Christmas Eve

To change things up a bit, this year we drove around and looked at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. After passing two different indian reservations and noticing signs for Alpine (28 miles from San Diego), we decided we were indeed lost. We later realized we were about 15 miles past our destination, we finally made it to Jingle Bell Hill, also known as Pepper Drive Lights.

The X on the far left is the approximate location of our start point. The X in the middle is where we wanted to go. The X on the far right is where we ended up. The first clue we weren't in Kansas anymore? The abrupt change in temperature as we climbed up the mountains. Brr.

Did you know 2nd street off the 8 is also known as CA 54? Yeah, that's why we nearly ended up in Alpine. Anyway, after checking out the lights (will post a couple pics later), we found an In-N-Out that was open in Mission Valley. I couldn't believe we found someone open at 10:30PM on Christmas Eve! We got our burgers, fries, and delicious shakes and went to Balboa Park to enjoy the serenity while we ate our fattening food. It was pretty foggy last night so I took a couple photos.


Considering my camera is an old Canon Power Shot A10 at 1.3 Mega Pixels, I think these turned out pretty well. While the camera has served me well, I'm contemplating getting a newer version soon. But still, don't you think they look good, even with the low resolution?


The fog was pretty dense over The Old Globe Theatre. It was beautiful. I may have to take a special trip back some night when it's foggy just to play around with my shutter. Unfortunately, I only have a few options with this camera when it comes to time elapse photography. Which reminds me, I still have my 35mm camera. Wow. It's been years since I've used it. Would I even be able to thread the film??

On a side note, I was very impressed with In-N-Out. I only had the burger once before and wasn't that impressed. But last night it was sooo good. Maybe it's because it was fresh or maybe it's because I was extremely hungry. While we waited for our food, they gave us a Christmas card hand signed by all the employee's.

I can't believe it's almost 1:30AM. No more black tea at 9:30PM for me!

Apolloisms

Funny names or things Apollo has said to the cats:

"Get your narrow a## out of that."
"Simba, get your muscle head over here."
"Zoe, you chicken head!"
"Stop choking your sister!"


Funny things Apollo has said to Aimee/Faythe:

"Hooty hoo says the owl...And I says you."


To be updated periodically.

Disney's tree

Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!!

(Zoe is in the foreground playing with a mouse The Rat and Jojo got her)

Argh! I need new batteries, I've already used up a pack of 22!

Big Mac's steering column

Yesterday Big Mac and I called around trying to get a good price on a steering column for his '72 Cadillac when we realized we had both called the same guy, Bob. Well, it also turns out that someone at one of the auto parts yards I had called, let's call him Hosea, had also called Bob. Hosea had marked up the price by $50 and was going to sell it to us for $150. (Actually, he wanted more but I talked him down by $10. It was killing me that I could only get him to go down $10. I mean, I poured on as much honey as I could, too. grrr)

Anyway, after we realized that Hosea was planning on buying it from Bob and marking up the price, I called him and said that I didn't have the money for it after all. Bob told us that Hosea had indeed called him and he said, "First come, first serve."

Is this all making sense? Sounds confusing to me and I'm directly involved. Anyway, we all jumped in my car and thank goodness for the V6, made it to Otay Mesa way down by the border before Hosea made it. See, I'm not sure if he believed me or not. I didn't really trust him. He sounded untrustworthy. And sneaky. Fortunately, I am sneakier.

End of story is we found a Cadillac just like Mac's...ok well obviously it was beat down. But it had a matching tilt steering column that Bob was willing to sell to us for $100. Mac brought his steering column and set it on the back of the car for the junkyard to compare and make sure he was getting the same type for his money. There it is, sitting all lonely and sad on the back of that old Caddy.

That fella with the yellow hat took the hood off the old Caddy and proceeded to cut wires, remove bolts, etc. The guys watched while surgery was performed. It's amazing that this old steering column left sitting out in the weather like this for who knows how long actually works. Pretty cool.

I also thought I'd point out that Big Mac wrote his name (as "Big Mac$") on the back of his shoes with a Sharpie. You know, in case someone happens upon them and doesn't realize who they belong to. And to answer Faythe's question in chat, no, he's not 12.

You may be wondering, who's "we?" Well, me, Big Mac and The Masked Crusader. Who's this Masked Crusader person? He fights for the little people! His goal is to give to the little people and...well you know. He just wants to help out.

He learned the hard way that it's not easy to get that Cadillac medallion off a car.

Even Bob couldn't get one off. When I tried, I broke it. Oops. How did they manage to steal Big Macs? Bob is willing to sell us a gold medallion for $25. I'm going to look on eBay and see if I can get one cheaper. Meanwhile, the Masked Crusader is going to be handing out stuffed animals Mom brought down from Oregon to the neighborhood kids. See! He's a good guy!

Quick Drop Stitch

So, Aimee and I were discussing last minute gifts tonight and I introduced her to the idea of the drop stitch scarf. I promised I'd post some pics and in my usual fashion, I can't let just a couple photos tell the story. No, I am a firm believer in over-kill.

I recommend using larger needles. For these photos I used size 15 with Wool Ease Thick & Quick. I prefer using soft fuzzy yarns, but for the photographs I stuck to something that would be easier to see.

First, cast on some stitches. You know, whatever feels right for you. I cast on 10 stitches for this example. Next, knit that row. For your amazement, I have pictured here one knit row. Woo.

OK now we're going to begin the row where the magic begins. First, knit a regular stitch. I knit continental style so this may look weird to some viewers.

Now take the yarn and wrap it around the right needle.

As you can see, my fancy graphics edumacation has sure come in handy. I've always stuck my nose up at the simple paint program that I now use happily. Forget the fact that I've crossed over to the dark side *gasp* and have been using a non-Mac for years. Ever since my PowerMac blew up (no exaggeration - apparently the fan IS handy after all) I crossed over and realized that XP isn't that much different from the Mac OS of olden days. But, I digress...wrap the yarn around the needle again. Please.

So at this point you have the original (K) Knit stitch and the first and second yarn "wraps." Yep, not only am I design savvy but I also have an expansive and useful vocabulary. "Wraps."

Next knit a regular stitch. Actually, if you want the dropped stitch to be shorter, you can wrap the yarn only once, or if you want it longer, you can wrap it more. It all depends on your personal preference. For now let's stick to two just to avoid any confusion.

Let's see...1..2..3..4. Yep, just checking. After you knit a stitch, wrap two times, and then knit again you should have four "stitches" where you used to have 2. Coo'.

Repeat the pattern of knitting a stitch and wrapping the yarn around the needle the desired amount of times (in this case 2 times) until you get to the end of the row. You should end with a knit.

After you've completed the row, you'll have a bunch more stitches than you started with. They may even seem a bit crammed in. Perfect!

OK, time to turn that sucker around and start the next row. Knit the first stitch. Here's where the stitches get dropped. You see those two stitches that you wrapped around the needle? Slip them right off the needle. It may seem all wrong, I mean, this is what we try to avoid, right? Expect the yarn to suddenly feel loose.

After you slip off the stitches you will notice a large loop of yarn just sort of hanging out. Our evil plan is working. MUWA HA HA HA HAAAA!

Continue working down the row by knitting the knit stitch and dropping the two wrapped stitches.

When you're done, you'll probably have to pull the dropped stitches into shape by grabbing the finished product and pulling it downwards. I usually either pull them down in sections or just grab a fist of yarn and yank the whole thing down with a quick tug. Umm, not sure if this is bad or not but it works for me. :)

As you can see, you can cover a lot of territory with the drop stitch. This soda can is almost the same size as two rows of dropped stitches followed by a regular knit row. The drop stitch definitely comes in handy when you need to knit up something quickly! It's also wonderful for showing off texture of unusual yarn or for when you want to show-case soft yarn.

Well, that's it. If you have time, you should block the finished product. Enjoy!

Finally...

Well, here it is..my new car! Good thing I got the car when I did too. A week before, The Little Car That Could was taken to the mechanic where I was given an $1,800 estimate for a valve and rings. Well, basically we were told she needed "a whole new motor." :(

She drove around on three cylinders in the neighborhood within a five block radius after that. Due to her illness, we couldn't trust for long distances. Or anything that required driving up hills. Or exertion. Or normal driving.

The day I picked up the new car, I was also supposed to pick up Aimee at the airport. Well, the one hour wait for the car turned into three hours and poor Aimee was freaking out at the airport. By the time I picked her up she had those big watery eyes. You know what I'm talking about. (Think Precious Moments meets Anime.) But we fed her some Mexican food and she felt better.


Anyway, the next plan is to get some tinting for the windows. The guys have joked about those wheels with spinners, but I think these chromes are ghetto enough. :)

I'm still adjusting to the V6 (the pedal is sensitive!) and size of the car but I'm definitely in love!

Aimee's new coat

Aimee got a new coat. She says it makes her feel like a lion. She likes to roar a lot while she's wearing it. Oh yeah, that's my car behind her.

Some Disney pics

One of the first things we did as a family was go to Disneyland. Since Apollo, Mom and Aimee had never been, I figured it was about time they experience this beloved piece of Americana. Many thanks to Laura, who acted as our guide for the entire day. Laura is a Disneyland Expert...you can ask her anything about Disneyland and she will know the answer. If she doesn't know, she has various DLand numbers on speed-dial and will call to get you the answer within minutes. Go ahead and try her...

Laura and I pointing at the entrance of Disneyland. Laura is wearing her 50th Anniversary ears. Good thing too cause we looked for the golden ears whenever we got lost in a crowd. That and her hand sticking up straight signaling "follow me!"

Yay! Flowers are used to announce DLand's 50th anniversary. As you can see, there were already quite a few people there at 9:30AM. Note the sunny, blue Cali sky.

In case you didn't know, Aimee loves pirate stuff. She has a full size Jolly Roger flag and various other pirate booty. While in the Pirates of the Caribbean gift shop, she stocked up on a couple more items, including a hat and a new flag. She was waving it around and saying "Aaaargh" when a pirate happened by. They exchanged a few "Aaaarghs" and other comments and he continued on his way.

Speaking of exchanges, at one point in the day while we were waiting to get on a kiddy ride, Aimee's purity was brought into question. I don't remember how this happened or why, but I do remember there was an awful lot of finger stabbing and loud boisterous exclamations from Aimee. It doesn't take much to get her riled up though.

The Haunted Mansion decorations and interior are temporarily changed to The Nightmare Before Christmas. Mom actually went on this ride with us.

One of the displays inside; most of them were illuminated with black light effects.

Sorry, I haven't seen the movie yet so I'm not exactly sure who this guy is. I think it's Jack...correct me if I'm wrong.

Us "kids" went on several rides including Indiana Jones (awesome!!), Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain (story to be told later) etc. Help me out here Laura, you know the names! Mom didn't go on many rides, but she did go on and enjoy the Tea Cups! According to Laura, it's a "must do" for every newbie. In the photo above, Mom and Laura (golden ears) are running to get a tea cup.

Yeah, it's blurry but can still see Mom's mouth. :) She had a lot of fun. Of course, she didn't let go like Aimee and Laura did. Towards the end she started spinning the cup.

At the end of the ride, she was laughing a lot...a good sign. :) After the tea cups, she trusted us with more rides.

Me, Apollo, Aimee and Laura. I think if you click on the pic you'll see a larger image with all our names on the back of our hats. Though he refused to wear the traditional Mickey ears, Apollo got a Christmas hat with ears and his name embroidered on it. We were told that he wouldn't be able to get his name embroidered on his hat, but just at closing we found a shop that did the nice thick embroidery. I think it looks a lot nicer too.

I tried to lighten it up, but this is the best I could get. I love the silhouette of Aimee's ears against the Christmas tree.

More Disney photos to follow...

One week later...

Mom and Aimee are gone. Aimee was here a week, Mom approximately five days. I say approximately because her bus (she was supposed to be on Amtrak, but their train was late into LA and she was put on a bus) arrived around 2:00AM Monday morning.

Anyway, they're gone and everything is getting back to normal. I've got a lot of cleaning to do and some other odds n ends to take care of before I get back to the old grind at work. I read through some of my work emails a couple days ago and...well, I guess you could say I was less than thrilled. I don't know why I felt like that. I think I need a few more days off.

Meanwhile, the car is wonderful! For those that have asked, it's a Toyota Camry SE V6 in Indigo Blue. My interest rate is pretty high but that's ok because the plan is to initially pay off most of it and have a very low monthly payment each month so I can build up my credit.

Since Mom and Aim were here, I haven't been able to work on any of my knit presents. *sigh* Some people may receive their presents late. Sorry. :(

Anyway, gotta get ready for church.

The car is here!

I picked up my car today! Apparently it was hard to find due to its color, Indigo Blue. I didn't think it was that special. I mean, it's just blue! Also, I didn't want any of the extra features (ok, minus the spoiler and the chrome wheels that I didn't originally intend to buy) and I think it was hard to find one that didn't have a bunch of extra's.

As I was driving away from the dealership, I started to cry. I couldn't believe it...it was like a dream. I couldn't believe I owned something so nice!

Afterwards I drove immediately to the airport where Aimee had been waiting for at least an hour (the dealership took much longer than they had originally stated) and drove home. Hence I didn't get to take any pictures. I'll definitely do that as soon as possible though. :)

I can't wait to get the windows tinted! It looks great now and will look even better then. I still can't believe I actually have the car! Driving to work is going to be a pleasure.

The sad news is that The Little Car That Could is definitely on its way out. Today she almost died when we drove her a in the neighborhood. :( Poor car, she served me well.

Saturday, 4:30 AM

*yawwwwwn*

I'm up...working away. Thank God I've been working from this week! I can't even imagine the commute at this time in the morning. I'm sure it would be easy, but staying awake while driving would be another thing. I love this shift but I've been having a hard time disciplining myself into going to bed at a decent hour. Hence after five days I'm pretty tired. Plus, I've been trying to squeeze in knitting.

There's been so many things I wanted to tell you. But I've been too tired to post and usually forget what I'm going to rant about. Anyway, I'll definitely be posting later this weekend and next week when I have normal hours.

Lace yarn

Anyone here use lace yarn? I'm having a hard time with it. It's so tiny. Do you have any secrets? Do you use teeny needles or needles with teeny points? Help!

Speaking of Thanksgiving...

I'd like to give thanks to my Secret Pal for my latest package! It arrived Thanksgiving weekend, making the holiday even extra special! I wasn't expecting anything so this was definitely very cool.

The box was filled with shredded bright orange paper...that definitely got my attention.

Inside was a nice note from my SP! She (I'm assuming "she") obviously has been reading my blog and taking note of what I like.

Starting from the left, she sent a small photo album. It's the perfect size for the notecard with the scarf pattern she sent me. The scarf pattern is written on a notecard and was included with the note. The photo album will be PERFECT for the notecard. And then I realized how perfect it will be for other traveling patterns! Instead of carrying around a full size pattern and mangling it, like I always do, I'll either write it down or photo copy it and put it in the photo album. Plus, it won't take up that much space in my knitting bag.

Next, is a Tea Bag Wallet. You can see that has a black button with a loop that keeps it closed. Well, when you open it, it unfolds to show four compartments holding four different tea bags.

I'm sure I could fit more than 4 in it if I tried. Anyway, this will be perfect for traveling. I already used one of the tea's...I needed something with caffeine and since everything I have right now is caffeine free, the English Breakfast was perfect.

Speaking of tea, she also gave me some Chai tea, WHICH by the way, is my FAVORITE TEA! I LOVE CHAI TEA!! Especially at this time of year when it's a little bit cooler (we San Diegan's think 61 is cold). I love to make it with milk and sugar, no water! Perfect, THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

Another tastey treat she gave me was the sugar-free Baskin Robins SOUR Sherbet candies! I LOVE SOUR! OK I'm slobbering just thinking about how much I love sour. Am I sick? Probably. :) And they're sweetened with Splenda too. In my opinion, the Splenda sweetened candies are the way to go.

And lastly, Noro Kureyon yarn! This yarn is a popular favorite of knitters and crocheters alike due to its beautiful color combinations.

My SP gave me a scarf pattern to try out with this beautious yarn. I'll have to give it a try. It's SO beautiful, I really want to make something special with it! I know how hard it is to buy something you really like and then give it away...don't worry, I definitely appreciate it!

Look, LOOK at the beautiful colors!

*drooool*

I suppose I'll just stare at it for a while; after all I'm furiously knitting away at my Christmas presents right now so it will be at least a month before I can try out the Noro.

Thank you SP! I love everything you sent!

AARGHH!!

I've decided I need to frog Faythe's present. GAH!! It's just not working out. Since I'm going to frog it, I'm making some changes in color choice too.

*sigh* Damn those frogs!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

My day was uneventful. I cooked nothing! YAY! Instead I lounged around, talked to friends on the phone, took care of some business and knit my Christmas stocking. I haven't been able to spend any time on it this last week, so finally today I was able to finish the knitting portion. I still need to add a loop, block it, add the tree decorations and the lining. But that should take much time at all.

I added the star button to the top of the tree already, you can sort of see it in the picture. Being that it's my first stocking and my first intarsia project (aside from the Bad Kitty purse I made Faythe that thankfully was felted to hide all the mistakes), I'm satisfied with how this has turned out.

Anyway, I'll definitely post a pic of the finished project. Meanwhile, my needles are free to start my next project.

You should never have empty needles!

Christmas requests taken here!

I've received some interesting Christmas present requests lately. In case Santa reads my blog (I'm sure he does), please feel free to submit your requests. Here they are, in no particular order:

* Bazooka gun

* Silencer

* Easy Bake Oven - for a 29 year old

* 3 inch lift kit for Roger (Jeep) - Aimee

* paint job for Roger - Aimee

* hydraulic lifter - Aimee

* big lottery win!

* a good man


Some hopeful recipeint(s) will be kept anonymous. List to be updated throughout the season.

I DON'T THINK SO PUNK!!

I just caught someone trying to steal my car! Due to my paranoia from the LAST TIME it was stolen, I am always on edge when I hear weird noises outside. Well, tonight I heard some noises and thought it was my neighbor getting into his car but decided to look outside anyway. I turned off my bedroom light and long story short, there was this kid looking around, acting suspicious! I waited and even backed away from the window, I thought he totally saw me! But he didn't, evidenced by the fact that he walked over to my car and started sticking something down the window! By then I had alerted Apollo and he made it outside and asked the kid, "Whassup?" in his scary black man voice and face (that's what I call it...it's not a racist thing). At the same time I took a picture of him but unfortunately, the window was fogged and it turned out horribly. He didn't know that though. He got on his bike and wheeled away, turning to look at Apollo the entire time.

Here's the PUNK off to the left with his right hand on his bike, getting ready to take off because he just saw Apollo and my camera flash. The car on the left is an '05 Mustang, the car on the right with the Chococat antennae is mine. BASTARD!

Why would someone want my bucket?? It's almost 20 years old! It even has a steering wheel lock! It sits in a lot full of nice new shiny cars. Why mine?? Not that I wish this on anyone, but I always wonder, why??

Anyway, now we're on full alert and I don't know if I'm going to get my final done tonight or not. ARGH!

Lost 11/19

Well, I was going to write something profound about last weeks episode of Lost. But I'm so tired, I can't remember. I'll write tomorrow. I can't believe I'd forgotten!

Christmas stocking update

It's turned out to be a lot easier than I expected. I say this now because I've yet to tuck in all the ends on the backside. Imagine this knit rectangle folded in half and you can imagine what the leg is going to look like. When I'm done, I'm going to add some teeny ornaments to the tree. Believe me, it'll be cute. I saw something similar to what I'm planning on doing at a LYS.

The weird thing is that I was told to knit this rectangle, then knit the foot and later go back and stitch up the back side. The pattern doesn't mention this at all. In fact, it appears the author of the pattern assumes everyone knows to use circulars from the beginning. And you know what assuming does. Yes, I've made an ass out of myself. In my defense, I did inquire about the rectangle but nobody had an answer. everyone else was doing theirs like this too. Oh well, it's still going to look great.

I'm still not sure if I'm doing the intarsia correctly.

Chick Chat: 'Cause I'm starting to look my age

I've been really curious about the Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion & Peel System. Does it really work?

Yesterday I decided to check out the new Sears Essential's, formerly known as K-Mart and ended up buying some for scientific research. Oh yes, and the store was very nice and clean. I didn't spend much time there because I was in a hurry, but it seemed better than it's former self.

Anyway, due to my years of retouching photographs, I've become hyper-sensitive and aware of any fine lines, creases or variations in skin tone on my face. If I could retouch my face, I would. Hence, Olay has hopefully come to my rescue.

At $25, I spent more than I would normally spend on one package of skin products. But I just got paid and decided to go for it. Plus, I've been sick and there's nothing like buying something for yourself to make a girl feel better. According to the packaging, it's a "microdermabrasion and mini-peel treatment...gentle enough to use twice a week" and you bet I'll be trying it out again later this week.

I did use it last night and was pleasantly surprised at how my skin looked afterwards. My skin tone was a lot more even, bright, and soft. But it's possible that's just because I had just scrubbed my face clean. I remain skeptical. I'll let you know if there are any notable improvements after a month.

I know this isn't going to stop creases, wrinkles or freckles though; that's why I use Complete All Day Moisture Lotion SPF 15

I did a lot of research before I bought this moisturizer. I wanted something that wasn't heavy or oily and wouldn't clog my pores. I found everything I was looking for in this product. Olay Complete is very light (I don't even notice I'm wearing it) and non-comedogenic. I can say after a year or so of using it consistantly, I don't have any complaints. It also contains SP15 for UV defense. I use it on my neck, arms, and hands too.

Don't forget your hands and neck! Next time you see a photograph in a magazine of a young looking older lady, be sure to check out the tops of her hands and her neck. Retouchers usually forget those. That's where you'll be able to see natural sun damage in its finest. Plus, now with skin cancer on the rise, we can't afford to omit these areas.

I used to sneak a dab of Grandma Udora's Olay (back when it was called Oil of Olay) every once in a while but I think it's safe to say the new Olay isn't just for grandma's anymore. It has morphed over the years into a product even younger women can enjoy. Sure, they have a line of products especially for older ladies out there, but they also have some good stuff for us younguns. Olay also generously offers coupons and free samples on their site, of which I have enjoyed.

I wasn't intending for this post to be all about Olay but hey, I love it and I won't use just anything. Plus, after retouching photos of teenagers and older people alike for years and years, I can't stress enough the importance of using sun-screen, any sun-screen. I can't even tell you the amount of high school graduates I've seen who actually have crows feet. GAH! I shake my fist at you, crows feet! May you die a thousand deaths!

Christmas stocking

I went to a knitting class tonight at a local yarn shop. Sadly, Two Sisters and Ewe no longer has a website. I don't know how this is even possible considering we're now well into the 21st century.

I took this Christmas Stocking class with the hope of learning intarsia. I got to the part of the pattern where I needed to start using different colors all within a few stitches of each other and of course, the class came to an end. Carol, our instructor, did give me a few pointers before we all packed up. Hopefully, I'll be able to figure it out before we meet again in two weeks. Actually, I'm hoping to have this stocking done by the time we meet next so I can begin something a little more challenging. I saw a stocking with an antique looking Santa that was gorgeous but supposedly complicated.

I'm a few rows into the color, alternating green, red and tan and am a little disturbed. Should it look this messy on the back? I know I'll be cleaning it up later, but is this what it should look like? I don't think so.

I also learned about bobbins. That's what those round donut shaped things are. They flip open so you can wind the yarn, but close and easily dispense the yarn and help to keep it from getting tangled while you're knitting.

Any tips or websites that give more info on intarsia to the learning disabled (me)?

Frappr

I was surfing through Crazy Aunt Purl's site recently when I read about Frappr. Frappr, which means "friend mapper," is a nifty little online tool that allows your friends and family to "stick" a pushpin onto their location on a map. You can post "shout outs," create groups and more. I created a group linked to my blog, you'll have to check it out.

Upside down Christmas tree

Interesting. You can find this tree and others at ChristmasTreeForMe.com.

According to USA Today, people like this tree because it's a space saver.

I'm not a fan.

Oh my...

Thanks to Laura for bringing this to my attention. It's an episode from Trading Spouses...this lady is not very Christianlike at all. Be sure you watch it all the way to the end.

I needed this

The best laugh I've had in a while.

Lost!

Finally, a new episode tonight! And all I have to say is OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!

Chicken soup for the soul

Well, at least for my soul. While I've been down and out, I knit up these Mary Jane's from Fibertrends. They're a lot easier to make than you might think. The most complicated part was the strap and that's only because the instructions weren't really clear. Well, that and my thinking is a little fuzzy.

As you can see by the remaining Lamb's Pride skein in the photo, they're pretty big. Huge actually. I'm going to try to felt them tomorrow with the laundry.

This is what they're supposed to look like when felted. We'll see.

If they work out I'll try making some with something that doesn't have any mohair and possibly use a cute button, rather than the simple one called for in the pattern.

Oh yeah, I opted to make these in place of the Fuzzy Feet. They're cuter. I may make the FzF later.

My main squeeze - Hunter

Ten month old Hunter and his dad, Sean.

Flu or cold?

I am sick. I think I have the flu, but I'm not sure. Ah yes, an excuse to surf the net! (*snort* Like I need an excuse!)

While difficult to distinguish the two from one another, there are some differences.

From what I've learned, people who have a cold are likely to experience a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, a low grade fever lasting about one week. Symptoms generally stick to the nose area or at least to the neck and above.

Those with the flu are more likely to have a high fever, dry cough, an all over body ache, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue and general feeling of "I want to die" lasting around two weeks. Symptoms expend from the nose area to the rest of the body.

Well, I guess that's the basic difference. One attacks your head, the other attacks your entire body. Er, that's my generalization at least. I noticed there's no explanation for subsequent bitchiness. Hm.

Here's my response to being sick. Mouthwash, cough syrup for night and day, baby aspirin (it tastes good!), vitamins, water and tissues. You can see that I'm po' due to all the off-brand names. Well, I prefer to call it "sensibly price conscious so I can buy ridiculously priced knitting accessories with the money I save." But we all have our own interpretation.

While getting sick sucks, there are also some potential benefits. It helps your body build up immunities to other viruses or infections that may be looming out there. But don't forget, I am not a doctor. This is just my opinion.