Squid on Wheels -- Starting out in 2008

We had absolutely no intention of going for a ride today. Squidette had band practice and then both squidlings were supposed to have a violin recital rehearsal with the accompanist but she had to cancel. The cancellation put a crimp in our dinner plans since Papa Squid and the squidlings were going to pick up sandwiches on their way back from the rehearsal. The only solution to our dinner problem? To ride down to the sandwich store, Pane Peppe. And Chocolate Haven. And The Birdbath. And H&H (we were out of bagels).

The fates, however, were working against us. Just as Papa moved his bike into the corridor, he noticed a flat tire. 15 minutes later, the tube was replaced and we got ready to go and ... he had another flat (same tire).

Defying the fates, the Squidlings and I headed out anyway and got as far as the elevators. Where we waited. And waited. And waited. I think we had to let at least half a dozen elevators go by before all three of us made it to the lobby.

Once on the streets, however, it was relatively smooth sailing with a brief stop to admire this shark fin.



See the Squid?!!!

As we concluded our first errand, the sandwiches, we noticed a strange site on the other side of the street. Papa Squid! We did it, we defeated the fates!

Sandwiches, chocolate and pastries procured, we turned back north and hit an incredible head wind. The ride up to H&H was brutal and by the time we arrived our fingers were very cold.

The return ride? Took about 2 minutes. Take a vicious head wind and turn it into a tail wind and voila! we were home.
9.6 miles. Not bad for a windy day in January.

Blanket Larve Larvae

23 Skeins of Cascade 220 Superwash. Need I say more?

Mystery Bruise Unmystified!

Do not try to diagnose the aliment that I outline below -- the answer is in the essay.

For many years I have had a sore spot on my left hip. It only bothers me when I initially snuggle into bed at night, facing my dear husband -- and then only a little. I did wonder about it but, by the time morning rolls around, I forget about it. Periodically, it disappears but I never made the connection between when it disappears and what I am doing in my life at the time. If anything, I associate the lack of soreness with an increase in exercise.

A few weeks ago I suddenly had an "ah ha!" moment and realized why I have that perpetual sore spot. The moment came as I was at work, pushing open a particularly sticky door. With my hip. D'oh!

Yes, all these years I have been using my left hip to assist in opening the sticky, and non-sticky doors at work. And my sore spot? It corresponds directly to the part of my hip that I use to open the door. I repeat -- D'oh! Now, I don't just use my hip to help open the door, I do a quick hip swivel to provide lots of force. Remember your physics? Newton's third law? "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." So, if you whup a door with your hip, repeatedly, you will bruise. Especially if you have very little padding on your hip.

Will this stop me? Nah. But is does explain why the spot gets better over the summer!

And those sticky doors? They are becoming fewer in number as Dept. of Ed carpenters quickly replace all of our outside doors. I barreled into a new one yesterday and nearly fell as it opened smoothly and easily. Oops!

Sometimes, I am just a bit slow on the uptake.

Progress

I have not done much on the Clock Vest this week due to my brain being totally fried by the time I get home from work.
This is where it now stands. Last night I found myself absolutely loving it. The yarn felt so soft to my fingers -- I think the slight row compression due to the panels of traveling stitches is making the yarn a bit poofier in the final analysis, hence making run of the mill Cascade 220 feel much softer then it usually does.

Whatever the reason, I'm loving it!

Teens Knitting: A Snapshot

Yesterday was all about purling and trouble shooting mistakes. About a dozen young people came out, grabbed stash and left, leaving me with three young ladies sitting and quietly knitting. Once we got the mistakes sorted out, I also sat and knit quietly. It was first frantic, with questions flying from all directions at once, and then calm as only a few stayed behind.

Earlier in the day I had come close to canceling the club because I was not feeling well but as the day dragged on and approached 3:00, I decided that I'd made it that far and could keep going for another hour. I'm so glad I did. The pleasure that I get from these young people is truly indescribable and works better to soothe me then any drug.

Our first blankie for the year is still on my balcony in pieces. I'll leave myself a reminder to wash them this weekend -- I refuse to let them into my place unless I have washed them and dried them on HOT first. I will do this. I promise!

Can You Spell "G E E K Y?"

Do you think we have enough computers? And there are three not in the picture!
Look what you can do with multiple XOs.Click on the photo to get the total effect. I'll wait.
Yup, the computers are taking pictures of themselves. The top photo was taken by an XO, the bottom on my little Olympus. You can see me in the computer screen if you look closely.

***

On a fibery front, I am almost finished with Lil' Sis's socks and added 22 rows to the vest yesterday. I will probably finish the socks during dinner with Little Squid on Tuesday and have balled up a really happy sock yarn from Dave to start socks for me. No photos because I didn't take them yet and now my nails are sticky as I perform my weekly "back to work" manicure.

Spinning also happened as I stick to my "Sundays are for Spinning" pledge.

Have a great week!

Saturday at Home

We finally got our XO computers. There is a long story in there but since they came through in the end, you get to miss it. There are currently 6 of these little guys in the apartment. One was a loaner from a friend since the 5 Mike had ordered were simply not being shipped. The day that he brought home the loaner, "our" five arrived. Next week, four will leave for Mike's school where his students will have a new platform to learn on. Hopefully they will write some good stuff for the kids that really need these machines. Meanwhile, both squidlings are having fun learning some programming on them and Papa Squid is in his glory that his kids are finally interested in his hobby. Little Squid had to be torn away from his program-in-progress in order to get some fresh air. Yes, I have another computer geek in the making.

Mama, on the other hand, is keeping occupied until the yarn for Squidette's blanket comes in.*
This is destined to be the Clock Vest from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Vests. Major amounts of traveling stitches here so it is fairly slow going. The yarn is from stash.

*I stopped by Knitty City yesterday to check on the order and found that it was not yet in and that Pearl had been having some problems with a few suppliers. Shortly after I arrived home, Pearl called and told me that it had been shipped just before the New Year and should be in soon. She also promised me a discount on it. Yes, this kind of service is why I went to her instead of just buying it on-line. I'd live without the discount -- but given the size of the order, I am happy to take it.

Wildlife in the City

There is a new addition to our student body.

Yes, it is a pheasant.
It joins our opossum and the squirrels (as well as the rats and pigeons).
If it is still around on Monday, I will name it.

Working Out

By now, most readers know that I am an avid bicyclist. I do not get to indulge my passion as much as I would like due to family obligations, but I do it when I can. One of the reasons I like to cycle is because, when using it to commute, it doesn't feel like exercise. Instead, it is a means of getting from here to there and hence frees up time instead of using time.

Before Squidette was born, I rode my bike to work almost every day. I was doing about 7 miles a day and enjoyed it immensely. After she was born, I took public transportation with her to my mother-in-law's place and then rode my bike the remaining two miles to work. This continued until I conceived Little Squid. That was it. For the first few months after I returned to work, the weather was too cold and snowy to ride. Then I got a car.

Fast forward to today. I have ridden my bike to work less then a dozen times since. These rare rides are usually in August or June, before and after the kids have school. I'd love to go back to those days but as long I am serving as child-transport, it won't happen.

Instead, I get my exercise by riding the trainer bike on the weekends and during school breaks. This past break I rode the trainer every day and did weights for a few days.

Mike is pushing me to work out more after work. He thinks it will be good for me for a number of reasons that I will not go into now. Up until now, I have preferred to use my precious evening time knitting but I had to acknowledge that his reasoning was sound. So last night I did it. I didn't ride, but I did do my arm weights and hope to do my leg weights tonight. How long do you think I can keep this up?

I like the way I look when my arms are toned. Actually, I love the way I look when my arms are toned and muscular. Yeah, I think I'll keep this up. And as for the knitting? I did get the heel flap and turn done on Lil' Sis's second sock last night ...

The Smelling of the Hair

Little Squid suffers from a common "boy" malady. He often forgets to use soap and shampoo when he bathes. Ick! This has resulted in a ritual known as the "smelling of the hair" wherein I ask "did you use soap?" and he replies by coming over and bending down so I can smell his hair.

Yes, yes we are a strange family. Did you really have to ask?

Back to work tomorrow. We are all happy that it is a short week.

Net Zero

I did it! For 2007 I used the same number of balls/skeins/hanks of yarn that I acquired. Exactly. And that counts the five just purchased for Squidette's blanket.

How did I do it? Especially since yesterday morning I was up one ball? I stayed up late (um, midnight) and finished the first of Lil Sis's new socks before the ball dropped. This way she will have one foot in the past and one in the future ... or some such stuff like that. Basically, it was my only active project so I managed to do it in two days.

That said, I have 17 balls on order at Knitty City and promised that Squidette could choose some new yarn for me to knit socks for Little Squid's "baby sitter" (the young woman who takes him home from school).

Now, for next year, I would like to spin and use more of my own hand spun. I have some lovely stuff on the wheel and in the stash and would like to see garments made out of it. I'd also like to start working on the yarn for Mike's new sweater. To that end, I am joining "Spinning My Wheel," and hope to get all of my wheels moving this year.One last FO from last year -- a scarf for Mom. On Mom.

Watches and Sixth Avenue

Our goal today was to get to the Tourneau Time Machine on 57th Street. Why? To immerse Little Squid in his passion. They have a small "museum" and the lots and lots of watches for sale. While Little Squid was ogling at the huge variety of watches, I was actually shopping for a watch. I really wanted a nice one for my 40th birthday but am really picky when it comes to watches so my folks gave me money for it. The money is still in the bank and an inexpensive Timex is on my wrist. I saw a few that had possibilities but have to think on it a bit more.



I was not able to really capture the wonderful expression on Little Squid's face. He thought it was "extremely awesome!"
We then walked home via 6th Avenue, stopping for lunch at Jewel of India. Yum!







We also stopped for a spot of Geocaching near the public library and saw a double decker bus full of Santas dressed in blue.And now for a quiet evening at home.

From the Squid Family to you and your family, A Very Happy and Healthy New Year!!!

Girls' Day Out

Oops! Accidentally put this up on Sunday Socks instead of my own blog. And I wondered why there were no comments! D'oh!

Mom and Lil' Sis came into town today to see a matinée and had three free tickets for Madame Tussaud's so I joined them. Below are just a few of the photos. For more wax fun, click here.

Chugging Away

Look! Some finished objects!

Daddy's Socks (modeled on Papa Squid's feet). Yes, I am 41 years old and still call my father Daddy. Want to make something of it?
And Mom's Mitts (modeled on Squidette's hands)And, there was indeed, leftovers from Daddy's socks. Dave, want your egg back? I kept it safe in a sealed ziplock bag.

***

On other topics, we are still dealing with our buggy issues and I admit to being obsessed and a little depressed about it this week. We've done much work on it this week and had a few bug free days but today ended that streak resulting in our surrounding all three beds in double sided carpet tape. Ick and arrgh! Yes, I have spent far too much time online researching this issue. Yes, it has fed both my obsession and depression. Blah! Just had to let you all know that I am not always the happy, carefree Mama Squid that I pretend to be online. Sorry to burst your bubbles.

Begun ...

... Squidette's new blanket.

Stats to date:

28 rows of seed stitch over 270 stitches.

3.5 grams of Cascade 220 Superwash per row with roughly 10 grams for the cast on row.

There were 4 grams left when I started the last row.

Yes, I had enough to finish.

14.5 minutes per row according to Time Boy.

Now I will set it aside and wait for Knitty City to get in the yellow that makes up the bulk of the blanket.

Christmas Day in Manhattan

Photo heavy post!!! More pictures available here.


What do Squid do on Christmas Day? (Please keep in mind that we are Jewish Squid.)

Usually the adults give or attempt to give blood at our synagogue's blood drive. We didn't do that this year since each adult gave in school drives not too long ago.

Instead, we took the subway uptown and walked home.

Sounds boring? Right?

Ah, but this is New York City and this is the Holiday Season.

As a general rule, I avoid Midtown like the plague during this time of year. Because, this is New York City and this is the Holiday Season. And everyone and their brother come out to see the sights. The last time I ventured in to midtown, on a workday during the holiday week, I found the sidewalks packed. As in sardine-like. Scary.

Last year, however, we took a chance after the blood drive and drove into midtown and parked. Gasp! Then we scooted around to see the holiday windows with a few handfuls of other people. Because we had the car to contend with, we didn't get a good feel for how many people were out and about. Apparently there were more then we realized.

This year, we decided to take the subway uptown and walk downtown. And here you go ...

Fifth Avenue (and connecting streets) during the Holiday Season.

We started out at Columbus Circle, 59th Street and Broadway and Seventh Avenue.


Walking east on 59th Street, we passed horse drawn carriages and Gainsborough Studios, which I never noticed before. Look at the detailed mosaic work in the second photo. Studios, by the way, refers to studio apartments -- one room.
As we approached Fifth Avenue we blinked our eyes in surprise as it appeared that people were going into FAO Schwarz. Um, what? It's Christmas. Everything, except Chinese restaurants, is supposed to be closed. Apparently not. No, no pictures, I was too dumbstruck as we wandered the aisles of a not-so-empty store.

Departing said monument to high priced toys, we sauntered down Fifth Avenue, by passing the Bergdorf Goodman windows in favor of Saks. First however, a pause to try to capture the beauty of the giant crystal star over 57th and Fifth. I do not do it justice. Sorry.

Then, passing Cartier, we pause to admire how they compensated for the construction work. Usually the building is wrapped in a giant red ribbon for the holidays. Notice all the people on the street. What happened to my empty city!
And on to DeBeers with it's "diamond" encrusted icicles.
Yes, we skipped the tree at Rockefeller Center -- I promise it for later in the week. We have to get to lunch near there this week so we'll get it then.

Saks took a snowman based approach this year.

I liked it a lot better then last year but I tend to prefer the simpler windows. They also had the easiest windows to photograph.

Continuing downtown we finally encountered Patience and Fortitude in their winter finery. Nope, can't tell you which is which.

And on to my favorite department store, Lord and Taylor.
Sorry for the massive refections -- these were not so easy to photograph even with the "through glass" setting on my camera.
They were pretty amazing, though.
At Macy's we encountered the Naughty and Nice List. I am, apparently, naughty. Yes, that is my head in the picture.
Their side windows are always based on "A Miracle on 34th Street." We pondered for a minute, what life would be like if the Macy's name were discontinued. What would happen to the parade? Our conclusion is that with all of the store names that have been dropped as the stores have merged, Macy's has survived because of it's iconic status with the parade and the movie. Yea, let us believe that.



Macy's is "doing" Shrek this year. We like Shrek.
And as we finish our walk, a decent shot of the main Post Office. I really love this building.
Hoping your day was a good one, no matter what you celebrate!