*Recently, I was on a friend’s Facebook page and saw a comment made by her sister-in-law that used a nickname her brothers gave her. The nickname does not sound like how it is spelled, but it’s an inside joke between them.
*The other day, I took my sons to play skee-ball and they teamed up to get the balls in the holes. My younger son would start it off and then my older son would take the ball and throw it the rest of the way. They had so much fun together.
*I’m almost finished reading “Between Sisters” by Kristin Hannah and totally love the relationship between the two main characters.
These three things (amongst others) had me thinking about my relationship with my sister. I am fortunate that she and I are only 3 years apart and grew up as playmates and best friends. Sure, we drove each other crazy and had our share of fights. However, we also would have crazy inside jokes and spend hours in the basement playing Barbies and Cabbage Patch Kids. We’ve grown up with similar tastes in movies, music, books and theater. We’ve even shared our friends. We were in Indian Princesses together and went on campouts with our dad. I’d mostly hang out with her at these campouts. We went to overnight camp together one summer and day camp together for countless summers. Senior year of HS, we were on speech team together (she was a freshman). I had 8th hour free during first semester, but I helped with a class in order to fill the time so that I could drive my sister home at the end of the day (I even met a friend-who is now close with both of us-through that class). In the mornings, we’d listen to our favorite radio station and laugh about it together. We shared a babysitting job and later she and I worked at the same restaurant (we were only there together for a short time though). While she and I did a lot of the same things, I never felt like she was shadowing me. She had her own life and interests too. Now we’re both adults and while we have different lifestyles, we still have similar interests and we talk all the time. She’s an awesome aunt to my boys, who totally adore her. I only hope for good things to happen in her life and I hope I can help her celebrate them in some way or another. She’s an amazing sister and I am very fortunate to have grown up with and always stayed close with her. (I’m not just saying all this because she’s reading my blog, I really do feel this way.) I only hope my boys feel this way about each other 30 years from now. :)
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
It's a zoo in here!
I was looking through some coupons online today and almost selected one for cat treats. I guess it’s a force of habit after having a cat for almost 10 years. This is the first time in my life (aside from college where pets were not allowed in dorms or my apartment “building”) that I have not had any pets. While it’s a strange feeling and I do think of our cat from time to time, I can’t say it’s a bad thing. Our house is clean, our older son’s eyes are no longer red and itchy, I don’t have to worry about changing litter on garbage day, our younger son isn’t getting scratched because he tried to pull the cat’s ears, people who also have cat allergies can actually stay in our house now, etc. I checked in on our cat after my husband found her a new home (I can’t take the credit for that, even though I tried) and she is doing well. She’s the queen of her new “castle.” I thought she wouldn’t be able to adapt to other pets, but it turns out that she bosses them around. She’s getting a lot of attention and is allowed to sleep in the bedroom. This is the life for her. I always thought my home would feel empty without a pet around, but it’s different with kids. Never a dull moment and lots of cuddles all the time. I can’t complain. If I need a cat fix, I can just live vicariously through my parents and all their stories and pictures. Their cats even visit with us on Skype. :)
I want to briefly share our pet “history”. I am not counting any cats my parents got after I moved out:
When I was a baby, my parents had a West Highland Terrier named Fluffy. She was very sweet and easygoing. She died when I was 7, on Christmas. My parents then tried to fill the void with other dogs. We had a puppy (Bichon Frise) named Frisky for a few days before my parents decided that we were too young to handle having a puppy around. I was sad about that because he was really cute. Then they got a dog named Dusty (some type of mutt that had an underbite). He was so mean! He bit people and barked really loud all the time. His stay with us was short-lived. Later, we got another Westie named Willy. I think we named him for my sister’s Cabbage Patch Kid. He was nice, but was destroying our wallpaper and furniture. I think my parents gave him to someone in my uncle’s building. After that, we got our first cat, T.J. (the name she came with at the shelter). I didn’t know what to make of her at first, but she was really sweet. She managed to gain a lot of weight and our visitor from England called her “massive.” Another friend called her a “Mama Pillow Kitty.” We got another dog to be her companion. His name was Fluffy II, as he was also a Westie. He was okay, but we gave him a new home after he bit me (and I did nothing to warrant it other than sitting by him and petting him). The following year after we got T.J., we saw a kitten that looked similar to her at the same shelter. We decided to adopt her too and named her Cassie (because of “A Chorus Line.”) She was very cute and sweet, but a nervous wreck. This was brought to light when we got a beagle named Buddy (the summer I turned 12). Buddy was crazy, but we managed to keep him around for a long time. He also was huge and my sister called him “Fatticus”. Despite the fact that he drove my mom crazy, he was my faithful friend. I took him on walks all the time and loved playing with him. He did things to embarrass me in front of my friends, but that’s okay. It made for interesting conversations later. :) Anyway, Cassie would hide under my bed and Buddy knew she didn’t like him. He’d come in my room and howl at the bed. I think he needed a new distraction. In the spring of my freshman year of HS, we got Velvet, a black kitten. She was nice and extremely vocal at times. We had these 4 pets until I graduated high school. Then we got another cat (just because we were browsing at a shelter and he liked my dad) and named him Kitty (so original…not my idea). My grandpa thought we had too many pets at the time so we pretended that he was really Cassie. We couldn’t trick him though. Kitty was a match for Buddy. This little cat could intimidate him out of his own food or keep him away from my parents’ room. In 1997, my parents found a new home for Buddy because it wouldn’t work out to have him at the raised ranch townhome we were moving to (no place for him to run outside and he woke up neighbors on our street with his howling, let alone someone whose house was attached to ours). Later that year, T.J. died from diabetes. The following fall, Cassie met T.J.’s same fate. Velvet died from a brain tumor in 2002. Kitty is still alive but has diabetes. He’s almost 17 years old. In the meantime, I moved into a condo in 2000 and got two cats a week later. I had some allergy problems with Dixie (a tabby), which I ignored until my husband also developed allergic reactions to her. We gave her to some friends who gave her to some other friends. Winnie stuck around until this past summer, due to our older son’s allergies (which weren’t tested until last spring). Now my parents have 4 cats again (I think they’re taking back my sister’s cat) and we have none. While it would be fun to get a dog again someday (I’d love another beagle), I don’t know if they’ll bother people (including our children) with allergies and I’m not ready for that responsibility on top of raising kids right now. We’ll enjoy our friends’ and cousins’ dogs in the meantime.
I want to briefly share our pet “history”. I am not counting any cats my parents got after I moved out:
When I was a baby, my parents had a West Highland Terrier named Fluffy. She was very sweet and easygoing. She died when I was 7, on Christmas. My parents then tried to fill the void with other dogs. We had a puppy (Bichon Frise) named Frisky for a few days before my parents decided that we were too young to handle having a puppy around. I was sad about that because he was really cute. Then they got a dog named Dusty (some type of mutt that had an underbite). He was so mean! He bit people and barked really loud all the time. His stay with us was short-lived. Later, we got another Westie named Willy. I think we named him for my sister’s Cabbage Patch Kid. He was nice, but was destroying our wallpaper and furniture. I think my parents gave him to someone in my uncle’s building. After that, we got our first cat, T.J. (the name she came with at the shelter). I didn’t know what to make of her at first, but she was really sweet. She managed to gain a lot of weight and our visitor from England called her “massive.” Another friend called her a “Mama Pillow Kitty.” We got another dog to be her companion. His name was Fluffy II, as he was also a Westie. He was okay, but we gave him a new home after he bit me (and I did nothing to warrant it other than sitting by him and petting him). The following year after we got T.J., we saw a kitten that looked similar to her at the same shelter. We decided to adopt her too and named her Cassie (because of “A Chorus Line.”) She was very cute and sweet, but a nervous wreck. This was brought to light when we got a beagle named Buddy (the summer I turned 12). Buddy was crazy, but we managed to keep him around for a long time. He also was huge and my sister called him “Fatticus”. Despite the fact that he drove my mom crazy, he was my faithful friend. I took him on walks all the time and loved playing with him. He did things to embarrass me in front of my friends, but that’s okay. It made for interesting conversations later. :) Anyway, Cassie would hide under my bed and Buddy knew she didn’t like him. He’d come in my room and howl at the bed. I think he needed a new distraction. In the spring of my freshman year of HS, we got Velvet, a black kitten. She was nice and extremely vocal at times. We had these 4 pets until I graduated high school. Then we got another cat (just because we were browsing at a shelter and he liked my dad) and named him Kitty (so original…not my idea). My grandpa thought we had too many pets at the time so we pretended that he was really Cassie. We couldn’t trick him though. Kitty was a match for Buddy. This little cat could intimidate him out of his own food or keep him away from my parents’ room. In 1997, my parents found a new home for Buddy because it wouldn’t work out to have him at the raised ranch townhome we were moving to (no place for him to run outside and he woke up neighbors on our street with his howling, let alone someone whose house was attached to ours). Later that year, T.J. died from diabetes. The following fall, Cassie met T.J.’s same fate. Velvet died from a brain tumor in 2002. Kitty is still alive but has diabetes. He’s almost 17 years old. In the meantime, I moved into a condo in 2000 and got two cats a week later. I had some allergy problems with Dixie (a tabby), which I ignored until my husband also developed allergic reactions to her. We gave her to some friends who gave her to some other friends. Winnie stuck around until this past summer, due to our older son’s allergies (which weren’t tested until last spring). Now my parents have 4 cats again (I think they’re taking back my sister’s cat) and we have none. While it would be fun to get a dog again someday (I’d love another beagle), I don’t know if they’ll bother people (including our children) with allergies and I’m not ready for that responsibility on top of raising kids right now. We’ll enjoy our friends’ and cousins’ dogs in the meantime.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Ain't that grand?!?
I've been thinking a lot about grandparents lately. My older son asks about how my parents and grandparents are related to him and is finally learning about what it means to be a great-grandparent. He sometimes asks about his great-grandfather (who recently passed away) and I usually trail the conversation back to his great-grandmothers instead. I haven't told him that my grandpa passed away because he doesn't understand much about death yet. I sometimes tell him that my maternal grandparents live with Hashem and then he doesn't ask anything more. I am glad that my sons have great-grandparents to remember at all. (Although they haven't seen one of their great-grandmas since my older son was 5 months old. :P) I only had one living great-grandmother when I was growing up. She lived until the summer I turned 18. I mostly remember her as really old and sick. I have a hard time imagining her as the spunky lady who told a bus driver that her dog was blind and she was his eyes. Or the lady who rode a canoe across a lake to visit her son at camp (from what my late great-uncle told me). I'm talking about my dad's grandma. I never met my mom's grandparents, as I was named for them.
I still think about my late maternal grandma a lot. I think of what she'd be like if she didn't have Alzheimer's (or a stroke) and lived a lot longer. I think she would have totally kvelled over my sons. She would have still made matzo ball soup and would have supported my newfound interest in knitting. She would still read books and sit kibbitzing with her lady friends at the pool. The last coherent thing I remember that she said to me was "good for you" when I told her about dating my (now) husband and how he was a nice Jewish boy. She was adorable and told all my friends to call her Mama Mollie. At her funeral, the Rabbi talked about how she was everyone's Mama Mollie. She was a balabusta and loved taking care of us and our friends. My sister and I would beg her to stay overnight at our house and we'd have countless sleepover parties at her condo (which is now my sister's condo). I got her to read V.C. Andrews books and we'd discuss them. When I was a kid, I'd play bingo with her and her lady friends. She taught me how to make matzo balls and now I'm a pro at making the matzo balls the way she used to. She also had strong Jewish roots and I am now trying to carry those on and raise my kids with those values. She loved going to shul with us. It was so important and meaningful to her. She was as much a part of our lives as our parents were. She practically raised us along with our mom. I could go on and on, but I think I summed up how special she was. I named my older son after her, as her Hebrew name was Esther.
I don't remember much about my late maternal grandpa. He died when I was 6 1/2. I know he would imitate Popeye to make me laugh when I was younger. He even had a corncob pipe. He was a gentle soul who loved my grandma very much. Despite the fact that I miss my grandma, I'm glad they are able to be together again. I know she missed him dearly in the 20+ years they were apart. My younger son's middle name is in his honor. I really need to ask my mom more about what he was like when she was growing up and even what he was like as a grandpa when I was too young to remember much.
Back to what started this thought process: My late paternal grandfather, Papa Morrie. I'm fortunate to have had him in my life for over 30 years. I'm also thrilled that he had the opportunity to meet and get to know his great-grandsons before he passed on. My dad had asked me for some memories to share at his funeral. The big ones that stood out were "Oldsmobile candy" (a.k.a. Ande's mints), him singing along with musicals and "Farmer Brown" stories. We called Ande's mints "Oldsmobile candy" because he worked for an Olds dealer and would give us those candies every time we visited him there. He'd also bring them to our house. "Farmer Brown" was some character he would tell stories about every time we got Brown's chicken. I don't even know what happened in the stories anymore, but we liked them. He was big into Sinatra and other Rat Pack music. He liked going to Vegas a lot. When I called, he was always excited to hear my voice, no matter how near or far I lived from him. Once I called him at the hospital when I was in college. That's the only real thing he remembered (he was quite delirious at the time). My sister and I would play Hi-Q (a peg jumping game) and try to trick him into thinking we won. He'd always be on to us and would make us show him how it was done. Like my maternal grandpa, Papa Morrie also adored his wife (my only living grandparent). He took care of her all the time. They were very sweet together, even when they were arguing. We called them "The Costanzas." And like my maternal grandma, he was always very nice to my friends. He was able to make friends wherever he went. That was just his nature. I have some funny stories from his later years, such as when he borrowed CDs from the library, thinking they were DVDs. Then he couldn't figure out why there was no picture coming up when he tried to play them on his DVD player. His answering machine outgoing message was funny too. He sounded like he was reading from a script while my grandma was nagging him in the background. I miss him a lot and am sad that I didn't get to say goodbye or even go to his funeral. However, I'm glad I got to see him earlier last summer, not knowing that time would be my last with him. He enjoyed seeing his great-grandsons too. They made him smile a lot. Like my dad said at the funeral (which I saw on DVD, oddly enough), he was always making sure his great-grandsons had toys to play with at his condo, just like he did when when my sister and I were little.
I'm glad I have memories to cherish and stories to pass along. I'm also glad that my kids have such wonderful grandparents in their lives, no matter how far away they live. They're always involved with our kids and love talking to them on the phone and spending time with them in person. Now that we have Skype, it has opened up a whole new line of communication between our kids and their grandparents. They really love their grandparents and talk about them all the time. It's so nice that they have such a connection and I hope our parents (both mine and my husband's) live a long time so that our kids can continue to have this connection and one day have their own stories to pass along to future great-grandchildren (whom our parents, B"H, will be able to meet someday).
I still think about my late maternal grandma a lot. I think of what she'd be like if she didn't have Alzheimer's (or a stroke) and lived a lot longer. I think she would have totally kvelled over my sons. She would have still made matzo ball soup and would have supported my newfound interest in knitting. She would still read books and sit kibbitzing with her lady friends at the pool. The last coherent thing I remember that she said to me was "good for you" when I told her about dating my (now) husband and how he was a nice Jewish boy. She was adorable and told all my friends to call her Mama Mollie. At her funeral, the Rabbi talked about how she was everyone's Mama Mollie. She was a balabusta and loved taking care of us and our friends. My sister and I would beg her to stay overnight at our house and we'd have countless sleepover parties at her condo (which is now my sister's condo). I got her to read V.C. Andrews books and we'd discuss them. When I was a kid, I'd play bingo with her and her lady friends. She taught me how to make matzo balls and now I'm a pro at making the matzo balls the way she used to. She also had strong Jewish roots and I am now trying to carry those on and raise my kids with those values. She loved going to shul with us. It was so important and meaningful to her. She was as much a part of our lives as our parents were. She practically raised us along with our mom. I could go on and on, but I think I summed up how special she was. I named my older son after her, as her Hebrew name was Esther.
I don't remember much about my late maternal grandpa. He died when I was 6 1/2. I know he would imitate Popeye to make me laugh when I was younger. He even had a corncob pipe. He was a gentle soul who loved my grandma very much. Despite the fact that I miss my grandma, I'm glad they are able to be together again. I know she missed him dearly in the 20+ years they were apart. My younger son's middle name is in his honor. I really need to ask my mom more about what he was like when she was growing up and even what he was like as a grandpa when I was too young to remember much.
Back to what started this thought process: My late paternal grandfather, Papa Morrie. I'm fortunate to have had him in my life for over 30 years. I'm also thrilled that he had the opportunity to meet and get to know his great-grandsons before he passed on. My dad had asked me for some memories to share at his funeral. The big ones that stood out were "Oldsmobile candy" (a.k.a. Ande's mints), him singing along with musicals and "Farmer Brown" stories. We called Ande's mints "Oldsmobile candy" because he worked for an Olds dealer and would give us those candies every time we visited him there. He'd also bring them to our house. "Farmer Brown" was some character he would tell stories about every time we got Brown's chicken. I don't even know what happened in the stories anymore, but we liked them. He was big into Sinatra and other Rat Pack music. He liked going to Vegas a lot. When I called, he was always excited to hear my voice, no matter how near or far I lived from him. Once I called him at the hospital when I was in college. That's the only real thing he remembered (he was quite delirious at the time). My sister and I would play Hi-Q (a peg jumping game) and try to trick him into thinking we won. He'd always be on to us and would make us show him how it was done. Like my maternal grandpa, Papa Morrie also adored his wife (my only living grandparent). He took care of her all the time. They were very sweet together, even when they were arguing. We called them "The Costanzas." And like my maternal grandma, he was always very nice to my friends. He was able to make friends wherever he went. That was just his nature. I have some funny stories from his later years, such as when he borrowed CDs from the library, thinking they were DVDs. Then he couldn't figure out why there was no picture coming up when he tried to play them on his DVD player. His answering machine outgoing message was funny too. He sounded like he was reading from a script while my grandma was nagging him in the background. I miss him a lot and am sad that I didn't get to say goodbye or even go to his funeral. However, I'm glad I got to see him earlier last summer, not knowing that time would be my last with him. He enjoyed seeing his great-grandsons too. They made him smile a lot. Like my dad said at the funeral (which I saw on DVD, oddly enough), he was always making sure his great-grandsons had toys to play with at his condo, just like he did when when my sister and I were little.
I'm glad I have memories to cherish and stories to pass along. I'm also glad that my kids have such wonderful grandparents in their lives, no matter how far away they live. They're always involved with our kids and love talking to them on the phone and spending time with them in person. Now that we have Skype, it has opened up a whole new line of communication between our kids and their grandparents. They really love their grandparents and talk about them all the time. It's so nice that they have such a connection and I hope our parents (both mine and my husband's) live a long time so that our kids can continue to have this connection and one day have their own stories to pass along to future great-grandchildren (whom our parents, B"H, will be able to meet someday).
Movie Mania
I had images from three movies in my head on my drive to work this morning. All three movies were from the late 80’s/early 90’s and all three had surreal stories:
"Big": What I liked about this movie was its originality and humor. How Tom Hanks played an adult with the mind of a 12 year-old boy and how it affected his interactions. The famous FAO Schwarz scene. Yelling “I get to be on top” when he invites his female coworker to sleep over. And who could forget him eating baby corn like it was corn on the cob? It’s such a classic movie and fun to watch both as an adult and as a kid.
"Groundhog Day": I totally love this movie! I think it came to mind because the guy who plays Sandy on “Glee” was none other than Ned “watch out for that last step, it’s a dooooozy” Ryerson. And maybe I thought of it because the holiday is coming up soon. I love how he learned about the people around him and used his time warp situation to help them. The whole story is so funny and makes one think about what they’d do if they had to live one day of their life over and over until they got it right.
"Defending Your Life": Cute Albert Brooks flick that makes me think about all the situations in my life that I’d probably have to defend if I were in his shoes. I like the way purgatory seemed like a whole city of its own (almost like Monstropolis, if you think about it). The “past lives pavilion” was very clever. It was a sweet and romantic story over all and I get all teary-eyed when I watch it. Meryl Streep plays a great role too.
I know there are a lot of other surreal movies that have been made since then. I thought "13 Going on 30" would be a female version of “Big”, but it was more of a time travel story. Still fun to watch and you can’t forget the “Thriller” scene. I also liked "Click." It was funny, clever and made me think. Also sad at times. I’m sure I’m missing a bunch between the early 90’s and now. Does anyone want to share their own favorite surreal movies?
"Big": What I liked about this movie was its originality and humor. How Tom Hanks played an adult with the mind of a 12 year-old boy and how it affected his interactions. The famous FAO Schwarz scene. Yelling “I get to be on top” when he invites his female coworker to sleep over. And who could forget him eating baby corn like it was corn on the cob? It’s such a classic movie and fun to watch both as an adult and as a kid.
"Groundhog Day": I totally love this movie! I think it came to mind because the guy who plays Sandy on “Glee” was none other than Ned “watch out for that last step, it’s a dooooozy” Ryerson. And maybe I thought of it because the holiday is coming up soon. I love how he learned about the people around him and used his time warp situation to help them. The whole story is so funny and makes one think about what they’d do if they had to live one day of their life over and over until they got it right.
"Defending Your Life": Cute Albert Brooks flick that makes me think about all the situations in my life that I’d probably have to defend if I were in his shoes. I like the way purgatory seemed like a whole city of its own (almost like Monstropolis, if you think about it). The “past lives pavilion” was very clever. It was a sweet and romantic story over all and I get all teary-eyed when I watch it. Meryl Streep plays a great role too.
I know there are a lot of other surreal movies that have been made since then. I thought "13 Going on 30" would be a female version of “Big”, but it was more of a time travel story. Still fun to watch and you can’t forget the “Thriller” scene. I also liked "Click." It was funny, clever and made me think. Also sad at times. I’m sure I’m missing a bunch between the early 90’s and now. Does anyone want to share their own favorite surreal movies?
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Two new things in one week
Yesterday, I went to a spa night event from our local Chabad. Originally, I thought someone would be giving back massages, but I guess that got taken out of the agenda last minute. In the meantime, there was a lovely woman who spoke about acupuncture and relaxation. In the end, she tried acupuncture on anyone who was interested. Given that I've received two epidurals in my life, a small needle in my shoulder area didn't scare me. So I let her try it on me. It wasn't too bad. There was some pressure at first, but then I barely noticed it. I don't know that one needle did anything for me physically, but now I can say I've had my first experience with acupuncture. In the meantime, they also had hand treatments (sea salt scrub and lotion from Arbonne) that felt really nice on my weather worn hands. Too bad it didn't last more than just that evening. It was a nice experience overall. I got to see some friends I hadn't seen in a while and made a new friend too. The funny thing that sticks out from that evening is that when I was eating some watermelon, an older woman came up to me and said "Is that yummy?" I know how my kids feel when I ask them the same thing while they're eating. LOL! It was cute though.
Standing Idol-y by.
The new season of “American Idol” kicks off tonight! I am excited to watch, but also apprehensive this year over what will be different. First of all, it has been confirmed that this is Simon’s last season. While he is brash and cutthroat at times, I really like his opinions and I know he is sincere when he actually likes someone’s performance. I plan to watch this season, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to enjoy it as much when he’s gone. Next, Ellen DeGeneres is replacing Paula Abdul. While I like Ellen and think she’s funny, I don’t know what she’ll be able to contribute to the show. Maybe she’ll talk so much that it will cut into Kara’s time. I’d rather hear Ellen than Kara anyway. Finally, no season will ever be the same as the one from last year, and that is because Adam Lambert is not going to be on (other than as a guest performer, hopefully).
I went into last season rooting for Danny and not really liking Adam for his showmanship, but curious as to what he’d do next. Then Adam sang “Mad Mad World” and suddenly he changed the entire course of the show for me. He was all I could watch and I just loved hearing him sing. He was so modest when he received positive feedback and he didn’t act like a baby when he received criticism. After the shocking results finale show, I still remained interested in him and waited 6 long months for his album to come out. When it did, I rushed out to buy it and was pleased with my purchase. He truly does not disappoint. There will be other performers like Kris, Danny, Allison, and all the other people who slipped through the cracks. (Whatever happened to Chikezie from season 7?) There can be only one Adam and anyone who dares to try performing like him this year is a complete poser. (The ironic thing is that I thought Adam was trying to be the next David Cook, but they are truly different.) That’s all I have to say on that.
I went into last season rooting for Danny and not really liking Adam for his showmanship, but curious as to what he’d do next. Then Adam sang “Mad Mad World” and suddenly he changed the entire course of the show for me. He was all I could watch and I just loved hearing him sing. He was so modest when he received positive feedback and he didn’t act like a baby when he received criticism. After the shocking results finale show, I still remained interested in him and waited 6 long months for his album to come out. When it did, I rushed out to buy it and was pleased with my purchase. He truly does not disappoint. There will be other performers like Kris, Danny, Allison, and all the other people who slipped through the cracks. (Whatever happened to Chikezie from season 7?) There can be only one Adam and anyone who dares to try performing like him this year is a complete poser. (The ironic thing is that I thought Adam was trying to be the next David Cook, but they are truly different.) That’s all I have to say on that.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Beginner's luck
I went back to the yarn store tonight and got my needle replaced. It was a manufacturing defect. Another lady there helped start me up again. I was able to successfully knit a few rows on my own when I got home. :)
My friend mentioned that I was claiming the store was only for advanced knitters. I know she was kidding, but I didn't mean to make it sound that way. It is beginner friendly there, as they advise on what type of yarn to use, which type of needles are best and they even help teach virgin knitters like myself. Initially, I meant to convey the same image to portray someone who is not athletic in a sporting goods store or someone who isn't an avid reader in a book store. All stores can be user friendly, but it also depends on the knowledge of the user. It is understandable for a beginner to look at all that yarn and panic. However, my friend and the women who work there made me feel a lot better. They were very patient and understanding. I applaud them all for their efforts to make me into a knitter. My BFF will be thankful to them for this. :)
My friend mentioned that I was claiming the store was only for advanced knitters. I know she was kidding, but I didn't mean to make it sound that way. It is beginner friendly there, as they advise on what type of yarn to use, which type of needles are best and they even help teach virgin knitters like myself. Initially, I meant to convey the same image to portray someone who is not athletic in a sporting goods store or someone who isn't an avid reader in a book store. All stores can be user friendly, but it also depends on the knowledge of the user. It is understandable for a beginner to look at all that yarn and panic. However, my friend and the women who work there made me feel a lot better. They were very patient and understanding. I applaud them all for their efforts to make me into a knitter. My BFF will be thankful to them for this. :)
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