Kristel's Blog

Updated wordpress, now getting weird errors and it’s displaying my drafts as well.  :/  Weird.  Will fix…

Problem was whatever the “Advanced Category Excluder” is.  Don’t remember installing it/using it, but whatever it is it wasn’t properly configured after the update.  Just disabled it and carried on.

As you can see in my new header, I’m working on a pair of fair isle fingerless mitts.  The knitting of the first actually went quite quickly.  It’s the weaving of the ends that’s taking all the time.  Note to self: use felted joins next time.  (Seriously, there are 4 DOZEN ends on just one mitt to weave in.)  I’m going insane taking all this time weaving in ends on the first mitt.  So much so, that I started knitting the second mitt just so I could work on something else for another couple hours instead.  Thought about working on my new theme a little more, but turns out I’m lazy when it comes to that.

On a side fingerless-mitt-related note, I’m beginning to think I’ve gone a little OCD.  I’m currently in the process of knitting 3 pairs, with plans (and yarn!) for 10 or so more, and I just can’t seem to get bored of them.  I thought I would.  Even bought some yarn for a sweater for when I do decide to work on something else.  Turns out that’s not happening yet.  Of course, with 2 people I know that are currently pregnant (4 if you include the men by proxy) I’m sure baby knits will soon be flying off the needles.  (So long as the recipients actually want something knitted.  Many people don’t, and I wouldn’t want to impose it on them when it turns out they’d prefer a stroller or high chair or one of those cool puj tubs.)  I found a pattern the other day for fingerless baby mitts though.  So cute. 

I finished my Woodbadge II Training over the weekend.  First night was sooooo cold that I finally put my winter coat on around 4am just so I could get a couple hours of sleep.  Of course, if they had put us in the bush or at least off the front lawn with no protection from the wind, that could’ve made all the difference.  Thankfully, Sat. night only went down to about 6 degrees instead of the -2 on Fri.  It was fun, learned a lot – though mostly just how to be completely civil to people you never, ever want to see nor work with again.  But I guess we all know at least one person like that.    Though I’ve heard the big Gilwell Reunion is so freakin’ awesome that you won’t even care who you’re with.  Can’t wait!  I still have some homework to hand in this weekend though.

They have a new dog next door.  So now their total is up to 2 dogs.  Combined, they both bark more than Pepper, but as they’re a lot younger it’s not like they have the vocal chords to be as loud as she is when she barks.  Still, it’s not like they can complain anymore about Pepper’s random, very few, barks.  (Seriously, the dog barking for a very short while after you leave the house is very common; and her maybe 2 barks after they call their dogs in next door and Pepper can’t play through the fence with them shouldn’t be an issue either.)  The new puppy is adorable, of course.  Looks like a full shih tzu compared with the shirky (that’s a shih tzu/yorkshire terrier, if you’re wondering) they had first.  Seems to like Pepper, though I’m not about to dump Pepper in their backyard just so the dogs can play (though I’d like to.)

On another note, Michelle and I officially have tickets to see Alice in June!  I’m excited.  We decided to go with the fourth ring this time, so long as we could get a seat at the front.  For the nutcracker we were on the floor, and could see the stage well enough… when the people in front of us moved their heads out of our way.  (It was really funny – the girl (sitting in front of Michelle) kept leaning into her boyfriend (sitting in front of me) who kept inching away!  We could read the signs that he wanted her to back the heck off, and we didn’t even know him!  Though they were blocking the space that would’ve been inbetween them for us to see, and then of course in front of me and eventually off to the other side as he kept leaning over.)  Anyways, so by the end of June, I should be thoroughly exhausted – true, the scouting year (the kids’ part) effectively ends beginning/mid-June, but there is the wedding shower to attend…

Was going to keep going, but Pepper’s passed out for the night and I’m thinking I should as well.

For whatever I did that has made you ignore all my emails for the past month.  Seriously, I have no idea what I’ve done that has made you flat-out ignore me without even telling me, but I’m very sorry.

Hope you’re both well. 

As an update to my pipe burst… actually, nothing’s happened, so I guess it’s not really an update.  No phone call from the management company, no letter from my insurance, no comments from the GND, nothing.  Hooray!  Less for Kristel to deal with = less stressers in busy season.

I thought my cold was finally gone.  Or at least I only had to blow my nose every couple hours and the cough was even less frequent.  I was wrong.  Two days ago I started hearing my pulse wooshing (that’s the technical term) through my right ear.  Annoying?  Yes.  So loud it woke me up?  Yes.  Odd for someone whose sinuses are still blocked?  No.  So I didn’t worry about it at first.  Then last night the pain hit.  I figured, “ear infection, call the doc in the morning.”  So I did.  Had the appointment this afternoon (he’s very accommodating) he took a look in both my ears, and after finding no ear infection and hearing that I’ve had a cold for weeks now, he decided to take a closer look at my sinuses.  (I’ll save you the details.)  Bottom line is, I have a small polyp at the very back of my nasal cavity that he believes is causing pressure on my ear (causing the pain) and a vein that goes near my ear (causing the wooshing.)  Apparently nothing to freak out about for the moment – as my cold goes away (for realz this time!) and my sinuses clear out it should as well.  So I’m to use a nasal spray (horrible, nasty feeling) as often as I feel I need to throughout the day without getting addicted, and he sent me home with looks like a tea pot that uses gravity to flush everything out and “If [you] can snort it back after the initial blow, then it’ll really help.”  (By the way, this is possibly an even more horrible, nasty, completely disgusting…. feeling.  *shudders*  It’s so bad, I had to tell you!)  Anyways, in addition to horrible part of the prescription, there is an upside.  How far up?  (get your mind out of the gutter, it’s not that good.)  Turns out popping my ears will also help – but I’m having issues.  So… I’m to chew lots and lots of gum, over-sleep continually so not only am I getting the rest needed to remove the cold but I’m yawning constantly, and, the best part, take a flight to the Bahamas with stop overs in Paris, Constantinople, Bali, Sydney, Munich (especially if there’s free beer), and if the mood takes me, Maui, Las Vegas, and London (so long as I don’t eat the food!)  LOL  I tried to convince the boss, he said I could go if a) I could work the whole time and b) I can do it all on the $500 in my Savings right now.  So guess I’ll be driving up and down the escarpment a few times instead.

In other news, the dog is worn out.  She was running at full speed allllllllll day.  We got home around 6, halfway through the dinner I picked up on the way home, she decided begging time was long past and sleeping time was in.  I tried to get her up a couple hours ago to go O-U-T, but couldn’t get her up.  Picked her up, she snuggled in and went back to sleep.  I wasn’t about to carry her to the grass.  Surely after all this sleep I can get her up to go before bed.

I’m knitting a pair of wonderland socks.  They’re illusion knit, very cool… but mine are a little big.  Not to mention taking forever.  It wouldn’t be too bad if it wasn’t for that purl round.  So took a break and decided to work on another WIP.  My Hand Springs Fingerless Mitts to be exact.  Finally made it to the thumb gusset… and couldn’t find my stitch markers.  With the way this gusset is knit, while theorhetically I could figure it out, the bottom line is I’m working with a mohair and its a lace weight and there’s a lot of increases… so it’s just easier to use markers.  Why do I always lose my stitch markers?  Not wanting to use another pair of foam letters (leftover from Sunday School lesson last year… why is it that no matter how many times I clean them up, I always seem to find them lying around the house?!) because it is at such a tight gauge, I decided to make my own.

They’re not perfect, I know, but they work!  With any luck, I’ll finish the mitt I’m working on and will have the motivation to either finish the second or finish the sock.

Anyways, it’s late, I’m exhausted, and I’m supposed to oversleep anyways.

This morning, after sleeping for a good 10 hours, I get up, have some Pop Tarts, play a little Legend of Zelda, get dressed, and bring the pies over to Mom’s around noon.  We have lunch, watch some curling (Yay!  Canada won!), worked on the super cool illusion socks I’m knitting (did I mention how awesome they are?  A little big, but still fit comfortably), delivered the now cooked pies to Woodbadge I Training, went to Chapters, immersed myself in some knitting magazines, didn’t buy any, and then went to M&M’s.  Mmmm peanut butter & chocolate ice cream.    We went home, had dinner, watched some TV, and finally, the new episode of Project Runway.  We see everyone go down the runway… and we get a phone call for someone asking for “Kristel’s Dad”.  So my mom passes the phone to dad, my name comes up several times, along with a few “oh crap!”s, I really start to panic when my dad starts asking about damage.  I miss the end of Project Runway and seeing who didn’t make it to Fashion Week.  He hangs up the phone and tells me.

The tap outside burst.

Oh crap.

At 2:30pm.

Oh crap.

They didn’t have my contact info. (seriously, this one is NOT my fault.)  So called a locksmith… When I replaced my locks, I was all, “Do it right, or don’t do it at all,” so I put the really good deadbolt on.  He couldn’t pick the lock.  So they drilled it out, got in, managed to shut off the water and replaced my locks.  Then called me at 9:45pm.

So we rush over here, find ice absolutely everywhere outside, (I’ve seriously salted my sidewalk since then.  I would’ve salted the bricks if I could’ve.)  and check out the basement.  Well, we’ve had worse.  In fact, it’s not that bad at all.  There is a bit of water seeping in through the concrete right now, that’s actually pretty normal.  There is one spot where it’s leaking very slowly in a steady stream, but we cleared the path to the drain, threw out the wrapping paper & the christmas tree box that was there and now wet, and threw the landry in the washer before it got all mildew-y.  I called Jeff & said there’s no way I’m coming tomorrow.  So everything should now be taken care of, right?  The bill for the locksmith apparently went to the condo corp (though I am assuming they’re going to be giving me a call), and my insurance/the condo corp’s insurance/the insurance for the guy next door if he has any water damage should cover everything, right?  Because it was an accident, and it’s not like I did anything wrong here.  My Dad has since checked my outside taps and their shut offs inside and everything’s been shut off completely.  Thankfully, nothing burst inside or I’d be bailing right now instead of blogging.

Anyways, I think I’ll take a bath, thank God my house was clean, and remind myself that everything’s fine and when it’s warmer we’ll just have to replace my tap & potentially the pipe leading to it when it’s warmer.

…ok, still a little freaked out.  I was a little shocked, but ok, until my mom asked whether the guy next door was going to sue.  Now I’m panicing.  My dad says it’s a non-issue, insurance should cover everything, but still, he can be intimidating especially since I live alone, it’s my first home, and I just really don’t know how to handle all this.