#$%@*!!!!

Always listen to your inner knitter.

That is the moral of today’s lesson.

Why you ask? Good question.


I had been so pleased with myself and the Foliage Hat I was working on for my sister’s Christmas Present. I finally had some time to work on it this weekend and I was happily knitting away. I was enjoying the project as it was just coming together so beautifully, much better than the first time I knit the project about 2 years ago. I was thinking that I’ve really progressed as a knitter since this time around was so easy.


Boy was I freakin’ wrong.


As our plane began the descent from our flight back to Seattle, the little nagging knitter voice inside me was getting a little louder: this hat looks small. Really small for my sister. Then when I was just 7 rows from finishing, I really listened to my inner knitter: these needles also look a little small.


But the plane was landing so I just shoved the knitting and my inner knitter aside and went home.


Then, after the bags were unpacked and laundry churning away in the machine, did I dare open the knitting. I pulled out the project. And I pulled out my needle guide. Then I realized my mistake: the size 5 needles were actually size 3!!!


How could this happen I yelled (among other things I also yelled)? The empty size 5 needle package was also in the knitting bag. So where are these needles I wondered aloud? The hubby called this the Great Needle Thanksgiving Mystery.


I called it Really &%*#*%^ Annoying.


Now it’s all about the ripping out and starting over. Only this time, I’ve got the right needles. I’m sure of it. I just bought news ones instead of searching for my missing ones. Nothing like a little retail therapy to ease the knitting nerves.

"Um, excuse me, the shopping cart is for your groceries, not your dog."

That is what I should have said to the lady at the Issaquah Trader Joe's who thought putting her dog in the grocery cart was the cutest thing.

Let me tell you, it wasn't. She drug this dog into the store. And we're not talking a tiny little purse-type dog. It was about 20 lbs. It looked a little bewildered as she giggled at it in the cart and went about her merry-little-totally-oblivious-way. The rest of us in the produce section just stood there and stared.

Now, I'll admit, I'm not a dog person. But, I've got nothing against the responsible dog owner who loves their dog with all their heart. I know people like that. They are good, responsible, loving pet owners. They also feel the same about dogs in shopping shopping carts, grocery stores and Nordstrom as I do. Yes, Nordstrom. I once saw a woman with her greyhound dog (on a leash) strolling through Nordstrom. The dog had a rhinestone collar. I guess she felt that gave her the right to take her beloved pooch to Nordstrom.

Incidentally, in case you're wondering, it's not OK according to the King County Health Department to put a dog in a shopping cart. And they'll be letting the folks at Trader Joe's know that.

Through sleet and snow, but not construction

There was an interesting little letter left for our building from our postal carrier. Apparently, he feels our foyer (where the mailboxes are) is unsafe due to the lack of lighting. The "lack of lighting" is due to the construction. I'll admit, it's darker than normal, but at 3 pm, when the mail is usually delivered, it's fine.


So until this "issue" is resolved, no more pick up or delivery for us. I guess the US Post Office doesn't give a damn that it's the holidays, that some of us have packages that should have been delivered two days ago, or that the Christmas cards we ordered to send out are also sitting somewhere in the postal system abyss.


I've already written a strongly worded letter to our construction people and building management, hopefully it'll get taken care of quickly. Otherwise I'll have to up the "strongliness" of my letters.

WTF??!!!!

We have mold. Black Mold. A lot of it. It was discovered when the dishwasher guy was pulling out the old one to install our new one. It's not only behind where the dishwasher goes, but it's also under the sink, only someone, at one time, painted over it. Yes, you read that right. Someone painted over the black mold. Again, I say WTF???!!!! I can't wait to see how the powers that be will fix this one. Until then, I have no dishwasher and a really ugly hole in my kitchen that makes me queasy just to look at it.

To the jackass who did this:

I'd just like to say we've got you on video tape. Yes sir, that's right, you. The one who smashed about 8-10 car windows in our parking lot Monday morning, and stole a bunch of stuff, your mug is on our video tape surveillance for the condos. And we're pissed. Pissed because, sadly, you're not the first jackass to do this to us. But now that this has happened again, we're all ready to use our new fancy-schmancy video stuff to track your lazy-law-breaking-stupid-ass down and haul you to jail. Where I have no doubt your new "roommie" will find your scrawny ass sexy and make you his new bitch. It's called karma. And you have official screwed yours over.

*I would have had a better car break in picture but our maintenance man clean up all the glass.