Democratic Candidates Debate

Would anyone else like to hear about domestic issues? I understand that foreign policy is important, but really, I want to hear about education and health care.

::edit::

I would also like to hear more than just the front-runners bash each other. This is not helpful.

::another edit:::

Ok, as the debate goes on we are actually asking some important questions, but then when we get to education, it must be answered in 30 seconds. Does that seem wrong to anyone else?


Best comment to a completely irrelevant question:

"More people in this country have seen UFO's than support the Bush presidency"

Second Socks

Does anyone else find it annoying when someone asks you what you are knitting and your reply "a sock" and then they oh-so-cleverly reply "just one?"

That gets on my nerves.

Speaking of socks, I did finish Mark's Wednesday night. Instead of diving into a new pair with the yarn I showed you a few days ago, I thought maybe I should finish a second sock that was languishing on the needles. I turned the heel and am working my way up the leg pretty quickly. When I finish that, then I will start on the new pair.

Some Friday Night Fun

Here is my jack-o'-lantern for this year! Mark and I bought our pumpkins last weekend and carved them up tonight. I also read "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" because that is just necessary. While we are on the autumnal theme, might I suggest "Ichabod" from New Holland Brewing? We picked some up at Whole Foods to try it out, and I highly recommend it!

Socks and Literature

I took this picture on Sunday night. I know have about an inch of ribbing to complete on the second sock and I will finish Mark's Michigan socks. I'm hoping that will be tonight,but if not, just so long as it is in time for the Michigan-Minnesota game (aka the battle for the little brown jug.) I guess we don't get to watch it either because it is on a channel we don't get. This college football game hijacking by Comcast is NOT COOL. I better stop talking about this though, my anger issues are starting to come. [ donotevenmentionthebaseballorworldseriestomeorImaythrowsomethingatyou,especiallyifyouexhibitanyhthing butdespiseforthatteamfromtheeastcoast]

I know it is kind of silly, but I've been so fired up lately that I've been unable to make any posts. It all started with some of the things on the Ravelry forums, and then it continued with the asinine things people write on The Daily Record forum (my hometown newspaper). What could be so bad? Well, according to some people in good old Wayne County, Ohio if you have a witness that says they saw someone commit a crime, you shouldn't even be bothering with a trial. Oh, and this week, we have some people who think it is fine to blame a woman for being the victim of domestic abuse, and that filing divorce from her abuser is "running out on the marriage."

Ravelry is nowhere near that bad, but has brought up a lot of debate about feminism and consumerism and I actually may write some posts on my thoughts regarding aspects of these topics.

Anyhow...

This is my next sock yarn. The picture makes it look a lot more pink/purple than it actually is. The colors remind me of Indian corn (hence the picture). The yarn is actually red/burgundy with some yellow hints here and there. I'm excited to knit with it, I think it is a great color for this time of year. That is the sock portion of the blog.

Now for the literature- I think I've found my love of lit again. It was on a hiatus for awhile. It wasn't that I ever really lost my love for it, I just was suffering from burnout that apparently took me a couple years to fully recover from. I think I am fully recovered, last night I purchased two volumes of the Norton Anthology of English Literature. I got the Romantic Period and the Victorian Period volumes, 8th edition. This may be the beginnings of going back to school. The things is, I feel like I need to seriously reacclimate myself to seriously studying literature. I've been out of it for over two years now, and they expect so much from grad students.

I also would want to go in a slightly different direction with my studies than I did as an undergrad. The title of my thesis was "The Heroine and Her Best Friend, A Study on the Importance of Female Friendship in Northanger Abbey, Emma, and Mansfield Park." I liked studying Jane Austen, but I don't think I want to continue down that path exactly, I would rather look at some Victorian writers. I do think I prefer staying British to going American. I love certain American writers too, but I tend to not get into them too much until the 20th century. That said, don't think for a minute I haven't been reading a little Poe this month or that I won't be reading "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." In fact, I think I'm going to put the computer aside and finish the socks while I begin reading it right now.

I was just reading Knitter's Review about SOAR, and made the comment that someday I want to learn to spin, and you know what Mark just said?

He not only agreed that someday I should have a room with my knitting stuff and a spinning wheel, he just said "and before we move away you can take spinning lessons at The Fold."

I heard it! I heard it! I am recording here right now.

I think I am ill. I will never understand women who insist on putting other women into a box of what they define as "feminine" and men in a box of what they define as "masculine."

The Illinois Secretary of State office is completely incompetent.

When I went in last month and got my sticker I had to change my title to reflect my married name. I got charged a fee for this, which I think is completely unfair being that this isn't a change of ownership, I am forced (yes forced, I could not get the sticker without doing it) to change the name on my title as the result of my name change due to marriage. I paid the fee and wrote it off as another reason I hate Illinois. In a way, it is sort of like punishing a woman for having property in her name.

I get the title in the mail today. Guess what? It has my MAIDEN name on it. Great job Illinois. You just reissued a title EXACTLY as it was before. There wasn't even an address change on it.

You know what, this pretty much is it

"You know what, Stan, if you want me to wear 37 pieces of flair, like your pretty boy over there, Brian, why don't you just make the minimum 37 pieces of flair?"

Avoidance

I've been avoiding the blog.

The thing is, I don't know how to approach difficult subject matter. You know, like death.
Everything else I write seems trivial and I know I'm avoiding something, but I don't feel like I can really talk about it either.

So what is new other than that?

The Indians got rid of the Yankees. This has made me happy and nervous and basically all those emotions you feel when you really want something to happen so much but are so afraid that if you let yourself care too much you are just setting yourself up for a huge heartbreak, but then you realize that despite all your precautions you are already in too deep. (I spent all season monitoring but trying not to get too excited.) For the past week whenever they played I was pretty much glued to the TV crossing my fingers (that isn't literally true, knitting would have been difficult if it was). Well, except Sunday night when I got really mad and had to turn the TV off. Up next are the Red Sox. See, like most non-New Yorkers I hate the Yankees. I cringe every year they make it to the playoffs (are there years they don't?) and boycott the World Series if they are in it. That is normal for a lot of people though. More than the Yankees I really hate the Red Sox. This gets personal. It may have been how they took a whole bunch of Indians players, it certainly is the arrogance of the fans, it is definitely my ex-boyfriend from Massachusetts. Anyway, I'm fearing this next series. I'm too afraid to think they'll really make it, but the thought of the Red Sox ending their season is just too upsetting to even think about.

I am also really mad about work things again today. By the time I sit down and write blog entries I've usually pushed it to the back of my mind again, and that has happened again today. It is probably for the best. For the record, I'm unhappy with office politic things.

Mark's sock is coming along nicely. I turned the heel last night. One of these days I will actually take a picture of it and post it here and add it to Ravelry.

I also started listening to the album Omnibus by Tarkio. This was Colin Meloy's band before The Decemberists. I actually was not very familiar with them either, I got hooked in by the song "Tristan and Iseult" on the CraftLit podcast. Do you guys know about Craftlit? I've been listening to the podcast since the beginning, for the lit content more than the knit content really (not that I object to that, but really, I crave the literature and really the smart social/political discussion that sometimes occurs too). It always makes me remember how much I miss literature, but it keeps me inspired too. Anyhow, it was a great song, and now that I've listened more I really have to recommend "Candle," "Sister Nebraska," and "This Rollercoaster Ride" too. Why don't you listen and if you like the sound, just buy the album on iTunes. It is a steal really, $11.99 for 27 songs.

Anyhow, speaking of social/political issues, I think this falls under that category. La Petite Tricoteuse told us about this at SNB last night and I find it really disturbing. If you cannot be bothered to click on the article I linked to, then I will just tell you that you should probably buy only organic strawberries, tomatoes, and peppers from now on. If you actually want to know why then you should go read the article and maybe do some of your own research. On a related note, here is a list of produce and their pesticide levels.

So I've avoided it this long. Here is the thing. Mark's Uncle Tony died on Saturday. This was very sudden (he was supposed to be getting married last Saturday) and so this is very sad and very hard on Mark's family. For me, I feel terrible even though I've been told not to because I cannot accompany Mark home for calling hours and the funeral. I feel like I should be by his side for this, and I can't really be, because I cannot get off work. Funeral pay does not apply for spouse's family (except immediate in-laws) and my only vacations days left after the wedding are saved for Thanksgiving and Christmas, because if I don't have those days, I don't get to go home. It is all just so awful. See? I just can't talk about this, so I'm going to stop.

Tuesday Love

I love Mark. Today, for no reason at all other than I've been having a rough time lately, Mark had this delivered to my office:Now, as check email and Ravelry and write this blog entry, Mark is making supper:
I think I need to do something nice for Mark, which is why I bought some University of Michigan inspired sock yarn to knit him a pair of socks:
(For your own sports team inspired sock yarn, go visit Yarn Magnet's Etsy shop.)