bag 'n' trash -- home of monster yarn

What a Difference A Year Makes

hi!  i know it's thursday.  today is the first day since coming back from Rhinebeck that i don't feel broken.   yes, rhinebeck physically broke me.  "humpty dumpty sat on a wall and had a great fall" broke me.  but since i wasn't counting on all of the king's men to put me together again (why ask a man to do something when a woman can do it better) i'm all fixed now.  oof!

anyway, by now you've heard all about rhinebeck and probably couldn't give a rat's ass about reading another post about it, but i have pictures and nothing else to talk about, so you're going to get a "what i did at rhinebeck" post from me.  sue  me.

so what did i do at rhinebeck? 

1.  i saw animals

2.  i contemplated the buying and eating of snacks (but i was good at the fair only stuffing my face at dinner time).

3.  i admired and fondled yarn and wool

4.  i sold some cards! 

(i might have pestered people to buy my cards.  sorry the picture looks like crap).

5.  i might have lovingly heckled jess and casey a little at the ravelry party.  but it wasn't my fault.  the devil made me do it.  (and the raffle was totally rigged by the way).

6.  i hung out with my boston/rochester/nyc/fresno-ish/connecticut girls  (aka "my boyfriend.").  not that you would know it though since without intending to, i spent a lot of time on my own.  that's ok.  i'm kind of maverick that way.

7.  i bought a monkey wearing a sweater.

8.  got kristin nicholas and clara parkes to sign copies of their new books for me.   (totally awesome books by the way)

9.  and finally met the yarnbee.

what didn't i do?

i didn't bring home any wool. 

maybe next year.

3 More Hours

thanks so much for your enthusiasm for my cards.  a few have asked if i plan on opening an etsy shop.  maybe.  i'll see how this goes.  if there's enough interest i will.  if and when i do though, you all will be the first to know.  ha!

and i'm sitting at work here, getting all antsy because in just a couple of hours, the mini and i are hitting the road for rhinebeck.  i think i have everything i need.  a small project.  some $$$.  clothes.  we are good to go.

this year i'm leaving j at home.  he's got work to do.

OH!  before i forget.  i'm a "square" on both saturday and sunday.  if you've never met me, check out last year's Blogger Bingo I'm A Square post.

In a Lorikeet's Garden ...

LORIKEETS!

after doing a little googling, i learned that lorikeets are indigenous to australia and new guinea, so what they were doing in st. thomas, i don't know.

but they are awfully pretty.

when she saw this picture in flickr, adrian remarked that these two guys look like they're wearing matching pants.  i think they also look like they're wearing orange and green yoke sweaters. 

that little cup in front is filled with nectar.  at coral world in st. thomas you could walk into their big cage and actually feed them. 

What I Did On My Summer Vacation: The Big British V

*sigh*

anyone else not feel like blogging?  because i certainly don't. 

but i don't feel like doing work even less. 

*sigh*

so here we go....

next stop on our cruise after a day at sea was Tortola, one of the islands of the British Virgin Islands.  It was my first time in Tortola and after docking, my MIL and I decided to do a little exploring.  Since it was 300 degrees, that got old fast.  (I would just like to point out that my skin is the color of paste.  I am not evolutionarily suited for the environmental or climatic conditions in this this part of the world.  AND YES EVOLUTION IS PRETTY MUCH SCIENTIFIC FACT!!!)

so we quickly hopped on Captain Friendly's taxi/bus/pick-up truck with seats, for a 3 hour tour.

for $15 we got a little history (there were a lot of pirate stories .... arrrgggghhh) and current events (apparently  the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies were filmed here) and we got to do a little shopping and a little relaxing and we got to see a lot of beautiful scenery.

*according to captain friendly, johnny depp stood on this beach*

What I Did on My Summer Vacation: Bermuda Shorts

two years ago, i went on a bermuda cruise with the inlaws.  it was a nice easy cruise -- we left from boston, sailed to bermuda over a day and half, stayed in bermuda for 4 days, then sailed back.   this year, the cruise was a totally different experience ... not bad ... just different.  there was a lot of time spent at sea and very little time spent on land.

our first port of call was dockyard, bermuda.  first of all, bermuda is beautiful.  it was my favorite stopover. and because i'd been there before, i didn't waste any time with any of the on land excursions organized by the cruise line.  j and i bought 1-day bus/ferry passes and hopped a ferry straight for st. george's, which is where i took all of these pictures.

the inlaws headed for the beach.  j was bored out of his tree and wished he'd gone to the beach with them, but it's not like i hadn't warned him. 

What I Did On My Summer Vacation: The Prelude

it's a good thing i get to go to beautiful places because otherwise i'd be really screwed when it came to posting pictures for Eye Candy Friday.

the first leg of our trip was to get ourselves to nyc which we did the night before we were to set sail.   i hadn't been to nyc since july 2001 (yeah that long ago) so i got a little teary as we got off the last exit before the george washington bridge.  (or it could have been because i was so relieved that we didn't end up in new jersey -- no offense to new jersey by the way -- it just wasn't our final destination).   by the way, what kind of cluster-fuck is the cross-bronx expressway?

Saturday Sky

Saturday Sky

this sky overlooked the place de la bastille and the opera bastille.

Two Hundred and Eighty Seven

the title of my post refers to the number of steps it takes to get to the top of the arc de triomphe.  doesn't sound like much, but i'm old and fat.  and it was hot.  and all i could hope for is that it would be well worth it.

Black Sheep Have You Any Wool?

so ... the yarn...

there was none. 

or not much. 

before leaving for france i did my research and had a list of yarn shops that i needed to visit.  granted i didn't visit all of the shops on my list.  but those i did, were a disappointment. 

there were several phildars listed in paris.  i wasn't unable to find one.  they were gone.  poof.  even the one that used to be close to my brother's place ... it's now a trendy boutique for women who wear no larger than a size 2.  (hey skinny bitch with fake dark red hair that looks fake and scary dark tan -- i will eat you -- so don't even look at me that way).  another little shop that i found was closed for friggin' lunch until 3pm (i dropped by at 1).

i did stop by la droguerie but after getting yelled at for not knowing the rules about purchasing beads ... DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TAKE THE JARS OF BEADS OFF OF THE SHELVES!!!! ... i wasn't about to start looking too closely at the yarn.  i did manage to get this photo before catching another earful about taking photos of the inside of the store.  (i was being watched and for some reason -- my rusty french language skills, not wanting to appear like the "ugly american tourist" -- i'm much more easily intimidated in france than in the US).

i did  come across a phildar in la rochelle.  but i was with j and the nieces and didn't feel as if i could properly linger.   (again, i had to be quick with the camera to not raise suspicions).

but all was not lost.  in royan i came across this cute little craft shop with a very limited selection of yarn and crochet thread (although knitting isn't popular, crochet and needlework is a little more so.  as is beading) and beads ... the shop lady was nice and if she did notice me taking pictures, she didn't say anything.   

and when back in paris, after sending j and the nieces to the louvre (been there done that) i came across this craft/art store.   again, not much in the yarn department but several knitting books, translated from english,

wonderful crochet thread (which i've seen ads for in american publications so i'm keeping my fingers crossed),

needle felting materials and tools, cute little knitting and crochet kits,

sheep embroidery kits, and paint by number kits. 

stay tuned for the haul.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

anyway, onto the vacation recap.   i hadn't been home in 4 years so it was good to be back.  as beautiful as france is, to me it's a country of smells -- bread baking, cheese (sometimes very smelly cheese), gauloises cigarettes, metro car rubber wheels, pastis, coffee -- rather than sites, and it's always the first thing i notice when i get off of the plane.  well after the surly border control guy.  when those smells assail me, i know i'm "home."

we hit the ground running.  the first four days were spent in paris.  what's the first thing we saw?

what else?  when you've got nieces who have never been to france, you show them the eiffel tower.

then you go buy water and a "doghnut" (and if you're me, and you've been to the eiffel tower a bagillion times and you're tired and jet-lagged you take pictures of silly misspellings on snack bar menu boards).

 

next stop, my favorite place in paris -- montmartre.

 

Can't Get There From Here

last week was our 2nd anniversary so we decided to celebrate by taking a little road trip up to maine.

j had chemistry class saturday morning so we didn't head out until it had started to snow.

brrrr.

but before we hit new hampshire it had stopped.

how cool is that sunset?

we spent the night in portland and then wandered around the city a bit sunday morning. 

then we headed south via route 1 and stopped in almost every little town along the way.
i think this is near old orchard beach.

now you know why i stay married for the dog  ....  so not nice

that house was for sale.  we were tempted. 

spooky cat in kennepunk.  (we drove around kennepunkport too  -- j wanted to go say hi to bush senior and to ask him how he could raise such a putz of a son)

it was a short but sweet.  a great weekend.

Bermuda, Bahama, C'mon Pretty Mama

the trip to bermuda was awesome.   it was my first time on a cruise ship (other than the time my friend luisa and i "stowed" away on a ship in st. thomas a bahgillion years ago) so that was exciting for me.  and bermuda is BEAUTIFUL (i posted some pictures in the photo album on the right).  it reminded me a lot of europe, especially st. george's and hamilton (the capital city) with the winding, narrow streets, the stucco covered houses, the crazy ass motor scooters.

additional thoughts:

1.  it was virtual impossible for me NOT to crack  dumb Love Boat jokes.  hey, it was my first time on a cruise, give me a break.   the kids did enjoy the whole "poop deck" "duty free" routine though. 
2.  i never once hit the beach.   so i didn't do any snorkeling.  which is fine with me.  although i can snorkel and i'm an excellent swimmer, i don't like fish touching me.  or even going near me. 

3.  i did go to the aquarium, the museum of natural history, the maritime museum, and i rode the pink bermuda buses all over the island.  when i visit a new place i like to know the back story.

4.  i will go back to bermuda but not in august.  too fucking hot.  genetically i was not designed for the tropics.  my skin burns and then turns this blotchy yellow color, not all bronzy and savage like most of my inlaws.  spf 30 was definitely my friend.  my upper thighs rub together so i had some serious chafing issues.  and my hands and feet swell in the humid heat.  I WAS NOT ATTRACTIVE!!!!

5.  although the food on the cruise was mediocre for the most part, i did get to eat escargot on two occasions.  i love escargot and grossing out the nieces and nephews was just a bonus.

6.  i spent entirely too much time and money in the ship casino.  i can never go to vegas EVER!

anyway, all in all it was great fun. 

Back From Fremont

last sunday morning, i packed my bags and headed out to fremont california for work.   the weather was wonderful, dry and warm during the day, breezy and cool at night.  and the surrounding hills, dramatic in their starkness especially against the gorgeous blue sky (especially to a northeasterner) were striking (and made me think of the view from my kitchen window when we lived in tehran, iran).  but i have to say,  fremont has got to be one of the saddest places i've ever been.  just one slightly shabby strip mall and office park after another with a lonely tree or shrub here or there.  but i was there to work and not to have fun.  (i didn't even have time to stop in and visit kate in san jose or stalk rachel in oakland).

but i did have plenty of time to knit.

i finished the last cable strip for the lap blanket (or as i like to call them, hugs) i'm making for my niece who is going to fairfield university in the fall.

i still have to sew it on and then i need to find an appropriate edging. 

and then i started the OSW ... 3 times.  my hands insist that there be an additional k1fb at the end of each right side row.  my head knows better.  i also used the totally wrong yarn -- some much too thin koolaid dyed wool but since i'm really about the process and not so much the product, i figured that if it worked out i could give my finished OSW to a niece.

but my hands are stubborn -- one side still had way too many stitches -- so i bagged it and i'll use the yarn for socks.

this morning, i took out some other scrap yarn and tried again.  since i'm not sure the OSW will be a good look for me, i figured i'd try it first with some crappy yarn.  so far the head has control over the hands.

and how am i supposed to work under these conditions?

Irene

2 more days until we leave for bermuda.

i'm not worried.  not at all.  no sir. 

nope.  not nervous.

Our Nation's Capital

j's brother and his family live in stafford, VA which is about an hour or so south of DC.  so we decided to pay the inlaws a visit.

if you're from stafford,  i don't  mean to be harsh, but let's just say, i liked manasquan better.  just saying. 

since we were so close to DC, we decided to do a little sightseeing.

here's good ole honest abe.

here's j at the WWII memorial standing next to his newly adopted state, new jersey.  (i'd like to point out that j is manly enough to carry my purse without feeling threatened).

and here he's next to his home state.

"hmmm karl rove leaked the identity of the cia operative, valerie plame?  say it isn't so!"

it was so freakin' hot that day, that we took the rest of our visit inside to the smithsonian's museum of american history.  some of the highlights include:

Archie Bunker's chair (and edith's of course).

my favorite grouch, oscar.

and a classic set of wheels.

after an exhausting day, we took a stroll down pennsylvania avenue to wave hi to the prez.

i really wanted to cause some sort of scene, but j made it perfectly clear that he would not bail me.  party pooper.

 

On the Road Again ..

we were scheduled to leave at 4am on saturday morning.  we finally left at 9.  as i pointed out to j, it was 4 am somewhere, so we weren't really running late.

by 10:30 we were in hartford.

i know stars hallow is somewhere around here.

here we are approaching the George Washington Bridge (i took us over an hour to go 8 miles and if i hear anyone complain about The Big Dig anymore, i'll suggest they move to new york where they'll really have something to cry about). 

ahh the George Washington Bridge ... finally.

the next 90 or so miles (give or take 30 -- i'm too lazy to check) was spent driving through the lovier sections  *cough* of the great state of new jersey.

then we arrived in manasquan, the year round home of my college friend, lynne. 

we drank, we ate.  we toasted marshmallows by the beach. 


one day, i took a stroll downtown.

there were a lot of houses that looked like this one.  if it had been for sale, i would have considered relocating.

and here we have manasquan's LYS!

rat bastards were closed.

if not for the flag reflected in the glass,  this garden patio could have been in paris.

monday morning, july 4th, after packing up the truck again, we headed out again. 

next stop, stafford VA.

And On the 7th Day ...

first of all, thank you to all of you who actually missed me and sent me emails and comments.  you really like me!  you really really like me!  (or else you are just coveting my stash..hmmm).

i've been super busy at work.  we are hosting a big ass medical record abstraction training in both boston and fremont, CA, that i've been responsible for organizing.  so first of all, i hate planning anything, especially when it requires coordinating with PEOPLE WHO NEVER TELL YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN A FRIGGIN' TIMELY FASHION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  this has in fact been worse than planning my own wedding, except that the money isn't mine so the worry has been minimal there.  i think i would actually like my job IF I DIDN'T HAVE TO WORK WITH PEOPLE...  i'm really beginning to not like people.  well, people at work.  and people who honk their horns.  and people who voted for george bush and are still supporting him...  ok i'll stop now.

so since all of the big mucky mucks were vacationing (and didn't seem too concerned about the project falling apart without them) and i received an email from human resources saying "hey you have 30,000 vacation hours saved up, if you don't take time off you will stop accruing, you don't get any brownie points from the mucky mucks for not taking vacation because remember they don't see you sitting at your desk like a damn fool because --duh--they're on vacation" j and i decided to take a last minute road trip.

first leg of the trip -- manasquan, new jersey.

Homesick

i kind of have a love-hate thing for the country of my roots. my parents, both born and raised in france, emigrated to the united states as young adults. the met in nyc, married, had us kids. when i was 13 we moved back to france and i vowed i'd came back, which i did to go to college.

the rest of my family stayed. so since graduating from college (god almost 20 years ago) i go back to france on average every other year. around this time of year.

and it's odd. when i'm here, i miss it. i miss the beauty of the countryside, the distinctly parisian smell that's an odd mix of metro train rubber, gauloise and fresh baked bread, the insanely good "sandwich au jambon" that's nothing more than half of a baguette, cut lengthwise, slathered in butter with a paper thin slice of pink salty ham inside. when i'm there though, within a day i find myself jonesing for an extra large dunkin donuts coffee that i can carry around, getting all annoyed at how convoluted the simplest things seem to be there, ashamed that when i do speak french now i sound like an american from boston, and angry at how pig-headed, resistant to change, and "comme il faut" the french seem to be.

for the past couple of days, i've been thinking a lot about france. maybe it's all of these french knitting blogs i've been reading, or it's because for the first time i've been able to watch the Tour on TV. or maybe it's just my biological clock (not that one) that's telling me it's time to go home.