Random musings

I promised myself I would write more because I love writing. Not stories, per say, but writing in general. I just enjoy the act of putting pen to paper - or in the case, fingers to keys - and letting whatever random thoughts flow from my brain to the paper or screen. I laugh at what comes out because a lot of it is just random nonsense but sometimes, creative ideas come from random utter nonsense. I'm going to consider this multi-tasking and write my musings here...

Why are my glasses always dusty and why can't you simply blow the dust off? Why is it when you try to wipe the dust off, it becomes a smeary mess that required special wipey things to clean off properly?

When I was little, they didn't have the special wipey things to clean glasses so I would hand them to my mama when we were out - because I can't stand smudgy glasses - and she would lick the lens and use her shirt hem to clean them.

I have been known to do the same without thinking.. because thinking about doing it is just gross but in the moment, doesn't bother me at all.

I have been wearing glasses for 40 years.

I should design glasses for people with small nose bridges but full cheeks - the plight of my life in the bespectacled world.

I love my house being clean but I begrudge cleaning it because I know that Pokey and Hobbit are going to mess it up. Not on purpose or out of spite, just by living life. Messiness doesn't bother them like it does me. Messiness makes me physically mad. I think the phrase "living in a refugee camp" came out of my mouth last week - and I wasn't kidding because that is how it felt. I made Pokey help me clean it all up before he tucked into his game on his day off. Now I'm just trying to maintain it but working nights makes it harder than I thought it would since I am constantly exhausted.

I am not naturally a night person.

I applied for a new role. I meet all the desired qualifications, which are above and beyond the required qualifications. I hope I get it - though the interview process scares the snot out of me. Hi, I'm a random girl with social anxiety so let's spend the next 30 minutes to an hour focusing on me and what I have done in my life because that's not an area of life I suck in.

My off day outfits seem to simply consist of things I can't wear to work because of the guidelines. Today's ensemble: Twenty One Pilots grey tshirt with Trench yellow graphic of daisies and my black leggings with glittery gold Mickey head icons all over it. To me, it 'matches' and works... it's the gold that ties it all together.

I'm a boring cook. I have chicken thawing for supper and I have no idea what to do with it. Probably just going to bake it and slap BBQ sauce on it. It sounds good to me. I have the taste-buds of a toddler. I really want to eat at one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants one day but I don't like poncy food so I would need to get a burger after we leave... because burgers are the world's most perfect food.

So, yeah... this is an exercise I try to do just to keep me writing. It is so easy for me to let my relaxation things go but in the end, it is those things that help keep my anxiety at bay. Writing, knitting, taking pictures - most anything I do creatively keeps me grounded and calm. I work in a role that is honestly a bit stressful so it is important to keep a balance, especially when you are in mandatory OT that has you working super long days on a schedule that is opposite of your normal body clock. It can all pile up until you feel overwhelmed so be sure that you take time for you... and now, a gratuitous collection of things that I have recently completed because no post is complete without a photo or two...

Ten days in and...

I have mixed feelings about this new year. One the one hand, it is a year full of possibilities and wonder... and on the other it is 355 more days of the same old same old.

I don't buy into the whole "new year, new you" garbage that is thrown at you this time of year. You are you. Be you. Embrace you. Enjoy you. Celebrate you. You don't need to change or become the societal version of whatever norm they deem normal this week. As long as you are happy, healthy, and aren't hurting anyone (including yourself) then you are aces!!

Everyone at work has jumped on this one particular fad diet bandwagon and I did not. I don't do fad diets. I don't do diets, period. I know my body type and what it needs. Cutting things out of your diet is not healthy for you. All things in moderation. Moderation is the key to everything in life. Am I the societal version of whatever norm they deem normal this week? Oh heck no... but the flip side to that question is do I care... and the answer is still oh heck no.

Even my year of (mostly) selfish crafting got off on a strange start. I cast on a Sockhead Hat, a pair of Susie Roger's Reading Mitts, and had to start a baby blanket for Pokey to give his boss who is expecting a child apparently next week. I admit to being less than gracious about gift crafting in January when I had just declared that this year, I was going to be (mostly) selfish - I even farmed out a sweater for my husband to my mother to finish! I was serious about it this year!!

So ten days into this year and I can say that my first FO of 2019 was indeed selfish! I finished my Sockhead Hat the other day while waiting on Hobbit from one of her appointments. I love it too. I've worn it a few times and thankfully, the temperatures are going to be low (for Florida, that means in the 40s when I get off work) for the next week at least.

I really do love the colors. It is so cheerful and the weight of this hat is honestly perfect for most of the year here in Florida. I can wear simply because I love wearing hats! I also have my mitts about 75% completed as well...

I finished one completely on the 2nd or 3rd and I put it down to finish the hat and now, I picked it back up again the other day because I didn't want "second mitt" syndrome to kick and these babies are made out of merino and cashmere so you know they are delicious to work on and wear. I got to just before the thumb gusset at work yesterday...

So now, I am thinking I can finish that blasted baby blanket with a bit more grace than I started it with. Here is where I am as of right now...

I have toddler feet, I swear. That skein is about halfway done. I am not sure how much bigger it will get but I have five colors to go. It appears to end on the dark green which I think will give it good balance.

How has your new year started out? Anything amazing in the works?

Too many babies

There has been minimal progress since my last shot.

I am about baby projected out. I have a blanket on my needles now that I am sloughing through the center of since it's corner to corner. I hope to finish that portion and hit the decreases with a vengeance tonight. It is for a coworker who I fear will not be returning once her fourth - a little girl after three boys - finally arrives. Her husband enlisted and was accepted into the Navy Seals so that's a whole new world for her. She is due in 10 weeks and I started it on June 22nd, so that is almost 7 weeks ago. Unless I pick up the pace, I'm going to be cutting it super close.

My husband came home the other night and informed me that his boss' wife is expecting her third child. He doesn't know if it's a boy or a girl and would I mind making something for him. Not knowing the gender makes things hard for me but he is my husband and I do love him so we all know that I will be making a blanket for the unknown future spawn. My challenge here is that I made an intricate lace blanket for his last boss who was pregnant. It is known by these people what I can do so I feel I must either repeat the same blanket or find something equally as challenging. I'll probably just do the same one since I know it and it is honestly fun to work on.

I also just learned that my daughter's former college roommate just learned she is expecting so I am debating if I should make her something. I only met her once and even though she is super sweet and my eldest really loves her, I know my mother made her a blanket already. Not sure if I am obligated to make something for her so I'm waffling on that front.

It isn't that I don't like baby stuff, I do. I have spent most of my time this past month and a half making baby hats for the Disney Blanketeers. I am just wanting a change of scenery for a bit. Maybe make something for a grown up or something for the holidays... yes, I said holidays... we are heading into the golden quarter so I need to make a few things for presents still that I have yet to start.

Oh well. At least I will be rewarded with baby photos enjoying whatever it is that I have made them. That sort of makes it worth it... sort of.

Unforgettable

That is the only word I can use to describe last night. It was the most amazing evening. The bands, the music, the family time - at one point, Hobbit got up and went to get a photo with the first act... BY HERSELF! She didn't want us to go with her. She was adamant that this was something she wanted to try and do alone so we let her... and she did it! She even has a photo of her with them, they're called Kulick and you should definitely give them a listen because they are fabulous. The smile on her face in that shot says it all - she is beaming! Don't tell, but I screenshot her photo from Instagram - look at that face...

She had to have asked a random stranger to take the picture too so double kudos to my awesome kid!

After their amazing set, The Rocket Summer took the stage. Wow. This guy will blow your mind. The sounds he was able to make and the songs he sang were just beautiful. I got one single shot of him and he is back lit by hot pink light so his face is gone. I'm not posting it here (it's on Instagram if you really want to see it, along with a few others and some videos of the night) but I did post a link to his music because you have to give yourself the honor of listening to him. You won't regret it, I swear.

After his set, I simply lost my mind. I have to admit, I am not their typical fan. I'm technically "old" by their average aged fan standard. It's okay. I don't honestly care. I smile every time I hear one of the kids in the audience say something like "Man, I wish my mom was like that" or "That kid is lucky, look at her mom" - and this is usually while I am singing along, acting like a Woo Girl, and having a blast. I did remember to get a few photos...

This was before it all started and we had just found our seats. See Pokey's shirt - Kellin dedicated the song "Gold" to "the awesome dad in the Stay Golden shirt". He was tired so he was sitting, holding my purse, while Hobbit and I sang.

This is actually the encore when Kellin and Nick came out to sing 2 Chords. It was amazing!

This man, Nick Martin, is the embodiment of pure joy. He is so happy that he truly fills the room with his energy.

There is no zoom on this image! Sleeping With Sirens was literally two people away from us. This acoustic tour was a dream come true for me. I have seen them before but I had always wanted to catch an acoustic show - and Kellin said that this would probably be the last time they do one so I am forever grateful for last night.

No concert is complete without purchasing the epic tour date shirt. There we were, 5th from the bottom on the left.

I was one happy camper. I put in some fabulous washout purple dye because Disney would freak if I went to work on Friday with purple hair even though I work in a backstage support area. I wore my pretty white off the shoulder summer dress and my sparkly pink tennis shoes. For one of the oldest fans, I was rocking it appropriately.

I did see a few other parents in the audience, my husband included, who were just sitting there. Pokey didn't really know them but he simply enjoys music so was having a good time. He has to stand all day at work so no one faulted him for sitting. The other parents though... I don't get it. They looked miserable. There was a mom and dad, looked to be about our age, sat in the row in front of us and they were just bumps on a log. It's like they thought they couldn't have fun. I was such a sharp contrast - and really always have been I guess. Granted, I am an honest to goodness fan of their music but even at shows where I'm not a super fan, I still have a good time. I think it does Hobbit good to see me up, awkwardness and all, just unapologetically enjoying myself. At one point, Kellin was talking during the lead in to "Better Off Dead" and he shared about his personal challenges with anxiety and depression. By the time he was done, just before he started singing, Hobbit and I were both just in tears because we understood and connected with him on that very real and raw level. We weren't embarrassed or ashamed. We were living in the moment - singing along, tears streaming down our faces, my arm around her shoulder and just living it.

When it was all over, I even had the courage to go to the stage with Hobbit while Nick was giving away the set lists (no, we didn't get one) and holler "Thank you" to him. He put his hand on his heart, smiled at us, and said "No, thank you!". This made our night!! The first time he came over to our side of the stage, we both waved at him and since he couldn't wave back, he gave us the biggest and cheesiest smile ever - right at us - and we were tickled. The last time we saw them, we connected with Nick and he tried to toss us guitar picks, missed, shrugged, and blew us kisses instead. That was another amazing summer night just last year.

So I guess I really can think of another word to describe last night... amazing... because it totally was!

Oh, and since it is Thursday and I try to track my projects on this day, here is an updated shot of my Marley Blanket that I am making for a coworker who is due to have her first girl in October. It will be her fourth child but her first girl...

I am literally halfway done. I have 3 more rows of the even section and then I start the decreases!

Wow, almost a month

Working 60 hours a week will do that to a person. I have my core hours of just 40 but then I pick up 20 hours a week of overtime... all but 5 of that is mandatory right now so with the way the schedules are done, it's just easier to tack it on to three days and be done with it. I've revamped my thoughts and instead of worrying about my weekends, I try to not have OT on the actual weekends when my family is home. At least this way I can remember what they look like now. Needless to say, I am constantly exhausted... and this isn't looking like it will change before Spring since we are fast approaching "Peak Season".

I have still be crafting though, so that's a good thing. Here are some of the things I have been up to lately...

Can you guess what is easiest to work with while you are on the phone? Some of those hats only took me a single shift to work... then again, when you are working 15 hour days, that is a nice chunk of knitting time because if you are talking, there is no reason why your hands can't be moving as well as your mouth. It was all mindless knitting... well, that cowl took a little bit of thought process and the tam in the upper right corner was not easy so that one was mostly on breaks and lunch. Let me rephrase that - the pattern was easy, if you can give it your full attention. It has a nice repeat but if you have someone yelling at you in your ear, you can't do it.

I have been crocheting too - and I have been teaching a friend from work how to do it! If you follow me on Instagram then you saw how awesomely I peopled yesterday. SO proud of me for that - and her for picking it up so quickly. She sent me a text later last night with a total of four grannies on it! She's going to have a blanket for Christmas if she keeps up that pace... and that is her goal. I have been working a Christmas present so I can show you bits of it but not the whole thing... well, I could show you the whole thing it isn't even a thing yet. Hang on, I'll snap a quick shot of it...

The top two and bottom left are all completed. I am almost done with the fourth set, the bottom right. I have 3.5 more to do on those which I hope to have done today. The fifth set is only 6 squares so that is my goal by Sunday night. The sixth set has 10 squares so I am giving myself until the next weekend to get those done - I will lose a crafting day on Friday because the recipient will be with me on my birthday and I can't work on it while she is here. Once the squares are all done, I'll need a few days to seam them together in the proper charted order and then it is on to the cuffs, button band, and collar! I have until the day after Christmas to finish it. I will need every second of it too.

Time to have some coffee before I toddle off to get service done on my SUV. Regular maintenance stuff but still takes time out of my day that I wish it didn't. Once I'm done, I need to come back here and clean, do laundry, etc because that is apparently what my weekends are for now. Not getting into that at the moment... that's a whole different post if I ever decided to go there.

Hope all of your Christmas crafting is going well. Do you have any super large projects that you are rushing to get done?

I have a plan

I am fluffy.  I've spent most of my life as fluffy sans my college years where I was the extreme opposite of fluffy which is just as unhealthy.  I have a handful of heath related issues that would benefit from me not being so fluffy - asthma, cholesterol, family history of heart disease, and joint pain... so I've decided to do something about it.

Each Thursday, right here, I am going to track my progress too.  It's one thing to make a declaration of having a plan, it's another thing to hold yourself accountable for said plan.  So to hold myself accountable, I'm going to document it... for me.  I know there will be good days and bad days, heck there will be good weeks and bad weeks, but I know this and it's okay.  The important part is that I get up and begin again.

So what is my plan?  It's super simple honestly because I won't do complicated.  I refuse to do complicated - my head will explode and I'll be defeated before I even begin.  It's not expensive either because I don't have the budget for it and it needs to be something I can maintain forever.  It's a lifestyle change so there won't be any prepackaged food shipped to my house.  It will be a simple thing that I can do without disrupting my world.

Stephen Covey taught me that it takes 21 days to make a habit, so that is exactly what I am going to do - make a new habit.  Here it is...

I rearranged my office by putting my bike right there in the corner.  I will ride this when I get up and I will do it three times a week to start.  My goal is 15 minutes a day right now.  I will increase it as time goes on but that will be 45 more minutes a week than I do currently so every little bit counts.

I have a fabulous view when I ride too.  I will just pop on a show or the news and peddle away.

I have a personal journal to log everything.  What I like, what I don't, recipes, ideas, ups and downs - just personal things for me only.  I could write in bold letters how much today stunk or I could leave myself a little pep talk.  It's just for me and won't be shared.  I think it's important to have a place where I can cry or toot my horn that is just for me.

I will log everything - what I eat, drink, and do.  There are so many things already in their database that I don't have to reinvent the wheel!  I made a free account and I will go in every day and log my information.  It keeps track of it for me and has an analysis tool so I can tweak the things that need tweaking.  I've wandered around here and it's just fabulous!

I learned that my coffee is 140 calories a cup... and that "Light Arts and Crafts, Sitting" burns 156 calories an hour.  Oh yeah, when I said I was going to log everything I meant it!

So here we are - at the jumping off point.  I won't be sharing numbers, those go in my personal journal, but I will share images - unflattering and truthful images.  No fancy angles or editing, just raw files straight from the camera and uploaded... and so it begins... today.