Domestic Geek

So, I realized two nights ago that my knitting and crocheting supplies are officially out of control. I'm starting to avoid going into my craft/computer room because I don't want to face that mess. I also can't find things. I know I bought a set of size 0 bamboo DPNs to make a Harry Potter bookmark that I need right now can't find anywhere. I'll be darned if I'm going to spend good money on new ones. I have several skeins of yarn sitting around that I bought with a purpose in mind, but now have no idea what that purpose was. Every time I go into my craft room, I cause skeins of yarn fall to the floor. I also have lost the Chibi needles I purchased. I still have the case, but the needles are nowhere to be found (shhh, don't tell Marcus — he hates it when I lose pointy metal objects. They usually find their way to his hand).

It's time to get this stuff in order. No more new yarn until I find a way to organize my current stash, including what project it is meant for. My hooks and needles need a permanent home and I need to catalog them on Ravelry. I just bought a duplicate hook the other day because I couldn't find one in the size I knew I had to have had, but it's probably hiding with another project or just somewhere it shouldn't be.

I realized that the totes of my acrylic yarn (that I rarely use) is taking up valuable space in my craft shelving. I think I'll relegate those to the closet and store the new yarn in that space. Maybe I'll actually be able to get to my embroidery machine and my work surface and get some quilting and embroidery done.

I deal with enough nonsense and chaos at work everyday. I shouldn't allow it at home in my "me" time. My crafting is what usually brings me peace and saves my sanity. Right now, not so much.

Every sorting quiz on the Internet has the same result for me:

Seen at What on earth is a KariBeri?

While browsing around the Internet yesterday, I found an article that September 12th is International Crochet Day. I wish I had found this sooner.

So, what did I do to celebrate? I had planned to go to the park at crochet, but Mother Nature had other ideas with the arrival of some much-needed rain yesterday and today. Oh, well. I crocheted in front of the television while watching Regis and Kelly and I'll crochet in public later when Marcus and I go to Wing Stop for dinner. I always bring a knitting or crochet project every Friday night. I still have my crochet sun hat to finish (though my plans of having it finished before Summer was over are shot to heck). Either that, or I'll keep working on my Rust Goes Green market bags. I didn't like the way the colors I had picked out were looking together, so I found a better match for the variegated and will get some more green to make a second one solid.

Speaking of plans shot to heck, I didn't finish squat for the Summer KAL-CAL. Between the surgery and work, I didn't complete either of the bag projects I started. Oh, well. There will be a Holiday KAL-CAL, so hopefully I can finish something for that.

Speaking of crochet, Robyn Chachula is going to be in the Denver area in late September. I'm particularly interested in taking the crocheted sock class she will be teaching on Friday, September 26th down at Purls of Wisdom down in Parker. I'll be signing up for that class tomorrow when I head down there to visit.

One thing I'd like to complain about: The variety of colors of cotton yarn in this town kind of sucks. The national craft store chains carry a very limited number of colors of the Sugar 'n' Cream, as does Wal-Mart with the Peaches 'n' Cream. Even most of the yarn stores carry very little cotton and the ones that do carry the higher end stuff. I'm not making dishcloths and the like out of good yarn. It's kind of a pain when you have a particular idea in mind and can't find the yarn. I hate ordering online without seeing it first. I'm thinking I'll have to get one of the Peaches color cards.

Guess who turned 42 today? Duh, ME!

It should be a pretty good day. I don't have to work. Dad's coming over in a bit for some Wii bowling. I may take my free birthday entree coupon from Noodles & Co. over and get some free lunch as well as some free ice cream at either Cold Stone or Baskin Robbins. I've got knitting and crocheting to do. We're going out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse this evening.

We actually celebrated last Saturday. We had BBQ Steak on a Stake over at Mike and Nina's house. We played some Wii - Mike has some really cool game where you knock stuff down. Marcus and I got Mike Rock Band for his birthday. That game is actually quite fun! I had to sing first, but after I got over myself, I actually had a good time. I got the first season of The Big Bang Theory DVDs (I LOVE that show) and a Frank Sinatra CD from Mike and Nina. Marcus got me a new Superdrive and a G5 Jive and an adapter card to add extra hard drives to my Mac. I'm going to install them this afternoon and rip the cd to iTunes to see if it all works. Marcus already ripped TBBT for me and we've been watching them all week on the AppleTV.

I can't believe that seven years later, I'm still getting comments about my birthday being on September 11th. I was at a quilt store last Friday taking advantage of my birthday month discount when it last happened. I had to produce my driver's license to verify my birthday and the clerk commented that it must be tough to have a birthday on "that day." Uh, not really. The only thing that's rough is dealing with the people that make such comments. I admit that my birthday in 2001 sucked. I, like every other caring person in this country (and around the world) was in shock and upset over what happened. Horrible things happen all the time, though, and unfortunately these fall on somebody's birthday. If I met someone whose date of birth was December 7th, I wouldn't say, "Oh, how sad to have a birthday on the same day Pearl Harbor was bombed."

Anyway, off to enjoy my day!

ETA: Heh, Laura sent me this ecard she found:

Yeah, I haven't been in the mood for blogging lately. Can you tell?

I think of things I want to write about when I'm at work and can't. By the time I get home after a 12 or even 14 hour shift, I'm too freaking tired to do much more than check my email and read a few Ravelry forums while I veg in front of the television trying to unwind so I can sleep. On my days off, I'm either too brain dead to bother or I'm busy knitting/crocheting or hanging out with dad. Maybe one day I'll get back in the blogging groove. Until then, I guess it is what it is.

So what have I been up to?

Work. Sadly, that's taken up a lot of time. There are only two people in my department and when the other dude went on vacation the last week of August, I got to cover his shifts, too. Nothing like one day off in 10½ days to burn you out. I can't wait to see what the final overtime tally was when I get my paycheck on Friday. I do know that I'm going to be majorly pissed at how much of it is eaten up with taxes. I also hate my job now. It's not just the new position, but a lot of other crap, too. Also, the guy that used to have my job is such a control freak that he's trying to do his new job and mine, too. I'm so sick of it. Even the $1/hr raise I got yesterday doesn't even begin to make up for the lame crap I have to deal with everyday now. I have really got to figure out what the heck I want to do with my life and do it.

I seem to have recovered from the surgery. I still get pains around the scars, but I hear from others who had the procedure years ago that they still get pains. Whee! It's still hard to get comfortable in bed some nights, though. *sigh* I talked with the rep from our health insurance about how much it would cost to add the coverage that would pay a percentage of my salary if something like this ever happened again so I didn't rush going back to work. It would be about $70 a month and they wouldn't pay out for the first 14 days of missed work. Yeah, I didn't sign up. I would probably be better off just putting money into a savings plan or something.

I've been knitting and crocheting a lot, but haven't finished squat. I have got a case of startitis. I have tons of projects started, just can't seem to make myself finish anything. I also got myself a pattern for my birthday to make a quilted tote bag. I think I'll use the Debbie Mumm Creative Woman fabric I have stashed for it.

We're having raccoon trouble again. Stupid things have been hanging out by our front door. I hate those things.

Marcus got us a new DVR just in time for the new fall tv season.

Marcus and Mike did their annual Pikes Peak climb the weekend before last. Nina, Dave and I went down on Saturday to pick them up at the top. I got some really yummy plums, peaches and Colorado honey at the farmer's market. I got some good pictures with the camera Marcus got me. I'll have to get those posted in the gallery soon.

I had other things to write, but darned if I can remember any now. Like I said earlier, work makes me brain dead. Maybe after a night's sleep, I'll remember the rest.