This and That

Wow. Another huge period of non-communication. If you think this is bad, you should see my email...

I don't know what's going on. Maybe it's Mercury being in retrograde. Maybe it's because I'm so damn tired. Maybe it's because I have so much work to do that it's shooting out my ass. I don't know. Add to that the malaise I've been feeling, and it isn't a pretty picture. So to all of you who have left comments and/or emails which I haven't answered, I apologize. I'm barely keeping my head above water over here.

That's not to say that all is bad. I've begun a new pair of socks out of a gorgeous tone-on-tone wine-colored yarn by Woolly Boully. I did my swatch. I got the right gauge. I cast on and got about an inch of ribbing done. I realized that it would fit my granddaughter's foot. Cut. Start over. Knit another inch of ribbing. Then I realized I hadn't done the math right. I wound up cutting the yarn again (fuck frogging - I have enough yarn to waste some) and casting on 84 stitches. That might sound excessive, but it really isn't. My calves, no matter how thin I am (and I'm NOT thin at this stage of my life) have always looked like upside-down milk bottles. As such, sock ribbing usually stretches WAY out. At least they will fit my leg. The top of the sock has a seed-stitch design, and then the body is straight stockinette. Not a lot of stretch there, so the additional stitches will be welcome. Having 60 stitches at a gauge of 8 SPI just isn't going to cut it. This is, admittedly, a stupid sock pattern (meaning that I can watch People's Court and not pay attention to stitch patterns). I've been invited to join a knitting group, so this is the perfect pattern to work on while I'm bonding with a group of women whom I don't know. And that's okay. I need to get out and meet some fellow knitters, to sit and gossip about nothing in particular, to drop the top (finally) on the Bird and take off down the canyon roads (I used to party on those same canyon roads in my high school days, long before there were any shopping centers - they were delightfully dark and full of hidey places from the cops). I'll be driving down memory lane and remembering how much fun it was to find the perfect grove of trees to hide in, light a doobie, and screw my brains out in the car. Those were the days. If I tried that now, my car would be seen, I'd drop the doobie and start a forest fire, and my ass would get stuck on the gear shift. Then I'd break the seat. BIG repair and bail bills there. Sigh. I really have gotten old.

I can see that this is going to be one of those strange posts which wanders all over the place.

It must be the birthday. That's the only thing I can figure. I heard Hubster making my next dental visit (wait until you hear about the one I just endured), and he was trying to make it for the day after the big 5-0 happens. Shit. That means Reno is out. I hope he doesn't just take me out to dinner. I eat dinner every day - how special. I know I'm sounding like a whiny bitch, but I can't help myself. I've been warning him for five years that I wanted some big event to take place on that day - a new Harley, a trip on it to Vegas to get remarried by Elvis, something - and because we don't have any discretionary money, I have a sinking feeling that I'm going to get shit. No card, no dinner, no trip, definitely no Harley, no bullldog puppy (that was another thing I wanted), no Elvis, no nothing. Just shoot me now and take me out of my misery, because I know that when I wake up that day, I'm going to be bummed like I've never been bummed before. At least I'll be at the prison for the first part of the day, and my boys won't let me be bummed. I'm sure I'll bore you with all the gory details.

So. The dentist. I went last week to have my new crowns put on (the permanent ones) and my front teeth filled. No problem. I've never had a problem with new crowns - they just pop off the temps, stick the new ones on, and that's it. Not this time. He had to really pry the temps off (he uses Super Glue or something); once that was done, he had to remove the cement which was left on the little stubs under the crowns. He likes to use this laser which is actually a stream of water cranked up to the point where it slices through flesh (no kidding); because he was just taking off cement, he didn't numb me up. WRONG MOVE. Those little nubs were sensitive because there was barely any tooth covering the nerve. It hurt so bad that I actually screamed. So then he numbed the exterior of the tooth by wiping on novocaine. Nope. Then he shot me up. That usually doesn't bother me, either. This one hurt. A lot. He stuck the needle right in the gum next to the tooth, pulled it out, and then stuck it in the hinge of my jaw. Another scream. It took about six shots to get each side numbed to the point where I could stand it. Then it took about an hour for him to do the crowns and the fillings. Sigh. I tried to smoke but couldn't feel the ciggie; I tried to drink coffee and wound up with it all over my tits; I couldn't do anything. So I slept because I felt so shitty. When I woke up late that night, the novocaine had finally worn off. In its place, however, was a horrible throbbing. So next time, he's taking impressions for my new dentures. Thank goodness. I've still got my temporary upper and no lower partial. It makes eating steak a blast.

So tonight I'l be working on the shop. I've got a few vendors to list and some updates to do. The big thing that will probably happen tomorrow night is listing all the new Flat Feet which have come in. I have all the new colors in stock and have ordered twice as many as I had the last time. I also have the pattern books printed by the lady who invented Flat Feet. It has 12 patterns, I think, all written by her and her partner. I've not seen it, but I know I'm one of three vendors who has them. I'm hoping you all like them. I also have some really exciting new vendors whom I've signed on; one of them raises her own alpacas and has all kinds of incredible things to offer. I know I should be posting this on my shop blog, but nobody reads it; hence, I have to put shop news here. I apologize to those of you who don't give a rat's ass about the shop, but I have to post it somewhere.

So that's my life right now. I'll be gone this weekend (prison day), so anybody who places an order over the weekend won't have it shipped out until Wednesday. I'll be wiped out Monday night and won't get to the orders until Tuesday night (I'm learning my limitations). Right now, I'm going to knit for a while and then tackle the shop. Since I just woke up (I'm totally turned around), I'll be working all night. That's okay, though - it's beginning to warm up a little, and I don't care to work when it's hot in the house. I'd rather listen to silence and feel the cool breeze while I'm working. Hubster is pretty much on the same schedule as me, so it's nice to have company.

And on that note, I'll see you next week.