Just look at that face...

There is no denying it is kitten season here in Northern California.

Here is the latest addition to yet another colleague's household.

This is Hannah Rose. She is one of 6 little darlings that were found and taken care of by a co-worker till they were old enough to leave mom. 5 girls and 1 boy (talk about out numbered), all gray except for one white darling with gray tipped ears (she went home with another co-worker).

This little darling is currently curled up on my desk fast asleep. Not much appears to phase her.

I think she'll have lots of fun.

On a knitting note. The latest booties are thus far still the same size. Things are starting to get fun working the heel and heel turn for both on the same needles, so I expect them to start to differ here, because I have NO IDEA what I'm doing right now.

Jet skiing again this weekend, so have a fun one.

What a slacker

Well maybe not. Even life has a way of getting between us and our hobbies. And if you have more than one hobby, look out.

What on earth did I do for the past week? Apparently tried to poison hubby honey (sorry baby) with some REALLY REALLY bad quesadillas. Let's just say he has taken over the cooking for a while in effort to keep us both alive for at least a little while longer. Hehe - oops.

Pan's Labyrinth is a definite must see. Warning though, it is a dark film. Really dark film. Be prepared for that. Plus there are subtitles unless you are fluent in Spanish. So no-brainer knitting is required if you must knit while watching the movie.

Look what I finished. My first ever project on DPNs. Started about a year ago.

They are the Fingerless Gloves in the pattern from Mac&Me.

For them, I used the recommended Blue Sky Alpaca and yes I know they don't match. It's MUCH more fun this way. Since they are for me, it doesn't really matter. They still need to be blocked. But they are closer to a match in size than anything else I've made two of to date. Woo Hoo!

I am also working on a pair of baby booties that are, of course, late. Thankfully the baby isn't late yet. Yep those are my new old standby - Cat Bordhi's Baby Life Rings Socks in Koigu. Lots of pinks and purples in this yarn. Let's hope the baby really is a girl. LOL

I have a new virtual friend I'd like you all to go check out. Her name is Kathleen, and she's local to me, so maybe she'll end up a real time friend too. She and her friend the Sock Pixie are working on a fundraiser for a wonderful cause - Knit and Make a Difference for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children...

I am very hard of hearing myself. I wasn't born with it. I hope my children won't be. I've had all the current genetic testing known to man to try to find a marker for it, but it just is. I cannot fix it, it won't go away, after 28 years you hopefully learn to deal with it.

When mine came to light (at age 9) and THREE YEARS later the quack (translation: military audiologist) was shipped states side (I lived in germany then), the new one promptly gave me hearing aids. At that point, my stupid school decided that since I now needed hearing aids, I must be stupid and would require a tutor. GR. I was a straight A student, I lip read, I made do and got really good grades. Thanks to Mom, the school was told to stick their tutor where the sun don't shine.

So, help KWC and the Sock Pixie make sure there are resources available for when a youngling you know needs assistance most with hearing loss or impairment.

On a fun note. DH and I spent Saturday jet skiing around the Sacramento River Delta with a couple of friends. This pic wasn't taken then, but doesn't it look like fun?That's me on my 2004 GTX 4-Tec Supercharger (or something or other) completely out of the water while jumping the wake of our friends' sailboat that we were bringing in to take it to dry dock. Loads of fun. Come join us some time.

Not much going on in Tiny Tyrant land

Not that many people actually read this blog, but just wanted to let everyone know that all is well.

Not too much is going on. Still trying to house break Scrat the Brat. Trying to keep the house clean and the yard tidy.

I am officially on a yarn diet. Okay, technically I have been since January, but I was really bad and now I must make up for it.

We have a new addition to the house. No, not ANOTHER animal. I am not that far down that particular road to insanity. Yet.

We are the proud owners of our very own pinball game. Bugs Bunny's Birthday Bash. It is loads of fun. For the most part I don't suck too bad at it, but would like to be able to make the 50 Million shot when I actually trigger the stupid thing.

Had a good night this past Saturday up at the observatory.

Not a whole lot of knitting is going on right now, but tomorrow will make up for that since it is Knit Night at Borders and I haven't been in a month. I'll be there with the baby booties I need to finish between now and next Tuesday.

Still recovering on the surgery front. Wish it were going better, but I'll get there.

Life goes on.

Just call me Jenn....

This is the story of a dork that runs around on the internet under the moniker of Tiny Tyrant.

Very few people know that this young (ha she wishes!) lady is really known as just plain Jenn.

Why Tiny Tyrant?

Probably because of the year she badgered enough of her co-workers into forming about 4 separate volleyball teams for the business park league whether they wanted to play or not.

Any way, when you're 5'2" and have the temper better suited to a redhead - you get called things MUCH worse than Tiny Tyrant, so she thinks she'll go with it. You never know, she might bite if she hears what you really think of her.

Last week the Tiny Tyrant was in fine form. Work was driving her nuts, in spite of the wonderful news of a promotion (how will she EVER live up to the new title?), a couple of people in particular decided to take an extra dose of stupid by Tuesday and it was all TT could do to keep her temper and tone of voice under control.

Then there was that whole medical thing. Thankfully that turned out well, but the stress of that on top of everything else was almost too much.

But wait! There was a light at the end of the tunnel. Tiny Tyrant was getting a girls night out the day before her surgery. The Yarn Harlot was coming to town and TT had been planning for it for at least 2 months. Nothing was getting in the way of this, not volleyball, not work, not surgery (okay maybe surgery but she got lucky with that one).

TT and her trusty colleague Taunya had plans to leave work early to get a parking place and have a nice dinner before heading down the street to the bookstore. Seating passes were ready, books to be signed were packed (TT has all four you know), the present for Ms Pearl-McPhee was wrapped.

Then TT's phone rings. It was time for TT and T to leave so they wouldn't be late. Voicemail really is a beautiful thing, especially if you KNOW you won't be in the office the next day. TT managed to escape while still covering her bases, because she really didn't want to leave anyone in a bind.

Dinner was great. Then they headed down to the bookstore at 6:15 and OH MY GOSH the number of people that had beaten them there was amazing. Okay not really since this was the Yarn Harlot after all.

If you are any kind of knitter, you use every weapon in your arsenal to go see this woman in person.

TT and T found a couple of seats and settled in with what else but their knitting. TT, having a short attention span and all managed to work on or frog every project she brought with her while waiting for the Harlot to speak, and while she was speaking. T finished her third sock and started another. TT really is a dork at heart because she has NO pictures of this.

The talk was wonderful, people were laughing and knitting and having a grand old time. Then the book signing began, or more pointedly (lol) the line for the book signing. The talk started at 7pm. By the time TT and T made it up to the Harlot's realm (10 pm after at least one phone call from hubby making sure TT is okay), TT couldn't see how the Harlot was still smiling and making people laugh and not being nervous at all.

Now being an alter ego and all TT doesn't expect to ever get recognized, anywhere. Having just become a recent commenter to the Harlot's blog, she knows there is no way Ms Pearl-McPhee will ever recognize her, but she tries anyway. TT had the little post-it to personal her books labeled with Tiny Tyrant. If nothing else she'd at least have that in her books.

TT (nervous as all get out) walks up and says hi and hands the Harlot her gift:

Batik Needle holder
Rowan Kidsilk in Fuchsia (TT's not totally stupid you know)
A skein of super wash merino fleece
A wool needle from Knitterly
A pair of straights from Japan (Thanks 'Mom' - only gave away one pair)

YH was kind enough to enthuse over all of it, which was wonderful. As all three of us were fighting to get everything back into it's wrapper (the needle holder) I asked her to sign my books.

I couldn't believe it when she said: "You're Tiny Tyrant? That's like introducing yourself as Bruce Wayne then letting everyone know you're Batman!" (I'm paraphrasing my memory sucks sometimes)

She took TT & T's picture with THE SOCK:


Then T took a picture of TT with Ms Harlot.



And they both headed home pretty much on cloud nine. It couldn't have been a better night.

Note that TT realized belatedly that she still had her hospital bracelet from the preop appointment. It was mentioned at the beginning, she is a dork.

But she's a dork that knits, so all is well.

A new day filled with relief

I have survived what was possibly the least fun day in my life next to the surgery I had back in November (from which I'd just finished recovery before this one came along).

Good news was had at the end of the day so all is well and I have hope again.

Back story:
I had a C-section 17 years ago. My son was given up for adoption. My mother was absolutely convinced the doc butchered me given the incision scar. I REALLY REALLY hate it when she is very close to right.

The mass in the ultrasound was massive scar tissue from the C-Section. There was only enough of an opening to my uterine cavity to MAYBE pass a 2mm knitting needle through, which was the only reason I still manage to menstrate or we would have found out about this sooner.

Natural birth control thanks to scarring from a C-section done after 26 hours of labor. Sigh - all that money wasted on BC pills.

So doc had to essentially recreate the opening at the end of my cervical canal, just to get the hysteroscope in to make sure there were no other masses.

The inside of my uterus is a dream. No polyps, no fibroids, no masses, nothing but healthy looking lining and two non blocked openings for the fallopian tubes.

The hope for a cheerful outcome to my own personal baby quest is renewed.

And with that this blog returns to knitting with the next post.

I am headed back to bed to continue resting.

Thank you for all the comments due to the jump off from the Yarn Harlot's blog. Many thanks to the Yarn Harlot for making the night before my surgery so much fun.

If you haven't seen her speak, you must if you consider yourself any kind of knitter.

More on the Petaluma Represent! later with pictures.

Be careful what you wish for

Had appointment.

Surgery is scheduled....

in LESS THAN 48 HOURS!

Yes, I want the mass gone.

Yes, I want to know what the he77 it is.

No, I'm not actually prepared to find out.

So my next two days just turned into a timing nightmare.

Thursday:

6:30 - drag arse out of bed
7:15 - leave for work
7:50 - get first dose of hot cocoa
9:00 - (yeah right) get second dose
11:15 - leave for pre-op appointment
2:00 - hopefully back in office - spend rest of afternoon making sure all my work stuff is covered while I'm out - I JUST know I'll miss something
4:30 - leave for pre Harlot signing dinner and a parking space
7:00 - YARN HARLOT!
10:00 - hopefully home with all four books signed since I have to be at hospital Friday morning at 8:30 and I won't sleep a wink.

Friday:

7:00 - drag arse out of bed
8:00 - leave for hospital
10:30 - I BETTER be asleep because that's when the hysteroscopy starts
Rest of day - no freaking clue. Just hope to be home and resting with news that it is NOT something that couldn't be removed or something they couldn't do anything about.

Next two weeks - wait for biopsy results

Sigh. June just got REALLY sucky.

Absolutely Terrified

I love the Yarn Harlot. Okay people not THAT way! She is funny, smart and a super knitter. In short, my new hero. Sorry Stephen Hawking, but knitting something that fits is a MUCH more attainable goal then actually finding my own black hole, I think - have you seen my gauge?

However, she is killing me with those baby sweaters. Not maliciously mind you. She has absolutely no idea she's doing it and it's not her fault, they are absolutely adorable and I want one, but mostly I want something to put it on besides my dog.

Hubby and I have been trying for almost two years. Took a two minute ultrasound at the fertility specialist I finally agreed to see to find what is probably the problem.

A frakking big huge (to me anyway) mass smack in the middle of my uterine cavity right where the munchkin to be would implant if it weren't blocking everything!

EEP!

I am scared for three reasons:

1. I have access to the internet. This is not good in a situation like this
2. I worry incessantly
3. Everything I found states this should have shown up in the HSG test I had last July and it didn't! Which means it has manifested to it's current size in the past 10 months. That should be enough to scare even the most laid back person.

So tomorrow is the "Hi Doc! Guess what the fertility doctor found? GET RID OF IT!" appointment that will lead (at least it better) to a scheduling of the removal of said scary mass.

The really really scary part will come from waiting for the lab work to tell me if my fears are completely unfounded. I'd say fingers are crossed, but that would mean I could not knit to take my mind off of it.

On the bright side, my hero will be in town in two days and I get to go see her. It will be a welcome diversion.

PS Please let the Harlot switch back to socks.

If we didn't love 'em, we'd kill 'em

Our co-workers that is...

While I should have been knitting this week, let's just say that the holiday wasn't survived as well as I'd hoped. I managed to trip over a curb Monday night on the way home and bash up my right hand good. While I can still knit- I must knit slowly because of the pain.

So, as an outlet, I opted to pull a practical joke on one of my co-workers. Now granted he asked for it, so it's no hold barred in the newly declared cube wars.

I am NOT a fan of pink but any stretch of the imagination. Period. No Way. No How. Only exception being the Pink Panther. Anyway, my colleague found out about this and spent one day this week torturing me with references to all things pink. I immediately vowed to get him back. Care to see what I did?


First, actually last, the entrance to his cube.











Then his monitors and chair.














Then the walls and desk:










Maybe I have too much time on my hands, but I doubt it.