An interesting ultimatum has presented itself and once I stop working, get some sleep I will contemplate my options.

I'm not a girl that likes to be backed in a corner...

What Storm?

Starting early last week, Storm Trooper Beecher (a.k.a my mom) left me voicemails regarding a huge snow/ice/sleet/hail storm that was to hit Iowa over the weekend.

By the time my flight landed late Friday night/early Saturday morning it was only raining. So I said, What storm? This is only rain, no big deal.

Saturday morning I get up early to run a succession of errands (do my taxes, chiropractor, bank, see my parents etc) and it's still only raining. My mom doesn't believe I know how to grocery shop outside of Quick Trip and hands me a sack containing fresh fruit and canned soups.

I go home and it's only raining - nothing earth shattering. I fall asleep on the couch and my good friend and fellow knitster Margie calls me to tell me details of the Birthday dinner for Kim. I ask her half asleep, how is the weather? She says no worries, it's raining and it did snow a bit but nothing to keep us from gathering together.

I head out for a great dinner and the weather is a bit mucky but nothing horrific. There's a mixture of rain and snow.

After dinner we decide to go to Borders and knit for a while. Borders is closed due to weather. What weather? It's raining and a little bit of snow. We decide to go to Barnes and Noble - we walk in the door and they tell us they are closing in 5 minutes. I asked why and was rudely given the answer that every mall in town is closed as is Borders for the pending bad weather. The knitsters cave and call it a night.

But again, What Storm? It's been raining all day and it was just starting to snow - nothing any Iowan couldn't handle yet everyone was acting like the storm of the century was about to hit.

I call my parents since I'm already out and about and tell them I'm dropping over for a few minutes. I get lectured by Storm Trooper Beecher for 1) being out in such a bad storm and 2) not being home where it's safe (same topic yet two distinctive lectures).

I watch RV with my parents and when it starts getting late I decide it's time to head home. My mom turns on the outside lights and my car is buried in snow. I was commanded to stay put, given sweat pants by my dad and directed to my old bedroom to sleep.

United Airlines woke me up early this morning with their automated service telling me my flight was cancelled but could not reschedule my travels. Three hours later I finally got through to United's reservations desk and they told me the earliest I could travel was Tuesday morning.

It is what it is. I'll happily work from home until then. The storm finally hit and it hit big.

Pictures from the parent's house:

Notice the large section of tree that is broken and could have easily fallen into the house instead of into the yard:









I also finished one boot sock of the pair for my dad's birthday last night but like Cheryl tells me, having one sock done is like having one sleeve done, it doesn't count. I'll post pictures when the pair is complete - fun, quick project.

Sometimes decisions are easier than I think...

Epiphany after working more than 24 hours straight(yet heading to the office in 5 minutes for an all day jam packed schedule) -

There's a lot more to life than work. Sometimes the hardest decision becomes the easiest when the situation presents itself.

A lot of clarity when entirely stressed and exhausted.

I'm going to be the cowardly lion for about two more months and then when I find my courage (and my bonus check) I'm clicking my heels three times and I'm done.

I have enough integrity to see my work through even though anyone else in my position would have walked away weeks ago.

I'm positive my all night efforts won't be received with much appreciation but I can look myself in the mirror this morning and know that I did the right thing.

We live by our reputation in my business - it's all we have at the end of the day.

My fourth all nighter this year alone. My last all nighter. Ever.

Fifteen Things to do at Wal-Mart while your spouse/partner is taking
their sweet time:

1. Get 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in peoples carts when
they aren't looking.

2. Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute
intervals.

3. Make a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the rest rooms.

4. Walk up to an employee and tell him/her in an official tone, 'Code 3'
in housewares .... and see what happens.

5. Go the Service Desk and ask to put a bag of M&M's on lay away.

6. Move a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

7. Set up a tent in the camping department and tell other shoppers
you'll invite them in if they'll bring pillows from the bedding
department.

8. When a clerk asks if they can help you, begin to cry and ask 'Why
can't you people just leave me alone?'

9. Look right into the security camera; use it as a mirror, and ! pick
your nose.

10. While handling guns in the hunting department, ask the clerk if he
knows where the anti- depressants are.

11. Dart around the store suspiciously loudly humming the "Mission
Impossible" theme.

12. In the auto department, ! ! practice your "Madonna look" using
different size funnels.

13. Hide in a clothing rack and when people browse through, say "PICK
ME!".

14. When an announcement comes over the loud speaker, assume the fetal
position and scream "NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!".



(And; last, but not least!)



15. Go into a fitting room and shut the door and wait a while; and,
then, yell, very loudly, "There is no toilet paper in here!".

Some FO's!

After a productive Saturday night I have some FO's to show off:

My branching out scarf from knitty:

Pinned out:




Up close:



The finished hedgehog:





With help from my good friend Nancy I learned how to wet block and use my blocking wires.

I really liked making branching out but it took me three attempts with three different yarns to find something that worked for me. I used hand dyed silk that was just phenomenal to knit with. After a few repeats I had the pattern down for the most part but on a few occasions I had to tink back a few rows (a lot more painful than it sounds but good experience nonetheless).

Both were enjoyable to make and I plan on making more of both.

The hedgehog is en route to Florida to live with Grandma Honey.

Facing Fears

We all have fears - it's part of being human. I faced one of mine this morning and am really proud of myself.

I came home late last night (officially early morning) after many delayed and cancelled flights. I turned on the lights in my house to discover that my cats took their stern lecture a few weeks ago to heart.

I had a dead mouse in the middle of my living room. A very flattened, played with but dead mouse.

Since it was almost 2am I decided I would deal lot better with in the light of day with some sleep.

I call my mom at 8am - "Mom, is dad still at the house? I have a dead mouse in my house" to find out that he is already at work. I call my dad but he does not answer.

I'm a single girl in a house with a dead mouse. I get two large dust pans and inch up to the flattened but very apparently dead mouse. I get close to the mouse and realize I just can't do it.

I call my mom again. She tells me to get a shovel - furthering my distance from the dead mouse should make it easier. Moms are always full of good ideas.

I get my shovel. I attempt to shovel up the mouse and realize he's really stuck to my hardwood floor. My cat Moby comes over to check on her kill (I have no doubt that it was Moby amongst all my cats who killed the mouse, she's the only female). I'm yelling at my cat to get away from the possibly diseased dead mouse as I do not want her to get sick (I guess I forgot that she had already spent a lot of time with him).

I call my mom again and tell her how stuck Mickey is to the floor. She's laughing at this point. She tells me to be careful of my hardwood floors and not to scratch them. Mickey is flattened and stuck against my floor - the least of my concerns right now is scratching my floors.

I then try again with the shovel - this time pushing much harder and then out of nowhere dead Mickey takes flight into the air. I run screaming into my kitchen.

I take a huge deep breath and with a large broom and shovel I am sweep up Mickey and run my shovel outside. I toss dead Mickey into the snowy yard and wish him well in the next life.

So much trauma for so early in the morning. I have now faced my fear of dead mice. I don't think the next time the situation arises it will be as traumatic but it definitely won't be enjoyable.

I call my mom one last time and tell her of my triumph. I get a big woo hoo out of her and even an atta girl.

2 mice in two weeks - ick and yuck. The weather needs to get warmer so the creatures will live in their habitat instead of mine.

The 9,000 mile shoe journey.

Long story short - I'm working in Boston and go to Niketown with my peers. I find the cutest pair of Nike velcro tennis shoes for my favorite niece Erika. I explain to the nice people at Nike that my sister works for a living, please deliver the shoes without needing a signature.

The shoes were then delivered requiring a signature. Three times requiring a signature. Three swings and three misses.

Somewhere there was a miscommunication.

The shoes then returned to Boston.

The shoes then went back to Portland.

And a month went by throughout this process....

Hopefully it was worth the wait -

This doesn't look so hard mom...I'll help.

I take exception...

I never went to charm school and I don't think it's in me at times to always mind my manners but I learned a fantastic saying this week that I plan on using in my professional life going forward.

"I take exception" can be used in place of;
1) hey, i take offense to that you jacka$$
2) your freaking wrong (feel free to replace freaking with the true f-bomb)
3) get off my a$$

Good to learn something new and useful for once.

An interesting compliment tonight (as written from O'hare airport since I missed my connection - actually I was at my connecting flight gate 6 minutes prior to departure and they shut the door on six of us really mad firing spitting travellers who dealt with an hour ground stop in Boston)...

After sleeping for an hour on my flight from Boston to Chicago I realized we were still on the ground in Boston. Nothing I could do about it - I was confident that if my flight was delayed going TO Chicago other flights would be delayed FROM Chicago. Not the case unfortunately.

Onto the compliment - so with lots of time to spare I started knitting my branching out scarf with my awesome hand dyed silk I bought in Portland over Christmas time. I have a good portion of it done - maybe 70% now. I was able to have two solace hours of knitting - the best stress outlet I could ask for after the week from hell and screaming meetings (literally).

At the end of the flight - a decent looking gentleman tapped me on the should and said - I heard you speak on the phone to resolve a situation at work, then one with a friend - I then noticed you knitting and the beautiful scarf you are making, I then saw your tattooes and quite interesting shoes - you look like an interesting person that is intelligent, hard working, understanding and dedicated yet beats to her own drum - I've never seen anyone like you before and think you would be an amazing person to get to know.

He wasn't trying to hit on me or pick me or even ask me my name. After his statement we parted ways to run and see if we missed our connecting flights.

Not to beat a dead horse but thank goodness I believe in integrity, otherwise I think I would have been back in Des Moines Monday evening. I witnessed events this week that even after my 10 years in the industry blew me away. It speaks volumes when my boss calls me on a daily basis and thanks me for sticking out what most anyone else would have walked away from.

Integrity

Integrity is knowing I can wake up every morning and look myself in the mirror. Integrity is knowing that even though sometimes life or work sucks it's seeing a project or event through to the end. It's not quitting in the middle or leaving others to clean up my mess. Integrity is knowing at the end of the day I did the best I could and that "half ass" doesn't exist in my vocabulary.

With that said, I have exceptions:

1) I just couldn't deal with the dead mouse. A friend helped me out while I played tech support at his house.

2) I worked all weekend and am going full force on caffeine and no sleep. My intention is that when I step on my flights in 2 hours I will be either sleeping or knitting, not working.

3) Not matter how tempted I am to walk away from a situation I need to remain a role model and see the situation through to the end. Whether it's work, life, friends, anything. I've matured over time and am learning to deal with situations head on instead of running away.

This week is going to prove very interesting professionally. Enough said.

I listened to the sound of music all weekend while cranking out documents - it's so engraved in my head I will be singing it all week.

My friends, family, pets have been my saving grace from going insane lately.

Finally - 1:30-2:00 on Saturday is my favorite 30 minutes of the week. It's my piano lesson and I've come to really love playing. I'm not good and probably won't ever be but it's fun to learn something new. There have been a few times where I have said out loud "Wow - that's just so cool". Reminds me of when I first learned how to knit. I really like my teacher - she gets me. I'm not taking piano lessons because anyone is forcing me - I'm taking lessons for me. I have reset expectations with her numerous times so that she understands that most weeks I barely have time to sleep 4 hours a night, that I won't always have time to practice.

Learning to play piano is something very special to me. It may take me a long time to be considered remotely decent but I don't care - not in the least. It's a stress relief and it's fun.

P.S. RIP dead mouse in my garbage can - since we didn't have an official good bye...

I'm in the Socks that Rock Club!

Official member as of this morning!! I'm only recently finding the love for socks - so this is very exciting for me.

Short post because I'm swamped catching up with work - BUT

Animal Torture Technology 1
Dead Mouse 0

Where my my cats failed, the glue trap won. So I'm an inhumane awful individual but I was guided to use a glue trap over pellots because 1) I have animals in the house and 2) I could end up with a dead mouse in my walls or vents

So my red room is now deemed the mouse room. I nearly panicked when I saw the dead mouse. For some odd reason I was ok with him cohabiting with me because I do love animals. I could tell myself that he would just leave my domain on his own, that might smarten up, pack up his belongings and leave on his own accord. It's so much worse knowing that he is dead and that it was my actions that caused it.

Anyone that I interacted with yesterday was told "Dead Mouse in My House!!" - not exactly what a normal person would emphasize about their house but until I can find the courage to pick up the glue trap via gloves, shovel, garbage bag and a huge deep breath - I'm avoiding the room and practically my house.

Sometimes I hate being a home owner.