The orange just wasn't doing it...

And I was rather envious of Melinda's spiffy little template, so I popped over to the same designer.

I'm not really a pink girl-- but it is a cute template. :) AND... it actually loads correctly on my work Mac (unlike the orange), so... yeah.

Longest lasting, and counting

Being sick with a cold over a holiday weekend creates some massive confusion for me. Not only am I uncertain as to the day of the week (due to being out sick yesterday), but I didn't even know what day it was until I looked at my clock five minutes ago.

What the hell is today, anyway? Oh, it's May 31st.

Wait... it's May. Thirty First.

Woah.

That reaction has cost me my "women remember these things" card for a while.

As of today, Erich and I have been together for five years. Five years ago this evening, on a day much like today, I met up with him after work only one block from where I'm currently sitting. I went into that meeting with no hopes, other than to meet someone with whom I'd hopefully develop a good friendship. I was blessed to find something more. Much more.

I've never been in a relationship this long, nor this meaningful. And to my surprise, there's no odd feelings about it. There's just calm and comfort. While we do have our occasional disagreements, I honestly can't say that we've had a major fight. We communicate. We laugh. We joke around. We share.

It's life, all healthy-like and stuff.

For the first three years of our relationship, I did have a quiet fear that the other shoe was going to drop-- that something horrible would happen, and this amazing relationship would somehow disappear. I'm a natural pessimist, and based on my other relationships (and their attached disfunction in so many ways), I never expected to actually find myself in a position where I wanted to share everything of myself again.

I definitely don't have those worries any more. I've learned to trust, to allow the guards to come down, and to let Erich in. It honestly took a while, but I'm fortunate to have someone who was willing to take the time I've needed. I still have hangups and problems I'm working through. I don't doubt that Erich has a few of his own.

But we're building a life together. And it's good. Really good.

My 26-year-old self would have laughed her ass off in disbelief regarding my current life. Engaged. With cats. And more cats. With house.

I'm a bit awestruck by it, honestly. When in the hell did all of this happen?

;)

Stitcher Blogger Question

It's shocking... I'm up to date! :) Here's today's SBQ:

Do you collect charts by one particular designer, yet have never stitched anything by that designer? If so, which designer and why do you collect the charts but have not yet stitched any of them?

I have two small collections. The only reason that I haven't stitched them is because I'm working through some old pieces that I really want to finish first. The two designers are Mirabilia (Nora Corbett) and Calico Crossroads (for the cat designs). I do intend to stitch them someday. :)

I seriously need to open up a stitch shop, though, if I want to have the time to do all of these, though!

Stitcher Blogging Questions

Catching up on some SBQ's...

5/10/06: When you stitch from a kit and use the supplied floss do you have leftovers? If so, how much and what do you do with them? If not, do you usually have just enough or do you have to dig into your stash to finish?

I normally do have leftovers-- quite a bit for some colors. It depends on the individual kit, though. If there is a good amount left and it's labeled as DMC colors, I'll add it back to my general stash. Otherwise, I usually just toss them.

5/17/06: Lately, it seems that many stitching bloggers have experienced a loss of their stitching mojo. Have you ever lost your stitching mojo? If so, how did you get it back and how long did it take?

Mine is always running hot and cold. I basically just roll with it- if I'm in a stitching binge, I jump right in. If I'm not, then I do other things. I find that the nicer the weather is, the less I generally stitch. The longest loss of mojo was about four years in my mid-20s.

5/24/06: What is your favorite specialty stitch? Which one is your least favorite? Why?

For some odd reason, I always liked chicken-stratch stitches. I haven't done them in a while, but I really like how fast patterns develop from them. I hate french knots. They never look good when I do them. :(

Mom's 60th

It's been a while since my last post, I know. For some reason, I'm always very quiet in the spring as far as blog writing is concerned. I suppose it's because I have some odd burst of energy that makes me want to go do things... but this year, it's honestly just because my brain is going twenty places at once and I hardly know what day of the week it is.

This past weekend Erich and I did the road trip down to Easton, Pennsylvania to visit my mom. Her 60th birthday was last week, and I promised her that I'd be down to see her as a combined Mother's Day/birthday thing. What she didn't know was that Jim (her boyfriend) had called me a month ago and let me know that there would be a surprise party that weekend, too.

The driving was uneventful. A bit of traffic (what is it with New Haven?!?) and lots of rainshowers, but nothing major. The drive is so much nicer now that we're in Rhode Island-- it took nearly two hours off the trip, just by our highway access.

Two of Mom's close friends from California had flown into town, too. This didn't raise any suspicion since I've often shared trips to PA with them. The house was very cozy-- Erich and I took over Mom's room. Her friends had the other two bedrooms. Mom got comfy down on her new couch, surrounded by cats and the doggie.

The party itself was fantastic. My uncle and Jim had invited nearly 70 people. It was a big, loud house party. My uncle hosted the thing-- he has the perfect house for it-- complete with a beautiful full bar in the basement, pool table, and tons of different nooks to chat with people. He wisely hired a catering service to serve as waitstaff and a bartender.

Erich and I served as designated drivers for the evening. We both had a couple drinks first thing so we didn't feel like we were completely left out, but I'm glad we decided to volunteer. People definitely needed the help home.

We drove back Sunday after helping Jeanne and Dee get to the bus to the Newark airport. But before we left, Erich had to take some yard pictures. I WANT MY MOM'S YARD!!!



Time for bed. More soon!

Last Name, First, Middle

With our next Year of Weddings trip looming in late June, I really needed to be to work late this morning. My first order of business? Getting my passport.

I've never had one before. It's just never been needed in my life. Technically, it's not needed for this trip either (to the Bahamas)... yet. But it will make life so much easier. And given that we're all going to need them to get even into Canada soon, better to just bite the bullet and get it done.

Of course, being the procrastinator that I am, primarly due to fundage this time of year, I was left with only six weeks. So yes, sir... tack on that extra $60 charge. Thank you sir. Got my photos taken-- they're actually not that bad. And the postman taking the photo was kind enough to ask me if I wanted to check my hair before taking care of it. I thanked him, but didn't bother-- my hair does what it wants to do, which is usually hang stick straight down.

The hard part? Surrendering my birth certificate to be submitted.

Ever since I was old enough to really be aware of it, I've felt weird about my birth certificate. My official one was issued 18 months after I was born (but thankfully, since it was filed with the proper authorities two weeks after my birth, I can still use it for the passport application). The official one has my adoptive parents' names on them, not my birth parents. I'm sure the original one is somewhere locked up in a Montana child services vault or wherever they keep those sorts of sealed records. It would literally take me a court case to get them opened. And to be honest, while I'm curious as to "where I come from," I'm not curious enough to have to fly to Helena to go through a legal battle over it. Quite possibly having to open up a second area of the case, since my adoption was finalized in California (where my parents were living at the time they opened the application).

So in reality, I have a modified birth certificate that's amazingly official and legal in all respects. I've never seen Scott's birth certificate -- my brother is also adopted -- so I don't know if this is just the common way they handled closed adoption cases in the 1970's. I'm assuming that it is. After all, this was the era when adoptions were final. There wasn't the current b.s. six months (to two years in some places, I've heard) where the birth parents can "change their minds." Adoption papers signed? It's done. Life moves on. Records get sealed.

My birth certificate has allowed me to get jobs. It's allowed me to get my driver's license. It allowed me to get an education.

But it doesn't have my birth parents' names on it. So I've always felt a bit uneasy about it-- is it really okay? Will something happen down the road where it's considered incorrect?

And now I just submitted it to Big Brother to get my first passport.

My over-reactive nature is setting in, fearing that I'll be refused for some adoption records technicality. (yes, I know I'm over-reacting. It's the current political climate in this country, sorry).

I know I'll feel better when I see that blue-covered flipbook arrive in the mail, with the faded green piece of paper sitting next to it in the envelope.

*glub*

There once was a man from Nantucket
Who bailed out his house with a bucket
For another week it will rain
Without hope for refrain
As the weather tells New England to "Suck It."


- From Fark.com (with some edits)



Oh- and yes, we're fine. Just sick. of. rain.

Friday Night Dating

On Friday, Erich and I had decided we wanted to go to the Mendon Drive-in to see our first movie under the stars for the season. The weather was as perfect as you could get for going to the drive-in… sunny, no humidity, too early for bugs. Can’t beat it. Erich also wanted to make sure that we could get to a fish and chips place down the road from the theater, because it was a childhood favorite. So we got up early Friday morning and drove over to a different commuter rail line, shortening our distance for the evening between the train and the theater.

I’ve discovered that the really good seafood restaurants in New England are nearly all mom ‘n pop places. Nothing fancy—if anything, they honestly look a bit ratty by modern restaurant décor standards. They don’t serve trendy fish at all. They stick to the staples of New England seafood- haddock and/or cod, clams, scallops, shrimp, and lobster. It’s always served fried and comes with fries and tartar sauce. Not all serve slaw, but most do. And the better ones will have malt vinegar available in addition to ketchup for your fries.

The Redwood is one of those places the locals go to every year in season. It’s one of those places that no matter who owns it, the name won’t be changing because it’s one of those gathering places now stuck in the regional dialect. The current owner has his sign: “George’s Surf ‘n Turf” at the top of the sign… but under that, it’s “at the Redwood.” He knows better than to piss off the locals.

It’s an outdoor place. You order at the window, and eat at one of a variety of picnic benches provided. Buckets of sidewalk chalk are provided for the kids, and it is used in abundance. If you’re too lazy to walk to the window—you can order food via car hop. Sit in the parking lot and simply turn your headlights on for service, and one of the teenage girls working for the Redwood will head over to your car (not on roller skates, however—bad idea with the gravel parking lot). Over a heaping plate of tasty fried clam strips, fries, and onion rings, I learned that Erich’s mom worked as a car hop as a teenager.

The Redwood’s business was clearly influenced by the drive-in, too. The closer to dusk, the thinner the crowds became. There was no official close time posted. Opening time was listed on the wall. Chances are, the closing time on the weekends simply depends on the customer volume.

After we’d stuffed ourselves, we packaged the rest of our leftovers and headed back up the road to the theater. As I’ve mentioned in years’ past about Mendon, it’s a twin-screen drive-in tucked off the road in two woodland clearings. The poles that held the speaker boxes of yesteryear are still there, but the entire theater has been converted to FM radio. There’s one building in the center that serves as the snack bar, restrooms, video arcade, and the projector rooms for each screen. The snack bar is decorated like a 50’s diner, and they carry a wide variety of typical diner food (burgers, nachos, jalapeno poppers, etc.) plus the traditional movie fare.

The great thing about the Mendon drive in is the price. It’s twenty bucks a carload for a double feature, and the food is priced at the levels of your average fast food place (as opposed to movie theater prices). So, as you’d expect, it’s a huge family hit. Tons of kids play ball in the empty spaces of the car field before the movie. Parents unroll sleeping bags on the ground in front of their cars for the kids. You’ll see people come in with the kids, a couple two liters, and pizzas and make a campout. As the little kids get tired, they fall asleep comfortably. Some parents solve a couple problems by bringing a portable radio, turning that on for the older kids sitting outside, while the littler ones sleep in silence in the back of the car.

Don’t want to deal with the sound of other patrons? No problem. Just roll up the windows in your car and enjoy the sound of the movie in privacy. You find the sound systems in movie theaters too loud? Again—you control the volume. Want to stretch out? Go ahead—bring lawn chairs, bring an airbed, whatever. As long as every car has a space to fit and you’re not sitting on the top of your car (for safety/liability reasons), everything’s all good. In my opinion, it’s the best way to see a movie.

Friday night’s selection on Screen 1 was Mission Impossible III and Failure to Launch. Screen 2 had a couple of first-run recent movies that I could care less about —I know “RV” was one of them. For some odd reason, Screen 2 appeared to be full. Screen 1 was perhaps three-quarters full. It was a good showing for a Friday night prior to Memorial Day. MI3 was okay. It was Tom Cruise playing Tom Cruise imitating another character—but what else is new with Tom Cruise. At least he wasn’t trying to break Oprah’s couch in the movie. It was a popcorn flick and mindless fun. We were too tired to stay through the second movie, which was no great loss. I’m not a Sarah Jessica Parker fan, personally. We did, however, stay through the original five-minute intermission countdown complete with high-wire balancing candy bars, marching ice cream treats, dancing sodas, and a flipping hot dog (making the appropriately crude comments for the dog wanting to get into the bun). Anyone who has seen the movie Grease will remember said hot dog from what was on the screen during “Stranded at the Drive-In.”

I’m looking forward to going back sometime around July 4th when the possibility of a Pirates of the Caribbean and Superman Returns double feature might grace the screen. I’m still holding my breath for an actual showing of Grease at the drive-in. It would be a blast… if we could even get in the lot.

Stitching Blogger Questions

I haven't kept up on my SBQs lately. Tomorrow I'll post new stitching updates (when I have better camera light to shoot them). But here's the catch up on a plethora of weeks of the stitching meme :)

1/18/06: Have you had a happy dance yet this year? If so, tell us about it! (Or just point to the entry that talks about it.) If not, when do you predict it will be? My first happy dance (a.k.a. project finish, for the non-stitchers) was a little reindeer with ice skates. I talked about it back here. The next happy dance WILL be The Castle, and it's coming along quickly... just a lot of backstitching left to do on the bottom half...

2/1/06: With the exception of your online stitching friends, do you have any other stitching buddies? I'm part of a knitting/crafting group at work that meets over lunch on Tuesdays. A few of my offline friends also cross-stitch as their time/interest in it allows.

2/8/06: Describe your "perfect" project. (Include the designer or specific pattern, the fabric, the floss, and anything else that would make that project "perfect" for you.) I have two designers-- Teresa Wentzler (obviously... if you've ever chatted with me about stitching, on or offline, you know my addiction to her work) and Heaven and Earth Designs. If money and time were no object, I'd stitch Peacock Tapestry from TW or one of the many Stephanie Pui-Mun Law pieces on HAED (I adore Stephanie's art).

Needless to say, I'm into self-torture with my stitching. But the results would be oh-so-sweet.

2/15/06: Comment on your comments (giving and recieving): Do you love comments
or hate them? Do you check them every day, never check them, or find them helpful? And finally, are you convinced no one is reading your blog if you don't get any? I adore comments given to me. I also love giving comments, but do it far too rarely. I do find them helpful, supportive, and reassuring that I'm not screaming into the neverland of the internet. :)

3/1/06: What cross-stitch magazines or other publications (as opposed to blogs) do you read on a regular basis? What do you like about them? What do you not like? What would your perfect publication include? I loved Stitchers World when it was published (mixed on the renamed version, though). Other than that, I stick to the various British stitching mags because I don't care for most of the cutesy country Bible-verse stuff most American mags seem to think are the only things worth stitching. My perfect publication would combine a great mix of both simple and complex pieces to stitch over a variety of themes, plus some intensive looks at different specialty stitches. Most magazines seem to do a couple of these, but I really haven't seen one that covers all of them on an issue-by-issue basis.

3/8/06: Do you have an organizational system for your patterns? If so, how do
you organize them? If not, have you considered organizing them? I keep thinking I do, and then I mess it all up again. It'll get organized at some point! :)

3/15/06: Do you stitch "over one?" If so, describe your experiences. If not, have you considered it? Last year contained my first experiences with 28 count and higher fabric, so I'm a newbie to over-one stitching. I have done some of them, and find I can only do about 20 stitches before I have to put it down due to eye fatigue. I really need to drop the money on a magnifier over at Michaels so I can stitch longer... it's all those Teresa Wentzler designs, you know... (again... self torture is in!)

3/22/06: Have you ever participated in a needlework mystery (i.e., a design that you started before knowing how it will look in the end and by which you receive parts of the design via the internet, magazines, or leaflets at spaced intervals)? If so, why did you decide to do the mystery? What appealed to you about it? Did you enjoy it? If you have not done a mystery, would you ever do one? I'd be very interested in doing one. I have not done one yet, though.

4/5/06: Do you stitch "on the go?" (On the commute to and from work, during your lunch break, waiting for the kids, etc.) If so, do you have a specific "travel" project or do you just grab whatever you happen to be working on and take it with you? Lately, my only guaranteed stitching time is on the commuter train to and from work, so yes. It gives me an hour each way, if I spend the entire time stitching (I usually don't). My travel piece has generally been The Castle so I can push to get it done, but I've done the grab-n-go with other pieces, too.

4/12/06: For those of you that stitch while riding in the car or on the train,
how do you cope with the bumps and the motion? Do you have any tips
for others? Bumps on the train have never honestly been an issue for me-- the train I'm on is on Amtrak rails, so it's relatively smooth. I would never be able to stitch in the car or on a subway. I do suggest, however, that if you're going to stitch on a train, you want to be using a plastic container and bobbin storage method for your supplies- that way you can snap it closed while stitching in case things do bump around. And ONLY bring something you can stitch on a hoop!

4/19/06: Do you do obligation or deadline-based stitching? Why or why not? If
you do, do you tend to get in over your head and why? I have one obligation piece-- a wedding sampler gift for a friend. I won't take on another one until it's done because I'd immediately be overwhelmed. I can't guarantee a steady stitching schedule, so I need to have flexible time projects.

5/3/06: Do you or have you stitched with over-dyed threads? (Weeks Dye Works,
The Gentle Art Sampler Threads, Six Strand Sweets, etc.) If so, what is your opinion concerning them? If not, why not? My first two projects with over-dyed threads are kitted (one with Weeks Dye Works, the other with The Gentle Art threads). I love the fading and variation in the threads, so I'm looking forward to stitching them. I know the technique (doing every full x-stitch by itself) is a bit slower, though.


Phew! And... I'm spent. Project update photos coming tomorrow...

Heh... I'd love to see them try this in Montana...

From CNN.com:

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (Reuters) -- America's smallest state is seeking to become its first to offer a wireless broadband network from border to border.

Backers of Rhode Island's $20 million project say it would improve services and make the state a testing ground for new business technologies.

It also comes at a time when Rhode Island's capital of Providence is stepping up efforts to lure business from Boston, about a 50-minute drive away, in neighboring Massachusetts, where office rents are among the nation's most expensive.

The Rhode Island Wireless Innovation Networks (RI-WINs) should be fully in place by 2007, providing wireless connectivity throughout state, whose land mass of about 1,045 square miles (2,700 square kilometers) is only slightly more than double the size of metropolitan Los Angeles.

A pilot project involving state agencies, Brown University and businesses is to begin next month.

The Rhode Island network is a hybrid of WiMAX and WiFi technologies that would deliver real-time connections at a minimum speed of 1 Megabit per second (Mbps), allowing users to download a typical Hollywood-length film in about 100 minutes. The system will be supported by 120 base antennas placed throughout the state.

A few antennas, each about 3 feet to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 meters) in height, are being placed in Providence and Newport on the southern coast during the initial tests.

So far, no state outside Rhode Island has sought to build a border-to-border network, said Bob Panoff, a private consultant and the RI-WINs project manager.

While more cities are interested in becoming wireless, "there's no groundswell of consumer support for it," said Dave McClure, president of the U.S. Internet Industry Association (USIIA), which represents Internet companies.

More than 80 U.S. cities have wireless networks, according to a study done in August 2005 by the association.

But use has been sporadic, plagued by costs and sputtering technology, said Dave McClure, the association's president. Orlando, Florida, for example, removed its wireless network last year due to tepid use, McClure said.

The project is being funded by public and private sources, and once fully operational, users would pay $20 per month or a membership fee based on annual usage, said Saul Kaplan, acting executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, a partner in the project.

"We know the demand signals are there," said Kaplan.

Officials said the network would support services including business, education, emergency, health care and port security.

During the six-month pilot phase, for example, state health inspectors will test the system by entering data from restaurant visits into laptops and sending the information to the health department.

Emergency workers will test sending patient information from an ambulance while en route to a hospital.

Graduate students at Brown University, a partner in the project, will use the wireless network when teaching public school students.

While the system is not being created for consumers, officials say it could have everyday applications, such as retrieving real-time information on the size of crowds at beaches or to access traffic information while driving.

"A broadband border-to-border network would allow us to move information to the point of need, wherever it's needed," Kaplan said.

Creators say a prime benefit of the network will be to draw businesses looking to use Rhode Island as a laboratory to test-market new technologies on a statewide, demographically diverse population.

A study by the Rhode Island-based Business Innovation Factory, a private, nonprofit organization that launched RI-WINs in 2004, estimated the annual cost to operate the network at $5 million.

Now... don't get me wrong. I think this is quite nifty, particularly because I live in Rhode Island and all. But seriously-- a state-wide wi-fi network for Rhode Island's pretty feasable. The state is wee. Really wee. As in I-95 has a total of 30 exits from end to end in-state wee. We drive halfway across the state to go to BJ's wholesale. That's not saying much. It still only takes us maybe 20 minutes.

Try doing this in, say, Texas... or Montana, or hell-- California (with all of its tech supplies, the size is still daunting). Would it be possible?

I'll admit, I like the idea of checking my email via wireless for the first section of my MBTA ride every morning when I board in Providence, though. Guess I need to replace that laptop battery...