The Pattern Slave

Sis Boom Blah

I joined a sock club based on the dyer's website gallery & inventory, reputation and a recommendation.  The first month was GORGEOUS!  Four colors that all worked beautifully together.  Totally in line with her repuation and with the work I'd seen on-line.  I was thrilled and really looked forward to the next couple skeins. 

Second and third months, well, to put it bluntly they sucked.  It's not just a matter of the colors not being to my liking, they are pretty colors.  What bothers me is that in both cases it seems like she just took a hank of yarn and dunked it into a second color and said "Done."  It's really obvious that she put a lot of thought and effort into the first month, but the next two don't show that at all.  I know that sock clubs are a risk but I didn't go into it completely blind; I researched her work. 

The question is, do I tell the dyer that she really dropped the ball? Or just sell off the yarn and write it off as a lesson learned?

You may now prepare for the apocalypse.

Right Now for Seattle, WA Save Location   [ English | Metric ]	Weather for your life Weather Related to... Aches & Pains Air Quality & Pollution Allergies & Pollen Boat & Beach Cold & Flu Fitness & Exercise Flights & Business Travel Golf Weather Health Home Improvement Interstate Driving Forecast Lawn & Garden Outdoor Recreation Pets Schoolday Weather Ski Conditions Skin Protection Sporting Events Vacation & Travel Guide Wedding Planner
Fair 100°F Feels Like 99°F Updated Jul 29 04:45 p.m. PT Seattle Live Webcams UV Index: 3 Moderate Wind: From WNW at 5 mph Humidity: 25% Pressure: 29.72 in. Dew Point: 58°F Visibility: 8.0 miles Download Now Free Desktop Weather

 

Right Now for Tucson, AZ Save Location   [ English | Metric ]	Weather for your life Weather Related to... Aches & Pains Air Quality & Pollution Allergies & Pollen Boat & Beach Cold & Flu Fitness & Exercise Flights & Business Travel Golf Weather Health Home Improvement Interstate Driving Forecast Lawn & Garden Outdoor Recreation Pets Schoolday Weather Ski Conditions Skin Protection Sporting Events Vacation & Travel Guide Wedding Planner
Fair 99°F Feels Like 98°F Updated Jul 29 04:45 p.m. MT Tucson Live Webcams UV Index: 2 Low Wind: From W at 14 mph gusting to 21 mph Humidity: 24% Pressure: 29.88 in. Dew Point: 56°F Visibility: 9.0 miles Download Now Free Desktop Weather

It is cooler in Tucson than Seattle. That's just wrong.

KINGS - Holy Crap!

If you know me, you'll know that I pretty much dismiss network TV. I'm a cable girl for the most part.  However, I've found myself completely hooked by Kings. 

If you haven't watched Kings, you've seriously missed out on some damn good TV.  This show is completely engrossing. The characters are rich and well developed, the plot thick with intrigue and the dialogue almost Shakespearean.  NBC of course has mismarketed the show and keeps moving it around in hopes of finding an audience.  The problem is that this show really isn't geared to the average network TV audience; it's very cable in it's appeal - HBO or Showtime would have had a field day with it - highbrow and complex.  And the show is definitely cable quality as far as the cinematography and complexity go.  I really hope NBC decides to get it's head out of its ass and bring it back for a second season.  Kings is one of those shows that needs two seasons to gain a larger following. 

Ian McShane is fabulous as King Silas though frankly I keep expecting the word "cocksucker" to come out of his mouth every few minutes.  (Al Swearingen, how I miss thee.)  And McCaulay Caulkin is really doing a good job as the creepy nephew to the King. 

I'd say the show is the best thing on TV since Battlestar ended. 

all right already...

I suck.  totally suck at keeping up with a blog.  happy now?  I've admitted it. I'm just very busy between the house and kids and end of school year and ravelry and MDC and ICAN and facebook... oh yeah.  facebook.  what a humongous time suck that I can't quite leave alone.  ah well.

As far as what to report, knitting wise... not a damn thing.  I haven't finished an item in months.  And it doesn't look likely that I will anytime soon either.  I just don't have time to knit right now.  I am making slow progress on my lizard ridge.  It's in my bag at all times.  Jillyean helps too by pulling the needles out of my work, thereby preventing future mistakes. So far, I've done the same repeat about 6 times.

We went to Montanta to Mr. Slave's aunt's and uncle's ranch.  Wow.  It was beautiful and the weather was lovely.  The boys had a fabulous time and even got up on a horse.  (pics later)  Jillybean enjoyed having a new audience for her antics and all did well on the 12 hour drive.  The Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman has probably the best dinosaur exhibit I've ever seen.  I only wish the kids could have had a long enough attention span to actually read the plaques. 

We're moving at the end of the month.  The house we rented when we moved to Seattle last year just isn't going to cut it much longer.  It's just too small and it's not like the family is getting any smaller.  So I'm packing like crazy.  Fortunately, we found a nice much bigger house and we'll be able to get our crap things out of storage soon.  It will be nice having a kitchen that can fit more than one person in it.  Big bonus -- two washers and dryers.  Holy laundry day Batman!  (oh, and the house has a wine cellar... a real wine cellar.)

My big u/s is scheduled for Friday.  I'm looking forward to it, actually.  It'll be fun to get a look at Jimmy Bean.  I'll let you know how it goes.

best childbirth blog

http://nursingbirth.wordpress.com/

disagree with a dr?

even politely? based on evidence? Get labeled “non compliant” or “abusive” in your insurance file!

http://ican-online.org/news/ican-online

Gotta Love the AMA for pushing for patient’s rights.

So it’s o.k. for OBs to bully and mislead women into interventions we don’t need (and about which they refuse to fully inform us) and when a woman disagrees, complains about it, or refuses to comply, her insurance company gets notified that she's refusing to comply.  

Doctors, you just can’t have it both ways… You can’t complain that we don’t ask enough questions or do our own research to be fully informed partners in our care, and then when we don’t agree with your view of things based on our own research, or heaven forbid see a second opinion, label us uncooperative and possibly screw us on any future insurance policies we seek to purchase is grossly unethical. 

And yes, I do see OBs pulling this passive-aggressive shit.  They'll play the dead baby/dead mother card to force a perfectly healthy woman into an induction or c/s just b/c of a date on the calendar, so why wouldn't they do something like this when she refuses to agree based on u/s, NST and medical EVIDENCE? 

Edited to Add: 

This is coming up for a vote this TUESDAY!  Contact your local AMA office to complain, as well as your elected officials. 

http://ican-online.org/advocacy/be-change-you-want-see

It was supposed to be a surprise...

The perinatologist sent me a copy of the genetics report and didn't black out gender.  grrrr....

so Surprise!! It's a boy. 

So, nickname suggestions?  BFF Rose just wouldn't cut it this time around.  YKWIM?

If only I could find a care provider responsible enough to do my second VBA2C... 

spontaneous yarn cuddling

I keep a pile of sock yarn and wips on the couch and when I looked down next to me this a.m. what did I see?  The cutest little yarn cuddler ever! 

 This one was taken a few weeks ago:

It is Impulse of Delight Summit Socks of Fraternal Happiness, and boy is it some cuddly yarn! 

To the dr who treated Mr. Slave yesterday...

Thank you for giving him the nice antibiotics he needed and for telling him exactly what I told him... don't go to work sick.  I have a question for you though Mr. DoctorMan, What the Frak are you smoking that you would tell a man with three kids, two of whom are sick, two dogs, a needy cat and a sick wife to stay in bed for 24 frakkin' hours?  You should be stoned with snotty tissues and Alka Selzer Cold wrappers.  Didn't you realize that Mr. Slave is very literal in the interpretation of instructions from Those in Authority?  (It would be nice if listening to the Mistress of the House could fall in that category but that's another conversation.)  He literally didn't get up except to pee until I forced him out of bed a 5:00 a.m. today to deal with sick Jillybean who was about to devour my entire breast she'd been nursing so long.  I'd been up for over an hour with her alternately crying and nursing and hitting and kicking (b/c she's miserably sick with a cold too) and needed some sleep before a 6:00 a.m. wake up to get the boys to school and an anticipated long day in the car driving to and fro about town.  Today has not been pleasant. 

At least not until I got some good news from back east which I am not free to disclose yet.  Then I celebrated by being naughty and got this little bit of luscious.  I figured that since I finished another pair of socks I needed to replace that ball of yarn.  I finished Stinkerton's socks.  They look just like Jillybean's only bigger.  Now I'm starting Little Man's pair.  His will be blue and toe up.  Same yarn, different color.

No new pics, but we had two inches of snow today. 

I will try to be more positive soon.  I'm just tired and my nose hurts. 

Hey REI! I'll tell you a secret...

It's still friggin' winter!!!

We're planning on taking the kids sledding near Snoqualmie this week b/c it's the mid-winter break.  So off to REI we go - all three kids and I - and lo and behold they have no kids' snowpants, nor bibs, nor long johns.  They have lots of sandals and swimsuits and tiny, cute, little tank tops.  It's friggin' February people.  There's at least 2 more months worth of ski season out here.  WTF?  I know it's resort season, but this is bloody ridiculous.  Keep a few items in the clearance racks for shite's sake.  And teach your employees some freakin' manners.  A simple "I'm sorry we're completely sold out.  Could I show you some items you can layer that might work?" would have been nice.  Saying "No, we're out.  We clearanced it all months ago," and walking away doesn't cut it.   Why do I bother with those people?   

Fortuantely, I found a pair at Play it Again Sports right around the block.  I must remember to check them out when I need goodies like this. The service was great, by the way.  I also dragged the gang to to Joes sporting goods and finally (and I mean finally; I've been searching for years) found a pair of ski gloves that actually fit my stubby little finger paintin' fingers w/o constricting my metacarpals or pulling on my thumb.  And Hallelujiah Glory!! They were even on sale.  It's a shame they were the last pair though. 

And to continue to make up for the crappy luck at REI, I found the cutest little pink snowbibs at Target for only $3.78.  And they might even fit Jillybean next year.   They look absolutely adborable with the boots I found on sale yesterday for her - cheap! 

And if you don't think these are not the cutest little boots you've ever seen, you need to get your cute meter fixed.   They're plum!  They're super glittery!  They have sparkly stars!

My really bad luck for the day... I backed up over the stroller.  Yup.  killed it.  I'd had Stinkerton take it to the car for me and he left it behind the car and when I went to drive off, I'd forgotten about it.  grrrr...  I was waiting for this to hit the market before replacing the current stroller, but I guess I'll have to troll craigslist for a few days to find one that will tide me over.  oh well.