Uncle Leona's Day Camp

Three words

I'm back from Grand Rapids. The trip can be described in three words:

Guess.

Stop the presses!!

Well, my paramour from Grand Rapids called on Monday night while I was at community band practice. I emailed him to apologize for having a life; he said he would call back on Tuesday.

He did.

We had a looooooong conversation about all sorts of stuff, then he commented on my request for a visit. As we both have said all along, he was a little hesitant about "starting a long distance relationship" (his words, not mine), but that part of him really wanted to, and I quote, "jump your bones right now."

This guy doesn't mince words. I find that quite refreshing.

So, after a lot of discussion, it was determined that I should make the trip to Michigan this weekend, ostensibly to play a little golf.

Uh huh. Golf. Has he looked at the forecast lately??

I told him I'd bring the wine. He was excited. Of course, I'm on the other end of the phone blushing and trying to figure out what I'm going to wear. I can be such a girl sometimes.

Here's the ultimate kismet part of things, though. While I was booking my hotel (he has his kids; he and I both felt that my staying at his place was a bit stupid), I found out that Hotwire took PayPal as payment. My PayPal account has just been filled by funds from several eBay sales. Of what, you may ask?

Old golf clubs.

It's fate. Excuse me while I go shave my legs.

Another project bites the dust

No, it's not Annie. That sweater may be languishing for a while (it's just too nice outside...scratchy wool in winter hues borders on the unpleasant at the moment). The Cathay pullover is finally sewn up and necklined:

It looks really nice...almost too nice to wear around creatures that are capable of emitting any combination of bodily fluids at any moment. I think I'm wearing it to work tomorrow anyhow; it's only supposed to be in the 50's.

Maybe a layered look. I'll figure it out.

As for that other issue in my life, I made a very strong suggestion to my Michigan Man (via email--I'm so 21st century) that I needed to take a road trip in one of the next few weekends. To Michigan. I'm waiting for some kind of response. Cross your fingers, toes, eyes, whatever....

I think I have found my signature winery

The things you learn at wine tastings...

For the record, it's Chilean, crisp and tasty, and cheap ($9.99 a bottle). It also makes one quite loopy.

OK, the loopiness may have been aggrevated by the Merlot, the Shiraz, the sparkly stuff, and the two beers at the tasting. I could be wrong.

Contrary to popular belief, I ain't in a coma

It has been a busy week once again. Between work, the theater, my birthday, and trying to get my Dad's cable modem and wireless network set up, I haven't had a ton of time for moi.

OK, so maybe I did give me a little birthday time. I took Monday off (that would be the national holiday here at the Day Camp) and got myself a new Ping driver. It's really pretty, and it also seems to hit the ball pretty well. We'll see when I actually get it to the range. Monday night saw the first of two evenings at my favorite local brew pub (two free birthday beers...life is gooooood).

Sadly, it was back to reality and work on Tuesday, but I did get to go see Tommy Tune in Doctor Dolittle downtown. The play is pretty lame, but Tune is a marvel. How anyone that tall and 67 years of age can dance like that is beyond me. I just wish he had a better show to showcase his talent.

Wednesday, I rested.

Thursday was night #2 at the brewpub. I did a little quality flirting with the bartender--we may wind up playing a little golf later this spring. He's really cute, but I'm certain his two dogs would make me blow up like that Violet kid from Willy Wonka.

(speaking of golf, my Grand Rapids connection is still out there...no more meetings planned at the moment, but I'm in the plotting stages...details to come, of course)

Tonight, Friday, I spent three hours trying to get my Dad on the internet. It worked, thankfully. Bottom line was that I wasn't going to let that stupid modem break me! Dad is now surfing at high speed and is as happy as a clam.

Or maybe a lobster. Like me, he has issues with bivalves.

So, I think that catches you all up. I did manage to get one of the Happy Socks done this week (thanks to nice weather and those sudden attacks of health that come with it which add up to knitting time in the office).

I did a little more amending to the pattern. It's short by two repeats, and I said "screw it" to the ribbing and just bound off to purl. Couldn't see what the ribbing would add to the design--seemed to just make it look a bit dorky.

Like with those colors dorky is a bad thing...

I couldn't get inspired to actually knit this evening, but I did whip out one of the UFO's.

The shoulder seams and the first arm seam are done. I should have this one completed sometime tomorrow. 'Bout freakin' time.

Perhaps it could be worn in Michigan....cleavage exposure is not always a bad thing...

Happy Easter!

Cut me some slack...it's spring!

I realize that my blog slugdom has reached a new low, but it has been a busy week here in Leonaland. I went out for beer on Monday, saw the Indians win on Tuesday, saw the Cavaliers win on Thursday, and hit a Chardonnay tasting on Friday. I also managed to hit the range twice. All while working Monday through Thursday.

I love spring. Even Grady is getting in the spirit:

I think he's putting a little too much claw into his grip, but what do I know?

Needless to say, the knitting has been a bit ignored of late, but there is a little progress. I think I have figured out how I'm going to survive Annie's sleeves. After about five different methods, I'm going to stick with the magic loop. It seems to keep me moving along without putting my hands into some claw-like spasm. I decided to work on the front edge for a break. That should be done this evening sometime:

I only had to redo the buttonhole math, but that wasn't too painful. We'll see if the pain pops up when I actually put buttons on the thing.

I have also started up on the Socks That Rock Happy Socks.

Cool yarn. Real cool. The pattern, however, is not. It is quite confusing, as a matter-of-fact. The short row heel instructions don't make a whole lot of sense (I pulled Wendyknits' generic toe-up pattern up on Google--much easier to follow the heel instructions there). The pattern is also written for three needles, but you are told at the start that you can also knit using two circs or one. The pattern does not make any concession for those of us with an eversion to multiple needles, so we're left to fend for ourselves with toe increases.

Not a problem for someone who has done a gazillion socks, but not good for someone just starting a toe-up sock for the first time. Memo to designers: have someone else with less knitting knowledge proofread your pattern--clarity is good.

OK, enough of that bitchiness. It's too nice out to be nasty. Let me leave you with photos of my favorite golf hat, brought to you by Bite Shoes, the most comfortable golf shoes on the planet according to Uncle Leona's Day Camp and Driving Range:

Coming...

And going...

You're feeling the love, aren't you??

Helsinki Sunday

Although the sun was abundant today, the mercury never got above 40-something, so I spent a good part of the day in front of the boob tube. After much circular knitting, I started off by completing the yellow striped pullover:

Who needs daffodils when you have this sweater? OK, I do, but that's besides the point. It is easily as bright as the photo makes it out to be. I think I'll wear it to the office and wake up my staff Monday.

Once the sweater was done, I toyed with the idea of working on Annie's sleeves. That thought lasted about a minute. Then, I scanned the stash for a big project, but after a while, I settled on mindless knitting.

You see, it was Masters Sunday, and I needed to watch how people are supposed to play golf. No need to concentrate heavily on a new project. So, over the span of 16 holes, I finished up this pair of socks:

No, I didn't finish two socks watching one round of golf! I finished up the second sock from the gusset decreases to the toe. This pair has been languishing in my office for months. The yarn is Opal's Hand Dyed, which I got off of eBay a while back. Nice stuff, but much denser than regular old Opal. It also left me a ton of it after the knitting was done; I probably have enough for another pair! But, instead of casting the same stuff on again, I opted to get ready a skein I got at Stitches West:

This is one skein of Socks That Rock yarn from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. I don't recall the color, but the photo is pretty accurate. I was looking for something southwesternish. I'm probably going to use a pattern from MagKnits (the Happy Socks pattern), but I reserve the right to change my mind at any time.

It's my yarn, and I can frog if I want to.

For all of you romantics out there, my Grand Rapids man is still talking to me (via email), so I haven't scared him off yet. That is a very good thing. Further details as they become available. Bottom line: he knows I have a bottle of wine here with his name on it; it will be shared one of these days.

As for the title of this little entry, it should be self-explanatory. I mean, I used Sunday to "finnish" projects.

God, I kill myself sometimes.

I can really be rotten, can't I?

To be completely honest, I did have to leave for community band last night. By the time I got home (after a couple of beers and trivia at the local BW-3's), it was almost 1 AM. Mama needed her beauty rest.

So, without further adieu, the teasing is over. Here is the inside of the box from Virtual Yarns!

God, I kill myself sometimes!

Here's what you've all been waiting for:

Why Glen Albyn? Hell, why not? I was looking for lighter colors than Annie, who is still languishing in sleeve hell at the moment until my hands uncramp. The yarn in this kit is like buttah. It will likely be a little while until it is attacked, but at least it is here so I can fondle it from time-to-time.

I'd rather be fondling other things, but this will do for now.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

First of all, I figured I'd better update you all on the golfing excursion yesterday. Yes, he did show up--he actually called me when he hit the exit for the course (I love this guy's use of the phone). We played 18--he played pretty well; I played like shit. After the round, he treated me to beer and wings before he headed back home. He even emailed me once he got home (OK, so I emailed him first to express my sheer joy of playing with him...no, I didn't word it that way). It really was a fun day (the weather sucked, but what do you expect for Cleveland in the springtime?).

And for those of you with bets on the line, yes, I did get a kiss good-bye. Three pecks, actually, but who's counting? Except me, of course.

So, where does this leave me? Aside from wanting to be living in the Grand Rapids area at the moment, it leaves me here. We both agreed last night that the distance between us is an issue. It is getting nicer out, however, so that four or five hours drive isn't that hideous. Trust me, I'm not giving up on this just yet. That's not my style. Just need to see how this plays out. Until then, I'm thanking God for the internet and his cell phone.

More good news came in a plain brown wrapper when I arrived home from work today:

The suspense has been killing all of you, hasn't it? What came in the mail from Virtual Yarns? Well, the waiting is over! The answer is.....

I'll post it later. Time to go to community band.