How many times can you hit undo before it is cheating?

I hate Spider! Solitaire that is, well real spiders too but I refer to that blasted game that Bill Gates implanted on all PC's across the free world! A subtle form of mind control, indeed. 

I have this theory that all Spider games can be won! So, I have made it my personal quest to prove my theory correct. So I play game after bloody game of Spider (damned addictive game) to see if I am right. So far, I have yet to be able to prove this theory. I continue to undo, retry and restart to see if I can beat the computer. Ok, and it's not like I am playing a real difficult level here...just two suits. One must be able to beat the computer-right? Because if we can't then why would we play! Why do I still play? Because I can lose this game in 144 feakin moves! 

Thank god there is no Spider on a Mac! 

Rant over, Pretty Brodie picture up! Last week ( I think it was last week but I can't really be too sure) I took Brodie to the doggie beauty shop for his first do! He looks so sleek and purty now. Not to mention he smells better too...LOL.  He is not so fond of my truck as I am and I had to buy him a little doggie car harness to keep him out of my lap. Generally I take care of his grooming needs myself but he is also not so fond of the brush and barks at the hair dryer. I figured this would be a good experience for him and he could see that other doggies get the same treatment. Plus the groomer always seems to get the white fur way whiter than I can.

The groomer said he did very well but didn't care so much for the brush near his butt. Kinda my fault, he had something unmentionable stuck there and I tried to remove it but accidentally pulled his hair...Whoops...sorry! Didn't mean to do that. He has been a little skittish over that part of his anatomy since. I suppose he will get over that sooner or later.

We have been working on Sit Pretty lately, of course he is more interested in the treat in my hand than the actual trick.

Now that I have my Trio instructions again, I have made some headway. I have a bizillion stitches on holders and ready to start the second sleeve. The trick here will be to make it match. Once I started following the instructions without trying to understand them I went along swimmingly. 

Happy Valentines to my self! I indulged myself at Knit Picks again. I just received my package today in the mail (poor Mr. Mailman had to be greeted at the door by Ms Every Hair Standing on End). I was a wee bit surprised when I opened the package, I remembered ordering the Harmony's Interchangeables, and the 7 balls of cotton yarn, but I did not remember that I had ordered 5 different sizes of Harmony double points. I must have been thinking to replace the Brodie enhanced needles I had in my case. I love surprises...even if I ordered them myself!

The yarn I have ear marked for new dish towels and cloths, or maybe placemats to be put away for when I buy my new house. I did go out and look at houses last week but as of yet, I have not found the one.

Not to be left out, Mr. UPS Man brought me some goodies too! I got Wii and Wii Fit from him, and some very fine hair care products ;) but since I spent the last three days in bed (yuky feverish flu type symptoms) I haven't even hooked it up yet... Maybe tomorrow. 

Eastern Union Telegram?

"The Pony Express has no mail."

or

"Charlotte's Web has a hole in it"

or

"The eagle has flown the nest"

or

"The chicken did not cross the road"

or

"The fox is in the hen house"

or

"Pandora's box is open"

or 

"Danger Will Robinson"

0r 

" Dragonheart fears the sword"

or....

What the heck does all that mean you ask? Well sorry....I can't tell you ...it is all top secret code phases. And if I tell you, then I have to kill you...hehehe (evil laugh)

Ok Seriously, Eastern Union Telegram? is code for.... (you're not going to believe this) Did the Chief leave yet. Of course the officer that asks this way never can say "did the Chief leave yet?" in which case I would either type back yea or nay. Oh no! We have to go through this ridiculous dialog every time she works, because for some reason, she thinks it needs to be a secret question. 

Sometimes - I get a little carried away (no way!) and I type back a ridiculous response. I know...it is just beyond belief that I would play a silly game like that you're thinking, but yes, I do... sometimes I even fire back several different responses.  I guess that comes from working with people sillier that I am. Yah, Yah...that's it! I couldn't have got this way by myself!!

Ans seriously...that New Girl...she is always laughing at me! What Up!

And speaking of silly....OMG...Did you know that there are TONS of silly shiat on Facebook?? I can keep myself entertained for hours!  Oh yah...it is quiet pathetic!

I finally finished up the last of my BBB Lesson 1 swatches the other day. The last one (with the lace pattern) I ripped out about a dozen times before I was satisfied. Now they are washed and blocking as we speak, and I just have to type out my lesson questions and mail them off. I am getting alot out of this course so far and can't wait for lesson 2!!

Blocking...Hmmm... not my favorite chore. I decided to wait til I was finished with all five before I blocked them and I darn near ran out of pins. I think I kinda suck at blocking, which is probably why I probably avoid it like the plague. I'd better get over that if I am going to finish this course.

Here is the progress I made (or didn't, depending on you're own particular glass) on my Hollyberry Jacket. Not so very far, See all those needle tips? Can you see why I was so confusered?? Well I think I am doing it right, so we shall see what comes off the needles.

I think some simple -brainless-knitting is in order for today.

Knitting? What's that??

I know...I can't believe it has been so long since my last post!! Where in the heck does the time go!

All this shift bouncing has me so discombobulated (remember when that wasn't even a real word) that I don't know if I am coming or going and I have not done much of anything besides work and sleep. I have way too much going on at work to be very productive at home. My brain is generally on shut down by the time I get home, so I have not even done the simplest of knitting. Mix in training New Girl, which has been my top priority, then throw in learning and training on new computer system for dispatching ( my other top priority) and you end up with one burned out knittereze person!

We are in crunch time for both training the New Girl, who goes live at the end of the month, and getting everyone up to speed with CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch), a much long awaited and longed for system, which is going live in mid March. I personally am very excited about both!I am so looking forward to scrapping the old and inefficient computer/paper system I can almost taste it.

New Girl (Lisa) is turning out to be a good fit with the rest of us unbalanced folk. She has been a joy to train, and after this week she will be ready for the Shadow Phase.

In between all these important goings ons, I also have the Special Olympics Polar Plunge coming up in a month. YIKES! ....Can you say follow the bouncing ball?

(IlovemyjobIlovemyjobIlovemyjob)

I managed to get one Tidal Wave sock done, but it took me so long to get the foot done that I am pretty darn sure I will have to learn the pattern all over again. Or I could just walk around one footed for a while...who needs a pair of socks anyway.

If you look real close...you can almost see the wavy pattern.

And did I mention I joined a sock yarn club? No? GUESS WHAT??? I joined a sock yarn of the month club. Oh Yah...Like I needed more sock yarn, and wait...Is that another hole in my head? Yup, I joined Art Walk, which is Zen Yarn Garden yarn (very yummy), and I really liked the idea of the colorways being inspired by materpiece artwork. Still, not your run of the mill sock yarn and maybe I will get some motivation by it... I could sure use some right about now. 

All my bloggin' friends seem to have motivation in droves and I am needing some of it to rub off on me. Dawn and Carrie always seem to have so much going on and manage to knit up a storm. I don't know how they do it. Kinda makes me feel like a slug-a-bug.

Here is my first shipment from them....Yum Yum! The Febuary selection Petunia, Don't ask me when I am going to knit it up...no clue there. But I like it!

...and a little art history to go with it...Taken from Art.com

Georgia O’Keeffe (1887 – 1986) was a groundbreaking Modernist painter who digressed from realism to express her own visionary style. Raised in rural Wisconsin, which gave her a love of nature and formed the basis for her revolutionary artwork, O’Keefe is best known for flower paintings which made up a significant percentage of her work. Expressing what she felt, rather than what she had been taught, O’Keeffe painted enormous close-ups of flowers, transforming their contours into fascinating abstractions, and highlighting their importance in a manner that commanded attention. One of the most influential and innovative artists of the 20th century, O’Keeffe was the first woman to have her own exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

Now... if I could just get caught up with all my blog-pals...