OCD and knitting baby socks

I'll admit it. I don't have OCD but there are times I act like I do. When I was a kid -- and at various times later as an adult -- I would have to perform some task of my own imagining. Mostly the activities required counting. I'd have to count the cards as I laid them down for Solitaire. I'd have to count the church spires along a certain highway. I had to count the number of sidewalk tiles from point A to point B.

I managed to convince myself something dire would occur if I didn't count. Later, I figured if I could convince myself something would happen, then I could bloody well convince myself it wouldn't. I've mostly been able to moderate the behavior.

Knitting is a difficult activity because I have to count. Stitches, rows, sets of pattern all have to be counted. For the most part, I let this satisfy my need to count.

I have not yet found a suitable way to moderate my need for perfection. I see a mistake 30 rows back in an Aran sweater and I must correct it. I don't care if no one will see the mistake. I will know it's there.

I now give classes in pulling back stitches instead of ripping back rows. That skill got me a free night at a B&B in Killarney, thereby turning that quest for perfection into a marketable skill!

Luckily, for the most part, this has not translated into my sock knitting. I don't feel the need to waste yarn in order to get the pattern to come out exactly in a patterned yarn. They don't have to be close. I have no problem with knitting a pair of socks that are reverse colors.

But now I'm knitting baby socks for some pregnant friends. These things are small. I mean 32 stitches as opposed to the 56 or 60 I normally cast on. I'm altering the adult sock pattern as I go. I've done a number of these before and the math works out just fine. I do the Estonian cast-on; then I knit one round, purl one round.

On this current pair, I was down to the heel flap on the second sock. While showing the first sock to a co-worker and holding the second up to the finished first, she was commenting how exactly the two matched! That's when I saw it. Eight stitches were knit in purl instead of ribbing. Four stitches were wrong. It was in the "purl one row" before the start of the ribbing.

No biggie. No one is going to notice four stitches. Right?

So I ripped it out and started again.

Cue the eye roll.

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Photos from the 'hood

I was driving down my street the other day, in a hurry, as usual. I had to stop because of a duck.

Actually that duck in the photo wasn't the problem. The problem was the one that ran back in front of my car and waited for a couple of his buddies.

There will be a much larger flock in the fall. I have had to stop the car, shoo the ducks to one side or the other and wave cars through. If I don't 'draw fire' for the other cars, no one gets through. run back and forth; it looks like a bunch of high school kids all trying to make sure the best cliques are on either side of them before they can go anywhere.

It has been so hot here for several days. My poor moonflowers would open and sag. Finally, last evening, one of the flowers opened as fully as it's supposed to. Yay!

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Mann's climategate non-coverup non-issue

There are times when I just want to reach through the computer screen and slap some sense into people. This urge is happening more and more as I log the hits our stories receive on blogs.

Mike Mann and "climategate" has been huge in the blogosphere. It started with someone hacking into the computer of a climate scientist in England and stealing emails from the IPCC. On the minor side of it, a woman I know who has studied ice comes out and vilifies Dr. Mann to me. My comeback was along the lines of "of course, we have to believe that anyone who hacks and steals won't alter 'evidence.' And of course, everything you read on the Internet must be true."

Mann was investigated by various groups and passed with flying colors. But still, deniers like VA's AG won't let it go. I doubt there are many people who can withstand the scrutiny that Michael Mann has withstood -- especially the people who are screaming denials the loudest. Through it all, Mann has kept doing his research and letting the naysayers rant.

What has my knickers in a twist is that every time Mann comes out with new research, the screamers drag out that old dead climategate horse and flog it some more. Adding insult to injury, this little headline was written: "Mann's new hockey stick predicts global warming, er ... a Ice Age, ok ..." That's AN Ice Age, no matter how you slice it.

So to recap: get off the climategate non-coverup non-issue, get off Mann's back (he's right!) and learn the basics of grammar. Thanks!

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Fun at exercise class

I went to my water Pilates class last evening. The instructor was making sure we knew the class schedule for the coming weeks. No class July 4, of course; she'll be her the 11th, and then Chris will take the next two weeks while she's on vaca.

So of course we ask where she's going. They go to the Outer Banks to a town called Duck. I asked her if she has read any of the murder mysteries that take place in Duck. She has not, so after class I showed her the book on my Kindle.

I think I made another sale of "A Timely Vision" for Joyce and Jim Lavene!

The classes are fun. In both we have good chat while exercising. Brilliant!

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Weekend's bat watch

Bat Watch at Canoe Creek State Park

Date: May. 28, 2011
Start Time: 7:00 PM

The first bat watch of summer! Come walk to the bat sanctuary and watch the emergence of thousands of bats as they head out for a night of feeding. Learn about White Nose Syndrome in bats and its implications. Bring a flashlight for the return walk. Meet at bat sanctuary. Parking is in gravel lot across from bat sanctuary.

This is the way it was billed. This is the way it was supposed to be. Part of it came true. We did learn about White Nose Syndrome -- the hard way.

After going all over the park because MapQuest messed me up again, we did get to the right place.  The woman who ran the program was excellent.

There is a maternity colony in the attic of a decommissioned church. We all sat on the side of the hill waiting for the moms-to-be to come out to feed. In 2006, there were upwards of 20,000 bats in the colony; last year there were about 4,000. Saturday, we saw maybe ... MAYBE ... 10. The poor bats are being decimated by White Nose Syndrome. That means there will be more bugs, more West Nile and fewer bats to watch in the night sky.

An ecological disaster, to be sure. But it is also a disaster to kids (and adults like moi), who will no longer be able to lie on their backs in a filed, watching the bats perform their ballet. It's one of the simple joys of summer.

I'm gutted.

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Life in a small town

I have lived here in the same town for about 2/3 of my life. The rest, I lived in New York. That's "New York City" for those who have never lived in New York.

Now I work at a university. That's "The University" to those who live here. Working in the Research Communications department can be interesting. The stories we put out come from research work all across the university and the various campuses. But there is a side effect.

I went to the salon to get my hair done. Dan has been doing my hair for about 4 years now. I adore that man and I adore his partner, Gordon. Two of the nicest, funniest, sweetest, pithy people I have ever met! So Dan is washing and rinsing my hair, talking about a recent give away. The woman who won said she thought it was rigged so that she would. Dan said, "If I was going to rig this, I would rig it so XXXX XXXXXX won. Then I'd deliver the basket to his house!" I made sure I heard him correctly and had the same person in mind. Then I told Dan that I worked with the woman who wrote the release about this guy. She was also graduated from the same department as XXXX.

Fast forward to the next day. A'ndrea and I were out at a local open house. I had told her about the conversation with Dan. Who do I run into? Dan and Gordy, of course! I introduce them. I then find out they all also know XXXX's girlfriend. BANG! Right then and there we have our six degrees.

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Six degrees

It all started at Penn State Hershey.

The story came from there, to our office where it was edited, proofed and distributed. Sleepiness in children linked to obesity, asthma

Next came a science writer. Based on our release, she wrote an article.

That shows up on NPR.

Then came the Twitter feed. A consulting hypnotist/executor of my late brother's estate, tweeted the NPR story.

All we need is Kevin Bacon!

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Habaes Corpus -- or, yes! we have the body!

I used to look forward to spring. Now not so much. A killer was loose in the complex last night. A mass murderer, really. An entire family was wiped out. I had to clean up the mess.

It started about 9:00 PM. Iggy came into the courtyard with what I thought was a baby bunny. I heard the screaming and ran to the door. When I opened the door, Iggy tried to run in -- with bunny in mouth. I slam the door!

Iggy ran over to the courtyard gate and I went outside. I managed to get her to drop the baby bunny. That's when I saw the damage was too bad so I backed off and let her finish the job.

Mom looked out the window later and saw what we thought were bits of bunny in four places. Iggy sat on the bench after that, not wanting to come in.

Fast forward to about 1:30 AM. I was up, cleaning a mess Iggy made of her box, the floor, and the wall. Something she ate caused tummy trouble maybe? Go figure. I decided that it was a good time to clean up the mess in the courtyard. If I waited until morning I would be able to see the extent of the damage. Better to do it when it's dark.

As it turned out, she killed a parental unit -- what I thought was a baby -- and two babies, leaving the remains in the courtyard. I scooped and bagged, then dropped them in the dumpster. As I was walking back I found another on the sidewalk in front of the neighbor's.

My stomach was already in a delicate state by this point and I almost lost control of it altogether. The newest find wasn't dead. It wasn't exactly alive either. The poor little thing had been hurt, judging by the blood on the sidewalk. There was nothing I could do for it.

I know this is the circle of life; I just don't like watching it played out in front of me, if you please. I don't think I'll be getting any more sleep tonight.

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3 months out

I went to the dr. on Monday for my 3 month check-up. Good news all around!

The knee is doing well; I finished up my PT on Tuesday; I start the Wellness program on Friday! An all-around good deal. However, today is a day that makes me run for the drugs, but I understand the pain might be around for another month yet.

I haven't gotten back to my normal routine quite yet; I still can't wear my heels; I get tired easily and early. I think all that will take care of itself as time goes on and the weather gets better. I am looking forward to taking my chair outside and sitting there in the evenings while I read or knit. I am also looking forward to being able to take walks outside.

My loom is looking better and better to me. I hope my knee will feel healed enough to start treadling again! There is also a new knitting group that I think I might check out. The woman said we could bring our wheels is we want to. Again, the knee has to heal a bit more before I can spin, but it won't be long now.

Yep! Good news all around!

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Eight weeks out

In two days, it will be eight weeks since I had knee replacement.  The first several weeks were really tough. I couldn't do a thing for myself. Home PT was a nightmare. I was in pain, swollen and unable to move.

Now, I am able to get around the house, go to work part time and flexibility has vastly improved. I talk to people at PT who have been through the same stage I am in or are going through what I went through a couple weeks after surgery. I can see all sides of this healing process.

Several days ago, I drove for the first time post-replacement. I live in fear of hitting my knee against the steering column. However, there's no real pain during the driving process that isn't there at any other time. The weather is bad and will be for several days so driving is not in my immediate future.

The night the Steelers won the playoffs, I put on my favorite boots and walked around the house -- one loop. I can't yet wear them for longer than that.

At this point, nothing much has changed from before to after surgery. I'm told that's pretty standard. I'm ready for something beyond standard.

People ask me if I would do this again. I would not.

People ask if I think it's all worth it. I'm sure in another month or two I will feel it has all been worth it. At this point, I'm not sure that it is worth the pain, frustration and limitation of mobility.

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