Randon Friday

Phil left for the Pinball Wizards convention this morning. The kids are finally in bed, and I'm completely exhausted. I had coffee with an old friend last night, and while it was wonderful to see her again, it was most definitely NOT a good idea to have a Grande Latte at past 8 in the evening. I didn't fall asleep until past midnight, and now I'm just... what was I saying?

No exciting knitting content, I'm afraid. The sock is longer, Colette is longer, blah-di-blah-blah... I'm feeling a mad urge to crochet a Babette blanket (thank GOD the KnitPicks Palette samplers appear to be unavailable right now!), and to knit lace, preferable with HandMaiden SeaSilk... But I'm being good. Knit knit knit.

In lieu of fascinating blog fodder, let's have a Random Friday post, shall we? 5 off the top, here we go (it was originally 10, but I stalled out after number 6):

1. I can't keep living a lie, so I'm just going to come out and say it: I don't like Boréal Blanche beer. I like the Rousse and the Blonde, but not the Blanche. It tastes like medicine.
2. Émilie named her hampster Albert. The poor thing has been dropped, squeezed, kissed and loved, and has seen his life flash before his eyes on countless occasions this past week. If this is karma at work, I gotta say: Payback is a beotch.
3. In an attempt to cut my spending, I'm considering dyeing my hair myself this weekend. From dye bought at the pharmacy. Out of a box. By Myself. This may not be a big deal to most, but since I've always had a colorist do it at the salon, this is HUGE.
4. I am 8 episodes behind on Bones. This can't be allowed to continue.
5. I've been re-reading favourite books lately. I read Twilight and New Moon again, but as I'm waiting on someone (*cough* Kate *cough*) to finish Eclipse, I started another old favourite, As it is in Heaven, by Niall Williams. Every sentence deserves to be savoured, like candy.

OK, I've got a date with David Boreanaz, people, so I'm going to call it a night. I'll end this post with a random picture taken from Flickr. I typed in the word "Friday", and this was my favourite of the results on the first page.

Day 160: FUTAB Blue Friday, by jeneyepher.

Happy Knitting Everyone!

Humble Pie

I'm really starting to feel bad that my blog posts of late have little or no knitting content. Things have been a bit hectic around here, and it's a good day when I can get even a few minutes to knit at all! For instance, after working on our income taxes last night for about an hour and a half, I got to sit down with Phil, watch Heroes, and knit... wait for it.... 5 whole rows on Colette. Now doesn't that make for downright fascinating blog fodder???

*Sigh*

I wish I could say things will be better in a few days, but Phil is going to be out of town this weekend for a pinball festival, then he's off to Paris again the week of May 9th. Which means that not only will he miss Mother's Day, but also Maxime's second birthday (May 14th). And if that weren't bad enough? We just realized we have tickets to see Roger Hodgson (of Supertramp fame) at the Place des Arts on May 9th.

Yeah, let's just say Phil isn't in a super mood lately, and I don't blame him, even if I am a bit jealous of his getting to experience Paris in the Spring.

Today I took Émilie to a fitting for her school uniform. I don't know if I can adequately describe how I felt, looking at her in her little pleated tartan skirt and vest! She seemed grown-up and small all at once, and it just hit me how quickly it's all going by, you know? I know that soon I'll come to appreciate the fact that she's in school and that she'll be more independent, but right now... I don't know if I'm quite there yet. It'll take some getting used to, and I can't help but feel a bit sad that she and Maxime won't be spending their days together anymore, come the Fall.

All those happy-feely musings went right out the door as soon as I was handed the bill, of course... 630$!!! I just about had a heart attack! I went over the list again and removed 2 items that weren't required but that I thought were cute (another skirt and a zippered cardigan), but it's still over 500$... And I'm only going to have to buy it all again next year, because they grow so fast!!!

Seriously? All I want for Mother's Day is to win the lottery. How about you?

OK, I needs to knit now, me thinks. I need to get into that soothing rhythm. Let's see... Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Aum.... Any other chants you can think of?

Happy Knitting Everyone!

Blah

No post tonight poppets. I did my income taxes instead. Wheeeee!!!

See you tomorrow, I'm off to drown my sorrows in some super-fine merino.

How we did

Whew! Well, I told you this weekend was going to be busy, and I was right. As it is the laundry still isn't finished, I've only managed to cook 2 out of 4 meals for the week (Friday is spaghetti night, so no cooking required), the ironing has been ignored... *Sigh*

Saturday was Émilie's skating recital extravaganza, and she did fairly well. She fell about 30 seconds into the program, poor little thing, and as she didn't have her protective pads on under her costume, she was a bit upset. But she managed to suck it up and finish the show, and we were really proud of her!


It was a loooooong day though. She had to be there at 11 AM, even though the show was only at 1 in the afternoon. And despite her part being only about 2 minutes long, the kids had to stay for the entire show, which was over 3 hours long!!! Yeah, long day for Émilie, and long day for Maxime, too! I could have left with him after her part was over, but I really wanted to be there when she was finally able to come down and tell her how proud I was of her, so we stayed.


I don't know if she'll want to take skating lessons again in the Fall, she's a bit sick of the whole thing right now! We'll see, I guess.

After the show we dropped off both kids at my in-laws' house and came back home to get changed, before heading right back out the door again. We had tickets to see a Quebec singer/songwriter we really love, Daniel Boucher, and we wanted to have dinner at a local Vietnamese Phô soup restaurant (Phô Bang New York) before the show.

We love this place, and we don't get to go that often anymore (it's not really kid friendly!), so whenever we have the chance, we always eat there.

Phil always has the Extra Large bowl!

Across the street from the concert venue (Club Soda) was a strip joint, which has probably been there since the '50s. Strip clubs are fairly common in Montreal, especially in that part of town, but I've got to say, I've never seen a marquee quite like this one. Take a look! Doesn't the stripper look a little weird and out of proportion? Not so much with the allure, me thinks...

The show was wonderful (I took pictures, but they all came out blurry), and we had a great time. We came back home and got to sleep in this morning until 8:15!

Unfortunately, that was all the rest I got today, seeing as how yesterday was a complete bust in the DORMA department. I got no laundry done, didn't do any shopping (except to get Maxime his summer sandals), didn't make any food...


I got cracking today, and while I was busy cooking and Maxime was having his nap, Phil decided that it was the right time to get Émilie a hamster and took her to the pet store to pick one out.

I tell ya: I don't know what this poor bastard did in a past life to deserve this fate, but the poor thing just can't get a moment's peace! Émilie is deeply, deeply smitten with this rodent, even suggesting that we can give our dog, J-B, back to Phil's brother, as now she's got another pet she likes better.
We finished up the weekend by having Kate-the-Enabler and family over for dinner and cake, sort of a spur-of-the-moment "It's a Girl!" celebration. Émilie and Maxime were a bit whipped though, and not on their best behaviour, but I think everybody had a good time... Plus the chocolate cake (recipe curtosy of Anne Hanson!) was awesome.

And now here we are! Since the kids have been in bed, I've folded 4 loads of laundry, gotten our Federal income tax returns ready to mail out, and have written this blog post. I'm a dynamo of productivity, people! I'd roar, but honestly, I just don't have the strength left in me.

Happy Knitting Everyone! As you can see, I haven't knit a stitch since Friday. It'll be good to get back to work tomorrow, at least I'll get to knit on the subway on the way in!

Another one bites the dust

Good evening, my lovelies! Here we are, another Friday, and thank God and sunny Jesus for that. Can I get an Amen?

Oh right, except that my weekends tend to get a little, you know, insane, and this one promises to be no different. Émilie has her end of the year skating extravaganza tomorrow, and then we're going to a concert with some friends. Sunday we have our Muay Thai class.... Plus the shopping, the laundry, the cooking... *Sigh*

Last night Phil and I saw another concert (I KNOW! - busy week, huh?). We saw Francis Cabrel at the Théâtre Saint-Denis, and it was a wonderful show. Great music, great atmosphere.... It was the third time we've seen him in concert since we've been together, and he never disappoints.

So what of knitting? Well, I'm plugging along on my second Fratello sock, and I even put a few inches on my Vintage Go Habs Go (play golf, you SUCK!) socks. I'm so deeply smitten with Fratello that I'm now convinced that only Edward Cullen, Jesus, or possibly Gandhi would be worthy of them.

Colette is also moving along, though not as quickly. I'm still interested to see how making a sweater from the top down is going to work. Every now and again I look at my knitting and think "Where will the armholes go?", "What about the neck shaping?" and then I realize "Oooh, that's right..."

I'll try to take pictures as soon as it's not quite so blobby and I can maybe try it on, which I'm anxious to do anyway, since knitting the small size, despite my confidence in my measurements, is really making me nervous.

I'm also beginning to give some very serious thought to baby knitting. Naturally, there's Kate-the-Enabler's baby girl to be to consider. But Phil and I also have some friends whose son was born prematurely about a month ago, at 27 and a half weeks gestation. They've started a blog which I've been reading daily, and their struggles are just so unbelievable to me, that I feel like I need to do something you know? I can't believe it's taken me this long to think "Hey, I should knit something!". Sometimes my brain just ain't all there, you know? Speaking of which, I think I'll hit the couch, get some knitting done.

Happy Knitting Everyone!

Odds and Ends

I had planned on getting a post out sooner this evening, but Phil and I watched a movie instead (Slumdog Millionaire - it was really good!) and now I'm a bit tired...

But there are a few things I've been meaning to share with you all, and this is as good a time as any, right?

First off, I want to pimp my cousin's radio documentary, which appeared on CBC One's Outfront on April 14th. It's a wonderful piece, really funny and insightful and well written, in my humble opinion, and well worth a listen. But if you need extra incentive, I make a brief appearance in it as well! So if you've been reading my blog and been dying to know what I sound like in real life (with a bit of a cold), do give it a listen.

I've also been meaning to post this video a friend of mine sent me a few days ago. It's nothing to do with knitting, but it DOES have quite a lot of sheep, and what knitter doesn't like sheep, right? Seriously, check it out. It's pretty awesome.



Finally, I want to thank all of you who sent Girl vibes out to Kate-the-Enabler since she came out with her pregnancy on this blog.

IT WORKED!!!! Kate's having a gilr!!!! WOOT!!! Way to go, Chris and Kate. We're happy for the entire family, and looking forward to getting some pink and frilly knits on the needles in the very near future.

Happy Knitting Everyone!

Spring is sprung

Well well... another weekend drawing to a close. I'm hoping that this weekend marked the official turning point from Winter to Spring here in southern Quebec. The weather was, for the most part, nice and sunny, and there were a few key indicators that the seasons are ready to change "for real this time". For instance:

I put out sheets to dry on the clothes line for the first time this year.

My beloved peonies finally started showing signs of life.

And a few new projects have made their way onto the needles.

I finally cast on Colette on Friday night. I apologize for the blobiness of the picture, but I've really only got about 15 rows done so far, so there isn't much to report, other than that the yarn (Classic Elite Wool Bam Boo) is very soft and sproingy, and that I'm tickled pink by the notion of knitting a sweater top down (I believe this weill be a first for me).

I also cast on a pair of stockinette Go Habs Go (from the very talented Biscotte) socks to knit during the playoffs. As you can see, these are vintage Habs colours (otherwise known as the "ugly sweater" colours), but I'm not complaning... about the sock, that is. The Habs, and their dismal performance during the first 2 games of the series with the Boston Bruins, is another matter entirely.

The rest of the weekend was busy as usual. I'm a bit (OK, a LOT) sore from my workout with my sister-in-law (the ex body-builder) this morning, and I'm looking forward to sitting and knitting a while.

Happy Knitting Everyone!