happiness is....

- the cool breeze coming in through the open windows last night
- the Tim Hortons about to open down the street
- my car, still chugging away even though I'm driving 40-60miles daily
- the cats running around the house during the witching hour
- being a doctor.



Things have shifted from being not-so-great-most-of-the-time to mostly-good-nearly-all-of-the-time. I think it's partly due to the independence I have as an intern (as opposed to a student) and probably has a lot to do with loving where I am, who I am working with, and knowing that I have a house and two cats to come home to at the end of the day.



This isn't to say that things are perfect - as they aren't and will probably never be. No, it is to say that there are far more good things than bad, and that feeling settled means I am better able to deal with the chaos around me. I daresay that I might actually be happy.



Medical school was a necessary evil to get to where I am now, and the jury is still out as to if it was worth it (even though things are so much better now). Knitting, and eventually spinning, helped me to stay sane(ish), but there were days when even the yarn and fiber couldn't keep me going. I am so glad to be on this side.



I promised pictures of graduation, but all of the photos seem to highlight my chin(s). I didn't get the shawl done, but have recently picked it up again and am sailing through the pattern. It's funny how a deadline used to make me focus and buckle down - now it seems to do just the opposite.



I'm also nearly done with my sock-pal's socks, and should have them in the mail by Monday. Other little projects are getting done slowly, and I'm afraid my spinning has taken a backseat. I wish I had more time, but I'm not surprised that I don't.



I haven't started blogging anywhere else, though I have a few websites "on hold." If you emailed me I'll let you know when it's up and running. (don't be surprised if it's not for awhile now, as my time will be more limited during my next few rotations...(busy = no time to get back to eveyone who has emailed me))



All in all, life is good.



(It is such a nice change.)



Thank you, from the bottom of my sock yarn stash, for helping see me to this point.

almost the end.

The weekend was as great as I'd hoped it be - I knit during the ceremony (starting and then turning a picot edge on a simple sock), walked across the stage without incident (rolled up diploma in hand) and was gracefully hooded (by someone I'd asked to do the honor). The pictures that were taken are still making their way off of everyone's camera - my hope is that there are a few good ones to pass around and share. (I'll post some pictures and a general "review" of my four years of med school later this week....)

As for what to do with this blog - I've been thinking about it for the past few months. This online space has allowed me to meet and become good friends with people across the Northeast and the number of people I consider honorary aunts has tripled. I've stayed in your homes, taken care of your kids and cats and shared more of myself with you than my med school classmates could comprehend. Knitting and spinning kept me going, and the knitterly events (be it a book signing, fiber festival or simply a knit-in) stood out on my calendars as events Not To Be Missed.

That being said, this space has also been a jumping point for some crazy emails, bizarre comments and uncomfortable confrontations. I believe in ignoring those who cause trouble and not feeding the trolls, and now is a good time for me to walk away. I've edited some of my past entries but things are still google-able, and my position as a soon-to-be resident is one that I want to guard much more carefully.

I won't give up blogging but I am going to take a break. Once I establish myself somewhere else I'll spread the word around - if you'd like to know when a new site goes up, send me an email and I'll let you know. I'm not trying to be secretive, just more cautious.

(pictures, med school recap, etc, to follow later this week...)

the end of the beginning

I've been counting down to this day for the past year and so it seems a bit sureal that it's here. Later this morning I'll say the osteopathic oath and have the degree of doctor of osteopathy conferred upon me - a simple step that stands between medical student and resident physician.

The shawl isn't done - a mistake turned into a garbled mess and so I put it down yesterday. It will be finished, just not in time for today's ceremony. I'm disappointed, but not surprised.

I've got new sock yarn and a set of bamboo needles ready to go for the (potentially) lengthy ceremony; the only caveat is that I've been talked out of taking it up with me to be hooded.

Today is here.

I couldn't be happier.

show and tell (though it's more show than tell)

(note: internet problems mean this is a short post - one that has been attempted several times over the past two days.)

The fiber from the previous post (jar dyeing) - this isn't the best picture but it does show the range of colors that came out of the jar. It's spinning up beautifully.

Shawl progress as of Monday morning - it's up to 8 repeats of the first chart and I anticipate it'll be a late night. I'd be further along, but somehow I managed to leave the pattern (SwallowTail, Interweave Knits '06) at the doctor's office (long story...). Thanks to the kind soul who passed me their (well loved) copy so I could keep going - I'll pick up the IK tomorrow.

I have no idea if it'll actually be finished by Saturday morning and that's okay. The yarn is MamaCate's handspun cashmere (yarn #5, for those who have seen all of the other yarns) and the pattern is #4? #5? This whole project fell apart before it came together - much like my medical school experience.

This is the fleece that jumped off the table into my arms - it's a bit of a mutant as it's an icelandic/romney cross.

I thought it was worth $15.75 just to see what it looked like all laid out - there are parts with a double coat, parts that scream "Romney!" and other parts that aren't sure what they want to be when they grow up.
(these fleece bags were one of the best finds of the weekend - it's hard to see from this picture, but both ends tie, and it's big enough to line a top-opening washing machine. I'll add the website when I find the paperwork that came with it.)

The fleece is still at MamaCate's becuase I was afraid I'd be distracted by it. (that position has been filled with the above fiber and my Robin wheel....)

Late one night I saw Cate's cat pawing at the porch door - she was after a Luna Moth. It's been years since I last saw one, so I dug out the camera and shoo'd away the cat.

"Luna Moth" would make an excellent colorway.....

My home interent is nonfunctional right now, but if I hunch in one corner of the house I can borrow a signal from the neighbors. The hotel I'm staying at tomorrow night has wireless, and if nothing else I'll update the shawl picture. The only thing on my agenda tomorrow is "practice standing in alphabetical order and walking, sitting and standing on command." It shouldn't take all day, so I'll have time to knit, knit, knit.

eye candy Friday

The lilacs are just now blooming and leaving the windows open is an olfactory joy. Yesterday I had the pleasure of learning how to "jar dye" and the journey from vermillion to chartreuse was by way of eggplant and spruce.

I'm finishing up the things on my "to-do" list before I hit the familiar road to western MA. Cummington was the first fiber festival I attended and so it has a solid place in my heart. Not only was it was the first time I met Cate and family in person, but two years ago I bought my first spindle, and last year I purchased Lyle the Louet.

(three wheels in less than a year...who knew?)

Have a great weekend - wherever you are!

Cats and paint and sinks, oh my! (knitting content to follow)

Dianna tagged me for the 8 Random Things post, and I'm changing the rules a bit - below are 8 things about my cat and house. (if for no other reason than that I have pictures...)

I have been knitting - the graduation shawl/stole is coming along and I might get it done before I am gowned up for the ceremony. I don't have any pictures of it, but do promise to get some and will post them soon. It's taken a second seat to a few home, er, issues.


1. Beazlie is a Hemmingway Polydactyl - she has extra toes on her paws. It's more common to have extra toes on the front paws only, but she is an original and has extra toes on her back paws as well. Her paws are gigantic. (comparison picture is currently on my camera - will post it once I get it onto computer.)
2. Both cats often curl up together to sleep, and at night they sleep under whatever I am sleeping on; though they prefer to sleep under the bed, they will sleep under the futon if I'm downstairs. I had been awakened each morning with a wet-nose-on-the-cheek nudge of "feed me! feed me now!" but thanks to Dr. StitchyMcYarnpants, cat therapist, I've broken the habit and now they simply let me know they are awake and hungry before going right back to sleep.
3. They love sitting in the bathtub. If I can't find one of them they're in either of two places - hiding in a corner behind a chest, or huddled in the tub. When I take a bath they are horribly confused and often miaow at me with a concerned look on their faces/ears. Once the tub is drained, they love to roll around in the tub.
4. When I returned from NH sheep and wool (it was a spontaneous decision to go - it was fabulous) Beazlie stopped running around the house in a cat-nipped frenzy and dropped one of her favorite toys to sit on the wool. She purred. She kneaded. She almost drooled.

4 1/2. To answer a previous question, yes both cats have tatoos. Before I could bring them home from the shelter they had to be spayed, microchip'd and tatoo'd with a female symbol, indicating that they'd been spayed.

5. The den/library/office walls before the paint went on. The trim has been dark brown for 28 years (confirmed with some photo-album archives) because brown was the only thing that hid the red it was intially painted.

The first coat of Wedgewood Gray (still wet in the picture). I love it, and even though it looks good with the dark brown trim (better than I thought it would), the dark trim makes the room look small and boxed in - so it'll be painted too.

6. (Izabelle, out of order. I was going to change it and sneak it in with the other cat pictures, but it seems more Iz-like to leave it here. She's a bonafide princess with me - demanding, persistant and instistant that she get her way. Of the two cats, she is the one most likely to hide from new people, so only a few have actually seen the act she puts on.)

The inital contenders for new kitchen paint - they all lost for various Goldilocks-sounding reasons (too light, too pink, too beige, too funny sounding a name, etc).

7. This is an almost current picture of the kitchen - the walls are a cheery yellow right now and the painted samples appear, well, subdued in this picture (the flash washed everything out). I intially thought I wanted a red kitchen, but the hues of red that I loved were too dark for the (narrow) space. The winner is the third orange sample, a rich, warm shade called Harvest Moon.

(Robin is sitting on the floor in the window's reflection. I got her up and going again - it's good to have her back!)

8. I say "almost current" above because at this point in time, the kitchen sinks are stopped up and/or draining into a soup pot because the pvc pipe under the sink is dripping, and the bathroom sink and tub are stopped up (both now with pools of water in them). I have no idea what happened or where the problem is (my guess is further back in the system) and that means that I'm nearly at a loss of what to do about it. My dad is going to swing by on his way home from work and I'm going to give plunging the tub a try.

Is it crazy that I'm relieved this is my first trial as a homeowner? I keep thinking of things that could be so much worse, and having water that won't go anywhere seems better than no water at all.

happiness is.....

- the house: mine.

- my last day of rotations, and by default my fourth year of medical school: done.

- graduation: 28 days, 12 hours away

- me: exhausted. (and off to take a nap before I hit the road for the Berkshires - the workshop will be worth it, but without some sleep the drive will do me in.)

have a great weekend!

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