While I went on a girls’ night out with Jo, Denis took Murphy to his first training class. Apparently, he did very well. (Murphy, that is. Denis was running around like crazy and the trainer had to restrain him several times.) He’s pretty tuckered out right now…and Murphy is, too. :D
Month: April 2003
Movie Mania
Denis brought home the Harry Potter 2 DVD last night – we never managed to get out and see it at the theater. It’s a good movie. I actually liked it better than the first movie, at least on first viewing.
He also bought me the Beauty and the Beast special edition DVD. (Yes, I’m a closet Disney movie fanatic. I even have a collection of Disney movie mugs.) We didn’t watch that one last night – partly because HP2 is almost three hours long, and partly because for some bizarre reason the guys weren’t interested.
Isn’t my husband sweet?
Knitting Reference!
Last night at Sit & Knit, we had a brand-new knitter. While looking for an online reference for her to use until our next meeting, I found StitchGuide.com. There are some really nice, clear illustrations and QuickTime videos for all kinds of crafts, including knitting. Neat! (Even when you’ve been knitting for longer than you can remember, it’s always nice to have a reference!)
When the Mood Strikes…
Once upon a time, I wanted to be a musician…somehow I ended up a software engineer… But I actually wrote a couple of songs in high school – not great songs, but not awful either. For some reason, on the way home from Sit ‘n’ Knit tonight, a melody popped into my head. And some words followed. And now I have a full-blown chorus to a song, written out on paper and on the computer. Weird.
Of course, lyrics were never my strong point (probably why I stopped trying to write songs) and words for the verses are not forthcoming. I guess I’ll just have to go to bed with a pad and pencil nearby, in case I have some major inspiration at 2 am.
…otherwise, this will just stay a nice chorus jotted down on a piece of staff paper…
Splurging…
Tomorrow I’m going to meet with a landscape designer, who will hopefully be able to offer a magical solution to fencing in our yard – at least part of it, anyway. When we bought the house, we had no idea how complicated it would be…but working around a fenced-in in-ground pool, an oddly shaped, very sloped yard, and large trees has defeated us. Add to that the fact that we want it to look nice, in a neighborhood with very few fenced yards, and it seems truly impossible.
With two dogs, it’s quickly becoming necessary to have a place for them to run around, and, well, I might as well use the severance from being laid off for something that we really need…as much as I’d love to spend it all on yarn, I think I’d need a bigger craft room! :)
(And no, an invisible fence isn’t a viable option – mostly because we tend to have visiting dogs over, and it would be nice to toss them all out the door and let them run around and play. We also tried it. But that’s a whole other story, and it’s way past my bedtime!)
Time Warp
Between travelling over the weekend, daylight savings time, and taking yesterday off to deal with the aftermath of the storm, I am so mixed up about what day it is. I keep thinking it’s Monday, but then it feels like it ought to be Friday. Maybe by the end of the week I’ll figure it out.
Just Testing…
I upgraded my version of Movable Type; just testing that everything worked!
Murphy’s Law
I suppose it’s appropriate that we have a dog named Murphy when Murphy’s Law seems to be the ruling influence in our lives.
We managed to get our hands on a generator while we were down in NYC. We managed to cram it into the Jetta. We managed to figure out how to get it running, despite the pathetically obtuse user manual. After we managed to do all that, within ten minutes, the power came back on.
But, wait! Two hours later, it was back down, and seemed like it would be staying that way. So, my dad (being an electrical engineer) patched the generator into the circuit breaker box so we could run the furnace – at that point, everyone was heartily sick of being cold – and moments after he flipped the switch, the power came back up.
Isn’t it ironic? But I guess the generator did fulfill a purpose…we have power. :)
Into the Great Unknown
When we left home, there was a quarter of an inch of ice on the trees, and some of the branches which hang over the driveway brushed the roof of the car as we drove out…
…apparently, those same branches were at one point coated in an inch of ice, and touched the driveway itself.
There are a couple of trees down on our property, and no electricity…which means no sump pump. I haven’t spoken with my parents yet today, so I have no idea what the situation is this morning. It should be an interesting day, and it may be a day or two before we have power and cable…and internet. I’m happy we boarded the dogs – they have a generator. Good thing knitting is something I can do by candle-light!
Not Quite An Ice Storm…
When we woke up this morning to no electricity, I almost panicked thinking there was another ice storm. Granted, all the schools are closed and there’s a coating of ice all over the trees, but the power was only out for about three hours. Just long enough for the house to start to get a little chilly. And for me to start going through internet withdrawal. I’m so ‘net-dependent it’s pathetic.
At least I got some knitting done. Maybe the socks I so desperately want to start won’t have to wait too much longer. :)
Now we just have to figure out if it will be safe to travel down to NYC as planned.