The Mallymkun in my life is most certainly not a foil wielding mouse from Underland (like in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland); instead she's my brother's cat. I'm not sure exactly why he picked the name. Aside from them being near opposites in physical description (The mouse has tidy white fur, while Ray's cat has black fur that grows so abundantly we have to trim the tufts of fur that grow between her toes), they also lack similar personalities. Tim Burton's character is brave to the point of stupidity, and our dear sweet cat is frightened to... well... the point of stupidity.
Alas, I digress. Currently my hubby and I are living within walking distance of his work. We share a three bedroom with my brother and one of my husband's coworkers. Fortunately we all agree that the internet was created for the purpose of sharing cat videos, and as such we should have one around in case the internet goes out. Cue Ray's adorable, manipulative, brilliant, loving, strange little cat - Mallymkun (though for our kitty I prefer the spelling Maliumpkin). Doesn't she look absolutely terrifying as she roars? Wait... you're right, she's probably just yawning.
While the humans inhabiting the place are just fine with the square footage, the resident feline thinks that there's a bit to be desired. Dare I say that without opposable thumbs she might even be driven to boredom? Of course this wouldn't do. How can our entertainment be left unentertained? Fortunately this occurred about the same time that my fingers started to get that itch to play with yarn.
In this position she is known as "Bellyumpkin"
First I made her a few small ball toys, the knitted and crocheted ones have the advantage of not sending you flying if you step on them. Since they're not made of hard plastic or rubber they also don't give unwary feet 'Lego syndrome' that is slightly preferable to walking on fire. Another added bonus of making your own toys is that you get to determine what you stuff them with. Why settle on mere fiberfill when you could instead pack it with psychedelic plant matter?
The larger ball in the foreground was made using the free Tiny Crochet Ball Pattern by Julie-K. Kudos also go to Julie for staggering the increases thus making it less spiral looking with a more natural spherical shape The eeeensy-weeensy one behind the mountain of fuzz was made using the Crochet Small Ball Pattern (also posted for free) from Isabella's Stitches.
Some trivia concerning Maliumpkin; endearments include: Umpkin Pumpkin, Bellyumpkin, Mally-cat (sounds like Alley-cat), fluffyumpkin, Madame Fancy Pants, and other disgustingly cute names.
Today it's raining in Southern California. I thought I'd take this auspicious occasion and commemorate it by doing something that happens just as rarely and *gasp* post a blog entry. Me? Neglect readers? That's nigh unthinkable!...*cough* let's not point out the hypocrisy by citing the starting line of my last entry.
I hear ya Moe.
Curious as to why I've been absent? Well, the TLDR (too long, didn't read) version is that I was being a good girl, studying my heart out; when I met a person who I was sure didn't exist - Mr. Perfect (for me). One minute I was whining to my classmates that I was going to die cold and alone and dead (a la my mistakenly remembered Moe Sizzlac quote), and about three weeks later my future husband and I were discussing how to tell friends and family we were getting married without them thinking we had gone mad. A year to the day after we met we tied the knot. Unexpected ultra bonus: NEW PEOPLE TO KNIT FOR!
Again, I'm guilty of blog negligence. Part of the reason is that I'm back attending courses at a local community college. By some miracle I was able to get into a General Human Anatomy course; mostly because the professor prides herself on being challenging, and not for those faint of heart (nyuck nyuck anatomy pun). During lecture and lab, I confess, I found myself daydreaming about some projects I had seen that kept springing to mind.
First, there is an amazing knitted replica of the human brain. Along with being quirky and colorful, it's also anatomically correct. If you're interested in this creation by Karen Norberg, check out this Scientific American article.
Another favorite of mine was originally introduced to me while reading Interweave Knits Summer 2011 magazine. Even down to the teeth, this entire skeleton was knitted by artist Ben Cuevas. Now, I wouldn't mind studying this anatomical model. Check out his blog if you want to know more about him or his other anatomical knits.
Curious about knitting your own digestive system? Don't worry about it being uncharted territory; Matie Trewe has gone to the effort to write down the pattern. Although the blog has "expired" you can still get it via the Way Back Machine by clicking here.
The next anatomical knit is by Emily Stoneking, and I fear that she may not make it to regresty's page only due to talent. Then again if she is featured, it will probably be in the same warm fuzzy light that was shed on a review of Ben Cuevas's work. Her work, entitled Biology 101, has me longing to watch prosections of knitting creatures (even if he does kinda remind me of Kermit).
I’ve been mulling over this blog post for weeks. What to say, how to say it, of course how
much is enough how much is too much? Oh
well, let’s just get into it.
I’m back in California!
This is comfortable in some ways; certainly familiar. It’s about 69 degrees out this morning
(around 11am); while in Illinois it’s supposedly 96 plus humidity. Personally, I will not miss the wet
heat. Swimming to your car and weather
that mimics a steam room? Thanks, I’ll
pass.
Squirrel friend in Mount Prospect does not like the heat either.
Living with Daniel was amazing and we had a really good
run. There are oodles of things I’m
going to miss, but ya know, life goes on.
I do highly recommend the soul searching you can do while
driving alone from the Chicago area to Southern California. It’s sort of like the meditation you can do
while knitting. Your hands and eyes are
busy, but your mind can wander to things you need to deal with. It’s also nice to know that you have loved
ones waiting for you.
After two full days of driving I ended up visiting Kevin,
his mom and Sam in the Reno area. Sort
of fabulous the kind of healing you can do while getting sunburned and saddle-sore
from trail rides. Also, it was a
wonderful chance to foist off some knitted items on them before continuing down
to familiar territory.
I have a problem. I've been commissioned to do a baby project for a brand new person that's scheduled to join humanity sometimes this summer... in southern California. Knitting doesn't quite lend itself to crafting summer things as well as it does to warm winter snugglies. Added to that is my personal inexperience with infants. Booties are adorable, but really impractical, causing most mommies to forgo those little accessories. Oh, and the parents are choosing to wait until the birth to find out the gender.
So, let me ask the question to any readers willing to comment; any suggestions for cool (denotative cool... not cool as in "cool beans") knit/crochet baby items?
The Midwest thunderstorms are nothing to sneeze at, and I
can finally understand why the Von Trapp kids were bolting to Maria’s
beside. While whiskers on kittens
definitely calm me, I also have a few items that didn’t quite make it into that
musical number:
My ball winder – how do I love thee? Let me count the ways… you make me cakes; and
yarn cakes are far less fattening than the red velvet kind. Since they’re center pull I don’t have to
worry about balls of yarn bouncing all over the apartment. You’ve saved me countless hours by keeping my
skeins untangled and organized. The
delicate wing nut which allows you to clamp to tables of so many widths; and
your rubber foot caresses and keeps surfaces pristine.
Interchangeable circular needles – Your bright
colors make my heart smile. Flexible,
adaptable; oh, if only people could be more like you! Tucked away neatly in your case, I know
you’re there waiting for me, ready to morph needle size so that my hat brims
remain snug and the crown comfortable.
With your end caps and extenders, you make it so easy to knit a blanket
in one fell swoop, instead of panel after panel with endless joining.
My mountains of bamboo dpns - I love the way you cling to my yarn, easing my anxiety of dropping
stitches. Be it socks, gloves or
finishing a hat, you tempt me to make tubes, for feet, fingers, hands and
heads. Bringing stitches back and forth,
thank you for being an ever ready cable needle of just the right size.
Row Counters – You who watch over my project, who keep me focused and sane. I admire how you gently guide me back into place after I’ve dealt with the mundane interruptions of life. You congratulate me on every accomplished row by singing “click”, and tempt me to finish the perpetual "one more".
Magnetic Chart Keeper – so long did I lust after you. Finally, this December you came into my
life. The attraction I feel to you is
not just because of your magnetism; though I do appreciate not having to mar my
patterns with holes or marks. Propped
open you handsomely display my complicated rows in elegant simplicity. Closed, you keep my pattern safe in my
knitting bag, with my place marked and ready whenever I am ready for more.
Daniel has an interesting sense of humor. He loves shows where the characters are ordinary Joes, but with some really odd personal quirk (you know, just like real life). Watch how these seemingly normal ridiculous people behave with each other and for him hilarity ensues. Examples? He likes watching The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock (ok, the characters there are more exaggerated), Modern Family, and now recently Bored to Death.
A recurring character on Bored to Death is Louis Green, played by John Hodgman; and it's him that I want to talk about, not the stars of the show (Jason Schwartzman, Zack Galifianakas, or Ted Danson). One evening, while watching Bored to Death, and Hodgman's character walked on screen, Daniel paused it and asked me if I had ever seen the Ted Talk that Hodgman did. Sidenote: Ted Talks are amazing and inspiring; they achieve their goal of spreading ideas that deserve far more promotion than something like Jersey Shore gets. Anyway, if you have a little over 16 and a half minutes, it's well worth your time. Expect some laughs, a discussion of aliens and love.
I've started and deleted this post at least five times. I'd like to talk about what I'm doing to try to gain some financial self sufficiency, but in reading what I've written it just seems to sound whiny or like I'm coming to the reader hat in hand. With the intent of being matter of fact or maybe with a dose of humor, here goes:
Sooooooo, I've recently added some goodies to my blog here. While it's all well and good to offer knitting services; it might not be the savviest move to offer them on a knitting blog. Heh, most of the people visiting here can make it for themselves, right? I'm still getting commissions from friends and family (... I have no idea what I'd do without you guys and the warm fuzzies you give); but the term "market saturation" seems to come up (also, I have the hardest time trying to quote prices... even at $3.00 per hour + material costs, I feel like I'm asking too much). What to do...what to do... Adapt or die? Diversify?
Also I've started working on my Amazon Associate's store. Basically if you purchase something through amazon that I've linked, in theory there is a teeny tiny percentage that they think of as commission. Were considering getting a book anyway? If nothing else, if you like some of the books I've put up; you may enjoy some of my other recommendations.
Alright, I officially feel like a sell out. Sorry folks. On that note, let me enchant and horrify you with the following (particularly effective if you grew up in the 80's):
Oh, one last thing... if you go to Black Acre Brewing Co.'s site and say that you're NOT 21, you'll get directed to a full screen version of the above video.
Celebrating Valentine's Day on the 14th is completely overrated. Think about it: the crowds, the waiting, all couples wanting to do the same "special occasion" at the same time? Nuts to that! Instead, my boyfriend and I spoil ourselves by having two Valentine's Days. The going out portion, that the majority of people set aside for the 14th was what we did last night. Dinner and a show, sounds anticlimactic, but it was wonderful! First we went to the Cheesecake Factory and dined our way through a generous gift card from my mother (Thanks ma!). After dinner we shared a slice of their raspberry lemon cheesecake. Amazing. Utterly wonderful. I gasped and my toes curled while we shared it (I do apologize to the other diners if this made them feel uncomfortable). So, I found a picture of this amazing creation, but it looks like the "before" picture on an advertisement. What we were presented with was the delictible dessert, but it had raspberry sauce over the top and pooled on the sides, and topped with an obscene amount of whipped cream. Can I point out how rare a thing it is to find something that looks far better when it's put in front of you instead of the picture representation? Kudos Cheescake Factory, well done.
Next we went on to see Cirque Du Soleil's production, Quidam. Just as you'd suspect, it's beautiful with breathtaking feats; and like all of Cirque Du Soleil's shows, there is a vague storyline. The touch of narrative is mostly in the form of a few characters that sort of act as the on stage audience; but by far most of the sensations you feel comes from the music. Silly one moment, dramatic the next; the only thing that you can count on from the music is that it adds this indispensable element of emotion to these athletic feats. When you're watching the shows live, it's almost like you're invested in them; experiencing them. Oh, dear lord I sound pretentious.
Favorite part of the show? Ok, don't hate me for it, but the panto mime. Now it's not some guy trying to get out of a glass box or juggling invisible balls. The guy doing these skits in the show pulls people out from the audience on stage with him. In the beginning of his first skit, he's obviously getting ready for a date. A lovely romantic evening with an unsuspecting young woman from the audience. In playing along and trying to understand from his motions what he wants her to do, she invariable makes some comical mistakes. In the mime's second act, he's a director and pulls four people from the audience. One to be the leading man, one for the leading lady, one to be the scorned lover, and of course, that one guy that comes along with the clapboard... since doing it in one take would leave far less room for hilarity. Disclaimer: While this was my favorite act, perhaps due to it's presence, Quidam might not be best suited to children. I read some of the negative reviews on Cirque Du Soleil's site and audience members were less than thrilled at the subtle drug references and sexual innuendos; you know, the things I found hilarious.
Now, the favorite part of the evening? Having my best friend/boyfriend with me. Daniel's an amazing guy, and I'm delighted to have my second Valentine's day with him (heh, last year we celebrated in World of Warcraft... since we hadn't even met yet). It's great to be making memories with him, and I'm looking forward to the 14th where we can have our own private Valentine's day, maybe just a picnic on the floor of the apartment (it's rather chilly here in Chicago).
Interested in the show? The links below are to the dvd and soundtrack of Quidam.
Lately as I've been knitting I've been busy reading, or rather listening. My hands are busy, and I find comfort in the repetitive motions of looping the yarn over needles. But due to my recent blues I haven't been feeling up for knitting that I'd term challenging, whether it's attention to the pattern or if it's learning a new technique. The only problem is boredom and the obnoxious depressing thoughts that run away with my train of thoughts at those times. At a certain point you stop feeling like you're a monk in a zen-like experience and begin to catch yourself in a slack jawed drooling imitation of a machine.
For a while I would watch *cough cough listen cough cough* to Netflix. Note: Action movies are horrible to knit to, most of the plot is visually conveyed, and thus not the best choice for me to click my needles to (although when it's really tense I typically knit faster in anxiety). Most of the time things like Law and Order fit the bill pretty well; but sitting in front of a computer all day isn't very good for soaking up some sunshine and getting vitamin D.
This lead me to the local library where I ventured up to the information desk and inquired about audio books. An enthusiastic librarian showed me the shelves of CDs filled, and then hurriedly showed me something new that they had been experimenting with. Proudly she opened up something that looked like a VHS tape case that contained a mini MP3 player with an audio book on it. They're self contained books, all you need are headphones (and if you don't have your own you can get some from the front desk too). It saves your place when you pause it, and with it being so light you can take it anywhere.
Using these cute little MP3 audiobooks, I've knit my way through
Water for Elephants: A Novel
by Sara Gruen, The Hypnotist: A Novel
by Lars Kepler,The Time Traveler's Wife
by Audrey Niffeneger, and The Last Child
by John Hart. I'm looking forward to adding a few more titles to this list. Oh, and considering I'm working on knitting a blanket, I might get those audiobooks under my belt sooner than I would expect. That being said, I'm usually not sure of what I'm checking out from the library, other than it's usually fiction and a mystery. Any recommendations? Pretty please leave a comment with the title!
Since it's timely I almost feel the obligation to post something about New Year's resolutions; especially since those that follow the Mayan calendar suspect that this might be my last opportunity to do so. This is usually the time of year when people start fresh; and along with organizing priorities it's not unusual to resolve to get more organized in a tangible sense. Time to clean up your life as well as your living space. So, a number of people throw out old clothes, papers, broken items along with their old calendars. But what about those things we keep?
This year I spent the last day of 2011 with my boyfriend and his family. About an hour before the ball dropped, Daniel's stepmother, Judy, was doing her Wonder Woman-esque feat of managing sleeping arrangements. Before you think I'm exaggerating, I should probably mention that a number of relatives were in town, bringing the total of butts needing beds to a delicate 15. Not surprisingly, this was an opportunity to find throw blankets that aren't used on a regular basis.
One such blanket was a wedding gift when Daniel's father and Judy got married. This lovely antique white afghan was lovingly crocheted by hand, with fringe and bobbles. This blanket had been in the family long enough to predate the addition of their two girls, as well a number of pets. One member of the family, Buster, an Australian Shepard, wanted to make his impression on this heirloom. Buster busted a hole about the size of a snout in the wedding afghan. Fortunately it wasn't torn asunder; just a little too loved on.
And now back to New Year's eve. As we sat around alternately gaping and giggling at Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper, Judy came down with the wedding afghan. She knows about my addiction; that I knit and crochet and figured it never hurts to ask. Knowing that washing would have helped unravel what Buster had begun, she refrained from doing so. After studying the pertinent area, my mind unhindered by liquid holiday cheer, I told her I thought I might be able to fix it. I hope I can actually deliver!
I love that I've been given an opportunity to mend something special. In our society of disposable goods, it seems wonderfully fulfilling to fix something instead of chucking it out and getting a new one. The lines from Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World keeps coming back:
"But old clothes are beastly," continued the untiring whisper. "We always throw away old clothes. Ending is better than mending, ending is better than mending, ending is better …".
"Ending is better than mending. The more stitches, the less riches; the more stitches …"
Eerily prophetic, considering it was first published in 1932. Despite the dismal similarities between the world of 2012 and the dystopian future Huxley presented; I'm grateful that it's not completely the case. I'm finding personal riches in stitches, and I'm certainly not ending my mending. The thought of heirlooms still being used and loved warms me more than this afghan ever could. So for me it's in with the old and new; old heirloom new stitches and a new lease on life for this piece of family history.
So, my face is nearly as red (or maroon) as this plum colored hat! In my last post, I mentioned ever so briefly how my brother's friend Andrew and his wife were expecting a baby girl? Well, things were certainly moving along quite a bit quicker than I had known. Turns out expecting was the wrong word, it's more like she's here! In fact we nearly shared a birthday. Joanna was born on November 8th, only three days before I turned thirty.
Despite having a baby that's younger than all of the condiments in our refrigerator; as well as an actively and well entertained toddler to look after, second time mom Becky Shattuck still found time to find me on facebook to send a thank you message. If you're impressed about her juggling skills on that alone, you should check out her blog, where you'll find that Becky posts more days than not.
Just as I didn't know that Joanna had entered this world, I wasn't aware of the amazing blog that Becky has. I find myself returning to it and getting a vicarious thrill of exploring the world for the first time through the observations of a toddler, and "100 ways to entertain" one.
So I'm really enjoying the warm fuzzy feeling that's coming from reading her post about the plum colored hat that went along with the first sweater I made. I've purloined a few pictures of Joanna modeling the hat from Becky's blog (though since it's with permission, it's more like I just snagged 'em instead of stole them). This hat was made using the wonderful pattern Baby Berry Hat by Michele Sabatier, available for free on her blog.
Lately I've been discouraged. I'm not sure exactly what it is. The weather? The annual onset of holiday stress? Or just the general pessimism that comes with an economic downturn. Still, I can pinpoint one the reasons that my enthusiasm has been firmly curbed.
Nearly a full week before Black Friday, my boyfriend and I braved crushing crowds in pursuit of a spice rack at JCPenny's. On our slow and tedious way towards the escalator, we shuffled past the section devoted to winter accessories. That's where I found my own personal rain cloud, disguised as sock monkeys, felt eyed frogs and owls, garter stitched pandas and penguins. Admittedly this particular storm had begun brewing much earlier and across the country. This is evidenced by a picture I took of some hats in a store along the "boardwalk" at Newport beach on the last day of my visit home.
These adorable hats (click here for more examples) are the latest example as to why I should stop trying to pursue knitting things for others. Lovely machines churned out these little gems, no doubt in places where the labor regulations are more accommodating for the bottom line of companies like JCPenny (who owns the brand Arizona Jeans; the label these babies are imported under). As a knitter I notice that not only is the fleece lining sewn in, but the shaping of the crown is done by cutting the knitted fabric and then using a sewing machine; this is basically like watching someone put packets of ketchup on filet mignon.
To add insult to injury, is the reason of WHY these hats are considered cute and chic... It's because they try to look handmade. Basically the first stitch a knitter learns is... well, the knit stitch. After a number of rows of this you have a fabric that has been done in "garter stitch". This is is the foundation of knitting, just like the foundation of reading are the letters of the alphabet. Essentially, they want to appeal to the crowd that likes to look at handcrafted items on Etsy, but would prefer to pay less. But who are you supporting when you pay less? It's not unreasonable to assume that you could be supporting sweatshop conditions. According to Green America's Retailer Scorecard which wants to curb sweatshop practices, JCPenny earns the grade of D- (out of a typical A-F grading system) for subcontracting to five companies out of the nine named with documented poor human rights records.
Thank you for letting me share my own personal rain cloud. I can daydream about trying to make a living doing various things with knitting; but perhaps it should remain just that - a daydream. There's no way I can compete with the sweatshops. The cost of materials and shipping alone are typically at the upper limit of what the average American would pay for a knitted accessory. When I make something I don't expect or hope to get minimum wage for my time, but I'd like to help the household expenses a bit. The silver lining? There are a handful of people out there that have been willing to support my daydream. Moral of the story: if you want something that looks handmade, buy handmade... and the spice rack? I'll get one elsewhere.
Confession: while I yearn for luxurious fibers to knit with, I cringe at the thought of actually using them. Silk? Mohair? These are idols I worship at, not merely yarn to be used as I would an acrylic. Gracious relatives that know me and my addiction have gifted me with some of these amazing yarns.
Among my gems are five skeins of Rowan's Kid Silk Haze in a color called "Marmelade" and three skeins of Noro's Silk Garden, also made with silk and kid mohair with a touch of lamb's wool. While I did celebrate a thirtieth birthday earlier this month... these are actually gifts from previous years.
What have I been doing with these luscious fibers? Mostly hoarding them, like a dragon. In fact, I don't want you to look at them too hard in case it makes them lose a touch of their softness or their enviable coloring.
While I did flirt with projects for each of these yarns, I still couldn't bring myself to try them for fear I'd screw up on the pattern. Yes I know I can unravel them; but I don't want my precious yarn to lose anything from my mistakes. Besides, the inevitability of needing to trim ends and thus CUT these beauties? I'd rather slash a finger... well not quite, but close.
In my heyday of playing World of Warcraft, I was very very tempted to use the Noro to make my own Murgle from a pattern called "More than a Fish" by Ixetal Cilona. However, having had no experience with making amigurumi, it seemed like a terrible idea to try and learn on my precioussssss Noro. Still, aren't they cool? Just check out some of the finished ones like Nordly's on Ravelry.
Also I thought about using the Rowan's Kid Silk Haze with a project posted in the Winter 2007 issue of the ezine Knitty. Featured was this gorgeous cowl pattern by Rosemary Hill called "Ice Queen". The yarn is so lightweight that you can put small beads on it which look like little ice crystals. Even though this yarn is as light as a feather, the "haze" makes it surprisingly warm, all while being so soft you just want to rub it until your fingers fall off. Of course it wouldn't have been very "ice queen-ish" in the marmalade hue, but doesn't that mean it would be warming in color as well? Then the sad realization hit me. I don't wear cowls. And while I usually give away nearly everything I knit, the hoarding dragon within me wants to hold onto these luxury fibers even after they stop being in skein form. Then again, knowing me, that may never happen.
Oh the materialism! It reminds me of when I was in grade school and Junior high. I would get these Lisa Frank stickers. While I loved looking at them, I never stuck them to anything. I knew that whatever it was would eventually be tossed or forgotten and I couldn't stand that; so in my desk they remained. After discovering boys I did happen to forget about my Lisa Frank stickers. That was of course until I found them again in my college years. Finally I was able and grateful to use them. They were perfect for sticking all over government addressed envelopes, when taxes were due, responding to jury duty, etc.
My father is currently working his way through his fourth week of recovery from his total knee replacement. Working being the operative word, since for him to get the most out of his surgery he needs to be in a constant rotation of walking, physical therapy, and icing the joint to keep the swelling down.
The surgery and hospital stay occurred at Kaiser Permanente's Sand Canyon facility in Irvine. Despite replacing parts of his femur and tibia, they had him walk away from the operating table. No rest for the wicked, eh? Due to some complications that came as a result from an anti-nausea medication he stayed in the hospital a few days longer than originally anticipated. I have no idea why, but dear old dad was in a lather to get back home. When I visited him in the hospital, he had his own room. Everyone that came in was warm and friendly, even the woman who maintained the cleanliness of the room. While I was there he had a visit from a Golden Retriever named Meggie.
Hospital Harpist?
If that weren't enough later on soft music began drifting into the room. I glanced out into the hallway from his room and said "Dad, there's a harpist in the hallway." Not a sentence you anticipate hearing, let alone in a hospital. My father felt the same way, replying with, "You're kidding." I think that he, even like me, didn't quite believe his eyes. The lovely harpist even nodded a consent to let me photograph her. When she had finished her song my father thanked her, and she replied quietly and shyly that Kaiser had asked people from the local symphony to come volunteer and play for people in intensive care. Again... why he was in such a hurry to get home I'll never know.
Where'd they put that 3"?
Unlike most patients, my father was replacing his knee not due to constant pervasive pain in the joint, but rather because he had so little range of motion. This is largely a result of a motorcycle accident he was involved in during 1997 ( I remember it was April-ish of my Sophomore year), where they placed some serious hardware in his knee. The total knee replacement made the hardware unnecessary, but don't worry, the pops has maintained it as a souvenir/trophy.
Nurse Shirley on duty
Once he was home my Dad and I had some serious bonding time; aided by Doc Martin on Netflix and some gnarly pain killers they prescribed to him. With the pain killers being on a four hour rotation, my father's physical therapy two to three times a day, and the required elevation of his leg and icing; for the first two weeks my dad and I were busy most of the day everyday with his recovery. Oh! Great tip: make your own gel-ice bags with a gallon ziploc and 3 parts water to 1 part rubbing alcohol. So, due to my nagging ways, my father sometimes called me his Jiminy Cricket or Nurse Ratched; depending on his mood. Of course I maintain that the negative comments were caused solely by the pain killers wearing off; and never by my own poking and prodding.
Here I am, my first full day back in Illinois and it's about time for me to catch up on my blogging. Seems like an ideal time to blather about one of the major reasons as to why I went home in the first place.
Fall color just before I left
Originally I had a vague notion about wanting to be home for my 30th birthday. Then, while trying to nail down the dates with my mother; she mentioned that the end of October and the end of November were going to be a little busy for her. It's not unusual for my mother to be stressed out in early November, since she works with Los Angeles County and one of her responsibilities has to do with making sure all voters have requested materials and know their polling place. On top of all of this, my father had scheduled his total knee replacement for October 24th, which required a caregiver for the first week or so after he got out of the hospital. My silly mother. She had been wringing her hands and wondering how she was going to pull everything off, and didn't want to impose by asking her daughter to come home early to help. I swear, this woman makes Atlas look like a pansy.
November Nudes
Anyway, I offered, and got to spend nearly a month at home. Part of it was spent finally being able to turn the tables a little bit and help my folks out. Unfortunately, being at home and without my computer didn't exactly lend itself to being able to blog on a regular basis. So, in an effort to get back into the swing of things I'll be posting multiple times this week. Must say, it's great to be back with the boyfriend here in Illinois; but he did something terrible to the trees around here, they're all naked now!
Playing tourist in a place where I've spent more than 98% of my life (after doing the math, I've only lived approximately 1.67% of my life outside of California) is a little odd.
Last week I went with my father to the island of Catalina for a day trip. Definitely worth a day trip, unless you become part of the publicly available (for two bucks) private beach where you can get toasted with booze while you toast your tootsies. The pops and I went on two tours, one of the island via bus (complete with stomach churning puns) and another one of the famous casino in Avalon (where there has never ever been gambling). Sadly, we didn't go on the famous zipline, but with my father's knee replacement surgery just a few days away, it will have to wait until another trip post recovery. Despite being able to see it from Irvine on a clear day, this was the first time I set foot on the island. And considering the water coming out of Balboa harbor, I was shocked at how crystal clear the water was in Avalon bay (a mere 22 miles away... according to the Catalina Flyer which does the trip twice daily; alas, not as catchy as the song).
Then Sunday I went with my mother to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). We went to see the exhibit on Tim Burton's work. I'd show you pictures, however photography and phones were prohibited from being used. Heck, they didn't even want you to look too hard at some of the art and sculptures. They covered some of his work from Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare before Christmas, The Corpse Bride, and several of his other movie ventures. Oh! Did I mention they're turning Frankenweenie into a full length movie in stop motion animation? But honestly, does it compare to the charm of the live action short with Shelly Duvall as the mom? With that heart wrenching scene in the windmill of the mini-golf course?
My have I been remiss. Last Wednesday I left Illinois for a visit home. I'm not sure it would qualify as a "vacation" since I'm going to be the primary caregiver for my father after he gets out of the hospital. The good news is that he's going in for elective surgery; a knee replacement, and will hopefully be happier than ever about four months from now.
Those that know me are probably very much aware of how I've been jonesing for a cat fix over the past five or six months. Since I moved to the Midwest, I had two brief encounters where I was able to pet a kitty for a few minutes. Yeesh, the kitty drought is over in a big way.
Grayson going to Mammoth
My first night home I was cuddled by my parent's two cats, Shirley and Katrina. I figured it was a good fix. The plan had been to go up to Mammoth on Friday to spend some time with the Storms family where I'd also be able to visit with my former cat Aeris. Aeris was in theory my cat, until he decided to adopt Kevin. Since then they've been inseparable.
Not surprisingly, the plan got altered. Kelli called up on Thursday, saying one of her friends found a young stray kitten, and asked if I could keep him overnight and take him up to the Mammoth area. He was supposed to go to one of Kevin's mom's friends.
Oh, Thursday night... I met this little gentleman. He really is a prince. Easily the most considerate and wonderful kitten I've ever had the pleasure of caring for. He curled up with me the first night and mewed whenever he needed to go use the litter box. With his wonderful manners, his little gray suit, it seemed like Grayson was a great name for him. About five weeks old, he only had one little setback on Saturday when he kind of forgot how to eat. Whoever said weaning was easy? I think he finally was able to set paws on the floor Sunday when we finally were able to stop cooing over him for about five minutes. By Friday afternoon we had enough pictures for a twelve month calendar. By the time we arrived home on Monday, we had almost enough for a 365 desktop one.
On his way back from Mammoth
Of course the plan has changed again. He would have had the life of a barn cat with Kevin's mom's friend; but now he's going to the lap of luxury surrounded by a home with three teenage-ish children. I haven't told him of our impending separation, but knowing this champion, he'll do just fine. So, while I really want to sing his praises more, I'm going to go downstairs and play with him and a piece of yarn until this afternoon.
The Mallymkun in my life is most certainly not a foil wielding mouse from Underland (like in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland); instead she's my brother's cat. I'm not sure exactly why he picked the name. Aside from them being near opposites in physical description (The mouse has tidy white fur, while Ray's cat has black fur that grows so abundantly we have to trim the tufts of fur that grow between her toes), they also lack similar personalities. Tim Burton's character is brave to the point of stupidity, and our dear sweet cat is frightened to... well... the point of stupidity.
