Trepidation & Other Fancy Stuff

Wrist Sleeves

2011-09-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

This pattern is a simple “one size fits most” style. I designed these to be a fast and comfortable knit for nearly every skill level.

Materials:

Four (4) US Size 6 double pointed needles

Two (2) skeins Patons Angora Bamboo, colorway 90242 Everglade (substitute any worsted weight yarn with wool content for fiber elasticity)
Stitch marker
Darning needle and scissors to weave in ends

Skills:

Knitting in the round, knit and purl

Instructions:
1) Cast on 52 stitches in rib pattern*. Join stitches in the round, careful not to twist your stitches. Add marker to beginning of round.
2) Knit 2, purl 2 to the end of the round.
3) Continue in pattern for approximately 72 rows.
4) Bind off in pattern and weave in ends.

*Cast on in pattern: Make a slip knot and place on one of your DPNs. Knit into that stitch and transfer the new stitch from the right needle back to the left needle. You now have two “knit” stitches on your left needle. Purl into the newer stitch on the left needle then transfer it back from the right to the left needle. Purl into the newest stitch and transfer it back. Knit into the newest stitch and transfer. Continue with this pattern of knitting two and purling two until you have cast on all of your stitches.

p90x

2011-02-16T18:26:00.000-08:00

Who do I love?

THIS guy ...

Computer Viruses

2011-02-11T10:51:00.000-08:00

They are horrible things and the people who are out there MAKIN' them can go DIAF. And not a nice REGULAR fire. I'm talking some kind of soul leeching chemical fire with radiation and mutant zombie vampires or someshit.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T11:28:00.000-08:00

I want to write down my resolutions.

1. Drink water everyday.

I am a diet soda-holic. It isn't good for me and I know I'm not as hydrated as I should be, so resolution #1, drink water instead of soda. Save soda for special occasions.

2. Stop being a lazy vegetarian.

I've been a vegetarian for about 23 years now. I SHOULD be in great health, but I'm not. I'm overweight. And it's because I'm lazy. I have avoided cooking for too long. My frustration is that so many foods take time to cut, portion and prepare. I love salads, but washing, chopping and storing all those ingredients is a pain. I has been easier to grab ready-made this, microwave a packaged that. Well, no more. That crap has got to stop.

Just today I made rice for lunch. Actual rice. I never make rice because I'm dyslexic when it comes to rice:water ratios. We even have a Japanese rice cooker and I STILL question how much, etc.

It's not a good model for D either. I don't want him growing up with crappy food.

3. Get regular exercise and start playing soccer again.

I haven't played since I got pregnant with D. I need exercise every day in order to feel good, physically and mentally. I get those runner's highs people talk about. I get that high from maintaining a level of activity. I have to stop being a lazy little shit.

I got the p90x system too.

4. Knit ten items from my queue.

I have a queue on Ravelry that has rarely been followed. I knit what I feel like. I will knit ten items from my queue this year. After finishing some of the projects still in the works, I'm going to be a selfish knitter. There are a scant few people who truly appreciate handknits and I've also found that, while I've made mittens, gloves, scarves, hats, etc., for other people, I have very few of my own.

5. I want to read (at least) a book a week this year.

My friend Robin reintroduced me to the joys of reading last year and I want to keep it going. In October especially, I was devouring books. I became the "NORM!" of the local library. Now, with my Kobo, I can read anywhere, and I plan to!

That's it

2010-12-30T09:05:00.001-08:00

I am never cutting my son's hair again. I've had it. I've been trying to cut his hair for two weeks and he is the fussiest customer ever. I've been covered with little Drake hair clippings for too long. His father can take him to the kiddie barber from now on. I'm not doing it anymore.

GAH!

Void

2010-12-24T08:54:00.000-08:00

Throwing all these words into the blackhole of the internet.
Nobody reads it, but does that matter?
Maybe a little.

Right now, I'm just hoping my boy has a fun Christmas morning.
He's a tough one but he's so sweet.
Just when I think I want to ring his neck, he does something that makes me "awwww."

Right now he's in the middle of a pillow nest just staring off into space.
Sometimes I feel guilty about not keeping him busy all the time but then I remember all that time I spent just idle. Staring into space, thinking, just being in the moment. Some people still try to make me feel bad about it though. I can't let them.

I'm easy

2010-12-22T12:06:00.000-08:00

... to please.

My sister-in-law got me a lint shaver from my Amazon wishlist and I completely love it. Yes, a lint shaver. I've already used it on my handknit Malabrigo sweater and it made it look better than new. I'm now in the process of shaving Drake's Malabrigo wool blanket.

Yes, I mean it. A lint shaver.

Nightowl

2010-12-21T22:15:00.000-08:00

It's not insomnia. It'd be insomnia if I wanted to go to sleep.

Contemplating whether or not to make this a new year's resolution... to write more. It has its benefits, but I'm no good at writing. Besides, it'll take away time from the knitting, video games, reading and, apparently, sleeping.

Maybe I don't suck at writing, it's just nobody cares

2010-02-21T18:59:00.000-08:00

Possible.
I can be funny.
So I conclude that nobody cares.

Maybe writing to a blog that nobody reads can be a cathartic thing.
I never use the word "cathartic."
Like those sayings like "dances like nobody's watching."
Write like nobody's reading.

And I might.
Cause that's the case.

FYI
Look up the word cathartic. Is funny.

Poop

See? Nobody cares.

2008-12-23T13:40:00.000-08:00

I'm not a writer, really.
Blogging seemed like a good idea.
I'm all about the internets and all.
But I'm pretty boring, really.

Maybe I should make a New Year's resolution to try to write every day or every other day. Not just for the sake of blogging, but as a personal journal.

We shall see.

There's no stopping him

2008-06-27T05:17:00.000-07:00

Rant

2008-06-23T05:20:00.001-07:00

Ok. I've about had enough of this culture. Check please.

I just Stumbled on a website saying, "Five short holiday breaks are the best stress-busters!" And the article starts out with, "It may not amuse your boss ..."

Amuse my boss?! Dude ... FUCK THE BOSS!

People, we are living to work. We spend our lives at the job and feel guilty for taking a break to enjoy this life. And boss? I hate that word. This person is a supervisor. The only BOSS of my life is ME. And I don't live to serve my supervisor. We only have only one go around at this people (at least in these bodies), why the fuck are we tiptoeing around the subject that working has become all we really do?

Americans typically get 3 weeks off a year. A YEAR. WTF? Are companies so desperate for productivity? Actually they're not. Corporate America has engineered the American mentality very carefully. Think about it. You get up at 6 or so, get ready for work, get there at 8, work until, what, 5pm? Commute back home. Have enough time to say "HEY!" to your family ... your MOST PRECIOUS ASSET, by the way. Shovel some food in your mouth and go to sleep to do it all over again the next day. WHY?

Everybody knows that people fuck around at work. Taking smoke breaks, coffee breaks, surfing around the internet, playing solitare ... nobody does any real fucking work. I would bet that if the work day was shortened to SIX hours a day, productivity would skyrocket. Think about all the positive change it could bring! Parents wouldn't have to use daycare for their school-aged children. They'd be at work while the kids are in school, then out in time to pick them up! IMAGINE working from 9 to 3. MUCH less grumbling early in the morning, less dependence on caffeine cause you were able to actually sleep, go home while it's still light out (sorry Alaska) and spend the rest of your afternoon with kids, actually have time to MAKE a nice dinner... it boggles the mind.

The entire culture of this country would shift. Maybe that's the point. If it changes, maybe people won't be so hurried. If they aren't so hurried, they don't need the INSTANT gratification of so many consumer products to make them artificially happy. See? Engineered.

This is why places like Google are touted as such great places to work... they treat their employees VERY well. The employees, in turn, work hard for the company's success. Too many Initechs out there. Too many people live the Office Space nightmare. Haven't seen that movie? WTF is wrong with you.

If you haven't seen the movie, go right now to a place where videotapes or film are sold or rented, and buy it or rent and watch it. It is delightful.

Stitch Markers

2008-06-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

I made a purchase several months ago at a local yarn shop (LYS). I bought some stitch markers for my knitting. If you DON'T know, stitch markers are kinda like place holders for your knitting. While you go along, you can place a stitch marker to remind you when to change pattern or etc etc. So these stitch markers that I bought were 5 bucks a piece and pretty simple.

I got to thinking, as I often do, ... why the hell am I paying five dollars for ONE of these damn things when I know I can make em!

So I did.

I went to some massive mart and got some wire and some beads and started churning out some stitch markers of my own. MUCH nicer than the ones I bought, I don't mind saying.

So I shared them with a little knitting group I go to on Tuesday evenings and they liked em. And I thought, well, if they liked em, maybe other people would too. I started making more and more and finally asked another yarn shop if they would sell locally crafted stitch markers. They said yeah!

I bought some cardboard stock and now I'm readying some of the puppies for sale. I'm trying to come up with a neat name/gmail addy to go with it. I'll take some pics of the ready-to-go product a bit later to share.

Fathers Day 2008

2008-06-17T07:48:00.001-07:00

Fathers Day 2008
Originally uploaded by astrahl

Brian got to choose his own adventure this past Sunday for Father's Day. After receiving his new wallet with D pictures inside, I asked him what he wanted to do. He said that he wanted to do a first family hike in a local park.

And AWAY we go!

Drove to Capitol View Park in Frankfort and hiked one of the mountain bike trails. It was quite hot that day so we only did a mile or so, but it was still fun ... especially cause I didn't have to carry anything except the camera.

We actually got to the park while D had just fallen asleep in the car. He was awfully cranky so instead of hoisting him up right away, we made a drive of it to let the little guy get some rest (and give us some quiet). Brian drove us along a cycling route he took the other day. 30 some odd miles through the prettiest roads.

Just about the time we made it back to the park entrance, D woke up and was ready for some lunch. Fed him, packed his bottle away (as you can see in the pic) and set off on the hike.

The 17-year cicadas are out in force!
Saw and heard a LOT of those guys on the trail. Saw some deer too! D's first wildlife encounter. We made it back to the car and headed home after a nice Father's Day hike in the park.

Been awhile

2008-06-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

YES YES! I apologize for all you devoted readers ... all, what, two of you? for not having updated this blog in a LONG LONG time. Baby blues and disinterest, really.

D is getting bigger and bigger, as expected. He's crawling pretty well and starting to pull himself up to a stand now. Still not sleeping like a little angel, but we pick our battles, don't we.

On the personal front... nothing much happening to me. I'm knitting, web-surfing, sweeping up a lot of dog hair. Haven't played many video games of late. Oh, I got a huge blow to the stomach about a highly anticipated game. Apparently, the makers of Spore have decided to add a bunch of "protection" to the game that pretty much commandeers your computer. There's no way I'm going to put my computer up on the chop for that. REALLY disappointing too, cause I thought this would be the next Guild Wars for me. sigh

XTREME Knitting

2008-04-10T08:17:00.001-07:00

Money Close Up
Originally uploaded by astrahl

So, yeah, I've been branching out into other fun stuff about knitting. I've taken to hand dyed yarn. This little pretty is some superwash merino wool colored with Easter egg dyes. It's super easy stuff to do.

I think it's really cool. I've gotten really into it.

SOME people, you know who you are ... Ken, kinda tease me about it. Yeah, just wait until I make you a pink dick warmer, dude.

Yeah, I'm still here...

2008-04-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since I did anything here. It's been busy.
I am happy to report that for the last 4 nights, D has slept through the night. There's still some fidgeting but he's in bed from 7:30 til about 6am.
Halle-fricken-lujah

So, stuff that's kept me busy ... the house, the house, the house.
It's been several weeks and the stairs and redone, the roof is fixed (OMG FINALLY), and the flooring is going in.

Oh and D has been keeping me busy too. As we speak he is fighting and whining and struggling against sleep. He's bitchy so I know he NEEDS a nap, but he's being stubborn about it. ... I wonder where he gets that from.

Why do kids fight sleep so much?! GAH! I'd LOVE to be placed down somewhere comfy in the middle of the day and be told, "Now, you get some rest with this peaceful music, full tummy and kisses." Fack. Yeah, TORTURE. Struggle away, D, you fight the good fight.

Ok, now something is seriously wrong here ...

2008-03-12T13:40:00.001-07:00

So, I'm still looking through this list of kid songs when I come up this one that I just HAVE to click on ...

click

Christopher McCracken?! REALLY!?
Oh, but that's not all. I think to myself, "Self, maybe you're being a little too Rated-R here. It's probably totally innocent." Serves me right for giving the benefit of doubt ... read these lyrics:

Christopher McCracken went a-fishing for some crabs

CRABS?! Seriously?!

Christopher McCracken went a-fishing for some crabs
Christopher McCracken went a-fishing for some crabs
But he didn’t catch a (clap, clap) crab.

Oh, all he caught was some old virus

OMG WHAT?! "Some old virus?!" Jesus tapdancing Christ!

All he caught was some old virus
All he caught was some old virus
But he didn’t catch a (clap, clap) crab

McCracken, crabs, virus?
Yeah, kid's song my ass.
I'm surprised there isn't another verse about his brother Phil.

Alouette, gentille alouette ...

2008-03-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

So I suck with kid's songs. My parents never really sang to me and so my repertoire is rather limited when I try to sing to D.

So what do I do?
I GOOGLE IT!
God, I loves me some Google.

So I come upon a site with all KINDS of kiddy songs and one of them is the Alouette song. We all know the tune, lyrics? Not so much. They're in French ffs. So I read em and sing em to D who's sitting on my lap.

Only THEN do I think to myself ... hey, what the fuck does this shit mean anyways?

So what do I do?
I GOOGLE IT!
It's like my digital version of crack.

Alouette, gentille Alouette
Alouette je te plumerai
Je te plumerai la tête
Je te plumerai la tête
Et la tête, et la tête
O-o-o-o-oh
Alouette, gentille Alouette
Alouette je te plumerai

Sounds cute, right?

English translation
Lark, nice Lark (or Lark, lovely Lark)
Lark, I am going to pluck you
I am going to pluck your head,
I am going to pluck your head,
And the head, and the head,
O-o-o-o-oh

All the verses are the same except the part of the body.

La tete - the head
Le nez - the nose
Les yeux - the eyes
Le cou - the neck
Les ailes - the wings
Le dos - the back
Les pattes - the legs
Le queue - the tail

Dude ... how fucked up is that?!
I'm going to pluck your head?!
Thank goodness it's "PLuck"

Such a cute sounding song turning into a tale of butchery and lark plucking.
What kind of sick bastard sings to a bird that he's going to pluck the living hell out of its body?! It's like Reservoir Dogs or something. Dancing around the handcuffed cop cutting his ears off.

GAH!

Possum yarn, are you serious?!

2008-03-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I am.
While browsing around the interweb, looking at yarn... JUST LOOKING! I spied some merino wool/possum mix yarn. See it here "How the hell do they shear those," you ask. Well, I asked the same thing. They don't shear them. They kill them. I did a little reading and apparently we aren't talking about the "cute" little rat tailed, white furry things you see at night (or as roadkill), these possums are New Zealand possums.

They are a non-native species brought over by ... you guessed it ... idiotic people trying to corner a new market. These critters, apparently, have a super soft fur that is prized by many. The idiot businessmen did not know how to tan the skins properly and all the fur would fall off. Sooooooooooooo, like the GENIUSES they were ... they released the remaining non-native possums into the wilds of New Zealand where the critters have destroyed many native species. The government is now eradicating the possums in an effort to save what native species they have left. Instead of just burning the carcasses, they have found that the fur makes soft yarns that some people simply rave about.

As most of you know, I'm a vegetarian and an environmentalist, etc. Heh, I put the MENTAL in environmentalist, I know, I know. I don't eat meat, I don't buy leather or silk, I certainly DON'T wear fur and I cannot and will not use Possum yarn. Sure, I appreciate the need to restore New Zealand's fauna, I support it, but I still cannot use a product when I know an animal actually died for (was killed) for it. Yes, I understand these possums will die anyways, but I won't parade around in their fur.

Maybe I should slow down

2008-03-11T07:42:00.000-07:00

This is my stash of yarns. They all fit in the basket so we're still ok. The only ones that aren't in there are currently attached to works in progress.

WHOA
Gotta change gears for a minute here.

I'm still listening to that techno station, grooving to this new song on there. I peek to see the artist and title...MICK fuckin JAGGER?! Are you kidding me?!
Charmed Life (Ford Mix), I swear. I guess they have a recording studio at The Home.

So anyways ... that's my stash. Requests?

Weird Taste in Music

2008-03-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

Wow, last night was a nightmare with D.
To make a long story short ... not enough sleep + sick.

So we finally come downstairs this morning and, after a while, it's time for D to nap. Put him in the playcrib, turn on some soothing spa-style music. FUSS FUSS FUSS! I'm trying to get something in my stomach and D is not a happy camper. I figure, ok, let's try another type of music.

Since we have Sirius, there is a lot to choose from. I choose the electronica/dance station. beat-beat-beat-beat. You know the kind, club kids, no actual instruments involved ...

Works like a charm. zzzzzz

I am not happy

2008-03-10T17:33:00.001-07:00

I've been sick since last week. Some kind of cold. You know the little bug I'm talking about ... sore throat, stuffy sinuses turning into a nice cough and general tiredness.

Oh, and did I mention that D is still not sleeping through the night? Big feeding at about 7, 7:30 ... LATER NOW, thanks to that stupid daylight savings time. He still wakes up at 12 or 1 or 2am for food.

So, I ask you other parents out there, when does this end?!

I'm fucking miserable.

Not too bad

2008-02-29T06:14:00.001-08:00

So last night was our second night of "the system," and Drake slept from about 8pm until 2am. Not too shabby. Instead of putting him back in his bassinet after his feeding, I brought him into bed next to me and he did pretty well. He's almost outgrown that little bassinet anyways. Plus, I love snuggling up with him. Well, it's great except for when he whacks me in the face or pulls the everloving bejebus out of my hair.

That's some grip.

Could it be TRUE?

2008-02-28T05:32:00.001-08:00

D was fed at 7pm last night and didn't wake up again until around 4am.

!!!

Could it be?
I won't say anymore cause I dont wanna JINX it!

Me and D first thing this morning.

Video Game Talk

2008-02-27T13:10:00.000-08:00

I hate FPS games. First Person Shooter, for those of you who didn't know. These games are basically your point of view, you wield some sort of weapon and all kinds of scary shit tries to kill you.

My first introduction to this type of game was Doom, thank you Uncle Eddie. I remember watching him play this game with all kinds of scary noises, monsters attacking ... I hate all FPS games. They are scary and bring me too close to the action.

Brian just got Bioshock for the XBOX 360. I had just finished playing Assassin's Creed and I was ready to move on to another awesome game. I pop this one in and holy shit, dude. You start off in a plane crash in the ocean. Flames all around you, plane sinking ... having to swim to freedom. Ok, sure, I have issues with open water swimming anyways, but fine, swim swim swim ... I come to the island. I don't like the looks of this island. I follow the path and enter this lighthouse, shelter looking thing. Of COURSE, the doors shut behind you with a slam. creepy. Get in this elevator thing and it takes you underwater to this weird underwater city. When I pull into the building, I see this other person walking around and then some creature gutting him with handclaws ...

CHECK PLEASE!

I can't turn off the console fast enough. I know that I should be able to detach myself from what's going on in a silly game. After all, it is a highly rated game.

Oh, you're asking about that open water thing I mentioned earlier?
Well ...

Sit back, relax. Picture Hawaii. Ahh yes, Hawaii. 1988 Spring.
Sounds nice, right? Oh, it was. My dad was consulting on a case in court ... in Hawaii. Yeah, cool deal, right? Brings the family and we have a nice vacation on Oahu. Hotel on Waikiki. Ok, I know ... get to the STORY, Audra.

Ok, so we go to Wiamea, the home of huge waves. Nothing! Flat as a pancake. Which was cool so we went swimming in the waters. Wow, the water was crystal clear. I remember swimming out a few meters and then looking down, seeing the gorgeous sands and shells at the bottom and, being the little swimmer I am, I decide to swim to the bottom. SO I dive in and start swimming down ... and down ... and down ... and dowwwwwwn. Dude, there IS no bottom. I didn't realize that, even though I was only a few meters out from the shore, the waves are so strong, the slope of the beach into the shores drops off dramatically.

So what goes through my head is ... what kind of animals could have been swimming right under me in that depth of open water?!? holy CRAP! I don't remember how fast I swam back to shore. I don't remember what happened after that but it's been YEARS since I swam in open water.

I actually managed to get back in the water about two years ago in Grand Cayman. I remember having a lot of TREPIDATION (dingding) about snorkeling out there but Brian made me. The water was gorgeous and I finally got in. I remember saying "HOLY SHIT" into my snorkel when I saw my first pair of rays swim by. I look back and still wonder how I did it. Maybe the rum cake.

So that's the "Audra's open water fear" story.

Oh, and Bioshock sucks.

The million dollar question ...

2008-02-26T15:47:00.000-08:00

I'd get a personal chef. Screw cars, houses, stupid stuff I don't need. I need a chef.

Imagine it? Somebody to cook all your meals?? Double bonus for me since I don't like cooking and I'm a vegetarian. Didn't you know? 19 or 20 years now. Most of my life. No, I won't tell you how old I am.

So comment on what YOU would do with a million dollars.

Ok, so ... kids are hard.

2008-02-25T16:38:00.000-08:00

Here I am, announcing this super fancy shmancy blog and then I go a week without writing. Well, yeah, I KNOW, thanks for pointing that out, adoring fans ... Drake keeps me busy.

In case you didn't know this about me, I enjoy my "down time." I really enjoy, and actually require, time to myself to do my own thing, whether that's soccer or knitting or gaming or painting my toes. So I have realized that since having baby boy, such "down time" is UN-possible. I'm ON all the time unless Brian is around to take over.

So that's rough.

Speaking of video games, I've finished playing Assassin's Creed for the 360. MAN, that's a cool game. I've actually finished it twice.

http://assassinscreed.us.ubi.com/agegate.php?destURL=/index.php

Cast of Characters

2008-02-17T16:09:00.000-08:00

I realize that not everybody who reads this blog (pfft, like anybody actually DOES) knows everybody else. I'm going to seek out permission from all those involved, so when and if they agree, I will post pics of the people I mention here. There are a few people I know I don't have to get permission from, me, Drake, Brian, but as for everybody else, I don't want to publish their pics without their consent.

I wonder if I can make a new popout window for each person. Maybe even an onmouseover html command. Yeah, I know a bit of the html. Now before you go thinking that I learned it in order to elevate my geek status (KEN), I actually learned it for a job I had at the Water Resources Research Center at the University of Florida. (http://www.ce.ufl.edu/~wrrc/) It's no longer the website I designed, but that's the place I worked for before I went into grad school.

So I'll probably be sending out an email to all of you asking permission to link your name with an actual picture.

Ken, You Were Right

2008-02-17T15:54:00.000-08:00

So we've been struggling with our little Drake for a while. He isn't what you would call, "A good sleeper." I've talked to my mom and she said that I was the same. When moms say, "I hope you have a child JUST like YOU," it might be a real spell they put on you. Drake is 15 and a half weeks old and still needs to be fed every 3-4 hours a night. Then, during the day, Drake has his own feeding, sleeping schedule. Brian and I have been using the "feed on demand," thing.

Well, not sleeping regularly has turned me into a zombie ... a pissed off zombie. Pissed off zombies don't make good mothers.

Ken has kids. Ken LOVES kids. He's my go-to guy for advice. He's been saying to get Drake on a schedule as soon as possible. Finally, at the end of my zombie rope, I Googled "4 month old schedule." I Google everything, by the way. BAM! Website with example schedules for 4 month olds. I pick one that looks good and the FIRST day, it worked. Sure, Drake didn't nap for 1-1 and 1/2 hours like the schedule, only 30 minutes each, but the horrible mood swings and restlessness stopped ... for Drake too.

I was only able to pull off a couple of days on the schedule before this weekend hit, but I think this is it.

So thank you, Ken, for your help. I know I'm a stubborn friend but I really do value your unwavering support and opinions.

That was a little scary

2008-02-14T03:23:00.000-08:00

Backstory:
Brian was in an accident about a week and a half ago. He's fine. Some redneck whipped in front of him and slammed on the brakes. So we've had the car in the body shop for a while. $7000 worth of damage!

The Setup:
Snowing, -2 or -3 degrees Celsius, so about 28 or so degrees Fahrenheit.

Yesterday the car was ready for pickup so we loaded up with little Drake and headed over to the shop. After transferring the car seat, garage door opener, etc., to the car, Brian took the rental and I was in the wagon with Drake. I followed him onto the interstate, I-75, to go into Lexington to return the rental.

The Incident:
After several miles of following Brian, I notice my car starting to shake and make noise. I slow down a bit and start flashing my high beams at Brian. The car REALLY starts to shake and make noise, I throw on the hazard lights and desperately try to get Brian's attention. Nope.

I have to pull over, I smell burning rubber.

So there I am, in the snow and ice, on the small shoulder of I-75, my 15 week old baby in the back seat. I don't know what is wrong with the car and the traffic is so close to me, I can't open the car door. 70-80 mph cars and semis whizzing by. I hunt for the seldom used cell phone that I could have sworn Brian put in the car with me. I search and search and come up with nothing.

I wait for a big enough break in the traffic to peek out at the tires and, BINGO, the left rear tire is flat. First reaction was, how the FUCK did the repair shop deliver the car to us with low tire pressure? Then I think, oh shit ... wtf am I supposed to do now? The nearest exit is over half a mile up the highway. I think to myself, there's no way that Brian is going to turn around and come back up the freeway to search for me; I have to make it to the next exit.

I start rolling the car, hazards going, on the shoulder at around 5 miles per hour. kerthunkkerthunkkerthunk. Fuck it, this car is NOT more important than my and my child's safety. So I keep driving on the rim. Drivers out here are crazy, dude. They don't even slow down when they come within inches of a disabled car.

So I make it to the exit, nearest station is still half a mile down the road ... so, hugging the shoulder and pissing other drivers off, I finally make it to a station on Sir Barton Way. Get out and run into the store... their PHONE is broken. Really? No phone in the whole stinking place?! Thanks, douchebags. The next nearest place is a Rafferty's restaurant across the main road. I get D's car seat out of the car and carry him, in the snow and traffic across the way to the restaurant. Judy, the host, is an angel. She takes good care of us and I make the call to Brian's cell.

The Aftermath:
I'll have to admit that I'm a tad pissed off at him for not even checking on his rear view mirror that whole time. But he sounds very concerned and makes it to the place. While he changes the tire, I take myself and D into the restaurant and have a salad.

Now, I know what you're thinking. It was just a flat tire. A blow-out, actually. But still, big whoop, right? Well, sure, if I were on my own, no biggie. I wouldn't have been comfortable changing it myself with traffic so close, but I could have. It was Drake I was worried about. What happens if some idiot driver on a cell phone hits the car, or me? What's going to happen to Drake. Even as I was crossing the icy roadway towards the restaurant, all I was thinking was what could happen if some inattentive driver hit me while carrying D's carseat?

It APPEARS to be just a blowout. There's no visible damage to the rim. Brian said that the inner side of the tire was almost bald. The wear pattern was very uneven from inside to outside. We had the tires rotated within the last 8000 miles or so, we had JUST come from a body shop ... none of these automobile professionals even realized this?!

Finished up the rental return thing and came home. D was asleep through most of the ordeal, thankfully. So that was my excitement for the day.

It's day two of The TOFS blog

2008-02-12T20:59:00.000-08:00

Just barely ... 12:02am.
So, yeah, I'm a nightowl. Always have been.
Like my dad, I guess.

I've just sent The Email to all the friends and family I have email addresses for, even my mom, even though she never even accesses her email. Yeah, that's right. You family members out there reading this right now, YEAH. I've thrown down the gauntlet. Go ahead, TELL her. Pfft. I dares ya! What's she gunna do? EMAIL me? Schya right.

I don't wanna go to sleep. Sure, I'm sleepy and sleep deprived and in need of sleep ... Drake has seen to that.

Oh, for those of you who DON'T know, Drake is my boy. Born October 30, 2007. The name "Drake" means "dragon," and wooHOO, was that the right pick for this kid. DON'T WAKE THE DRAGON!

It's zero degrees celsius at the moment. While I prefer the winter over the summer, especially any summer in the barbaric heat of Florida ... (second gauntlet, family, BRING it!) ... I would much prefer THIS winter if I weren't in Kentucky. At least there is some snow on the ground. Makes it pretty.

I'm sitting here trying to decide what to write about, what I'm thinking about, and I realized that I'm not thinking about anything cause I'm tired. So, nothing special, I guess ... just celebrating the first tender moments of a blog.

Before I go ... I'm watching that SuperBowl commercial with the lizards all dancing to Michael Jackson's Thriller. I can still totally do that whole dance. Sure, the first time I saw that video, I got scared and had nightmares for days. My only protection was my tiny pink hippo, Sunshine. Yeah, you're laughing. Don't fucking mock my innocence! Sunshine kicked ASS! After defeating the nightmare monsters, I learned that routine. I OWNED that dance. It was MINE! Mom probably still has my Betamax copy of Thriller somewhere in her house.

Now that you know that ... don't ask me to do the dance. No, really ... don't. I'll sick Sunshine on you, and you don't wanna mess with that kick ass pink hippo.

OMGZLOLBBQ

2008-02-12T20:01:00.000-08:00

Wow. Welcome, I guess. I've been thinking about doing this for all of four or five days. I don't have delusions of grandeur or anything like that, I doubt more than two or three people will ever bother to read this (including me). I just thought that it might be a good outlet for rants, raves and general journaling.

I intend to share all kinds of fancy and unfancy stuff. My boy, humor, friends, pictures, knitting, dogs, video games, calligraphy, stained glass, soccer ...

A few things you should know, if you don't already:

1) I write the way I talk. I don't mince words, I don't showboat. If you talk to me irl ("in real life" for you n00bs), this is exactly how I will sound. I'm a "train of thought" writer. I write down what I'm thinking with little editing. Sure, I won't include the really weird stuff that crosses my mind but, ftmp (for the most part), you'll be reading what I'm thinking.

I use internet slang, irl, ftmp, lol, wtf, etc. Learn it, love it. Oh, and I also curse. Credit that to my mentor. That man would make sailors blush. I spent around three years with the guy so it rubbed off. This is not a G-rated blog.

2) I call this "Trepidation & Other Fancy Stuff," because I've always loved the word "trepidation." It was the first 50 cent word I learned. It was middle school, I walked up to Ms. Rademacher and asked her for a word that meant "anxious and excited." It's been my favorite word ever since.

3) I'm discovering that I have a lot of interests. Seems like the people I've known rub off on me. There are a few things I've loved all my life, like dogs and soccer, and then there are things that I've been introduced to that I've taken a liking to, cycling, stained glass, hockey (minus the fights), knitting ... So, if there is something you just LOVE and you think it is something you wanna share with me, let me know. I'm always curious about what makes other people happy.

That's about it for an intro. So for all two or three of you reading, I hope you like.