You wouldn't think it would be this difficult....

Magic 28
In December, I finished work on my MLIS. It was a long and arduous process spanning several years and three states. There were times I didn't think I would finish, didn't care if I finished, didn't necessarily want to finish. But, with The Beloved's support and quite a few threats, the journey came to an end.

Well, mostly. Today I got an invitation in the mail for the Graduate Commencement Ceremony at the University of Rhode Island. I hadn't planned on attending. It's two-and-a-half hours away. I did much of my coursework through distance courses online or in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. I don't have much connection with the campus--in fact, I can only find a select few buildings on campus.

But...

Part of me really wants to don the cap and gown and hood (Lemon for the MLIS). To march. To shake some complete stranger's hand and receive an empty diploma cover. (The Diploma is at home. It came in the mail several weeks ago.) I love ceremony. I love the goofy things we do to mark milestones. And while desperately wish I didn't want to go to URI in three weeks, I'm starting to get a little twinge. It's almost like pre-guilt or pre-regret. If you don't do this.... what? What will happen if I don't go? Logistically, I have no idea how it will work out. What happens if the bookstore is all out of regalia by the time I get there at the last possible second? (I really don't see how I'm going to get there earlier to buy my stuff.) What happens if we get stuck in horrible traffic and I miss it anyway? What if, what if, what if?

This shouldn't be a hard decision. Yet....I don't know. Should I stay or should I go? The Beloved is no help. He doesn't want to go, but feels this should be my decision. Naturally, I'm paralyzed and finding myself incapable of making one. I will vacillate until it's too late and the decision is made for me. Or, maybe I'll find a spine or conviction or something to push me into action.

In the meantime, I'll knit some more socks. Finished the Magic 28 mate yesterday--aren't they cute? They're the same size and everything!

Polly helped. I think she's happy with them as well. Next time, maybe I'll be brave and try stripes or a pattern stitch!

In which two Virgos throw a dinner party

Confessions
The Beloved and I are both Virgos. Some say this is destiny--Virgos can only really stand to be around other Virgos. Others feel that this combination is sick, twisted and wrong and has the makings of a cosmic disaster. Though we both exhibit stereotypical Virgo tendencies, we normally don't put a lot of stock into our astrological signs and the possible dynamic formed by two of us living in one house.

Until we decide to entertain.

Yesterday, we had friends over for dinner. Not just friends, but one of my dearest friends--someone who has known me half my life. (It's true--we met when I was 15 and I am now 30. Holy cow.) You'd think that we would wake up in the morning, act like normal human beings, enjoy our time with good friends, etc. Well. That's sort of what happened.

We woke up in the morning. And we picked up. Made sure the bathroom was clean. Swiffered the living room. Did the dishes. Decided what to make for supper. Went to the store to pick up a couple of things. Then, my inner Virgo took over.....

Saisquoi: We don't have a tablecloth. I need a tablecloth.
Beloved: Why do you need a tablecloth?
S: Because the damned cat has scratched the table. And there are watermarks on the table because we didn't wipe it down quickly enough the last time we ate out there. It looks bad. They'll be disgusted with my lack of housekeeping skills. I need a tablecloth.
B: OK. Get a tablecloth.

I get two. Because I'm not quite sure the dimensions of the table. I figure if the small one doesn't fit, I can return it, and if it does, I can use the larger one when we use the leaves.

We get home. I put the tablecloth on the table. The small one. It's got blue and green and yellow checks. I thought it was cute. It was also one of maybe three at Marshall's that didn't make me want to vomit. Anyway, it fits, but it's got great creases from being folded up. So I pull out the iron and iron the tablecloth. And the napkins.

B: That's the tablecloth you picked out? What, do you think we live on a farm? You wanna raise chickens in the backyard?
S: $%&@! (Bursts into tears) I knew you wouldn't like it. Why wouldn't you come to the store with me? This always happens!
B: I'm just teasing. It's fine. It's lovely. Why don't you sit down and do some knitting?

This sort of thing continues until about 5. Our friends are scheduled to show up sometime between 6 and 7. The Beloved begins prep work for dinner. I stay out of the way. My inner Virgo decides that she has done enough for one day and I chill out.

Our friends come. We have dinner. We talk. We drink wine. We go to watch a movie. Our satellite connection decides to act up and we can't order a movie. The Beloved suggests a movie, puts it in, and we watch it. The movie ends and our friends go home. The Beloved's inner Virgo takes the wheel:

Beloved: Oh my God. Why did I pick that movie?! It's so slow. And I don't get it. I've never gotten it! Oh, God. They're never going to come back. They hate me.
Saisquoi: It's fine--they hadn't seen that movie. They don't hate you.
B: But, but....I couldn't make the TV work. And, Jesus, The Lady in the Water? What was I thinking?
S: It's fine. Let's go pick up the dishes.

We pick up the dinner dishes.

B: Did you think the roast was overdone? God, I suck! And the potatoes didn't get crispy because I thought it would be easier to cook them in the oven. Jesus. They hated it. It was awful. I'm sorry.
S: It was fine. And now you know for next time that the potatoes don't work as well if you do it that way. Remember, it took you a long time to get them right on the stove--we ate carbon the first few time you made them. It's OK.
B: But....

This continues for another hour while we pick up the dishes, watch the beginning of MAD TV and get ready for bed. At that point, the inner Virgo decides to call it a night as well.

I've got to say, we love to have company. And when the inner Virgo is behaving herself, we have a wonderful time. Unfortunately, that stereotypical neurotic behavior kicks in and leads to absolute insanity. My mother said this morning, they're your friends. Your friends! They are the last people you need to worry about impressing. Just have a good time! And, you know, she's right.

So, L and D, we do hope you come back and that you don't hate us for our poor housekeeping, inability to order pay-per-view, and non-crispy potatoes. Next time I'll make tacos and we can eat on the floor in front of the TV.

Take that, Dream Swatch!

finished objects
Yes, it's officially a finished object. Blocked, photographed, and being worn--even as I type! Please excuse the following pictures--light has been at a premium in Seacoast NH this weekend as the weather Gods seem to favor cold, gray and rainy. In addition, I took the "action shots" of myself because I was too impatient to wait for The Beloved to do it for me. So, without further ado, here she is in all her glory!

The Dream Swatch: Pre-Blocking


The Dream Swatch: Blocking
The images aren't as clear as I'd like, but the colors are pretty true.


The Dream Swatch: In use.


All in all, I'm happy with the final product. I like the way it looks on me, which means it will likely stay here instead of being gifted. Scarves in fingering weight are insane, so I don't know that I'd make another for fun; on the other hand, it worked up relatively fast once I sat down and focused, so were someone to request their very own Dream Swatch, I'd consider doing another.

Were I to knit another--particularly as a gift--I might experiment with some design....things. Because it's knit in stockinette with the elongated cross-stitches, it really enjoys curling up into a little tube. Wet blocking convinced it to flatten out some, but it seems as though it may be a little high-maintenance for a head scarf. Whenever you washed it, it would have to be dried flat and reblocked, which isn't a problem for me, but might be a problem for some. However, I see no reason why one couldn't "swatch" in a different stitch that wasn't quite so prone to curling. We'll see what happens should I ever decide to revisit this project.

Dream Swatch Head Scarf
Yarn: Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino Yarn, P816 (Bold red & violet with brown-black)--less than 1 skein
Needles: Brittany Birch US size 4
Length @ 40 inches (give or take)
Width @ 2.5 inches or so

It's not even a full moon

scarves
But it is the end of the semester. Maybe it's the same sort of thing.

So. Yesterday the nice young man who services the projector installed in our conference room (the closest thing we have to a "high-tech" classroom at the school where I am employed) came in to, well, service the damned thing and make it work. He vacuumed it (the foolish thing was full of dust and nastiness), checked it out to make sure it was happy (it was a little hot), gave it a nice pat on the head and left. As far as I know, the thing was working like a charm when he left.

Is it working this morning? No. Of course not. Why would it?

I suspect the bulb has decided to go. Mostly because the red "Lamp" light is on. It turns on and works for about three minutes and then goes out. Great.

There's a candidate here interviewing for a faculty position--I think in graphic design. The candidate would like to be able to show her work. The committee would like to see her work. I can't make the damned projector work. Double-great.

Now, we do have a small, portable projector. And a laptop. So, theoretically, the candidate can hook up to that and go. It's not as nice or as powerful, but it will work. Fortunately, the Dean just stopped by (he is a very nice and reasonable man) and I let him know what's going on. He thinks that the small projector will be just fine, and commended me on my quick thinking. Hah. If only he knew.

All of this drama is, of course, following on the heels of an amazingly bad night at job #2 last night. Every time I go there, I get crazier and crazier. Is it worth all the aggravation? Probably not. But I'm extraordinarily stubborn and I really, really, really want to see this last project through before I leave. God give me strength.

You know, I know that we all go through times like this. What are your solutions--or means of coping when there simply is no solution?

On a happier note, the Dream Swatch will be finished today. It's measuring in at just over 40 inches, and while I still have some yarn left, my head really isn't all that big. So, the plan is to cast off at lunchtime (in about 45 minutes), weave in the ends when I get home, wet block it overnight, and voila, something beautiful for tomorrow to get me through another day of sheer hell at job #2. Pictures tonight!

My weekend in knitting

baby things
As promised--photos of my weekend knitting:

Dishcloth in Diamond Drop Lace. Unblocked. Knit in Sugar 'n Cream "Yellow" on US 7 needles. Here it is up close:

It's a pretty pattern and would likely make a beautiful scarf or baby blanket--two types of knit object I am currently avoiding like the plague.

The Dream Swatch. Coming along. There are miles to go before I sleep.... But it looks pretty, doesn't it?

Haiku. Progressing nicely. The right front and the armhole are done. I've knit about an inch or an inch-and-a-half of the back. You can see a bit of the Dream Swatch in the corner. What a drama queen!

Magic 28 sock. It's lonely and needing a mate. Hopefully I'll have time to make one before the end of the week. It's cute, isn't it? Here it is a little closer...

Here's a confession--this is my first-ever sock. When I took up knitting again, a couple of years ago, I did it with the goal of making socks somewhere in the back of my head. For some reason, I thought it would be hard and that I didn't know enough to be able to attempt the fine art of sock-knitting. Lo and behold, it wasn't that bad! There are some things I will probably change the next time around, but all in all, I like it. I hope it will serve its purpose well. And now I'm not nearly as intimidated by the Cherry Tree Hill yarn in my stash waiting to become something gorgeous.

And now, for the final round-up:

I think our models deserve a nice round of applause, don't you?

Here comes the sun

baby things
Spring has sprung--I think. Today it seems a bit more like we skipped over spring and went straight to summer, but since it isn't cold and rainy, I don't feel as though I should complain.

To celebrate, I did what any red-blooded American girl would do--I got a haircut and bought shoes.

Aren't they cute? I went in looking for sandals. But these were on sale. They were calling to me. They're green and pink and absolutely oozing spring-ness. They're also imminently more practical for work. (Have you ever dropped a good-sized book on your foot whilst wearing sandals? Take it from me--it's not fun.) And, did I mention, they were on sale? OK. I'm done rationalizing. However, the fact that I really don't have any sandals to speak of since the cat puked on my Tevas at some point in the past month and I've only just discovered it is plaguing me just a little. I've got to have another pay period coming up soon, right?

Since I haven't mastered the art of photographing myself, you don't get to see the haircut. Too bad! It's actually not any different from how I've been wearing my hair for the past four months--it's just two inches shorter, which managed to get rid of all the dead, fuzzy ends. If I was together enough to blow dry my hair before work, it would look sleek and straight. Instead, it looks acceptable, and less crappy than last week. The haircut was a bit of an adventure. I went someplace new, which was only a little terrifying. My previous hairdresser is a wonderful woman. She's been cutting my hair for about five years now. Unfortunately, we've moved, and it just seemed silly with the price of gas to drive half an hour away, particularly since, as The Beloved so eloquently stated, we moved to "the cultural center of New Hampshire."

So, I made myself an appointment at Portsmouth Spa, "Portsmouth's fun spa." It's a cute enough little place, and the woman who cut my hair was not only competent (which is always wonderful), but a good listener. Now, I'm not one who talks and pours out my life story to the poor soul charged with cutting the disaster that is my hair (that's why I have a blog, you see), but there are few things that drive me crazier than being granted a lovely hairstyle that requires more upkeep than washing it and drying it straight. Particularly when I say, "I am hair-challenged. Please do not ask me to do anything more with this than blow dry it." She also listened to my growing concerns regarding my current color--or lack thereof. And provided multiple options. So, next month I will go back and, God willing, she will use her magical skills to make my gray less obvious.

Regarding the spa itself, I will likely go back and avail myself of some of their other services. Once my hair color is determined, I'll get my brows shaped and tinted--an expenditure that The Beloved feels is equivalent to my flushing money down the toilet, but I insist makes me look "polished." The only downside? One of the hairdressers is a guy with whom I attended high school. This is one of the hazards of moving back to your hometown, I suppose. No matter where you go someone knows who you are. Anonymity no longer exists....which, ordinarily, is a good thing. But sometimes a little anonymity is a good thing when your head is covered with chemicals and foils in the never-ending fight against premature signs of age....

The weekend wouldn't be the weekend without knitting. I knit on the Dream Swatch. Outside. In the center of town. While drinking a latte. And shooting the breeze with the other locals (seriously--I saw a guy from my church, the priest from the other Episcopal church in town who filled in for us while ours was out on paternity leave at Christmastime, and a couple of other folk who have known me since I was knee-high to a grasshopper). It was pretty sweet. Then I finished a dishcloth. I also did a little work on Haiku, particularly since its future owner came to dinner on Saturday night and allowed me to measure her arms and torso. If I finish the sweater soon, it may actually fit her. And, the baby cardi/kimono finally went off to its new home--right in time for the 80 degree weather. Last, but not least, I knit my first "Magic 28" sock. It's very cute...but a little pointy. I'll need to do something different with the toes for the next pair. But, it makes me happy to think of this sock keeping some little child's foot warm. I think it was just what I needed to get me out of my slump. I'm now ready to finish off some of my languishing projects (I'm talking about you, Dream Swatch)--if only to knit more teeny-tiny socks.

Pictures to follow...I am currently sans camera, but will rectify the situation with a nice picture-heavy post later today or tomorrow.

Strange sightings....

baby things
So, can anyone tell me what that strange bright orb in the sky over Southern NH is? It frightens me. It hurts to look at it.

Seriously, it's been so long since I've seen the sun, I'd almost forgotten what it was like. Naturally, I'll spend the greater part of the day inside at work making the most of this newly sunny weather. Blah.

In knitting news: The Dream Swatch progresses. Slowly. I do have a lunch break today at work, though, and since it's sunny but still extremely wet here I'll probably spend that hour busily working away on my head scarf. KelInCal commented earlier this week on the utter insanity of knitting a scarf in Koigu. What were we thinking?! My guess is that we were thinking, "Oooh, shiny! I bet this this yarn would look fabulous!" And it does. It just happens to be a big. Long. Rectangle. The shininess wore off too fast.

The Haiku sweater progresses. I'm not sure that I like the variegated yarn as much as I originally did. I'm afraid that it obscures the block stitch segments. The Beloved says it looks fine, it's for a baby who will only be able to wear it, like, twice before she outgrows it, and that I need to lighten up. He doesn't understand anything.

In all honesty, I haven't knit much over the past couple of days. Wednesday is my late night at work, so I did a teeny bit on Haiku when I got home, but I don't think I picked up anything on Tuesday. I've been a bit under the weather, so I haven't done much but sit on the couch drinking ginger ale and watching Firefly on DVD. (Laura, Mal and Inara send their regards. When Mal isn't getting shot, that is.) I'm hoping to get some work done this weekend, and I've signed up for Norma's "Magic 28" ring. Little socks for little feet. It warms my little heart just thinking about it. And children's socks are small and quick projects, which is apparently what I need now that I have the attention span of a three-year-old hopped up on Mountain Dew.

Speaking of which, it's got to be about time for coffee.....

Finished!

baby things
Well, almost. Last night I finished putting together the baby cardi/kimono. Check it out!


I'm very happy with it, and it would have gone to its new home today but for the fact that my iron decided to act up when I was steam blocking the foolish thing. In steaming the foolish thing, it blew out some dirty water that left nasty brown spots on the front of my off-white sweater. Grrr! So, it will need to go back into the wash, which will happen as soon as I have another load to run...perhaps tomorrow. God willing, the spots will come out. If they don't the sweater didn't take that long to make and I suppose I could knit another front, but...Grrr....

In other news, I've cast on another baby sweater! Woo-hoo. This time, I'm working Haiku. The pattern isn't difficult, but I've done a fair amount of ripping due to my present inability to execute box stitch in an appropriate fashion. Sigh. Perhaps the yarn looks familiar. In an earlier incarnation, it was the Moss Stitch Baby Blanket. I'm happier with it in the sweater. I've got tons of this yarn. I believe it's Red Heart Soft Baby. I made a baby blanket out of this stuff several years ago. Then, Resident Sibling "destashed" a ridiculous amount of the stuff and added it to my collection. I knit a fair amount of baby stuff for charity and I've reached the age where every female I know seems to be procreating, so I figured it would go eventually. But I've still got, like, five or six large skeins of the stuff. So, sweater. Baby blanket. Horse blanket. I've got miles of yarn yet....and very few ideas on what to do with it.

I've also been working off and on with the Dream Swatch. I love it. I love my Koigu. It's going slowly because I like to gaze upon my yarn and stroke it and think about its utter loveliness. Why am I not working on it constantly? Because it's just the right size and complexity to work as my "traveling" project--the one that comes with me to work so I have something to do on my coffee break or if I'm stuck somewhere boring for too long. The sweater, on the other hand, involves measuring and two kinds of stitches.

Otherwise, it's been a quiet weekend. Even the cats have been quiet.


Polly made the most of it.

There Can Be Only One

baby things
Several weeks ago, The Beloved was struck with an uncontrollable desire to own the entire Highlander television series. So he ordered it from Amazon.com--only to discover he hadn't changed his address from the last time he ordered something several years ago. Since we moved into our current abode about a year ago, this did not make him happy. Particularly since the items shipped later than planned and just missed mail forwarding.

He tried again and ordered the series on E-bay. And waited. And waited. Meanwhile, several items I ordered around the same time arrived without hitch. And The Beloved grew angrier and angrier. His mood was not helped when he e-mailed the seller to ask for a ship date and tracking number only to be told, "I don't answer individual e-mails in order to keep my costs down." The Beloved took the following days to craft the perfect negative review in retaliation.

You can imagine his delight and surprise when a large heavy box of DVDs arrived at the house on Tuesday. Since then, we have watched 10 episodes. If this doesn't prove my love for him, I don't know what does.

On the knitting front:

I'm about to pin the baby cardi out on the blocking board. Point of information: As Resident Sibling pointed out, it isn't actually a cardigan, but a kimono. Please forgive me if I have misled you. Anyway, back to the sweater. Since it is still in pieces, I won't bore you with a picture. I will, however, bore you with the following:

This is a dishcloth I've been working on since I finished knitting on the baby sweater. It knit quickly and has an interesting look. I think it's called "Squares on the Diagonal." It's knit corner-to-corner, like a grandmother's favorite. I love corner-to-corner dishcloths. I think this might knit up into a nice baby blanket. But I'm trying to finish off the blankets I've got going before beginning any new ones. Here it is close up:

And here it is posing:

It's cuddling with my new ball of Koigu. I blame KelinCal over at HypKNITized for this. And for this:

It's the beginning of a Dream Swatch. And while I'm a bit more enamored with hers than with mine, I'm thoroughly enjoying the yarn and the knitting. It brings me great joy. I might have to buy more Koigu tomorrow. In spring colors. Even though it is definitely not acting like spring today. We've been enjoying "wintry mix" here on the NH Seacoast today--which basically means we have a potpourri of crappy weather including snow, sleet and rain. Blah. The only good part about this weather? It means I can enjoy this with my knitting:

Ah. Wonderful. Now I'm off to block the baby sweater.

Easter fun

baby things
Well, we survived. Cheese tray, deviled eggs, 10 pounds of ham, 10 pounds of mashed potatoes, asparagus, corn, green bean casserole, salad, bread, and pie. Oh, and lots of wine. And, can I forget the nineteen people who somehow fit into my teeny-tiny house? It was great fun. My cousin's little son, B, was the family photographer. They are supposed to send me pictures later this week. Until then, you'll have to deal with my inferior snapshots taken in between hostess and cooking duties...

These delectable little babies were courtesy of my mother-in-law. They didn't last very long.

This handsome young man is my baby brother. He is not the sibling in residence--he's a college boy, but he comes home on the weekends to do his laundry and eat some non-institutional cooking. My family is big on this--every Sunday we have dinner as an extended family. Location rotates between my mother's house and my aunt's house and generally involves about 10 guests, but can get as large as 17. Easter was bigger because it included my in-laws. Woo-hoo!

My mother and my auntie. Excellent genes in my family. I'm hoping that mine kick in eventually :)

Amazingly, there were very few leftovers. We've got a fair amount of ham, but nearly everything else was consumed. So, this is what I did with about 10-12 oz. of leftovers tonight: Macaroni & Cheese with Ham. Yes, exciting, I know. But this recipe is a little different and a little more grown-up than the garden variety mac & cheese.

Here's what you need:
  • 8 oz macaroni (I used penne), cooked and drained
  • 10 oz. ham cut into strips oz ham cut into strips
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 c. half & half
  • salt & pepper
  • 3/4 c. grated cheese (I used a blend of mozzarella and cheddar, I think--and I probably used more than the recommended amount)
  • 4 grated parmesan (I used a blend of parmesan, romano and asiago)
Here's what I did:
  • Butter a casserole dish.
  • Layer pasta and ham and pasta and ham, etc. in the dish.
  • Whisk eggs, half & half and salt & pepper together. Pour over pasta and ham.
  • Top with grated cheese.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until liquid has become custard-like.
Yum.

Oh! And I did some knitting! Not much--it's hard to knit and eat at the same time, you know. But I finished the mystery object, which I unfortunately forgot to photograph. Damn. Anyhow--I knit this little bag. It was cute, but it definitely needs to be lined, which the instructions don't tell you. Should I make this bag again--which is distinctly possible because it really was cute--I'll definitely line it.

I also cast off the baby cardi. Tomorrow it gets washed and blocked and then hopefully I'll have it together enough to finish it on Wednesday after work. If not Wednesday, I've got Thursday "off" from choir rehearsal, and so it might get finished then. So far, it's very cute--I mean, as far as off-white cardigans for infants go. Particularly when they're in multiple pieces on the coffee table. No pictures tonight--perhaps some "action" shots of blocked pieces tomorrow....

Hmmm.

Dishcloths
Last night I finished the monthly dishcloth KAL. I suppose it was Good Friday appropriate. Yet, I wish we had been given more guidance in color selection. The moderator sends out an announcement a few days before the KAL officially begins, and while we don't find out what we're knitting (it's supposed to be a surprise), we will get a yarn suggestion. This time around, it was to use a solid, worsted-weight cotton. I chose a nice, bright, sunshiney-yellow from my stash. And knit this:

I'm not entirely sure what to do with this. I don't know that I feel comfortable washing my grimy pans with the dishcloth version of Calvary. And the sunshine yellow somehow seems very, very wrong. Oh well. I suppose it can go into my dwindling pile of finished objects to be used as last-minute gifts...although I fear the only proper use for this is as the door prize at a tacky party...

Triduum

church
We are traveling through the Holy Triduum--the three days before Easter. This is, quite possibly, my favorite time of year--as regards my religious practices, in any event.

During the Triduum, we remember the events leading up to the celebration of the resurrection on Easter. It begins on Thursday evening, or Maundy Thursday, as we remember the Last Supper and the example Jesus set for his disciples by washing their feet. We remember, as our Jewish brothers and sisters remember, the gift of salvation through the Passover. We watch as the Blessed Sacrament processes to the altar of repose and we are invited to watch and pray though the night, as the disciples were asked to watch and pray two thousand years ago.

On Good Friday, we remember the Passion--the crucifixion. We venerate the cross. It is very solemn and even sad. But it is necessary--after all, without death there can be no resurrection.

And on Saturday night we gather for the Easter Vigil. We light the first fire of Easter, and from that small fire, we light the Paschal Candle. We tell the stories of our faith--from the Creation to the Flood to the Exodus to the Prophets. We tell all the stories that lead up to the Passion and the Easter story. And then we celebrate. We baptize new members, we say "Alleluia" for the first time since Lent began and we rejoice in the promise and hope of new life.

The Triduum is a journey. It's one long liturgy spanning three days. Together we remember the last days of Jesus and his resurrection. It can be arduous and profound. It is the culmination of the preparation of our hearts and minds and selves made during the season of Lent. As I tell my kids in Sunday School, "Easter is a great mystery, and we need to get ready to enter or even come close to a mystery as great as Easter." Lent helps me get ready. The Triduum helps me make sure I am ready.

This makes me sound much more devout than I really am. While I do attend church regularly, sing in the choir, and teach Sunday School, faith does not come easy. It's something I struggle with nearly every day. Overall, this doesn't present a huge problem to me; I was raised Lutheran and my father says that I must have been imbued with a need for inner conflict during my catechism classes. Yet, there are times of the year when it is nice--and probably even important--to truly believe. Easter is one of those times.

The rest of the year, I can hold my feelings of doubt, and work with them. But on Easter morning, it's hard to walk in amongst the daffodils and lilies and the sounds of "Alleluia" and "Rejoice" if you're thinking, "Yeah, but was this really the way it happened?" The Triduum allows me to get ready--to enter this story that is still being told and still being lived and truly believe on Easter morning that "the Lord is risen indeed," whatever that may mean.

I meant to have this posted on Maundy Thursday--the first day of the Triduum. But it wasn't ready--I wasn't ready. I worked on it a little more last night, but it still wasn't there. Today, as I prepare myself for the Great Vigil of Easter, I think I'm almost ready. And so now, this post--which seems to reflect a bit of my own journey this year--is almost ready, too.

I wish all of you a blessed Easter and joyous and peaceful Passover; as you celebrate, think on these words by Primo Levi:
Each of us has been a slave in Egypt,
Soaked straw and clay with sweat,
And crossed the sea dry-footed.
You too, stranger.
This year in fear and shame,
next year in virtue and in justice
Amen.

The S is for Sucks

weather
Ah, April. Easter is just around the corner. And this is what it looked like outside of my office at about 3:00 this afternoon:

Stunning, eh? Yeah. I'm all done with this. All. Done.

So, S is also for Snow and Sleet and Slush--all of which fell from the sky this afternoon between 3 and 7 while I was busily cataloging at job #2.

And S is for Slip and Slide and Skid which is what I did on the way home since NO ONE in the eight or nine towns I drive through on my commute chose to treat the roads in any way, shape or form.

S is for Swear, which I also did during my drive--particularly while slipping, sliding and skidding.

But S is also for Sigh, which is what I did after finally arriving home and getting a Smile from my Beloved Spouse.

And S is for Spring rolls, which made a quick and easy Snack after slipping, sliding, skidding and swearing for an hour and a half. Accompanied by Sam Adams, my snack has almost made me feel human again. Almost.

So, the only thing left to do is Soak in a nice hot tub with some Scented Salts and a Steamy novel.

Seriously.

Spanish Rice

baby things
It's Monday and I was the first one home from work, which means dinner duty. Because the OCD was in high gear today, I knew I was going to be home first and so called The Beloved at work to ask what he wanted to eat. Shrimp and chorizo and yellow rice. Since I had never actually made this dish before, I got to make it up as I went along. It was actually quite tasty, extremely easy, involved very little cleanup and has left us with plenty of leftovers, so I won't have to cook tomorrow night, either--unless Resident Sibling clears us out before then.

Here's what you need:
  • Chorizo (I used one package containing two sausage)
  • 1 onion
  • 1 bell pepper (I used red, only because the green ones looked icky at the supermarket today)
  • 2 packages Vigo Yellow Rice (really, if there are only two of you, one package would probably be sufficient, but The Beloved has always made Spanish rice dishes with the "family sized" package, or 2 regular-sized packages)
  • 2 servings of shrimp--cleaned, deveined, etc. (I used 10 large ready-to-use frozen shrimp)
  • Decorative peas
Here's what you'll do:

Chop up the chorizo, onion and bell pepper. Saute in a frying pan until the onions are soft and mostly translucent.

In the same pan, prepare the rice according to instructions on package. I boiled the water in a kettle while I was sauteing the other ingredients so that I didn't have to boil my vegetables along with the water. After adding the boiling water to the stuff in the pan, I added the 2 packages of rice, allowed everything to boil for a minute or two, covered the mixture and turned the heat down to "simmer." I allowed it to simmer for about 10 minutes and then threw the shrimp in. The mixture simmered for another 15 minutes or so, until the rice was ready and the shrimp was no longer frozen.

Serve up and use decorative peas as necessary.

This is nice with a tossed salad and some red wine--however, in my opinion most meals are enhanced by a nice bottle of red.

I love dishes like this because they use only one pan. Clean-up is a snap, which leaves more time for knitting.

Unfortunately, I had to spend a lot of time picking up before I could sit down and knit. The baby cardigan is still languishing:

But I'm now ready to add another ball of yarn, which makes me feel moderately accomplished. I hope to finish knitting and blocking the mystery project tonight and do the finishing work on it tomorrow. We'll see.... I went to buy notions for it today and it was like the search for the Holy Grail. I could not find matching ribbon to save my life--in complementary or contrasting colors. Nothing looked good. I'm pretty sure the ribbon I ended up with will work OK, but, man--I was ready to try and make my own out of fabric scraps!

And yarn porn as promised:

Isn't it great? Are you drooling? This is the yarn for my cardigan--50% Alpaca and 50% Silk equals 100% Yummy. The color is "Ginger," but it may actually be closer to a "Lemongrass;" it's a darker gold with some greeny undertones. It's a sportweight yarn and so the sweater will be knit on US 4 needles--I should be finished with it sometime before I die. But I'm not going to let myself finish it until the Baby Cardigan and the Mystery Project are finished. The Beloved's afghan will be worked on sporadically until it's done and the afghan for my friend is, well, I'm afraid it's a Cursed Project. Again--I will finish it someday, but I'm really not happy with it. I need to solicit second and third opinions on what I'm doing wrong to see if there's any hope or if I should just throw in the towel and start over...

To leave you all on a happier note, ask yourself if life gets any better than this:

Doesn't she look cozy? I want to come back as a cat owned by people like The Beloved and me. Now, somebody please take my camera away before I hurt someone...

In which Saisquoi decides maturity is highly overrated

baby things
I've spent my Sunday doing very mature, adult things. I went to church this morning for Palm Sunday. I finally got the guest list for Easter dinner--we'll be having 17 or 18 guests for dinner. So The Beloved and I started to clean in earnest. Hopefully the house won't be appalling next week--I have high hopes, particularly if Resident Sibling pulls her weight. That, of course, is not a certainty, but I choose not to worry...yet.

So we cleaned. And I did laundry. Lots of laundry. And we cleaned some more. Wow. What a way to spend a Sunday.

Saturday was WAY preferable. My camera arrived, so here are some glimpses of The Beloved and I out on the town.

Here we are at The Home Depot. Our toilet seat broke. Naturally, the toilet in our house is gray. Behold the wall of toilet seats:


None are gray. We found we could special order a gray one if we really wanted, but that just seemed...well...silly. Particularly since we really didn't want to wait for a toilet seat to arrive. After much deliberation, we decided on an oak one. Nothing was going to match; oak seemed the most reasonable choice.

When we finished running errands, we decided to take advantage of the absolutely glorious day.

We went to the beach. As you can tell, we were the coolest kids there. From whence comes the burning desire to fly a kite? Who knows. But I had it. And The Beloved, being wonderful, agreed to humor me. In spite of the fact that neither of us have flown a kite in years, we didn't do half-bad if I do say so myself. It took off with ease and sailed like nobody's business.

Man, it was great. If you haven't flown a kite recently, I highly recommend it. You should be able to find one at a high-quality toy store, and while some are expensive, ours was under $20. Hours of fun.

Check out The Beloved in action:

He claims it was "OK," but I think he actually had fun. In fact, I think he may come out and do it again!

We had so much fun outside, that knitting "suffered." I'm plugging along with the baby cardi and it will be done eventually. Probably next week, particularly since I'm taking some time off. I'm also working on a "mystery project." My mother's birthday is coming up and so I'm trying to figure something out for that--something tells me the baby cardi isn't for her.

Tomorrow, I'll play with the camera some more, show you the progress on the baby cardi and give you a little yarn porn--the yarn for my cardigan arrived yesterday, and I'm considering just keeping it as is and carrying skeins around to pat during the day. The yarn is soooooo soft. But now I'm getting sleepy and have to get one more load of laundry in before calling it a day. I gotta tell you--the kite-flying was way more fun than the housework.

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