It's powdered sugar, baby, powdered sugar....

So I have an awful condition. One that will not let me sit idle and not volunteer. "For what?" you may wonder. Well, just about anything, and it's sad. In the end, I get pulled in directions I may never have ventured, and found myself this past weekend in Cadillac at Caberfae Ski Resort with 27 other parents and Boy Scouts. Arriving on Friday night and heading out Sunday afternoon, we had an absolute blast. We received 8 to 10 inches throughout the day on Saturday, which provided some of the best skiing that I've ever experienced. Don't get me wrong, I usually am able to get out only once a year; and by then, the snow is pretty well packed down and a layer of crusted snow and ice is well formed. With the continual snow, though, the trails were great, and with the cold wind, the resort wasn't terribly busy. It was so cold, that our camera wouldn't function outside, so the only outdoor photo I was able to snap off was one taken from my blackberry at the top of "Smiling Irishman" -- the easy run coming off of North Peak. This was taken Sunday morning, and as you can see, the snow hadn't let up much then either.

As for the crazies I crossed passed with over the weekend: I took them as omens and learning experiences. There were three on Saturday, all seen while during the same run. While on the North Peak lift, I noticed this absolutely stupid snowboarder climbing under orange, plastic gating closing off the top of the "I-75" run. On the trail map linked through "North Peak" above, you'll see this run as the double-black diamond that heads straight down on the right-side of North Peak. This is a straight drop of ungroomed ice. Why anyone would see this and think, "this looks fun, so I don't care if it's closed, I'm going down it" is way beyond me. Crazy folk number 2 were another group of teen snowboarders and skiers who were going off the shear face of North Peak off of the "Irishman" run. In many ways, these folks were more stupid than I-75 guy b/c at least what he was trying to go down is an actual run that connects back to the lifts through other trails. The second group of stupids had to walk uphill to get anywhere meaningful when they were all done. The third Saturday person was a mother who swooshed by me with a toddler in her arms. And I don't mean that the kid had its own skiis and was skiing between mom's legs. Mom was carrying this child with not a care in the world, just zooming down the run. Say what you want about the effectiveness of helmets (which by the way neither were wearing) or the skill of that particular person, all they needed was a completely unskilled kid to run right into them for someone to be seriously hurt. And it likely wouldn't be the mother. The triple-whammy of seeing those people made me decide that it was definitely time for me to take a nice long break in the lodge.

I literally ran into Sunday's special crazy while trying to pull out of the parking lot. With my car plowed in by the resort's front-loader and a car full of scouts, I nearly ran down an older man who was skiing through the parking lot. One minute, all was clear; the next, he was right behind me. Yelling, ski poles being slapped at my car, and me chastising someone older than me who should know better ensued. At least it served as a lesson to the scouts that were with me as to why you don't ski thru parking lots.

Technology is upon me

Over the two weeks or so since my last posting, I've discovered just how much I rely on gadgets. A couple of Fridays ago, I was running errands while Sylvain worked at one of the MSU hockey game concession stands as part of his Order of the Arrow lodge to raise money for an upcoming trip. After arriving home for the night, I decided to catch up on my Friday shows since our trusty DVR was set to record Ghost Whisperer and Battlestar Galactica. With the afghan that was for Afghans for Afghans in my lap, I was appalled as the Ghost Whisperer that was recorded was a garbled mess. I thought that maybe the beginning of the show was ruined, but found that it couldn't be skipped through. Giving up, my stomach twisted with the thought that the BSG episode was in the same condition. I've been on the fence as to whether to keep watching Ghost Whisperer since I am not enjoying the current story line. But, this is BSG's last season and I've gotten really into it. Sadly, it was unwatchable too. Chuck was out of town, so there wasn't anything that I could really do to fix it. By Saturday night, the DVR had quit altogether and wouldn't even show the live Direct TV channels. Gone was the shows I had wanted to save in perpetuity: the Price of Right Million Dollar special hosted by Bob Barker, a Kylie Minogue concert that was on Channel 101 in 2006, all of this season's episodes of Damages and Desperate Housewives (both were waiting for a truly lazy Sunday). Since that little meltdown, Chuck was able to order us a new DVR, and was able to connect it to our wireless router to download the missing BSG episode, so there's hope that I may be able to recover some of what was lost.

My other techno-hiccup involved my new phone. Last month, I replaced my Motorola Razr with a Blackberry Curve. It's a neat phone, but comes with next to no instructions. I've tried my phone carrier's website and downloaded the user's manual, but even that provides little help with much that I wanted to do with the phone. My goal is to be able to use it to update this blog, which will help significantly when I travel and don't have normal computer access. The limitation will come when trying to add photos and links.

As for my actual knitting: I finished the blanket shown and delivered it to Sarah as part of our Guild's contribution to the Spring 2009 campaign. I started the Estes Vest from the Fall 2008 issue of Interweave Knits. It's made out of Cascade Pastaza, and (despite my awful photos) is going to be olive-colored. This has been a pleasant reprieve from the baby afghans that I've been working on for Chuck's cousin Aaron and his wife Claire. They're expecting twins and the shower is March 8th. I'm about halfway done the first afghan, so need to get into high gear to get that finished up and the second one completed.

It's getting late and I have more stories, photos, patterns, and a review of Coraline to share....there just isn't enough time in the day sometimes....

Finishing and frogging

Hi there. Yes, it’s been a while and I probably have enough to write about to fill three or four posts. But for now, I’ll focus on my three main themes so far: knitting, crazy people, and movies. And I’ve plenty to say about each….

Finishing

January has been a disgustingly productive month. In about a week and a half, I managed to finish the rippled baby afghan made out of Dream in Color Classy that I was working on for Chuck’s cousin Nicole’s baby. I missed her baby shower because it was the same weekend as Calista’s birthday party, and I’ve been horribly lazy about putting it in the mail to them, but finally did so today. It turned out very nicely. So nice, that when I tried to knit a second afghan that no other pattern looked right until I tried the rippled pattern again. I need to make three afghans total for members of Chuck’s family and, at first, ran with the idea that I could just make each a very different afghan each with its own colorway and pattern. But that pattern just called to me, so here I am back to knitting it, but am using Cushy Color Sport yarn dyed by ColorJoy. Oh, and by the way, please don't ask about the finished measurements because as I'm up-loading the photos, I realize that I never actually measured it before shipping it off. That would have been too smart of me, wouldn't it?

Other items finished this month include a baby sweater (again for Nicole’s baby, but more on that in the “frogging” section) and two chemo caps, with a third well under way, for next week’s Knit Michigan event. And I say “event” because Knit Michigan really is for a good cause (follow the link and check it out if you’re not familiar with it). I went with friends last year and had a good time. Maybe if I get my act together next year, I’ll actually participate in the Knitting Marathon. So, about the chemo caps: the purple hat is the "Swirly Hat" pattern by TChemGrrl and only took 4 days to knit-up. And keep in mind that I usually only have a couple hours per day to actually knit, so this can be done in a day or so if you’re on a long road-trip, flight, or (as may be the case this winter) snowed in.

The pink hat is a pattern called "The Amanda Hat" by Gina House. This project was completed in about 4 hours; yes, hours. The third Sunday of each month is the Knitting Guild’s charity get together at Schuler’s Books at the Eastwood Towne Center mall. While there, I was able to finish the purple hat, start and get half-way through the pink hat. The hat was complete by Monday night.



So, now I’m making great headway with the third hat, which is the Jacques Cousteau hat pattern. This one is coming out pretty large (Heda is barely able to keep it from sliding into her eyes!) and I might just finish it and keep it for a different charity cause, or tear it completely out and start over with less stitches and smaller needles. My point in bragging about how fast the projects have gone is that charity knitting doesn't necessarily not take a lot of time and can be rewarding for yourself as well as the recipient. Without working on these hats for this cause, I wouldn’t have any real need to have ever tried out these patterns. Oh, and by the way – the yarn for all three is Berroco Comfort.

Frogging
I’m not entirely sure how I got into this, but by the time of my knit-in this month, I was certain that at least two of my projects were toast. The first is an unfinished hand-bag/tote made in Tahki Cotton Classic using a Lilly Chin pattern. I started this project in 2006 as a gift for a friend who was moving to another country and I wasn’t sure what to make for her since I didn’t know if a sweater or hat/scarf/glove set would be of use. So, bags of any type usually sounds like a safe bet. Needless to say, I wasn’t able to complete the bag before she moved, leaving me particularly bummed out, so I just dropped the project. However, after showing it at my knit-in, I’m now convinced that I can finish it, line it, and keep it on hand in case I ever need an emergency gift. If you happen to be the recipient of this bag at some point in the future, please don’t be offended….


The second frogged project is a Berroco tank top knitted in Cotton Twist. This gem is from at least 2003. Not only are the stitches a little lumpy (which blocking didn’t really help), but the top itself is completely the wrong size for me. This was way before I paid any attention to sizing and making sure that the finished measurements in the pattern were ones that actually made sense for my body shape/size. The top is complete and matches the finished measurements for the pattern, but I’ll never wear it. It just accentuates all the wrong parts in all the wrong ways on me. So, when I get around to it, it’ll be deconstructed, rewound, and likely used for baby gifts or dish cloths. I also showed this one at my knit in and we seemed to be in universal agreement that it should go.


And the last frogged project is one that I decided to deconstruct is the baby sweater. It is just too frigging small. The pattern is the Kimono baby sweater from Mason-Dixon knitting using Knit one, crochet two’s second time cotton. My gauge was on, and I even bought ribbon to use to tie it closed; but just looking at the darned thing, it seems as though it would out live it’s usefulness within the first week the baby would be home. I bought two hanks of the yarn and used just under one to work the sweater, so am hoping to tear this one out, and re-knit as a mini-wallaby. I don’t have enough yarn for the 2-T size in the pattern, so will likely combine this yarn with something and work in a bigger gage size or will try to just size down the pattern. If anyone has a suggestion, please let me know.

Hey! Did anyone notice the theme for my "frogged" projects -- all are cotton yarns! Maybe I am a wool girl through and through!

Crazy folk
Okay, so maybe my label of calling someone “crazy” is a little mean-spirited, but this person was really starting to tick me off, so there. First, let me say that I did not meet this person at Meijer. Second, let me say that I am very supportive of my friends and will attend just about any direct sales party for them. In that light, let me tell you that I get invited to a lot of sales parties. Jewelry, candles, pots (you know what I mean), cooking utensils, and lotions and notions – I go to them all. I may not order every time, but do order when I find stuff that I actually like or need. (And for some reason, I’ve never been to a Tupperware party. Do people still have those??) A couple of Thursdays ago, I attended an Arbonne party that was being hosted by a friend of mine. I usually find these parties as fun times to catch up with friends and meet new people. The host and guests were fine and we had a good time together. The problem came with the product and the sales woman. I just plain didn’t see anything that I wanted. I thought the products are over-priced and the vitamins/diet aids were stuff I didn’t need. I left the party with the thought of reviewing the product pamphlet with Chuck’s two sisters and have them pick out items for their birthday as presents from Chuck and I (okay, so it is a little tacky to sit with someone to have them pick out their present, but I’m usually at a complete loss as to what to get for them). Well, the weather ended up turning poor, and we didn’t make the weekend trip to Cleveland to meet up with Chuck’s sisters for a different family event. Also, they weren’t familiar enough with Arbonne already to know exactly what they wanted. So, I was left with not needing to purchase anything.

By the following Monday, I received an e-mail from the sales woman “wanting to close the party.” Okay, fine, I get that. I was under the impression that I give all orders to my friend, the hostess, so I called her up, told her the situation and that was that. Well, apparently not. Towards the end of the week, I received a phone call from the sales woman herself; which is also fine because it gave me the opportunity to present the situation to her myself. But it didn’t end there. After a call that took far longer than it really should have, I found myself saying very clearly that I wouldn’t be placing an order at that time. And I said it three times, with the last time being sternly delivered. Once I was off the phone with her, I started to feel guilty and decided to phone my friend to see if she actually relayed my message to the sales woman. As it turns out, she did and couldn’t believe that this person was being so persistent because I wasn’t the only person being shaken down. I’m sure that Arbonne has very nice products, but don’t count on me attending another party with this particular sales woman.

Movies
I guess I should say “Movies and shows” because I’ve seen more than one person probably should confess. I'm all caught up on BSG, Burn Notice, CSI, and NCIS. I haven't watched any of the new episodes of Damages and hope that no one deletes them off of the DVR anytime soon.

Movies watched include:
"Hell Comes to Frogtown" (1987), starring Roddy Piper, this takes place in the "near future" after a nuclear war had occurred, leaving the country to be run by women and where virile men are few and far between. Our hero, Roddy, is captured and recruited to "rescue" (in more ways than one) a group of women taken hostage in a mutant-inhabited town called "Frogtown". Well, what can I possibly say about this movie? I'm sure that at some point in it's history, it was a feature film on USA's "Up All Night." At least the frog costumes don't look homemade. And if you're a fan of camp, this movie is for you! One other notable item is that this movie also stars Sandahl Bergman (who played Valeria opposite of Arnie in Conan the Barbarian and was in Red Sonja; I also believe her to be one of the fitness instructors on one of my Firm videos).

"Memory" (2006), starring Billy Zane, is a research doctor who begins to have memories that aren't his own and pertain to the abduction and murder of girls in a nearby area. I'm not entirely sure how this one reached my movie queue, but I was mildly surprised that Dennis Hopper and Tricia Helfer were part of the cast. This movie was better than I originally thought it would be.

"Wall-E" (2008), need I say more? Was I seriously the only person who hadn't seen this one yet? I ended up falling asleep, but that was more because of the calzone and beer I had a few hours before watching this than not being entertained. I definitely need to watch this again before returning it to Mark.

So, tired yet? That's about all that I have to report for now. Now, I just need to finish my book for book club tomorrow (A 1,000 Splendid Suns) and hem a few pairs of pants....

Super proud of Sam

Have you ever had that moment where you just feel an incredible amount of pride over something a loved one has done? Yesterday, Chuck, Sylvain, and I headed to White Cloud for my niece Calista's 7th birthday party. Calista had invited a dozen or so friends to the party and about half of the moms and dads stayed to hang out since they were family friends and folks we had gone to high school with. As the time for the unwrapping of presents drew near, you could just feel the excitement build. While the adults were talking in the living room and the kids were busy playing, my brother Sam wheeled into the dining room a doll house he had built for Calista. When we were called to come into the dining room for presents and cake, you could just hear all of the little girls gasp with awe; meanwhile, the moms in the room were all reduced back to their 7-year-old selves and stood in amazement.

Calista had wanted a dollhouse for Christmas but it was something that Santa didn't deliver. Not being a child prone to complaining, she did mention this little fact to her parents because the "dollhouse" she had kept falling over. Knowing that she didn't already have a dollhouse, Sam and my sister-in-law Jaime found that Calista had saved the background from a Barbie toy she had recieved and was using this cardboard cut-out as a house. Nice in imagination, but this would certainly not do! So, the day after Christmas, Sam began building one for her. Not only did he manage to squeeze it in and have it built in 15 or so days, but he also managed to wing-it in design and keep the whole thing a surprise from his daughter. As you ca see from the photo, the roof consists of wood shingles that Sam set individually and stained using four different stains. The interior is the perfect size for Barbie and friends, and is decorated with wallpaper and carpeting remnants from some remodelling they had done. And as I mentioned before, the whole house is set onto a wooden base with wheels, so it can be easily moved. Jaime also contributed by sewing together the valences, bed-spreads, and pillows; and by doing the set-up.

Needless to say, it was seeing the joy on Calista's face that made me feel very proud of Sam. When it is so easy to run down to the local big-box store and purchase toys, how many dads now-a-days take the time and effort to build these things for their daughters? Of the parents I know, I can think of maybe four or five that would do it. Maybe. Not only did he give Calista a gift that she will truly enjoy, but Sam also built something that I hope will be an heirloom in the Rachol family.

First cold of the year

I guess it really does say something when you go into your boss' office to talk to him and he asks if you're going home b/c you don't look too good. Well, that happened to me today, so I took that to mean that I really must be doing worse than I thought. Okay, so the side-ward, annoyed looks from co-workers as I'm grabbing my prints from the shared printer or making copies in the mail room. So, as I found myself utterly dumb-founded as to why a particular file was not cooperating with me and starting to zone out to the drone of my laptop, I decided that my boss was right and I should just clock out, return to my p.j.s, and pull the covers tightly over my head.

The only downfall to sick days are that you spend the whole day in bed, maybe watching some t.v., maybe knitting, but then find yourself stuck wide awake at odd hours, or (if you're like me) focus in on things that need to be done. Even now, I can hear my still decorated Chirstmas tree calling me from the living room and reminding me that in 4 short days, it'll be my turn to host the guild knit-in.

I'll confess that I did watch one movie: The Dead Girl with Toni Collette, Rose Byrne, and James Franco. I don't recommend this movie b/c if it had a point, I totally missed it. January is one month that I've been looking forward to b/c it means a return to good t.v.: Damages, The Closer, BSG, Burn Notice, and Lost. Though, I ended up dvr'ing Damages and CSI this week b/c I was in the throes of cold meds and wanted to focus. If you're a fan of CSI and tend to record it, I hear that next week's ep is one that you'll want to program the dvr to go over by about 15 or so minutes. Hey, I'm here to help.

So, sorry folks for no photos. Flickr is being tempermental with me, and I don't have the patience at the moment to photo what I'm currently working on.

Have a great weekend and go snow!