Such a flake!

I can't believe it. I almost missed my own Blogiversary!

That's right, a year ago today I started up this here blog, and well... I've been a pretty neglectful blog-parent, haven't I? grin.

Oh well. Next year, I will do better! Really! Stop laughing!!

Here's to a year of bloggy goodness, and to a much more picture-filled second year!!

Why oh why must I be supportive?

So, believe it or not, I haven't forgotten about this blog. Also, believe it or not, I've been knitting. Knitting a bunch, actually, ever since we got back. And soon, I hope, I will have pictures of said knitting to show you. But first we have to make sure the digital camera survived it's week-long sojourn in the trunk of the car (oh, how I wish I were kidding).

I haven't been blogging much for two reasons.

One, because I have been in a seriously grump-ass mood, and I don't think anybody needs to read grumpiness from me, seeing as there seems to be an awful lot of grumpiness going around these days.

Two, because every time I have a good idea of something to blog, the computer is taken.

"But Thorny," you say, "didn't you say Caz would soon be done with his writing projects?"

Why yes, dear Reader, I did say that. But then a funny thing happened...

I went and turned into a Supportive Partner. Of all the rotten luck.

See, Caz went off for this gaming convention at the beginning of the month, and I was all Super-Mom for a few days, and then we visited my in-laws and then we came back and whined to each other for a day or two about how hard all that travelling was and crabbed about how empty the refrigerator was and procrastinated going to the store for a day or so (don't ask what we lived on, it wasn't pretty - luckily there was some bread in the freezer).

And it was all supposed to be over, the whole gaming convention thing. That was going to be his one con of the year and then he'd be done. And life could get back to normal.

This is the part where God laughed so hard he may have pulled something.

See, it seems Caz's little jaunt to Origins was successful, but not in the way I'd hoped. I'd hoped he would come back and people would think he was a great writer and give him lots of high-paying writing projects to do. Instead, people seem to think he's a cool game designer and are really jazzed about this RPG he's been working on.

So, after spending one night in a total snit saying things like, "I'm sick and tired of sacrificing for your dream!" I spent much of the next day going, "Oh, dammit. Dammit dammit dammit to hell. He's got to try to write this book and release it at GenCon. And he's going to have to go to GenCon too. He's going to have to. Crap on a friggin' stick!" There was a lot more cussing than that, just for the record. But I'm sure you all can guess which of the seven words you can't say on TV figured most prominently in my swearing (hint: it begins with F).

To make a long story a smidge shorter, Caz now has about two weeks to write a book. You heard me. A book. Granted, it's something he's been dinking around with for a while and so the ideas are all put together and it's mostly putting words on a page, but that's still work. Plus he's got to get it all in order enough for his buddy to lay it out for him, and another friend to throw in a little artwork. And then there's all this other crazy stuff we're looking at trying to do, so that he can go to GenCon with cool Upstanding Business Guy things like business cards and a website. And did I mention we're still jobless in this corner of the world and so money is beyond tight?

Argh.

But really, all of that is, well... bizarrely enough, not that unusual for us. That's the kind of thing we seem to be able to pull off. I don't know why, but it's true. So please for the love of mike don't let that fail us now.

The thing that's been really steaming my nuts about the whole thing, however, is in the process of being an Extra-Deluxe Fuck-you Elite Supportive Spouse, I've screwed my own damn self. Because when I said, "Okay honey, you go on to Origins, I'll handle things here," there was the explicitly stated reward that I was going to get for that - Caz was going to handle things with the kids while I went off to Stitches Midwest and fondled a bunch of yarn I can't afford (and maybe brought some home too, even... but let's pretend I didn't mention that part).

Except guess when GenCon is scheduled for? Why, the same weekend everything else in the universe is scheduled for, of course! Grrr!

So, barring some kind of divine intervention, not only am I going to get to face another week or so of single mommy-hood (I know there are women out there who are single moms every day of the year and let me just say right now - I am not that tough.), but I'm probably not going to get to go to Stitches Midwest, either. Admittedly, I could go - I could stuff the kids into the double-stroller and just ovary up and do it. But my idea of a good time generally does not include wrestling really expensive yarns out of the incomprehensibly grubby hands of toddlers every four minutes. Nor of running after unwary knitters to return the ebony needles my little pilferers swiped out of their bags. Plus, Ben has twice now tried to bite a ball of yarn (horror does not begin to describe my feelings on issue), and so a yarn extravaganza seems... seems a lot like pushing my luck.

I know this GenCon thing is the right thing to do. And I know Caz is appreciative and all that rot. And I have a fair amount of hope that it's going to turn out to have been a really good thing.

But all the same? Being a supportive spouse really just blows goats, y'know?

August Birthday Swap questionnaire

So, perhaps you've begun to fear that all my talk of new directions was a ruse, or another example of my frequently Waylaid Good Intentions.

Not so. Instead, I have been... "vacationing".

I put it in quotation marks because rarely do vacations involve lone-wolfing the twin duties for a few days before driving down to spend a weekend with my sister, who is a full-time lone-wolf parent to three boys ages 10, 6 and 3. Rarely do vacations include spending a morning trying to keep tabs on five rambunctious boys, one of whom is NOT pleased to discover he has lost his title of "youngest" to not one but two boys who get to share the title. They also rarely include spending several days trying to keep twin toddlers safe in a house that is undergoing massive renovations.

In fact, often these are the kinds of things one seeks a vacation from, now that I think on it.

But me? Oh no, I must do things oddly, and so... yes. That is how a solid week was spent in my life, and we are just now finally home and safe and sound and the cats will hopefully forgive us soon for abandoning them (like they suffered so terribly at the hands of our friend the cat-adorer... snort!). Hopefully, at least, this experience will teach my mother-in-law to be more careful of how she layers on the guilt when expressing her desire to see her grandsons.

Anyway. There is much more to report, many thoughts which have been percolating in my head (beyond the oft-repeated, "Spugwort, get DOWN!"), but for now? I needs me a nap. Oh, and I need to remember in the future that Trader Joe's is not kidding when they say "cheese popcorn", and so if I want to eat it, I really ought to take a darn Lactaid tablet before I begin. That is, unless I like burping Zima, which I can assure you, I do not. (Sorry for the TMI - did I mention I'm exhausted? The Propriety Filter is always the first to go....)

So, for now, I shall at least answer the questions for the August Birthday Swap I'm participating in. Before I forget, or lose track of any more days. Oy!


What day is your birthday?

August 7

Are you crafty?

I have great aspirations. Unfortunately, I also have a smallish apartment and two toddlers, so most of my craft-urges go into knitting these days.

Would you enjoy things like: Buttons, ribbons and embellishments?

I love looking at those kinds of things, but they're rarely the kind of thing I actually find use for, I'm afraid.

Do you dye your own wool?

When I'm able, yes. I've been sticking to Kool-aid and Wilton food-color dyeing so far (again the toddlers and the small apartment). I do hope to some day branch into acid dyeing and the like.

Do you like to scrapbook or make homemade cards?

I don't, really, though I love looking at the supplies for them.

What small project would you be interested in making?

I love knitting socks. Hats, mittens, baby items and wash cloths are on my to-knit list too, though.

What are your favorite scents?

I looooove verbena, and I like citrusy and fruity scents as well.

Do you like stationary and cards?

Love them.

Do you like hand lotions or soaps?

Soaps, definitely. Hand lotions I'm picky about, but soaps? I loooove soaps.

Do you like to sew or embroider items?

I keep thinking about sewing, but haven't made it part of my life yet. I used to do cross-stitch, but it's kind of fallen by the wayside in recent years.

Do you like beads?

I love the idea, but have yet to use the ones I've already purchased (fickle me!).

What kind of mail-able snacks do you like to eat?

As my waistline can attest, I like just about all of them (black licorice is the only exception that comes readily to mind). I'm not nearly as well-traveled as I'd like, though, so I love to get things from other parts of the country/world - things I can't get here in Madison, WI, or things that are a specialty somewhere else.

Do you like to wear costume jewelry? Necklace, earrings, bracelets etc.

I don't wear jewelery as much as I used to, though funky casual things make me pretty darn happy.

Do you like to play cards or board games?

Oh yeah. We're gamer geeks around these parts, so cards and board games are always welcome here.

What are your favorite colors of yarn?

All of them? Seriously, I like pretty much all colors - though I am not fond of pastels.

Do you like solid, variegated, heathers, or self striping yarns?

Yes yes yes and yes. I like 'em all!

Do you like kitchen magnets or key rings?

I love kitchen magnets. Can never have too many.

Do you like picture frames?

Ooh, that reminds me, I should get those frames out of storage and put some photos in them finally... um... yeah, I think I'm good on picture frames for a while. grin.

Do you like to make/or use stitch markers?

I use stitch markers, but have never made any.

Do you collect anything?

I have been known, in the past, to say things like, "Oooh, it's got a turtle on it!" Also thistle-things. And canoe-things.

Do you have any allergies?
Smoke is not my friend. I'm technically allergic to cats, but don't tell my two calicos, all right?

Do you have any hobbies?

I dream of canoeing and swimming like I used to at camp, but mostly I read and write and knit. Oh, and I'm a total sci-fi nerd. Well, perhaps not TOTAL, but... no. Total. Total sci-fi nerd.

Do you like scented or unscented candles?

In theory, I'm very fond of candles of all sorts. In practice... I never light them unless the power has gone out.

Are you a fiber snob?

I do have an aversion to acrylic, mostly because it makes me smell bad (oh how I wish I were kidding!) So, um... I guess the answer is yes to this one.