The Boy Graduates

Last week was spent making our way to graduation. Bear won't fly, so we drove, 2200 miles roundtrip.

We started in LA. I was going to take sock pictures, but I was afraid the smog would affect them. Our friend Frodo and Bilbo have a gorgeous house that is a little slice of heaven, complete with overproductive peach tree and waterfall/pond with koi. Heaven I tell you. Two days of relaxation, conversation, fun and yarn crawl. There is just something about having a non-knitting friend that will drive you to yarn shops because it's what you like to do. We also went to the fashion institute's student store, where I scored a bunch of bobbin lace and a cone of lace weight yarn. Hideous color, unknown composition, but perfect for that design project you're not sure is going to work and you don't want to ruin good yarn on.

Then it was off to Tucson, to see the Boy graduate. The relationship to the kids is complicated. I gave birth, but my mom adopted and raised them. I'm more like a sister to them and act accordingly. As previously discussed, I am to be a grandmother. It's official. I'll be called Mimi sometime in the next 4-6 weeks. Here's the proof:

We got to meet the Girlfriend of the Boy. She is sweet, intelligent, driven and knows what she wants to do. She even sticks up for the Girl when the Boy is being mean to her (as brothers often are). We also attended graduation. Boy submitted more out of self-preservation than desire to actually walk. He doesn't see the need. He could just show up at the office the next morning and pick up that stupid piece of paper. My mom wouldn't have it. So he walked.
The cheesy grin says it all. He leaves June 11 for the Marines. We wish him all the best.

After we left Tucson, we decided to go to Vegas for a honeymoon. On the way was the Hoover Dam.
Other photos were taken for color purposes, I see some hand-dyed sock yarn coming. The colors of the mountains were breathtaking.

On to Vegas, where we stayed at the Luxor, in a pyramid spa suite. There is something decadent about a hot tub in the room that overlooks the strip with one-way glass windows. Massges at the spa there, Nurture, we wonderful and much needed. Cirque show 'O' was fabulous, though devoid of the actual story which I've come to expect from Cirque d'Soleil. And the seats were to small. Other than that and the smoke, it was wonderful. At least now we can say we've done Vegas. In the future, if I want to see Cirque, I think we'll go to the City to do it.

The unwilling vegetarian

The trip went well. More on that later. First we must discuss the unwilling vegetarian - Me!

On the way home I developed my first (and hopefully, last) gallstone attack. If you have never experienced this, it is pain unlike anyother. Worse than childbirth, even. Breath sapping, unwilling to move, unable to sit still, piercing through to your back pain. I endured this for six hours in a car on the way home (at the time hubby claimed it was my way of getting out of driving, he has since appologetically recanted).

Upon arriving home, it had calmed a bit, enough so that I believed that this was merely constipation or something. The nurse in me had indeed already palpated Murphy's point, but we were ignoring her for the time being. I woke several hours later starving, and had peanut butter toast. Bad choice. This lead to a trip to prompt care, who scheduled an ultrasound and gave me drugs and instructions for a low fat diet. The next morning I had the ultrasound - gallstones- and went home. There I had the last of my chicken pizza (no cheese) and commence the pain cycle once again. When the chills/rigors began I went to the ER. They rehydrated me, suggested surgery (non-emergent - apparently pain doesn't qualify as life threatening) and a no fat diet. Here is the dilemma: no fat. What follows is a partial list of what I cannot have:
bread
meat
tortillas,
chips
patries
chocolate
gravies, sauces
pasta
ice cream
cookies
peanut butter
salad dressing
oil
butter
eggs

Any other suggestions? Any ideas about what I can eat? I've got salad with beans, no dressing; fruit; rice cakes; malt-o-meal/oatmeal.

This is boring folks. I need help in a big bad way. Don't get me started on finding a surgeon - that seems to take an act of God.

Knitting at the Movies, and other things (Mimm, this is for you)

We saw Spiderman 3 last night. Good enough flick. Poor knitting choice. I knit through movies at home all the time. Apparently k2,p2 rib is far more challenging than I realized, especially in the dark. Is it a sign of a problem that I took off for a few minutes (missing a plot important fight), not to use the loo, but to correct the dropped stitches in my sock? Priorities, it's all about the priorities.

Furitive cleaning is occurring here in Snuzzleheim. The trip is upon us, and our cat sitter is coming over tomorrow night. I'm almost finished with her socks. One leg and cuff, then to knit a matching sock-shaped sachet from the leftovers, and I'm done. I'm working on my choice of projects for the trip. I've got it narrowed down to two pairs of socks (must make copies of patterns) and this:

Lady Eleanor for Madam Mimm, in the colors she chose.

And this is for Mistress Hollywood.

Let the packing begin!!!

Hogwarts Express

My pal got her package. She described it much better than I could. You can see it on her blog. The socks were a modified Jaywalker (I decreased the number of stockinette stitches per repeat) in a hand-dyed Knitpicks Gloss. I used Saphire Blue, Chestnut and Silver. The stitch markers were small skeins of the sock yarn (and I mean tiny). She asked for Lantern Moon needles, and my LYS happened to have them in stock, how lucky! I also included a skein of STR for her to try. You know how it is, the first one's free. I'm such a enabler. I think everyone should try BMFA. Then I had some fun - wool wash, emergency hand repair kit (Burt's Bees), needlework scissors, and CHOCOLATE. All in all, I think she enjoyed it. Wonder what she's going to make with the sock yarn.

On the home front, we leave in just over 10 days to make a whirlwind tour of the southwest. Actually, we're going to Tucson for the boy's graduation. Chico to LA, LA to Tucson, Tucson to Vegas, Vegas home. A friend from work will be stopping in to check on the fuzzy mistress of the house. I'm knitting her a pair of socks as payment, she picked the yarn, and I'm designing the pattern. We were talking about it the other night, so I could design a pair she'd really enjoy. The conversation went something like 'So are you a plain or ribbed sort of gal'. One of the guys actually blushed (I know where his mind was), so I explained what I was working on. He says I'm getting off easy on paying my housesitter. Easy. Hmmmm. Yes, I did explain how long a pair of socks takes to knit. He immediately reversed his position on the subject. Easy, no. Fun, Yes.

40 Years, where did they all go?

Yep, you read correctly, 40 years. Today is in fact my 40th birthday. What will I be doing? Knitting in the comfort of my own home? Being wined and dined by my hubby? Nope. I'll be going to work tonight, which means I will be sleeping all day. I've baked 3 dozen cupcakes, which are cooling, and will be iced before I go to bed. Sugar up the nurses, it's how we live on the dark side.