.

So I took it to the knitters on Plurk, and it seems that the French Market Bag is the way to go with the extra-chunky yarn I've got; the fact that it's not quite at gauge is okay because it's going to be felted anyway. Whoo hoo! Next project for the Summer KAL-CAL will cast on tonight!

Speaking of the KAL-CAL (knit-a-long/crochet-a-long), I have to take pictures of the soaps I'm donating as prizes. Except my camera broke in Rhode Island. So hopefully the phone camera takes halfway decent pics...

More later!

I was meaning to blog this earlier, but was sidetracked by the excitement yesterday.

TO EVERYONE IN GRAND CENTRAL STATION AT 9 A.M. ON WEEKDAYS:

- The lady walking with the bloody shin? (that would be me yesterday) Obviously not having a good morning. Clear a path to the coffee counter for her.

- That sound you hear as I pass by is Anthrax and Public Enemy. Not exactly Yanni. It reflects the mood. Get out of the way.

- Tourists, this one's for you - A.M. rush hour in Manhattan is precisely the WORST possible time, along with 5 P.M. rush hour, to be taking photos in Grand Central Station. What in the hell are you awake and in Grand Central for at this hour, anyway? You're on vacation. Go back to bed, or find a breakfast buffet and stay the hell out of my way.

- The urge to clothesline people coming at you full speed is tremendous, especially when you're undercaffeinated and very hot and drippy. And bleeding. So before you Westchester and Connecticut commuters think about charging me en masse, think hard.

Bad Blogger, No Cookie.

I know, I know, I've neglected again. I throw myself on the mercy of the court.

So, what's been going on? Well, we had a lovely weekend in Newport, Rhode Island that wasn't without some stepfather drama on the fringes. Suffice to say Newport is now very close to places I would leave NY for in a hot second.

What else? Oh yes, the Subway Incident. Ready for this one? Take a seat, pop some popcorn, this is a good one.

I had a bit of an adventure that required me leaving work at noon. To go to the freaking hospital. Why? Because I am a freak and New York sucks. Anyway. Heartbreaker goes to camp in NYC, so we get off at 53rd and 3rd yesterday morning, like always. As we go up the escalator - and, for those non-New Yorkers reading, escalators in New York have express lanes, I kid you not; if you just want to stand and allow the escalator to do its job and transport you, you stay to the right. If you use the escalator as a walking path, you go to the left. True story. Anyway, we're in the express lane, and everyone in that lane acts like some crazed serial killer is behind them.

Some jacka$$ must have stepped on the back of my sneaker because obviously being right up my rear end was going to get him or her to the top of the escalator that much more quickly. I fell, hit my leg on the step, which is like a little claw. I got up, saw I was bleeding, didn't think much of it. Got Will to camp, got to work, and cleaned up the leg, which looked worse cleaned up. I had a hole of about 1-inch in my shin. I tried to bandage it up, but it kept bleeding through, so around noon, I went home. Mike met me there, checked the cut, and apparently, I was cut to the bone. So he drove me to the ER, where I waited a really long freaking time, and got three stitches and a tetanus shot.

In knitting updates, I finished the Rattlesnake Socks! Now, I need to find something else to knit. I'm thinking of the French Market Bag from Knitty. But will I use it?

Happy Fourth!

A bit late, but let's keep the party going. We had a busy but relaxing weekend. The boys had a playdate, we spent some family time out in Staten Island, and Mike and I got some work done at home. We threw out a couple of bags worth of garbage, got the bookshelves above our bed organized, and I can now access my radio/CD player that was buried under books and dust for far too long. We actually have paper in our file drawer now, too, as opposed to empty pentaflexes and paper strewn about the room. Let's hear it for organizing! Now, if I can just keep reminding myself that progress comes in inches rather than leaps.

I finished one sock - the Rattlesnake Creek socks I've been working on as part of the Summer Knit-A-Long/Crochet-A-Long - and cast on the second, so Mom is happy to have a second pair of socks coming her way.

Had an aggravating conversation with my father - is there any other one, these days? - and retreated into junk food for two days. Sigh. Nothing like hearing, "Oh... I guess you haven't heard from me in a month because I was too lazy to call." That's only a slight paraphrasing, folks. Does he honestly think that makes me feel better? Not only is he too much of a selfish jackass to come up to New York, putting all the effort on me to trek four people down to see him, but now it's all on me to keep up any pretenses of a relationship at all? When I do get down there next month, there's got to be some conversation; changes are going to have to be made.

I don't normally get this heavy here, but I just needed to vent a bit.

After my 2-day pity party, I've emerged recommitted to getting myself back together. Today's nano-goals include eating well for breakfast and making a healthy lunch. Check - had a tasty smoothie for breakfast, I've made my own lunch (pasta with edamame with a splash of lemon juice) and brought healthy snacks. Just have to make sure I eat a snack before leaving work so I don't snack/binge when I get home.

Slowly, but surely, I'm getting back on track. If I can get down those 10 pounds before leaving for Florida next month I think I'll be in a good place.

How'd I Do?

So today was the first day of my rejuvenated, get my arse in gear plan to lose 10 pounds by Alex's birthday. I did great, until I got home. Rather than take the time to figure out what to make, I opted for a before-dinner snack of Pringles and fruit snacks.

Crap.

Okay. The day's not over, and in the grand scheme of things, this is not a dealbreaker. I did catch myself and have a yogurt before things got completely out of hand, so at least I put some dairy into my day. Now, I'll make myself some actual food, work out, and make sure that I eat a healthy snack before leaving work tomorrow - that should head off the snackies when I get home.