Peeve

Hello Sadly Neglected Blog

2008-05-04T23:16:00.003+10:00

Hey there!

Long time no blog. I am a disgrace. *hangs head*

Life has been kind of interesting (in the ancient Chinese curse of 'may you live in interesting times' sort of way) and scary and freaky lately, and my blogging has been badly neglected because of it.

Most recently, I quit my stinky horrible job after months of trying to get my managers to acknowledge that the situation in my workplace sucks and maybe oooh, I don't know... DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Their response to this was to threaten to put me on performance management. So after about two solid days of crying at work, I regained my natural sweet belligerence and said FUCK IT and quit. Now I am blissfully unemployed and will be so for at least the next few weeks while I relax and detox and destress and enjoy not being in the pit of hell that used to pay my wages.

Other parts of life are non bloggable at the moment, but there has been enough going on in my life and my head to shake me up, spin me around and smack me senseless lately. It's been a rollercoaster of a ride over here in PeeveLand, let me tell you!

But I have been missing my blog, and I've been missing you guys.

I am knitting and crocheting, and hope to locate the battery recharger for my camera before too long so that I can provide you with evidence.

The cats are all well and fluffy and fat and happy.

*hugs*

So what have y'all been up to?

Aaaaand I'm Back

2008-01-29T20:07:00.000+11:00

Hi guys! How y'all doing?

I know, I know, it's been a whole month and some of you have been worried about me.

For the last month or so, something very odd has been happening to me. I've been feeling.... better. Yes, you read that right. Better. I've been... not depressed all of the time.

I've been more social, more outgoing, laughing more, smiling more, talking more, chirpier, you name it.

This has been really freaking me out, dudes! It feels like there has been a massive shift somewhere in my head. Like I'm just so fucking tired of being unhappy and stagnating and existing instead of living. I'm 34, not 84. I want to have FUN. And I've been having fun! Parties, dinners, you name it. My whole attitude has changed. I walk tall and hold myself straight when I'm out and about, I'm sticking up for myself more, I'm getting more independent.

And this will convince you if nothing else will: I've hired a personal trainer. Me. I've signed up for two sessions a week - and I'm LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. I've even been voluntarily eating healthier.

All of this also means that my outlook, my thoughts on life, the universe and everything are undergoing massive rearrangement, and it means that I haven't a had a quiet moment in my head for quite some time now.

IT'S A GOOD THING.

:)

I Know What You're All Here For!

2007-12-29T15:01:00.000+11:00

Ow, The Cuteness It Burns My Brain!

She has now completely accepted Dave and I as littermates and playmates. She spent ALL FREAKING NIGHT last night running, bouncing, biting, playing and swatting at our heads. We are very very tired today! But she's a happy, sweet affectionate little kitty and we love her. We are currently interviewing prospective new owners for her amongst our friends. We would love to keep her, but we already have four cats, and five in our size house would just be ridiculous.

Had to pause a bit there while my hand was savagely played with.

Must go - it's brutally stinking hot here and the laptop gives out too much heat.

More kitten pics to come!

Ta Da!

2007-12-27T19:52:00.000+11:00

Is the cutest face ever or what????

We managed to catch her last night! We were worried she would be wild or feral and we'd be unable to rehabilitate her - as you can see from the above photo, not so much. She spent most of the night hissing and growling and getting her head stuck in the mesh of the cage and having to be freed with wire cutters, but today she went to the vet for her shots and tonight she is much more social. She has been sitting on my lap, purring, washing herself, and even playing. She's currently hiding on the bottom shelf of my bookcase in the bedroom, but we're dragging her out every hour or so and cuddling her, which she seems to enjoy once she's there.

And she's da sweetest widdle fing!! My brain + kitten = mush.

She's shut in our bedroom with us and the other cats have been sniffing curiously under the door - I think they're mostly miffed because we're removing food from the Catfood Cupboard of Wonder and not giving it to THEM.

More cuteness to follow!

Yay! Back Again!

2007-12-19T21:29:00.000+11:00

Zombie Marlowe trying to keep cool by exposing his little grey belly to the breeze.

Sorry, sorry, I know I vanished again. Life has been smacking me around a bit. One of my best friend's mother passed away recently after a long illness and it was tragic and hard and I have been worrying about my friend.

Also, it has been getting hotter here as the dreaded Summer lurches into view. I don't do well in the heat. I hate it. With a deep and abiding passion. So I tend to shut down a little when summer comes along. But! We have signed a deal with our landlords whereby we install airconditioning and they don't raise the rent for specified period of time. Financially, we will come out ahead, and we will have the Transcendant Bliss of Cool Air on Demand in Defiance of the Horrible Hotness.

The other thing which has been stressful is that we have stray kitten living under the house. Needless to say, we've been leaving food and water out for it, but it's terrified of us. I'm not coping too well with having a poor baby kitten so near by that I can't pick up and cuddle and adore and overfeed. We're trying to work out a plan to trap it so that we can look after it properly.

But there have been good things. I have not blocked the Finished Blankie because of the hotness, but I have been knitting. And ripping. And knitting. And ripping. And knitting. Dave gave me a KnitPicks Options needle set for our anniversary (13 years! Awww!) so I have been playing happily with those.

And I feel much better about my stash after seeing this incredible blog post.

So how are you all doing, hmmm?

Perhaps if I just act natural, no one will notice that I haven't posted for over a month.....

2007-11-24T00:04:00.002+11:00

No blogging, but look! Cute!
He's so cute when he's plotting evil from his grocery bag fortress.

Well hello there y'all! I've been absent again, and hermity and withdrawn and unexpectedly hosting a visiting brother in law for two weeks, and losing the amethyst out of my engagement ring and having the car break down and all sorts of exciting things. Also, the depression has been devoutly hoping that nobody notices I've been gone, which is Wrong. Hah. Suck on that, depression monster!! And as I am typing well after midnight during a bout of insomnia apparently brought on by taking a sleeping tablet (!) I appear to feel it quite reasonable to be trash talking my depression. Yay me.

I have managed to talk my work into dropping me back to four days a week, which slices off twenty percent of my income, but also twenty percent of my work stress! I now have every Wednesday off, which means the work stress only ever has two days at a time to try and build up to overwhelm me. It turns out that fighting work stress by drinking large amounts of cinnamon latte and making smart arse remarks in meetings is potentially not the best strategy. However, more time off is more knitting time, and more having pizza for breakfast time (oops) and more sitting-for-butt-numbing-hours-watching-CSI time.

I have Finished. An. Object. It's stripy. It's blankie-shaped. All it needs now is blocking so that I can take wonky photos of it to post for your delectation.

I am looking forward to catching up with y'all!

Goodies from the Bellamoden!

2007-10-08T19:43:00.000+10:00

Shiny aluminium dpns!
Knit Simple magazine and a felted bag pattern!
Two luscious big skeins of Cascade 220!
Koolaid for dyeing and a cute little knitted brooch!
The gorgeous pink and green felted bag featured on the Bellamoden blog!
And the crowning glory - two skeins of Bellamoden yarn!

The goodies were from a swap we did, the skeins of Bellamoden yarn were part of my uncontrollable desire to acquire gorgeous sock yarn. This is superb stuff.

Ta-Da! And a Question

2007-09-22T10:05:00.000+10:00

Yup. I am a big enough sad knitting geek that I have had "knit" tattooed on the inside of my wrist. Like I'd forget to knit one day or something.
This guy is just above my ankle - He's about 10cm high - he's from the Edward Gorey Gashleycrumbtinies, which I love.

Now, the question - the face on the skull guy here. He's suppose to be smiling. It kind of changes the look of the face. Do I go back to the tattoo artist to get it fixed or do i leave well enough alone?

OwOwOw

2007-09-19T17:32:00.000+10:00

Ewwwwwwww!!!!!!

Better pics of the new tatts tomorrow!

Regular Blogging? Hah!

2007-09-18T19:30:00.000+10:00

Marlowe scoffs.

Ravelry

2007-09-01T10:00:00.001+10:00

Oh my god I got my ravelry invite my user name is Peeve come friend me gotta go ravelry calls

Another Update

2007-08-24T18:51:00.000+10:00

Dave is home from the hospital! He had some complications overnight which resulted in morphine being administered, but we managed to get him home today anyway. Poor thing, morphine makes him puke, and he's still very nauseous almost twenty four hours after they gave it to him. But! He's home!

Heartfelt thanks to all those who left comments and good wishes, and everlasting gratitude to Gibbering who drove me to the hospital so I didn't have to take a taxi, and especially to E, who took me to the hospital this morning, picked us up when Dave was discharged, took us to her place for homemade veggie soup and a nap (for Dave) and then drove us all the way home again.

Thank You

2007-08-23T06:23:00.000+10:00

Thank you all so much for your good wishes and support - it means a lot to me and to Dave. Dave is feeling better, but is still in hospital. They think he has an infection and they're narrowing it down and pumping him full of antibiotics in the meantime. At least he has a proper bed now - he spent the first night on a stretcher in the emergency department because they had no beds whatsoever. But now he has a bed that goes up and down, a phone, a tv, and a roommate who snores like a lovesick elephant ( I have no idea what that actually means, it just sounded good) when he's asleep and burps loud and long when he's awake. Ewww.

He should be able to come home tomorrow according to the specialist. Who, by the way, never bothered to show up - he just rang Dave and talked to him on the phone!!! Which means he'll have been there for three whole nights. Three whole nights away from my Dave is Far Too Long. The cats agree. They're glaring at me suspiciously and making me fully aware that one of us is by no means enough.

I'm reluctantly going to work today - Dave is happily tucked up in his bed with plenty of books and crossword puzzles and stuff, and all I'd be able to do is mope at his bedside. So I'm going to go do something useful and mope at work instead. Wheeeee.

I'm off to wend my way through Melbourne's public transport system via a Very Large Coffee.

Oooh, and I almost forgot - I think I should buy some sock yarn to cheer myself up - what do you guys think?

Good Wishes Please

2007-08-22T00:26:00.001+10:00

It's twelve thirty in the morning here and I've spent the last seven hours at the Emergency Room with Dave. They're keeping him overnight for tests, so I had to leave him there and come home.

I know it will most likely be something minor or easily fixed, but right now I'm very very tired and very scared and very lonely and I could really use some good wishes sent my and Dave's way right now!

Gah

2007-08-21T06:33:00.000+10:00

A touching of noses before the pouncing and bouncing begins.

I have a new desk at work. It's a good desk - it basically backs into a corner so that no one can see what I'm doing, which I find tremendously liberating (and may also explain exactly how much of the last couple of days I've spent watching Daily Show and Colbert Report videos on the web. Ahem) and it means I can hide from people if I want to (ie most of the time). But the downside is that my new computer blocks Blogger. So I can't post from work any more! Or ready any blogspot sites! Gah.

In knitting news, my wanton displaying of sock prowess in my last post has prompted the Knitting Goddess to smite me and my sock mojo has entirely vanished. Sigh. So, I've gone back to shawls for the time being.

May the mojo be with you.

Sock Madness

2007-08-11T07:41:00.001+10:00

Socks for EC in Spinning Bunny merino/tencel sock yarn - Paintbox Colourway
Socks for EH - Sunshine Yarns in the Violet colourway
Socks for ME in Socks That Rock Lightweight - Chanticleer Colourway
Socks for Dave - Fleece Artist in the Mermaid Colourway

Socks for DG - Apple Laine Apple Pie.

Yeah. So I've been knitting a lot of socks lately! Three pairs in the last two weeks while I've been sick, and I've almost finished another pair..... And I am LOVING the picot hem thang!

You Know You've Been Reading Too Much Cute Overload When....

2007-08-08T17:36:00.000+10:00

You have a dream with a mouse in it and in your dream the mouse's name is Senor Mousicle.

P.S - have been sick with random virusy affliction - regular posting to resume shortly!

Oh Crap It's Monday Again

2007-07-30T06:48:00.001+10:00

Nope, it can't be Monday, I won't let it! Lalalalalaala I can't hear yoooooou!

Monday Morning Megrims

2007-07-23T10:00:00.000+10:00

Pah. Hate Monday mornings.

Harry Potter book was gooood. No I will not say anything other than that for those of you who haven't read it yet (ie Chris).

Have been knitting socks like a madwoman - I will take photos of them on the lovely sock blockers I got from the Loopy Ewe last week.

My sock knitting has also taken a new turn - I have become a convert to the Church of the Picot Hem. Scoot on over to Bellamoden (link on sidebar) for the tutorial!

Now I am cooling my heels (and drinking coffee) at work waiting for a technician to come and hook up my shiny new computer.

Can't Blog, Reading Harry Potter

2007-07-21T08:56:00.001+10:00

Geez, Mum's been quiet for an awful long time now.
Who is this "Harry Potter" anway? *snore*

I'm going to be spending the day with my friends Gibbering and E. The three of us will be at E's house with the final Harry Potter book, gallons of tea and our body weight in baked goods.

Wheeee!

The Fat Fluffy Belly of Death (FFBoD)

2007-07-19T06:50:00.001+10:00

Lulu is a little annoyed at all the attention "those two dimwits" have been getting on the blog. So, for your delectation tinged with awe, here is an extremely rare glimpse of the Fat Fluffy Belly of Death (FFBoD).

Yes, it is as soft and silky as it looks. But never forget that it is guarded by no less than FOUR Fat Fluffy Paws of Death (FFPoD).

But it's soooo cuuuuute. And she is very good about allowing belly rubs when she's in this mood.

TweedleDorian and Tweedle...Marlowe

2007-07-18T18:19:00.000+10:00

Freakin' ADORABLE.

Sadness

2007-07-12T17:34:00.001+10:00

I was going to post, with cute pics and all, but I can't. I read Laurie's post about her beloved Roy passing away and I cried and cried. Y'all go and give her some love, you hear??

Blankie Pics!

2007-07-10T21:40:00.001+10:00

This is my crocheted sock yarn blankie from all my scraps of sock yarn. I love it. It's wildly coloured, it has scraps of almost all of the socks I've ever knitted in it, and THERE IS NO SEAMING INVOLVED. When I've finished, I've finished. I love the granny square format for this because it presents the colour in little blocks, so you get each patch of colour distinct from the next. Love, love, love!

Now, dear blog readers, I have a quandry that you can help me solve. As you can see from the top pic, the blankie is getting to a goodish size. Now I can't decide whether to leave it as it is (good size for a lap blankie when snuggled up on the couch watching America's Next Top Model yesIknowIhaveaproblemthankyouverymuch), or just keep on hookin' until it's a really big blankie. If I leave it as it is, I can start another one so as to share the blankie lurve.

Either way the cats are happy - there's just something about crochet that interacts well with their paw pads cause they go all pussyfooting and dribbly with pleasure when they walk on it.

Pile O Cats

2007-07-09T07:05:00.000+10:00

Dorian and Marlowe in one of their afternoon snuggles. Dorian chooses a spot for his afternoon nap, then Marlowe tracks him down and sits on his head until he shoves over enough for two-cat napping. Then the mutual grooming commences and my head explodes with the cute.

I only had time to upload one pic this morning, so I went for the one with the highest cute factor. But! I have more pics! Of crocheted sock yarn blankies! And a finished pair of socks! And lots more cats. Including a very rare picture of the soft fluffy Lulu belly, caught in mid stretch by Dave the intrepid cat photographer.

What else has been happening? I went to see a homeopath and she has advised me to stop eating gluten. So I'm now twelve days without bread, cake, beer etc etc etc. Fortunately we found a bakery with a range of gluten-free goodness on Saturday and I splurged on gluten-free pecan tarts and a gluten free pumpkin pie. Mmmm... pieeeeee.......

EDITED TO ADD: This link made me laugh so hard I almost peed myself right here at work on a Monday morning: http://skippyslist.com/?page_id=3

blush

2007-06-26T08:41:00.000+10:00

Umm... errr...... *fidgets bashfully*

Gosh.

Thank you all so much! I really wasn't fishing for compliments, but boy it was nice to get so many! You guys!

It was really hard work to read all those nice things you said. I had to admit that at least some of them are TRUE. BIG concession there from Miss Self Esteem Free Since 1982!

I've been crocheting madly away on a blankie of sock yarn scraps. It looks Great. Dave asked me how it was going and I said, Ohhh, okay I guess. He looked at me and asked what I would think of it if I saw it on someone else's blog. I said I'd love it and think the person was wicked talented and I would immediately Need to Make one of My Own. He said Well then. I said Oh. Yep, this giving yourself credit thing is tricky, no doubt about it.

Pics to follow soon, I Promise.

Ahem

2007-06-22T08:53:00.000+10:00

Oooops. Sorry guys did it again, didn't I??

I've been sick. And tired. And sick and tired. But after a bracing argument with my shrink last night, it's time to pull my socks up and get back into things. My poor shrink. I DID warn him that I'm stubborn! I walked into my appointment last night and said "My life SUCKS." He started giggling. I rest my case.

We had deep discussions last night about my abysmal self-esteem and the breathtaking double standards I have for valuing other people versus valuing myself. The shrink pointed out that the qualities I admire and appreciate in others I am giving myself no credit for whatsoever. If other people are nice, I give them credit. If I'm nice, it's not worth anything. So I have to start rewarding myself for the good things about me, which is going to be tricky as I'm not used to looking for good things about myself. So. Um. One good thing about myself.

*crickets chirping in the silence*

Oooof. Maybe I'll come back to that!

Crafting continues. I'm currently working on no less than two crocheted blankies, plus the Secret Project. I did have a sock on the needles, but I frogged - the yarn was driving me nuts, and it meant I was avoiding sock knitting altogether. Which is a Bad Thing. I haven't knit a sock in WEEKS. I have a sack full of nicely wound sock yarn, a stack of books and patterns to choose from, my favourite sock needles empty and at the ready, I've surfed lots of blogs for socky inspiration, but....nothing! I'm sure the Sock Mojo will return, but I'm always slightly anxious until it does. Darn feckless Sock Mojo hussy. Hasn't stopped me falling deeply in lust with various yarns on the web, but I'm saving my money for the Bendigo Sheep & Wool fair next month. Dave and I are going and so are my mum & stepdad. So I get a day with my mum & stepdad, yarny goodness at the fair, and a side trip to Bendigo Woollen mills to round off the day. Excellent.

Lesseee.... the cats are fine, although Lulu is using her FFPoD (Fat Fluffy Paws of Death) for evil and seems to be bullying Meiko for fun. We're trying to put a stop to it, but Lulu is a vengeful little thing when she puts her mind to it. Dorian has gotten more cuddly since the colder weather is upon us, and Marlowe canters around the house like a lunatic as usual.

So. A good thing about myself. Sheesh. I'm a total sucker for animals of all kinds - I think that's a good thing on the whole.

And how are you all doing?

Hiya!

2007-06-05T07:40:00.001+10:00

Hi there! I am blogging from work early in the morning (well, 7.30am here in Melbourne) just so that I can post and reassure myself that I can still post stuff on a semi-regular basis. But, I'm posting from work, so no pics to post this post.

My newest obsession that I wrote about in my last post has been temporarily put aside so that I can work on a secret project, the yarn for which arrived yesterday. It's callllllling me! But I can't show you that or even tell you much about it, cause it's seeeecret.

What have I been doing? Saturday Gibbering and I babysat our friend's 19 month old toddler for five hours. He's adorable, he loves us, he was astonishingly well behaved (except for one decibel-rich tantrum), and he napped for a whole hour of that five hours, but he still completely wiped the two of us out. How do you people with kids do it??

Work is still astonishingly stinky, crazy, stressful and overworked. I estimate that each of my team members is doing around two and a half full time job's worth of work, which will probably only increase from here on in. Sigh. My desk is a TIP.

What I really want to do is pully my other current project out of my bag and keep working on it: I'm crocheting again. I'm crocheting a big granny square rug (as in like a big giant granny square, not a big rug made up of little granny squares) from some yarn I got courtesty of Yarnivorous' stash clearing. On Saturday night I stayed home and taught myself to crochet the granny square. I KNOW HOW TO LIVE IT UP, YEEEEEHAW! I'm finding it quite soothing once I get into the rhythm of it, actually. And watching people catching sight of me crocheting in the car on the way home in the afternoons is very funny. They seem to think it's something you should only do in private, like picking your nose or something. Not that I would.

Anyhoo. I have a big stressful day ahead of me, and to cap it all off I have a dentist appointment tonight. Yay me.

By Purplexity!

2007-05-29T07:18:00.001+10:00

This is my newest button. Purplexity designed this one for me because I felt that all of us (that may actually be just me) loonies who knit single socks needed a rallying point, a cry for recognition in the paired sock autocracy!
And this - this is just gorgeous. This pic is Marlowe when he was a tiny little kitten, encountering vegetable matter for the first time. Typically, his first reaction was to chew on it, and Purplexity has now appropriately immortalised the occasion.

Oof, what else has been happening? Work has been stressy and hectic, but we've managed to keep the gym visits more or less on track, and I've fallen head over heels for my lastest knitting project and have completely abandoned every other project to work on it obsessively. The project? Soon, my pretties, soon!

Now I must whisk myself away to work before my thigh muscles decide that what I did to them at the gym this morning is a hanging offence.

I Got Presents!

2007-05-19T08:48:00.000+10:00

From Crazy Aunt Purl: some of her beloved Patons Up Country and two rockin' cds full of music that you LURVE singing along to but don't admit it to anyone. We had dinner with Laurie and Faith at the Farmers Market and went to the Stitch n Bitch and it was ALL SO COOL. HIIII GUUUYSSS!!!
And from Chris - A Socktopus!!! So cool! AND a skein of Schaeffer Anne in beautiful purples and reds and indigos. Chris picked us up at the airport and greeted us and took us to get great coffee AND I got a present! Excellent. Chris was the perfect hostess - she took us to Yarnzilla because I would not SHUT UP until I got to go there, and to Depth of Field where I bought Even More Yarn, and then she let two complete strangers stay in her loungeroom and upset her felines. Thank you so much Chris! *hug*

An Ass-Tastic picture of some Gorgeous Yarn

2007-05-18T07:19:00.000+10:00

Dyed by La's very own hands! Isn't it gorgeous?? If it wasn't for my awesomely mediocre camera skills, you'd see that it's even more gorgeous than this. The La gifted me with this (and some chocolate but I've already eaten that, duh - oh, and a soft squiggly pen shaped like a centipede which I am now using to sign government documents) as well as welcoming us into her home and feeding us and even more cool stuff which I will find the pictures for soon I promise.
Some of the yarn haul from the yarn store we went to with La. This is just the sock yarn. There was also some lace yarn, but I've put that somewhere cunning I think. We had such a good time with you La!

I went to the gym again this morning. Which I will KEEP mentioning every time I do it until the strangeness of it wears off for me.

Next: Two awesome birthday presents I got from other overseas hostesses!

Mwahaahahha

2007-05-16T18:26:00.000+10:00

Ahem... This is slightly embarrassing... This is the PILE O KOIGU I gathered on my trip to the US! I think this officially counts as a binge, don't you??
But look! CUTENESS!!!

Oooh, I have been gone awhile, haven't I? Work has been hectic, and I've just kind of been... unbloggy.

I have been to the gym twice this week! I've been feeling extremely flat and sluggish the last couple of weeks, and I'm hoping the gym will perk me up a little. And heck, I can use the endorphins! The least my mangy brain can do is produce some GOOD chemicals for a change!

Anyhoo, I've taken heaps of photos to share with y'all, and I will.

See you soon!

Mayhem the Bold

2007-04-29T13:49:00.000+10:00

Finally I have retrieved my Mayhem pictures from our sojourn at Chris' place! Here May is contemplating the essentially transitory nature of the universe. Either that or she's waiting for me to make the fishy move again.
You are in my power fishy!
No, wait, this cannot be right....
Grrrrrr! Take that evil fishy!
Oh, yeah, you know I' m the cutest!

Habu, Hockey, and a Small Pile of Koigu

2007-04-28T09:36:00.000+10:00

A modest pile of Koigu. Modest, of course, when compared to the monster amount of Koigu purchased on my trip. This is just the New York Koigu!
The Koigu Sock at the Chicago Wolves game that the adorable Kelly took us to - We screamed, we cheered, we booed, we comported ourselves appropriately I think!
GO WOLVES!!! Dave kept screaming "Carn the Wolves" which confused people - Carn is kind of short for Come On in Australia, but once they saw the amount of Wolves merchandise he was decked out in and they figured out he was pro Wolves not anti Wolves, it was all cool.
Oops, this is another New York shot - two skeins of Habu bamboo, in my favourite colours - grey and purple. No idea what I'll knit with these - they were pretty and I decided I MUST HAVE THEM.

We had such a blast in Chicago! Kelly was the perfect hostess - she arrived to pick us up at the airport with welcome signs hung all over her dad's van, and there was much hugging. We dropped off stuff at our hotel and went out for lunchy goodness and then hit the YARN STORE.
Pics of my wildly enthusiastic purchases to follow.

Then we hit Borders for knitting and coffee and books, and all of a sudden it was like three hours later and time to get dinner and hit the hockey game! I don't think there was actually three consecutive seconds where one of us wasn't talking full speed!

Thank you, dearest, we had a wonderful time and we have been missing you! Count on seeing us again one day!

And the Unfinished Shawl Has a Home to Go to! Plus the Adorable Mayhem

2007-04-26T07:08:00.000+10:00

uberstrickenfrau has put up her hand for the faroese shawl in cream baby wool! Yay! When I finish this puppy you'll have to send me your address so I can ship it off to you!

Blogger just ate my Mayhem pictures. Sigh.

Yes, Yes, There Will Be More

2007-04-24T08:24:00.000+10:00

There will be more tragically out of date pictures and crushingly funny commentary on my trip. Which now seems so long ago... sigh.... but life has conspired to make me kind of busy at the moment. Yesterday I got the news that I get to be in charge of organising FORTY information sessions across the STATE and coordinating funding, venues, presenters, travel, accommodation, and catering.

Kill. Me. Now.

EDITED TO ADD: Laurie's Book is available for preorder! THANK ALL THE GODS. She told me about this when I met her in LA and I was sworn to secrecy and I have been BURSTING with the not telling!

Oogle

2007-04-23T08:43:00.000+10:00

I got to the gym at 7am this morning.....

*snore*

Chaos and the Sock

2007-04-19T18:23:00.000+10:00

Chaos trying his hardest to ignore our deeply offensive presence.
Chaos glaring magnificently at my finished Koigu sock. Poor Chaos. He couldn't understand why Chris had deliberately invited us in, and then she LET US STAY. She took us out for dinner but THEN SHE BROUGHT US BACK. He spent the entire evening glaring at us from behind things, under things, and around corners. Isn't he beautiful??

Ha! Cashmere!

2007-04-19T18:13:00.000+10:00

Yes, I know I've already posted this one, but I snuck it past Blogger's reluctance to let me show pretty things to the outside world, so you get to see it again.

Koigu casmere, from String in New York. This was my very first yarn store on American soil, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was small, but loaded with koigu, and Dave convinced me to treat myself to a skein of the cashmere. Ow, you have twisted my arm, I said, and proceeded to knock him brutally out of the way by bounding directly towards the cash register.

Aint it pretty?? And no, Chris, I did not have this on me in Minneapolis, for which I am profoundly grateful, as I suspect a cashmere-shaped hole in my yarn booty would have been the result!

Carruth House

2007-04-19T17:40:00.000+10:00

As Blogger is taunting me so much, I have decided to post random pictures and posts about the trip so that it cannot disrupt my carefully planned travelogue. Hah!

This is Carruth House in Boston, a beautiful old house where we stayed for three nights in Boston. Strangely enough, the house being in Boston and all. Anyhoo, it was polished floorboards and a beautiful suite of rooms, and the host Heidi was friendly and helpful. Each morning we got a selection of croissants, muffins, or bagels from local bakeries, and we ate hugely before setting off into the wilds of Boston.

A note on driving in Boston - why are half of the streets one way? AND WHY ISN'T THIS RATHER IMPORTANT FACT NOTED ON MAPS?????

It took two hours on my birthday to finally reach the yarn store we were aiming for. It turns out, naturally, that the yarn store was a) ten minutes away from where we were staying and b) closed. Arrrgh. Fortunately, we found another yarn store so that my dream of wallowing in yarn on my birthday could be realised: A Good Yarn in Boston, where the staff were friendly, one of the other customers was also having a birthday, and I purchased much yarn. Yarn pics will have to come later in some cases, as it is still in the box I shipped it back to Australia in. Thanks Wendy for the yarn store recommendation!

In Which Blogger Can Bite Me

2007-04-17T08:22:00.000+10:00

It took TWO HOURS yesterday to upload those pics! There were going to be more! With some sort of coherent narrative! But I ended up so frustrated that I had to go away and start another sock to calm myself down.

Blogger is reaaaaallly challenging my natural "I'm too lazy to be bothered moving to another blogging system" attitude.

Sigh. Knitting. I am actually knitting! I have finished a pair of socks, started another sock, and I've been industriously knitting away on a faroese shawl in sooooft cream baby wool. Because I felt like it. I will never wear it, but I always have hope that someone will see it and yell "gimme!" so that I know who to give it to. And I cannot keep something in soft cream wool in a four cat household. Nuh-uh.

Oh thankallthegods I just spotted a leftover chocolate easter egg on my desk......

I want to get all my pics posted so that I can pay the proper respect to my fabulous hostesses on the trip - you were awesome guys!

Three Days in New York Part One

2007-04-16T08:01:00.000+10:00

The interior of the Guggenheim
The interior curvy bits of the Guggenheim
Another shot of the Guggenheim
Mmm......... Koigu Cashmere........
Central Park
The Chrysler Building

I'll have to post pics in two or three lots as Blogger is being its usual pain in the ass.

Gack

2007-04-11T09:34:00.000+10:00

Yes, I know this doesn't look much like the beginning of the Yarn Tour Notes 2007, but we've had some setbacks! We locked 0urselves out of the house last night and this morning we learned that our car needs a new clutch which should only set us back around $1400 or so!

Sigh.

The cats seem to have forgiven us. Dorian seemed a bit confused by the whole thing, but has since spent the last couple of days ignoring us from short distances. Lulu is obviously relieved that things are back to normal. Marlowe is purring constantly and following us around, and the first night back he dragged half of his toys into our room in case we wanted to play with him. Meiko has spent the last few nights waking us up three times a night for cuddles and reassurance.

I'm Baaaaaaaaack

2007-04-10T07:07:00.000+10:00

I am back and frazzled and jetlagged and confused and tired and grumpy. And I have to go back to work today!!

Y'all, it was a hoot and a holler. We met some wonderful people, bought massive amounts of yarn, and ran over a wig in Boston. It was that kind of trip.

I have pictures to post, I have posts to write, people to thank and yarn purchases to flash. But unfortunately I have work to go to. (booooooo!!!)

More to follow!!

Last Post

2007-03-23T07:03:00.000+11:00

The taxi arrives in an hour!

While travelling I can still be contacted at my email address:

purple 6 AT optushome DOT com DOT au

Wednesday

2007-03-21T13:42:00.000+11:00

*rocks back and forth*

Three hours of work to go... three hours of work to go....

Woooo

2007-03-20T10:21:00.001+11:00

Halfway through my second large coffee of the day. NO attention span whatsoever. Stinkywork. *bounce*

Maybe I should cut back on the caffeine.....

No way! Wheeeee!

Three Sleeps and No Motivation

2007-03-20T09:21:00.000+11:00

I don't want to be at work. I want to be on my way to the United States! I have today and tomorrow at work, one day off and then we're off. How in heck am I supposed to maintain even a basic level of professionalism?

Blahblahblah client services blahblahblah

Where did I put my iPod?

Oops

2007-03-19T09:14:00.000+11:00

How did that week go by so quick?? We're in the thick of organisational stress here at the Peeve house. Tickets, money, passport, clothes, shoes, itinerary, housesitter for the cats, letter from the shrink to prove I'm not actually trying to start up my own Prozac import business, tidying house so housesitter doesn't flee in terror, getting haircut, loading iPod for plane trip, sheesh.....

I bought a new audio recording to load onto my iPod on the weekend - Kenneth Branagh reading the Diary of Samuel Pepys. I am such a history geek.

Knitting: I did quick dash into the Stitches and Craft fair on the weekend and scored a copy of Folk Vests, two skeins of Colinette Jitterbug and a skein of Tofutsies to try. I've been knitting more scrappy socks because the stress levels are indicating plain stockinette socks in various colours. I've knit two socks in the last week! And no, I haven't taken photos. Cause I am LAME.

And Here We Are at Tuesday Again

2007-03-13T09:20:00.000+11:00

Thank you all so much for your comments and well wishes. You understand, you really do, and that helps me more than I can say. This is a train of thought that has been a long time coming, and I'm giving it free reign to rampage around inside my head and give the depression monster something to think about. And, perhaps, to fear... bwahahaahah!

Seriously, though, this is only one of a dozen reasons why I am so very glad that I got a blog!

It is now only ten sleeps until we set off on our World Tour of the US. Bouncebouncebounce!

How early is too early when packing for an overseas trip??

Bad thing for the day: somebody keeps turning out all the lights in the office.
Good thing for the day: I have a large cinnamon latte.

Edited to Add: There will be blogging from the States! I think I'd start twitching if I stayed away from blogging for that long!

And La - yeah, we 'only' have one morning and afternoon! We're gonna have FUN, girl!

Ooh, and one more thing while the caffeine is sustaining me: I'm loading up my ipod for the trip - can anyone recommend some good podcasts?

Warning: Depression Rant Ahead

2007-03-09T09:09:00.000+11:00

No yarny goodness today, people! If you want a cheery post, I suggest you go elsewhere! Also, if you are of a nervous disposition or are offended by bad (or as I like to call it, vigorously emphatic) language.

I am so VERY FUCKING SICK of being depressed all the time. I was thinking about trying to get back to 'normal' the other day, and I realised that I have no idea what 'normal' is. I know 'normal' is different for everyone, but I don't know what normal should feel like for me. I don't know what it is or how to get there. It's all very well to try and fight the depression, but shouldn't I know what I'm fighting for?? Shouldn't I have a goal that's better defined than 'not too depressed'?

All this leads, of course, to me questioning my entire identity. If so much of me is made up of depression and anxiety and stress and self loathing - what's left? Would I recognise it if I saw it?

Maybe this is why I'm having so much trouble fighting the depression - I'm fighting for a return to health that I'm not sure I ever had.

I want to get OUT from under this thing, but I don't know how - I don't know how not to be depressed any more. Which is, let's face it, terribly depressing. Is the sum total of my life going to be "Fat and Depressed"?

And why the arseing hell am I dutifully taking my meds for if they're not helping? Lord knows I can be this depressed without chemical aid. Nope, don't need meds to be depressed!

Please don't think this is a request for reassurances or pats on the head - I need to get this off my chest. It's a new line of thinking for me and one I think I need to explore a bit further.

Vignettes From a Train Ride

2007-03-06T06:58:00.000+11:00

I cannot BELIEVE you posted a picture of my belly on the internet!!

And now a few thoughts inspired by a recent train trip:

1. To the gentleman in the striking pink tshirt I was sitting next to: Do you smell that way on purpose?? And if so, WHY?

2. To the young man who glared at me for three solid minutes: I was trying to see what the next station was. GET OVER YOURSELF.

3. To the lady of a certain age who pushed past me to get a seat further down the carriage: I don't care if you are older than I am. If you smack me with your bag, I WILL say Ouch and I will say it loudly.

4. To the teenage girl talking loudly on her phone to a friend: If you are seriously discussing career options between two different McDonalds outlets on a crowded peak hour train, people WILL laugh at you. You have no one to blame but yourself.

The Paws, The Paws!

2007-03-04T19:59:00.000+11:00

The Lulu Fat Fluffy Paws of Death, close up and personal.
The Marlowe paws of Excrutiating Cuteness.
The Meiko Paws of Prettiness.
The Dorian paws of Oh Dear God They're Taking Me to the Vet Again Aren't They Fight For Your Liiiiife!

For La!

Tomorrow: sundry recent yarn purchases!

My Poor Neglected Babies

2007-03-01T17:33:00.000+11:00

Dorian is still looking watchful. We don't know what he's watching for. We suspect he doesn't either. But he looks the part, and that's the important thing.
Meiko is a sight more nervous since we got Marlowe. She rightly fears a heavy grey object could land on her head at any moment. But still cute!
And Lulu remains Supreme Overlord.

Heehee

2007-02-27T08:45:00.000+11:00

Tuesday morning silliness: My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Her Eminence the Very Viscountess Peeve the Subversive of Bampton Underhoop.

I particularly like the Subversive part.

You can get your Title here: Your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Well, Maybe Not Quite

2007-02-26T07:51:00.000+11:00

As all you, my dearest regular readers would know, the weather has been gut-churningly awful here in Melbourne. Little sleep has been had for almost a week. Over the weekend, the weather let up a bit, and sleep was to be had!! And I slept! Up at 10am on Saturday, back to bed at 12.30 for a nap, up at 3pm, back to bed by 11pm! Fantastic! So would anyone care to tell me what the universe thinks its up to when last night they commence all night roadworks right outside our house??? We're talking heavy machinery, flashing lights, and work so loud the WINDOWS were RATTLING. ALL NIGHT.

My first chance in months to start the working week in anything less than a homicidal gloom and it is SNATCHED AWAY. And now I am at work and I CAN'T EVEN KNIT in a feeble attempt to distract myself from my brain's dawning realisation that a) it's Monday b) I haven't had coffee yet and c) OH GOD ITS MONDAY MORNING.

Why oh why can't I be snuggled up at home, reading blogs, knitting, swatting Marlowe off my knitting for the umpteenth time, chugging back the Vanilla Diet Coke and contemplating the first in a series of naps?? WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS???

Gaaahhh. Maybe I should have called my blog "Rantypants the Deranged".

I Got Nothin But Cute Today!

2007-02-26T06:31:00.000+11:00

Wednesday In All Its Glory

2007-02-21T11:32:00.000+11:00

Ooff. It's Wednesday! It's not Friday, but it's better than Monday!

Our little Marlowe went in to the vet yesterday for his operation - he came through it absolutely fine, and we were complimented by the vet nurses on what a sociable little thing he is. He was adorably sleepy last night and kept falling asleep with his face smooshed into the carpet, but by 5am this morning he was his usual energetic self. Our baby is growing up! Now that he's had the "snip" he gets to wear a collar - we've bought him a nice purple one with a purple bell. Pics to follow. Which I keep saying, but they will! There are pics! Yes there are!

Thanks for the commiserations on missing the Harlot. I am sure the grieving process will continue so that eventually the healing can begin!

And Carrie K? We have booked a tour of Alcatraz already - a Night Tour! Bwahazhaaha!

Weather is still yucky here - muggy and icky and despicable and hateful. My brain just goes to slush in this kind of weather, I find it difficult to sleep, the whole bit.

But. Lest this blog become a total whingefest, here are some Good Things:

1.Marlowe is fine and healthy and happy, as are all our cats.
2. I bought yarn yesterday. Yarn that I shouldnt' have bought. Pretty yarn!
3. Knitting is continuing - I have a new plan for using up the rest of my sock yarn scraps and I am currently knitting that.
4. I am also currently knitting a sock in STR lightweight in the Kryptonite colourway, and its gorgeousness means I am knitting very slowly because I keep having to stop and admire it.
5. I had a Cinnamon Latte this morning. Yum. And also, Bounce!
6. Yesterday afternoon's executive meeting barely touched the cheese and fruit platter ordered for them, so we've all been eating lovely cheeses all morning.

And now - I need some advice. I have tried and tried to solve this myself, but my cluelessness keeps getting in the way and it's too early to start drinking yet.

When Mr Peeve and I are in LA, we have two major appointments - spending the day with The Fantabulous Ms La in Long Beach, and dinner with The Ineffable Crazy Aunt Purl in West Hollywood. Now what I want to know is: How in Heck do we coordinate this?? Should we stay in Hollywood and taxi/whatever down to Long Beach to meet La? or the other way around? My main criteria here is not to put either of these ladies out in any fashion - they are being kind enough to meet two Australian Oddballs and that is more than enough for anyone to cope with!

The Official Peeve World Tour of the US Web Page

2007-02-19T14:14:00.001+11:00

http://davidanissen.googlepages.com/ustrip2007

Heeheheheeheh

*Bounce*

And The Sulk Goes On

2007-02-19T08:18:00.000+11:00

I have been knitting! There will be pictures! But something more important has occurred. Yes, more important than knitting (sort of). Chris emailed me on Saturday morning and I learned what a travesty, what a TRAGEDY will occur during the Peeve World Tour of the US.

The Yarn Harlot will be speaking in New York (as well as various other places) THE DAY BEFORE WE ARRIVE. Yes, I am going to miss out on meeting Stephanie by TWELVE HOURS. I am flying across the globe for sundry knitting-related purposes and THIS is how the universe rewards me!! Our itinerary is already set (I checked, trust me!).

This information triggered the Mother of All Sulks and I have been incommunicative and surly ever since.

"How Would We Tell??" comes the reply.

"Bite Me!" is my response.

ARSEBUGGERBOLLOCKS

It is not helping that Melbourne weather is currently utterly disgusting. It has been as hot as all get out for days, with the temperatures dipping only slightly at night. So three consecutive nights where I have hardly slept combined with the apparent conspiracy of my cats to disturb what little sleep I do get mean I am a Peeved little Peeve.

And I've just realised that I left my meds at home. I'd take it as a great kindness if someone would just render me unconscious for the next 24 hours.

Marlowe Speaks

2007-02-12T06:48:00.000+11:00

Boy, it's been great having you home sick, Mum! You stay in the one spot all the time, you do that fantastic 'knitting' stuff with the dangly string, and you're reaaally slow off the mark when I'm getting into something I shouldn't!

Today's Lack of Posting Brought to You By the Mystery Virus Du Jour

2007-02-07T21:00:00.000+11:00

Luckily, I've had some company!

P.S - does anybody know how to sort out comments on the new Blogger so that I can reply directly to comments? I'm getting comments that I really want to reply to, but I am technologically 'challenged'.

SOCKS SOCKS SOCKS

2007-02-04T19:47:00.000+11:00

Scrappy socks! I can't really call them 'pairs' I guess......

Another pair of scrappy socks!

These two are different patterns from Knitting Vintage Socks, but the yarn is Brooklyn Handspun Signature yarn in the Blackcurrant colourway.

The left sock is Knitpicks in Pansy, and the right is another Brooklyn Handspun Blackcurrant creation.

Thanks to Dave, the consummately professional sock model!

And now I must go.... I have a LOT more scraps to use up!

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

2007-02-02T09:19:00.000+11:00

I just found out I can't take knitting needles of any description as part of my carryon luggage to go overseas.

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO FOR FIFTEEN HOURS IF I CAN'T KNIT????

Suggestions?

*whimper*

Morning All!

2007-01-30T07:52:00.000+11:00

Hmm, I feel I should do a bit of a catch-up post today.

Trip planning is coming along swimmingly - only 52 sleeps to go!!! We've booked most of our accommodation - La, any recommendations for staying in or near LA? Heh. Get it? Ahem. I am so very much looking forward to meeting so many of you!

Sock knitting is cruising along - I've now finished five socks and I'm doing the toe of the sixth. I promise I will blog these! I'm just so happy to have the sock mojo back - socks is all I feel like knitting right now, I'm getting a lot of pleasure from it. I'm currently doing lots of scrappy stripy socks to use up some of my sock yarn leftovers.

Marlowe is getting HUGE, and is still supremely arrogant and energetic. Except when it comes to Lulu. Every now and then he forgets and bounces up to her, and she then delivers one of her almighty smackdowns, which I think she hugely enjoys, so everybody wins.

I have upped my meds dosage and it seems to be helping a little. On Saturday I went out for the day with Gibbering - we went to Dandenong and visited opshops and clothes shops - we lasted a whole five minutes in the yarn shop before she informed me that THIS IS HELL and we left. Poor Gibbering! Heh. I bought a pair of jeans, a skein of sock yarn, and a spinning book for Yarnivorous, who we dropped in on on the way home. I also bought some of her sock yarn while we were there - pics to follow!

After I got home I wound up my new sock yarn, and wound up some other skeins as well, and knitted and watched dvds with Dave. At the end of the day, something felt weird. I had a good day. I enjoyed myself, saw friends, bought Yarn, etc - not an unusal day in itself, but the difference was that on Saturday I wasn't depressed. All day. A whole day! This gives me a scary insight into what it must be like to be 'normal'. Wow. I think I like it!

I've been crashing a bit since then, but Saturday actually gave me a lot of hope!

Right. I'm at work and I should at least act like it.

Marta

2007-01-28T08:25:00.000+11:00

I just learned that Marta the Goddess of Colour passed away last week after a long battle with cancer.

Her incredible talent was surpassed only by the warmth of her personality and she will be sadly missed.

My New Sock Knitting System

2007-01-24T08:09:00.000+11:00

I have a new sock knitting system. For a long time, I have completely stalled on the sock knitting. Even if I got enthused enough to start a sock, I'd get halfway down the leg, start thinking about the second sock and give up completely.

And y'all, I have a BIG sock yarn stash. Which will get significantly bigger when some of you lovely people take me yarn crawling in a couple of months. Heh.

Anyhoo, I was thinking that if the second sock is what is stalling my sock knitting, why not eliminate the second sock altogether? I've never been a huge fan of matching socks anyway, and I figured that if I knit two socks in the same yarn but different patterns, they'd match enough to satisfy me but still be interesting enough to keep going with.

It's working.

Pics still to come, but in the last week and a half, I've knit and finished three whole socks. And I'm halfway down the leg of the fourth!

Unorthodox? Yep. Weird? Uh huh. Like nails down a blackboard for socks-must-come-in-PAIRS-minded people (*cough* Purplexity*cough*)? Mwahahaah!

In Which the Cuteness Becomes Unbearable

2007-01-23T19:52:00.000+11:00

His little pink paw pads are shiny!!!

Dates!

2007-01-23T08:52:00.000+11:00

Okay, now, we have actual dates for this trip!

Friday 23rd March - arrive NYC
Sat 24th & Sun 25 March - NYC
Sun 25th March - NYC
Mon 26th March - NYC t0 Boston
Tues 27th & Wed 28th March - Boston
Thur 29th - Boston to NYC
Fri 30th March - NYC to Chicago
Sat 31st March - Chicago to Minneapolis
Sun 1st April - Minneapolis to Seattle
Mon 2nd April - Seattle to SF
Tues 3rd SF
Wed 4th SF to LA
Thurs 5th LA
Friday 6th LA - Melbourne

Don't Judge!

2007-01-23T06:35:00.000+11:00

Hey, don't knock it til you've tried it, dude.

Wow

2007-01-19T10:33:00.000+11:00

We've paid for our tickets.... this trip is really HAPPENING!!

EDITED TO ADD: La, Chris, Carrie K, Kelly - you guys may or may not have my direct email so here goes: purple six (number, not word) at optushome dot com dot au

Cause... it's time to organise!

Vanquished

2007-01-18T06:56:00.000+11:00

Marlowe: Don't panic, Lulu! I've vanquished it! It's in it's death throes now!

Lulu: ............

Marlowe: No need to thank me, I have saved the day!

Lulu: You know what, I'm just going to go ahead and assume I'm still the smartest cat in the room.

The Struggle

2007-01-17T06:40:00.000+11:00

You shall not defeat meeeeeee!

I Take it Back

2007-01-16T09:21:00.000+11:00

La, I take it back. We have rejigged and rethunk and we would love to visit Disneyland with you! How does Thursday 5th (?) April sound? All dates given on this blog are subject to flight availability and whether or not Dave and I have killed each other during the planning stages of this trip, but anyway.....

And Chris? Looks like we'll be in your neck of the woods on a Saturday - does that sound okay?

And Carrie K? We'll probably be in SanFran Monday/Tuesday 3rd/4th April - please say I can buy you a drink!

Also, the important part of this trip planning - what are the yarn stores I cannot miss in New York, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Minneapolis, San Francisco, LA?

Nemesis Returns!

2007-01-16T08:31:00.000+11:00

Back again, Evil Shopping Bag? Take That! And This! Grrrrrrrrr!

I Sense... A Disturbance in the Force.....

2007-01-15T21:02:00.000+11:00

I will investigate with my Amazing Investigative Kitten Powers.....

StinkyBloggerBeta

2007-01-14T18:11:00.000+11:00

You're only going get one photo at a time until I work out how this new Blogger thang works.....

EDITED TO ADD: This photo is first in a series - the Amazing Adventures of the crime-fighting Super Marlowe!!

Oh, and La? It doesn't look like we're going to make Disneyland .... :( But I'd love to treat your La-ness to a drink if we can organise it!

Marlowe and Dorian

2007-01-13T08:04:00.000+11:00

One of Marlowe's favourite sleeping spots - on Dorian. Dorian is here demonstrating his unfailing patience with Marlowe.

Freaky Friday

2007-01-12T10:38:00.000+11:00

I saw the just about the Freakiest Thing Ever in the Vet's office on Tuesday night. We were taking Meiko and Dorian in for their yearly shots (Dorian howled dismally all the way there, in the waiting room, and all the way back; Meiko went straight for the puffed up fur, huddled in motionless terror in the corner of her carrier position) and there was a lady there with a poodle on a leash and pushing a stroller. I (naturally enough) assumed there was a kid in the stroller.

Not so.

In the stroller in a big felt pouch was a kangaroo. I am not sure if it was a fully grown wallaby or a half grown kangaroo, but I do know that its name was Lucy. I know its name was Lucy because it was wearing a collar with 'Lucy' spelt out on it in big rhinestone letters.

But that wasn't the most disturbing thing, oh no it wasn't.

Lucy's owner had painted her toenails. Pink.

Cause I know when I bring up one of our native animals as my own, the first thing I'd do would be to PAINT ITS TOENAILS.

Hiiiiiiiiii!

2007-01-08T12:56:00.000+11:00

Yup, still here, still flattened from the beating the Depression Monster and it's sidekick Stinkyhotweather are administering while my shiny new meds stand on the sidelines pretending not to notice. Sigh.

Purplexity has gently enquired as to whether I have abandoned my ever-patient blog public, and has subtly threatened e-slaps, e-nudges and e-hugs if I don't come to my senses toot sweet.

Recent knitting would have been a lot more impressive if I hadn't decided to scoff at the Guage Gods and spend a day and a half knitting something that would not have fit any baby I have ever seen. I am now toying with winding up some Handmaiden Sea Silk (droooool) and knitting something for the heck of it. I figure if I can let go of the idea that I must make something useful and functional I might be able to start (and FINISH) something gorgeous and completely impractical.

I haven't shown you many of my recent yarn purchases cause I've been buying myself stuff to make myself feel better and I'm a bit ashamed - I may have gone a little overboard..... But! New austerity measures firmly in place!

I have had several lovely offers to shepherd me to yarn stores, hockey games and even Disneyland (La, you wench!) and I shall be hunting down each and every one of you to take you up on those offers! YARRRN CRAAAWL!!! And, you know, if there happened to be a bar or two conveniently located near these yarn stores.....

Dave is happily resigned to this trip being significantly occupied with yarn stores and bloggers. A jewel among men!

Further details of the Peeve World Tour Itinerary as they are finalised......

Sketchy Itinerary

2007-01-03T07:03:00.000+11:00

In response to yesterday's obvious excitement (dread? horror?) at the news that Peeve will be Stateside in a few months, we are planning on visiting San Francisco, Seattle, Nooo York, Boston, Minneapolis (Yay Chris!) and of course LA. Possibly I could visit La in LA! That tickles me. La in Lala Land. heeeheeee. Potentially Chicago, if Kelly comes through on that promise of a hockey game!

Stretchy Paws

2007-01-02T20:14:00.000+11:00

Mmmmph....Must....be....cuter.....

*snork* Yup, there we go....... (difference in colouring in these two pics is purely due to my crap photoshop skills and in no way detracts from the cuteness)

Long time no blog!

I have been keeping things from you, my dear bloggers. I have won two awards. YOU PEOPLE ARE WEIRD AND ARE SERIOUSLY MESSING WITH MY HARD WON ABYSMAL SELF ESTEEM. I won a Golden Spork, and I won it weeks ago and I didn't even tell you (scroll down to the December 12 entry). I am a bad blogger and deserve to be repeatedly spank.... anyhoo. And Lovely La has honoured me as well! Gosh. I went all giggly and girly when I read about these tremendously cool bloggers saying they liked me! I am such a geek.

Well, the depression monster is still kicking serious butt over here. Meds are taking their own sweet time kicking in, but if I am even one hour later than usual taking them - hysterical mess by 6 o'clock in the evening. Guess who was a barrel of fun on New Year's Eve?? And the weather SUCKS. Hot and humid and no breeze. They've been promising thunderstorms for a week now, and I've been waiting patiently - I love a good thunderstorm, absolutely love it, but apparently the weather dudes are just messing with me. And all my knitting hates me. Its lurking in corners discussing ways to piss me off. Okay, that last one was a lie. But who amongst us hasn't thought that once in a while??

Now for the good news. It is a strong possibility that in late March Peeve (and Mr Peeve) IS COMING TO AMERICA!!!! Yes, that's right, thanks to a ridiculously good air fare, we are contemplating a couple of weeks in the Good Old U S of A with a stopover in JAPAN. So. Chris, La, Kelly - what's the weather like over there at that time of year? Anyone up for a yarn crawl?

Mwaahahahaha!!

Smoochin'

2006-12-29T08:12:00.000+11:00

I wuv my big brother. He's all soft and purry.

And licky.... Hey!!!

The Daddy Lap

2006-12-28T06:32:00.000+11:00

Haha, I'm on daddy's lap and you're not! Nyerhhhh!

I am NOT getting sleepy... not sleee.....zzzzzzzzz

Welcome Back, Y'all!

2006-12-27T06:36:00.000+11:00

Chair surfing in the Peeve household.....

Ummm..... Hang 20?

Hey!

2006-12-24T07:47:00.000+11:00

Go look at the Australian Google home page!!!!

Is that cool or what??

More Window Instruction

2006-12-22T06:16:00.000+11:00

Right, little one, there aren't just birds out there. There are people, cars, leaves - all of these things move.

And if you see something move - chaseitchaseitchaseit! If you're quick you can get the jump on that nasty glass monster!

Marlowe:Um... mum? Are you sure he's supposed to be in charge of me?

Edit: I have enabled word verification for comments!

A Somewhat Blurry Marlowe

2006-12-20T06:22:00.000+11:00

Marlowe discovers.... the OUTSIDE!! Here Meiko is teaching Marlowe the fine art of sitting in the windowsill and watching birds outside in the tree.

Meiko: If it moves, watch it like a hawk and squawk at it. Hawk n' Squawk.
Marlowe: Holy Crap, it's bigger than my HEAD!!

In other news, Dave and I spent last night having dinner with my sister and her boyfriend - they are visiting from Edinburgh. It was funny watching them fall asleep over dessert. They obviously adore each other, so cute!!

And check out this link to a newspaper article - the article itself is reasonably innocuous, but the comments people posted to it had me literally crying with laughter.

Anniversary

2006-12-17T21:18:00.000+11:00

Today/tomorrow is the twelfth anniversary of me and Dave getting together (holy crap - TWELVE YEARS???). This is my anniversary present from this wonderful man - a set of hand forged silver dpns for sock knitting. From the Celtic Swan Forge. Yes, you read that right. Solid silver sock needles. I am currently test-driving them and I can safely say they. Are. Awesome. Truly the Rolls-Royce of knitting needles!

Marlowe pics will follow tomorrow - rest assured he is growing like a weed, and is confident in his position of Demon Kitten of Chaos.

I've been sticking to the topic of Marlowe lately cause the change of meds is kicking in and boy is it kicking my butt! Tired, overtired, sleep-deprived, giddy, and prone to the odd hysterical crying jag for no particular reason. But. It is improving and it will continue to improve, and I am determined to hang in there. However, it does mean that I'm incredibly exhausted, and I don't want to talk about myself too much for fear of boring the heck out of my poor patient blog readers! I have been knitting and frogging in more or less equal measures, as well as test knitting a pattern for a friend - all will be revealed... stay tuned for more.... Taaaaales Ooooffff Teeeedium!!!!

Oooh, and I almost forgot - La has nottagged me ( i.e invited me courteously to partake in an exercise which only the most callow would call a meme)!

The rules are: post six weird things about yourself. Then nottag six other bloggers, leaving comments on their blogs to let them know they have been nottagged.

Six Weird Things About Me:

1. When eating a meal (at home or out, doesn't matter) I have to eat equal portions of everything on the plate, or eat each element of the dish in turn (ie, mash, peas, chips, whetever). I hate having more of one thing left than the others.

2. I hate watching episodes of tv shows as they turn up once a week. I would much rather wait until the season is over and get it on dvd to watch in big gluttonous chunks.

3. I like pineapple on my pizzas. Although I accept that this is as natural as breathing to some, and evidence of a deeply disturbed personality to others.

4. I thought the movie ET sucked. Everyone else in the movie theatre was sobbing, I was bored stiff and wanted to go home.

5. I cannot bear the taste of fresh coriander. It is NASTY.

6. I enjoy punning. I love punning. Gibbering and I once spent an entire afternoon emailing latin puns to one another.

I tag: mrspao, Chris, Purplexity, Carrie, Trudi, and Bellamoden!

Friday Kitten-ness

2006-12-15T06:56:00.000+11:00

If you really loved me, you'd let me eat your notes... and your finger... and your toes... and your heel.... and your socks.... and your knitting needles.... and your Addi cords.... and your yarn..... and your knitting pattern.... and your ear......

Couch v. Marlowe

2006-12-14T06:32:00.000+11:00

The amazing kitten-eating cushions have tasted new prey! But never fear, Marlowe shall prevail!

Grrrrrr, take that, kitten eating couch cushion!

Oh, I Dare You Not to Go "AWWWWWW!!!!"

2006-12-13T06:37:00.000+11:00

Snork

2006-12-12T06:10:00.000+11:00

Marlowe helping me with some notes I was trying to take yesterday.

Well, things are moving right along here in the newly consecrated Crazy Cat Lady Formerly Known as Peeve Household. Marlowe is getting cockier and cockier, has decided he's a Daddy's Boy, and last night purred at us for the first time.

Lulu is still hissing death threats, but she hasn't retreated to the top of the wardrobe in a huff like the last time, which is progress. She's hissing her threats live and in person, and occasionally from in the same room while she observers the usurper.

Dorian loves Marlowe. He particularly loves the fact that the kitten gets fed food Dorian's not allowed to eat. We are reacquainting Dorian with the Squirt Bottle of Discipline.

Meiko has worked out that she shares two hobbies with Marlowe: scrunched up balls of paper and scrabbling around behind the couch. This has led to several sessions of chasing each other round and round and round the loungeroom - I think Meiko has finally worked out that the kitten might actually be fun!

And Marlowe thinks they're fantastic. Apart from the hissy one - he thinks she's boring. Last night he threw a complete tantrum because he was shut in the bedroom with us for the night and the other cats weren't and he wanted to play with them NOW.

This blog post would have been completed a lot sooner if it wasn't for a small grey kitten dashing across my keyboard every couple of minutes and discovering Firefox functions I didn't know existed!

Nope

2006-12-12T00:26:00.000+11:00

I can't even try and caption this...... too cute!

Warning: Extreme Cuteness

2006-12-10T08:19:00.000+11:00

Marlowe aint taking crap from no knitting needle, no sirree!

All tuckered out. This picture makes my heart go "Awwwwww!"

He was an angel during the trip to his new home yesterday - not a peep out of him, although he was obviously scared! We put him in the middle of the loungeroom floor in his cage so that the other cats could meet him - he was completely unfazed by this. When we let him out, there was much bouncing, exploring, pouncing, and punishment of the Knitting Needle of Insolence (see above pic).

And what do the other cats think of this development?

Lulu: HISSSSSS HISSSS I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU HAVE DONE THIS TO ME AGAIN!

Dorian: Oh, hello. Wanna play? I'll lie down here and pretend that I'm ignoring you until you have the confidence to bite my tail.

Meiko: What the?????

Bonus Photos For My Marlowe Hungry Audience

2006-12-08T08:41:00.000+11:00

All pics courtesy of Purplexity! - Marlowe enjoying a light meal of Cat Toy Packaging

Marlowe in reluctant profile for a painting Gibbering has done for me (pics of painting to follow)

Marlowe looking for his next light meal of Cat Toy Packaging

Oh, there it is! Note the adorable little white toes and nose in this shot.

And on to dessert.

Who The Heck Are You?? Or, Little White Toes!!!

2006-12-08T06:40:00.000+11:00

Marlowe when we first turned up to visit the other day. He was a very polite little kitten and came out to say hello. This shot was taken just as he noticed the Dangling Cords of Delight.

In Which Marlowe Proves His Daddy Tastes Just as Good as His Mummy

2006-12-07T18:04:00.000+11:00

Two Days Til Marlowe!

2006-12-07T07:01:00.000+11:00

I got out of my shower this morning and went to get dressed...... "Ha! I have foiled your evil plan to go to 'work' and not be here for me to sleep on and have my chin scratched!"

"Nope, go away, I am sleeping now."

It took a great deal of convincing and a careful transfer to my lap (where he is now purring softly and looking offensively triumphant) in order for me to get to my clothes this morning....

3 Days Til Marlowe

2006-12-06T09:52:00.000+11:00

Good lord, this is fun! But the texture is a little lacking.... let's see...

Ah ha! Toe! Now that's what I call a Snack/Foe/Target fit for a kitten! Fightfightfightkillkillkill