banner

Friday, September 30, 2005

      
Marriage is love.


1) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, liposuction and air conditioning.

2) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

3) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

4) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

5) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Brittany Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

6) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

7) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

8) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

9) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans...
---
Re-post this if you believe in legalizing gay marriage

      
Marriage is love.

AWNSing

Going along with my new determination that Autumn Will Not Suck, I had a pleasant surprise in the yarn department.

I've mentioned before my search for guy colors of sock yarn. And most of us know, most men are not wildly adventurous when it comes to their socks, which does not make for particularly interesting knitting. So I pushed the limits and bought GB a mild tweedy yarn - light blue, navy, and dark green.

ball

See? Not especially exciting. Nice. Handsome even. But mostly just... Tweedy.

But I sucked it up because my husband is very, very, cute, and so I went to work.

And then I saw this

knit

The blues and the green all blend together, and suddenly it's not tweedy, it's the ocean at night. It's a hidden river in a forest. It's a midnight stream.

The photo isn't capturing it properly. It's lovely. I'm quite tempted to make the sock too small and put lace in it or something, but then there's that very, very, cute husband to answer to, so I suppose I'll be good and knit a manly sock. Maybe even two. (he really is very, very, cute)

I'll spend this weekend working the "Knitting Party" at AC Moore, then heading down to the VA Fall Fiber Fest. I had wanted to enter some things in the arts competition, but the deadline occurred when I was in Boston. And I'm considering some additional blog adaptions, which I will investigate more in the coming days, since I now have (whooHOOO!) DSL at home, as of way-the-heck-past-my-bedtime last night. So Autumn Will continue to Not Suck.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Fall Forward

Know what this is?
100_0882

It's fallen leaves, in my yard, this morning.

I realize the mneumonic device for remembering which way to turn your clocks for Daylight Saving Time is "Spring Forward, Fall Back" but I don't want to look back on this past summer. It was a really, really shitty summer. Really. (By far the worst was right at the end, with Sharon. I'd gladly go through the cancer stuff ten times over to have her and her baby back.)

But as of this past week, summer is over, and autumn has begun.

Autumn is my favorite season, and always has been. It's getting colder in a lovely release from muggy summer. Horses start to get a little prance in their steps. The trees turn into a giant painting in colors that you'd dream about.

And this year, autumn just means the end of summer.

So, new rule - this autumn is not allowed to suck.

Period, end of discussion.

Sunday, September 25, 2005

100_0059

Olivia Ruth died last Monday, September 19th. She was four days old. The African Violets that were supposed to be favors at her Mommy's baby shower were instead decorations at their double funeral.
100_0881
I made it up to Boston Tuesday night. Through serendipity (if there is any in a situation like this) I ended up staying in the same hotel as Kyle, and a few other friends. We stayed up until about 3:30 am, drinking a LOT, talking, laughing, crying, being together. Wednesday morning there was a Catholic mass. It was very much for Sharon's mom, and not at all about who Sharon was, or the relationship she had with God. At the "passing of the peace" I hugged a friend and whispered "This isn't her. This isn't what she'd want" and she agreed. After communion, the reverand took a solid gulp of the remaining sacramental wine and she leaned over and said "did the priest just chug the wine? Now THAT is what Sharon would have wanted."

The procession from the church to the cemetary was nearly two miles long. At the grave site, the funeral director passed around roses for family and close friends to put on the casket. When he handed the roses to Kyle, some of the baby's breath fell to the ground. The director apologized profusely, and Kyle said "it's okay, you should have seen the way she kept house." The mourners chuckled, I put my rose on her casket, and it suddenly was undeniable anymore.

After the reception, I was dropped off at the train station to head home. But I didn't go home. My benevolant benefactor lives not far from there, and if ever there was a time to spend some time hugging someone you don't get to see often enough, I thought this would be it. Sharon would have understood that. So I spent the night with a dear friend, thinking about another dear friend that I would never see again.

I hope they both know how very very much I love and cherish them.

I'm trying to recover from losing her. It's going to be a while.

Oh, and some last thoughts on how rotten radio is?

Friday morning, less than 16 hours after Sharon's death, her job opening was listed. It took them five days to put a tribute up on the website, which consisted of a photo, her life dates, and "please pray for Sharon and her family" and they took that down after 48 hours. But the search to replace her began before her body was cold.

Scan0005_EDIT6

Friday, September 16, 2005

Almost exactly five years ago, I started my first full-time on-air job at a station in the beach area of Delaware. I was thrilled and excited, and the first day is mostly a blur.

The second day is not a blur. The second day, I met a friend.

She had been out the first day, recovering from a weekend accident in which she had destroyed her knee climbing on an elephant at the circus.

Yup. Climbing on an elephant. Just the sort of thing, I would come to know, that made "Only Sharon" an oft repeated phrase around the office.

In no time I had a rare sort of friend. Someone who had the same sort of dry humor with, someone I could talk to about anything, someone that I was so intuned with that we even dressed the same - accidentally. We had a running joke that she would call me on the on-air line while I was in the studio if she dropped something and couldn't pick it up because of her knee brace. It was only when I outsmarted her and called the main office line asking for her extension that Sharon gave up the battle to keep me running down the hall to do her bidding.

Management at that station (well, at every station I've been at) was hard on me. They constantly told me I wasn't good enough. Sharon constantly jumped to my defense, and when I earned the highest ratings in the region, no one was happier for me than Sharon.

Once, I was sitting in her office, venting about the misery that is the radio industry, and there she was, wearing a baby pink sweater, with her blond curls floating around her face, and her big blue eyes glowing, looking more cherubic than anyone on earth has a right. She altered her normally sexy, smokey, deep voice to a higher, childlike one, and muttered "fuck'em all" - both of us erupted into laughter.

That New Year's Eve, while Sharon was still in a wheelchair recovering from knee surgery, I went to First Night Dover with GB, Sharon's boyfriend Kyle, and Sharon's mother. Sharon's mother was never convinced that Kyle was good enough, even though he adored Sharon more than life, was funny, charming, and treated her like a queen. In fact, Pat spent most of the night trying to separate me and GB and push him towards Sharon. It didn't work. Even then, less than four months into their relationship, Kyle was immensely devoted.

You move a lot when you work in radio. Staying at a job two years is a long time, and you get used to saying goodbye to people. It's rare when you stay in contact with folks from your old jobs, but Sharon and I both made and effort to keep in touch, and though neither of us was quite as good at it as we would have liked, when we did speak, it was always as though no time had passed.

When Sharon left that job, Kyle followed her. First to Cape May NJ, and then, most recently, to Pittsfield Mass. The day Sharon moved in it was snowing, and bitterly cold, and as they were unloading the van, Kyle asked for Sharon's help getting one last box. Turns out that box was a tiny one, though, and he got down on one knee in the snow and asked her to marry him. She of course said yes.

They were married six weeks before GB and I, and I was blessed to be there. I was also blessed to be one of the first to find out that they were pregnant, due on Halloween 2005. We joked that the baby was destined to be wicked, being born to such insane folks as she and Kyle, and that the Halloween due date was just proof of that. It was somewhat unexpected, but an exciting time for them. Sharon's pregnancy wasn't at all easy, but she'd wanted children - no, she'd wanted KYLE'S children - for some time, and she was willing to do what it took to have a healthy baby. After several scares, including a pulled stomach muscle lifting a can out of the grocery bag (Only Sharon!) Sharon was put on bed rest.

Last night, Sharon's blood pressure skyrocketed, and she and Kyle went to the hospital. They had her stabilized, and Kyle headed home for the night. He was five minutes from home when he got the call. Baby Olivia Ruth was delivered, but had lost oxygen for long enough that it's not clear she'll survive. They were unable to revive Sharon.

Sharon

I don't know if I'll be around much next week.
Scan0003_EDIT3Scan0004_EDIT4Scan0002_EDIT2
Scan0007

Thursday, September 15, 2005

courtesy of a bossy dog's mom....

1. What is your occupation? Radio. I think I have a business card around here that says "Program Coordinator" because it would have killed them to give me the title of Program DIRECTOR which actually means something in the biz.

2. What color is your underwear? Sadly, I had to check. Pink and white.

3. What are you listening to right now? The Ray Lucia Show (I'm at work)

4. What was the last thing you ate? Fresh Cantelope and Strawberries, baba ghannouj with fat-free feta cheese.

5. Do you wish on stars? Yes.

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Seafoam Green

7. How is the weather right now? I'm in a building with no windows. Check the pixie.

8. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Someone trying to sell my radio station a sex survey (I declined)

9. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I stole it, but yes, quite a lot!

10. How old are you today? 29

11. Favorite drink? Lemonade

12. Favorite sport to watch? team: Hockey, but I don't follow it; Individual: Equestrian

13. Have you ever dyed your hair? Hell yeah!

14. Do you wear contacts or glasses? I'm supposed to wear glasses, but I seldom do

15. Pets? Two cats, a dog, eleven fish, goodness knows how many aquariam snails, and one of the cats has his own goldfish & two snails.

16. Favorite month? NOT November, NOT August... I suppose October, because the nip is just coming into the air

17. Favorite food? Fettucini Alfredo with slightly tangy cheese and REAL huge chunks of crab

18. Favorite day of the year? New Years Day

19. What do you do to vent anger? Sing. LOUD.

20. What was your favorite toy as a child? Model horses and stuffed animals (Frosty, my teddy bear, does not count, because he's not a toy, he's real).

21. Fall or Spring? Fall.

22. Hugs or kisses? Hugs

23. Cherry or Blueberry? Peach (oh, fine, blueberry)

24. Do you want your friends participate in this? Yes

25. Who is most likely to respond? Help yourself, I don't like to pressure people. I'll just sit here by myself, wondering. Don't feel guilty. I'll be fine...

26. Who is least likely to respond? My brother.

27. When was the last time you cried? I'm doing good today, I think it's been almost 24 hours

28. What is on the floor of your closet? There's a floor in there under all that crap?

29. Who is the friend you have had the longest? This is remarkably difficult and complex to answer

30. What did you do last night? dinner, read email, fell asleep. didn't even knit or spin

31. Favorite smell? I'm not so good with smells, but I love animals smells

32. What inspires you? Passion, creativity.

33. What are you afraid of? Recurrance. That the last time I said "I love you" was the last time.

34. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheese

35. Favorite dog? Specifically, Sandy (RIP) but favorite breed is Newfoundland

36. Number of keys on your key ring? Six

37. How many years at your current job? This employer, 18 months or so, this career path, 6 years.

48. Favorite day of the week? Sunday

49. How many states have you lived in? 3

50. How many cities have you lived in? 5 (but 7 addresses)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other news, I heard about this from Minnie: please go comment on this guy's blog. He's giving $1 to Katrina Relief for every comment before Sunday the 18th, and as of this moment that's 3437.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

This will be my third attempt at this post. Once yesterday, when I didn't know that a certain function on a Mac will delete what you have written and is undoable. Once today when I had the whole thing done and as I was reaching for "publish" my computer at work farted and had to be rebooted. And now.

Please save your applause for the end.

I came down with poison ivy last week sometime - I'm calling it poison ivy because when I had an appointment with my brilliant endocrinoligist (he of the "bdefe bdefe leddy" fame) he looked at it and said I shouldn't walk the dog in the yard* wearing flip flops anymore. We suspect that some poison ivy got mulched in a recent law-mowing incident and Oscar rolled in it and brought it to me.

I've never had poison ivy before, unless you count an unidentified but really disgusting rash that I got after petting a wild pony on Chincoteague Island when I was twelve. My parents were pleased it was just a rash that came home with me, since I'm the type that brings home animals frequently. And it was a very cute, sweet pony who would have been very happy living with me, I know.

Nevertheless, right now I have a rash on my toes and my left wrist. A friend suggested jewelweed, which I'd never heard of (possibly because of lack of exposure to poison ivy to begin with) and I made a tea-like poultice that helped matters a great deal.

Just in time for me to have stomach issues Monday that actually brought me home from work early. Not crippling issues by any stretch, just enough for me to chose digging my favorite green bathrobe out of the laundry pile and setting up on the couch with my (patent pending) personal stomach warmer with soothing vibrations option.
100_0876

I'm feeling much better now, though I'm not sure I'm up for a super long day, which will be required if I go to my guild meeting tonight. The couch is still sounding pretty good right about now.

But I must say I found it sweet how many of you think I should blow off all obligations to knit.

The problem of course is that the responsibilities I was blowing off to knit the "Are They Striped" socks was actually knitting. So basically, it's like I'm on a diet that allows me to eat barbecue potato chips, but I won't eat them, I want to eat Salt-and-vinegar chips.

I know. My life is so hard.


* Am I the only knit-blogger who is incapable of typing Y-A-R-D without first typing Y-A-R-N at least twice?

Monday, September 12, 2005

Do you have family? The kind of family you aren't related to by blood, but instead by souls?

I do.

And I got to spend all weekend visiting with some, talking on the phone with others.... I didn't get to see or speak to all of them, but the ones I did, you know that I love you, and I am truly honored by your presence in my heart and soul.

In the meantime, Jane, I still (ahem) can't tell if this is (cough-cough) self-striping or just varigated...
100_0871
(the color is more true in this photo:)
100_0872
(and yes, I do have square feet, thank you)

I think I should keep going and ignore all other responsibilities, don't you?

Thursday, September 08, 2005

When You Hear Odd Grunting From the Dog's Room

... sometime's it's best not to look.
100_0862

I suppose I can take comfort in the fact that when he was caught eviscerating the comforter he at least looked guilty. Of course, he's a dog, and they tend to look guilty if you say anything to them without taking on that pitch that most humans can't actually hear. He's developed a new habit of taking apart everything soft in his room. It's not like he doesn't have 47 bones in there that he loves. He just wants to see what fiber is stuffing his pillows and blankets. He's a fiber lover. Like his mom.

*sigh*

I figured I'd leave him to his comforter massecre and go back to my knitting. I'm between Christmas stockings now, and will be going away this weekend to a place that while being very fiber-conducive, would not be convenient to have 487 bobbins of garrish stocking yarn bouncing around, so I've got two store samples going - one a simple 100% alpaca (new yarn for them!) in a feather and fan pattern:
100_0864

and the other for a class that all AC Moores are offering in October. Using god-awful Red Heart and an eyelash of equal quality (can I say BLECH???) I have a set pattern which is quite possibly an award winner in the "stating the obvious" knitting pattern category.
100_0865

Booooooorrrrrrringggg.....
But I have to teach the class, and make the sample, so at least I'm getting paid for both.

I also have a pair of socks for me that I'm about to start. I shouldn't. I have enough to do. But it's with this bright spring green Trekking that I didn't buy thinking it would be self striping, yet I have a suspicion it is... and I'm dying to start just to see. Which would be bad. Wrong. Morally reprehensible. Right? I should NOT start something new at this point.

Somebody stop me.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Katrina Hurt Animals Too

First - the blog change was for several reasons - one, I decided there was enough darkness in the world, I wanted to brighten up a bit. And boy-howdee, did I ever? Plus, I discovered that for some reason the format I had done on the other blog template did wonky things on Macs, while looking okay on PCs. Every attempt to fix this made something else go extra wonky. A total revamp (still in the works as I finalize spacing in the sidebar) and we get this eye-shocking thing.

What a fun weekend! Now I need a nap!

Saturday began with a class taught by Beth Brown-Reinsel (which she pronounces RENsel, despite my growing up with someone who prounounced it RINEsel) - it was her Top-Down Aran Class hosted by a local guild and organized (to my knowledge) completely by Genia, who did a fantastic job.

bethclass
Here's Beth showing the sweater we'll make, and this is what I did in class
frontback

What?

You don't believe me?

Okay, no I didn't finish the little sweater, that was Beth's class sample. But it was a great workshop, well organized and supplied, and Beth was a pleasure.

She also brought some of her other work for us to see - like this table full of samples for the other workshops she leads
otherwkshps

And this one that made me angry - the pile next to the sweater are some of the swatches she made before starting the sweater.
sweaterswatches

Yeah, yeah, fine, I'll swatch dammit. (don't you hate when that's the answer?)

A dear friend came to visit Sunday and we played on Main Street, Ellicott City all day. Monday we watched movies and sat and knit. Both days were delightful. Another busy weekend is before me, so I'm considering curling up in a ball under my desk here to catch up on sleep.

But before I do that, one more photo for the women in my knit group that I saw Monday night.
100_0830
Would I make something like that up?

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Don't ask why they didn't leave

wading

Ask how you can help

hug

NETWORK FOR GOOD

cars boat highway

      
Marriage is love.