how does this happen? three different sizes of dpn's, and I can only (currently) put my hands on three needles of each set? I'm as puzzled as you are and inclined to blame it on a house elf.  

Tales from school

A few notes on medical school (to make up for the fact that I am *still* knitting sleeves for Sonnet; why don’t I ever do the sleeves first?!):

Our first two years are spent in the classroom with a few outside medical preceptorships (such as my ER/OR, primary care/family practice, and other medical experiences). The first year classroom time was spent in subjects like gross anatomy (that could be a whole post in itself), physiology and biochemistry (and other things that help explain how the anatomy works at a cellular level), and things like population health (how to read medical papers with a critical eye) and medical jurisprudence (what happens when we will, inevitably, be sued). There were other things like basic pharmacology, clinical skills classes (that thought us how to use all the fun expensive equipment we all had to buy – stethescope, bp and ear/eye thingymajigors) and our osteopathic manipulative class. It was a long year and I was glad to get through it.

Second year is set up differently because it’s all system based; this means that we learn everything that can go wrong with a body system (such as respiratory, GI or reproductive) and then review radiology films and how to diagnose the conditions in a clinical setting. Usually we have one system exam, and once it’s over, we’re done. I’m still working on trying to believe I know everything that can go wrong with the heart (cardio) or the blood (hematology), and I’m going to need to remember every system in order to pass the boards.

The third and fourth years are the “clerkship” years, and will be spent rotating through hospitals and clinics. Our school doesn’t have a hospital associated with it, and so our third year will be spent spread out in programs across the northeast. We have some say in where we’ll be, but it is a lottery system and our lottery is this Friday. Leading up to the lottery we’ve had informal (anon) surveys and some site spots are more sought after then others; which means the people who want to be in those spots are all very stressed out about if they’re actually “get” a spot. (there are as many as 22 spots in some areas, and as few as 8 in others; seems that the ones that are causing the most stress are the sites with fewer spots.)

(it sounds confusing because it is!)

People have different reasons for wanting to go all over the place; some have families and significant others to consider, and some are looking to where they want to do their residency. Some want to return to an area that’s closer to home, and some want to be where there will be students from other schools (whereas others want to be the only students at a site).

I’m in a unique situation because of my state funding; if I want it, I can choose to stay here, instead of having to lottery to stay. I’m taking this option, but will need to lottery for the tracks (tracks are things such as OB, surgery, internal medicine etc; we have a certain number of core rotations in the basics (like those above) we have to do, and after we figure out where we’re going to be we’ll fight it out to figure out our schedules.)

This being said, people are tired (possibly because we’re all ready to be done with school) and stressed (due to things like the upcoming lottery) and in various stages of health (seems that the cold thing I had is going around and some are just now getting the sore throat I started with a week ago…).

Tensions are high, and I’ll be glad when this whole lottery event is over!!!

Happiness is....

- finding all of my yarn and getting it together in one place
- a new medical drama that I will be able to watch (instead of having to study!) tonight
- clean sheets (that aren’t knit OR flannel!) on my bed
- a beautiful spring day like today!

I took it upon myself to hunt down (perhaps subconsciously I missed not having an egg hunt?) all of my yarn; I found it in places I knew about as well as in places I hadn’t remembered hiding it! My “stash” is somewhat organized, and I think it’s safe to say I don’t need to buy any more yarn. At all. I have more yarn then I remembered, and it’s all the more reason for me to stay away from yarn stores (my credit card will thank me!). I'm going to try and get a good picture of it this week so I can flash my stash on Friday.

Growing up I had one of the best Easter Bunny’s in the world; our egg hunt was legendary among my friends, and many years it was June/July before we finally uncovered the ever elusive “dollar” eggs. The three kids had color coded plastic eggs (I was pink and purple, one of my brothers was green/blue, and the other was yellow/orange) filled with a quarter, a few nickels or dimes or (the easy ones) were filled with chocolate. Each of us had one “dollar” egg, and finding it was like finding gold. One year the Easter Bunny used masking tape and it wasn’t until the curtains came down for spring cleaning that my egg was found taped to the inside of the upper sill. One pink egg remained hidden for years before I found it hidden in an overhead, rarely used light fixture. It has always been one of my favorite holidays. (my love of rabbits notwithstanding!)

I have high hopes for “Grey’s Anatomy” tonight and hope it’s worth staying up for. Shows like ER, Scrubs and Medical Investigation, though good, aren’t worth me trying to set my schedule around anymore. I still try and find Scrubs on Tuesday nights, but even that sometimes leaves me wanting more show and less commercials. I think medical students are a hard crowd to please; I know that I want a mix of facts and humor that is also somewhat “real” and doesn’t get too dramatic or overdone. My parents enjoy watching “House” but I can’t seem to get that channel with my rigged up antenna, so I’ll have to catch it in re-runs at some point. I used to read every type of “medical” book or book on being a doctor or the journey of medical school/residency I could find and think I’d still enjoy them if I had the time; tv shows are doing their best to fill my literature void.

I finally got around to making the chicken soup I’ve been craving this week, and it tasted as good as I hoped it would. I added the noodles too soon, and they were a bit too mushy, but other then that I was pleased with my crock-pot cooking. I whipped up the scones because they sounded good, but also put a quiche and some ground beef in to cook. (If I’m going to have the oven on I might as well fill it with things!) I normally have lots of things to throw into a quiche, but this week all I could find was frozen pesto and a green pepper that had seen better days. It cooked up okay, and I’ll eat it, but I think I need to get to the grocery store sometime this week...

My sonnet sleeve is moving along and I hope to have it finished and the other one started tonight. If it doesn’t happen tonight, I’ll get to it sometime tomorrow during our 8 hours of lecture…..

happiness is....homemade chicken soup, orange-cranberry scones hot from the oven (severed on my favorite "flying pigs" plate) and a glass of red wine....happy Easter!  

Saturday

Thanks for bearing with me – between blogger not letting me post or edit, and my current “head filled with snot” condition, it’s been a few days too many since my last real post!

Blogger issues: are rumored to be fixed tomorrow during an upgrade on their end. I hope it all comes out in the wash and is running smoothly soon! (I’ve learned and started composing posts in word because I’ve lost a few too many posts to the “page cannot be displayed” gods and several times I've logged on to see half my page missing; reloading sometimes works but even then I get errors!) If I had an income right now I’d have (done like the masses did and) switched over to a typepad account this week. The problem is that I’m cutting all costs (see post here for in depth comments on my finances) and even $5 a month seems like an expense I should do without for at least a few more months. I’m commuting further this year then I have in the past, and climbing gas prices aren’t helping my monthly budget!

Knitting: I am a starter, and have a hard time finishing things. (Denial was a wonderful thing that I enjoyed before blogging; now I find myself thinking about all of my projects and how much/little progress I’ve made on them!) Haiku is finished, and is pretty dang cute if I say so myself! My classmate, the little one’s mom, saw it in progress last week and thinks it’ll fit her beautiful 10 month old daughter. (the story goes something like this: I started a summer sweater for the little one before it was born, then, upon realizing it wasn’t going to fit a newborn, started (with new yarn) a fall sweater. That never reached completion and I started yet another sweater in a 12 month size in hopes that it’d be done by her first birthday. Mission accomplished! (and up here it’s cool enough in the early summer evenings to warrant having a sweater around.))

I’ve seen a few “flash your stash” links, and need to read more about it. My apartment is in an embarrassing condition right now, and having a reason to get all of my yarn together is a good motivator to get things picked up and organized. In an ideal world after we finish a system for school (like the GI system that was finished before break) I’d then sit down and organize and put away my notes. Unfortunately I find myself piling all of my papers and forgetting about them as I concentrate on the newest system (in this case, reproductive, or “repro”). The warmer weather is here (knock on wood!) and I’m ready to do some spring cleaning/organizing!

(I think it helps that I’m feeling a bit better too; I spent most of today in bed with tissues and cough drops and my laptop with season 6 part II of Sex and the City. I feel better, but am still clutching tissues for my next sneeze! I sound a lot like the characters on tv who all have “codes.”)

what will I knit next? I have a yoga mat bag that I need to whip up (one of my silent auction donations from awhile back) and I was reunited with my “lost” luggage this week and can now finish my Sonnet sleeves and get that sweater seamed and finished (I took it with me but it wasn’t as portable as Haiku was). I have a few other projects that I want to work on and at some point want to get back into my Dulaan knitting groove. (speaking of dulaan hats, I need to figure out how to line them with some fleece I have; Norma posted a great tutorial on how to line them, and I think it’s where I’ll start.)

if I'm able to get online tomorrow I'll post the happiness is post when I'm able to.

Happy Easter to all who celebrate!

Haiku is finished
it's only nine months too late
but now it will fit!

thank you to my pal across the drink! (the yarn is beautiful, and the bunny thing in this picture is actually a mirror! The bookmarkers are already in use, and a few of the chocolate bunnies are missing....(and the yellow bunny pin is still on my white coat!) Thank you again!  

Laying Low

The stars have alligned themselves, or the moon must be almost full, or something else is sending strange vibes out into the universe…

Or it could be that the second year medical students are tired and cranky and the rest of the world is trying to catch itself up on paperwork. (knitting news is at the bottom, feel free to scan down to the last two paragraphs)

For example: one group at school thought they’d play a joke and send around a fictious “sign up if you are interested in this workshop” sheet in class. It wasn’t funny, and has made several people very angry. (I am not as angry as some but agree that it was completely and totally unprofessional) For students who should be rested and happy to see each other we certainly aren’t….

Someone from an insurance company called today to see if I was going to file a report for the car accident that happened on March 5th of this year. It took some figuring out, but eventaully it was evident that was the night that my car bumper was cracked. I noticed the bumper was cracked when I went out the next morning, but figured someone had hit me trying to parallel park. Turns out an uninsured driver collided with the car parked behind me, and both cars wound up near totalled. The car parked behind me was pushed into my car, and I’m lucky I only had a craked bumper. (the police got involved and the only thing I can figure is that it happened after I’d gone to bed, and because I was parked down the street aways I had no idea what was going on. I am very very very glad I still have my car and the bumper was fix-able with some duct tape and a new bumper sticker!)

I’m also under the (beautiful! and very spring-like!) weather. My sore throat started a few days ago and I kept thinking it’d be better soon. I’m on the third day and hope that today will be the worst of it. Tea and peach sorbet are the only things that are easy to swallow and now my ears are doing that “sore with a touch of echo-y.” I’m a med student; last I checked we’re not allowed to get sick.

Today we had our pap smear/how to do a breast exam lecture and practice with plastic parts. The steps are fairly straight forward, but as most women know there is potential for pain and uncomfortableness. Like the prostate exams, we have an evening time slot when we'll be praticing on standardized patients, and I think the first time has to be the worst.

In other, knitting related news, my pal from across the pond made my week! I had been on the lookout for something fun in my mailbox and it arrived in the form of a package slip. It took a day or two for me to get to the post office during work hours but it was well worth the wait! The beautiful blue/purple/pink yarn screams “Spring!” and the other goodies are already in use! (she sent these great book-mark type things that are perfect for my textbooks! And a fun pencil, a bunny mirror and pin (the pin is on my white coat right now) and some chocolate bunnies! I really do feel like she has figured me out.

Haiku is puttering along and should be done tomorrow; I am almost out of yarn, and technically am done with the pattern, but I’m making the sleeves a bit longer. My mom found daisy buttons and they are sewn on and with a bit of tweaking of the button holes it’ll be perfect! (I have tried taking pictures of it but they don’t come out very clearly, especially now that I’m relying on articificial light.) I’m going to try and get up early enough tomorrow that I can take a picture of a (finished!) sweater and the goodies my pal sent me.

the casulty of taking knitting to lectures and shoving it back in my bag when it was time for hands-on learning; knots and tangles! This is the trip home on one of the flights that feautred Starbucks coffee. (this is the yarn I'm using for Haiku)  

the view from my hotel room; the contrast between the casinos and the mountains was amazing! (esp at night when everything was lit up!)  

an "N" in the mountainous view from the hotel 

sheep! or, the picture in my hotel room; (a view taken from the side because from the front there's a glare from the windows opposite the picture) 

the sisters knitting on the plane; one is un-doing a scarf and the other is knitting away, both with various novelty yarns.  

ramblings from a trip out West

My trip started out with my alarm going off after a night of little sleep; I wasn’t worried about traveling, or forgetting anything, but instead I worried about not waking up on time.

After missing a turn on the trip to the airport, I got turned around and in a moment of panic and seeing an image of my plane taking off without me, I made a call and figured out what I needed to do to be where I needed to be. I got to the airport, parked and checked in with the carrier in record time! Then I sat and waited, because my flight was an hour delayed; seems everything leaving Atlanta was grounded due to weather (thunderstorms and heavy rain) and everything was “backed up.” It worked out for me because I was able to sit and do a guage swatch and get started on Haiku (the overdue sweater for a little one). Eventually the plane arrived and we all packed on board (if the proper term for leaving the plane is “deplaning” then why don’t they call it “planing” when we all get on?) . The trip to Atlanta was uneventful and I attemped to study a board review book and knit. The word attempted is key in that sentence.

In the Atlanta airport I got in an extra-long line at a Starbucks and eventually gave up and headed to my gate with the intention of returning for a latte later in the evening. I spied a woman knitting with metal circular needles, and feeling brave I said “excuse me, but did they give you a hard time about getting those through security?” She looked at me with a surprised look and said that yes, they’d considered taking them, but gave her a harder time about her crocet hooks! They did let her through with everything, but strongly suggested she pack them in her checked luggage next time. I introduced myself and told her I was a knitter, and that started a dicussion about how long we’d been knitting.

She had put down her needles for several years, and recently picked them up so she could knit a sweater for her granddaugher’s American Girl Doll. She dug out the pattern and told me that she’d had a hard time figuring it out, and asked me if it made sense. That led to an impromtu knitting lesson with my started Haiku and I showed her how to cast off and increase, and I helped her decipher the lace pattern for the sweater. She had started the lace pattern but got frustrated when the circumfrance of the sweater shrunk and she seemed to run out of stitches. I explained how to yarn over, and she practiced a few before I could see a light bulb go on and she understood how it worked. She asked a few more questions and I answered the best I could, showing her how to do something and then having her try. She was a wonderful woman, but I think her husband wasn’t sure what to think of the situation! They were on their way home to Kentucky and I hope they made it home safe and sound.

After they boarded the plane I went back to Starbucks and ordered a latte and was called “sweetie” and “baby” but the lovely ladies behind the counter. Southern hospitality is alive and well in many form in the Atlanta airport….

The flights were still backed up and our depature to Reno went from 7:15pm to 8, to 8:30, to 9, to 9:30, and with each delay there was a collective groan from those of us waiting at the gate. Our plane showed up around 9pm, and it was another 45 mintues before we were planed and ready to back away from the airport. While I was waiting I spied a woman a few rows over doing something with what looked like novelty yarn, but I didn’t dare get up because seats were high in demand and I was in no mood to stand amongst the load 20ish guys who had used the extra time in the airport to drink (and drink and drink).

Imagine my surprise when I made my way onto the plane and saw the women with the novelty yarn sitting in the seats next to mine. The two were sisters, and had more novelty yarns with them then I’ve seen in some yarn stores. They were spunky and the one sitting directly next to me was willing to tell me about how she used them, and where they got the yarns, and why she was taking apart the scarf she had just made. She was hilarious, and we were the only three knitting on the flight!

I cat-napped at one point in hopes that the five hour flight would literally fly by, but I had a hard time sitting up and only dozed a few minutes a time. The movie shown was “Finding Neverland” and it was good. It wasn’t until I saw parts of it again on my trip East (a different carrier with the same movie) that I realized I probably slept more then I thought!

It was after midnight when we landed, making it after 3am “my” time. I’d befriended an older couple also going to the conference and together we made our way to the hotel. When I got up to my room I was glad to see that the other people staying with me were still up (I’m a student and in order to make things like this affordable we smoosh as many people as we can into a hotel room, and find the cheapest flights we can online (which sometimes means many stops and layovers and several different carriers!)) After a hot shower I was ready for bed.

The conference was great, and well worth the trouble it took to get there. Sparks (the town we were really in, adjacent to Reno) had their 100th year Sparks Celebration on St. Patrick’s Day complete with green beer, a laser show and fireworks. Several of us ventured outside to celebrate before heading back into the conference for some evening practice time. A good time was had by all. (there are other stories involving $2 margaritas and a waitress with an awful attitude and me being carded for changing pennies in to nickels (“and how old are we?” asked the woman behind the casino desk; everyone always says I’ll be grateful for carding when I’m older, but for now I’d settle looking like I’m 25 and not 17) but it’s getting late and I’m scheduled to TA tomorrow!)

Getting home was another adventure that had me up and leaving the hotel at 4am “pacific” time (I tried as hard as I could to stay on eastern time but that only lasted a day or so before I was always confused about what time of the day it was….). My luggage wound up laying over longer then I did in Philly and was delivered to my parents this afternoon (there’s no place to leave it here at my apartment, and I feel better knowing that it’s safe there rather then missing from here). I got home overtired and sore from sitting in airplane seats all day, but after a good night’s sleep last night I feel better and am still glad I went.

(the bad news is that my sonnet knitting and another project are in the bag at my parents; the good news is that Haiku looks to be done by the end of this week!)

Sorry for the length of this, and it’s potential for confusion. I wanted to get down some of the things that happened before I forgot and got caught up with school again. Classes in the Reproductive system started today and our first (of two) tests is in two weeks. We’re only two systems away from another break for board studying, and before we know it we’ll be out on the wards. It doesn’t seem real, but at some point people are going to trust me with their healthcare. At some point I’m actually going to be a doctor.

(note: I have my own thoughts on the Schiavo case, among other things going on in the world, and hope that you read Cara's thoughts on the subject; I agree completely.)

happiness is....

being home, in the eastern time zone!

(there is more to this story, but blogger is being a pain; pictures and running commentary on knitting and the conference tomorrow, pending bloggers cooperation....)

time to hit the road...

my apartment isn't as picked up as I hoped it'd be, but my doorways are all clear!

With any luck I'll be back Sunday - I hope you enjoy the rest of the week!

Beware the Ides of March

I ran by the local yarn store here in town (not to be confused with the local yarn store in my parent’s town) and picked up buttons for Sonnet; it was a long process and took lots of time (evident by my parking meter being in violation mode even though I’d fed it lots and lots of change) but I think I found some buttons that will work for it. It was hard to see the body of the sweater sitting next to all of the beautiful yarns though, and I started second guessing my choice of the cascade quarto. I’m going to finish it (sleeve one is still underway) and then wear it; by itself (and not laying near hand painted yarns in beautiful spring colors!) I think I’ll like it much more.

I leave from the conference in Reno tomorrow. My apartment is a mess because I’ve been in packing mode, and when I’m in this particular mode I start thinking of things I shouldn’t/can’t forget. In order to not forget these things I put them in the middle of doorways and in front of my apartment door; the theory is that I will have to walk over them a half million times while running around (making sure I have everything) and in order to open my door to leave, I’ll need to move them out of the way and thus will remember to pack whatever it is. (this only works when I don’t move them to the side of the door and leave them!)

All day I’ve had a dull headache; worse when in bright light (the sun) and better when I’m sitting or standing still. A double chocolate milano cookie and tea didn’t help it, and the Tylenol is taking it’s sweet time making a dent in the ache; which means that it’s probably pms. The timing couldn’t be better – tomorrow I take a three hour flight to Atlanta, GA, have a four hour layover, then take a 5 hour (and seven minutes) flight to Reno. I’m not one to overdo pain meds, but I will be armed with Tylenol, ibuprofen and Excedrin tomorrow!

Getting to Reno (and home again) will be an adventure. I love to fly – love love love airplanes, and airports, and people-watching and taking off. I don’t love the tiny seats (only thing I can afford at this point – first class has to wait until I’m a real doctor) and the silly excuse for a “snack,” but I do enjoy an “in flight movie.” The timing of one of my flights is perfect – they are showing “Finding Neverland.” A movie that I missed in the theaters, and have been waiting to see out on dvd. It will make part of that 5hr 7min flight go by much faster! (I am a dork who likes to plan ahead and so I got online to see what the schedule was; now I know that I need to find my earphones and make sure they are packed!)

Knitting on planes always evokes personal controversy with me; When I flew to Florida in December I was careful to pack bamboo needles for my carry on, and made sure all of my metal needles and accessories were in my checked luggage. I emailed the airlines and they said I could take metal needles on board, but I’ve always had my carry-ons searched and at one point held up the security line because there was a tiny pair of nail scissors in my backpack. (They don’t even cut nails that well, but were considered a “threat”) and I don’t want to risk having my metal needles taken away from me, so whatever I knit on the plane needs to be done on whatever bamboo needles I already have or I’m going to need to run by the yarn store or craft/crap/crack store (thank you Alison – see Feb 7th) to pick up some other bamboo needles, or plastic. At this point I’ll go for whatever is cheapest and what size will work for me.

The needle debate would be much easier if I could figure out what I wanted to work on while in-flight, and what type of knitting I think would be best for this trip. Initially I was thinking about small projects – socks, dulaan hats, the yoga bag I have to knit up for the winner of the auction, etc. But now I’m leaning towards starting a sweater - my Debbie Bliss cotton wool is tempting (due to be a striped sweater once I tried a few fair isle swatches and was disappointed in how they turned out).

Right now I think I’m definitely going to take the toddler sweater to work on, and another super secret project; with all the flight time/layover time I’ll have almost 12 hours in the air/ports tomorrow, and 9 hours on the three (yes, 2 flights to get there, 3 flights on another carrier to get home; it’s nearly impossible to get from the East coast to the Near West coast in one trip on a budget, trust me.) flights home again. I plan on reviewing for boards (which means studying from one of my two nifty board review books) and possibly knitting during the lectures/workshops, so whatever I work on needs to be somewhat mindless. (no lace for me!)

Finally, today is the ides of March (I know what it's from, do you?), and it marks three years since my roll-over accident on the Massachusetts Turnpike. I was hit/run off the road and miraculously went from hitting the guard rail on the left hand side of the road to skidding across three lanes of traffic facing the wrong-way or upside down (depending on where I was in the action of rolling over) and finally landing in the right hand “break down” lane (and on fire) without hitting anyone or being hit by another car. My car, Samantha the Saab, was completely totaled, and most of the things that had been in my car (I was on my way home from college for spring break) had spread out across the highway. My first thought when I came to a stop and found myself upside down in a car that had compacted itself around me? If I’m dead, my mother is going to kill me. I walked away, much to the amazement of everyone who witnessed the accident and the doc’s at the hospital who heard the story. Today I still have muscle aches and pains and my head likes to sidebend the same way it was thrown three years ago, but I’m lucky to be alive.

I am posting this here because it’s part of my own story. Please always wear your seatbelt.

a picture of pictures of Sam (antha) the Saab.  

my mom, wearing the sweater I made her for Christmas, holding the sheep that will go to my dad, in the kitchen.Sorta sounds like a game winning combination, eh? (the beaded chain is from a stained glass light fixture over the table, I can't crop it out of the picture!)  

happiness is.....

- not having to shovel almost a foot of snow this weekend
- enjoying time with my family over good (and homemade!) food
- being on spring break and not having to be anywhere tomorrow
- (and thus being able to knit as long as I want!!!)
- four loads of clean and folded laundry

I wasn’t going to head back south today, but it worked out well because I was able to drop my “Boston” brother off at the bus station. The streets are clear but there is snow piled up everywhere, and rumor has it we’re in for another storm next week. I’m flying out on Wednesday and back on Sunday; my only hope is that I’m not stranded at an airport on either end!

Knitting: My mom passed the pulsewarmers I made up for my godmother, and she casually remarked that she liked them. I offered to make her a pair, and knit them up on size 1’s with an extra repeat. (the originals were on size 2’s following the pattern) They were a smiggen bigger and more comfortable, and I was able to get them started and finished yesterday. I also started another Dulaan hat, and started working out how I can line the ones I’ve made with flannel and fleece. My grand plans for working on Sonnet fell through because the bag of knitting that I mentally labelled “do not forget!” was the one thing I managed to leave here this weekend. It all worked out though, as I did remember all of my laundry and doing it for free in a “real” washing machine was worth the trip!

Tomorrow? I’m going to knit my heart out!

storm chasers vs. storm avoiders

this is being written and posted from "up north" at my parents house; the city sent out three (3!) emails today letting me know that there is a parking ban in effect tonight with a high probability that it will extend through the weekend. The notion that another 3-5 inches of snow will fall tonight, and another 8-12 inches will join it on the ground tomorrow was enough to email my parents with the news that I was coming home. I am sick of parking bans. I am sick of shoveling/digging my car out. I am sick of sub-freezing temperatures with wind chill warnings. I am sick of snow. If I close my eyes and don't look out the window, will I be able to avoid this storm? (I don't know who's idea it was for the northeast to try and break the record for "snowiest winter" but if I did know I'd give them a piece of my mind....)

Now my car is parked in the garage and my dad's snowblower is ready to go; it's like a dream come true. I don't have to study anything tonight and instead am going to listen to an audiobook and knit. I got into town in time to run by my favorite yarn store, and they greeted me by name and the owner gave me a discount on the discount yarn.

Life is good.

kno knew knitting knews

I'm a mere 18 hours away from my week of not having to study for a system exam (and instead will be studying for boards) and to say that I'm excited is an understatement!

Sonnet: my mistakes were greater then my progress, and so I finally ripped the start of a sleeve out and left her alone. I'm disappointed that I won't be wearing it tomorrow, but know that it will knit up much much easier when I'm not focused on schoolwork. (Normally I can knit and study without any problems, so I'm not sure what all the mistakes were about....)

(I also tried to start a Dulaan hat and frogged most of it; the same was true of another set of pulsewarmers I picked up this evening.)

After a marathon study session at school this afternoon I'm home to put in another few hours. I really can't wait until the gastrointestional exam is OVER!!!

Other warm winter items gather for a moment of silence to honor the hat that is MIA, presumed sacrificed to the Snow Gods. Present were other hats, scarves and mittens (both paired and unpaired due to past accidents); the Dulaan hats and two strawberry gift hats were also present for moral support.  

a winter accessory (who are we kidding? Necessity) gone MIA

I bundled up this morning – two pairs of socks (one wool), boots, turtleneck and thick wool sweater, my jacket, scarf, mittens and and hat. Feeling a bit like the preverbal child who gets all set to go and then needs to go the to bathroom, I headed out into the crazy excuse for a plowed street.

The snow packed in around my car was almost three feet wide from the side of my car to the street, and the pile hit about midway up the side of my door. It was a disaster. I fetched the shovel from my backseat and started the car from the passengers side (no use trying to open the driver’s side door) and proceeded to start digging out. Half and hour went by and I hadn’t really made a dent in all the snow, partially because I couldn’t just push it away from the car and had to cart it around to the other side of the car to dump it. At the start of my shoveling I found myself thinking about how much I want a garage. A covered structure so I don’t have to scrape my windows, or get all of the snow off of Kennedy before I go somewhere. This thought progressed to how nice it’d be to have a garage AND a boyfriend/husband who liked to use our snowblower. Then I got to thinking about how great a garage, boyfriend/husband, snowblower AND plow truck would be. I decided that it’d be decadent.

(truth be told I’ve always wanted to drive a plow; not one of those “do it yourself” plows, but a real “city-issued” flashing lights and sand things attached plow truck. I can only imagine what it’s like to drive around knowing that you won’t slip off the road in even the worst of storms!)

I continued to dig, push and rearrange the snow around my car, becoming more and more aware that the chances of me getting to class within the first hour were slim to none; but then I heard it: the starting of a snowblower. I looked wistfully around to see if I could figure out where it was, and saw a guy walking towards me from across the street with a knowing look on his face. He didn’t say anything, but got to work getting the bulk of the snow blown away from my car (and into the street). I felt bad about the snow getting spread across a lane of (non-existent) traffic, but I got over it when it took him 5 different passes to get the bulk of the snow moved. (what took him two minutes to do would have had me there for another hour!) He said, with a smile, “that ought to help!” then headed back to his truck to put his toy away.

Life was good until I saw a massive, huge, heavy piece of construction equipment (think back-end loader or something equally as HUGE) with a super sized plow/bucket attachment headed toward my car. The driver had obviously spied the snow in the street and he was here to plow it. I rushed around making sure I had my shovel and window scraper, jumped into the car and started to maneuver myself out of the cramped and still not totally cleared out parking spot. It was tight, and took me a good dozen shifts from drive to reverse and back again, while rocking back and forth and trying to get traction. It was a mess.

Eventually I pulled out of the spot and into traffic, and it wasn’t long before I was on the clear interstate on my way to school. I pulled off my wet mittens and put on a dry pair and reached up to take my hat off.

But I wasn’t wearing a hat anymore.

It was gone. I thought perhaps I had pulled it off and thrown it in the car with the shovel, and so I crossed my fingers and checked when I got into school. It was no where to be seen.

My noro hat is MIA.

The noro I bought for it was my first ever “real” yarn purchase, and the reason I fell in love with it was because the yarn store had a simple hat knit up with the yarn. I hated to spend over $8 a pop for it, but I couldn’t leave it in the store. I loved it – I loved how the colors bled into each other, and how the blues and purples and greens all matched.

I knit that hat three times – once it was too small, and when trying to make it “bigger” on larger needles I made it so big that I ran out of yarn. The third time was the charm, and I figured out what “gauge” meant. It was warm, and I always got complements when I wore it. I just in the past few months got around to seaming it; I worked on it over the course of a few months, and unpacked it (from move #4) last fall.

It will be missed.

(I will keep my eyes peeled for what the melting snow revels, but I’m not holding my breath. The plow guy cleared my spot out and it’s obvious where I was parked this morning; I walked over and didn’t see anything except lots and lots of snow.)

I’m taking bets on when the last of the snow will be gone - as in, there is no snow anywhere outside my window; for reference it’s 18 degrees outside (in what’s left of the sun) and tonight we’ll hit a high 7 degrees. More snow is expected Friday night and we’ve been known to have April storms. (the post on why I love the northeast will appear at some point; I’m a bit bitter to try and compose it right now!)

the view from my window right now (or, why parking bans are a GOOD thing). It's 13 degrees, without the wind chill, and as of 6:15am, classes are going to start at 9am, due to the hour delay. (I'll be using that hour to dig my car out; that pic isn't my car, Kennedy is down the street and hard to get a picture of).

so close!

I’ve almost finished the body of Sonnet, and will start on the sleeves tonight. I thought it was Wednesday all day today and worried that I wouldn’t be able to get it finished by Friday; the “extra” day I have to work on it will help. (it’s Tuesday, it’s Tuesday, it’s only Tuesday….)

We don’t have assigned seats in the lecture hall, but being creatures of habit we all have “our” own seat. I claimed my seat sometime in the first few weeks of school last year (we all tried out a variety of seats before settling into ours) as a few people that now sit around me all settled into theirs. I have a coveted isle seat, and the guy who sits next to me is very aware (and always interested) in my in-class knitting. We enjoy sitting together because somehow we always manage to catch what the other one missed in the lecture, and can supplement our notes. Earlier this week I explained the curse of sleeves, and how I should probably do them first. Today he helped me wind my next skein of cascade into a ball, and I think now he has a new respect for what goes into making a knitted thing! (his exact words were “what is THIS all about?” as we neared the end where the nice skein loops sort of deteriorates and becomes a jumble of yarn.) Usually people around me help me catch my runaway balls of yarn in the middle of class (our 120 person lecture hall is tiered, and my biggest fear is that a ball will suddenly take off and roll down all the steps next to me, interrupting the lecturer down front! (I sit in the back third of the room; sitting in the front was for those who felt like fighting to maintain their seat; that’s just not my style.)

(would it be easier to get a swift and a ball-winder to make center pull balls? Yup. However, right now the money I could use to buy those is all being used for other things, like yarn.)

There are a few other pictures I have of people knitting at the sew-up. I’ll post them at some point, as I don’t think anyone will mind.

It’s icing and raining sleet/snow/rain – it changes every few minutes. (I can tell because the ice keeps hitting my window and “tinking” and the snow is sticking to the ledge!) With any luck it will be cleared up (and the streets will be sanded and clear!) by the time I have to head into class tomorrow. The next storm is due to be here Friday night, which works out okay for me. Our test is from 10-12 Friday morning, and I’m going to spend part of the afternoon at the used book store that supports Hospice (paperbacks are fifty cents, hardcovers are $1 and all proceeds go to hospice) and the yarn shops in town. (one that has an amazing selection of buttons that I foresee myself needing for Sonnet. I figure I can knit it and wear it without buttons Friday morning, as all of the knowledge I’ve knit into it (and will continue to work into it) will seep out without needing buttons.)

Ann kindly donated yarn door prizes for the sew-up, and like Wendy, I now have my first ever Rowan Cotton Glace yarn! I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it, but a trip to the yarn store might help me figure it out…….

the happy farm animals (the sheep actually looks concerned, the cow looks miffed and the duck looks puzzled, but all together don't they look happy?) edited to add: I'm kidding. In person they are adorable and very, very soft!

a few people seaming, a few people knitting and everyone talking: the one picture I took that came out okay (meaning not blurry, not tinted too orangey or not of someone looking a bit distraught!)  

Happiness is.....

- a successful sew-up with the Boston knitters yesterday
- having an apartment clean enough to host a 6 hour study group here this morning/afternoon
- knowing that next week this time I’ll be two days into my spring “break”
- finally having a Kohl’s Cares for Kids Sheep in my possession

Words cannot describe what it’s like to stand in a room full of knitters I’ve read about – all are kind souls and can keep a conversation going! Julia is fabulous – full of energy, laughter and enthusiasm. Wendy had on a beautiful sweater and (I'm sure) took some great pictures! (I'd made a mental note to wish her a happy birthday and completely forgot!) Alison is wonderful and I had to stop myself from wanting to say to her (and Kay and Julia) – do you know who you are? You’re you! And I’ve been reading about you for a long time. I can’t believe it’s you!?

Kay asked me a question about my sweater and it took all I had not to say “thanks for your website and the patterns and the advice you emailed me about way back when I didn’t have a blog and knew very little about what I was doing!” and instead stumbled with the words, “Yes – it was knit in the round.” (I will know better next time and hope to meet up with them again so I can prove that I can keep up in a conversation and do more then simply concentrate on sewing while looking almost uninterested! I’m no longer afraid to admit that I’m socially inept. I always knew I was an introvert, but my oh my I have a ways to go before I can be dubbed a social butterfly. Social catipillar maybe?)

Kimberly and Juno were hilarious, and had all of us gafawing at points during the day – it was a treat to meet everyone and see what a community of knitters is capable of. The afghan squares were beautiful, and seeing them come together as an (almost finished blanket was great. Kathy and (other people I can't remember names of and) I worked on the purple/red one, and none of the pictures I took (I forgot I had my camera and only got a few!) came out. Both Alison and Julia have pitctures posted. Be sure not to miss the priceless picture of the young man who oversaw our end of the table's sewing. He had strong opinions about how things should be done, and a few times proclaimed that we were doing "good sewing." The random comment he made about not needing to felt the blanket for it to be done put a smile on all of our faces as we agreed with him.

I left in the late afternoon so I could head home and get some studying in before the night was over. (I feel like I have shackles of school studying pulling me out of fun things sometimes!) Today I had a few people join me as we reviewed objectives; it’s amazing how time flies when there are so many things to learn. We could have continued for another few hours, but there were other commitments, and we all agreed that we needed a break. I’ve got some additional things to review tonight and we’re going to try and gather again this week to keep going over things. The GI system final is on Friday, and then we’re only a few systems away from the end of the year! (which means boards…something I’ve got to get out of denial about and start studying for.)

I’ve been looking for a project to take with me on my many, many flights (and hours of waiting in airports) to Reno. The conference is going to be a good one (and that just means that not only will I attend the workshops I signed up for but will sit in on the lectures as well) but I think I’ll have plenty of time to knit. I really want to start a Rouge, but after looking at several different yarns online, nothing is jumping out at me. Actually, several things jumped out at me, but I can’t decide on just one and am going to wait. Finances are another reason to hold off, and so I’ve turned back to the cascade quartro I bought in January. I really want to find a boxy yet slightly fitted cabled cardigan pattern, and am having little luck. I’m going to scout out a few different yarn shops this week, and if all else fails I’ll make something up and edit it as I go. I can see what I want in my head, and don’t think it’d be that hard to add a few things to a simple pattern.

Finally, I was able to get my hands on a very hard to get ahold of Kohl’s Sheep! It took trips to different Kohl’s and phone calls over a few days, but someone found me one in a box that had just come off the truck. (I went back to customer service and the guy told me they had literally just been checked in and they’d have to open the box for me; they can’t keep them in stock and after the guy brought it out to me other people in line asked if they could buy one too….I just checked the website and they don't have them listed anymore) It was worth the wait, and worth the $5 that will be (after expenses) donated to the Children’s Center at a Hospital nearby. I'm holding this one for my dad, who will get it at Easter. The duck and cow? no plans for them yet, but I don't mind holding onto them until something comes up!

Chasing Sheep

It's been a long day, and I'm going to put in another hour or two of studying tonight so I can enjoy tomorrow's sew-up without worrying about how far behind I am.

I'll be back with pictures (hopefully, I need to remember to pack my camera) and stories of how amazing everyone is in person. And stories of how the carma of my family needs to change - the car problems now extend well beyond my dear Kennedy.

I'm off to hit the books!
(the title of this post will make sense tomorrow, I think)

Books, books, books!

Lorette (The Knitting Doctor) is a woman of many firsts for me; not only was it her blog that inspired me to get my own, but she was one of the first knitting bloggers I emailed, and she was one of the first people to leave me a comment. Now she can add another "first" to her growing titles, as I've been tagged for the book meme. I never thought I'd do these things, but I love books and love to read and how can I not now that I was tagged by her?!?

(disclaimer: I love to read. It's up there with knitting but has had to take a backseat since school started. My answers will be long and rambling and probably written with a wishful tone that implies the thought "I wish I were reading now....I wish I had time to read...someday I will have time to read again....")

Last Book Read: (strictly speaking books for "fun" and not texts for school) I'm ashamed (almost) to admit that this is a toss up between "Duck For President" and "Giggle, Giggle, Quack." Both are children's picture books written by Doreen Cronin, author of "Click, Clack, Moo."

(additional disclaimer: little known fact about me? I love picture books. For one of my college graduation gifts my parents picked out several picture books that represent different things. For instance, "Click, Clack, Moo" (picked out by my dad) has "to persevere" written on the first page by my mom. I also received books to laugh, remember, to give thanks, to nourish (a unique cookbook) and unwrapping each one was a reason to smile. Most of them I'd never heard of, and my mom pulled it off with the help of the lovely people at Chinaberry. (link of the side - their catalog is like reading the best reviews of books for kids, teens and some adult books. I look forward to every new issue!) The final thing I opened that day was a card from my parents that had a picture of my rocking chair in it; written under the picture it said "to rock." I thought it was a joke, but then they took me to the other room and there it was - by beautiful chair.)

Where it came from: both were bought for $5 each from Kohl's; they are "Kohl's Cares for Kids (tm)" books and all proceeds support a local children's hospital. Usually I try and support the local shops for buying books, and I can't walk past a used bookstore without poking my nose in (and usually walking out with something).

Books read per year: I have no idea. I used to check 7-10 books out of the library and read them in two weeks and return them for additional books, but now my time is dominated with studying and reading medical books/journals.

Favorite genre: fiction, but I like nonfiction, biography and others.

Five Favorite Books: I'm afraid I'm going to have to make this 10 and divide up kids and adult books.... (and I'm using the excuse that I've already openly admitted to loving "Winnie The Pooh" as an adult to choose other books that you haven't already heard me gush about.)

for kids: (or adults!)
The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams
a story about "being real" and what it means to live life to the fullest without caring about what others think of you. I couldn't appreciate this story as a child and now read it whenever I need a reminder that being authentic is the way to go. This book is one of the main reasons I love rabbits. (the Run Away Bunny is the other)

Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney
this book is beautiful; the illustrations are soft and detailed and the story is simply wonderful. A girl growing says that when she is older she will travel to far away places and when she is old, will live by the sea. Her grandfather challenges her to make the world more beautiful, and this is the story of how she does all three things. A lengthy read for kids, but worth it!

The Golden Compass (and "His Dark Materials" trilogy) and The Ruby in the Smoke (and other two books in the Lockhart trilogy (historical fiction)) by Phillip Pullman
I first read the Lockhart series in the wrong order, and was amazed at the way the whole story ties together. Finishing all three of them was like watching a very satisfying movie that leaves you thinking "how did they do that again? I just want to see that scene again..." I've reread them several times and am still blown away that he fit together so well. "His Dark Materials" are dark, and involved theology and many adult themes. I read them as they were published and every time the last book release date was pushed back I groaned, but it was worth the wait. I've re-read this set as well, and often discover something new each time. I also have these as audiobooks, and think they are best for adults. (I love Madeline L'Engle as well, and his writing is much like the complicated Murry family books)

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Voirst
the title says it all, Alexander is having a rough day. The simple line drawings have stood the test of time, and this is a great read aloud book! (another one I pick up when I think things can't possibly get any worse....)

The Eleventh Hour (A Curious Mystery) and Animalia by Graeme Base
this Aussie author/illustrator is phenomenal. Our family read The Eleventh Hour one year at Christmas and it sparked controversy amoungst us as we figured out "who did it." Beware though, that this isn't your typical mystery. The book is full of codes, both with numbers and letters and pictures. I won't say any more, but my dad successfully figured it out and we knew who did it before we split the last section of the book (sealed). This is another kids book that can be enjoyed by anyone! Animalia is a feast for the eyes as every letter in the alphabet is discovered with alliteration, and another puzzle.

For adults:
It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It (and anything else written by) Robert Fulghum
short, witty pieces of thought provoking writing; hard to beat that. I have my favorite essays that are dog-eared, but can always pick up one of his books are read something I've read before but have never really noticed. His books are easy to find at used bookstores.

Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith (and anything else written by) Anne Lamott
Her essays/books leave me thinking about my own experiences, even though they are nothing like hers I'm able to find common ground with her. She's honest in an almost in your face sort of way, and I like reading about someone has learned to be and is willing to put it out there. Her thoughts on faith cover the untraditional and the traditional without passing judgment; something that is hard to do!

A Short History of Nearly Everything (and anything else by) Bill Bryson
this book, listened to/read after college, explained the most complex of scientific theories better then any of my upper level bio/chem classes ever could have. The material presented is complex, but written with humor and I enjoy listening to it during my longer car rides. An aside: I admit that I'm a bit of a geek and like science writings - things on how they've discovered new medications, viruses, the life of cadavers, the evolution of medicine and other doctor's experiences; I'm less thrilled with the stories of people in residency now that I'm in school - it's scary stuff! (The House of God and Intern Blues for example)

The Silent Miaow by Paul Gallico
a story written by a "cat," on how to manipulate humans. Humorous, well written, and TRUE! (the pictures are from the 1970's but the ones of just the cats are timeless).

and finally, not a specific book, but rather a broad category: what I call frou-frou chick-lit books
These are the quick reads that often involve middle age women, most are single but some are not, some childless, some with kids, usually have a money problem or run-in with a boss, and everything works out in the end. Examples: The Devil Wears Prada, The Shop-a-holic series, Nanny Diaries, etc. You know what I'm talking about - they are everywhere. I don't buy them but instead will get them from the library; it's been a while since I've had time to read one of these guilty pleasures.

the moral of the meme: I miss reading and can't wait to catch up on all the new books (new = since I've been in med school) out there!

Anyone who hasn't done it yet, help yourself! (leave a link in the comments so I can read what your preferences are - I'd love to see Alice and Anna-Caroline do it, but I think they're as busy as I am!)

Close, but no cigar....

I tried, but it looks like my Sonnet won't be done for Saturday. What you see there (in the awful, taken at dusk so I had to use the flash and it didn't lay flat real well or sit up nice and neat picture below) is the completed right front and almost finished back; I could probably get the back and left front finished by tomorrow, but then have two sleeves to make! (I should learn from the wise and do the sleeves first....)

So I'm changing gears and going to attack (in a very nice way) my noro sweater. I'm unhappy with the sleeves (they don't decrease fast enough and look very baggy) but for now will just take the cuffs out and lengthen the sleeves. I need to add more length to the body too so that it feels long enough. It looks like an okay length in the mirror when I have my arms hanging at my sides, but who goes through their day with arms by their sides? certainly not me, and I want another inch or two (or maybe three if I'm feeling generous, or loose track of where I am - I'll let you guess which is more likely) so that I'm not worried about showing off my middrift. This sweater was made with a generic "fill in the blank pattern" that I love, so I don't feel bad about tweaking my final product. (I hate patterns; and by that I mean that I like them, but enjoy feeling like I have the freedom to alter it as I see fit.) I had plans to revisit this in a few more weeks, but having a good reason to tackle it now is a much better plan!

(with any luck Sonnet will be done by next Friday and all of the GI knowledge I've knit into it will come in handy during the system exam!)

Progress on the little sweater that could....n't.... 

The deadline looms....

T minus 2 days until the afghan sew-up (at which point I will be meeting well known knitting bloggers), and my sweater progress is at that strange point of maybe being done in time, but perhaps not. I wish I were flying and knew it'd be ready, or else was poking along and I'd give up because there's just no way it'd be finished. I have four hours of attendance-required classes tomorrow morning (including two lectures on the ins and outs of managed care) and another four hours of advanced cardio life support intro in the afternoon, so there will be plenty of time to knit and I should know tomorrow if there's a chance I can get it done.

This evenings news was sigh-inducing. ABC news reported that the (former tobacco lobbyist) Govenor of Mississippi is suing the state to reclaim the $20 million dollars that was won from a 1990's tobacco settlement (that came with the requirement of being used for smoking prevention) that for the first time in years is working to stop kids from smoking, so that the money can be applied to the state's deficit.

It all works out though, and 60 Minutes Wednesday (I watch an hour of tv while eating dinner and as a "studying/mental" break - don't get the wrong idea!!!) did a report on how one of the most endangered birds has learned to follow a small plane as a "mother" that teaches it how to migrate. One fifth of the this bird's population has successfully migrated to Florida from Wisconsin, and back again, year after year, and the program is still working. They are privately funded, and have no motives other then trying to help the birds. A real life "Fly Away Home" was enough to remind me that there is good in the world.

Back GI objectives and knitting......

Distractions

or, when all else fails.........dye something!

My other post for today is rambling and verges on boring - read ahead if you want, but consider yourself warned. Today I can't seem to get out of my own way, and my attention span is currently MIA. Perhaps it's cabin fever, or undiagnosed transient add, or maybe I'm just sick of studying and need a mental break?

Every time I sit down to study, I find myself staring out the window (it started to snow again and with the ever changing wind the flakes are going every which way and is beautiful from this side of the window), or realizing I don't have what I wanted to look at here next to me (I have a plethora of medical books that all present the material slightly differently and cross referencing them with lectures is key to making sure I've covered all the material) and then when I get up to get the additional book I find myself in the kitchen doing dishes even though there aren't any medical books IN my kitchen. But a clean sink begs for one thing, and it's something I haven't done in a few weeks, so I finally gave in and broke out the artificial everything drink mix and dyed some yarn.

today's color is red, and I did a few random snippets of yarn to see how they'd dye. Taking yarn out of others handmade sweaters is fun, but I have no idea what kind of yarn Therese used, and I figured if it took on color it would have to be either wool or cotton. (I don't think acrylic takes on color, but I could be wrong...) I also threw in some "natural" colored cotton I bought in a bargain bin last summer and some other 100% wool that I'm taking out of a sweater. So far I like what I see, and I'll post pictures once it's dry. (Right now I'm waiting for the water to really be clear and the whole shebang is in my (now clean) sink.)

Maybe now that I've felt productive today I'll be able to focus on the GI system. (The GI system is everything from the mouth to the anus and all accessory organs in between; there's a lot to learn and not a whole lot of time to learn it in (a recurring theme for those of you who have been reading along for awhile)). Time for a cup of tea and a five minute meditation, then it's back to work!

oh - today's the last day to vote in the Woolybuns colorway contest - voting ends at bedtime tonight!

Snowday!

It’s a snowday today; things were pretty messy this morning, but the plows have been out nonstop, and the roads are clearing up. The business district has an extended parking ban in place for tonight, but other bans have been lifted and I moved my car back to the street. It’s nice to have my own car back, and I was lucky enough to be able to drive through the snow in the parking lot without having to do too much shoveling. I need to make some mittens that have extra-long cuffs though, as the ones I have all come untucked and snow finds a way to work its way into my coat cuffs/mitten cuffs.

I woke up this morning thinking about how productive I could be with a whole day off; I was scheduled to have this morning off, and lined my books up last night so I’d have no excuse for not getting work done before class this afternoon. Unfortunately, it’s now mid-afternoon and I haven’t gotten nearly the academic work done that I had planned on doing! The day still has plenty of potential, but I need to switch gears and drag out the notecards so I make the most of the rest of the day.

I was disappointed that class this afternoon was cancelled because it was one of our only scheduled peds lectures with a lab. Tuesday afternoons are spent in an attendance required osteopathic principles and practices class, and after an hour lecture we have a 2-3 hour hands on lab that covers an aspect of osteopathic medicine. Today we were going to break up into groups and observe kids ages 2 mon – 5 years old and their caregivers and a doctor. We don’t have many opportunities to work with kids (for a variety of reasons) and I was looking forward to seeing how doctors examine fidgety toddlers, and how babies “help” make a diagnosis even though they can’t verbalize what’s wrong. I hope they reschedule the lab, but history has shown that getting patients all together for a make-up lab is never as successful as the original lab.

Yesterday I took the striped hat (the one I made that is modeled with Pooh and all the tangled blue yarn) into school and dropped it off for the mom only to find out that the baby due in March was born on Friday 25th! I remarked that I was “late” getting the hat to the office, and the staff all chuckled and said it was instead the baby, who was three weeks “early.” The baby is welcomed by three older siblings and I hear they are all doing well. It was a boy and I heard that after much deliberation they named him Tate.

The bears in the picture below didn’t multiply, I actually own more then one Pooh Bear. None of them are the same though; there are a few Disney ones, a few sears ones of different sizes and they all were bought as “insurance” from eBay. My original bear was stolen when an overnight bag of mine was taken from the car. Nothing in the bag was worth any money, but there were several things with immense sentimental value. Now I make sure the car doors are always locked, and after a few weeks of searching eBay was able to find a few bears like the one that needed replacing. Chances are pretty good that I’ll whittle down the 5-6 bears I have to 1-2 during the next move; they don’t do me whole lot of good packed away. (I hate to move; hate hate hate to move. I still have bins and boxes that are partially packed from my last move, and have done my own version of “Clean Sweep” every time I pack or unpack. I finally unpacked a few more things today and found a few bears.)

My secret pal put a smile on my snowed in face! The wool pictured is Rowan Big Wool and it’s beautiful shades of blue. The tote bag is a perfect size, and is much more fashionable then the plain canvas bags I’ve been carrying around. The pink thing is actually a keychain measuring tape, and the card is a wonderful black and white photo. It came all the way across the pond from the UK – thank you!

(I'm still taking sweaters apart for the yarn and knitting as fast as I can in hopes of getting a sweater finished for Saturday! I will be able to study and knit this afternoon, and that together with a fresh cup of coffee will make the day fly by!)

my secret pal strikes! (and three finished Dulaan hats; she didn't send me new bears, they just jumped into the picture....) 

What a difference a day makes. Classes are cancelled (more about that later) and now that it's after "noon" I can move Kennedy the car from parking ban nomansland back to the street.