Happy birthday to me

Today I am 40.

Oooff!

I cycled to and from work again today, and I had my first accident. I'm OK, but the bike is messed up.

I was on my way home this afternoon and was still in the Loop when an a**hole of a cab driver caused my accident. I was in the bike lane approaching an intersection. Ahead and to my right was cab #1, dropping off a fare. I was watching this cab closely to see if he would pull away from the curb and into my bike lane. No, he was going to turn right. Fine. But cab #2 on my left caught me by surprise as it cut in front of me so he could turn right, too. He left me about 3-4 feet to come to a dead stop. Not enough.

I braked hard, but could see that inevitably I was going to end up in a collision. I screamed loud. I screamed like a little girl, wailing and piercingly high. I hit the bumper of cab #1 head on, flipped over the handle bars, and ended up on the trunk of cab #1. I pushed myself off the cab, then I cursed loudly, in very ungirl-like words. I think my exact words were "God damn motherfu**er!!" Or something equally coarse and nasty.

I was shaking. My right elbow hurt. The index finger on my left hand was jammed. Pedestrians were asking me if I was alright. Both cab drivers asked if I was alright. I told them I thought I was OK. I was more worried about my bike.

As I got on the bike and headed on up Canal Street, I could tell it was not right. It felt like something was wrong with the front. It wasn't until I was about 5 miles along my ride that I realized my front brake was stuck. And it wasn't until I was completely home, 9 miles later, that I really looked at the front of my bike. The front fork is ruined. It is completely pushed in. No wonder my front tire felt funny. No wonder I had to have the front tire pointed absolutely straight ahead as I took off from a complete stop; if I didn't, the tire would rub against the pedals.

The bike is already in the shop. In total, the damages will be just over $100. In currency, that is. Yes, I will continue to ride. But not next week, since it will take that long to get a new fork and have it installed.

I also have a swollen lump over my right knee. Great. My already bad right knee now has a bruise.

As I rode home I was angry, angry, angry.

Please, if you drive a car at all, watch for cyclists. I'm a good cyclist. I don't do stupid shit like weave in and out of traffic or dash in front of drivers. So, why ignore me? Why treat me like a piece of trash blowing across the road?

F***ing drivers!

Life in the city

Sometimes, living in this city exposes one to such bizarre things. This afternoon, as I was standing in my kitchen looking out the window I saw a man commit a crime.

This isn't the first time I've witnessed crimes. I've seen drug deals: one where the buyer stopped his car for a moment in the street, and the seller pedaled up on a bike; the other where money and drugs were exchanged through an open el door at rush hour. (Yep, rush hour on the Belmont Red Line platform can be soooo interesting!) I've seen drunk and disorderly arrests (also on an el platform.) I've seen drunk drivers sideswipe parked cars, and a few auto collisions, too (including one where the drivers staggered out of the cars dripping blood, and then ran like hell away from the scene.)

Now, I don't know for sure if it's a crime to defecate in the public way, but I'm going to assume it is. Yes, that's right. I saw a man shit in public.

He walked furtively along the alley with a handful of leaves, looked around a few times to see if there was anyone near, then pulled down his pants and set to business. It was an alley, but it was a very open and public alley bordered by a condominium parking lot on one side (all with balconys overlooking said lot and alley), and my house on the other side. I had a clear view of this guy and his activities and I did not enjoy it one bit.

Mark was around today and happened to be standing near the back door when this happened. I skwawked out something like, "Mark, there's a guy shitting in the alley! Go stop him!" Mark paused for only a second, then charged out of the house. The guy was sufficiently interrupted and took off quickly yelling, "I'm sorry, I couldn't hold it!"

This definitely tops that one evening where a couple guys stopped their car to dump their empties and piss on my fence. Right under my dining room window. I was alerted when the dogs started going crazy barking and flinging themselves against the window.

Yep. Crazy city life.

I biked to work again yesterday. It was a chilly morning (about 44 degrees F), but I warmed up as I rode. I'm going to try to bike in again tomorrow. So far the weather has been really nice for biking and I want to take advantage of it while I can. I do enjoy the experience of riding, but I wish it didn't involve so much poor air. When there's a lot of traffic I really feel like I'm sucking on the tailpipes.

Getting active

I really should try to blog every couple days at least, since so much has been happening in a week!

First to wrap up some loose ends: did I get everything on my list done? No. But enough was done that I felt a good sense of accomplishment and success. That was the most important thing. Work has been so demanding on me lately -- taking up so much energy and time, while not providing that all important sense of accomplishment -- that I really needed to feel like I was making progress somewhere. I guess this is also an important lesson for me, too. I can't rely only on work to fulfill me. It's much better to look for personal fulfillment in my personal life. Makes sense!

So, my little bit of spring cleaning/chore tackling has helped clear up some mental clutter, too, I guess. Some of my list didn't get done because once I reached this critical point, I sidetracked a bit. These were good sidetracks, though.

The first one involved a new skill: crochet.


Have I gone over to the dark side? No, but I really did enjoy how fast this worked up. I started it on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend and finished it up on Monday night. I have to admit that once I started it, though, I just didn't want to stop. It was great to work on a project that could be finished so quickly.

Yes, I still worked on my other knitting projects. I did not finish my sweater, but I got most of the finishing done. I only have one sleeve left to set in. But, I'm not happy with how it is fitting, so I've set it aside for now. I'll get back to it later. I will. Really.

The first Tofutsies sock is done, and although I seemed to have mental challenges getting the toe started on sock #2 (six attempts to do a short row garter stitch toe? what was wrong with me!?), I'm now working on the foot which makes perfect commuter knitting. Although my commuting time may not be so conducive to knitting these next few months. More on this in a bit...

Let's get back to the market bag. I made this bag because I wanted something to bring with me to the farmer's markets to carry my purchases. I'd heard that the crocheted string bags are much more durable than the knitted ones, so I thought I'd give crochet a try.

I'm so glad the farmer's markets are back! I really miss getting fresh, local, flavorable produce. This past week, I've been to two farmer's markets already. At the Thursday Loop market in Daley Plaza I added asparagus, strawberries, onions, baby turnips, and radishes to my new market bag. Yesterday at the Evanston farmer's market, I picked up more asparagus, watercress, kale, Chinese broccoli (I love this stuff!!!), eggs, rhubarb, and more strawberries.

Yesterday afternoon was spent processing the "harvest." I blanched and froze a couple pounds of asparagus, and froze about 2 quarts of strawberries. I still have just over one quart of fresh strawberries sitting on the counter, waiting for...something. I also cut up the rhubarb and made some strawberry-rhubarb crisp in custard cups. Baking them in the cups was a way to practice portion control, although I ended up eating two portions last night. Yum!!

I was in Evanston to visit the chiropractor for my usual 6 week check up, but I also had an appointment with a Chinese medicine and acupuncturist. I've decided I need to try something new to deal with the chronic health issues I've had in the past few months. The fatigue, mood swings, and weight gain must stop. It's hard to be productive when you just feel like sleeping all the time, or crying, or wanting to rip someone's face off. Traditional medicine isn't helping me at all. My blood work was "normal," but my gut tells me that I'm going through a major metabolic and hormone shift that that is resulting in misery for me.

So, yesterday I had a consult and an acupuncture session. The acupuncture was very cool. As he put the pins in the place, it felt like little circuits were being switched on in my body and currents were being connected. It was a very satisfying experience. I relaxed, yet felt energized, too. I also have some herbs to take twice a day. I go back in about 10 days for session #2.

The second sidetrack involved my bike. I took it into the bike shop had a rear rack installed, and purchased a trunk bag to mount on the rack. I've decided to use my bike more for running errands and for commuting to work. Last week I biked between Stitch n' Bitch and home (about 7 miles each way), and Friday I biked between work and home (9 miles each way). Commuting to work on my bike takes me about an hour. It takes me about 40 minutes to get to work on the train, but biking is a great way to get some regular exercise into my day. I've decided to bike at least once a week, and will try to do it two days a week if the weather cooperates.

Unfortunately, biking and knitting don't mix so this will cut into my knitting time. Ah, well, life is full of compromises, right?

Too many To Dos

This is a holiday weekend, but I won't have a lot of free time. I will spend much of the day Sunday doing fun things and at a barbeque, but the rest of the time will be packed with chores, including the extra day-and-a-half (this afternoon and Tuesday) that I'm taking off of work. There are so many things to do, in fact, that the list is running over the one page it started on. Sigh

Oh, and somewhere in here I'm going to finish my Lift and Separate sweater (including weaving in the bijillion ends), as well as finish off sock #1 (nearly there...just another inch maybe) and begin sock #2 of the current commuting project pair.

So, here's how I'm spending the holiday weekend.

• Bathe dogs
• Wash shower curtain
• Sort closets, pull out items to donate, pack up, bring to Salvation Army donation center
• Pick up some summer clothes
• Pack up and drop off large recyclables and books [FYI, there is a great recycling center with a free book and magazine exchange near the entrace to the North Park Village Nature Center for those in the area]
• Get haircut and facial
• Plant pots
• File
• Fill out insurance claims
• Prep medical flexible spending claims
• Wash, hang outside to dry/air, and pack away duvet
• Wash living room furniture slip covers and hang outside to dry/air [I have such nice neighbors with clothes lines!]
• Clean gutters [This is for Mark to do, but it's on the list]
• Clean up samaras [Those whirlygigs that fall off the maple trees...those are called samaras. Sounds like a yummy dessert or a nice name for a woman, not a name for annoying, gutter-clogging things, right?]
• Fix hose cart [That's another Mark chore]
• Replant brutally torn out plants in front yard, and generally repair damage caused by city when they ripped up sidewalks and curbs with no warning [Does that sound too bitter?]
• Lay soaker hoses in front yard
• Set up worm bin in basement [Jamie received her worms a couple weeks ago and is willing to share some with me]

Whew! That may be it...for now. Let's just see how much of this actually gets done.

Diversions

Of course I've been busy with work, but I have found time to have some fun lately.

One of the pleasures of living in a large city is the range of experiences and diversions open to you. Last night, I went with my friends Rachael and Shannon to the Music Box Theatre for one of the strangest and memorable experiences I've ever had.

I always enjoy attending a film at the Music Box. While the management has found a way to wedge in a small screening room where they show a few films, most movies are screened in a well-preserved example of the grand old cinemas that were the norm in the first half of the 20th century. OK, the original seats aren't as comfy as those found in the modern cineplex, but the beautiful interior is a treat.

Music Box also shows films that you just can't see anywhere else in Chicago. I remember seeing Guillermo del Toro's film Cronos at the Music Box in 1993 and being entertained by a live organ performance before the film started. Last summer Mark and I went there to see The War Tapes (which I highly recommend).

Last night Music Box presented a live performance of Brand Upon the Brain!. I'm still not sure how to interpret this film, but the performances were fantastic and the experience was, as I said, very memorable. I don't think there was an empty seat in the house, and it was a lot of fun to have the Foley artists right below the screen so I could see how they made some of sound effects. Who knew what a key role celery plays in horror films!

We had beautiful weather yesterday, too, so it was quite a treat to sit outside at Julius Meinl for a pre-movie nosh. The sandwiches were good, but the Millenium Torte was awesomely yummy!

I wish I could say that I spent the splendid day working in my garden, but I can't. I still have no beds in place for my vegetables, and I'm starting to get a bit annoyed by the delay. Apparently the landscaper wants to time things such that the crew is here to complete the entire job -- hardscaping the yard (including building the veggie beds) and putting in the ornamentals -- and not have to come back again to finish. She's waiting for the dreaded 17-year cicadas to emerge, mate, and die before kicking off the project.

Instead of working in the garden, I spent the gorgeous day indoors yesterday learning Japanese short rows at a Windy City Knitting Guild workshop. I've worked short rows before, but I was very pleased to learn this new techinque which makes much, much better results for me.

I'm still working on the Lift and Separate wrap sweater and the same pair of Tofutsies socks. I haven't had a lot of knitting time lately, so my WIPs are going quite slowly. I'm in the finishing stage of the sweater but there's just a lot of finishing involved for this sweater, including knitting and sewing on the edging, and knitting the side ties. K1P1 ribbing is just not a fast knit for me.

Typically I don't showcase photos of yarn but I just can't resist showing this off.


It's a "reclaimed" yarn from Allspunup on Etsy. She unraveled the yarn from a sweater, washed and set the yarn, plied it to make a slightly thicker yarn, and then handpainted it. This is a fingering weight yarn that I'm going to use to make a small shawl/scarf for myself. The price was very reasonable, and she was super fast in getting it to me: I ordered on a Friday and had it in my hands on Monday.

I think Etsy is my newest obsession...

Think like a dog

As I sit here...in the dining room...in front of my laptop...trying to wrap up a bit of work while also doing my "fun" computer stuff like catching up on blogs...I see my dog Sadie staring at me while she lays on an armchair in the adjoining living room. I'm guessing that the thoughts running through her head are something like this:

"What is she doing over there with that silly thing? I have this great red ball that we can play with, why isn't she over here playing with me? Why isn't she over here rubbing me? You know you love to do that, why not come here and run your hands over me, petting and rubbing and scratching?"

Now her eyes are slowly closing, and I know she knows it's nearly time to go to bed. That's what she's trying to tell me in this minute, "Let's go to bed and forget about that other stuff."

If I really listened to my dogs, here's what I think they'd tell me:

• Live in the moment. Forget the concepts of "future" and "past." There is just NOW. Enjoy it. Endure it. Get through it, but take it all in, good and bad. Live it.
• I deserve every bit of attention I can garner. Don't doubt that at all. If you can grab attention through some antic -- vocalization, movement, crowding -- grab it and enjoy it.
• Take naps.
• After laying down for a period of time, always stretch when you get up.
• Although we don't speak the same "language," we can still communicate -- not just basic needs, but also what's important to each of us : in other words, our "values." Which leads to my final lesson...
• Listen and intuit with your entire being. That's the way to connect to others, to life, and to find enjoyment in the now.

TCB

That's been my theme song for the past couple weeks: just takin' care of business. This is typically the busiest time of year for me and "my people" -- gardeners, that is. Spring is a time of high activity, although it hasn't been that high for me this year. And that's kind of driving me bonkers.

Typically, I'd be preparing the soil for my annual veggie beds this year. But, I still don't have any annual veggie beds yet. So, I just have a bit of light weeding to do here and there.

No garden sales to attend this year, since I don't need any new plants.

No place to spread out the compost, so my annual compost bin shuffling is postponed.

Pretty much the only thing to do is lay down soaker hoses in the newly configured front yard. I'm just not used to such a light spring gardening list.

There are still plenty of garden delights, though. It's May and so many things are blooming right now. First and foremost: Lilac.

I have one of those old-fashioned, heavily perfumed lilacs. (It also gets powdery mildew at the end of every season, too, but there are always trade-offs.) The other day my next door neighbor and I stood chatting over the fence near the lilac, pausing every once in a while to inhale deeply and say "Ahhhhh...wonderful!"

Another fragrant spring lovely: Lily of the Valley.

These are short plants, though, so it's hard to really get a noseful unless you hunker down next to them.

There are many other ornamentals in my garden that are in bloom this time of year. I'm just savoring them all.

As far as knitting goes, the only new thing on my needles are another pair of socks for my commuting/travel knitting. They are pretty basic, toe-up socks that incorporate one new thing learned while working on the first Rockin' Sock Club socks. I've worked on toe-up sock construction before, and thought that I really didn't like short row toes. After working on the Inside-Out socks, though, I've since learned that it's stockinette short row toes I don't like. No matter how I pick up the wraps, they always seem to leave a little hole. But when done in garter stitch, the short row toe looks just fine to me.

So these socks are constructed with a short-row garter stitch toe, but _not_ a short-row heel. I tried the short-row garter stitch heel on them, but ended up ripping it out. It just didn't feel like it fit right to me: too much stress and pulling along the top of my foot. I really need the extra room of a gusset, so I reworked the heel with a gusset and heel flap. Now it fits much better.

Patterning is a the garter rib from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks. (I love that book, and am looking forward to getting the second one!) I'm using the Tofutsies yarn from Southwest Trading Company and am really liking the fabric. It feels very soft and drapy on the needles and on my foot. I guess drape isn't something that's usually considering a desirable property for sock fabric, but I can't explain it any better than that.

I've certainly been tempted to start new projects, but I'm being really disciplined about finishing up what I've already started. So, I'm still working on the Lift and Separate wrap sweater. I'm stuck on the sleeves now. *yawn* Not very interesting, except that I'm looking forward to finishing a new, long-sleeved sweater in time for air-conditioning season. BRRRRR! Tomorrow I'm hauling in the giant, mohair pie wedge shawl for sure.

Springtime in Chicago

I don't think there is a finer place to be in the world than sitting on my back porch on a sunny, pleasantly warm spring day. I'm not the only one with this opinion, either. My mother-in-law stopped by yesterday morning for a visit. We sat on the porch sipping tea, nibbling on fresh fruit, and just enjoying the experience. About every 20 minutes she would comment how she needed to get moving along, but that she was having trouble moving off our porch on such a lovely day.

Here's a photo of my completed Inside-Out Socks taken on the porch this weekend.

We had the most fabulous weather this weekend and I took full advantage of it. There was actually little gardening for me to do beyond some minor weeding and pruning the roses. I'll be executing Phase 2 of the landscaping plan this spring (hopefully within the next 2 weeks) so I will not be planting my annual veggies for some time. They'll be going in an entirely new location, which means no soil prep right now, either.

This is the year I make a major change in my gardening. I hope. For the past 3 years, I've been using a small area in the yard directly behind the house for annual veggies. Now that I *seem* to have the side yard bindweed issues in hand (I won't even pretend that they are solved, just "in hand"), I can move on with my master plan to devote that yard to edible gardening. I will get another load of mulch put down first, then have raised beds constructed on top of it all and filled with fresh soil. This way, I will not be disturbing the soil underneath all the weed liner and mulch that likely has bindweed seeds in it.

There's lots of space in that side yard and lots of sun. I'm hoping to have permanent beds for asparagus and blueberries built, and to add a total of 5 more beds for annual veggie rotations. For this spring, if I get just 2 annual beds built I'm sure that will be enough.

I'm glad that there wasn't a lot of yard work to do because I have been incredibly tired this weekend, too. I'm guessing and hoping that it is just allergies. Otherwise, I am clueless as to why I am getting stupidly tired (e.g. tired to the point of not being able to talk coherently) so easily every day. I crashed on Saturday at about 5:00 and napped until 7:30. On Sunday, I made it to 4:30 before laying down for 90 minutes. I'm seeing my doctor tomorrow for my annual check up, and this is one of my discussion points with her.

As for the short Sedona, Arizona vacation, it was...well...OK. We ran into some problems managing our time last Sunday. We were effectively kidnapped by Mark's half-brother for a good chunk of the day and didn't make it up to Sedona until early in the evening.

About this kidnapping comment: that's what it felt like. When you tell someone -- more than once -- that you'll be visiting for brunch, does that mean you're spending the whole day with them? I don't think so. Mark's half-brother did. He asked us to park our rental car so he could take us for "a little tour"-- what we thought meant a tour of his gated community -- then zipped us away for a tour of Surprise, AZ's strip malls and housing developments for retirees and non-retirees. Mark seemed paralyzed at speaking up, so after 90 minutes of "This is the Walgreen's where we get our prescriptions, and that's where they're building an Appleby's" it was up to me to set him straight. I explained that as much as we'd like to spend the day with him, we had thought that we were just meeting for brunch and had reservations in Sedona. We still didn't escape until 3 PM and the traffic on I-17 delayed us further.

All I can say about these gated communities in the Phoenix area is this, "not for me!!!!" I guess this is typical for new communities: to be insulated by gates, golf courses, and strip malls from anything going on in the world. Every house looks nearly the same and every strip mall has the same chains of stores. It would drive me insane. If this is the typical experience of Americans these days, then I can see why we've become so ignorant of what's going on globally.

I guess I should consider myself lucky, too, that Chicago retains some character from bygone days. We can visit a local restaurant that is not like any other restaurant. We can visit local shops that are not like any other shop. And so on. Individuality, what a concept!

So, we only had one day in Sedona. That one day was one of unseasonable weather: cold and wet. Not just rain wet, but icy rain wet. And when we went out for a hike, we got caught in it. By the time we walked back to our B&B (about 2 miles) we were soaked and freezing. That was the end of our hikining in Sedona.

I got several photos during that time, though.

This is typical of the views. Red rocks, green trees, and stormy sky. There are more photos here on my Flickr account.

The next day was sunny and fairly warm, but we had to head out of town right after breakfast so we could make our return flight home. To sum it all up: Phoenix was blech and Sedona was pretty, but not fabulous. It still doesn't beat northern New Mexico as the place that stirs my soul the most.

In the desert

Greetings from Phoenix, Arizona. Mark and I flew in yesterday afternoon and will be spending a few days away from home and the girls (our dogs). For Mark, today is a working day. This trip was precipitated by business for him. Me, I'm just along for the ride right now. Tomorrow we start our mini-vacation as we head north to Sedona.

Phoenix is very flat and very brown. There are mountains ringing the valley where the city is located, but the actual valley itself is topographically bland. The gardener in me is fascinated with the desert vegetation, though. Palo verde trees are just trippy! They have such tiny, needle-like leaves and are green throughout their entire being.

And what is that tree that has such beautiful, purple flowers on it now? For some reason I want to say jacaranda, but I'll have to look it up. At least I'm not seeing streets full of green lawns like we did in Albequerque. Of course, for now we are in the city of Phoenix business district. We'll see if the clever and sustainable desert xeriscaping continues or whether it is replaced by wasteful lawns when we move on through the communities ringing Phoenix tomorrow.

Since the past few days have been full of work, work, work and then last minute packing, I felt the need to catch up on blogging today. Technical difficulties have prevented me from using the Blogger interface so I'm using the email functionality. That means no photos in this post. But of course I don't really have any photos to show at this time. I'd rather not post photos of knitting WIPs, and that's all I have right now.

I am almost done with my Inside-Out socks from the Rockin' Sock Club. I'm about 5 rows away from binding off. It's taken me quite a while to do them since the first sock involved lots of ripping and re-knitting, but the second one is going much faster now.

Socks are usually commuting projects, though. At home and during weekly Stitch 'n Bitch, I've been working on the Lift and Separate wrap cardigan from Big Girl Knits. The back is done, the left front is done, and now I'm working on the right front. I was whipping right through it until last weekend when a combination of allergies, general sleep-deprivation, and work deadlines affected the weekend.

Last Saturday was spent just sleeping or trying to sleep. Every time I got up to attend to some work, I found myself nearly paralyzed with exhaustion. Then I would shuffle back to bed and sleep for another hour. On Sunday, I finally felt refreshed, but I had that deadline for work so I sat down and worked for about 7 hours. Once weekend errands were done, I had maybe one hour of knitting time left before I needed to head off to bed.

It was a busy week at work so there was little time for knitting in the evenings. I've brought the right front of the cardigan with me this weekend, just in case. Even though I will be doing all the driving this weekend, I'm looking forward to getting some prime knitting time in. Between the time at the gate yesterday and the nearly 3 hour flight from Chicago to Phoenix, I completed the short row heel and half the cuff on the Inside Out sock. Ahh, I'm feeling better already!

If there's convenient Internet access over the next couple days I may just post an entry and some photos. Sedona is supposed to be beautiful and I'm hoping to get some really nice shots with my little Canon digital camera.

I must be missing the girls and home already. Although I slept well last night, my dreams all involved our house or the dogs. Maybe they were dreaming about me...

See the Cat? See the Cradle?

I heard about Kurt Vonnegut's death this morning while getting ready for work. Not a good start to the day to hear that one of your favorite authors is gone, smashing your hopes of ever reading an unexpected new novel or short story by him. I guess it sounds sort of greedy, though. By some accounts it sounds like Kurt was more than ready to check out, and a person shouldn't have to live longer than they want.

I can't say I've read every book or story Kurt Vonnegut ever wrote, but I've read many of them and they've all been extremely memorable. Like this segment from Cat's Cradle:

"The highest possible form of treason," said Minton, "is to say that
Americans aren't loved wherever they go, whatever they do. Claire tried to make
the point that American foreign policy should recognize hate rather than imagine
love."

"I guess Americans are hated a lot of places."

"People are hated a lot of places. Claire pointed out in her letter
that Americans, in being hated, were simply paying the normal penalty for being
people, and that they were foolish to think they should somehow be exempted from
that penalty..."

I loved Cat's Cradle, Galapagos, Timequake, and of course Slaughterhouse-five. Kurt had a way of making me think while providing me with the necessary distance from the day-to-day crap I need to stay sane, otherwise known as fiction. Thanks, Kurt.

Just another day

This afternoon, I'm running late for an appointment about a mile away, just north of the river. I catch a cab outside my office building. The cab driver greets me enthusiastically, asking if I'm in a hurry. "Not too much of a hurry," I say, not wanting to goad him into warp speed. Sometimes cabbies are a bit too "enthusiastic" for me. But he doesn't go crazy and start accelerating like mad. Instead he launches into a rant about how Americans are ruining the Middle East, complete with plenty of four-letter words. He rages about being called a "camel jockey" when he first came to the U.S. from Iran several years ago. I'm sympathetic, but happy to leave the cab when we reach my destination. I walk back to the office from my appointment.

I leave Stitch n' Bitch tonight and enter the nearby Blue Line el station. I just miss a train and prepare to wait for several minutes. Moments later, a band of rowdy folks descend to the platform. (Will I sound like a crotchety old person if I say they are rowdy young folks?) I'm not really paying them any attention as I concentrate on my book. A train pulls into the station, but it's a short train so it doesn' t pull up to the front of the platform. We rush down the platform to enter the first car. All the seats are already full so we stand. Two stations later as the I grab a recently vacated seat I hear one of the rowdies standing near the doors say very loudly "Oh, man that cool wind feels so good on my balls. My balls are HOT!" Everyone in the car has heard this (unless they are completely isolated by whatever is coming through their headphones), but no one reacts in any way. Just before I reach my station, I move to the doors and wait. A young man moves to the doors next to me. He reeks of marijuana. I feel like I'm getting stoned just standing next to him.

At the bus platform, I stand awaiting the bus with a handful of others. The night is not terribly cold, but it still seems unnecessarily cruel to be standing here with the bus parked and running about 50 feet away, just short of the platform. The driver has taken a break and left the bus. Some gasps of discomfort lead to words of commiseration exchanged between the expectant passengers. Bus drivers certainly deserve breaks, but it just seems like they taunt us when they do this. The bus is here, but we cannot board it. It is warm and well-lit, but we stand shivering in the night until the driver comes back, enters the bus, pulls up to the platform, and opens the doors.

I reach home -- finally -- and unload: off comes the backpack loaded with laptop and files, the knitting bag, my purse, and my outer layers of hat/scarf/parka. I change into some comfy lounging clothes. I pour myself two fingers of single malt scotch, sit down in front of the TV, and pull out some knitting.

As Scarlett O'Hara said, "Tomorrow is another day."

Just call me Bashful

Yesterday was filled with more knitterly goodness in my hometown of Chicago. Amy Singer was in town at Loopy Yarns, signing copies of her new book No Sheep for You, showing off the designs, and chatting with all the folks in the shop. If by any chance Amy runs across this entry and sees the photo I'm posting here, please accept my apologies Amy! I was so tickled by the whole experience last night that I turned all bashful and snapped only this one photo at the event. See, it was a cold day yesterday so I got to dress up in hand knits and I decided to wear my Mermaid since I adore it so much. When I got to the shop, as I stripped off my parka one of the ladies said to me "I know you! I mean, I recognize you from your blog. I love the Mermaid!" (or something along those lines) and I sort of imploded with excitement. On the outside, I took it pretty well, on the inside I was like "OMG, OMG, OMG!! Someone I don't personally know read my blog! How cool!"

I got lots of ego stroking about the Mermaid during the event. People kept asking me about it and admiring it. I may as well have just kept repeating "Aw, shucks" over and over again. All that attention plus the fact that Amy Singer was so approachable and seemed to really enjoy talking with me made for a little personal melt down. I'm just not used to such attention and have no idea how to handle it except through deflection. So, deflect I did. When Amy asked if I had a blog I mumbled yes, but that it was just a silly little thing. She shared that she had started out with just a little online journal and was now doing what she loves as her career.

For the next hour or so I strolled around Loopy, fondling yarns, talking with friends and new acquaintenances, and every once in a while I'd stroll back to where Amy was sitting to exchange a few words. Before our little group left to grab a bite to eat, I went back to say goodbye but Amy was in the midst of conversation. So, we just struck off and made our way to the restaurant.

Those ladies at Loopy really know how to throw a party! This is the first time I've been down there for one of their events. For whatever reason I'm usually busy when they have a trunk show or something, so I've missed their hospitality. They had wine, soda, selzer water, and lots of yummy snacks. They also had a special of 20% off all non-wool yarns.

Of course I didn't leave empty handed. Besides the signed book I picked up a skein of Art Yarns Regal Silk. There's a sweet hat pattern in the No Sheep for You book that uses this silk in a lace pattern with Rowan Calmer providing an inner liner. I have a couple balls of Rowan Calmer in my oddball stash, and now I know what to do with at least one!

In general, my knitting has been so-so. I've been trying to finish the Rockin' Sock Club socks, but keep running into problems. I've ripped back the cuff of sock #1 three times already. Attempt #1 resulted in some misplaced cables. I was ready to live with that, but when I tried the sock on for a final fitting before casting off, it wouldn't fit over my heel. I thought it _may_ be because of the misplaced cables, so I ripped back to the first cable round and restarted. Attempt #2 had perfectly placed cables, but it still would not fit over my heel, so I ripped back again, this time to the second set of cables. At this point, I switched from the 2.5 mm needles I was using for the cuff to 3.0 mm needles. This seems to the do the trick, but it's taken me about 2 weeks worth of commuter knitting (including 2 flights: prime knitting time!) to get to this point.

The Lift and Seperate wrap sweater (from the Big Girl Knits book) that I started the week before I left for NYC is still sitting on the needles and being neglected. I really want to plunge back into it, but this messing around with my socks has taken precedence. I like to have a sock on the needles to carry around and work on during the inevitable pauses in life (riding on public transit, waiting in airports, visiting relatives, etc.); I also like to be at the point where I can just work away and not have to do a lot of fiddling like short rowing the toes or heels. So I have to do those things at home during my evening knitting time.

Hey, it's spring! The weather may be a bit goofy, but it is still spring. That means there will start to be more gardening stuff added to my posts. Despite our recent cold snap (it snowed yesterday! Eeeekk!), everything is budding and getting ready to leaf out. I really like these transitional seasons. I spent most of the day last Saturday cutting down the ornamental grasses and cleaning up the beds. Now we're ready to really pop!

Knitterly New York

I mentioned that Jamie and I were going to NYC for the Yarn Harlot's Represent event. While we encountered a few glitches on the first day, we made up for it the rest of the weekend.

Because I am still exhausted, I'm going to cop out a bit and just post the summary I wrote for the Windy City Knitting Guild newsletter.

One City...Two Knitters...Three Days...8 Yarn Stores

Fellow Guild member Jamie H. and I decided to represent Chicago at the Yarn Harlot's event and headed off to NYC in the early morning hours of March 22.

While we were drawn to New York City for the Yarn Harlot’s event, we just had to sample the yarn shops, too. We visited eight yarn shops in total, all in Manhattan. There may be many fine yarn shops we missed in Manhattan and the outer boroughs of New York City, but just visiting these eight over 2 ½ days was exhausting enough. Further explorations of what the greater New York area has to offer knitters will have to wait for another trip.

Weather delays prevented our flight from departing on time and we missed the more intimate gathering of knitters at the Imagine mosaic honoring John Lennon near Strawberry Fields in Central Park. However, we did meet up with many knitters as we yarn crawled our way to the main event at the Fashion Institute of Technology in the late afternoon.

Me and Guido from the It's a Purl, Man podcast at School Products.

Despite our delayed arrival on this first day, we managed to visit two veritable institutions as we made our way from the Grammercy Park neighborhood (where we bunked each night) to the midtown Fashion/Garment district where Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (Yarn Harlot) was hosting her big event.

The first stop, School Products, is known for its wide selection of coned yarn, and it did not disappoint. There were several tables full of cones and hanks of yarns composed of cashmere, silk, merino, cotton, linen, and various combinations of these fibers. One long table held a selection of hand-dyed hanks and drew a lot of attention. In addition to the tables, the walls were lined with shelf upon shelf of yarn from commercial distributors such as Karabella, Classic Elite, Brown Sheep, and Koigu, as well as books and magazines. A hand-dyed cashmere boucle proved too precious to resist, as did a couple skeins of Koigu.

The next stop was Habu Textiles. Habu is known for producing yarns made of unusual fibers, such as stainless steel and paper, blended with more traditional fibers like silk, cotton, and linen. The small shop was overwhelmed with knitters on this momentous day and proved a challenge to navigate. However, Habu products were found at several other yarn shops in Manhattan.

The balance of the afternoon and evening was spent at the Fashion Institute of Technology where we and dozens of other knitters were treated to a guided tour of the Knitting Laboratory by Professor Anne Denton. We then knitted away on our own projects or squares for Warm Up America (using yarn and needles generously donated by the Craft Yarn Council of America) while Stephanie Pearl-McPhee made us laugh and nod in agreement with her observations of how the world at large views knitters. The auditorium was packed with about 650 knitters who were given the opportunity to ask questions and share comments, too. Apparently the sharing went on past 9 PM, although we found ourselves staggering out at 8 PM, famished and exhausted.

My friend Harriet took us to Bright Food Shop to restore ourselves with a fabulous dinner. Afterwards, we hopped the 23rd Street bus eastwards and back to our room. I didn't mention the room in the write up for the Knitting Guild. We stayed in budget accomodations at the American Dream Hostel.

Jamie in our room at the hostel. Small, but private and with clean beds. Guess who lost the coin toss and got the top bunk? We had to sleep with the window open otherwise we would have roasted to death. The heat worked very well. Unfortunately, I am not acclimated to the sounds of Manhattan at night, and slept poorly even with my ear plugs. Ah, well, at least we had more $ for yarn.

The next morning (March 23), we set out for a long day of yarn shopping by stopping first at Knit New York in the East Village. A cozy combination of yarn shop and café, Knit New York had a balanced selection of basic and novelty/specialty yarns. Shelved neatly next to a large working table was an extensive collection of knitting books for in-store reference, with copies of popular titles for sale. We left Knit New York with a Habu handbag kit and more Koigu (on sale, too!), then continued on our way downtown.

Nestled in the midst of the Wall Street financial district was the most surprising yarn shop I’ve ever visited: Seaport Yarns. Imagine walking into a typical small office suite: reception area, small conference room, and offices strung along a central corridor. Now, imagine that in each of these areas exists shelf upon shelf of yarn, knitting books, needles, and other knitting products. One of the friendly ladies noted that Seaport was originally a market research company, and that they still serve some clients in this capacity. How they can perform their research while knitters wander into their office to view the selection of Anny Blatt is beyond me!

Seaport calls itself “the yarnaholics candy store,” and it more than delivers on this promise. The conference room was full of Louet products, while yet another room was devoted to sock yarns and needles. Several minutes into the “tour” we queried: Is there anything they don’t carry? After a few minutes of thought the response was Blue Sky Alpaca and Koigu.

The shopping possibilities were limited by one idiosyncrasy: Seaport takes only cash and checks, no credit or debit cards. I found the clearance and sock rooms irresistible, and picked up several skeins of soy silk with an unusual chained construction (hopefully enough for a camisole), as well as a hank of Colinette’s new Jitterbug sock yarn. My final haul also included some Diakeito, a multi-colored and plied Japanese yarn that will make lovely socks, and a wool/cotton blend sock yarn by Steinbach Wolle in irresistible sherbet-like shades.

We caught an uptown subway to SoHo where we took a much-needed lunch break before stopping in at Purl. For a small shop, Purl really packs in the yarn, and from floor to ceiling the walls are a scrumptious combination of color and texture. The popular book Last Minute Knitted Gifts was written by the owner of Purl, and it’s a treat to see the actual projects displayed in the store. Natural fibers are the focus of Purl’s inventory, and we were sorely tempted by some luminous yarn by Pear Tree. We escaped with a generous skein of Jade Sapphire silk/cashmere in a most unusual frosty shade called Silver Fern, a small skein of Habu cashmere nep, and a couple more skeins of Koigu.

Finally, we wrapped up Day 2 at The Point, a knitting café just a few blocks north and west of Purl. The selection of yarns was not as overwhelming as Seaport and Purl, and we leisurely explored in between sips of coffee and bites of pastry. Before we knew it, the afternoon was well-advanced and the after-work crowd began filtering in. The Point is open until 8 PM on Friday nights, and it was obvious that these knitters were regulars meeting up to stitch and mingle. We were welcomed in their midst, and wound up staying nearly until closing. Just enough time to finish one pair of socks and begin another.

Hanging out at The Point Knitting Cafe.

Saturday morning (March 24) we visited the Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design on our way uptown. The exhibit was a fascinating combination of whimsical and awe-inspiring artwork in a variety of media. The Madison Avenue bus took us further uptown to String, the ultimate luxury yarn shop. Nearly every skein on display contained cashmere and was a tactile delight.

For a few hours, we took a break and enjoyed a visit with some stitching friends on the Upper East Side at Annie & Company Needlepoint. While not a yarn shop, the stitching ladies welcomed us to their large table in the center of this bright and warm shop for a bit of lunch and conversation. Within the next few months, Annie & Company will be opening a yarn shop, too, and we’re sure to make time to visit on our next trip to New York City.

The friendly stitching ladies at Annie & Company.

Finally, we crossed Central Park and wrapped up our yarn crawl at Knitty City on the Upper West Side. Upon walking into the store, we were immediately drawn to a table containing large hanks of Fleece Artist Sea Wool, a sock-weight yarn made of machine-washable merino and sea silk. Apparently, the yarn had just arrived that day and we had our pick of several hand-dyed colors. Knitty City was a warm and welcoming shop with a great selection of basic and luxury yarns, as well as an extensive collection of books and magazines. When we left the store over an hour later with our precious Fleece Artist yarn, a signed copy of the new Friday Night Knitting Club book, and a copy of Wild Fibers magazine, we also had a recommendation for a fine Italian restaurant we dined at that night.

After such exhausting travels on previous days, we were more than happy to spend our last day (Sunday, March 25) lounging in Central Park with our knitting for several hours before heading to the airport and back to Chicago. While we weren’t able to visit every yarn shop in Manhattan, we’d visited enough to get a good “flavor” for the town. Now whenever I think of New York I’ll also think of Koigu, since I encountered so much of it there. The most important thing learned while yarn crawling through New York? No sales tax on yarn!

Photos of the trip may are available on Flickr. Jamie took photos at many of the yarn shops and posted them here. More of my photos are available here.

Diversions

Seems like every time I think about posting a new blog entry, I end up spending my evening working instead. *sigh*

Anyway, I'm NOT working tonight. *Well, only a little. Just responding to email I couldn't deal with during the day. That doesn't count, you know.*

My lovely Mermaid is not all I was working on the past few months. It's been winter, you know, and I realized a couple months ago that I owned no handknit hats or scarves. !!!! Really, any scarves and hats I've made (and I've made a few...just a few) have been gifts for others such as my neice, nephew, husband, etc.

So, I present here the final photos of my "minor" FOs the past few months:



At left: a pair of socks (of course) for me. Click the photo for a larger image. There's a bit of a story about the yarn that you can view here.





At right: a wimple. I found the pattern here, and worked on it while I was in Mexico. More details about materials, etc. are here.

At left: a My so-called scarf. Yeah, I succumbed to the temptation, too. Click for extras.

At right: My comfy, warm hat! Not only was this hat reworked 3 times, but it has a secret!

Below left: the "secret" inner hat to keep my head and ears really warm!

See, I have not had idle hands!

Next Big Thing: I'm heading to New York City with Jamie for the Yarn Harlot's Represent event. We're flying out on an obscenely early flight next Thursday AM, and staying through Sunday. We'll be staying at a hostel so we can save $$ on a room (where we'd spend little time) and have more $ to spend on yarn. (No surprise there, eh?) I'm interested to see how this hostel experience works out since I haven't stayed at a hostel in about 15 years. In addition to the YH's event we'll check out the Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting exhibit at the Museum of Arts & Design. Other than that, we're leaving our plans open for serendipitous happenings.

Ode to a Mermaid

Oh, lovely Mermaid

dancing in the breeze,

gussets flashing

subtle stripes revealed.

You are divine!

Here are the specs, also recorded in the description on Flickr.

This is a Hanne Falkenberg design called Mermaid, in colorway #3, size Medium. I started it in late October 2006 and finished February 25, 2007.

Mermaid is available only as a kit that includes the instructions and yarn, a 4-ply Shetland wool. It is knit sideways and entirely in garter stitch. I used US 3 (3.25 mm) Addi-Turbo needles to get gauge. The body is worked in one piece with short rowed gussets giving it a marvelous shape.

I originally bought the kit at Stitches Midwest from Yarn Barn of Kansas in 2005. I finally felt able to tackle such fine work a little over a year later. The small gauge and colorwork were a first for me, but the results are a lovely heirloom garment.

Back at it

We've been getting some sun around here, which is a big improvement. Yesterday was sunny, and this afternoon the clouds lifted to reveal some lovely sunniness again. Natural light is the best for taking photos, so I feel doubly lucky that we've not only had a couple days break in the clouds, but I got a new digital camera yesterday. Woo hoo!

I actually broke down and ordered it last week through Amazon.com, but did the free super saver shipping option. Wow is it annoying to track your package when you opt for budget shipping. The package seems arrive at your local postal sorting station with great speed, but to then just sit there for days and days and days and days...All I'm saying is that this camera sat at the Forest Park, IL postal station for nearly a week before I got it. Mark says it's because the savings part means they deliver to your area when the truck is full, not just to meet a delivery date. Although if that's the case, then why are they working on Sunday? Isn't that a more expensive day to deliver it to me? Whatever...I'm glad I got it.

It is a Canon PowerShot SD700 IS, and boy is it sweet. Compact, with a 4x optical zoom, 6 megapixels, and an image stabilizer, it is powerful and solidly built. It actually is pretty weighty for its small size. My last camera was a Canon, and I can't say I ever had a problem with it. Until the LCD screen got messed up, but that wasn't an equipment failure. I paid about the same for this baby as I did for my Canon SD 200 2 years ago.

After the battery was all charged up, I took a few shots in the house. By this time it was early evening, and I caught a napping dog:

I then optimized the Manual focus settings for better flash and color (that Vivid setting is great!) and took another shot:

Can you see the difference? This second one is much less washed out and the color of the chair is spot on. Although, Sadie had moved a bit and you can't see quite as much of her "squeaker" toy. (Notice how it is carefully tucked away so no one -- meaning Hannah -- can mess with it while she takes a nap?)

What I was really eager to photograph though, is my latest and greatest knitting FO. I guess I will have to create another post for it, though, as Blogger has decided to not let me upload any more photos. Hang tight!

A little taste of Mexico

I've finally uploaded the few photos I have from my Mexico trip to my Flickr account. I didn't take very many photos myself, and the following series was taken by Harriet (thanks!).

Raquel, one of the ladies on the spa trip, grew up in Mexico. One evening, she shared with us a type of fruit that she recalls eating in her youth. Here's Raquel showing us the fruit and how to prepare it for eating.

The fruit is cut open and served up with a spoon, sort of like a soft boiled egg. Raquel described the flavor as "delicious," but it certainly didn't look that way. When it was cut open, it looked sort of lot snot. Snot with lots of chunky boogers in it. You can see it here in my hand.

See how it's sort of viscous and slimy? See those chunks of stuff? Those are the seeds (boogers). I decided that the easiest way to eat the thing was to down it like an oyster. So...

Down the hatch! It actually was delicious. The seeds added a crunchiness that reminded me of noshing on a pomegranate.

I make a habit of trying available local food or culinary specialities whenever I travel, and this is far from the strangest thing I've eaten. (I think the fried caterpillars in Zambia would rate as the strangest.) Wish I could recall the name of the fruit! If you have any idea, leave a note in the comments.

The newest workout: shovel aerobics

Actually, I can't really complain much about the amount of shoveling. Honestly, 9 inches of snow (especially this fairly light, powdery stuff) is nothing compared to what those poor folks in upper NY state have been enduring for the past few weeks. I just can't imagine having snow piled up to the eaves of my house!

For all the fuss, I'd have thought that the storm would be worse. Yes, the south end of Lake Shore Drive had to be shut down last night due to white out conditions, but this is Chicago after all. We're hardy folk used to weather extremes and harsh winters. Right?

I'd much rather have the snow than the extreme cold of the past 2 weeks. Snow can be pretty and fun. I've enjoyed watching the dogs deal with it: drifts in the back yard are as tall as their shoulders, and they bound through them valiantly, following their standard route patrolling the boundaries of the yard. And Hannah just loves to snap her jaws along the surface, snatching up mouthfuls of snow. I swear, Hannah will eat anything.

Diversions

The Spring 2007 Interweave Knits came in the mail yesterday! There are several patterns that interest me, but none more than the Cable-Down Raglan by Stefanie Japel.


Front and back are stunning. I love the shaping and the tailored look. As soon as I finish Mermaid, I think this will be my next project.

I had to dive into the stash today to see what I had on hand that could work for this pattern. The pattern calls for Louet Gems Worsted (100% merino wool), but I only have one odd skein of that in my stash. While I haven't been following the Knit from Your Stash fad this year, I do realize that I have quite a stash by now and that I really should use yarn I have on hand if at all possible. Besides, I'm already awaiting two packages (my first shipment from the Rockin' Sock Club and some stuff -- not yarn, but accoutrements -- from Knit Picks), and I just don't want to have a third on the way right now.

So, a quick run through stash reveals these choices for the Cable-Down Raglan:

• Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in the Sage color. (80% cotton/20% wool)
• Debbie Bliss Wool Cotton in color #702 (?), a royal blue. (50% cotton/50% wool)
• Knit Picks Merino Style in Hollyberry (a deep red) color. (100% merino wool)
• Lorna's Laces Dove in either Lilac or Chocolate colors. (80% wool/20% cotton)

I'm leaning towards the Lorna's Laces Dove in Lilac, 'cause I think this tweedy yarn and soft, spring-like color will work very well with the pattern. I'd love to hear other opionons in the Comments, though.

OK, I'm off to bed now. A cab is picking me up a 6 AM tomorrow (yikes!) so I can catch a flight to Dallas to attend a 2-day meeting. At least it will be moderately warmer there.

Winter Sports

After reading Yarn Harlot's blog today, I see that one of my issues with winter is that I don't do winter sports. Unless shoveling counts as a winter sport, that is. I did some of that today, and if the weather report is accurate, I'll have more to do tomorrow. Rah, rah.

I can appreciate the beauty of winter. Dry, powdery snow looks awfully pretty in the right light: it's so sparkly.

Our winter sports seem to revolve around the TV. I watch lots of TV in the winter, and this year I'm glad that we upgraded to an HDTV. Wow, what a difference! I'm sure many of the folks on camera are horrified when they first see what they look like on HDTV. (Oprah, I'm sure your makeup artists are very skilled, but they just can't hide those bags and dark circles under your eyes from the HD; please give yourself a rest.)

The incredible irony for us is how we receive our HD signal: from a plain vanilla roof antenna.

In November 2005, we lost the connection to our roof antenna in a wind storm. We called around trying to find someone who would reconnect it for us, but no one wanted to get up on our roof in the late fall/winter. So, after a couple months of vainly trying to pull in a decent signal with an indoor ("rabbit ears") antenna, we bit the bullet and signed up for satellite TV. (I was not going to even entertain the idea of signing up for cable TV. The company that owns the cable franchise in our area, Comcast, is just plain evil in my book. E-V-I-L. Never getting any of my business at all.)

So, last February the satellite dish is set up and we got TV again. I was happy to have TV, but not so happy to be paying for it. I just don't understand the concept of paying for TV unless I get it ad-free. Then, I can see why I'd have to pay for it.

In the spring, we got a call from one of the guys we'd contacted that he could reconnect our antenna. Even though we had the satellite, we decided to go for so we could have a back up TV-viewing source.

We got the new HDTV in November. We noticed our old TV (12+ years old, and still kicking) was starting to have picture challenges, so we decided to upgrade. We didn't get an LCD or a plasma; we found a nice TV with an HD tuner and a traditional picture tube (very reliable technology) that was thinner than average. (But not lighter than average. Oy, I forgot how heavy a picture tube is!)

The HD tuner is built into the set, and it was capable of using dual antenna sources. So, we hooked up the roof antenna as well as the satellite and tried to tune in an HD channel through the roof antenna. (We weren't paying for an HD satellite service, so that wouldn't work). The only HD channel we tuned in was CBS, none of the other local channels worked. We were very disappointed, and figured that we needed a new roof antenna to pull in HD. So, we just gave up.

After the new year, we were seeing all these notices about local programming being broadcast in HD. So, we gave the roof antenna a try again. Voila! We got LOTS of HD channels: CBS, NBC, ABC, WGN, etc. Our local public broadcast station, WTTW, broadcasts over 3 channels now, 2 of which are HD and show different programs during the same time slot. Awesome!

I swear we're watching the local broadcast channels more than the satellite channels that we're paying for! Hmmm...maybe it's time to get rid of the satellite, eh? Although I would miss Comedy Central and my South Park fix...Maybe after the winter TV viewing season is over. Excuse me now while sign off to go catch some TV.