15 February 2017

What's Happening?

As I wrote that blog title, I realized there used to be a show called that, and it's still on what we call one of the "lesser channels" on TV.  I never watched the show, but I do remember it.

Which is of course, apropos to nothing.  Which is of course not a surprise.

Moving on, I hope you had a lovely Valentine's Day.  At our house, Valentine's Day is also the birthday of Jetsam and Pip.


Jetsam turned 11 and Pip turned 5, and they are two of the sweetest creatures ever to live on the earth.  We usually celebrate, but The Tim had to work the closing shift last night, so we have decided to have their treats and presents this weekend, since it's a long weekend, and The Tim will actually be off two of the three days.  

We usually also celebrate Valentine's Day by exchanging cards and small gifts, often just treats we both happen to like.  And I usually bake a cake or brownies to celebrate both Valentine's Day and the kitty birthdays.  This year, I had absolutely no opportunities to get a card, much less anything else.  And I couldn't even dig up any decent materials to make a card.  So I mentioned to The Tim that we might want to skip it this year, and he said, "Don't worry about it."  So of course he gave me a card, and the kitties gave me this bracelet.



I already have one of the original Lokai bracelets (the white one) that I wear all of the time, but The Tim said the kitties gave me this one because it's red (and then also because it supports AIDS research).  So that was a nice surprise.  And I feel kinda bad that I didn't even have a card, but such is life.  

Then, yesterday was a really awful day at work.  When I left work, and took a cab home (because walking is too far with the crutches, and I can't maneuver the bus with the crutches either), there was a huge traffic jam on the way.  I was getting annoyed with the cost of the ride going up while we were just sitting there, so when we got to a reasonable distance from home, I just decided to get out there.  I was really tired by this point, and decided I had no energy to bake brownies or anything.  On the couple of blocks on the way home, I knew I would pass Carlo's Bakery, where we had gotten a cake for our anniversary back in October that was really wonderful.  So I stopped in and got us one of their strawberry shortcakes (image from their website).


I knew it would still be OK for us to have tonight. and I was pleased with myself for thinking to stop there.  And then I got home, and The Tim had made brownies!  Trust me, neither will go to waste ... but one would have been more than enough ...

So though it was not a "usual" Valentine's Day, all's well that ends well, and we'll enjoy it and enjoy our long weekend.

Moving on from that long and rambling story, I read this article the other day, and thought it was worth sharing.   I know that I am doing much better than I had been, once I told myself that I needed to pace things, since it appears life lately is becoming a marathon, not a sprint.  Recently, Kym's post talked about the same thing, and had some good suggestions for all of us.  I mentioned one thing to her that I have found helpful, and she replied she was going to try and do it too.  I have started to disconnect from all social media after 8:00 p.m. in the evening, and it's been really helpful. (OK, I'll admit I still look at Instagram, but I'm mainly talking about Twitter and Facebook.)  The reason behind this is that it keeps me from getting worked up, which was causing me to have problems sleeping.  (And not being a great sleeper to start with, I didn't need any more things contributing to that!)  Just this one thing alone has been really valuable for me.  I spend the evening being calmer/calm-ish, and sleep better.  And sadly, there's plenty to read about and hear about the next day anyway ... In any case, I thought maybe sharing these things might be helpful to others.

On the knitting front, I have two more projects going.  No pictures though, since the days have been so cloudy and I haven't been able to get indoor pictures that are worth posting.  I've started another pair of socks, Hermione's Everyday Socks, a pattern I've been meaning to try, and am enjoying.  I dug into my stash for some yarn and am using some from Black Bunny Fibers - from 2007, when Carol (Ms. Black Bunny Fibers herself) was dying a colorway called "Unity" and was using the profits to support the first Presidential campaign of Barack Obama!  Anyway, the socks are coming along nicely and I'm enjoying working on them.

My other project is a resurrection of sorts - Delaware River Waves, also using Black Bunny Fibers.  (What can I say, I love Carol and I love her yarn!  She is a talented knitter, dyer, wonderful friend, and overall badass.)  I had been going along OK on this project, and then one of the cats attacked it (I seriously don't remember which one), and my attempts at repair made things worse.  So I had to admit that frogging was the answer.  I wasn't sure if I would start over with the same pattern, or try something else, but I recently got it into my brain to try again.  As of this moment, I don't have a lot done, but it's working out OK, so hopefully I will have a nice lacy scarf for my efforts soon.  The pattern is one from Rosie's Yarn Cellar that was never published, but which makes a lovely scarf, called Ocean Waves.  The sample in the shop was always one of my favorites, and even if this version doesn't make it, I'm determined to knit it someday!

And that's what's happening around here.  What's new with you and yours?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I vacillate between keeping Facebook and dumping it. It is certainly NOT as much fun as it used to be (Thanks, Trump!)

I like Instagram, but mostly in the evening I put in my earphones and watch video podcasts.

There isn't much on TV that is good and it keeps me entertained while I knit.

Your dessert from the bakery looks delicious!!! Glad you were still able to celebrate, even if it was in a *small* way.

Happy birthday to Pip and Jetsam! Hope they have a wonderful celebration this weekend.

Lorraine said...

Bridget- Is Jetsam 11? Wow.

That arsehole calling our PM Joe. OMG.

Kym said...

Your suggestion of setting an evening "curfew" for news/social media is working well for me. I still check the Facey-Space once in a while, but I don't allow myself to read ANY news articles after 8:00 (no matter the source). It really does make for a more calm bedtime! XO

Tired Teacher said...

Thanks for the links to the articles - good reads. I've been listening to a lot of audio books to avoid getting bogged down by Facebook. I pick and choose the news videos I watch, which eliminates me yelling at the screen. Wish I had someone locally who shares my feelings about #45 so I can vent, but I avoid even mentioning his name to most people in my circle. Sometimes, I question my own reasoning, and then something insane comes out of the WH and confirms my thoughts.

I'm knitting simple baby hats and another Hitchhiker Beyond scarf.

Araignee said...

What a great guy you have! I didn't think about how hard it would be for you to get to and from work with your big boo boo. It must be so frustrating.
I dumped Facebook right after the election when I realized most of my old friends and most of my distant relatives were idiots. Twitter is my downfall. I only follow news and political folks on it, no friends. I check it all day long hoping for signs that the end is near. I remember all too well after protesting Nixon how great it felt to see him get on that helicopter and go. Dare I hope for two such events in one lifetime?

Wanderingcatstudio said...

It's funny that you should post that... I've just recently started shutting down my lap top after about 8pm. I don't get worked up, but I found myself constantly having to check things. And I've been having trouble sleeping, so I thought lessening my screen time might help. So far so good! plus I'm getting more knitting done :)

And yay for The Tim and brownies! If I came home and Dave had made brownies, I think I'd die from the shock! He occasionally cooks dinner, but it's usually frozen stuff like pizza, or chicken fingers. (Though I do have to give him credit - he started BBqing this past summer!)

Bonny said...

That's the sign of being with your forever Valentine - when a card and gift aren't big deals because you both know how much you love each other even without all the trappings. When John and I were in grad school and didn't have any money, we used to go to the card store, choose a card for each other, then put the cards back on the rack. Now we don't even make the trip to the card store!

Thanks for the evening news curfew idea! I'm definitely going to give it a try.

Vera said...

Happy birthday to the kitties and hope your cut he's can disappear soon
Like Nancy, I avoid discussions except on the home front. I don't get on twitter or instagram and rarely on facebook...all of them just annoy me - lol.

Judy S. said...

Gosh, having to choose between strawberry shortcake and brownies must have been tough! Hope you had some of each. Birthday greetings a tad late to your two felines from Mocha and GInger. Cats rule! The current political situation is most distressing, I agree.

Nance said...

Lovely bracelet. Red is my favourite colour. I just got a new pair of glasses with red frames!

I've been experiencing sleep problems, and my neurologist has me completely off blue-light screens (phones, computers, tablets) by 9PM every night. He also has me wearing sunglasses indoors from 7PM onward. It is helping quite a bit.

My two cats are a marmalade and a grey. They are sweeties, too. They'll be 7 on March 1. Aren't we lucky?

karen said...

your two kitties are adorable and look like they are quite happy with each other and you! We do cards for Valentine's day and rarely give gifts. But when we do it's fun!!

The Well Fed Wheel said...

Wow! You have a hubby that bakes!!! Lucky you! Mine only enters the kitchen to dump off his dirty dishes. LOL! I feel so bad for you trying to get around on crutches as I know how hard that is. As for Facebook....I'm not a fan and have never joined it...but I need to stop watching the news by 8:00 p.m. Maybe that would help me sleep.

elns said...

Strawberry shortcake and brownies. Double dream team if you ask me! I wish we lived nearby and could get a drink post crappy work day and remind each other to stay away from current events post 8pm. I've had to stop watching the news at the end of the day. Okay the early evening, but not the 10pm etc, for the very same reason.

It's hard not to get riled up in my home since my husband is constantly falling asleep to depressing or annoying documentaries that in some way seem to be demonstrating how we are all going to hell in a hand basket.

For reals, 8pm cut off is good advice. Lastly Instagram does not count, because it's images and most of us somehow do a decent job of keeping it of interesting and happy feeling things.

Wishing you a good sleep.