Sock Wars Has Begun

Kill or be killed. Knitting is a savage business.

Sock Wars has begun. I am knitting so do not disturb me. I will not be answering the phone, I will not be cooking, I will not be doing anything except knitting like the wind in order to kill off as many opponents as possible. Interfere with me and I will have to use one of my pointy sticks on you. Don't think I won't.

I will be back when I am either dead or the winner. I will keep everyone posted on my progress (perhaps).

May the fleece be with all who participate but let the best knitter win!!!

I am ready

I am ready. The yarn is wound, the pointy sticks stand in readiness. My ipod has multiple audiobooks just waiting for me..... Sock Wars III is upon me. Tomorrow at 12p GMT I will receive, via email, my secret dossier of my intended target.

This may be the one time when I allow myself a cup of actual, totally caffeine filled coffee. I am going to need my strength and mental acuity (no comments from the peanut gallery please) to at least make it out of the first days. Of course I can't just sit and knit all day. I have to take youngest progeny to the Travel Clinic for multiple shots and then go to a meeting in the evening. However, all those things are "knit friendly" so I will have my pointy sticks and sock with me.

There are 1300 of us from around the world killing, I mean competing, for the prize of ultimate Sock warrior. May the best woman (OK there are a few men participating too) win.

Knit, knit like the wind..............

My Childhood Soundtrack

I am very attune to sound. I always have been. Perhaps that is why I can become totally absorbed by a piece of music, whether it is Rachmaniov's "Variations on a Theme of Paganini" or John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High". When I am traveling I always try to sit and listen to the sound around me. Some cities are unbelievably noisy all the time. Lima, Peru is loud 24/7. There is always a horn honking or someone yelling. Salem, Tamil Nadu, India on the other hand is one of the quietest place at night. After about 8p everyone is home, the monkeys are sleeping, the birds are roosting. It is QUIET. For me sound is one of the things that summons memories. Who can forget the mullahs calling me to pray in Jerusalem (not that I planned to answer but they called A LOT).

Have you ever thought that you have a "childhood soundtrack"? A series of childhood sound memories that can take you right back to the time and place where you heard that sound. It is very instructive, I think, to record some of those memories. Most people don't think about it but I bet if you sat down and gave the little gray cells a work out you could come up with a list of childhood sound memories. Give it a try. Below you will find a few that mean the most to me. I am sure that there are more but these are the ones that I think of most often. They are in no particular order of importance.

- The sound of the train going by when we are at the cottage. Takes me right back to growing up years when I would lay in my bed (the bunk bed in the hallway) and listen to the train. I know that a lot of people don't like the sound of a train whistle but it is one of my favorites.
- Mourning doves calling in the morning. That just sounds like summer to me. Especially when I am at the cottage.
- the sound of my dad winding the bazillion clocks that he has scattered around the house.
- the swishing sound of the wind in long grass. It reminds me of the wind blowing through the fields around my grandparents house in Wisconsin. Soothing.
- the sound of water lapping against the side of a boat. I am transported back to long summer days by the lake. The day stretched endlessly ahead of me with hours and hours to read and bake myself under the sun until I had skin like leather. Skin cancer? What is that?
- all the different kinds of music that we listened to when I was growing up. We got the "gamut" if that is the way to describe it. Everything from opera to the Dillards (that would be bluegrass to the uninitiated). That is most likely why I love most kinds of music today (except for rap which has no other purpose that to be annoying).
- my family laughing at the dinner table or in the car or wherever.
- the whistle that my mom used to blow to bring us home from wherever we were in the neighborhood. It was powerful and she employed it with great vigor.

OK, I am sure that there are more memories and I will post them later. Do your own Childhood soundtrack. It is fun.

Quote of the Day

OK, if you are a vegetarian (or a vegan for that matter) don't be offended. Anthony Bourdain is an equal opportunity offender. I felt like putting this quote up today in light of this little news item involving PETA and their usual idiocy.

Vegetarans, and their Hezbollah like splinter faction, the vegans....are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit. Anthony Bourdain

My Grandfather' Son

My Grandfather' Son

Thomas, Clarence

Knitting Sticks: an enthusiastic 5!!

This was an amazingly good book. One that I would recommend to anyone. Go out and find it and read it.

For so many people the only thing they know about Clarence Thomas is that he was accused of some awful things by Anita Hill. I would guess, if you asked, most people would not know the least think about who Clarence Thomas really is, where he came from and the things that he had to endure to get to the place where he is now. All they know is "Anita Hill" and that is sad. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is the kind of man that should be the roll model for young black men but unfortunately isn't. His life, his striving to do the best job with every job, his taking the time to think through issues rather than reacting with emotions only is something that we should all emulate.

Technology Vs The Way I Used to Do It.

I am all for technology, let us make that clear right off the bat lest any of you think I am going all "Amish". I love technology. I may not be as technologically savy as my 21 year old but I still love it. Where would I be without my digital camera or my computer.

That being said, there are times when I come to the realization that technology is not making me more efficient and cost saving. Sometimes it is wasting more time and money then doing it the "old fashioned way". A few years ago I was very into my electronic PDA. I was sure that this would be the perfect thing for me. However, I found that it was more of a hassle to power the thing up to change an appointment, it was very awkward when shopping (I am very much a "list" person) and it was a pain to sync up. So I went back to a paper "daytimer" and I have been happy ever since.

For a year now I have been using a computer program called "Living Cookbook" to store all my recipes. A good friend of mine has all her recipes stored on her computer and I had long been fascinated by the whole process. So, I did some research on line and finally ordered this program. Then I spent MANY hours inputting all my recipes (and there are a lot). I gave myself a year to see how the program worked and if it worked for me. Well the year is up and..........

I am going back to the old way of doing things. I found that whenever I wanted a recipe I had to open up the program and then print out the recipe and then transport it to the kitchen. I tried not to use my recipe box so that I would have the full experience. I found it very time consuming to pull up the program and a waster of paper and ink to print out recipes that I used frequently.

So, as of today I am using my old recipe box that my father refinished for me when I got married almost 23 years ago. The top is missing, it is dinged in places but it works just fine. I must say that I may still type out any new recipes and then put them in the box (I type faster than I can write) but it is the old way for me.

An Engineer's Guide to Cats

This is a hilarious video, especially if you have cats.