Engineers Anonymous - California Chapter

Curl Up With a Book

2011-06-01T19:51:00.001-07:00

A Scattered Life by Karen McQuestion

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another fun read! I have been reading some heavy books and my book club has had a run of less-than-thrilling tomes, but this one was a winner. I will warn readers that it is not all sweetness - life isn't always pretty. Still, there are some great characters here. The meddling mother-in-law, Audrey, is an absolute hoot.

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Curl Up With a (Long) Book

2011-05-31T20:28:00.001-07:00

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yes, this is the current "it" book. Yes, it is an HBO series. Yes, it is long and filled with manly men and feats of valor and all that rot. I don't care. This was a fun read and I enjoyed almost all of it. Notice that I didn't give it a full 5 stars. Some of the gore and sex wasn't really necessary in my opinion and it truly didn't need to be that many pages. Even so, I will be going back for the rest of the series that is available and then waiting on edge for the rest of the books to be written and published. Call me a sheep if you want, but I won't care because I'll have my nose stuck in another 800-page book.

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Curl Up With a Book

2011-05-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazing book! This was very far out of my range of what I know about. I have never lived in (or even visited) the South. I have never had hired help and have no experience with most of the situations in the book. Still, I am human and Ms. Stockett did a fabulous job of bringing out the humanity of her characters (or utter lack of humanity in at least one case). This was absolutly one of those books that I had trouble putting down and I have the dark rings under my eyes to prove it.

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Curl Up With a Book

2011-04-29T20:03:00.001-07:00

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This reminded me quite a bit of The Monsters of Templeton, by Lauren Goff. There was a similar going home and discovering yourself vibe, but this is no knock-off. The character development of the sisters was very good and the (very) frequent Shakespeare quotations weren't too annoying. As I finished I will admit that I was a bit disappointed. Somehow, I felt that the ending was rushed. Then again, I must give the author credit for staying absolutely true to her characters. A tidy ending wasn't really in the cards for these women, but I will admit that the ending was perfect for the book. I get completely annoyed with authors who end their books with events that just aren't true to the story or have the characters do things that are completely out of character. All in all, this was a very good read that kept me company through a long set of flights home and a recovery from a cold.

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Week 4

2011-03-10T17:51:00.001-08:00

We are already (finally) in Week 4! The family is getting quite tired of workers coming and going and not knowing where things are. Thankfully the next door neighbors have come through with necessities (like a corkscrew with our one unpacked version wasn't up to the job) and niceties (like home-cooked dinner). Day 22 was a busy one. Mr. Engineer and I left work early and took my Photoshop designs back to the tile store to pick our backsplash. The choices are overwhelming and we became hopelessly lost until the nice tile man helped guide us through the choices. When we arrived at home that night we were greeted with a pleasant surprise. The carpenter was there installing the newly arrived handles and fixing some of the things that needed attention.

Day 23 brought more surprises, but they weren't all pleasant. Young Man had come home the night before feeling unwell and he was much worse in the morning. I quickly informed my co-workers that I would be working from home and spent the day attempting to work. I say attempting, because Day 23 was the day the electrician installed a new electrical panel. Yes, the power was out for about half the day. Luckily we have good batteries on our laptops and the wireless modem has a battery backup! It was quite noisy and the last surprise was when we realized that the electrician had poked a hole through the master bedroom wall when he removed the old panel! That was not a room we intended to have worked on!

Day 24 came and Young Man was not better. He hid out in the master bedroom while the granite guys came and went to work. By the end of the day we had many square feet of Uba Tuba granite.

Photographing granite is a lesson in futility, but trust me when I say that it is quite lovely. It is mostly black with some ivory and gold throughout. It is dark like we wanted, but not completely black and is interesting without being gaudy.

The new sink is also very nice.

The week isn't quite over, but we aren't sure what more work will happen. The tile for the backsplash won't arrive until mid-Week 5 and we still need to pick up the new range hood (it is in but didn't make it onto the appliance delivery truck). There are several things that need to be fixed and touchups needed, but we are getting close. Very close.

We can't wait to move in!

Week 3

2011-03-10T17:41:00.001-08:00

After the disappointing end to Week 2, we were very happy to see some good things in Week 3.

On Day 18 of the project, the carpenter returned with cabinets that were now the correct height. He and his assistant worked all afternoon and into the evening to install cabinets.

Lots of cabinets.

Lots and lots of cabinets!

On Day 19 we picked out granite for the countertops. On Day 20, we tried really hard to figure out our tile backsplash and on Day 21, I spent much of the day playing with Photoshop to design a backsplash. Day 21 also ended with another delivery. This time (most of) the appliances were here!

Week 2...

2011-03-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

After the excitement of Week 1, things settled a bit. Oh, that was dust, wasn't it? Yes, Week 2 saw it's share of dust. The week started off very quietly. President's Day found me staying home to have an off-day with Young Man. We watched Gnomeo and Juliet and generally goofed off. I did order the cabinet handles, Amerock BP26204-G10 satin nickel finish. In the evening we made the final selection of floor tile, Tilecrest Fantasia in Almond.

Tuesday was a completely quiet day, but things started to get interesting again on Wednesday. That was the first day of The Great Tile Invasion.

I know, it doesn't look like much, but that was the progress for the first tile installation day. The goal was to get the kitchen done quickly to prepare for cabinets. Thursday, the tile seemed to grow.

In fact, by Friday, the tile had grown all the way through the family room and entry!

It even grew to take over the dining room!!!!

Yes, the spreading tile did what 20 years hadn't: it pushed out the disgusting green (formerly brown) carpet from the family room and entry and even took out some of the nasty stuff in the dining room. Only one little patch of disgusting carpet remains and its days are numbered!

All this growing tile made way for Saturday's event: it was cabinet day!!!!

Hmmm. Something doesn't look quite right. Can you guess? Well, when the carpenter made the cabinet design, he estimated the new ceiling height. When the final ceiling height wasn't as high as the estimate, the project manager neglected to pass on the new measurement. So on cabinet day, the carpenter showed up with full-height cabinets that were all three inches too tall! The carpenter took all those cabinets away and promised to return with proper-height cabinets in a few days.

Thus, Week 2 was filled with ups and downs and ended on a bit of a downer. We remained hopeful that Week 3 would be better.

Pardon Our Dust?

2011-02-27T16:15:00.000-08:00

Things have been a little crazy here at Chez Engineer. You see, the great procrastinators have finally taken a rather large plunge. We have lived in our little hovel for 20 1/2 years and we have done a number of home improvements, but we have been reluctant to tackle the really (REALLY) big jobs. Painting and such are no problem, but we both knew that we were not up to dealing with a kitchen remodel. Believe me when I say that we needed a new kitchen. You don't believe me? Well, I offer up Exhibit A. Go ahead, marvel at its 1968 loveliness.

One of our favorite parts of the kitchen (in this case "favorite" is used to refer to something akin to a thorn) is the original 1968 wall oven. When we moved in the temperature markings had long ago been worn away so we calibrated the oven with an oven thermometer and etched marks for our most-used settings. The top door also had a charming habit of coming off in your hands if you didn't open it just right. We had long fantasized about taking a sledge hammer to the thing. Well, on Valentine's Day, we paid people to do just that! This was the sight that greeted us when we returned home that day:

Yep, all that old hideousness was gone!!!! We even had them remove the ceiling and bring it up to the level of the old lighting soffit. In case you were wondering, those dark patches on the walls were the original blue board from when the house was built. No, it had never been painted behind the cabinets.

Once all that mess was gone, we moved to anticipation each night as we came home. On Day 2 we had a new ceiling and plumbing! the drain and supply for the sink was moved several inches over to center the sink to the window and the gas lines were given new valves. Oh, and the (probably illegal) gas line to the outdoors that we had previously capped outside was gone.

Day 3 brought even more fun as the rough-in electrical was installed. We needed to bring a new circuit from the panel for the new electric oven and many outlets had to be moved or reworked to follow code and to allow for wiring for the new under-cabinet lighting. Oh, yes, and the new recessed lighting cans were installed.

Day 4 was pretty boring as it was spent by our contractor twiddling his thumbs waiting for the city inspector. Apparently 3 p.m. is still a morning appointment. Day 5 was really exciting since all the rough-in work could be patched, taped, sanded, and textured. The drywall/paint guy was busy all day

The painter was back on Day 6 to prime and paint! Yes, there is color on them there walls!

So, in one week we went from nasty, depressing kitchen, to utter chaos, to painted walls! Not bad. Not bad at all. Stay tuned for Week #2!

Beware the Tiger

2011-01-25T20:52:00.001-08:00

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this book. I will say that some of the descriptions of the victims were hard to read, but overall I was impressed with how restrained Vaillant was in these passages. It would have been easy to over-describe, but he maintained respect for the deceased. It was a little hard to follow the book as it skipped back and forth in time and around in geography. I know that some readers cannot stand books that do that and they will not like that in this book. This technique doesn't really bother me, but it was sort of distracting. Given the real paucity of data on the actual events, the need to fill out the book with the background was real and interspersing the background with the events kept me reading through all of the data. I'm sure I retained more of the background than I would have if there would have been an extensive background separate from the event descriptions. The background research was very thorough and made the book much more than a voyeuristic journey of gore. I knew that tigers were endangered and that man was the primary reason for that, but it was very interesting to see just how our economic journey impacts the tigers. All in all, a very worthwhile read!

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Curl Up With a Book Sunday

2011-01-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

1984 by George Orwell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this one for the first time years ago and I remember being fascinated by the idea of The Party and its stranglehold on its members and utter control of all in Oceania. This time around I read it because it was is the January book for my book club. Either the book isn't holding up or I have changed. I kept waiting for it to get to the point and was frustrated with Winston and Julia's affair and their blind trust in certain persons who all proved to be completely untrustworthy.

There are books that I enjoy re-reading, but this wasn't one of them. Perhaps it is because too much of the book has come to pass. My every keystroke can be monitored at work and there is no privacy online. There also seem to be those who would whip us into the mindless frenzy that The Party loved to create. Then again, I believe that one of Orwell's aims with 1984 was to make us uncomfortable with the parallel between his fictional world and the one we see out our windows. In that, this book still succeeds.

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Happy 2011!

2011-01-01T19:55:00.000-08:00

New year, new times. Comments are back on. Play nice.

Endings, Beginnings, and a Pattern!

2010-12-30T14:40:00.000-08:00

To enable my obsession with reading, I ended 2010 with a new toy. I am now the proud owner of a Nookcolor. I love it! Young Man and I both scored them for the holidays. Young Man picked out a nice book-style cover from B&N for his. I haven't decided whether I want one of the heavenly tooled leather covers from Oberon or an easel-style for hands-free reading. Until I decide, I figured that my new toy needed a cover, so the Nook Cozy was born:

Nook Cozy

Yarn: Any worsted-weight will do. Mine is knit is a Malabrigo kettle-dyed worsted that is just lovely and soft, but way too busy for most projects.

Needles: US 8 (5mm) - I used double-pointed needles, but a 16in circular would work too.

Pattern:

Using Judy's Magic Cast-On (or your favorite for toe-up socks) cast on 52 stitches and join for working in the round.

Body:

Rnd 1-5: k7, p2, k8, p2, knit to end of round

Rnd 6: k7, p2, cable cross left over 8 stitches (put 4 stitches on cable needle, hold in front, k4, k4 from cable needle), p2, knit to end of round

Rnd 7-8: k7, p2, k8, p2, knit to end of round

Repeat rows 1-8 six times more (seven cable crosses in total).

Top:

Rnd 1: p9, p2tog four times (four stitches decreased), p9, knit to end of round

Rnd 2: knit

Rnd 3: bind off 22 stitches in purl, p3, k20, p3

Flap:

At this point you will be working back and forth to complete the flap.

Row 1: purl

Row 2: p3, k20, p3

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until flap is approximately 1 1/2 inches long (I did five more repeats), repeat row 1 one more time.

Buttonhole rows:

Row 1: p3, k9, bind off 2 stitches, k9, p3

Row 2: p12, cast on 2 stitches, p12

Garter stitch edge:

Purl 2 rows and bind off in purl.

Finishing:

Weave in ends and add a decorative button over the top cable cross.

Credits: I used parts from both of these eReader sleeve patterns: Kindle Pocket and Cabled Kindle Sleeve.

Witchy Hunts

2010-12-18T14:05:00.000-08:00

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a much quicker read than my days reading would indicate. Life has certainly kept me away from books! This one was very good. While it is a stylized version of the Salem witch trials, it was also a review of the McCarthy-era Communist witch hunts. There were so many parallels that I can see that the topic was just too good for Miller to pass up. There are also some parallels to current events of today that many would do well to note. It is far too easy to take a little heresay and comments made from those with axes to grind and condemn innocents.

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Go Another Round with Lisbeth

2010-12-05T11:41:00.000-08:00

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! That's not a particularly insightful review, but it was exactly what I said after I finished this book. I should probably amend that to say, after I dropped everything that "should" have been done and finished this book. As much as I enjoyed The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo, I enjoyed this second book much, much more. The first book took almost 300 pages before I was fully engaged. This second book grabbed me from the beginning and didn't let go. Larsson's style is like nothing else I have read. It is stark and completely reporter-like, but gives everything I need for the story. Lisbeth is a completely messed up character, but much of that mess is understandable after reading this book. Of course, now I am having a horrible time restraining myself from buying and starting the third book. I am again saddened that Stieg Larsson is no longer with us to grace us with more books.

Seriously, if you have read the first book in this series, what are you waiting for? You will like this one even more!

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Back in Time

2010-11-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the third book in the Mistress of the Art of Death series and I enjoyed it much more than the second. Adelia can be a bit much, but I do like the idea that there were strong, educated women even in Henry II's day. There is less of the the Adelia-Rowley romantic tension in this one and that is probably why I liked it more than the second book. The mystery this time is also better. In this trip through time Adelia is trying to determine whether a dying monk's vision was indeed Arthur and she is trying to find the dear Emma from the second book who has disappeared. The ends get mostly tied up at the close and Ms. Franklin again does her best to promote Henry II as more than just the king who called for the death of a bishop.

Ariana Franklin (a.k.a Diana Norman) did another wonderful job of fitting in her story more or less with historical fact. Yes, she did bend a few dates, but I forgive that for the sake of the story. I also very much enjoy her writing style. Of course, slipping in the first chapter of the fourth book was a nasty trick. I stayed up much later than I should have and now I need to get another book! Yes, it is an effective device.

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Rincewind Returns!

2010-10-30T22:51:00.001-07:00

Eric by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read several reviews and comments that indicated that many readers didn't particularly like this romp through Discworld. While it wasn't my favorite of the Discworld books (hey, this was only my seventh), it wasn't bad at all. First of all, it answered (mostly) the question of how Rincewind came back after Sourcery. Next, it featured The Luggage nicely. Third, there were bemused and befuddled demons. How could any of that be awful? Learning that Hell is much like business caught me slightly off guard, but didn't particularly surprise me. All in all, this was a very nice diversion.

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Just Because...

2010-10-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

Hope for a Troubled Teen

2010-10-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

Willow by Julia Hoban

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After reading this one I had to remind myself that I am not the target audience. This book was definitely meant for young people, um, a few years younger than I am. For someone my age, the character development and plot were a bit shallow. However, when I was, um, a few years younger, this book would definitely have been one I would have read. It hasn't been so many years ago that I was a teen and I do still remember the confusion and absolute certainty I felt about many ideas that later turned out to be completely wrong. It is always hard to predict how others will react to you and when you throw in some extra-tough circumstances, the predictions go completely awry. Willow is a teen who was behind the wheel when her parents' car went out of control and both of her parents died in a horrible accident. That Willow would then blame herself is believeable, as is her certainty that everyone else blames her as well. Her reaching for something to get her through this is understandable and many girls do end up cutting. The resolution of her pain was certainly easier than it would be in real life. Still, seeing that there is a way forward would give the intended audience for this book one thing they really need: Hope. And, really, that is what is important.

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Not About Rodents

2010-10-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It had been some time since I last read a work by Steinbeck. I had forgotten how well-crafted his writing is. Every word is carefully chosen and every sentence is molded to fit perfectly into the story. That said, I had also forgotten that there are no happy endings in a Steinbeck work. So much emotion is ever-so-barely contained in these 103 pages. Is there hope remaining at the end? Perhaps, but it is not the hope that we have come to expect in current popular literature. There is a reason that some works are classics.

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Words From the Past

2010-10-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried by Harold Bloom

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one is a challenging read. It dips you in and out of the Vietnam War without warning and without the glossy, neat coating that some war stories give you. There is no moral, as there wouldn't be in real war story. This is one of the few in your face lessons from the author. In one sense, this is his therapy to process what he saw and did, but in another, it is ours. When I picked this book up I realized that I have only read a few books from the Vietnam War. I have ready many WWII and Cold War books, but not many that tell what appears to be the truth about Vietnam. No, this isn't a deep, historical or philosophical essay. O'Brien leaves the big picture to others and writes what he knows. It was at times gut-wrenching and at times deliberately confused. In other words, it was very, very real.

This is part of my current reading series taking me through my son's reading list for this school year. I know that we will have many conversations about this one. I have already warned him and will warn the rest of you to plan on reading this one during the daylight. Be careful! There are monsters and nightmares in this book.

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Swayed Logic

2010-09-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori Brafman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There is a fair amount of correlation hiding here and sometimes it is claimed to be causality (yes, this is a peeve of mine), but the book is still an interesting read. This book is definitely thought-provoking and does, indeed, help in the understanding of why we do some of the stupid things that we do.

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Rounding the Disc

2010-09-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

Sourcery by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another wonderful romp through Discworld! This version is particularly appealing if you like Rincewind and the Librarian (and who doesn't?). The Luggage also makes a significant appearance. As with all of Pratchett's novels that I have read, there really isn't any way to describe the plot. Still, I liked this one very much and laughed out loud several times.

Before reading this one, you probably should have read Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic just to be familiar with the main characters. I won't say that it will be more meaningful having read those books, but you will be somewhat less confused. You will also have had a jolly good time!

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Powerful Books for Teens and Former Teens

2010-09-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow! This is definitely not your average young adult series! The plot is intense and the violence far more graphic and widespread than you would expect for the intended audience. I have to agree with most of the reviews of this book that I have read that this was the weakest of the three. After dealing with the Katniss is unconscious, let's fill everyone in device for the third or fourth time I was getting annoyed. My suspicion is that Ms. Collins had more material than would fit into a single book, but not quite enough plot to stretch into a fourth book. Hence, the somewhat artificial plot device to keep things moving. Over at the blog Through the Tollbooth, there is a series of articles on making your writing believable. Do I really believe that Katniss could unite a country? Probably not. But when I was 17, I certainly wanted to be able to influence people and be strong for everyone around me. Maybe that is good enough.

I will continue to rave about this series and recommend it to others. That recommendation comes with the caveat that some portions of the books (especially this one) shouldn't be read just before bedtime if you are a sensitive reader and this really isn't a young, young adult book.

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2010-09-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

Re-Visiting an Old Companion

Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my second time reading this book. I read it back in the late 80s/early 90s when I was doing a lot of traveling and this was exactly the sort of book that could suck me in and make those cross-country flights tolerable. The second time was nearly as good as the first. I was a bit concerned that knowing whodunnit would detract from my reading pleasure, but I found that not to be the case. Knowing the ending actually freed me to enjoy more of the writing style and see how the plot was set up.

If you haven't read this (or seen the movie), the premise is that Rusty Sabich, Chief Deputy PA for Kindle County, is investigating the murder of the woman with whom he had an affair only to become the prime suspect and be put on trial for the murder. The twists and turns leave you wondering all the way to the end (and maybe even after) whether or not he did it. All in all, it is still an engaging read and holds up well 23 years after its debut. I am now looking forward to the sequel, Innocent!

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2010-08-04T18:48:00.000-07:00

Reads to Savor or Reads to Swallow Whole?

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Yes, I really read this book in two days. The real story is that I read the first chapter on Sunday evening and then finished the book Monday evening. Starting this book in the evening was definitely a tactical error. The murder occurs in the first chapter and it is really hard to read. I ended up sleeping poorly that first evening because I was trying so hard to not think about what I had just read. At that point I decided to read the entire book in one gulp. I knew that I would not be able to sneak up on this one.

Ms. Sebold's writing is very good. I am definitely impressed with her skill. However, some of her narrative did finally get to me. I found the chapters near the end too hard to believe. I also wasn't sure that Susie's "fall to earth" really fit with the story. It seemed too easy and nothing else about this book was easy. There must have been another way to wrap this up without giving two characters what they really wanted, since the theme of the book seemed to be that no one gets what he or she wants and life isn't fair or even reasonable.

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2010-06-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

Wizards and Werewolves, Oh, My!

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I finished the first book of The Dresden Files, I liked it and thought that I might read another sometime, but I wasn't sure. Then a friend sent me an email: "They get better." Hmmmm. That was enough for me to pick up the second book, but not quite enough to dive into it. The book aged nicely on my bookshelf for several years. This week I was starting to contemplate vacation reading for the summer and picked this one up. Instead of packing it, I cracked it open. I can now state definitely that my friend was right! Book two is much better than book one!

If you aren't familiar with Harry, he is a wizard. Not jus any wizard, mind you. He is the only practicing wizard in Chicago. His services are for hire by most callers. In particular, the Special Investigations unit of the Chicago PD employs Harry to assist in certain odd cases. In this missive we find Harry facing werewolves. We also learn that there are many different types of werewolves and, well, they are all pretty nasty. There is a bit of magic and mayhem and poor Harry comes out of it battered and bruised. Oh, please, that isn't a spoiler, there are 12 of these books in print and a 13th coming next year, so it is no surprise that Harry lives at the end. Even knowing that tiny bit of knowledge doesn't help the reader figure out how he is going to get past packs of the beasties that keep popping up all over Chicago.

I never should have doubted my friend and I will definitely pick up more of this series to read in the near future.

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In case anyone is wondering, I have turned off comments. I did not appreciate the effort that some folks were going through to add comments that linked to odd, Asian sites with pictures of scantily-clad girls. Grow up!

2010-06-25T23:46:00.000-07:00

Abigail Adams, One of My Heroes

Abigail Adams: A Life by Woody Holton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Biographer Woody Holton is definitely an Abigail Adams fan. This is a good thing, because if he were not a fan, he never would have waded through the Massachusetts Historical Society archives to prepare this book. He also did a very good job of bringing the second First Lady to life. Unfortunately, being a fan also means that some of his writing was very close to fawning over Mrs. Adams. I do understand this as I have long been an admirer of her myself. Still, the writing did drag at times and there were many chapters that could have used more work. Historical works do not need to be constantly thrilling, but they can be consistently engaging. If you don't believe me, please read Cokie Roberts' book Founding Mothers or 1776 by David McCullough). Holton isn't in their league, but he does show promise.

I learned much about Mrs. Adams that I did not previously know. Now I have to come to terms with my own biases since I have learned that she was, after all, human. I am still very impressed with all that she was able to accomplish and grateful that Woody Holton reintroduced me to a true Founding Mother.

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2010-06-04T22:54:00.000-07:00

Steampunk by Ann VanderMeer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As with all anthologies, every selection can't possibly satisfy every reader. Overall, I absolutely enjoyed this collection. I fully expected to enjoy the Neil Stephenson selection and I was not disappointed. I could have done without Joe Lansdale's "The Steam Man of the Praire and the Dark Rider Get Down," but I was thrilled with Mary Gentle's "A Sun In the Attic," Molly Brown's "The Selene Gardening Society" and Stepan Chapman's "Minutes of the Last Meeting." Even Michael Chabon's "The Martian Agent" left me wanting more and I have never been a Chabon fan. I have already picked up one of Gentle's novels and look forward to finding more fun reads in this genre.

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2010-05-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

Tripping the Light

One fine day, I took my son to a local sporting goods store (what? isn't that where everyone spends her disposable income?) and needed something to clear my mind so we went next door to the dreadful chain book store (only dreadful because it, too, gets a large chunk of my disposable income). Wandering through the stacks just reminded me how very many books I already had waiting for me. Then I saw the Terry Pratchett books. Of course! I needed a break. This was the perfect change of gears.

The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Seriously, what can anyone say about a Discworld book? This one is another delightful romp with Rincewind and Twoflowers. Life on Discworld is perfectly warped and ready for you to lose yourself. Just give in and enjoy! Oh, and watch out for DEATH. He may need a fourth for Bridge.

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As I was finishing the book, I took up needles and yarn and ended up with a fun shawl that just seems like it is made up the colors of Discworld.

Project: The Wisp Fantastic

Pattern: Wisp

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock

Needles: US 10 1/2

Notes: At a recent knit night, one of the women brought her new interpretation of Wisp. While looking through Ravelry, I found a version done in Noro sock yarn and just had to follow suit. This is a very quick and fun knit. I did add buttons and need to have another photo shoot, but this will have to do for now.

2010-04-06T22:29:00.000-07:00

Simple Woman's Daybook for April 6
or, where I return from the the craziness and attempt to reclaim my blog...

These writing prompts are available from Simple Woman's Daybook where each tuesday we're invited to join in celebrating the beauty of everyday moments around us. (Thanks, Marguerite!)

Outside my window... I watched children play and heard laughter while Young Man entertained the neighbor's daughter.

I am thinking... the very long list of things that needs to be done around the hours and at the office.

I am thankful for... a son who still enjoys snuggling with his mother while reading or watching a movie.

I am wearing... my new CAbI clothes, jeans, tee, soft, white hoodie.

I am remembering... that I need to get up earlier tomorrow to get to the meetings of the day.

I am creating... a Melon Pattern lace scarf from Victorian Lace Today. As a departure from my usual penchant to modify every pattern I knit, I am knitting the scarf from the cover of the book in the called for yarn. What can I say? I liked this one just as it was.

I am going... to go to bed as soon as I post.

I am currently reading... Abigail Adams, by Woody Holton. I've been reading this on and off since December. I do like the book and I adore Abigail, but I keep getting interrupted by other books that need my attention.

I am hoping... that my big meeting tomorrow doesn't take its full allotted time.

On my mind... too many things (not a very simple thought, sorry).

Noticing that... Young Man remembered to pick up his Clementine peel, but left his plate.

From the kitchen... we had the last of the yummy pork loin roast and I baked snickerdoodles when the cookie dough order was delivered.

Around the house... things are looking a bit neater after some effort this weekend. Our taxes are filed. Young Man wants us to put in a garden so he and Mr. Engineer have started digging up the raised bed. Young Man did his best to channel Tom Sawyer as he tried to engage the neighbor children to help dig. That scheme didn't work out quite as planned.

No pictures tonight. It is time for bed!

2010-02-04T21:59:00.000-08:00

Booking Through Thursday - Winter Reading

The northern hemisphere, at least, is socked in by winter right now... So, on a cold, wintry day, when you want nothing more than to curl up with a good book on the couch ... what kind of reading do you want to do?

Well, it is hardly cold and wintry here in Southern California, but this Minnesota girl does remember those days. Why do you think I moved? When it is nasty outside, and I am barricaded in the house with a mug of hot cocoa and a book, I want something that takes me away. A mystery might be good, but some mysteries just aren't. Mostly, I want a setting that is so well-described that it jumps off the page and makes me forget about what is going on outside the windows. The young adult book that I just started, The Hunger Games, seems to have that magic. I know that the plot is going to get very dark, but I can't stop myself from reading the next chapter. Then again, the book that I just finished was good, but it didn't quite grab me strongly enough to keep out the chill.

An Unsuitable Job For A Woman by P.D. James

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read this one for my book club and it took me a little to like Cordelia or maybe it was that it took me a while to get comfortable with author P.D. James' style. Eventually, I settled in and enjoyed myself. As with all mysteries, the main discriminator for me is whether or not I guessed whodunit before the great reveal. In this case, I figured out part of the mystery, but not all of it. That was good. Still, there were a great many things I did figure out before the end and there were a number of details that didn't seem necessary. Some were and others were red herrings. One thing that I found quite interesting was that I found it difficult to guess the time period. Obviously, it is a modern story, but there weren't too many references that would pin the story to a particular decade. All in all, it was an enjoyable read, but I'm not sure that I'm interested in digging into another in the series.

View all my reviews >>

2010-01-24T22:46:00.000-08:00

It's a Year of Lace

Last year I overdosed on sweaters. This year is a year for working through my lace stash. Over on Ravelry I joined the 10 Shawls in 2010 group and am working away on my 10. I think I have laceweight stash to get me through at least the first 8 and I definitely have sock yarn that would work for the other two. The rules are simple. Each shawl has to use at least 250m of yarn and 2 of the 10 must use at least 500m. The shawls can be any shape, but they must be started and finished within the calendar year 2010. Piece of cake! My first shawl of the year is already complete.

Project: Feather Duster, by Susan Lawrence

Yarn: Schulana Kid Seta Lux (293m used by weight = 321 yards)

Needles: US 7 (4.5mm)

Start/Finish: 2 Jan 2010 - 15 Jan 2010

Notes: The yarn was a complete impulse buy just after Thanksgiving. Two balls of this lovely gray with silver thread jumped into my basket and begged to come home with me. This yarn is similar to Kid Silk Haze (a.k.a. crack). It is light and airy and just plain fun to use. It is an absolute bear to unknit so I was very glad that I made few errors (that I caught and needed to repair). The pattern was one that I had loved ever since Susan first posted it. After I bought the yarn and decided that it would be perfect for this pattern, Susan made the generous gesture of offering donations to the Red Scarf Project for purchases of her patterns during a certain timeframe that happened to coincide perfectly with the time when I decided to buy the pattern! See, it was charity! In any case, I got a great (and well-written) pattern, a worthy cause got a donation, and I ended up with a beautiful shawl. Obviously, I was the big winner this time. Originally, I planned to knit this for holiday garb. As it turned out, I didn't go anywhere to need something like this and felt too rotten to knit then. So, again, fate worked in my favor and I didn't cast on until after the first of the year.

After all that good luck, I very nearly messed up the blocking. Most of the shawls I have knit have very sharp points on the lower edge. I initially blocked this one with points and then wondered what was wrong. It didn't dawn on my until I was in bed that night that I had blocked it incorrectly. Of course, I couldn't sleep until I got up and fixed it! Sometimes obsession is no fun at all.

2010-01-23T20:25:00.000-08:00

Saturday Sky in SoCal

Yes, we are lucky. This was the view as we drove to Irvine Spectrum for a day of wandering, eating, and a movie (The Blind Side is great!).

This is a view of Saddleback. We don't usually see snow this low, but his week's rain was good for something.

2010-01-17T17:11:00.000-08:00

Storm Watch!

Yes, Southern California is all worked up because we are expecting a REALLY BIG STORM. Okay, so the weather forecasters finally have something to do besides tell us that tomorrow will be just like today. As I type, it is actually raining. The rain isn't very hard and hasn't left enough water to really run anywhere, but we are getting a nice soaking. So, what do we do when it rains? Well, I try to stay of the roads when possible. Unfortunately, I do have to go to work on Monday. I figured it was a good day to mix up a big pot of Chili.

So, as a thank you to my friend Jo, whose Corn Chowder recipe was such a hit that Young Man not only drained his first bowl, he requested leftover chowder instead of going out for dinner on Friday!

Engineer's Diner Chili

Put the following into a big pan (5-quart or bigger):

1 pound lean ground beef

3 cloves garlic (or 1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder if you are out of fresh)

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper, chopped

Cook and stir over medium heat. Stir to break up the meet. Cook until onion is soft and meat has lost its pink color. Drain off most of the fat.

Add lots more good stuff:

6 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cups crushed or chopped tomatoes (I use canned and dump in all the liquid)

1-2 cans of whatever beans you want (optional) - This batch uses a can of Chili Beans and a can of Red Beans. We also like Black Beans or even Kidney Beans

2 teaspoons brown sugar (optional - hey, if a small sprinkling of sugar means the 12 year old will gobble this up, I'm game).

Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for an hour or so or until you can't stand it any more and must dish it up because the house smells so good. We serve it with cornbread. Most of the time I just make the basic cornbread recipe that comes on the box of cornmeal, but lately we have become hooked on fancier fare.

Mr. Engineer's Phenomenal Cornbread

Lube up a 9x9 or 8x8 square baking pan with whatever you prefer (spray lube, butter, etc.)

In a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups corn meal (white or yellow)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup brown sugar

When the dry ingredients are all mixed, dump in the wet ingredients:

1 can (14-15 ounce) cream style corn

1/3 cup oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, or Mexican blend) - optional

Mix lightly just until moistened (do not overmix quick breads!).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

2010-01-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

Curl Up With a Book Sunday

I really wish I had photos from Young Man's game yesterday, but it was a night game ane I just can't seem to get decent pictures under the lights. It was a fun game for us. Young Man's team won 14-1. While it was a great boost to their egos (and a fun way to start the season), I'm sure future opponents won't be so easily defeated. What was really fun to watch was the way the boys played together as a team. Over the years we parents have waited for this moment. We all knew that our boys had skill and we saw glimmers of working together, but this really was the first time that almost every boy seemed willing to work together and achieve assists instead of individual goals. The results of this teamwork were obvious - field domination. Young Man and his fellow defensemen had some good plays, but most of the action was near the opponent's goal. Next weekend is an afternoon game and I will have my camera charged and ready!

As a consolation prize, I give you two books for your reading pleasure.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was assigned to my son for his 7th grade history class. I knew his teacher was onto something when I picked up the book after work on Friday and he was finished with it before 10:45 a.m. Saturday! Any book that was assigned for a class yet still keeps a 12-year old off the video games must be a winner! Of course, this book was already the winner of the Newbery medal in 2002.

This is the story of Tree Ear, orphan, outcast, but a young man well raised by another outcast, Crane-man, in 13th century Korea. While it is ostensibly a story about a potter's assistant, there is far more to the story than that. Linda Sue Park did an excellent job of weaving in historical details that are sharp enough to stick in a young mind. She also adds many moral lessons that help to mold young minds much as Tree Ear hopes to mold clay.

Teachers and parents, don't miss this one!

Fleece Navidad by Maggie Sefton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Yes, more "popcorn" reading. I admit that I like the break that Maggie Sefton's Knitting Mysteries provide. As with all the others, I figured out whodunit long before the last potluck, but I didn't really care. This one had some elements that seemed a little less polished than some of the other books. While it was about time that Kelly and Steve got together, the increased sexual innuendo really didn't thrill me.

View all my reviews >>

2010-01-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

Saturday Sky

Don't hate me because I'm warm.

2010-01-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year?

Mr. Engineer and I started the new year off with colds and his turned into a sinus infection. Now I am sitting here feeling the pain killer wear off from the two ancient fillings that I had replaced today. 2010 is not starting out that well for us. Hopefully it will improve from here.

As a start, let's get back into the Booking Through Thursday routine, shall we?

What books did you get for Christmas (or whichever holiday you may have celebrated last month)?
Do you usually ask for books on gift-giving occasions or do you prefer to buy them yourself?

Ooooo! I like these questions! I received a few books this year and I made sure that Mr. Engineer received a few that I also wanted. Is it poor form to give your partner books that you want to borrow? Perhaps, but we do it anyway. Here are the books I received this year:

Abigail Adams, by Woody Holton
Well Preserved: Small Batch Preserving for the New Cook, by Mary Anne Dragan
Steampunk, edited by Ann & Jeff Vandermeer
The Black Book of Secrets, by F.E. Higgins

The first two were purchases I made in my role as Santa and the second two were my gifts from my book club's secret gift exchange. They were on my short list of books that I wanted. Yes, I do request books and I buy them myself. My sister and her husband set a budget and then go to the bookstore together. Quite efficient.

Here are the books that Mr. Engineer received from me that I will be borrowing:
Superfreakonomics, by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
And Another Thing..., by Eoin Colfer (the sixth book in Douglas Adams' trilogy)
Good Eats: The Early Years, by Alton Brown
Windows on the World Complete Wine Course, by Kevin Zraly

Young Man didn't miss out either, but he has already read all the books he received under the tree and in his stocking! I guess I can't complain if he will stop playing video games to read. Here are the books he received:
Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume (Vol 1), by Jeff Smith (actually, we returned this version and bought the individual books because the color versions really are nicer and the big volume was too big to read in bed)
Castle of Llyr, by Lloyd Alexander (book 3 in the Chronicles of Prydain series)

2009-12-31T17:27:00.000-08:00

Out With the Old...

The general concensus among my online buds (a.k.a. my invisible internet friends) is that 2009 simply must go and not soon enough. Here's hoping that 2010 is better for us all! To finish of the year I give you one more knitted item. I'll be spending New Years Eve working on sweater #9 and hanging out with the family. Mr. Engineer has a cold and I am fighting off one (probably the same virus) as best I can. Young Man seems fine, but has a bit of the tween cranky. We have the last of the dessert tamales from our wonderful neighbors so who needs a big party?

Project: Sweater Ornament from Patons
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool

Needles: US 5 (I think - whatever the pattern asked for)

Notes: The original pattern is a bit fiddly, so I think I will revise it to make it mostly seamless. It seemed appropriate to make a sweater ornament for the year of the sweater. This particular one went to my sister, but I am making another for our tree.

2009-12-30T11:24:00.000-08:00

Holiday Knitting, Part 2

This one was one of those knits that went fairly quickly (if men's socks can ever be described as "quick"), but the timing was a bit off. On Christmas day, on sock was wrapped with an IOU for the second sock. The second sock was more than half finished, but it was not close enough to keep our neighbor's toes warm. I finished up the second sock on Saturday and delivered it that evening. In return I got more cookies! This is not a time for getting on the scale, but my taste buds are very happy.

Project: Gentleman's Half Hose in Ringwood Pattern, by Nancy Bush in Knitting Vintage Socks

Yarn: Berocco Ultra Alpaca in Fine (just over one skein)
Needles: US 1 dpns

Notes: This is a very easy pattern with just enough variety to keep me going. It was a very relaxing pattern and every time I sat down to knit I ended up yawning! The main modification was to only decrease down to 68 stitches. With the chosen yarn and needles, anything less would have been too tight. I also made the cuffs a bit longer than Nancy described and I used a standard heel flap. This yarn seems like it will make very soft, comfy socks. It is a bit splitty so I had to pay attention. That is to say that it wasn't a good project for knitting during movie previews. The dim light wasn't conducive to catching split stitches and resulted in a fair amount of tinking and frogging.

Yes, I knit at the movie theater. I mostly do this when I am on a deadline, but it gives me something to do when we arrive early enough for the entertainment "news" pieces that come on before the previews. I go a lot of knitting finished before Avatar because we arrived very early and there were a LOT of previews.

2009-12-29T22:02:00.000-08:00

Holiday Knitting, Part 1

Wow! When I drop off blogging, I do it right. December has been a whirl of activity. I won't say fun, but lots of activity. There was that design review at work and then I did a day of baking. Interspersed was a flurry of gift knitting. Mostly, I went with projects that were already knit. My sister got the Rivendell Socks that I loved enough to give them to her and my next-door neighbor got the Leyburn Socks with sparkles that made her smile. I decided to test out my Brother-In-Law with a knitted item. He almost always wears a hat, but he has a few particular styles that he favors. However, he lives in Minnesota, so I figure that occasionally, he could use a hat that covers his ears.

Project: Knotty But Nice, by Natalie Larson in Knitty

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease (shut up! sometimes it is just the right thing)

Needles: US 7

Notes: This was a very quick knit and I always love cables. I do worry about the fit. The pattern had me use the same size needles for the initial ribbing and the main hat. I sort of wish that I had started smaller for the first few rows (or went larger after the first few rows). I like my cables nice and crisp, so my tension for the main hat was probably a bit too tight. This left the hat seeming tight around the head and loose around the ears. I like the look, but I am concerned about the wearability.

Since my sister reads this, she can report from BIL whether this project was a success or not. If BIL likes the concept, but not the application, let me know and I'll knit from another pattern or fiddle with this one.

2009-12-10T20:49:00.000-08:00

Uh, Oh!

What are three of the favorite words in our house?

Some Assembly Required.

This is the new folding lacrosse goal that is supposed to take whatever power throws Young Man can dish out. Hopefully the assembly will keep him busy when his scrimmage is rained out on Saturday.

2009-12-09T21:48:00.000-08:00

Can't Blog; Too Much To Do

Today's big news is that Mr. Engineer took possession of his very own 2010 Subaru Legacy today. This baby has more headroom than even my tall guy knows what to do with! We are having fun and enjoying our present to ourselves, but there are no pictures yet. Soon. I promise.

2009-12-08T22:05:00.000-08:00

Imagine...

October 8, 1940 – December 8, 1980.

Remembering what might have been. RIP, John Lennon.

2009-12-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

Taking a Prompt from Marguerite

These writing prompts are available from Simple Woman's Daybook. I got the inspiration from Marguerite.

Outside my window ... it is raining (finally). It rained enough today to cause lacrosse practice to be canceled. All the moms rejoiced because it meant less mud being tracked home.

I am thinking ... of what creative challenge I want to undertake in 2010. The 12 sweater challenge has been fun. I won't finish 12 this year, but I have no regrets. I added to my wardrobe and improved my technique. I figure that the two months in which I did nearly no knitting because of a tendinitis flare-up mean that I have until the end of February to finish my dozen. Next year could be socks because I have been adding to my sock yarn stash while working down my sweater yarn stash. Alternatively, I could work on gift knitting because I have many ideas of things that would be perfect for the people I know.

I am thankful for ... how quickly Young Man recovered from his hit on the field.

From the Kitchen ... we had leftover chili and cornbread that seemed perfect for a cold, rainy night. I used a new chili powder blend and it had way too much cayenne pepper. It might have been fine if I hadn't added my usual dollop of straight cayenne on top of the blend. Mr. Engineer and I liked it, but it was almost too much for Young Man. He ate extra cornbread and was happy.

I am wearing ... jeans and a sweatshirt from the Booster Club for Young Man's lacrosse team and a pair of black socks that I swiped from Young Man. What Not To Wear can't touch this.

I am creating ... socks for my dear next door neighbor and sweater number nine for me.

I am going ... to get all of my annual examinations (doctor, dentist, optometrist) finished before the end of the year (I made appointments today).

I am reading ... Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. This is one in my latest series of books that take conventional wisdom and turn it upside-down for an examination from a different point of view.

I am hoping ... that our resolve to have a simpler holiday this year still results in enough fun for everyone.

I am hearing ... Young Man talk to himself while he procrastinates his way through his homework.

Around the house ... Young Man and I put up the tree yesterday and decorated. Not all of the decorations are up, but the house seems much more festive with a lit tree and hanging the ornaments was a wonderful trip through the years.

One of my favorite things ... Most days I would say yarn, but today it is the beautiful ornaments that my wonderful sister has made for us over the years. It is getting harder and harder to choose which one to feature each year. Our tree must be a decorator's nightmare, but we love it!

Here is picture thought I am sharing ...

2009-12-06T21:41:00.001-08:00

Look, Up In the Air!

Yeah, I got nothing, so I'll share a shot of the Blue Angels from this year's Miramar Air Show.

2009-12-05T20:30:00.000-08:00

It's Lacrosse Season Again!

It's funny how ready I was for a break from lacrosse in June, but how excited I was to drag the gear to the first scrimmage of the season in December. It was a lovely day for lacrosse. The high temp was in the low 60s (F) and the sun kept hiding behind the clouds. That made things a little chilly for the parents, but it was great for the boys. Young Man was back in fine form. His team has enough boys to field two teams and he made the top team and he was a starter. Not only that, but he had a new position - middle defender. This made him the one to go out to challenge oncoming players in fast breaks. This was an unexpected treat for the parents! It was very fun to watch Young Man showing his stuff again.

He blocked, he poked, he dodged. It was beautiful. We had one scary moment where he became the filling in a sandwich and went down to the ground. He was quickly up and walking, but the coach did take him out for the rest of the half to recover. He is fine now and very happy about the entire day. Since it was a scrimmage, the score doesn't count, but, well, Young Man's team won 12-2. Yes, it was a good day!

2009-12-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

It's A Good Thing ...

... that lacrosse scrimmages start tomorrow because I was really running low on material.

... that I am not too hard on myself when I do stupid stuff. Today's example is Vogue Knitting. I don't think I have ever actually knit anything from the magazine, but I still like reading it and getting inspiration from the crazy stuff. Still, I think I need to get a subscription. I picked up a copy of the Holiday 2009 issue today and was nearly finished reading it when it dawned on me that some of the pictures looked familiar. I quick trip into the stack of magazines waiting to be dealt with let me know that I managed to buy this issue twice. A mind is a terrible thing to lose.

... that it is time for Samuel Adams Winter Lager. Mmmmmm. Some beer purists don't like winter mixes that include a hint of pumpkin or spice, but I really enjoy this beer. It goes quite nicely with chili and that is what I made for dinner tonight (chili and cornbread, no less).

... that it is Friday because this week seemed to drag on forever! We accomplished a lot at work (we are getting ready for a big design review and we had several other big pre-review meetings), but I'm beat.

... that I don't have any deadlines on my other new web endeavor. I took over web page updates for the Booster Club for Young Man's lacrosse team. It hadn't been touched in several years, so there were a lot of broken links to mend and really, really old data to purge. I need to grab the coaches this weekend and get some new pictures to post.

... that there are really talented designers out there so that I can just make things without worrying about the design part. Yes, that was the segue for a little knitting content.

Project: Ripple, by Turtlegirl

Yarn: Trekking

Notes: This is a test knit that I worked on during my summer vacation. Sitting on a wooden swing knitting was the perfect way to keep an eye on the boys swimming while staying fairly warm. Sadly, this sock has since been frogged (or ripped, since the pattern was Ripple). I like the pattern and I like the yarn, but the two together wasn't working for me. The other problem was that shortly before I got to this point on the sock I decided that I had found an error in the pattern. I had finally figured out that the error was quite a bit earlier and just as I was going to email the suggestion, Turtlegirl came up with an update. Once I had ripped back to where I could fix it, I decided to keep ripping. I will knit up the yarn and I will knit the pattern, but I won't put the two together again.

2009-12-03T22:36:00.000-08:00

And Now For Something Completely Different

Project: Wavy Feathers Wimple by Caryll McConnell

Yarn: Louet Mooi Laceweight

Needles: US 4

Notes: Okay, maybe not completely different. It is knitting and it is lace. Neither of those is new to me. However, this is a wimple. What is that? It is also know as a cowl. This nifty piece of knitting slips over the head and does double duty as either a scarf or hood. I know, it would look better on, but it is soo difficult to take pictures of oneself and it gets dark so terribly early that I have to remember to do the photo shoot on the weekend. The other new to me item is the yarn. This is a fabulous blend of bison and cashmere. Yes, bison! It was too good to pass up so I had to get a couple of skeins as a birthday splurge.

2009-12-02T19:35:00.000-08:00

Sweater No. 8

Project: Spray, by Kim Hargreaves

Yarn: Rowan Plaid

Needles: US 10 1/2 and US 11

Notes: All these DK yarns made me forget how quickly a bulky yarn can knit up into a sweater! This sweater went together very fast and it is warm and comfy. Okay, it is too warm right now, but I am looking forward to wearing it soon. I bought the yarn at a bag sale and then stashed it until this fall. Now I have lots of leftover yarn (but not enough for another full sweater). I may try to modify the men's vest pattern from the Rowan Plaid book to finsh off the yarn and make another sweater this year!

2009-12-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

More

Project: Pagan by Kim Hargreaves

Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Cotton Stria

Needles: US 6 and US 7

Notes: Look quickly because I think this one is about to be frogged. It's not because I don't like the top (because I do) or the yarn (it's really soft) or the design (the shape is quite flattering). No, the problem is that I knit the wrong size. This is both too small and too short. If I were out of yarn, I would probably just live with it, but I have an entire extra skein and I would like a less tight top. So, this is Number 7 for the year, but it may also be Number 10.

2009-11-30T21:03:00.001-08:00

Monday = Made It!

30 days and 30 posts to go with them. This time around, it wasn't even that difficult. I nearly forgot once, but I managed. I even managed to post while on travel and I posted many long-overdue pictures of finished objects.

To go with the theme of "made it," here is another finished object.

Project: Rivendell Sock by Janel Laidman (published in The Eclectic Sole: Socks for Adventurous Knitters)

Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss Sock Yarn

Needles: US 1 (again)

Notes: These were the socks that convinced me that I had to have this book. They were a bit more challenging than my usual socks and a lot of fun to complete. To make it even more fun, Young Man and I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy this year.

2009-11-29T22:05:00.000-08:00

Curl Up With a Book Sunday

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I hate raving over books, but this one is really good. Seriously, you need to go out and read this book. It doesn't answer every question in the universe or explain every success, but it does make some excellent connections and help to understand some parts of the world in which we live and in which it isn't always clear why some well-qualified people don't quite make it when other equally-qualified people do extremely well. It helps a lot that I can personally identify with the premise as I am, most assuredly, an Outlier. You see, I am the first in my immediate family to attend college and break away from the patterns of the past, so to speak. I do have some cousins on one side who attended college and some further out relatives on the other, but I am definitely the only one in my immediate circle to have made the change.

While it would be easy to say that I was the smartest or the one who worked the hardest, that wouldn't have been true. My sister doesn't believe me, but she is every bit as smart as me. It pains me to admit that my brother is also just as smart, but it is true. When it came to figuring out careers, my brother always knew that he wanted to be a farmer just like our parents, so he never considered college or a career off the farm. My sister and I, however, both knew that our futures would not include farming. To answer my aunts' incredulous response to this, my sister gave out the best advice I heard: don't date a farmer and you won't fall in love with one. Words to live by. No offense meant to farmers, mind you. I have great respect for the profession and many fond memories of growing up on the farm. I also have many less fond memories of the long hours, back-breaking labor, and constant shortages of funds. It just wasn't the life for me or my sister.

Both of us attended the same schools and we both graduated in the top 10 of our respective classes with similar GPAs and we both had the same kindly, but clueless guidance counselor. So, why did my sister head to a dissatisfying stint with vocational school while I went to college? It wasn't grades or guidance and it wasn't smarts. The big difference was timing. My sister graduated in 1970 and there were no Pell Grants or Guaranteed Student Loan programs. There was the expectation that a girl would get married and have children and maybe have some small job for pin money (ewwwww, how I hate that phrase). No one ever told my sister that she was good enough to get into a college and there wouldn't have been any money for it even if she had.

I graduated in 1981. Our sweet guidance counselor still wasn't much help, but I was already convinced that I would go to college thanks to a course I took in seventh grade. I took a short course on careers and played with several quizzes designed to figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up. I didn't decide, but I did quickly see the pattern that every single career in which I had interest required at least a four year degree. The next happy change came my junior year when most of the class took the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. I didn't get a scholarship out of it, but I did do well enough that suddently I had colleges looking for me. Letters and flyers and big, glossy brochures started filling our lonely mailbox and I learned about that most glorious of things, Financial Aid. I still got far less help that my male classmates when it came to looking for scholarships (the assumption was that farm kids would get big grants - unfortunately, that wasn't correct in our case). Still, I was able to qualify for some grants and lots of loans, and I found a public university that wasn't ridiculously expensive.

No, it wasn't easy. Yes, I made missteps along the way and still had to work hard. However, the timing of my birth and subsequent graduation had a lot to do with me being in the right place so that hard work could pay off in a way that it didn't for my sister.

There is more, much more, but now it is time for you to go out and read this book and discover your own Outliers.

View all my reviews >>

2009-11-28T19:09:00.000-08:00

Saturday Sky - Not So Wet Edition

We were promised rain. The weather people kept hyping storm watch and all that other nonsense that they proclaim whenever there is a hint of a front coming through. I guess they get bored. I certainly would if all I really had to say each day was, "Haven't you figured it out by now? Today will be pretty much like yesterday. Let's go to Sports, shall we?" It's hard to pull in the big bucks when that is all the weather forecasting you really have to do. So our weather people make a big deal out of every barometric change. This one was a bust. Young Man claims that he got hit by a couple of sprinkles as he dashed back from the neighbors', but that was it. I didn't even see any drops on the patio. All we had were a few clouds that raced through in the afternoon. Pretty disappointing actually.

In much more interesting news, we had our second Thanksgiving dinner today. Even though we went out on Thursday, we still picked up all the dinner ingredients. Mr. Engineer roasted the turkey and made gravy and turkey broth on Friday and I made stuffing and a delicious sweet potato recipe today. I also made pumpkin pies for desert. We think we will make mashed potatoes tomorrow and invite the neighbors over so that they can have another feast.

2009-11-27T22:20:00.000-08:00

A Not So Black Day

We studiously avoided the "Black Friday" madness that seems to have taken hold here. I have no idea if people were actually buying anything today, but the stores were hyping the savings and the doorbusters and that got people waiting in line to get into store openings at 4 a.m. Obviously, the stores were not targeting me because there was nothing in those ads that would have convinced me to crawl out of a warm bed to wait in line with nutcases to go shopping. Mr. Engineer and I decided that we might be tempted if they were offering free bars of gold (Young Man's suggestion), but even that would be a big maybe.

Instead, we had a nice, light breakfast (we were still a bit full from Thursday) and decided to go out for coffee. We did have a momentary lapse of sanity when we thought about going to a local camera store to look at a new lens over which I have been lusting. Then we saw the line stretching out the door (at 10:30 a.m.) and we came to our senses. Instead of elbowing our way into the store, we drove around the area checking out some newly constructed streets and found a coffee shop near a donut shop (Young Man isn't into coffee). Then we headed up to a BevMo! to pick up some assorted soda pops and a 12-pack of Sam Adams Winter Lager. After that we had a nice, quiet lunch and went to see Planet 51. It wasn't the best movie we've seen lately, but it wasn't bad at all. We giggled through it and then headed home.

All in all, it was a nice, quiet, family day. So, I hope all the shoppers had fun. We wouldn't have if we had been shopping, but we really enjoyed our time together.

2009-11-26T15:57:00.000-08:00

Thankful Thanksgiving

Today is the big day and I am thankful for many things. At the top of my list is, as always, my family. Mr. Engineer is nodding off in a chair while we watch The Princess Bride. Young Man is playing away on Runescape. We are all happy and content.

I am also very thankful for wonderful neighbors who are also friends. Our next door neighbors are part of the family we have chosen as our extended family. We enjoy holidays together and share our fellowship.

For the first time, I am thankful for restaurants who serve Thanksgiving dinner. Our usual host is recovering from surgery and neither we nor our neighbors felt up to cooking the feast. Instead we went to Marie Callender's and enjoyed a delicious meal and left the dishes to others.

Tonight or tomorrow we will roast the turkey that is thawing in the refrigerator (hey, they are on sale, we couldn't pass up the leftovers) and cook up some of our favorite T-day dishes (stuffing, green beans, gravy, pumpkin pie).

2009-11-25T22:54:00.000-08:00

Now, With More Socks!

Okay, so the socks yesterday were kind of eh. These are a bit better. They are a gift for a friend who doesn't read this blog. They are sparkly and fun and I hope they lift her spirits. The picture really doesn't do them justice.

Project: Leyburn Socks, by Pepperknit

Yarn: Berocco Comfort Metallic

Needles: US 1 dpns (what else is there?)

Notes: These are knit toe up and that is not really in my usual comfort zone. Still, these turned out pretty good. It was a bit challenging to find a pattern that worked with this yarn, but this pattern definitely breaks up any pooling and the metallic sparkes are just plain fun. The photo looks like the legs are much bigger than the feet. Actually, these fit quite well. The slipped stiches and patterning actually pull in the fabric so there are more stiches around than would normally be used. All in all, this was a quick gift knit and I'm using the pattern again on another yarn that has seemed determined to pool.

2009-11-24T22:18:00.000-08:00

Toes on Tuesday

Finally! More photos and more finished objects.

Project: Basic Socks with short-row heels and twisted rib cuffs

Yarn: Schoeller+Stahl Fortissima Socka Mit Bambou (with Bamboo)

Needles: US 1 dpns

Notes: Would you believe that it took me over a year to knit these socks? There were a few mitigating circumstances. Originally, they were going to be Monkeys, but the colors just didn't work, so I ripped back to the twisted rib cuff. Then I tried some other pattern, but that didn't work either. Finally, I just went with a basic stockinette. That worked as long as I kept my tension not too tight. Unfortunately, I lost the project part way through the first sock. I searched, then got distracted, then searched again. Finally, they reappeared and I was able to finish! The yarn is nice, but a bit busy. Still, they are good, basic socks.

2009-11-23T18:16:00.000-08:00

Monday Madness

Another thing for which I am thankful is that Young Man, who is already (!) 12 years old, still enjoys spending time with his parents. More specifically, he still enjoys spending the day with me. Okay, so there is the minor caveat that I cannot embarass him too much. So far, I haven't quite ascertained where that boundry lies. I am working on it and I'll let you know when I surpass it.

Today we took advantage of the fact that Young Man is still 12 and that we had a free ticket for Legoland lying around. Legoland is one of the few amusement parks that determines price by age and not height. Child tickets are for young people between 3 and 12. Thank goodness! That plus a AAA 10% discount (and that free ticket) made the day not ridiculously expensive. We did have a good time wandering around and riding rides. It was a bittersweet day because it might be nearly our last trip. Young Man really is outgrowing the park and Legos. I haven't outgrown Legos yet, but I am tiring of the rides. Still, it was a very nice day spent together and two nice drives (Legoland is an hour from our house).

Oh, and you may be wondering where the pictures are from this excursion? Well, um, I set the camera on the table to remember it and it was still safe and sound on the table when we returned. Of course, I did edit the earlier paragraph to add in the possibility of a return - another free ticket arrived in the mail today!

2009-11-22T16:26:00.000-08:00

Curl Up With a Book Sunday

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I tried not to like this book. This is not because I didn't agree with the authors' premise. On the contrary, I am a skeptic and do not buy what passes for conventional wisdom. Instead, I was too cool to show that I was impressed by the revelations. This was easy at the beginning. Part of that is because I had heard some of the first stories years ago. I was well aware that the crime rate is generally untouched by new policing policies and is far more accurately predicted by looking at the numbers of youth in the age range that typically commit crimes. Still, after several more case studies, I was impressed. Yes, the book is a bit sensationalized and some of the connections are a bit more of a stretch than others. The thing to remember when reading any book like this is that correlation (even really tight correlations) do not prove causality.

All in all, this is a very good book and should be read (with an open mind) by any and all. If you are sure you know all the answers about how the world works, you absolutely must read this one. Knowledge really is power.

View all my reviews >>

2009-11-21T10:29:00.000-08:00

Saturday Sky

Today with clouds! The local weather-people are having a great time whipping us into a frenzy about the potential storm watch. Right. If we are lucky we will get a few raindrops. Personnally, I'm betting that we see bupkis. Still, it is nice to have an interesting sky to view for a change.

2009-11-20T21:50:00.000-08:00

Sweater #6

This is the year of nakniswemodo09 (Ravelry link). What is that, you ask? It is the National Knit a Sweater a Month Dodecathon. Yes, 12 sweaters in 12 months. Insane? Probably. Fun? Definitely. So far, I have completed 8 of the 12 and am ~30% finished with #9. I think I'll finish 10 in the year. I'm okay with that. I'll have 9 gorgeous sweaters and a whole new set of knitting skills. I'm learning a lot. One of the things I learned with Sweater #6 is that I need to pay closer attention when the designer gives an option for a slightly higher neckline. This one is very nearly indecent. I have found a cami that looks okay underneath, but I dearly wish I had made the other option. Also, if I had held out just two more months, I would have had the new and improved version of the pattern.

Project: Buttercup, by Heidi Kirrmaier

Yarn: Misti Alpaca Pima Cotton & Silk DK

Needles: US 4 and US 5

Notes: I added waist shaping, knit four repeats of lace pattern at bottom, lengthened the sleeves, knit four repeats of lace pattern at bottom of sleeves, but used multiple of 5 instead of 6 for the patterning.

If I were to make it again, I would cast on fewer stitches for the back of the neck and do more shaping. To get the neck to fit without gaping, I had to snug in the edging a lot. I picked up one stitch for every two on the neck. The back of the neck fits, but the upper back has a funky puff. It sort of looks intentional.

Love the yarn! It feels great and isn’t splitty at all.

2009-11-19T22:50:00.000-08:00

Thankful Thursday

Even though I sometimes complain about work, I really do like my job. Today I am thankful that I have an interesting, challenging job that gives me very good benefits and pays me well enough that I can afford toys, books, and yarn (lots and lots of books and yarn). I work with bright, dedicated people who make every day an adventure and an interesting journey. Tomorrow they may drive me crazy, but it will be an exciting trip.

2009-11-18T19:45:00.000-08:00

Is It Really Only Wednesday?

One of my co-workers remarked today that he spent the entire day thinking that it was Thursday. I paused and then realized that I had been thinking the same thing. Just as well that it wasn't, there is way too much to be done before Friday! This Friday is the first parent-teacher conference of the school year. We will hear all about what Young Man is doing and then will try to figure out what to do with the other 20 minutes of the meeting. I know, these are problems that are good to have. Mr. Engineer has Friday off so he and Young Man get most of the day together (until lacrosse practice, of course).

I am in the surprising position of being able to take off the entire week before Thanksgiving. I don't think that I have ever been able to do this and I am quite excited. So far, I haven't made any specific plans for these days, but Young Man and I must be able to come up with something fun.

Oh, and those choices from yesterday? The Book Club made some excellent choices:

January - Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie
February - An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, by P.D. James
March - Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry
April - off month - we share our must read lists
May - The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl, by Timothy Egan
June - Freezer Burn, by Gayle Carline

Expect to see all of these in my reading list in the months to come. Several of us are already reading Freezer Burn. This is because Gayle Carline used to work at our company, her husband is in the book club, and this is her first published book. We are all very excited for her and made sure to go to her recent book signing at a local chain bookstore.

2009-11-17T19:49:00.000-08:00

Decisions, Decisions

Sometimes we are faced with an embarassment of riches from which to choose. My book club is about to select books for the first half of 2010. For January alone, I have to choose between the following classics:

Little Women
O! Pioneers
Peter Pan
Wuthering Heights
Beowulf
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Hard Times
Scarlet Pimpernel
Lord of the Flies

I mean, seriously, who can choose from that list? It just gets worse (or better) as the months go on. It is wonderful to be in a book club made up of people who find interesting titles, but I have no idea how I will decide!

In other decisions, we are getting closer to the time when we have to decide where Young Man will go for high school. Now that is a decision that seemed a long way off when he started school! My parents certainly had it easier when I was heading to high school. There was one in the town; choice made!

We won't even begin to dicuss knitting choices! I went to a local yarn store on Saturday and everyone there understood me when I said that I just needed to come visit a different stash. This is not to say that I didn't add to mine, but I did score some deliciously soft Ultra Alpaca Fine from which a pair of socks are rapidly forming. As much as I wanted to make my 12 sweaters this year, I do not want to disappoint those who look forward to hand knit socks under the tree. Again, finding the perfect pattern was a challenge, but Nancy Bush came to my rescue (again).

Once decision area that has been simplified in our house is television. We haven't had cable for a week now. We are getting used to this, but we all agree that we miss History and Discovery. It is definitely easier to leave the set off without all the channels of temptation. We will get our temptation back at some point. For now we are deciding between cable and AT&T U-verse. More decisions!

2009-11-16T18:44:00.000-08:00

Another Finished Item, Perhaps?

I really do need to take more pictures. I could also use a few better pictures. This one is rather pathetic. The sweater is gorgeous, trust me.

Project: Tangled Yoke Cardigan by Eunny Jang, published in Fall 2007 Interweave Knits

Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool

Needles: US 3 and US 4

Notes: It took me a couple of tries to get gauge on this one, but it was well worth the effort. I knit the sleeves in the round and enjoyed the entire process to get to a sweater I love.

2009-11-15T21:55:00.000-08:00

Curl Up With a Book Sunday

Bone Volume 1: Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I was a kid I liked comic books, but then I set those aside (with a few exceptions like Calvin & Hobbes and Opus). My son never really seemed interested in either comics or graphic novels until he saw this one. A recent Scholastic book form had deal on this first volume. Now I almost wish I had popped for the entire set. This is a fun book and the artwork is incredible. It isn't for the young children, but my tween enjoyed it immensely. He also now wants all the rest of the set. Unfortunately, $10 per volume is a bit more than I like to spend for books that Young Man finishes in one day! There are other options (a full set of the 13 issues is in one volume as long as we don't mind black & white).

For those of you who haven't run across the Bone books, this is an adventure of three cousins, Fone, Phoney, and Smiley Bone. Phoney seems rotten to the core, Smiley can't pass up a bet, and Fone tries to help everyone. They get run out of Boneville and are trying to find a way back when they get separated and encounter rat creatures, a dragon and the gorgeous Thorn. It is a fun ride and I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

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2009-11-14T12:43:00.000-08:00

New Do

Sometimes you need a little change.

2009-11-13T22:24:00.001-08:00

Views of Last Season

Young Man is practicing hard to get ready for the new season. Mr. Engineer says that he had wings during the end of practice sprints today.

2009-11-12T19:31:00.000-08:00

Thankful Thursday

I am profoundly thankful for all the wonderful teachers I have had in my life. Those who inspired me and kept me interested, those who wondered about that quiet girl who got straight As, and those who challenged me when they knew I was slacking all helped make me who I am today. You are probably not reading this, but I wish you knew that I think of one of you almost every day.

2009-11-11T21:31:00.000-08:00

Random Wednesday

As suspected, it was a day out of the office, but it wasn't even close to a day off. I spent much of the day on teleconferences (I do love our speakerphone!) and when I wasn't listening intently to the calls, I was pondering an update to the staffing plan. As Young Man would say, "Is that all you do all day???" Yes, sweetie, welcome to my world.

Holding a book club meeting via teleconference isn't ideal, but it is better than nothing. We read The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke this month. Our November selection is either Humor or Young Adult and it is nice to end the year with an easy read. This was my second reading of The Thief Lord and I enjoyed it even more than the first.

Young Man had practice, but I really don't know why they bothered. They heard a pep talk from Kyle Harrison and another big lacrosse name and then had a bit of a practice. Then the coaches ended practice early because of the holiday. That would be great if the parents had known about it. So the boys without cell phones lined up with the parent on watch to call for rides home. I hope the parent on duty didn't have to wait the full time, but I suspect that she did.

The good thing about hanging out for practice is that I finished knitting a beanie for one of Young Man's classmates. I hope she likes it. Two girls found out that I knit hats and asked very nicely for one neon pink and one bright blue (aqua). I found the perfect colors in Caron Simply Soft. I really do not like knitting with acrylic, but the hats are pretty cute.

Brownies take the edge off the final intense battle scenes of Lord of the Rings. This is a good thing.

Tomorrow is another day at the office. It's a good thing that I like my office.

2009-11-10T22:27:00.000-08:00

When Is a Day Off Not a Vacation?

Oh, that's an easy one - when you have to work, of course! Wednesday is a day to honor veterans. It is also a day to appreciate teachers for those of us who are suddenly scrambling to cover a day without school. Yes, this happens every year; you would think we would catch on by now. Anyway, I didn't figure out until Monday that leaving Young Man home along really wasn't going to work. We are in that phase where he is old enough to be alone for a while, but an entire day is pushing it. Learning that lacrosse practice was still on was the final straw. Young Man might be able to stay home, but he wouldn't be able to get to practice. So, I'll be plugged in to work with my biggest fan wondering just when will I get offline so that we can play. Okay, so it was a little fun to watch the faces at work when I reminded them that I wouldn't be in the office tomorrow. I'm evil that way.

At least I can sit and knit during practice. I will get part of the day off and I'll have an excellent lunch companion.

2009-11-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

More For Monday

Let's continue with the catching up, shall we?

Project: Soleil Tank, by Alexandra Virgiel

Yarn: Filatura Di Crosa in Dusk (5.5 skeins)

Needles: US 5

Notes: This was what I got for going to a knit nite at a local yarn shop when they were having a pre-moving inventory reduction sale. The really good news was that I finished this one in eight days! I very much like this tank. I made it a bit longer than the pattern (as always), but that was my only modification.

2009-11-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

Curl Up With a Book Sunday

(or not)

The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
First, a disclaimer: I have been a J.R.R. Tolkien fan ever since my wonderful fifth grade homeroom teacher read us The Hobbit over winter lunch hours when it was far too cold to play outside. I read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy more times than I can remember. I do recall viewing the library copies my senior year and seeing my name on the checkout card several times. I read The Silmarillion at least twice and revelled in its intricacies.

Still, after that history, I had no wish to read this book when it came out in 2007. This was my book club's October selection, so I finally went out and read it. I can say that this is not the worst book I have ever read, but it is far from the best. I can also see why J.R.R. didn't publish it, but I wonder why Christopher Tolkien did. This is a very dark and depressing read. There is little joy between these covers and the backstory is impressively dense. Yes, that is typical for Tolkien, but to cram so much backstory into such a small book was difficult even for him. The plot twists and the constant name changes were a challenge to track. In the end, this is not so much a novel as a cautionary fable: Trust the wisdom of those around you and occasionally hold your temper and things will go better for you and those you love. Of course, if Turin had learned any of those lessons, there wouldn't have been a book. That might not have been a bad thing.

View all my reviews >>

2009-11-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

Saturday Sky With Persimmons

2009-11-06T21:12:00.000-08:00

Plum Happy

Yes, I am feeling rather punny today, why do you ask?

Project: Prosperous Plum, by Joanna Cohen (free Ravelry download)

Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Plum Patina

Needles: US 6 and US 8

Notes: I made this pretty much straight to the pattern except that I made the body a bit longer. I'm definitely not one for the bare midriff thing. I do wish that I hadn't followed the pattern to graft the shoulders. It looked nice at first, but they are already stretching. I may have to snip and seam. That will muck up the nice crocheted neckline and arm holes, but it will be worth it. I wear this with a black cami and it is adorable. Okay, so I like how I feel in it and I have even managed to venture out without covering it all up with a blouse. I finished this one in May and it was number 5 in my 12 sweater challenge. This little baby only took 11 days to knit! I could get used to projects like that.

2009-11-05T22:15:00.000-08:00

Thankful Thursdays

Even I can handle a once a week meme for a month and I really do have a lot for which to be thankful. Thank you to Carole for the great idea.

Today I am very thankful to be home. It was fun to travel, but it feels really good to be back.

I am very, very thankful for my wonderful husband, Mr. Engineer, who kept everything going while I was gone and keeps me sane always (or close to it).

Many thanks go to Young Man for all the hugs and unconditional love. I am one lucky mom to have a great son.

My whole family makes me thankful. Even when they drive me crazy, I am very thankful to have a family who can make me crazy.

I am profoundly thankful for all of my chosen family with whom I don't share DNA, but who have my back and I am happy to back up each and every one.

2009-11-04T19:02:00.000-08:00

Still In Texas

It's my last night in Texas. The next challenge will be to get a seat on my flight out tomorrow afternoon. I don't have a seat assignment and American Airlines wouldn't let me get a seat assignment tonight. Their website told me to sign in on the day of my flight to get a seat. This could be interesting. So, what are the odds that I'll get bumped to first class if I wait until I get to the airport to check in? Hey, it could happen! I know this because it has happened to me, but I was only that lucky once. It was a flight from LAX to Washington-Dulles and it was full of schoolchildren on their way to D.C. I won!

Tonight's dining adventure was a team dinner at Saltgrass Steak House in McKinney. It was quite good. My steak was cooked perfectly and the baked sweet potato was delicious! Unfortunately, I was completely spoiled by last night's dining adventure so the bar was raised quite high. Still, it is always nice to dine with good company (even if one of them is a Yankees fan).

Business travel isn't bad, but it will be very nice to get back home. Young Man misses me. He is getting back into the routine of lacrosse practices and wasn't even too unhappy that they had to run sprints today. He was rather surprised to discover that some of the workouts seem easier than they did last year. Growing and staying strong and in shape between seasons is paying off.

2009-11-03T20:35:00.001-08:00

Foodie Alert: Dallas Area

Okay, if you are a foodie and you are in the North Dallas/Plano area, you need to get yourself over to Jasper's. there are actually four restaurants, but we went to the Plano location tonight. Oh, my! I met up with a friend and it was worth the drive (okay, ride for me, but I think she would agree about the driving). The food is fabulous and the whole ambiance was just right. We managed to make our server laugh out loud when we ordered identical meals and then paid with almost identical corporate cards. What can we say? Great minds were thinking alike. The soup of the day was a delicious tomato bisque. It had a little kick, but not too much and was served with a bit of Gouda. Yum! The Texas barbecue pork loin was fabulous and the cheesecake... Well, let's just say that I may need to skip the box lunch at my training class tomorrow, but it will be worth it!

And for another recommendation, S, this is the kidlit blog I told you about: A Fuse #8 Production. The author, Elizabeth Bird is a genius and is also a prolific reviewer on Goodreads and Amazon. She has never steered me wrong.

2009-11-02T19:08:00.000-08:00

Best Laid Plans

It is November and that means it's time for blogging every day. I'm already enjoying the resurgence of activity on my favorite blogs. I had great intentions of posting most days (maybe even every day). Then today came. It's only the second day of the month and already my resolve is fading. I believe that is because I spent the day flying to Dallas. A bit after halfway on the journey, I felt odd and then managed to mostly faint in my seat. I feel much better now and am sure that it was a blood sugar thing. I am now in my hotel room readying myself for a class. Tomorrow will be a better day, I'm sure.

The day wasn't completely awful. There were some good things: Young Man had his first lacrosse practice of the season and came home happy. He was worried about the season. I get that. It is always hard to get started with a new phase and each year the competition gets tougher. The other good thing is that I am wearing the sweater I posted yesterday. I still love it!

2009-11-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

November, Already?

Oh, my! I don't quite know where the time went. I have several books to review and many, many pictures of knitting to post. As you can see from the list of finished knits, I have been busy.

Here is one that was finished in March! Yes, I have been a lazy poster. I blame Ravelry and Facebook. Please excuse the dirty mirror.

Project: Minimalist Cardigan, by Ruthie Nussbaum (published in the Fall 2007 Interweave Knits)

Yarn: Berocco Ultra Alpaca

Notes: This was a very quick and easy knit. I thought the vast regions of moss stitch would be boring, but it wasn't bad at all. The final result is soft and cozy and is great to throw over a T and jeans. The only negative is that I have now learned that alpaca loosens when washed. After the first washing, the sleeves are now a bit longer than I had planned, but I still love the sweater.

2009-09-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

Curl Up With a Book Sunday

The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America by Russell Shorto

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you have ever wondered why it is that we learn in American History that the country was founded with Puritan ideals, yet the basics of tolerance and civil liberties are in conflict with the intolerance of the Puritans, then this book is for you!

It is no secret that I am a sucker for well-written history books. I have always felt that my education in the history of my own country, let alone the world, was not good enough. This may not have been the fault of my teachers as I was most likely much more engaged by my science and math classes, but some of the dry texts that we read did not help matters. I am also not fond of the short attention span textbooks that my son is required to use, but I do think that he is getting a broader view of history than I did. To fill in the gaps, I now actively seek out books that both inform and keep my attention. Russell Shorto has succeeded on both levels.

After reading The Island at the Center of the World, I realize that I previously knew very little about New Netherlands. I don't even recall learning that Henry Hudson was working for the Dutch when he "discovered" Manhattan. Those gaps have been filled in grand style. This was a thoroughly enjoyable yet well-researched book. Shorto has a gift for bringing energy and life to what could be dry details. By focussing on the people and their interactions, he breathes life into the dusty pages of long-untranslated records. If he has any failings it is perhaps that he reaches a bit far to personalize those who left little record and there are some repetitions. Still, the flaws are few and are easily overlooked. In terms of style, he doesn't quite reach that of David McCullough, but I will not hold that against him.

This book is well worth the time and answers many questions that I have had about how we managed to value tolerance when our supposed founders epitomized intolerance and bigotry. The answers lie within these covers.

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2009-09-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

Curl Up With a Book Sunday

City of Shadows: A Novel of Suspense by Ariana Franklin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a fabulous book! The author deftly drew me into 1922 Berlin and the intrigues surrounding the alleged Anastasia. I wasn't at all sure what to expect from this book, but I was pleased with what I found. The writing was wonderful as was the plot development. Some of the twists were fairly easy to predict, but others caught me completely off guard. I do enjoy a mystery where the author is able to surprise me.

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2009-09-12T11:37:00.001-07:00

Sky on Saturday

It's not today's sky. Today is boring and hazy blue. This one is is much more interesting.

2009-09-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I spent the first half to two-thirds of this book wondering if I actually liked it. I never hated it, mind you, I just wasn't sure if the problem was the book or me. It wasn't easy getting close to Julie. She (or the version of her she displays in this memoir) is quite prickly. Since I can be prickly myself, I can respect that. However, I was reading this while quite sick and it seemed that my own crankiness over being sick was magnified while reading the angst-ridden musings of someone whining about turning 30. This was definitely not a subject over which I could give much sympathy. One of the downsides of having a (wonderful) husband four years older than myself is that I am never allowed the luxury of wallowing in self-pity over hitting a milestone birthday because he has already done it.

Okay, I could cut Julie a little slack on the age angst. I still found myself wondering what it was that this much younger person could teach me about life or food. Perhaps that is why Julia seemed less than impressed with the Julie/Juliea Project. It turns out that I think Julie knows quite alot about both food and life. She certainly had strength to put herself out on display for a year while attempting a truly crazed act of obsession. Again, I know about crazed acts of obsession, so I can relate. Blogging can be quite narcissistic, and Julie certainly indulged herself there. Still, I think that Julie had to get to the point where she was becoming more comfortable in her own skin before I could get comfortable with her portrayal of herself. Thus, the last third of the book was much more satisfying than the first two-thirds. In the end, the feast was worth the trek. I hope it was for Julie as well.

No, this won't be on my list of favorite books read in 2009 (if I actually manage to compile such a thing), but it was an enjoyable enough read. It was rather obvious that this was the author's first book, but it took quite a leap to make that first book a memoir. Audacious and probably a bit self-centered, but that's not always a bad thing.

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2009-09-03T22:04:00.000-07:00

I Do Not Like Soup

There, I admit it. I don't know why, but I have never liked sipping my food. I don't mine sipping a good wine or a pint, but I don't want to sip my meal. It seems vaguely unwholesome to admit to not liking soup. Certainly, chicken soup is supposed to be comfort food and everyone suggests soup when you are sick. Okay, so I will concede that a grilled cheese sandwich isn't much without some tomato soup for dipping, but beyond that I don't want any stupid soup!

Perhaps it is the connection with illness that gets me. I'm sure I was fed lots of soup as I recovered from myriad illnesses as a child. Maybe that was why I reacted when Mr. Engineer suggested soup for lunch. Yes, I am sick. Yes, some hot liquid would probably help. Does it have to be soup???? Ugh. I do not like being sick and I do not like soup!

For the record, I did eat the stupid soup, but I didn't enjoy it. I am feeling better, but I'm sure it is because of the antibiotics and steroids (and the week spent mostly in bed) and not the soup.

2009-09-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

It's Back to School Time!

It took a bit to get a smile this morning, but I managed. Young Man is decked out in his not-yet-hemmed slacks and tie (I swear, I was sure he would wear shorts, it's in the 90s today). He is off to Seventh Grade. I'm shocked, I tell you. I cannot imagine where all the time has gone.

2009-08-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday Sky for Sandy

Happy Birthday, Sandy!

2009-08-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

Curl Up With A Book Sunday, er, Monday

It has been a while since I blogged. Silly Ravelry and Facebook have sucked away all my time (them and that work thing).

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
For the first chapter or two, I had my doubts about this book. It wasn't that it started out slow, it was just that it started out weird. I couldn't decide if it was a romance or a science fiction or a mystery. In the end it was all of those with a bit of historical setting thrown in and I no longer worried about genre. This is the first novel by Ms. Groff, and there should be many more good reads to come from this author. She started with the solid advice of "write what you know," and set her novel in a fictionalized version of her hometown, Cooperstown, NY. She then took a decidedly twisted turn and firmly hooked me. By the end, I really cared about all the quirky inhabitants of Templeton, both present and past. I heartily recommend this book if you enjoy a bit of genealogical sleuthing and can handle myriad illegitmate ancestors.

One minor word of warning, this book skips from person to person, point of view to point of view, and time to time rapidly. If you aren't paying attention (and sometimes even if you are), you won't realize who is narrating the chapter until you are a page into it. I love books like this, but some don't, so be forewarned.

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2009-07-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

Our Bags Are Packed...

2009-06-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

Where Am I?

This weekend I am in Park City, Utah, at the Park City Shootout lacrosse tournament. See the fun at http://crushlax.blogspot.com. Young Man is having a ball. That's him in the first photo from the 19 June post.

2009-05-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

Lacrosse Under the Lights

Who knew? By reading my camera's manual for a few minutes and fiddling with a few settings, I was able to get halfway decent pictures under the lights last night! They certainly aren't as nice as the daytime pictures, but they will do. I just have to remember to be patient because I can't take rapid-fire shots like I can in daylight. Young Man was very much on his game last night. He got new cleats Saturday and we added some gel heel inserts. I'm told that the shoes are now "bouncy." That's high praise for kid cleats.

Playing with the camera meant that I wasn't paying quite as much attention to the game as normal and several goals slipped in without my noticing. Happily, they were all from Young Man's team. We managed to lose track of the score, but the scorekeeper let us know that it ended 8-3 . Young Man had many really good plays where he took the ball away from the opposing team's attack players again and again. They left very disappointed. Today he has a call-back for the summer traveling team. Wish him luck!

2009-05-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

Another Sunny Saturday?

Well, not so much. It is rather cloudy and almost dreary here. Under our Saturday Sky, we found a tortoise pining for a sunbeam. Sorry, buddy, I think you are out of luck today.

Other than the odd weather, it is all lacrosse all the time here. Young Man had two games last Saturday afternoon, but I forgot the camera! He has another game tonight, but I won't be able to get decent pictures under the lights. He also has a call-back for the travelling team. This is the Crush team that he was on last summer. This time he is a big sixth grader and one of the more experienced players. If he makes the final cut, we should be visiting Park City, Utah, and northern California this summer.

Finally, we could use something cheery on this dreary day. I give you pink!

Project: Rotini Scarf (pattern from a local yarn shop

Yarn: Trendsetter Yarns Tonalita in 2420 (lots of pink)

Needles: US 8 (5.0 mm) straights

Notes: Well, it is bright! This isn't usually my thing, but I had a weak moment. All pink yarns were on sale for Valentine's Day and I was looking for a project to make for a mom who has helped us get to lacrosse practices. I rounded a corner and ran smack into a store sample of this pattern and the pattern was free. It is different and not at all my style or coloring, but I think the recipient will like it. I hope so!

2009-04-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

It's About Time I Finished Something (Part 2)

Something snapped in me this year. I think it might have been my sanity. I signed up for the silliness that is NaKniSweMoDo. That is, National Knit a Sweater a Month Dodecathon. It is nearing the end of the fourth month and I have only completed two sweaters. I do have a tank that is nearing the halfway point and another cardigan that is ~75% finished. I would be even closer on the cardi, but it was just too hot this week to think about wool, even Silky Wool.

Project: Must Have Cardigan by Patons

Size: Medium

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino in grey (6 skeins)

Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) and US 7 (4.5 mm)

Notes: This was actually a fairly fast knit. I started the back in December, but only knit about three inches to check gauge before shelving it until New Years Day. I finished on 12 February. It wasn't difficult and the instructions were quite clear. I did add two inches to the body and at least one to the sleeves. I do wish that I had made the next larger size as this is a bit more fitted than I would like. Of course, I could lose those 25 pounds that have been haunting me and then it would fit much better. Alternatively, I could send it to my sister in Minnesota who is the one who actually needs a wool cardigan. And, yes, I have considered knitting a second one for myself and sending this one to my sister.

2009-04-21T18:59:00.000-07:00

It's About Time I Finished Something (Part 1)

Well, it's about time I started posting about the things that I have been finishing! Let's start off with something simple.

Project: Noro Striped Scarf

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden in #84 and some other color (lost the ball band)

Needles: US 7 (4.5mm) straights

Notes: What can I say? Yes it is another striped scarf. This is the third that I have done. I think it turned out well and it looks great on the recipient. It wasn't my colors at all, so it was tough for me to judge. It is just the right color for the woman to whom I gave it and that is what matters.

2009-04-20T20:53:00.000-07:00

It Must Be Monday

You know that it is Monday when you are greeted at 6:00 a.m. by a very, very large crane blocking your street! We were actually happy about this because it meant the end of darkness. Around 9:30 Sunday night we heard a loud "POP!" and the lights went out. It turned out that the transformer in our neighbors' back yard blew out. This morning the nice people from SoCal Edison came with a crane to take out the old transformer and put in a new one. We now have electricity and all is good. Considering that it was in the upper 90s today, we were quite happy to have A/C available when we came home.

2009-04-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

Curl Up With a Book Sunday Returns!

It has been far too long since I posted last. Where have I been? Well, there was lacrosse, and work, and more lacrosse, and much more work. You get the picture. There was also some knitting in there somewhere. I'll catch you up. Or not. You know how it goes. First off, we have a book review. Too bad it wasn't a better book...

The Last Mission by Harry Mazer

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
The Last Mission was a pick from my book club for the History/Historical Fiction month. One of our members is working on a biography of her father who flew in WWII and was a POW for several years. Her hope was to pick up something from this book that would help her on her way. Alas, there was little to be gleaned from this volume. Mr. Mazer has written many young adult books on WWII, but sometimes I wonder if he really decided to whom he was writing. This book, for example, seems to swing wildly between a book aimed to relate to young men, a book clearly for adults only, and an anti-war treatise. Much of the book was obviously aimed at young wannabe heroes, but the language, while probably authentic, wasn't necessary for the audience. Sorry, but I don't hand books to my 11 year old that are sprinkled with the F-word, no matter how true that is to the period. Given that my father, a WWII veteran, who was known to pepper his language with colorful expletives, never used the F-word (to my recollection), I wonder how true to life it actually was! It wasn't necessary and annoyed me greatly.

The anti-war rhetoric tacked on literally at the very end was also odd. I don't disagree with the sentiment, it just seemed disjointed.

So, if you are determined to read every WWII-related book out there, here is one for your shelves. I can't recommend it for young adults because of the language and I can't recommend it for most readers because it just wasn't that well-written. Character development was minimal (even for young adult book standards). The best I can say is that it was a quick read.

View all my reviews.

2009-02-02T20:40:00.000-08:00

We Could All Use a Laugh

It is time for the Fifth Annual Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading (thanks, Deb). Deb also inspired me to share one of my own. Yes, it really is a poem written by me. I was 17, be gentle.

Laughter

Laughter always seems to

open up the silence of a

rocky plight.

It bubbles up like a stream and

spreads its light like a golden field

of wheat.

I love the sound of

laughter on a bright

spring day, or in the dark and

ominous spaces of a starry night.

2009-01-31T21:46:00.000-08:00

Another Fine Saturday for Lessons

Today's Lesson is a doozy. You could say that we learned about physics: What goes up must come down. You could say that we learned about patience. What we really learned was a lesson in consequences. Young Man was ready for today's game after a week of no games. He was so ready that he didn't want to let any plays get by him - even if the ball was many feet over his head! Young Man tried for the ball, but his stick slipped out of his grasp. Well, it didn't slip so much as soar. The end result of this lesson in lacrosse pole aerodynamics was a lesson in penalties for soaring sticks. A thrown stick can be as much as a one-minute penalty. In this case, the referee deemed it an accident and was also glad that the player stayed to catch the pole so that it obviously wasn't thrown at another player. This meant that Young Man only spent 30 seconds taking a knee in the penalty box.

Last week was a washout for lacrosse. The boys would have played because lacrosse goes on, rain or shine. The groundskeepers for the fields had other ideas and all games were cancelled. This week, the sun was shining brightly and the fields were ready for play.

Young Man's team was on the field bright and early for an 8:00 a.m. game. They were on their game today! They came out passing and running plays. It was a joy to behold! Photography was a little challenging because the parents' section faced directly into the sun. The players didn't seem to mind. Lacrosse is always an exciting game, but it is very difficult to describe how much fun it is to watch boys who enjoy themselves so much playing a game they love. Young Man did very well today. Yes, we are biased, but he did have some very good plays.

It is very hard to get by Young Man when he is determined to stop an oncoming player. All of the boys played very well, much to the distress of the opposing team. The final score was 11-0. Yes, it was a shut out, but the day was not over.

After a day of relaxation and catching up on costumes, we headed back to another field for a 5:30 p.m. game under the lights. Again, photography wasn't assisted by the game time, but it was another great game. This team was a much more physical team and they were, again, quite frustrated. Unlike in the first game where the referees were calling nearly all fouls, these referees let some go by. As the frustration level rose, the hits came harder. Young Man's team held up to the rigors of the game. It is hard for the parents to watch games that get physical, but the players know that they have earned their goals. Seven of them, we think, and the team has another win.

Young Man did get a second chance at one of those balls high above his head in the second game. This time, he kept his stick in his hand and he snatched the ball from the air and took possession away from the opposing team. Lesson learned.

2009-01-30T20:38:00.000-08:00

Costume Central

It's that time again. The school play has performances 10 and 11 February. Dress rehearsals start on 4 February. Yes, that means that the sewing machine is busy. I didn't take a picture of the Willy Wonka costume that I finished over the weekend, but here are four of the seven Oompa Loompa costumes. The director is looking for striped socks and will add green wigs. Another costume mom did most of the shopping for pieces. I still have one costume to shop for (Mr. Bucket) and one to sew (Violet as she becomes a blueberry). I have the pattern planned and all the material, I just need to cut and sew.

2009-01-29T22:30:00.001-08:00

This is What a Geek House Looks Like

This is the note that was posted on my computer when I got back from a business trip last Friday. Mr. Engineer was calculating how long it takes to recharge a Wii remote using its USB charger. I love my family!