2.07.2005

What Would You Do

This was a not-so-good weekend @ Casa D' Wine and Needles. On Saturday morning, Viva went to the vet and although her tooth and mouth were ok, the vet discovered that she has a heart murmur, which could possibly be the result of Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or kitty heart disease.

I resisted the urge to burst into tears at the vet's office, and have had the weekend to mull over the next step which would be a $300 ultrasound to confirm if she has. It's treatable, but that ultrasound has to be completed before I can go any further. I took her home with me to Fresno on Saturday night because I was worried about her, and the whole weekend turned into a "you should / shouldn't get this ultrasound" from my parents and friends. According to Jason, I should do it for my own santity, if not for the cats own health.

Has anyone out there ever had a cat with a heart murmur? Any advice / suggestions / recommendations?



Then there's me. I have the worst cough I have ever had in my life. I am SHOCKED that I did not wake up half of the apartment complex last night with my hacking and wheezing. Literally, the only time it subsided this weekend was when Jason and I were drinking wine on Friday night [which was absolutely lovely, by the way]. Not beer, not water, but the red wine. Just one more reason it is the greatest beverage on earth. I am supposed to be on duty counseling students this afternoon, but I am afraid I am going to disturb the entire Student Services Center with my presence at the front desk. AKK!!!

Got a lot of knitting done in the car and during the Superbowl yesterday. My Fresno friends have given up the 'What the hell, you knit?' act and have actually become quite interested in my little hobby. Even though I was working on the boring rectangle of st st for Kyoto's back during the game, I was complimented numerous times on it.

Due to the events of the weekend I was unable to get photos taken, so a text version of progress will have to do.

  • Lana Grossa Drop-Stitch Scarf - Finito!
  • Kyoto - One ball finished, back panel is 1/2 done.
  • Irish Hiking Legwarmers - Ripped and restarted w/ fewer stitches. Pattern should be up very soon.
  • Mom's Birthday Scarf - cast on a little black number with one strand each of Bernat Boa and Microspun. Size 15 needles = very quick project.

More later. I am still in a pretty 'blah' mood this morning.


2.04.2005

I'm a Bad Mommy

Guess what I learned a couple nights ago.........


I'll wait..........








Ok, you got it... I mastered the DPN's!!!! I couldn't stand it anymore... I just HAD to get in there and try... so I pulled out the massive size 11's & Lion Brand Thick&Quick then went to town.... between that, red wine, a dashing young man and a cozy night on the couch, I feel 1,000 times better than I did a few days ago. In the works is a pair of Irish Hiking LEGWARMERS... stay tuned for a pattern....

So I am back in business. Ready to take on the world. Ready to knit socks. Ready to help La get this Stitches West Dinner thing going. Ready to do Lori / Heidi's Meme. But first, an update on the drama at Casa de' Wine & Needles...

Viva has been acting very bizarre the last few days. She has been meowing all day and night, REFUSES to get out of my lap, hasn't been eating, etc. I assumed it was because I had bombed the apartment for fleas a few days ago and the confinment to the small space drove her crazy, but after my 3rd night of restless sleep because of her constant meowing I decided to investigate further. I picked her up like a baby (stop rolling your eyes and go with it here), and was able to get a good look at her mouth - which is when I discovered that one of her front teeth is jutting out in an unnatural direction and very loose. OH MY GOD I AM AN ASSHOLE. All this time I have been kicking her off me at night and generally getting annoyed with her attempts to show me that 'Look, you moron, my god-dammed tooth is screwed up". Poor thing hasn't eated in 3 days!!!! I am such a BAD MOMMY!!!

My sister is never going to let me live this one down. Here I making fun of her for hitting her cat with a car, and I go and let mine go and practically starve to death. I ran straight to the store for fresh tuna and other soft kitty treats... hopefully to tide her over until her appointment at the cat hospital tomorrow. I have a pretty bad feeling this is how it is going to go: "Well, Ms. Rau, Viva is going to need oral surgery to fix this inflamed nerve... if we had caught it sooner we could have just pulled the tooth." ADIOS TAX RETURN....


Ok, now for the ever-so-popular music meme (by the way, the 'tagging' component of this thing is brilliant)

[1] Total amount of music files on your computer?
I have no effen clue, and it's not because I don't know how to go to my music file and check the size of the folder. I'm on my work computer right now, so the observation here would be obsolete. However, I do recall that iTunes tells me that I have at least 3 days worth of music in my library. Do the math ;)

[2] CD you last bought?
I haven't bought a CD in forever, but I am pretty sure that one was the Chicago Soundtrack. The last three CD's I received were Strange Magic: The Best of ELO, Tupelo Honey, and Moondance (both by Van Morrison.)

[3] What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?
Learning to Fly by Tom Petty. I'm on disc 3 of the 6-CD box set, Playback. Every Friday at work I listen to the entire thing, and by the time I get to the end it's time to go and start the weekend!!!

[4] 5 songs [and/or artists] you often listen to, or which mean a lot to you?
In no particular order:
a. Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison. My dad used to sing the song to me on the way to our Yosemite cabin when I was a little girl. The first few notes and I am back in the old Scout, in the foothills on our way up 41.
b. Bubble Toes by Jack Johnson. This will always be 'that song' that takes me back to college. The Lazy Daze at UCSB. Pitchers at Sam's to Go. Goleta Beach. Study Hall Bloodies. 6511 DP. If those things mean anything to you, you might have been a Gaucho. They obviously did to Jack (a gaucho), and this song encompasses it perfectly.
c. Tom Petty. He is my hands down favorite artist of all time. He was with me when I was 12 and spent the night crying in my room because my crush wouldn't talk to me on the phone. He went with me on my first road trip to Santa Cruz when I was 16. We drove to UCSB together in the Saturn when I was 18 and moving away from home for the first time. He consoled my hung-over ass the morning after my 21st birthday. I listened to him the in the morning when I was getting ready for my first day at my dream job 1 month ago. And I have no doubt he'll be with me for the rest of my life.
d. The Beach Boys. It's another 'tribute to my youth' thing, but for some reason these guys have really stuck. I can be totally happy listening to 2 straight hours of them on a long road trip.
e. Time to Say Goodbye by Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli . A song we used for my Grandpa's funeral, and it was absoulutly beautiful. The song will always have a very special meaning for me.

[5] Who are you going to pass this on to and why?
a. Heather, because I like her style and am curious about what music she listens to.
b. La, because she usually posts memes on Friday and today it iisstrangly absent (as of 11:53 am, anyway)
c. Robin, because I am completely in awe of the fact that she finished her clapotis in under 48 hours. What does this have to do with a music meme? Nothing really.


WEEKEND FORECAST: I'm heading to Cafe Niebaum-Coppola for dinner tonight, then running an ungodly number of errands tomorrow, driving back to Fresno for some midday drinking at Blake and Eric's Superbowl party (SO sad that I can't participate in the PJ-Fest), and hopefully crawling back to San Jose in time to make it to work on Monday morning. Have a great weekend, miei amici!

2.01.2005

Lost and Found

Here she is! Delia's 'new' ride, AKA Julia:

Also from the weekend: 2 Reasons that Fresno DOES NOT suck.
That would be 1) Dinner with the Rau's and 2) A view straight from a Windows Screensaver.

LOST: My mind, after a night of repetitive stockingette on Kyoto's back. Although I will say I am totally digging how great Takhi Cotton Classic is to work with. The stitches line up absolutely perfectly even when you are doped up on Nyquil and can't see out of one eye with minimal effort.

FOUND: my next IGS..... Thanks to Lori, whom found it from AutumnSnowDust, who got it from Knitters Review. I think it's a perfect stash-buster, instant gratification scarf. I will finish up the Drop-Stitch number tonight, since I am anxious to wear it out because this yarn is working up very soft and squishy. Wow, I actually used the word 'squishy' to describe something.

And because I am apparently stalking Lori in this post.... a meme from her blog!

Go to Google Images and find pictures for the following things:
# first car

"Ford Escort"

# place you grew up

"Fresno, CA"

# place you live now

"Downtown San Jose, CA"

# what shows up when you type your name in- first, and LJ/Blog name

"Delia" and

Wine and Needles (nothing came up for "wine and needles")

# favorite food

"Ahi"

# favorite drink

"Syrah"

# favorite song

"In My Life"

"Into the Mystic"

# favorite smell

"Gardenia"

# favorite pair of shoes ever

"Birkenstocks"