Tuesday, September 18, 2007

ok, so i suck at blogging...

actually, i don't really. what i suck at is time management, a historical problem for me, but lately just a bitch.

work is in full steam right now. Q3 is upon us and in advertising, that means its the Holiday season already. We'll be rolling at this hellish pace until mid-November when work comes to a screeching halt until mud January.

On top of that, b/c I am a crazy person, I decided to go back to school. I'm taking courses at the Hunter College School of Social Work which is a graduate level only school. One course only this semester. Thank god, b/c I have to read about 100 pages per week and we had a paper due on the second class. After not having been in school for 12 years, this is one hell of a scary ride. But it will help me decide if I want to apply to the school on a matriculated basis. This is a school that has about a 15% or less acceptance rate and a fairly high drop-out rate b/c the program is hell. If you go full time, you start clinical rotations 3 weeks after classes start. For 21 hours a week, you get to help people when you are still so new you are convinced you will do more harm than good. But that's to decide later.

And the knitting continues. One reason I haven't been able to post is b/c a major project I am working on is actually a present for someone who reads this blog. I've run into an issue with one part of the project, so chances are I may send the completed portion as a good faith symbol.

Since I always work on multiple projects at once (the train project, the mindless tv project, etc), I have been working on a sweater. It is based on a sweater that a character on CSI:NY was wearing. I saw the sweater and hit pause on the Tivo in order to start squealing.

Here's what it looks like:


It pretty cool b/c I knit the back first and then the sleeves and the curved front get knit as one. Now I have to seam it up and then do the shawl collar. The collar will require a massive amount of short rows to achieve the look I want and so this will be a coffee house project.

I can't wait until its done b/c it needs to come with me to two places.

The first is the Sheep and Wool festival in Rhinebeck on October 20th. For knitters, this and the Maryland fair are sort of the Meccas. We look forward to it all year and of course, we always wear our best hand knits. We'd like to say its all about showing pride in our work and sharing our ideas, but really, its also a bit about oneupmanship. I'll admit it, I want to see envious looks towards my sweater!!!

But its the second destination for this sweater that really excites me. And its a bit bittersweet one for me.

I'm headed to Europe for my birthday this year. 4 days in London, where I will meet up with some friends. I will go be a silly tourist and a champion shopper. There is a store there that specifically carries boots for women with wide calves. and those suckers are HOT!!!

But from London, I will be taking the Eurostar over to Paris. And this is the bittersweet part. This is my first real trip to Paris (passing through on a train from Italy to London in 1994 does not count). But this is also the trip that I was supposed to go on with my mom last year for my birthday. In fact, we talked about it the day before she died.

Last year I couldn't take the trip. Not only was I still emotionally raw, I was broke. Paying my rent and her mortgage was too much for me. I ended up using all of her retirement money. The house wasn't selling. And then there were the fun legal fees of the probate lawyer.

But the house has finally sold, all my bills are paid off (read: student loans) and so this year, I'm taking the trip that I always promised myself. I finally going to Europe not to visit family, but rather to spend time discovering a wonderful city and wandering around and hoping to get lost. It would have been wonderful to go with my mom, but she would be happy that I'm getting this chance.

2 comments:

Glenna C said...

Your trip to London and Paris will be fabulous, I know you'll have a fantastic time.

I can't wait for Rhinebeck! We will have teh fun yarny times.

Caty said...

Perhaps this is hidden somewhere else in your blog, but....you're not making a pattern for that sweater, are you? That's exactly what I've been looking for to make! If you're selling it, I might be interested...("it" being the pattern, not the finished product.) ;)

Ta! (And luck)