*thud*

So here I sit, in the middle of a 6-day work stretch. I worked this last weekend (Friday through Sunday), I've got tonight off, then I'm back at work tomorrow from 3-11. I'll be working Wednesday and Thursday too. Friday will be devoted solely to sleep. There will be no major partying this New Year's Eve for me. Just a quiet night at home, doing laundry and dishes and eating an enormous amount of junk food while watching movies. And waiting for my berry cobbler to finish cooking in the crockpot. Happy new year to me.

On the bright side, this morning marked the first time for me to not be carded while buying alcohol! Although, now that I think about it, they probably didn't card me because not too many underage people buy their wine at 8 AM along with dog kibble and oreos. Yep.....exciting life I lead.

I think I'll be able to finish my fifth crocheted bath pouf tonight and then log some knitting time on my Lenore sock. I'd like to finish the sock now, but I kind of want to hold off so it will count toward the finish-a-long that L&V will be starting in the new year.

So yeah...that's my boring new year's eve plans. Now I need to go move the laundry.

cue the Imperial March

....dum dum da dum da da dum da dum da dum....

I have crossed over to the dark side. That's right. I have learned to crochet.

Blame it on Stariel for posting a link to a pattern for a crocheted bath pouf. I had Mom teach me how to crochet at the coffee shop this morning and I just finished my first bath pouf half an hour ago.

Come to the dark side....we have cookies. Bwahahahahahaha!!!!

Holiday cheer!

Horked this off the Mason-Dixon Knitting blog. I just had to after I was snowed in out at E's on Friday and we were subjected to some really really BAD Christmas acappella music on the podsafe music network. Namely the people who don't understand that acappella means NO BACKGROUND MUSIC!!! So this is to make up for it. Comedy and good singing all in one.

I've also almost got my few Christmas presents that I'm knitting/spinning done.

First up is the Lost socks for my friend Sarah. She's moved back to Minnesota after going to school in Virginia Beach so while she used to say that she didn't like to wear socks, she's begging for them now. These are out of Yarntini's varigated sportweight in 4-8-15-16-23-42. Sarah had actually picked out something completely different, but I thought this was more appropriate since we're both such huge Lost fans.


Next is my Secret Santa scarf. This was done for a secret santa exchange at work and I ended up with one of the therapist who I know nothing about. So she's getting malabrigo. It's the One Row Handspun Scarf by Yarn Harlot done on size 8 needles in malabrigo worsted. The colorway is Azul Profundo.


And finally, I'm almost done spinning up the singles of Crown Mountain Farm's Sock Hop roving in Magic Carpet Ride. This is for my mom, so if it's not done by the time I head home on Friday I guess I'll just have to find a way to wedge the wheel in the car.

Guess that's it for now! If I don't post again soon, then everyone have a happy holiday!

thanks

Thanks for the support everyone! I will be going to my parents' for Christmas and calling in that day. Then I can stay home for 7 days. I should have written it "the plague." Because when we call in, they cannot legally ask us why we won't be in. If we volunteer the information, that's up to us. But my boss doesn't accept weather-related call-ins, so if I get snowed in and say so, then I can't claim PTO hours for that time.

And to add another bit of irony into the mix. This scheduler nurse has given herself from December 21 through January 2 off. Hmmmm.....not caring too much about anyone but herself. Never mind screwing over anyone else.

a work rant

I'm a reasonable person. I know that I work in a service industry that requires me to work holidays. Fine. As my contract stands, I have to work every other holiday. Thanksgiving was my holiday this year. Christmas is not, but according to my place of employment, Christmas Eve is not the holiday.

I haven't been home for Christmas the last 3 years. My parents have always had to come to Omaha because I usually end up having to work Christmas Eve when it's not my holiday.

So this year, in September, I counted ahead in my schedule and saw that the way my work days are, I could go home the weekend before Christmas, ask for the 4 hours off (the 7 pm to 11 pm shift) Christmas Eve, then have 3 more days off until I had to be back for working the weekend.

And I was denied. There is no one for me to switch with and to add insult to injury, they didn't just schedule me 7-11, they put me on for 3-11. I would make the 5th nurse on this shift. Grrr....

....then this weekend I see a sign at work from the lady who does the schdule saying that they're going to be short this Friday for night shift and they need people to pick up. So I figured I'd offer a deal. I'll work the 12 on Friday if she let's me off my 8 on Christmas Eve.

Denied again!

So I'm just a little ticked off at the moment and I'm feeling the plague coming on that will definetely take me out of commission on the 24th.

And I'm sorry if this doesn't make any sense to anyone, but I had to get this off my chest and I just came off working 3 12-hour shifts. Off to bed with me now.

note to self

Dear Self,
Remember to braid and/or put your hair up in a ponytail when you go letterboxing. Then you won't have your hair in your face while you're crawling through the woods in a snowstorm.
Sincerely,
Yourself

Seriously though. Found the other letterbox at Standing Bear that we missed. It would have been so much easier if it wasn't SNOWING!!!! Man...have I got it bad.

letterboxing

So Eliza has sucked me into a new hobby called letterboxing. Basically, using a list of clues you find boxes people have hidden that contain stamps. You stamp your own journal using the stamp in the box, then stamp the logbook in the box with your own personal stamp. It usually involves a hike and some thinking to solve the clues. Well, we found one by my house, but messed up reading the rest of the clue and missed the second one. Tried another area where there are 4 planted, but the whole park is closed until next June. Tried to hit one more spot and the box was missing. So kind of a dud of a day, but tomorrow promises to be better.

Before I sleep tomorrow, I'm going to run back to the one we missed and try to find it. I know where we went wrong now. Gah!! I need another obsessive hobby like I need a hole in my head.

Back to knitting and spinning for the night.