I had a mandatory staff meeting. It wasn't as bad as it could have been and the tangerines they provided were banging. I used my neti pot and -- you know what, never mind, I really do have some standards. But I feel much better after using it.

I love my new teeth. Everytime I open my mouth and see them it reminds me of how I can drink cold water now without pain! I've had to avoid cold and ice for twenty years!

I went back to bed and slept. The garbage men came and I remembered I never took the wheelbarrows up to the top of the hill for them.

My mom is such a darling. I'm so blessed to be able to spend this time with her.

My neck hurts when I take the pill. It goes away, but it's enough to make me unable to ignore it. I am kinda woosy when I'm up. I did make mom bacon eggs and toast this morning, though.

My mouth feels kinda raw, but not painful. I guess it's nearly time to take another hydrocodone.

I want to go out there and be with my mom, but I am so sleepy and don[t feel so well I'm going to stay in bed some more I think.

I think I dreamed I ate something and it got under my dentures. I am going to wait before I eat anything but water, just in case.

I'm supposed to take them out for the first time in an hour and wash them. I don't think I'm ready to see myself without teeth. I'll have to not look in the mirror. I think it's too much of a shock which I'm not emotionally strong enough to handle at the moment. Woosy, too.

I was requested to boost the signal. So here I am, letting people know that Team Wench is offering up their annual installment of booze, broads entertainers, and merriment.

The gathering is in Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company (VFC) in Severna Park, MD. 6PM - 10:30 PM on Saturday, Feburary 27th. Tickets go on sale on Monday and are $50 at the early bird price. All of the relevant information is here on their "welcome letter", and absolutely all the information you could possibly need is over here on their website.

(P.S. Unfortunately, I won't be there. This is not a coordination post.)

I am still plugging away on getting everything photographed and inventoried - my god, this is a huge update! I will give you a few highlights:











And there's more! But I'll save those photos for later. Back to the camera!

I haven't had any pain at all since I went in to get my dentures (19 teeth pulled). I have been taking the pills every four hours, or justr a tad less. I set the alarm to make sure I took them through the night.

I find after I take one, I'm awake because I had to sit upo and drink water with it. Then when I lay back down, soon the base of my skull begins to hurt, like the muscles are very tight. I rub it or change my pillow, hoping it will go away.

Eventually, like after about two hours or more, I'm able to go back to sleep. I am surprised when I find that I finally fell asleep when the alarm goes off.

I did have pain in the roof of my mouth for awhile from the needles and from my bottom teeth that remained, in the back of jmy top teeth jaw.

I took this med at about quarter till eight. I am feeling sleepy now.

I feel woosy if I get up abgout now.

I went out to get my laptop cord before taking a dose, sometime beetween them, and had no trouble if I went slowly.

I ned to go back to sleep as I didn't get much sleep yet.

Thursday, January 7, 2010
5:12 am

I’ve been lying in bed awake since four when I let my little alarm wake me up so I would take my pain pills before they wore off. There must be some wakeup stuff in hydroquinone.

I am so grateful for my new teeth. They look beautiful. I am so very blssed. They won’t fit properly when the swelling goes down, the’ll get looser and looser. But they sure do look pretty.

They also won’t ever give me toothaches like my teeth did.

I’m so grateful to be here with my mom.

She’s such a sweetheart to me.

My laptop died last night and I’d left my cord in the car, so I had to go out and get my cord from the car so I could lay here and journal.

It’s minus three at the moment, celcius.

Good I’m dozing off.

I'm aiming for a Friday update at this point. I photographed and inventoried all day long and still didn't get done! I'm slowly putting photos up on Flickr but in the meanwhile I'll entertain you with these photos of the week's Mmmbellishments:







There's much, much more to come but I wanted to share these as I thought they were really pretty.

Oh, and tonight's Spontaneous Journal entry for those of you who are at all interested:



This collage started as a five minute watercolor which I tore up and pasted down with matt medium along with imagery of clocks and clockworks. I then painted with acrylics on top of that for 5 minutes. I've been exploring my love/hate relationship with time. Speaking of which, I really ought to think about going to bed!

Over the weekend we received a letter from USCIS (formally INS) informing us we had an appointment on Wednesday. Appointment for what? we wondered (Tulio's green card -- which is actually yellow, and prior to that they gave out pink cards, they haven't actually been green for like 30 years -- won't expire for another 6 or 7 years). So we dutifully went there -- it is carefully hidden and after you have a panic attack and cry because you can't find it, a helpful gas station attendant will tell you the top secret location -- and then you pass by the most dutiful purse-scanner I have ever seen -- everyone there is very friendly and helpful though, so that was nice. Although one of the security guards roped me into a conversation about how global warming is a liberal hoax (it really is quite cold still)*. Anyway, we checked in (I'll just give up an attempt at a coherent tense) and a little later a lady called us over and wanted to know why we were there. We explained that we wanted to know the same thing. She looked in the computer and could find no reason for us to be there so went to ask her manager. And came out and said "We don't know why you got this letter, but since you're here we'll go ahead and fingerprint you." And they did and that was that.

*The weatherman carefully explained yesterday that we're not just having a cold snap that will go away in a few days, we're actually having an actual season called winter.

Ok I love this idea. And if I lived anywhere near a place so desolate and inner city as this I would be hurling those grenades with gusto and rapid frequency.

SEEDBOM



SEEDBOM

Throw it, Pot it, Drop it, Grow it!

SEEDBOMs are the friendly bombs that grow, tools for Eco-Warriors and Guerrilla Gardeners.

They contain everything you need to start growing flowers practically anywhere. Use SEEDBOMs to interact with your environment, join forces with nature and brighten up dull and lifeless places in your area by throwing them into derelict land, neglected spaces, fenced off eyesores or even your neighbour’s messy garden and watch them grow!

SEEDBOMs are handmade from a mixture of eco-friendly, locally sourced, organic and recycled materials such as used egg boxes, shredded office paper, compost and a selection of easy to grow flower varieties and native wildflower seeds.

Sold in a pack of 4 each with a different flower variety.

Sorry Im behind on posting. Thats having a job everyday for 8 hours.. Tuition though... here are some pictures of the Baby roos that I am looking for good home for.

Mom and Dad's PV system from Solar City (www.solarcity.com) is a leased system that is grid-tied and will roll their meter backwards when it generates more than they use.

Mom & Dad's 2009 PV generation Mom and Dad installed a photovoltaic system in April 2009. This is the graph of generation through the end of the year. Total generation was 2,830 kWh. According to the website, that is $526 in electricity, or 1.8 mature trees of carbon offset.

Recently finished project - yarn for a friend to make a hat out of!

( pics under the cut )

I had a great job searching day, and tomorrow I'm trying my luck at an exciting place downtown. I still have money in my pocket and the random trickle of disasters has stopped (knock on wood). So even though I'm unemployed I'm actually feeling quite good!!!

I'm in Laila's new Knit Along, because I own this adorable deck of cards... and figure might as well use up some stash yarn.

Knit Along: http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/i-heart-rawfish-yarns/941477/1-25#12
Book: Hats, Mittens, and Scarves by Andrea Tung


(I'm so frustrated with my stash right now). I want to get rid of all of my KnittyDirtyGirl (well, sell it), problem is most of it needs reskeining yet. And the other yarn I have grown out of! I'm not into bright teeny bopper colors so much these days. I want to be more simple and stylish, less hobo + homeless person. And I'd like to wean myself off of pink for a while. Act my age. I'll have to overdye most of it, if I'm ever going to knit with it.

If I don't do something about my stash soon I'll be in trouble! Because I want to do the sweater a month challenge, and that means buying new yarn. I realize I may not get all 12 sweaters done, but somehow this goal feels right. I need to beef up my Ravelry notebook and my personal knitting skills...... Beefing up our wardrobes would be nice too! Knitting 12 sweaters for myself + family would feel so good. Self love time. I know a lot of you think it's a ridiculous challenge and you definitely think I can't do it... but somehow that doesn't matter to me. I just want to have something to try for. I'm lacking specific goals so much right now, this feels like a productive thing to shoot for. I'm definitely including baby + kids sweaters, and I'm not going to beat myself up if I fall behind. I figure it might take me a few tries... and this is my first.

Sweater a Month Challenge Forum: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/knit-a-sweater-a-month-challenge

I tidied up the house and prepared everything for Mom for tomorrow. I have her needle and thread and mending, her newspaper and mail, an orange, her pillows and blanket ready for her lift chair to greet her.

I cleaned up my mess from shredding, well, mostly, anyway.

I have packed up the stuff I'll be needing to take along with me tomorrow. I even downloaded some Lois & Clark stories to read during the day when I'm on my own hanging out in the middle of the day.

I have done the dishes, sorted out the laundry, tidied up my room and in general, the whole downstairs is looking pretty usable.

I even arranged brought in the fruit so it doesn't freeze tonight and put the suet outside where it will stay nice and frozen overnight.

I'm off to bed now, I guess.

• 11:36 lol, two workers greeted me *by name* at @panera today. I'm here too much. :) #
• 12:31 wondering if it's worth going to PAX East just to see @paulandstorm and @jonathancoulton #

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tracied is evil. DO NOT TRUST HER.

http://www.bettiepageclothing.com/

Guh.



OK this and the Alice/Queen of Hearts shoes from before. Y/Y?

I'm feeling inspired to knit, so next projects will be these. Chunky and quick and easy on my hands.

Tundra by Tessa Durham, Loop-D-Loop 3


Spencer, Stefanie Japel, Fitted knits.

There was a small china bunny rabbit in my box of tea today, which made me irrationally happy. Here it is on my windowsill with a cat from a prior box of tea, some attractive rocks from the Oregon shore, and one of those insulator things, which my grandmother had in her china cabinet. That's only 2 sentences, but you get a bonus photo too.

I NEEEEEED these. I would look fabulous wearing these in the big physio pool at the hospital, you know I would. Do you think they'd let me wear the heels in too?



I love this site, thank you tracied for hooking me up. I'm going to get a dress from here for my birthday. With my new curvier figure I'm going to look bangable banging.

I really like this one.


Ooh this one is hot too.


This is beautiful.


Ack so adorable. SO MANY TO CHOOSE FROM!


OH god and th shoes are even cuter!!



I LOVE THESE. They would fit my Alice in Wonderland theme I have decided to have for my birthday. I'm having a tea party and then going to see the new film. These would be great to wear there!

 Moving right along with our plan to take over the Yarnverse.... Our general Eirik in Norway needs some pictures of me teaching the Pluckyfluff Workshop to promote the upcoming events in May. I don't have many because i always forget my camera and anyhow my arms aren't long enough to do self portraits. These point of the pics is to show people that this is not just a regular old spinning class, we need to illustrate the FUN, the CREATIVITY, the EXCITEMENT. So those kinds of shots where colorful sparkle is flying through the forground, everyone is smiling or looking astounded, this is what we want. Please make sure they're cute ones of me but don't worry about the wrinkles, i can photoshop them myself. Please email them to me at the headquarters email: handspunrevolution@gmail.com with the statement "I, (your name), grant full permission to print and disseminate these images." Thank you! 



CAMP PLUCKYFLUFF NEW ZEALAND!!!!
Um, I'm not sure why I didn't have this super bold on the camps page except to say that Glynis at Majacraft has been so organized i think the class might already be totally booked. But maybe not! I never hurts to drop a line to those folkes anyhow and just say 'what's up'. and What's up is we are doing a joint workshop in February so if you are in those parts sign up!! It's going to be completely rad.

Majacraft Magic Camp/Pluckyfluff
Upper Hutt, NZ
Feb. 20-21, 2010
contact Majacraft to enroll






GETTING CONNECTED
So....the nxt part to deal with in the worlds giantest skein creation is the question of how to connect each yarn together. This is very important as every move in art has meaning and the way in which we connect, both literally and symbolically, is a major part of this work. So....suggestions? At first i wanted to "spin" them together somehow. i like the idea of the integrity of a truly spun continuous strand. however, if i'm dealing with thousands of contributions the "how" of this is staggering. but maybe i'm not thinking about it the right way. Knots or tying is a more feasable solution but traditionally a knot is a flaw in a yarn. however, rules are broken all the time in spinning now, so i'm less bothered by that. but what kind of knot? have you looked into the symbolism, history and meaning of knots lately? it's mind blowing. but we need a connection that makes sense for spinning, or fiber, or art, or?? Let's work on this. Please post comments here or check in on the ravelry/facebook groups. I'll start threads there for the topic.