2010 in Review

It's the time of year to reflect. There were some hard times, like losing my grandpa and aunt. Some achievements. Some disappointments. And many good times, especially taking trips to see family and friends, and pursuing "the fiber lifestyle". We were lucky to have business, unlike many builders in the area. K. loves his preschool and friends.

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On a personal front I got back into cycling, running, and hiking. I also took a lot of photos. Photos of my city:




My kid:




Myself: And fiber:

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K. took a bunch of photos. It's fun to see things from his perspective. I guess I'm wearing off on him because he takes pics of himself:

The things around him:


And me:

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I'm not making any specific New Year's Resolutions beyond the changes I started last year and want to continue in 2011. Perhaps I will sign up for a 5K run.

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On the fiber front I achieved the goal of buying no yarn in 2010. Thanks to friends and family I got plenty of lovely new yarn, though.

I must have made some crazy knitting goals, but I don't tag my posts very well so I couldn't find them, beyond my list of stash-busting ideas (4 of 13 done). According to my Ravelry notebook I knitted twenty-seven items this year.

I haven't set any knitting goals for 2011 but I have a few ideas:

1. Knit sweaters this year: Wollmeise? Lett-Lopi? Handspun?
   
2. Keep knitting socks. Handknit socks feel so good! Perhaps enter the SF One Sock a Month 2011 Hall of Fame?
3. Finally finish that Fana Sweater.
4. Continue working from stash

I also got more into needle felting and starting working at a fiber place.

Whether I make the knitting goals or not, I know 2011 will be a fulfilling fiber year. I'm already signed up for a twined knitting class at Stitches West on my birthday in February.

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Happy New Year! See you in 2011.

The Past Six Months

I just posted a big knitting update. It was so long that I'm doing an update of my fabulous life here separately.

I just looked through the archives. Did I really not post about my birthday? In February? Not only did I attend Stitches West and take a Bohus class I got fabulous gifts.

First, Teekay knit me the fabulous viking helmet pictured above. Pink braids, can you believe it? Whenever I wear it people want to know where to buy one or if I will knit them one? (You can't and No).

I also got yarn, fiber, homemade goodies, and babysitting coupons. I know my husband got me something good, but I can't remember.



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K. went to camp at his school all summer, we had just a few weeks off. The school year started back up yesterday. Last week was a parent work week to get the school cleaned up. I volunteered to go to the dump. The guy who gave me masks in the past and sometimes helps me unload checked me in. He commented on all my pink stuff - shirt, mug, bottle, phone. Too bad I didn't have my hardhat on. Glad someone appreciates it.

We took a road trip to Newport, Oregon over 4th of July and I finally met my sister-in-law and two nephews who flew out from Kentucky. I tried to do Tour de Fleece but it just didn't happen this year. We only have basic cable, so I couldn't watch the race, which just made me sad. I did spin on the trip, though.


We drove home along the Umpqua River. Here's a photo of us at an Elk viewing area. Yeah, I know. They are there, behind us, trust me.


In July I was lucky enough to be a delegate from my lodge to the Daughters of Norway Convention in Costa Mesa. What fun to meet so many Sisters (and see so many bunads). My sister was an alternate delegate from her lodge, so we roomed together. It was a full trip with a rosemaling class, business meetings, marching, and banquets. My kid did great with mom gone for three nights.

The day I got back K had his 4th birthday. We had a family dinner, a bowling party, and a "birthday circle" at school. Tons of fun, and he is enjoying going to others' parties, too.

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On the bike front I did the Tour de Peninsula a few weeks ago. This time a 31 miler with some good climbing. I've come a long way since last year. I haven't been riding a whole lot, but need to ramp up for the 55-mile Princess Promenade in Sacramento October 3rd. Look at the jersey, how could I not do it?

Of course lots of other stuff has gone on. I wish I would blog more often. But I keep breaking cameras so I think that has been holding me back.

The Very Long Week

I'm so glad this week is over, it was a long one. I'm still dealing with my grandfather's death, which was compounded by the anniversary of my father's death this week. You never know when a wave of sadness is going to come over you.

Sunday: coffee got knocked over into my laptop. Panic. Left it drying overnight. Well mostly, had to email some files so I could do work on Mr. TVP's ancient imac.

Monday: Kid woke up sick. Scramble to attempt to find replacement for my work day at preschool. Laptop still not quite right, right half of keyboard not working. Use frustrating old i-mac. Have to take sick kid with me to drop off snack at school. Long day with kind of sick kid. I actually was able to get some work done, though. I knew he was sick because he willingly took a nap.

Tuesday: I wake up with kind of sore throat. Kid still has too runny a nose to send him to school, plus he slept in which is sign of illness, he does not like to waste precious time sleeping. Go to Apple store and find repair options. Take time to mull it over and run into friend, who takes our picture. She tells my kid that it was not his fault that he was screwing around and knocked my coffee over. I guess that's better than the reaction of the Apple employee who said "he wasn't drinking it was he?"


End up replacing keyboard, with caveat that the optical drive will probably go out. Pick it up later on the way to a school meeting.

Wednesday: kid still has really runny nose. Take him bowling for the first time. A lot of fun. Since when did they get these fancy ramps for the kids? They don't have to even push the ball down the alley? He almost got as high a score as I did. I enjoyed playing with my leopard ball and black & white saddle shoes.


Discover that several keys on my keyboard are not working. Most notably the right-side apple key that I often use for shortcuts. Still haven't had the time to go back to the Apple store as of Saturday. Don't want to drag the poor guy there again. It is crazier there than usual with all the iPad nonsense.

Thursday: Mr. TVP promises to come home really early so I can go bike riding. Did I mention my mother aka my free babysitter is out of town? K. and I go to the "Plant Museum" (Conservatory of Flowers) to see the garden scale trains one last time. Baby doll came along. We even packed him a bottle. Bonus! Thomas was there.


I never got that bike ride. Instead of early, he comes home really late, almost bedtime due to job site issues. I was frazzled to say the least.

Friday: Took K. to Marin to visit with his cousin and my sister at a fancy playground. Good time and it was a beautiful day. Despite that good start I was not thrilled that not only did Mr. TVP and I not get to go out he had a meeting and didn't come home until after 6:00. I also discover by way of getting out of breath coming up from the laundry room that the little bug is moving into my chest. Yippee.


Today I went for a run first thing, and later went on an excursion to take some photos. Got some knitting done on the bus, too. It was nice to be alone.

I'm sure next week will be better. We really did have some fun this week. And I got some good knitting in. But, I am just not cut out for twelve hours with a 3-year-old who doesn't nap. I have no idea how single mothers do it. Really. Especially old single mothers.

Jurassic Park

I have a thing about birds, I don't like them. Well, I like blue jays and hawks which is weird because the jays are mean and the hawks kill. But generally I don't like birds, they're prehistoric, like little dinosaurs. Cold-blooded and calculating. Except ducks. I like them.

I didn't realize just how scared I am of birds until yesterday. Background - we live in a top floor flat. You enter the building through a gate. You can either go up the steps past the first flat to ours or through a locked door to into the basement. There is also a back stairway down to the garage. But there is a door locked from the wrong side, so coming down the back you can only get into the laundry room and out the back door, not to the garage or front gate. It is pretty convoluted, and my greatest fear is getting trapped in the garage without my keys because you have to have one to get out.

Yesterday as K. and I rounded the corner to our front door, I noticed bird poop and chips of paint on the steps. There's a skylight at the top of the stairs so I thought that maybe it broke open and a bird was sitting there. Wrong! There was a bird flapping around and chirping, trapped in the stairway. He had been crapping himself in fear and pecking away at the skylight. We dashed in the front door and closed it firmly.

Panic immediately set in. We were trapped upstairs because there was no way I was going back out with the bird. And I had laundry to do! Plus I was worried about it freaking out and dying on my doorstep. And my fear of birds is nothing compared to my phobia of dead things. I freely admitted to my kid that I was scared of birds. He said he wasn't and that the bird was signing us a song. I let him think that the tortured squeaks and squawks were music and not a harbinger of death.

Now I have been "swooped" by starlings protecting their nest in the past. Since it was outdoors, and funny behavior, it didn't really bother me, I could escape. One block I lived on was particually bad. We may have sat in the parked the car and watched others get swooped for amusement. But this was different. The bird was panicked and I was trapped. I kept picturing a scene from The Birds ending with me leaping out a second story window.

I called Mr. TVP for advice. He said I could either kill it or try to lure it out by opening the back doors so it would feel the breeze and head in the right direction. It seemed weird to potentially lure it into the basement, and I didn't want it to die down there, but I wasn't thinking straight. So I hatched a plan to go down the back and open the backdoor and the two aforementioned interior garage doors. I would also venture as far up the stairs as I could with bread crumbs, leaving it a trail to freedom.

The first snag I ran into was the fact that my keys were in the front door, on the wrong side. No way was I opening the door even an inch to to reach out and grab them. The bird could have pecked my hand off or come into the apartment. And then he'd really be trapped since I have all our windows double locked due to the kid. And the back stairway is closed in by chicken wire (to keep pigeons out). But I had to have a key in to get to the front stairs, so I grabbed all our spare keys and jammed them in my pocket. Then I grabbed a piece of bread.

Next obstacle was the grill on the back door step which I had to crawl under and around. (We don't use the back stairs because they are creepy and you can see right into the neighbor's kitchen. Plus, the pigeons.) Managed that and got to the bottom of the stairs face to face with the door that is bolted from the other side, which I had forgotten about in my panic. At least I had my cell phone, so I made a panicked call to my downstairs neighbor. I explained the situation and she ran down the front stairs and let me into the garage. She agreed that birds are scary.

I opened the back door, propped open the interior garage doors, and laid a trail of crumbs down the stairs. As I was calling "here birdy, birdy", a dark figure came through the gate. I jumped and then was relived to see it was Mr. TVP dressed all in black, not a giant crow. Luckily he was nearby and had decided to come home early. I guess he didn't understand from my call where the bird was because he asked why I would want the bird to fly into the basement. Sigh.

I showed him my bread crumb trail and explained my plan. He shook his head, sighed, and asked for a shop towel. I asked him not the kill the bird. I pictured him wrapping it up and setting it free outside, but I didn't think he could catch it since the ceiling height is ten feet up there. All of a sudden he is yelling to shut the garage door. Which was kind of hard since I was cowering all the way in the back of the laundry room.

As I dashed to close the door, he announced the bird was gone. It had walked out the front gate. Amazed, I asked him how he did it. He said he flapped the towel around and shooed it down the stairs. Genius! Some comments were made to the effect that a pick-up, country music, and a cowboy hat do not a city kid transform. Whatever.

I later exulted in my freedom with a trip to the grocery store.

Oh Yeah

...I have a blog, I almost forgot.

Things have been busy as usual. My birthday was good, fun class at Stitches West. Cool presents that need photos. As does a Lopi sweater. I haven't been knitting a lot, but here and there. I need more socks, I have decided. I love wearing handknit socks.

We attended a Las Vegas themed event for the preschool. Perfect reason to dress my husband up as Elvis:


Oh yeah, I got a road bike and have been putting it to good use.

The Knitting Lifestyle

The other day I stopped in a local shop where my friend works, she wasn't there but I chatted with her co-worker. I mentioned that I was one of her knitting friends. He said "oh she's so serious when she talks about knitting." I played along and said "yeah, well, knitting is serious. Very serious." He said that was nice and all but he just didn't understand it. Understand what, I wondered? It was like we have this weird lifestyle that he can't relate to. Does he think we have sheep living in our homes? It's just a nice, normal hobby.

Really. I don't live the knitting lifestyle, do I? Here's a glimpse into my life this week.

Part One - Things delivered to my home:

Monday - skein of yarn from a Ravelry destasher

Tuesday - my first package of Wollmeise, from Germany. I blame the flu that kept me up coughing until all hours. Doing research about how to catch a shop update distracted me from the agony. This photo does not do it justice, trust me. The colors are so saturated and lovely.


Thursday - A Raveler flat out gave away a skein of boucle yarn, which I snagged, plus I bought a few things from her stash. She threw in a ton of other awesome (read pink) yarn. Seriously, it was a huge box, those are enormous skeins, and you can't even see it all here and this photo is crap.

Saturday - my second package of Wollmeise. No photo yet.

Oops, I seem to have forgotten the Lopi pattern leaflet from Ebay, don't remember what day it arrived.

Part Two - Things drying on my back porch this past week

• More Lopi felted bags

• Two other felted bags

(Hey - I used that skein of yarn that came on Monday for the flap.)

(I absolutely adore this one and how the Prism Bubbles pooled.
I got that yarn recently from a destash, too.)

• Yarn

Part Three - Some Stuff I Did this week

• Went to a knit night and had my photo taken with yarn (thanks Tracey).

At knit night at least seven of us started the same project - French Press Knits Slippers. So much fun working on a KAL, especially on size 15 needles. I was the slowest, it starts with three strands of yarn and I was using two ends of one ball. The tangling got me.

• May have had photo taken with everybody's slipper soles.

• Came home from knit night, frogged and re-knit the soles of the slippers.

• Petted yarn

• Spent hours on Ravelry

• Cut out felt leaves as part of K's Halloween Costume

• Dreamed about yarn

• Ordered yarn from Ebay (just four skeins, I swear)

• Was thrilled that last year's pumpkin hat still fits K and he wore it three times this week.

• Sold some yarn and bags (picture me sitting here in my bright pink sweater, you guessed it, knitting):

Upon review of this evidence it is safe to say I do not live merely the knitting lifestyle, in fact, I live the fiber arts lifestyle.

Preschool

Whoa...I just noticed I haven't posted in over a month. One of the main reasons is that I got a call in the middle of August saying there was space at the co-op preschool three mornings a week. So I had to get doctor's notes; pack up extra clothes and gear; sign up for committees and work days; work one day a week there; and learn all the rules, rules, rules.

And voila, we have a preschooler. I didn't get first day photos because I was busy working there. He comes home each day soaked in paint. There are kids, trains, and a huge sandbox so he is thrilled to be a "preschool kid". The only tears were mine when I dropped him off on the second day after a sleepless night, and yesterday when he didn't want to leave because he wasn't "finished having fun".


I have already made one dump run for the school. Sigh. And there are two Tuesday night meetings a month, so I'm going to miss a bunch of knitting nights. Boo.

In other news, I crocheted for the first time in years. This is my interpretation of "Mouse and His Cookie".


We took a five day Labor Day weekend to visit up in Oregon. Lots of space to run in and cousins to rough house with for K. Of course we were suffering from a bug, thanks to preschool, no doubt.

Of course we found heavy equipment. This is at the really neat High Desert Museum on highway 97. There's a working saw mill, pioneer town, museum, and raptor area. We only saw a small part of it. Hope to visit some of the lava tubes in the area next time, too.


I took my bike a rode a couple times in the country and around downtown Albany. My sister and I took a few hours to shop and visited Baabaara's Wild and Wooley, where I learned to spin last year, and Jupiter Fiberworks in Bend. I was very restrained in my spending. Convinced my sister to buy a spindle and I got her fiber. Of course, met a few Ravelers.

As far as knitting and spinning lately, I better go back and see how I did on my summer knitting goals. Soon, I promise, no really, I'll post again soon!

Tour de Peninsula

I did the ride, got the t-shirt.


Oh my gosh, it was only a 21 mile ride, but it was an accomplishment after being out of anything other than tootling around town for over three-and-a-half years. There were a couple climbs on the route I was familiar with both of them. I was nervous about the first one because I couldn't remember how steep it is, I remember the end being tough. The other I have done at least 75 times, which is reassuring.

Yesterday afternoon I went for a little spin to loosen up for today and I had a hard time on a couple hills that are normally fairly easy, so I was really nervous last night. I laid out all my gear, checked the bike and tried to get a good night's sleep.

I woke up with sore legs, that never happens, not a good start! But I also woke up with a better attitude. If I had to walk on a hill I would do it. At 5:45 I was in ride day auto-pilot. It all came back to me, including the nervous stomach.

Not much to tell about the ride. It was a beautiful overcast morning, my favorite riding weather. I got there really early, a little too early. I hate the standing around waiting. I was at peace with whatever might happen, and my dorky self in tennis shoes on slightly knobby tires. Then a woman waited next to me with my old bike. A few years newer but same color and model. There aren't a lot of them around exactly like that, people were admiring it. She said it was a little much for the riding she does in triathlons. I wanted to steal it, to be honest.

The ride was nice, lots of flag people, cops and closed off streets in San Mateo. I made the first climb fine, not as bad as I remembered it. A few folks were walking it, or resting half way up. The next part was through Sawyer Camp Trail, which was closed except for the riders. It smelled like manzanita, and was such a treat to ride through virtually alone (the 30 and 60 milers had a different route at that point). We came to the camera and the woman behind me said "Photo op - unzip your shirt". How did she know me?

Then the annoying thing happened. I was about 1/2 a mile from the climb that they neglected to mention, but I knew was there. Feeling good, I hear a voice say "if you raise your seat your legs won't cramp up". I said "thanks". He repeated himself and I shouted "thanks so much!" Yeah, thanks for assuming that because I am large and not on a road bike that I am ignorant. I am well aware how much my leg should extend. Have you ever ridden 480 miles across Alaska and slept in a gravel pit? It is so nice that you are teaching your son about bike riding, but you know what, I don't want your unsolicited advice. I noticed that you took a break and didn't pass me until a mile from the end, were your legs cramped? And nice ancient white helmet from the 80's.

By the way, it's not a seat, it is a saddle!!!111!! Unless you were talking about my seat. In which case, ewwww.

Anyhow, I did the long, steepish climb, then it was all downhill. Got back, and there was an insulting, brutal little uphill to the finish. Did it. Got my t-shirt and left.

40th Birthday Part One

So much has been going on that I'm breaking up my 40th birthday celebration into a couple posts.

My birthday started a couple days early on knit night when my Purl Jam buddies totally surprised me with cake and gift certificate to Imagiknit.

They totally rock!! What do we do at knit night? Share projects, get advice, talk, and sometimes model socks. These are Karyn's "Oceansides".

On Thursday I went out for drinks at Tommy's Mexican Restaurant (a world class tequila bar) with my husband. Then we had dinner at Mel's Diner for fun. Since I had already had birthday cake, I got a chocolate malt for dessert, one of my favorites. The next morning I discovered we were out of coffee. It is so rare that I let that happen. It was not a very pretty picture. Tea was just not the same for what ailed me.

Later in the day I rallied and went to Imagiknit. It was such a pleasure to be able to go in there and just get whatever I wanted. I was pretty sure I wanted something luxurious, like cashmere. I was looking around and couldn't find pure cashmere, turns out it is kept in a locked showcase right by the door. I never noticed that before, but then again I've never shopped for something so dear.

I got a skein of pink cashmere which will become the Sweetheart Glovelets from the Rainey Sisters. I also got a skein of Malbrigo Lace, I'm still hunting a pattern for that. On a practical note I got a skein of green Cascade Heritage to use with all the pink sock yarn I have left from the Bohus Socks.


Tomorrow: Stitches West

About Next Thursday

I will be turning 40 this Thursday, just wanted to get that out there. I always love my birthday, and I'm not bummed out about the changing of the decade, but it does give me pause when I stop to think that I've been on this planet forty years.

Sometimes it is hard to believe. I mean the grey hairs are getting out of control and my 2-year-old wears me out, but I thought I would feel a lot wiser at 40 than I do. Maybe there will be some huge change in the next four days and the wisdom fairy will visit me. I'll be sure to let you all know if that happens.

Balls & Skeins

I escaped the meat eaters and the toddler for a couple hours this afternoon. I drove to Sebastapol to a yarn store. True, I do not need more yarn, but I did need a tapestry needle. Normally I would not waste gas for such a small thing, but I was losing my mind and had to get away.

The meat eaters are nice about making sure I get enough other stuff to eat, and I don't mind hearing about meat, or smelling meat cooking. But this whole week is about wine and gourmet food, and the meals and talk revolve about whatever kind of meat is chosen for the day. It's like there's a club I don't belong to. Even the kid was gnawing on a lamb bone last night.

Not to mention I tend to need time alone, and have had none for days. So I enjoyed the peace of driving down the highway listening to a country station. Then I walked into Balls & Skeins. Oh My Heavens. The sights and sounds. Yarn everywhere. People knitting on sofas. Talk of yarn and patterns. Everything was for me, and all the other people spoke my language. It was like coming home. I got the needles and some yarn and returned to the rental home refreshed.

Oreo

The cat's name is Oreo. I spoke to the owners of the cat, who live right across the street from the rental. Apparently the rental owners come up on a lot of weekends and let Oreo in, and feed her. Oreo's owner is not happy about that because she is an outdoor cat. A white cat with no tail lives next door, he and Oreo have words from time to time.

Insane Kitty Kat

K. and I got to the rental house this evening. The drive was okay, fortunately I know the area, otherwise I wouldn't have been too pleased about driving on the narrow roads looking for the house in the dark.

I had the bikes, a cooler, luggage, and Rubbermaid containers full of cooking stuff in the truck. As soon as we got out black and white cat came up to us. I went up and opened the house to start dragging stuff up the stairs. The cat ran in the house. It was obvious he had been in here before and I had to keep the door open, so I let K. play with him while I unloaded all the stuff. Then we put the cat outside. He was not happy to so, but I didn't want to encourage him. We turned around to go the kitchen and the cat was there, like a bad horror movie. Turns out K. opened the back sliding door to the deck. I put him out again.

He has been meowing at the door for half an hour now. Wonder when he will stop.

Vacation

We have been working like crazy to get ready for vacation. On Saturday we are driving up to the Russian River and staying in a rental house for a week. Different friends are coming up a different times, some for Thanksgiving dinner others later. I'm going to bring the computer because we need to keep tabs on the business. I hope to get some knitting done, including finally starting my second pair of contest socks.

I Want to Ride My Bicycle...

...and now I can a little bit more. I gave the iBert front-mounted child seat one more try. I still have to ride a little bow-legged, and the saddle has to be too low, but at least it is ridable. And K. enjoys it enough that he puts up with being bundled up and wearing a helmet. He rings the bell and pretends we are a fire engine. It's nice that I can see what he's doing and talk to him and touch him, unlike if he was in the back.

I'm still looking for ways to make it better. I'm short so I have a small bike which means the seat sits back really far, close to me. I can't step off the saddle and over the top tube, I have to stand over the saddle. Our first ride, before I lowered the saddle was a bit harrowing, I could only stop if I put my foot on a curb. The seat also pressing on the shifter for the cogs, making it a little hard to shift.

We've gone out a couple times, not super far, 30-45 minutes, but that's better than nothing. Carrying an extra 25lbs makes for a good workout. I'm glad I have the super low gears I scoffed at.

My Sock and Me

Wow, this second sock and I have shared some special moments. We rode in a squad car, and we just watched the president-elect speak.

I went out knitting as usual, we were going to go to a local bar so we could watch the election results. There were no seats and by 7:20 it was pretty obvious Obama had won, and that there we no results of important local measures on t.v., so we went to the regular dessert shop. I wondered when McCain would concede, it would have been fun to see that, but none of us thought it would happen tonight. I stayed pretty late because I had to rip out a few rows and didn't want to stick the sock in my bag for the ride home with a ton of free stitches.

As I waited for the streetcar, one of the knitters who had gone to check the t.v. told me that McCain had just conceded. The train came and I rode home working on the sock. Some people seemed oblivious to the news. The guy next to me talked to someone on the phone, no mention of the election. I got home and all was quiet, the men were asleep. So I turned the t.v. and knit some more on the sock and watched Obama's speech. If I had known K. was sleeping I would have stayed out, I think the knitters were going to go over to the bar after I left.

Did you see Jesse Jackson with tears in his eyes?

Plant Food

A couple weeks ago, while we were having the warm and sunny part of autumn, we started some seeds. I knew the weather could turn at any moment, so we started them indoors.

Last Tuesday we transplanted the sunflower seedlings outside. If we're lucky maybe one or two will make it. If not, it was still fun watching them grow.


Later we walked by the pot and K. dropped a Goldfish cracker in. I asked him if he was feeding the plants and he said "yes, babies".

Knitting Behind Bars

This afternoon I was waiting for the bus, on my way to meet my husband for pizza and a beer. As I stood there with a bag of Halloween candy over my shoulder and a sock on the needles, I saw some kids "tag" a bus shelter. I can appreciate true graffiti art on building walls, done with permission, but the tagging of public and private property makes me so mad. It's my tax dollars that pay to clean buses and bus shelters, and homeowners should not have to spend money and time to paint over crap done by kids who can't find something creative to do with their time. We've had a rash of graffiti in the neighborhood the past couple weeks.

In fact, as one kid walked up he boasted that he had made one of the marks already on the shelter. I watched one, and then another draw on the bus shelter and the sidewalk. I kept knitting as I tried to memorize what they looked like. Then I called the police, and to my surprise they answered on the first ring. To my further surprise an officer called me right back and a patrol car drove up.

I hid around the corner as the police questioned the kids. I see them hanging out quite often, and don't particularly want them to know I busted them. It's a busy corner so quite a few people were watching. I just kept my head down knitting, wishing I wasn't wearing bright colored Halloween clothes. I talked to the officers and it was decided I would identify the kids from the back of a patrol car.

Yuck-o! Since the last time I was in a police car things have changed. The back seats are molded plastic, so there was a pile of crumbs and I-don't-want-to-know-what funneled into the bottom of the seat. The debris doesn't sink down out of sight like in upholstered seats. And it is small back there. So I kept knitting. And took a photo of my sock.


I identified them. Afterwards I was transfered to a plain-clothes car, which had a bottle of hand sanitizer mounted in the back seat. They dropped me off at the pizza place. The pizza was a little cold, but it was worth it possibly scaring some sense into these kids, who apparently have been arrested before. I wonder what their parents think they are doing? Throwing a football around in the park? There's a youth center a block from were they were tagging. Maybe some of the people who were gawking will realize that there are people watching them who care about the neighborhood. Knitters are watching.

Ironically, I was already planning on taking K. trick-or-treating at the police station. When we got home I was having second thoughts. What if I ran into the officers? I didn't want to look like some neighborhood police-obsessed wacko. But after looking up and down our street and seeing no houses with decorations or porch lights on I decided the police station might be the only place my engineer could do his first trick-or-treating.

It turned out to be fun, they had the station decorated inside and out. A lot of other kids stopped in and an officer was giving out candy, stickers, balloons and such. No, I did not get photos of the little engineer.

As we walked back to the truck my past collided with the present. The bar I used to hang out at is half a block from the police station. When I parked my truck across the street I thought it was early enough that my ex-husband wouldn't be there, but no, he was right on the corner with his buddies. So I did what any mother would do, I'm sure, took my son trick-or-treating at a bar. No, we didn't actually go in, they brought the candy out to us. It was kind of fun, we had a nice chat.

We drove home and parked a block away and trick-or-treated at a few houses up there. K. didn't quite get it, he kept storming into the homes. All-in-all he decided he likes Halloween, the pumpkins and the "cocoa".

Church Ladies

Today I attended the memorial service of my step-siblings' mother, Elisa, who died of pancreatic cancer. I was there not just to support them, but to pay respects to a woman who helped shape the person I am today.

Our families attended the same church when I was growing up. We attended regularly and the church family really was like an extended family. There were quite a few women who I observed over the years, they were like aunties in a way. Watching them interact which each other and their kids shaped the person I am today, and the person I am still striving to be. Each has their own gifts of creativity, honesty (sometimes brutal), generosity, dignity, and strength.

Many of these strong women were at the service today. It was a peculiar feeling to now be one of the "women" instead of a kid or teenager. Although I have been an adult for a long time, there are certain phases of life that make you feel more and more grown up. For me those were working seven years at the same job, getting divorced, losing my father, and having a child. Sitting in the church among these women I have known my whole life made me reflect on the person I used to be. In the past it might have made me feel like a bumbling kid again, and believe me, these women have seen me struggle, but today I felt like one of them. I am no longer a shy kid, but I feel like I now have lived enough to have wisdom to share with the next generation.

Blind Dates

The other night I went to a meeting of a neighborhood historical preservation group. I got to the bar/restaurant and looked for the one person I knew. He wasn't there, so I wandered the lobby a bit. On my third pass a man standing close to the restaurant said "you might be looking for me". I was amused because it was obvious that he was waiting for a blind date, but I smiled and asked "are you with the Western Neighborhoods Project?" He said "no" and looked a little sad. The way things are going lately it was flattering that someone hoped I was his date. That is, until I realized he observed me for several minutes before deciding that it wouldn't be a horrible thing if I was his date.

I wish I had said 'good luck' or something, it takes a lot of nerve to go on a blind date. I have only gone on one, well technically. It was a blind double-date when I was about eighteen. My co-worker was one of those types who was so happy with her boyfriend that she wanted everyone else to be matched up, too. She suggested that we go on a double-date with a friend of theirs. I asked a bit about him and reluctantly agreed. I asked what he looked like, shallow, I know, and she said "not classically handsome". Funny the details you remember over twenty years later.

My friends picked my up and we went to the blind date's house. Met his mother and chit-chatted. We went to his room and the red flags started waving like crazy. His room was plastered with photos of Morgan Fairchild. Plastered. Talk about an insecurity complex. I looked nothing like her. Blonde? No. Blue-eyed? No. Petite yet busty? No. Mature? No. If this was his dream woman, why would I bother trying to impress him? I had my share of posters hanging in my room, Leif Garret, Shawn Cassidy, Andy Gibb, etc. but I wasn't fixated on one person.

Fast forward to later that evening parked at Twin Peaks. My friends were in the backseat doing what people do back there. I was in the front seat, miserable, with a person I didn't like. I don't remember why I didn't like him, but I didn't. There was a big bottle of beer. I was never one to drink in high-school, but I did partake that evening, when I realized it kind of blurred the misery. I believe we went and shined flashlights in the backseats of other cars. There was some mooning of passing vehicles as well. Mercifully the evening ended and they took me home. My date escorted to me room and put me in bed fully clothed. He proceeded to chastise me for letting him in the house because he could have taken advantage of me. My friends were waiting outside so it didn't cross my mind to be afraid. And even though I didn't like him, I didn't think he was a bad person to be feared. I didn't have the words or experience back then to articulate my feelings about that statement.

I didn't invite him in for anything, and he knew that. I'm glad he didn't attack me, but should I be thanking him? No. The crazy thing is I went out with him again, alone. I don't remember much about it other than a very vivid memory of waiting for the streetcar and wishing the evening was over. Never saw him again.

I let my friend set me up again, this time with a co-worker who I was interested in. On our first date he suggested I change my hair style. On another date, at the drive-in, he was appalled that I wanted a sip of beer, since I was underage. He had a Bronco, which has bucket seats. We were watching the movie and all of a sudden he was in my seat. I asked him if he knew beforehand that we would both fit. He admitted that he did have practice jumping into the seat like that. A while later he asked me if I would take my shirt off, claiming no one would see me since we were in a truck. Riiiight. I guess he felt that there was no legal age for toplessness, so it was okay. I actually liked him and we had some fun dates. He had a truck and liked country music, a rarity in San Francisco. But he just wasn't happy with me. He liked me because I was "nice girl" but was also frustrated that I was "nice".

It turned out that he was in love with an "older woman" who lived somewhere up north. They would meet halfway and go on romantic camping trips. Bye-bye. At least he finally told me, so I realized the problem was not me, just that he wanted me to be this other person.

Many years later when I was divorced I answered a couple personal ads just for fun. I met the first guy at the ice skating rink at the Embarcadero. As soon as I saw the leather patches on his tweed coat I was turned off. He was equally unimpressed.

The second one was too good to be true. We were both vegetarians, had common interests, shared the same birthday, and it turned out we worked for the same company. We talked for hours on the phone, and then went to lunch. We had too much in common. It was like, why bother asking questions, we knew the answer, there was no mystery. I would have liked to be friends with him, but he was romantically interested in me, so that didn't work out.

My final attempt at a blind date was set up by a co-worker. She had a classmate who would be perfect for me. I was very reluctant, but was in a phase where I was trying to be less shy, and forced myself to never turn down a social invitation. It was to be dinner with my co-worker and her boyfriend at their house. I got there early and helped cook. They guy was coming from Marin and called to say he was running late. I was nervous and wished he would just get there. A couple more calls and he said he wasn't coming.

I was pissed off and hurt. The only thing worse than having a blind date ditch you is having to continue the evening with a happy couple. The boyfriend was none to happy that my co-worker had tried to play matchmaker, resulting in a miserable woman disrupting his X-Files night. Looking back it is so silly to feel rejected by someone I never met. He knew next to nothing about me or what I looked like. He just chickened our or something. But at the time it didn't feel that way. I emailed him the next day and told him off. I don't remember his response. Who knows what the story was.

And that was the end of my blind-dating career.