Monday, August 27, 2007

What would YOU do in a situation like that?

GOSH!
(Apologies to those non-Napoleon Dynamite folks out there...)

So, the kids are gone, and not just gone, but out of contact. This has been much harder than I expected. So what would you do?

My solution? Head to Kensington Market, for the final 'Pedestrians Only' Sunday afternoon of the season.

And what is in Kensington Market? Lettuce Knit, of course. And why was it most appropriate that I be there yesterday? Why, because they were having a 10% off all sock yarn and fall courses kind of day, of course. I know, I know, I made a big proclamation about no more random buying of yarn for at least the next 6 months. But I am pining for my young men, and nothing soothes the pining maternal breast like a good shot of yarn store.

I'm still pining, but I'm doing it with help. Like this:
Finally!  Posh sock yarn!, the cashmere/wool blend Posh sock yarn...
and this
P1000850P1000849,
4 each of these handmade note cards.
And thisP1000848, because everyone needs decent fridge magnets.
And thisP1000852tote bag that folds into the little pouch clipped to the left, because it's environmentally friendly, and I am trying to be more so.
Oh, and the dyeing handpainted yarn course I am signed up for in October with Laura of Cosmicpluto, because just the idea of learning something new makes me a little excited.

Am I still pining? Of course; I expect to be feeling like this all week. But this certainly has helped to take the edge off, just a little...

so forgive me, ye gods of yarn, but it was all I could do...

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Busy, busy week!

It has been a whirlwind of activity since last we met...

The boys and I went to Sandbanks for a few days at their request - they had a ball there last year, and I am a total beach-head, so there was no arm-twisting required. Sandbanks is the largest freshwater sand dune in the world, I believe, and it's just magnificent
Sandbanks from our room across West Lake.
The weather was cloudy and cool, as it has been any time I've been near a swimmable lake, but we were undaunted. We hiked the park and parked ourselves at the foot of the highest dune:Highest dune at Sandbanks. Those tiny dots are the boys, and I am guessing that the peak was between 40 - 50 feet high. I sat at the bottom, happily knitting and enjoying their antics, some which didn't quite work outgood idea, didn't quite pan out, and some which didhours and hours of this. They climbed to the top over and over again, rolled all the way to the bottom, complained of feeling sick, and then did it again! Finally, I was persuaded to climb to the top, and let me tell you, my calves are still pissed at me. A sheer climb, in sand, carrying a small cooler and beach towels, wasn't really what I had planned on, but the view at the top was spectacularthe view of West Lake from 50 feet up. I'm not sure if Ben will be pleased that I used this shot, but it's really for the view. Nice, huh?

I rechristened my Twisted socks as Sandbanks socks, because the colours of the socks were all around usI hereby christen thee 'Sandbanks Sock', but unfortunately had to frog the second one because of a less than successful toe.
looky what I can do!Walking on water... he's good...
The boys learned important things, like walking on water - really, how handy will that be down the road?! Much more useful than calculus, I think...

We made our mandatory stop at the Big Apple in Coburg, and took our mandatory touristy picturesMandatory Tourist stop
inside the Big Apple Look closely that the stem of the apple in the second picture - notice the arms flailing about?

IMG_0831
Got home on Thursday, at which point I had to start packing the kids up for Magic Camp. Way cool, don't you think? It's their first time being away and incommunicado for several days, but it's a MAGIC CAMP. It's held at Camp White Pines in Haliburton, Ontario, and run by Sorcerers' Safari, and I am altogether envious. Mornings will be spent doing campy things - canoeing, swimming, hiking, followed by afternoon magic seminars and nightly magic shows. As we pulled into the parking area, the guy directing traffic stuck his head in the window to apologize for the drizzle: "Geeze, I can saw a woman in half, but I can't do anything about the weather!!" Can you imagine spending a week with people like this? It's like being at a camp full of entertainers. Vegas goes North.
Drop off at Camp White Pines for Magic Camp
And it's the same camp where the movie Meatballs, with Bill Murray, was filmed. So-o-o-o cool. As we drove up the entry road, we told ourselves that this was the road Bill Murray jogged on; this was the basketball court where they filmed their game; this was the dock they hung out on...

I miss them, as always, particularly because I can't speak to them and we always touch base daily, even when we're not together. Last night was rough for me, but I expect they are having a blast. As Tanner said, "It's a whole camp of nerds, just like us" - I can equate it to being away at a knitting retreat, and being completely immersed in your passion with so many like-minded souls. My guess is that they will want to make this an annual thing. Which will be okay, once we know we can all get through a week without each other. Man, am I sucky!

I did learn that this is how much knitting I was able to do on the ride home
Redo of Twisted sock #2.

I have more than enough to keep me occupied, of course - work knitting, play knitting, coursework, oh, and maybe some housework? My mom is itching to get into my wannabe-studio to help me organize it, make it actually usable, so that will likely be my big task for the week.

Oh, and getting ready to go back to the 's'-word... sigh... where did it go?????

Friday, August 17, 2007

Random Friday

So, today I took the boys into Toronto for a magic store run - we do this periodically, and it's always fun... we started at Morrissey's Magic, and this kind of set the tone for the rest of the day for me. As we all browsed around the shop, investigating new and wonderful ways to fool people, I spotted these:
no caption required, and proceeded to completely lose control. I laughed until I wept, and still I laughed. Fortunately, the boys have seen this before, and just went on about their business as I found myself a corner,wiped my eyes and tried to regain a little dignity. The store owner, however, had seen me, and got my attention by holding up a pair of these things so I could get a better look at them.

I almost completely melted into giggles, but I managed to hold on. Barely. Dignity? All gone.

Next stop was Browsers' Den, which is really my favourite place. The owner, Jeff Pinsky, runs a steady patter of magic tricks combined with cheesy jokes, and I am completely captivated. It makes the 45 minute drive into Toronto completely worthwhile. The boys picked out a few new tricks, some "fresh" decks of cards (apparently they go stale after use?), and we headed back to the car.

We had parked in front of a garden storethe offending business, and we were most impressed with the selection out front:
not the best ad for a garden centre
The plants in front of the fence, incidentally, are weeds - sharp, spiky weeds.
However, if brown, crunchy geraniums in pots are not to your taste, they also had a few of these:
maybe you'd like to buy these?!.
Some advertising, huh?

I have been driving my mom's little Altima this week while she, my brother and his family took my van to visit relatives in Quebec. Her car is a standard, which is what I like to drive the most. However, I found myself with a crick in the side of my neck today when I woke up, and was able to place the source only when I started driving this morning - ow! I had also forgotten the sheer joy of morning rush-hour in Toronto with a manual transmission. I used to do this all the time when I lived in Toronto, and I bet I had the most bitching calf muscles ever - too bad I can't remember... today, the bitching is not the result of toned calf muscles, unfortunately...

did I mention that when my camera was taken from me at the American Idol concert, I swore? Out loud? In front of my kids?? They have actually never heard me swear. Not once, in almost 13 years. Oh, don't get me wrong, I can, and do, cuss like a demon whenever I get the chance - sometimes there's nothing as satisfying as a well-timed string of invectives - but they have never heard it coming from me. I was actually embarassed, almost ashamed, and apologized to them both for breaking my streak. They, on the other hand, had been impressed to find out what my favourite swear word is, and at how naturally it seemed to flow from my mouth... yet another proud parent moment...

and now, I think we might all stroll down to the Starbucks recently built in our neighborhoodmy neighborhood Starbucks.
This has been probably my favourite thing about this summer - the boys and I walk the two blocks, maybe once a week, and while I sit outside and sip my coffee and knit, they go across the street to the comic store to see what's new. When they come back, we sit and chat and people-watch - it's been just lovely... lattes and laddies...

nice way to wrap up a nice Friday... happy weekend!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

We Survived!

Yes, we survived 2 1/2 hours of what would only be one hour on TV, with commercials - we survived...

American Idol Live! (and please - couldn't they manage a more kick-ass sponsor than Pop Tarts??!!)

It was about what I expected, the 10 finalists singing the songs they did on the show, a few group numbers interspersed with lame repartee - the kids and I were actually ready to go at the end of the first hour, but we stuck it out...

my biggest beef? My camera was confiscated upon entry, because the zoom lens is too - high? close? big? Maximum zoom allowed was 175, mine goes up to 300, so I had to check it at the front gate. Was I happy? Pissed beyond words was I. I had brought it intentionally, not to take oh, so fabulous pics of the performers, but so one of the boys could use it to see the stage, while the other used binoculars. This was the first time I even brought a camera to a concert - I didn't even bring one to see Colin James some months ago, and he would definitely have been worth photographing for posterity...

so here is the only picture I took all frigging nightThe Dome at night, shot from a moving vehicle...

sigh...

today I will be looking into Skydome (yes, I know, it's now the Rogers Centre, but as Wannietta and I have agreed, it will always be Skydome to we die-hards) policies around cameras to determine if this was concert or venue-specific, and I expect I will be sending an email to whomever I can to vent my frustrations, which were large...

In other news, my mom found a sweater that I made, oh, 20 years ago maybe?, which my aunt has long coveted and will be receiving shortly:
Early knitting
Remember when these were popular? There's a black sheep on the back, which I always found funny - I am just impressed with how well it has held up, and how neat the stranding on the inside is - shoot, I should have taken a picture of the inside (smacking self upside the head)...

knitting pictures will follow soon, but I do have stash pictures to share...
Dream in Color "Smooshy"SOTM from the Loopy EweIndulgence from The KnitteryMake 1 Yarn sock clubZen String sock club
These are mostly sock club installments, and are quite yummy...

However, I am finding myself feeling more than a little overwhelmed right now because of this sudden influx of yarn, so I am going to put this in writing now, and look to y'all for support and ass-kicking where needed:

As of September 1, unless it is specifically for gifts, I will not be buying any more yarn for AT LEAST 6 months. I will let my current sock clubs run their course, maybe keep up with one or two of them, but nothing else will be purchased. I have to get a handle on what I have, and stop being so damned acquisitive. I know why there is more yarn of late... there is a direct correlation for me between level of stress and depression, and increases in yarn piles around the house - it's better than booze or drugs, I know, but I am dangerously close to losing control altogether...

so I will try to take it by the horns and get myself back in control...

famous last words

As an aside, I have to thank Sheri at The Loopy Ewe for a fabulous sock club package - in addition to the gorgeous Claudia Hand Painted yarn you see, Sheri also included a couple of cute stitch markers (one of them is a donut a la Homer Simpson), a packet of cider mix, candies, a tiny reference booklet, and a poem tying it all together, all tucked into a clear plastic notions pouch - absolutely lovely!
SOTM from the Loopy Ewe

Now, off to have a little 'chat' with the folks at the Skydome...

Monday, August 13, 2007

Such Silliness...

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Entirely Miss Reverend Lady Deirdre the Subversive of Hoptonshire by Leer
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title


In other news, the boys are home and seem glad to be here, I got a lot done while they were away, for which I will provide photos later today or tomorrow, and we have a week ahead of us with very little to do...

except for tomorrow night, when we go to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto to see, live, in person (God help me)...

American Idol...

uh huh, you read it right - the boys are thoroughly pumped, I am looking forward to going to Toronto, but am, well, less than enthusiastic about the entertainment. Silly, huh?

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Pass the Corona, please

and keep 'em coming...

I cast on my Mystery Stole yesterday, well behind the pack but no less excited, and I LOVE IT!!! I've only done a little hardcore lace knitting before, so watching a picture unfold in my hands is absolutely thrilling -
Mystery Stole #3, Clue 1 Completed
I got Clue #1 done yesterday, in the midst of bike riding, walking, swimming, and helping the boys organize themselves for their week away with their dad.

They left around 11:30 today, and I found myself at utterly loose ends. We have been apart before, but it dawned on me that usually, when they are away for more than a couple of days, I arrange a trip for myself, too. I was supposed to head to Wisconsin to visit my blogless (but SO deserving of a blog) friend Kelly, but due to humungazoid vet bills last month I just couldn't afford it. I am hoping to get there for their Thanksgiving, to relive the Black Friday shopping experience, which really must be experienced more than once, just to make sure it wasn't a bad dream...

So in the meantime, here I am, totally discombobulated (new word of the week - donchya love it?). Can't settle, can't read, can't knit, cannot sit still. A couple of hours of hard weeding in the garden finally relaxed me enough so I could carry on with the Stole, and as you will notice, I am coping rather well right now:
Onto Clue #2

Half a day down, six and a half to go...

pass the Corona, please...

Actually, I know the week will fly by, and I'll talk to them every night - I miss them terribly when they're gone, but have learned to appreciate the subtleties of a dry toilet seat, and clothes that are actually in the hamper, not somewhere in the vicinity, and movies that don't include fart jokes or explosions (kinda the same thing) or Chris Farley, so no pity, please... I'm good with a beer...

Friday, August 03, 2007

Warning: Graphic Photo Ahead...

Help me....

They're here already! You're next... you're next...... you're next........
Kevin McCarthy, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1956

Yes, it's another fabulously steamy day here in summer vacationland, the place where you'll hear such phrases as: What's there to do today? But it's too hot to go outside! Oh, I'll read later... And a personal favourite: How come we always have to clean our room when there's nothing else to do?

I, on the other hand, am never bored,which I expect displeases those who are younger even more - just finished the sample shrug for Apple LaineAppleLaine Ruffled Shrug
I think the colours look like a watercolour painting, and I love the lace patterns. Being slightly perceptually challenged, however, it took me a LONG time to figure out how this would be worn - there's no head hole. Two armholes, but nowhere for your head to go. I did, finally, figure it out, even though it's not for me so it's not that important that I get it. But still, nice to have a visual of what's taken a couple of months of steady work to produce.

Got a little decadence in the mail today:New indulgence. Nothing like a little Fleece Artist to kickstart the morning. But wait, what's that with it?Stitch markers, or earrings??Matching stitch markers with freshwater pearls? Are you sure they're not jewellery? And how hard would it be for me to make them into jewellery, because frankly, I think my earlobes are just a little more deserving of such luxury...

This evening, I am planning to start something else, about which I am very excited, but very late: better late than... you know. I have been completely enjoying reading along thus far, and am looking forward to jumping into the fray -

as long as the ivy doesn't get me first...