August 11-13, 2009 - Playing Catch-Up

Tuesday

I took a bunch of pictures of the tree contractors cutting down a tulip poplar on the property line Tuesday morning. Miss Peggy and I watched alot of it from her deck and we chatted away the early afternoon until I had to leave for the doctor's office. I don't want to bore you with all the pics here, but I did make an album on Webshots if you're interested. Unfortunately, I missed them taking the trunk down since I was gone for so long.

Uncle Wes got home Tuesday afternoon and helped me put the canvas for my next needlepoint project on the stretcher bars. I couldn't believe how fast and easy the frame went together for him! It takes me about ten minutes, and the use of a hammer, to get the stretcher bars put together; he just pushed the notches into place by hand. I'm so jealous! I told Wessy I'm having him put my frames together from now on! I decided to start Amish Trip Around the World Quilt (ATAtWQ) by Nancy Buhl of From Nancy's Needle. This is the other chart I kitted up at Fireside Stitchery in Frazer, PA.

Before I forget-again- I have to show you the birthday card Kasey received from the Cowgirl from Hanna, Christine. Call it coincidence or one of those quirks of Fate, but see all that confetti stuck to the inside of the card? I thought that was the only confetti enclosed...until a couple weeks later when I looked inside the envelope and saw all the "Happy Birthday!" confetti and balloons. Is that strange, or what? Only the dog confetti stuck to Kasey's birthday card. Thank you for thinking of my special girl on her special day, Christine! The card is adorable!

Okay, so back to this week...

Carol and I met up at Borders Tuesday night. Neither of us could make it on Monday (I was asleep) and we both needed to get out for a little while. I started ATAtWQ because it's so easy to do. I'm not sure if I'm happy with the pink in the center, though. What do you think? The substitution Nancy suggests is the skein of DMC 3688 I have next to the start. I'd have to order it in the #5 Perle.

I met with the head of Disability Services at the college on Wednesday and found out that Kasey and I are the first student/service dog team on campus. Now the pressure is on for us to set a good example! There's a faculty member who also has a service dog but no other students. The rest of the meeting went well and I received all the accommodations I requested, as my DoRS counselor had already forwarded my medical records to Mimi's office.

I will get one-and-a-half time on all timed tests and class exercises. I'll have a private room in the testing center, be able to take essay exams on a computer, and having a drink and Kasey with me at all times will not be a problem. I will also have a note-taker in Math for when I can't be in class.

We went to get my ID card made at the bookstore and I asked them if they could make one for Kasey, too. We get stopped by the guards every single time we walk through the Student Union, even though she wears a vest. The staff graciously agreed and said the faculty member with a service dog had the exact same problem.

Kasey wouldn't stand on the stool like they needed her to, but she kept jumping up on me in her excitement. I guess I've trained her too well to keep her feet off other things! I held her front feet while they zoomed the camera in on her head to get a picture. She wouldn't look at them, but the profile shot is wonderful. She even smiled! So here is Kasey's student ID card.

Wednesday was a typical dialysis day. Instead of being bored with the television channels provided, I took my new computer and my Band of Brothers DVD's and watched the first three parts of the series. I can see why BoB received so much critical acclaim. The filmmakers stayed so true to actual facts and the way things were; they didn't take artistic license to make a better story. The story itself is so gripping. I also know why my brother has watched it all the way through almost 10 times. You'd never get tired of seeing this! Talk about excellent film making! I give this 5 stars! I'm looking forward to watching the remaining parts.

When I got home on Wednesday I spent time on the computer talking to Debi and reading email. Then I realized a little after 9p.m. that I had less than three hours to eat and drink. Because of the surgery on Thursday, I couldn't have anything after midnight. I enjoyed some of the Chinese food I bought Tuesday afternoon after my doctor's appointment. The shrimp lo mien and seafood fried rice were excellent! I also loved the beef skewers, which they call Shoo Shoo. The House of Hunan at the Festival at Riva in Annapolis is the only Chinese restaurant I've been to that puts a Maraschino cherry and a pineapple chunk on the end of their skewers. They were heated just right and absolutely delicious. I'll be going back for more!

Once again, I would like to express my heartfelt thank you to everyone for their words of encouragement, support, and well-wishes. You may not realize it, but they mean the world to me and keep me going when I don't think I can go on any more. Some days are rougher than others, but I never say "I'm giving up" because I know so many of you out there are praying, encouraging, and supporting me through the hardships life throws in my path.

On Tuesday, my CRNP said something to me that really struck a chord. She said "When we set on a course, I think that God puts obstacles in our way to test our resolve." I think she's right, folks! It always seems that when I'm set on a path something happens to try to derail me. I'm not letting it this time, though! College!! Here I come!!

Thursday

As usual for a 5:30a.m. drop-off, Uncle Wes took me to the hospital on his way to work. I had one vein for them to put an IV in but they couldn't draw any blood. They tried a butterfly needle in three different spots with no luck. Needless to say, I have bruises all over my arm.

Luckily I had an anesthesiologist who knew me. I told him we couldn't put this procedure off because the stents had already been in for a year and could calcify at any time. I also told him it had to be today because school starts in ten days. He agreed that since I'd been there on Friday and my potassium doesn't get high, unlike alot of dialysis patients, they could do the surgery without up-to-the-minute blood work. I was so relieved when he agreed to go ahead! I had two procedures cancelled last year because of blood work and I didn't need that hassle again! Not to mention the fact that I felt like Dracula's wife with all the needle sticks they did today!

I have to say that the procedure must have gone well because I was in absolutely no pain when I woke up in Recovery. Even after the anesthesia started wearing off there was no pain. That bodes well for waiting another year to change the stents. If they'd been calcified or if the doctor had problems putting the new ones in, I'd be in alot more pain.

I thought I'd go right home and sleep but that wasn't to be. I was sitting in my chair, barely able to keep my eyes open, but every time I went to bed I stayed awake. Talk about frustrating! I was completely exhausted but couldn't sleep! It wasn't until after 6p.m. that I was able to finally sleep but I woke up at 8:00.

Man, was I hungry! I went in the kitchen and looked in the fridge but nothing appealed. Instead, I had some green beans and then I skewered and grilled a can of pineapple chunks. I also made mini burgers and some seasoned beef for spaghetti sauce out of a package of ground beef. I ate three of the mini burgers for a snack, along with some of the grilled pineapple. I froze the seasoned beef to use later.

Then I went to work on ATAtWQ for a few hours. I know it doesn't look bad in this picture, but the center square of this design is bright pink (DMC 602). It clashes with all of the colors around it. I'm still thinking of substituting in the 3688 or possibly something else. I have to look at my color card and see what would work in its place. This is my progress as of a little after midnight.

PS: In case you're wondering about the Trademark & Copyright notices, they're because I was once again contacted by a feed search to write a description for the "author's words" for their site. I not-so-politely this time told them they did NOT have my permission to list my blog on their site and I informed them they also do not have the right to reproduce any part of my blog on their search engine. I forwarded them the original email declining their first offer to list Crossed Purposes on their site as well.

I write this blog as a way to show my daily stitching progress; not to see how many subscribers I can gather! Thank you to all my faithful followers! I can't believe there are 75 of you! When I started Crossed Purposes, it was with the intent to show people that needlework isn't just "cranked out" en masse. I wanted to demonstrate, with pictures, the time and effort that goes into each and every work of needle art you see. In turn, I hoped people would have a better appreciation of the value of the work when they see something at a craft show or arts fair.

August 1-2, 2009 - Falling off the wagon & a finish

I was absolutely determined to complete the stitching of Ocean Star this weekend, so imagine my dismay when I realized I wouldn't have enough Gold Rush 14 (metallic braid)! Uncle Wes came upstairs as I was having this realization and asked what the trouble was. So I told Wes that there were two places I knew of where I could get the GR; first, was the LYS (Local Yarn Shop) that has treated me shabbily every time I've been there, and the second was a trek of 30 miles to the LNS I usually patronize.

I explained that I'd given the LYS three chances to improve their customer service. On the first visit, all I wanted were the point protectors used for knitting needles. I had to wait for more than 10 minutes while they finished chatting with other customers (not business chat, either). All they had were the sock-shaped ones that wouldn't work because I needed them for the tips of my embroidery scissors. They told me to check the quilt shop, which I did, and where I got perplexed looks from the employees, as if to say "Why would you look for those here?" I told them who referred me. 'Nuff said.

It was also during my first visit when I asked about stitching groups in the area. The lady who was "helping" me made a point to tell me that their table in the store (where three ladies were knitting) was only for knitters with a problem to solve; they didn't have enough room for someone to just sit around and stitch. We'll come back to that...

The second time I went there, I needed stretcher bars for a needlepoint project. They had them, but I had to dig through a bunch of items that were just thrown onto the bottom shelf of their display unit. None of it was organized in any way. I browsed for 15 minutes and wasn't asked if I needed help until I walked into the knitting section of the store.

The third time I purchased some 50% off needlepoint charts. I think they were each $3. The needlepoint section seems to be there only because they still have inventory. None of it is organized in any way, shape, or form. The Mill Hill beads' cases are yellowed because they're so old. I can't get into the needlepoint section without taking both my purse and my stitching bag off my shoulder because they jammed everything in so closely. As I was checking out, the customer beside me asked them to punch her card. I'd made two previous purchases and no one even offered me a punch card! I wasn't offered one this time, either. That did it!

The absolute clincher for me came when I heard one of the ladies in the B&N stitching group talk about the LYS's Thursday night knitting group! I told her that they made a point of telling me I couldn't stitch there and she was completely dismayed. That is when I decided that even if I knew they carried something I needed, I would go elsewhere!

Instead of driving 4 miles each way, I drove 32 miles. I took two more quilt square charts to kit up, too. There's no use in going all that way for one card of metallic floss! And I was baaaaaaaaaad! My name is Beth and I'm a stash-a-holic who reached S.A.B.L.E. (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy) early last year! I'll go ahead and admit it now.

Here's the evidence of me falling off the wagon. I kitted up Diamond Mosaic by Northern Pine Designs and another quilt square by Nancy Buhl, called Evening Star.

I made one substitution on DM: switching out the rayon Barlitt for Splendor silk. I refuse to stitch with rayon floss; it frays atrociously and is a PITA to work with! I also made a substitution on ES: Caron Watercolours 218-Ash was what the designer used on the white parts. It has grey and tan variations within a snow white floss. When I put it beside the Ruby Watercolours it looked disgusting. I chose to replace the Ash with 146-Moonglow, the same very light floss I used in Ocean Star.

The card of Gold Rush 14, the impetus for the trip to Catonsville, is in the middle and all the goodies for Evening Star are to the left. I also purchased two items from my wish list: the mini thread palette and a strand separator, both by Puffin & Company. I had the dog and cat design on my wish list but I am liking the heart (purchased because it was the only "set" they had) the more I see and use them. I have six cards of metallic on order and TSP will call me when they're in. Evening Star calls for four cards of one color and TSP only had two.
Kasey and I also visited Cloverhill Yarns, where I found a gorgeous kettle-dyed wool and another beautifully-colored yarn that was a rayon blend.

I know rayon floss is disgusting to stitch with so I wouldn't buy a rayon-blend yarn without asking my knitter friends if they like using it. I don't have any patterns and have absolutely no idea how to knit or crochet, but I love to look. We also went into Seminole Sampler, the quilt shop settled between The Stitching Post and Cloverhill. I saw a gorgeous Batik that would go with my Dinky-Dyes quilt squares but I already have another for that purpose. I did purchase some Thread Heaven and two pigment markers. They were less expensive than JoAnn's.

On the way home I stopped at an old lunch haunt I frequented when I worked near BWI airport. I ordered the sushi lunch special to go because I love the salad with ginger dressing they serve with the sushi rolls. I don't like ginger but love this ground ginger dressing! I saved it for when I got home. Kasey had been in and out of the heat long enough so I kept the truck running for her to have air conditioning while I was gone. I always carry two sets of keys so I can do this, just in case.

I stopped at the Goodwill store in the same shopping center to have a quick look around. I purchased a mail sorter cabinet for $4 and five music cd's for $2 each. The cabinet is still in my truck, but I'll bring it in soon to show you. I have to clear off the dining room table so Uncle Wes can put my mail in the slots instead of piling it on the table.

We came home, I brought Daisy back from her pen, and I stitched for the remainder of the night. I didn't finish it, but I made very good progress on the border. I love how it is turning out!

Sunday was a completely lazy day for the girls and me. I watched movies online and stitched all day while Daisy and Kasey slept the hours away. I can't think of a more relaxing and rejuvenating day.

I did some cooking this evening, making meat sauce and cooking some frozen prosciutto tortellini from Trader Joe's. I have to say that I won't be purchasing the pasta again. I have no idea why they call it prosciutto because it just tastes like a mushy ball of cardboard inside the pasta.

The meat sauce was delicious, but the Barilla sauces always are, especially when I add seasoned ground beef. I also cooked a pound of egg noodles to eat with the poached chicken I froze last month. It's an easy, quick meal to put together. I'll probably make a sauce for that later in the week, too.

I finished Ocean Star (Desert Star by Nancy Buhl of From Nancy's Needle) at 1:54p.m. It has been exactly four weeks from start to finish for this project, with 17 days of stitching to complete it. I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am with the results. I'm not at all sorry I changed the colors, as I find the piece stunning. I will probably frame this one!

I decided not to start another quilt square right away. I don't want to get into another larger project until after school starts and I have a handle on how much time I can devote to stitching. I chose to (re)start America by Hinzeit Designs. I ditched the colors I tried using before and am stitching the borders in GAST Freedom and the letters in WDW Garnet. I like what I have seen thus far.

July 31, 2009 - Totally Useless SAL Update

I'm a week late for the New Moon update of the Totally Useless SAL, but I haven't stitched since last week so there's no more orts in my jar now than there were when it was the new moon.

I went to bed at midnight, right after Gone With the Wind ended. Don't ask me how many times I've seen it, but I love it. I even have the entire series Hallmark did of Scarlett and her dresses. They also do Rhett & Scarlett ornaments, but those don't interest me as much.

Daisy was really good last night and I didn't wake up at all until the alarm went off at 9am. I had to go let the cat out and walk the girls. I'm very impressed that Daisy has settled in so quick. While she runs around outside like a mad woman, she's a big lump in the house. She's now pulled three squeakers from some of Kasey's old toys and skinned the fur-covered ball. Now it's just a raquetball. Unlike alot of dogs her age (she's about 14-15 months old) she doesn't chew on anything but her toys. She can stay with us instead of being home alone all the time.

I was wide awake after taking the girls for a walk this morning and decided to stitch. I completed the squares and went to work on the border. I didn't stitch once I got home so this is only from this morning. I hope to have Ocean Star finished this weekend.

Dialysis was uneventful. For some reason, I keep falling asleep during my treatment and then they can't wake me until half an hour after my treatment ends. Today was the second day it happened. It's a little worrisome because I had a really good night's sleep but there's not a whole lot I can do about it. I get so tired that I cannot keep my eyes open and off to La-La Land I go!

The girls were waiting for me when I returned home and we went for a walk. We had a quiet evening at home, thankfully.

July 30, 2009 - We have a houseguest

Today was Barnes & Noble stitching group and I finished those blasted dia-monds! I didn't get alot of stitching done, but started filling in the two remaining squares. Once they're done, all that's left is the border! We had a really nice time and stayed until after 4:00.

On the way home, I stopped by the pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions and an antibacterial/ antimicrobial wash the doctor wants me to use. She said they don't want me becoming a carrier of MRSA, so to use it once a day, head to toe, and wash my hands more than ever.

Well, here they are! All three of 'em. Chet has successfully convinced Daisy that he's the meanest cat in the world. She gives him a wide berth and doesn't try to poke him with her nose anymore. The funny thing is that he's declawed and loves Kasey.

I pulled out some of the toys Kasey doesn't play with so that Daisy could chew them. She's much more rough with toys than Kasey. She's already pulled out two squeakers and taken the "tails" off a fur-covered ball. She's been a very good girl and doesn't try to chew on anything that isn't hers. I did have to hide Stinky Ol' Raccoon because Daisy pulled out some of his stuffing. She is not allowed to play with Kasey's favorite toys!

After taking the girls to the playground so that they could run, we came home to relax for the evening. Here's Daisy on Kasey's couch, fast asleep. Kasey prefers to sleep on the tile in the bathroom so she has happily relinquished the couch to Daisy.

Since Daisy is convinced of Chet's viciousness, she waited for him to finish eating her food before going to her bowl to eat dinner. I was very surprised to see this!




Here are the girls, peacefully sharing Kasey's couch. Kasey doesn't like having to share my attention and she barks at Wes when he is petting Daisy, but she likes having someone to play with. Daisy is also taking her cues from Kasey, so when Kasey's napping so is Daisy. It makes things much easier for me!

We took Daisy back to her house for the night but brought her back here because she was standing in the dining room windowsill, howling when she saw Kasey and I come outside. I felt bad about her being alone so much. We'll see how she does spending the night tonight.

If it works out, it will be much easier taking care of her while she's here instead of running back and forth between the houses. I still have to let the cat out in the morning and bring him in around 5:30pm, but that's not as bad as going over five times a day.

July 29, 2009

After dialysis this evening, we had our usual last-Wednesday-of-the-month stitch-in at the cafe inside Borders Books at Annapolis Mall. I worked on Ocean Star some more, trying to finish the diamonds. I almost did it, too, but the store was closing so we had to leave.

Genia made me these wonderful handwarmers! They're the perfect combination of colors, too! I'll be able to stitch and read at dialysis without my hands turning into ice cubes! Thank you, Genia!

Friday through Tuesday - It's been busy!

Every day I think I'm going to have a nice, quiet, relaxing day at home turns into another bout of running around like a chicken with its head cut off!

I received a call from my vascular surgeon on Friday morning informing me that I was being added to the procedure schedule at the hospital on Tuesday morning. They decided to do an angiogram (they call it a fistulagram) to open up my dialysis access. The access flow number was less than half of what it should have been when the test was repeated last Wednesday.

Friday night after dialysis, all I did was apply for scholarships. The SallieMae search I used came up with 25 that matched some of my given information and I think I applied to about 10 of those. Some were for full-time students or had other criteria I didn't fit. It was very helpful and I recommend it to anyone heading off to college.

Friday through Monday I didn't even touch Ocean Star. Not a single stitch. I thought about it but it didn't happen.

I had a completely boring weekend. To pass the time on Saturday, Kasey and I went to Best Buy to look at laptops. My laptop is over three years old and weighs almost 7lbs. It's way too heavy for me to carry, not to mention the fact that it gets super-hot and I can't hold it in my lap. I also do not want to take two semesters of math without a 10-key pad on my laptop.

I know you can get one of the plug-in 10-key pads, but I've tried it and unless you have a big table for the laptop and keypad, it doesn't work. There are alot of laptops on the market that have them built in, just like a regular keyboard. Almost all Toshiba machines have them, but none of those were lighter than what I already have. There was an HP, which was the lightest, but I refuse to buy an HP machine. I'm not prejudiced, I just know their quality has gone downhill since joining with Compaq.

I found an Asus that would meet my needs and had my computer geek brother, Ben, look over the specs for me to double-check. He said that other than the video card being slow, which I knew about, he didn't see any reason it wouldn't do what I needed it to do. If I have enough grant/scholarship money, I'm going to get the laptop for school work and keep my current laptop to use for everything else.

I went to Sarah's later Saturday afternoon and stayed for about an hour before returning home. Caleb somehow got into the white-out and painted both himself and his sister with it. Anna sounded insulted when I asked her who put the stripes on her. She was so funny!

Sunday was acutally a little relaxing. I had alot of email to read and respond to, as well as some blog posts to write. At 2pm I went next door to go over the dog and cat's schedule of feedings and things. This opportunity came at just the right time because I'm always short of money towards the end of the month. The extra cash will be very useful. I spent the evening watching some shows from my DVR and that was about the extent of my day. I certainly needed the rest!

Tuesday morning, the procedure went fine and Sarah and the kids picked me up from the hospital at 9:15am. We went to McDonald's so the kids could get hot cakes. I got an Egg McMuffin (the only thing I can eat on the entire menu) and then we went to Wawa. I got two Italian Shorties since they generously extended Hogiefest til August 9th. That way, I didn't have to do any cooking while I'm in pain!

See? There's a method to my madness! It's not ALL about the addiction to Wawa Italian subs!

I slept from about 10am til 12:45pm and felt absolutely fine when I awoke. My arm ached a little so I took a pain pill. I couldn't sit around doing nothing. For some reason, those sedatives and anaesthesia meds make me edgy and fidgety. I had to go somewhere and decided the college campus was going to be the destination. I received an email Monday night saying that my FASFA was chosen for Independent Verification so there was an additional form to fill out. Only I don't have a printer that works with my laptop and Uncle Wes's printer needs ink.

I went to the college library's computer lab and printed the form, filled it out, and turned it in to the Financial Aid office in person. While there, my academic advisor, Lisa, saw Kasey and I so she came over to say hello. I told her what we were up to and that we were meeting with the nurse at 3pm. I also told her I needed to see her sometime because I wanted to verify that the courses I plan on taking will transfer to the University of Maryland after I get my AA degree. She told me she'd be back from lunch at 5pm and I agreed to meet her then.

I also double-checked with F.A. that they received my forms from DoRS and that would be taken care of shortly. Everything was in order so we headed to Health Services to meet the school's nurse, Beth.

Beth and I had a very nice talk. I explained my medical history and Kasey's role in my care. She assured me that they are very well-versed in the disability laws and cognizant of the rules regarding service dogs. I was worried that Kasey would be left at the school if I had to be ambulanced to the hospital but she told me they would not let that happen. She's aware that some crews don't like to take service dogs, but the school will not allow them to leave a SD without its handler. It's actually against the law. I felt alot better with her assurance.

We discussed scenarios and things that have happened in the past, so she is aware of some of the triggers of my syncope. She also knows that I can usually tell when I'm very dehydrated and those are the times, especially, when I stay home. We all hope there's never an episode on campus, but if there is, Health Services, Security Services, my professors, and anyone else Beth deems to need to be in the know will have my Plan of Care, which I will be working on soon. We talked for 90 minutes and then I went upstairs to wait for Lisa.

Since I had to wait, I pulled out Ocean Star and worked on filling in more of the diamonds. It's coming along, slowly but surely.

Lisa and I went over the courses I've decided to take for my AA degree and only found three that will not transfer to the University of MD. Lucky for me they were all electives. My digital photography and photojournalism courses are questionable. Lisa said I'll probably have to explain to an advisor at the U of MD what I'm planning with my degree and they won't have a problem accepting those credits.

When I got home, I was exhausted, but I still had to take care of Daisy. That's right! In the middle of arm surgery, I'm watching the neighbor's cat and dog for them. So Wes, Daisy, Kasey, and me went for a walk. We took the girls into the Nursery School playground to run around and then brought them back to the house. Wes put Daisy in her house and I went over to feed her and Sneakers and bring in the litterbox from the back stoop. Since the house is for sale, the cat and dog spend the daytime hours outside. As soon as I opened the door to grab the litterbox, Daisy came running from behind me and got out the door before I could even put a hand on her.

I went home to tell Wes that Daisy was loose and then started following her. Kasey was trying to help, but Daisy wouldn't follow her into the carport. I guess she's fallen for that trick too many times. She also wouldn't get into the back of my truck. She wouldn't get within arm's reach of anyone. Our neighbor on the other side, Tom, tried to grab her but he couldn't get her collar. She just kept running around the yards, back and forth. Then she decided to go down the private road to the other end of the neighborhood and wound up at the house furthest from ours.

Trina came out because she saw Daisy, with Kasey in tow, go across her deck. I told her what happened and she tried to grab Daisy, too. No luck! The kids next door pulled in and asked what was going on. By that time, Kasey was standing beside me panting heavily because she was worn out. Daisy, on the other hand, was still running around the houses. All I can say is Thank Goodness we live on a dead-end road!! At least we didn't have traffic to contend with!

Somehow, Daisy started milling around the kids and Sarah was able to grab her collar! Wes quickly put the chain collar and leash on Daisy and we headed back home, after profusely thanking everyone for their help. Kasey was hilarious, because she cut across Ms. Peggy's and Tom's yards in order to get home as fast as possible! There was no staying on the driveway for her; she was headed to the house in a straight line!

After all that walking and excitement, I was absolutely exhausted. I got back to the house and collapsed in my chair. I told Wessy to bring Daisy in with us. I figured she had to be tired after all that, but it took her 45 mintues to finally settle down. She even tried to get Kasey to play with her! Kasey looked at her as if to say, "Are you INSANE?! I'm tired!" She wouldn't even move.

I took Daisy home around 8:30 so that I could feed Kasey and Chet without worrying about her eating Kasey's food. I figured she'd just fall right asleep once she was home, which she pretty much did.

The rest of the evening was quiet and I worked on choosing classes to replace the ones that wouldn't transfer. I'm pretty sure I have everything worked out for my degree. Now I have to figure out when I'm going to take the courses and whether I'm going to register for the one 15-week Spring term and take three courses (10 credits), or if I'm going to take the two 8-week spring sessions and do two courses each sesssion.

If I do that, I can take four courses in the same amount of time and earn 14 credits. If I can get my lab sciences and another class in those 8-week sessions, I may just do it. I'm also hoping that the College Algebra is offered during the 2-week winter term. It would be really nice to get that out of the way! I'm hoping to take care of my Computer Technology requirement by taking the CLEP test. I just have to find study materials.

Since I can't do a full-time schedule, I'm trying to find ways to fit in classes here and there to earn more credits each term. It all depends on what classes are offered in the shorter sessions, though. I'd also like to take two classes next summer, one in each of the 6-week sessions that are offered. I'm impatiently waiting for the school to release the Winter, Spring, and Summer credit courses. I feel better when I can have everything planned out so there are no surprises.

Tomorrow is another dialysis day, but it's also Borders Stitching Night, so I'm looking forward to it!

July 22, 2009 - WHAT time is it?!

6:40

IN THE MORNING!

OMG!

That is the only problem with going to bed early; you wake up early! I hate it! I had hours until my first appointment. The really bad thing was that I couldn't eat until after the appointment and I was hungry. See, this doesn't happen when I sleep until 2pm. Then I don't get hungry until after four o'clock.

I was awake, so to make the best of it I went back to work on Ocean Star. I contin-ued working on the dia-monds and took it with me to both of my doctor appointments. I was taken back within minutes of arriving at the first office but had a 45-minute wait at the second one. That just meant 45 minutes of stitching!

I told the clinic that I would be an hour late for my treatment but I was even later because of the wait at the doctor's office. Instead of making everyone stay even longer, I decided to shorten my treatment to just two hours for today only.

I couldn't stitch today during my treatment. The machine alarmed the first time I moved my arm so I had to keep it still. They repeated the access flow test that was originally done on Monday. The results of the two tests they did then made no sense so I asked for it to be repeated during my next treatment. Today's number wasn't a whole lot better and I will call my vascular doctor to let him know. The last thing I need is for my graft to clot within the next few weeks, or months, for that matter!

Sarah needed me to run something over to the apartment after I left dialysis so I quickly did that and then came home. I made chicken tacos for dinner but didn't have sour cream and they really needed it. Chicken is always dry when you prepare it for tacos. Besides drowning it in water, does anyone have a suggestion as to how to prevent it?

I didn't do any more stitching after finally getting home this evening. I was just too tired. It's another early night for me!

BTW: Thursday is Kasey's Birthday! Be prepared for lots of pics!

July 21, 2009 - The Infamous Anniversary

What infamous anniversary? you ask. Today is the 16th anniversary of my first surgery. That seems like a lifetime ago. In the interim, I've lost track of the additional surgeries I've had. That's probably not a bad thing. So many things have happened in my life during that time, both good and bad. I've learned from each of them so wouldn't think of turning back the clock, even if I could.

Thursday is a much happier anniversary! Kasey will be turning 7 this week! I estimate her birthday from the day I adopted her because she was surrendered to animal control with 17 other Goldens on Memorial Day weekend 2003. I signed the papers on May 23rd (Breanna's birthday) and my vet and I agreed Kasey was about 10 months old. The papers Animal Control was given were obviously for another dog because they indicated "Sandy" was two-and-a-half years old. Yet the puppy I adopted didn't answer to Sandy. When we said "Kasey" she looked right at us. And that is how she got her name. She is Kasey Kay because my neighbor's youngest daughter is Casey (and their last name starts with C). That way, when I go outside to call my Kasey, Casey next door doesn't think I'm yelling at her!

I called the office of one of my specialists, informing them that I wanted to pay my balance and make an appointment. Their new computer system will not allow you to make an appointment if you have a balance and I knew this. I was transferred to billing and went straight into voice mail. The message says that they will not check the voice mail until 2pm and they will take up to 72 hours to return the call. It was only 9am, so the soonest they would get back to me was in five hours.

I hit the "0" for the operator and went back to scheduling. I explained that I needed to make an appointment as soon as possible because my stents were almost a year old. I asked her if she could take my credit card number so that I can schedule my appointment. She started going off on me about not being able to override the system and that I had to talk to billing because it has to go through their system. I couldn't believe someone was arguing with me over a bill I wanted to pay!

She kept going on and on so I just said, "Fine! I'll go to the office and pay it!" and I did! The office is about a mile from home and I've been going there for fifteen years. I know the front desk admin assistant very well. I told Shannon what happened and she shook her head and covered her eyes. She took my credit card, scanned it, called billing and told them to change my account status, and booked me an appointment for tomorrow! I was not expecting one that soon, but that is the kind of service I usually get from the office. Not to sound superior, but obviously the operator hasn't been around long, otherwise she'd know I'm a long-time patient.

After getting that issue handled, I went to my PCP's office. That office is less than a mile from the first, in the opposite direction from home. When I called there for an appointment, I was transferred to triage and received a message that my call would be returned within 24 hours.

First, I'm not sure why I was transferred to triage, but second, I waited a few hours without receiving a call before leaving the house. I've had a rash on my abdomen that sometimes flares up and have already seen a nurse for it. She didn't have the authority to do cultures or write prescriptions so she referred me back to my Primary.

When we arrived (Kasey was with me through all this, of course), I went to the desk and asked to make an appointment. I told them what was going on and that I'd already seen a nurse. I was informed that the probable reason I was transferred to triage was because I said "infection" and the operator thought I needed an appointment right away. I told them that I wasn't so pushy as to ask for an appointment today, or even tomorrow, but I would like to make one as soon as possible before the doctor is booked for the next several weeks.

They actually got me in to see the nurse practitioner (CRNP) then and there! Gail was very nice. She acted like we've met before, but I don't remember it. I felt so bad! She took a culture of the spot that was bothering me and wrote a prescription for a cream. She said she wanted to hold off on any antibiotics until she knew what type of bacteria it was and what it's sensitive to. That should be no more than four days. She also gave me a few suggestions of things to try in the meantime.

Sorry for ranting again, but WHY is it soooo hard to get people on the phone these days?! Sometimes I want voicemail in businesses to be outlawed! No one answers when their phone rings because they know voicemail will pick it up. What happened to good customer service and returning calls right away? Especially when you work for a doctor! Sick people can't wait 72 or even 24 hours! I'm not going to bother calling the offices anymore. I'm just gonna show up and attend to business that way. At least I don't get queued or brushed off! End of rant. Thank you for staying with me.

Because we were already in West Annapolis, I took Kasey to Woofs & Whiskers Pet Boutique on Annapolis Street. Terry wasn't there, but the mini freezer was full of doggie ice cream. They didn't have any tuna or salmon, but I bought a cup of cheeseburger and a cup of chunky chicken for Kasey to enjoy on her birthday. We were both done in by the heat so we headed home.

A couple hours later, after resting under the living room fan, I had enough energy to go out for the things Gail suggested. There was even time after running those errands to sit and stitch a bit longer.

We left for the Heirloom Stitchers' meeting around 5pm, stopping at Wendy's on the way. Kasey got a Jr Bacon Cheeseburger with no toppings. I should have gotten it with lettuce and tomato since she likes both of those, but I completely forgot. She thoroughly enjoyed it, nonetheless!

There were four of us at Heir-looms this month and we had a nice time catching up, stitch-ing, and sharing stories. I even did more work on Ocean Star!

By the time I got home I was utterly exhausted. I sent one last Facebook update and went to bed, at 10:15pm!!! It is almost unheard of, for me to go to sleep before midnight.

July 20, 2009 - Stitchin' Fever

I was elated to be able to stitch during my treat-ment today! I took my stitching bag just in case I could move my arm without shifting the needles. It worked! I did more work on the top and side borders then switched back to the small squares. Ocean Star is alot of fun to stitch even if it's taking longer to finish than I wanted it to.

July 16-17, 2009

Thursday

Today was the day Kasey and I headed home. I had an extra hour before Barnes & Noble stitching group so we stopped at Grandma's to spend some time with her. I cleaned off her storm door window while I was there. She had put some gel letters on it so the birds wouldn't fly into it and the sun melted them over the past several months. Talk about goo! UGH!

We made it back to Annap-olis just before 1pm and went straight to B & N to stitch. Several of us stayed late so I had three hours of stitching time. I was working on the borders of Ocean Star because I didn't feel like doing all the small areas inside the diamonds and squares yet. I'll get back to them, I promise!

When we finally arrived home I went straight to bed. I was completely exhausted and wound up sleeping until 7:30pm. Man, did I need that rest!

Friday

Another early day for me! I had to go to the college to meet with an academic advisor before the lobby filled up. Lucky for us, no one was waiting so Lisa ushered Kasey and I to her office. We talked about my goal for school, majoring in English. Because AACC doesn't have an English course of study, my major is Transfer Studies with a concentration in English. I have to take an additional twelve credits in English to meet the concentration requirements.

My first semester is going to be the two classes determined by the placement tests I took on Monday, Math 012-Intermediate Algebra, and English 121-Composition & Literature. The math class is four credits, but they don't count towards my degree.

I went to the Records & Registration desk next so that I could register for my classes. Unfortunately, the MWF math class I wanted was already full, all of them were. So then I asked about internet classes. The girl behind the counter shook her head "no." I got stuck with a four-day-a-week class that meets from noon to 12:50pm. M/Tu/Th/F. I thought to myself, "If that's all they have, what can I do?" I can't take any science or labs until I am elegible for the college math.

Next, we were sent to the Cashier which was just the next bank of windows in the Student Services Building lobby. The cashier, Jackie, was very nice. When I told her I was working with DoRS, she put a one-week hold on my classes to give DoRS time to send my paperwork over.

I headed back to Annapolis after getting the bill for my two classes. Any guess as to how much tuition and fees were? Try $692 for seven credits! I called my DoRS counselor from the truck to let her know what I was told. I didn't want to show up at my appointment on Thursday and say, "Oh! By the way, AACC needs my paperwork tomorrow!" That would go over like a lead balloon! I told Sue that I would drop off the bill because I was only about five minutes away.

When I arrived, she asked me if I filled out the form for a tuition waiver since I'm on SSDI. I just looked at her blankly. I'd forgotten all about that! She called Jackie at the Cashier office and Jackie extended the hold on my classes by another week, giving DoRS enough time to get my paperwork sent over. She also asked about the tuition waiver form. Jackie informed her it was on the school's website, so Sue printed it and gave it to me.

The waiver had to be signed and stamped by the Social Security Administration, so that is where our travels next took us. My ticket said that I had approximately 63 minutes to wait. Thank goodness I took my stitching bag! Kasey spread herself out on the nice slate-tiled floor and prompt-ly went to sleep. She's had a rough few days, remember? I pulled Ocean Star out and went to work to pass the time. This is my progress from today.

Warning: Rant Ahead

An hour and a half later (the wait is not what I'm ranting about) I handed the lady at the window my Medicare card, my driver's license, and the form. The Medicare ID number is my Social Security Number. Guess what she asks me for? So I tell her my SSN. Then she wants to know what I need. It's on the form. I tell her I need a signature stating that I get SSDI because of my own work record, which I do. She asks me if they need to know how much I get. There are four lines on the form to be filled out: Name, Title, Signature, Date. Does she bother even perusing the form? Hell no!

So I tell her, no, it's for college; they don't need to know how much my monthly benefit is. She fills in the four lines of the form and starts handing it back to me. I tell her they require a stamp with the office's address. She does that. Finally, I'm out of that place and back on the road to return to the college to give them the tuition waiver.

WHY can't people read things?! Anything, it seems! And if they do read it, they don't think about the meaning. I see this all the time: someone is going on vacation and they send an email to their Yahoo group saying they're going "no mail." That means they won't receive any group messages until they return and change their email settings. Do you know how many "have a great time!" "we'll miss you!" and other messages get sent to the group?! The person who went no mail can't see them, so why weren't they sent to their direct email address?! I get sooo frustrated with things like that, as they just add to the inundation of messages I receive each day.

So, please, Mr Joe Public, read and comprehend signs, correspondence, and any forms before you!

End of rant. Thank you for staying with me if you've made it this far.

I turned in the tuition waiver and Jackie was surprised to see me back so soon. She told me that she spoke with Sue at DoRS and my classes are now on a two-week hold. At least that's all settled!

Then I stopped by the Financial Aid counter which is also in the lobby. The lady there was very nice and explained that AACC determines all financial need for grants and institutional scholarships through the FASFA (Federal financial aid form). I already knew it was online so I told her I'd get it submitted tonight. She let me know, too, that it takes one to five weeks to fully process the form once it is submitted, but I would receive notice of any financial aid for which I qualify.

By that time Kasey and I were both wiped out and just wanted to get home and rest. I still had to go to dialysis, so my period of rest wasn't as long as hers. I spent my time in my recliner perusing the class schedule and started thinking about having to drive all the way to the college four days a week.

The more I contemplated the matter, the more I worried. That's sixteen trips back and forth to Arnold that I don't already make each month. Several things bothered me about it. First, gas money. I don't have enough to cover that. Second, that's almost every day. That's going to tire me out even worse than I already am and what if I'm sick for a few days? Third, the Fall Schedule indicates there are several one-day-a-week classes and some 13-week classes that meet fewer days at the campus. I knew I'd probably get more accomplished in person, so I'll be getting up early tomorrow to go back to AACC to see if I can get into a different section of the math class. Wish me luck!

Dialysis went off without a hitch and I returned home to chat with Debi online and look through the college's website. It's insulting, the number of typos, grammatical errors, and misused words I found in the study tips section! I will be notifying someone at the college!

I'm talking about things like "take a bread between study sessions." Quotes left "hanging. Outline topics marked A, B, D. Is C on vacation? Using "of" instead of "for." "There" instead of "their." OMG, I almost went through the roof when I saw that one! These are all things that should have been noticed; I saw them my first time reading it! I hope an English professor isn't the one who created the documents! If so, I'm either going to be a royal pain in the ass or the star student. I certainly hope it's the latter.

Yes, I know! Further proof of my compulsion for perfect grammar and spelling in everything I read! Why, oh why won't everyone cooperate?!

And yes, I did fill out my FASFA online. It is all submitted and being sent to the school. I laughed when I saw the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). ZERO! Unlike when Social Services determines your need for help, the FASFA does not include untaxed SSDI benefits. Therefore, my income was zero. I'll hear whether or not I receive any financial aid to use towards books and other necessities hopefully in the next couple weeks.

Books! I don't have to tell you parents of college-age students, but for everyone else: books are expensive! I have a math book and an online kit and four books and an e-book for English. Guess how much? $407.30 new and $258.30 used! I found four of my books on Amazon, new. I won't buy used books online because I can't see the markings, if any. The used books in the bookstore are markings-free.

I will be asking Sue at DoRS exactly how to go about getting my books and other needed supplies (graphing calculator, notebooks, pens, etc) before school starts. Unfortunately, neither of my professors lists any supplies. I have no idea about how they want notebooks organized, or if they don't care. I know some professors are huge fans of notebook tests/quizzes. I just like having everything ready and not waiting until the last minute. But the syllabuses (not misspelled-I checked!) aren't given to students until a week before classes start. That is aggravating!

July 13, 2009 - Test Day

Well, I did it! I woke up before noon! I was at the college between 10 and 11:00am. I went to the admissions office first and spoke briefly with the Admissions Advisor. Then he sent me to another building to take the English and Math placement tests. Kasey slept on the floor behind me while I completed the tests.

They give you the results while you wait, so I wasn't held in suspense. My English score was high enough to get me out of ENG 111 and ENG 112. I only have to take the highest English class AACC offers, ENG 121. Math, on the other hand, I need a refresher. I have to take the highest non-credit math course before I am allowed to enroll in college-level math. It's called MA 012, and I was told it's basically Algebra 2. That's not bad, considering I haven't had any math since the first semester of my Senior year of high school. That was almost 17 years ago! I was pretty happy with both results.

Dialysis went as usual and I came home to get my overnight bag, Kasey, and my laptop. We headed across the Bay Bridge without hitting any backups. Then when I got almost to the rest stop on 301N, I realized I couldn't find my cell phone. I pulled over at the rest stop to look through my purse, stitching bag, and overnight bag. No cell phone!

HOW am I supposed to live without that?! Especially since it's the only phone I have and I'm still waiting for the Disability Services office to call me with an appointment date and time. AKKK!

I thought about turning around to get it, but I couldn't see paying the bridge toll and making a 65-mile detour for a cell phone. I'll be home Wednesday morning, anyway.

I stopped by Joe & Susan's to give them Mom's house number because they only had the cell number, too. When Joe and I spoke yesterday he mentioned that he was going to be in DC all day and Sue had to be at the theatre but he wasn't sure how they were going to get her to the train. I volunteered to take her, because the train station was straight up I-95 in Wilmington.

Sue called me after I left dialysis and we agreed to leave at 9:30 Tuesday morning. She also asked me if I wouldn't mind trimming Shandi for her. Joe did it last winter and neither Sue nor I were pleased with the fact that he trimmed off her ears and all of her feathering, along with the over-growth of hair she develops because of being spayed. Instead of looking like a Saluki, people mistake Shandi for an Afghan Hound because she has a perfect red saddle with white cottony hair all over.

I raised Shandi until she was 5 1/2 years old and had clipped her down many times, so I told Sue it would be no problem.

I drove on to Mom's, arriving right around 9p.m. Mom was in the craft room ironing her new curtains, so I sat in the glider to keep her company. We watched some tv and talked for a while. When she was done, she went downstairs to go to bed and I broke out the laptop to update FaceBook. It was an early night for both of us because Mom had to work in the morning and I had to drive Sue to the train.

While I was waiting for my test results at AACC, I was able to do some stitching on Ocean Star. I decided that I wanted to do an easy part so I began working on the border.

July 11, 2009 - A Lazy Saturday

I did a little bit of stitching after midnight, finishing the triangle areas of the star. I think I'm going to start on the outer border and fill in the squares and diamonds last. I also might switch between the two so neither task becomes monotonous.

I gave myself permission to sleep in today rather than get up early and rush over to the college to meet with the advisor. They will be open until 8pm on Tuesday so I will have all day and all evening to get there. If I went today I'd still be a walking zombie.

I decided to try a new layout for Crossed Purposes. Dummy me didn't save my template before adding the new layout and everything in the sidebars got deleted. My heart went into my throat. As you can see, I've been working all day to restore everything. I hope you like what I've done. There are certainly more features to be added, including friends' blogs and freebie links, but I am still at work gathering all the information needed. I am also going to add a list of finishing tutorials. I have many of them saved in my bookmarks and will share with you the cream of the crop. Please let me know if there is anything else you'd like to see added.

I was in the mood for some quick snacks tonight and decided to make pickled eggs and beets. Debi was on the phone with me as I peeled four dozen eggs and cooked the beet juice and vinegar mixture. She had her phone on speaker so that she could stitch while she talked and Rachel enjoyed hearing our conversation, even adding her own comments, and giggles, occasionally. They both thought it was hilarious that Chet stands and meows at me whenever he hears a can opener meet a can. He expects to get fed every time. Now they know why we call him "Bug." He's good at it.

I layered the beets and eggs in a large plastic container that pretzels or some other snack came in. It has a nice wide neck so it's perfect for the job. I let the beet juice/vinegar/pickling spice concoction simmer away on the stove the entire time. I wizened up this time, too, placing the pickling spice in a coffee filter and tying it closed with the wire from a twist-tie. That way there aren't seeds and bay leaves floating freely in the liquid mixture. I could have fit another dozen eggs in the jug but I think I made enough for Uncle Wes to help himself and still leave me six to twelve during the next two months. We'll see, though! Wessy loves the way I make pickled eggs.

I also told Debi about my favorite way to prepare zucchini and yellow (crook-neck) squash. I slice 6-8 zucchini/squash with my mandolin slicer, cut bacon strips into two-inch pieces, and layer yellow squash and zucchini in a large pot. I spread half- to one pound of bacon on top, add 1-2 cups of water, and set on the stove to boil. Once it's reached a boil, I turn it down to simmer, put the lid on, and leave it for one to two hours. When the squash is translucent and the flavors have melded, I ladle out my bowl and put the rest in the fridge to enjoy later. After the grease congeals on top, I remove and throw it away. There is still plenty of flavor left in that pot! Whenever I want another bowl, I just ladle it out and pop it in the microwave for a wonderful warm treat.

If you haven't already, please sign up for one or more of my giveaways. Christmas in July and the Blogiversary Giveaways are open until the end of the month. I will announce the winners on August 1st.

Jackie, you asked why my giveaways were dated August 1. Newer posts are at the top of the page. I wanted the giveaways to be at the top for the entire time they're open, so that's why they're dated August 1. Posts with July dates will automatically appear below the giveaway posts. See, sometimes there's a method to my madness :-)

Also, I have no way of contacting you. You neglected to leave your email address and your name is not linked to a Blogger profile where I can find an address. Unless and until I have a way to contact you directly you are not entered in my giveaway. I don't mean to me hard-nosed, but I specifically asked for an email address to avoid this problem. I hope you see this and rectify the situation. My email address is in my Blogger profile.

July 10, 2009

So....College. Wow! I didn't think it would be possible. Now I'm determined to get my Bachelor's Degree. The biggest barrier, the Almighty Dollar, is no longer a consideration. Between the free tuition at any community college in the state (because I receive SSDI) and the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DoRS) picking up the tab for everything else, the cost concerns are gone.

Now it is a matter of applying, gathering records, taking placement tests, registering, and attending classes...all the while praying that I continue feeling as well as I do now.

My major? Probably English, as Journalism is not the path I wish to eventually take. I am leaning more towards Editing/Proofreading and possibly writing. I was a bookkeeper in my previous professional life so this new path is a complete change. It's what I really want though. I love writing, editing, proofreading, and taking pictures to go along with my writings. I do it almost every day. Now, someday, I could get paid for it!

I applied for an online job two nights ago. When I checked my email last night, I found a Mailer-Daemon in my spam folder. The email I'd written to the bookstore offering the job was returned to me. I verified that the email address I used was correct so I'm going to wait a couple days in case it actually did go through. The job was perfect - Online Book Club Assistant & Internet Research Associate. Definitely stuff that can be done from home! Too bad their website is plagiarized from another bookstore and their email address kicks back emails you send to them. Oh well. Now I'll start looking for something else.

I went to dialysis early today and Dr S was doing rounds. He was able to fill out my Disability Verification Form for AACC and to write the note to DoRS saying that it's recommended that I only attend college part-time. I originally hoped to be able to go to the college and meet with an academic advisor but there wasn't enough time. Instead I came home and cooked dinner.

I bought some tuna steaks last night and knew they wouldn't last long in the fridge so I decided to fix them tonight. Uncle Wes had a really long day at work and didn't feel like firing up the grill so I used my grill pan and cooked them on the stove top. I used a recipe from Giada deLaurentiis, sprinkling the steaks with salt and pepper, brushing with olive oil (I sprayed EVOO on the pan instead), and grilling them for two minutes on each side. I misread her ingredient list and my steaks weren't two inches thick like she called for. I thought it just called for thick-cut tuna steaks and mine were. If I'd realized beforehand, I would have only cooked my steaks for about a minute on each side. Since they were thinner, the middle wasn't rare, but almost medium.

I set the tuna steaks on a plate to rest for a few minutes and then cut them in half-inch slices across the grain of the meat. I juiced two of Lisa's lemons and drizzled the juice over the tuna and fixed some broccoli florets with cheese sauce to enjoy with it. Giada's recipe called to serve the tuna with Basil Pesto, but the lemon added the perfect flavor enhancement to the tuna. After eating my fill I even had enough left over for another meal.

I decided to fix another dinner around 11pm. This time, I took some Lemongrass Chicken Stix and Vegetable Bird's Nests out of the freezer. Both were very good, but the birds nests had extra phosphorus added, so I probably won't purchase them again. The chicken stix were delicious! I'll definitely be going back to Trader Joe's for more. The only problem with these "freezer foods" was that they're not microwaveable. They'd turn to mush. It's more a convenience issue than a problem, but you know what I mean. They're not a quick-fix snack, which is what I had in mind when I purchased them. That'll teach me to check the packaging next time!

They both came with instructions for baking in the oven and deep-frying. Since grease and I do not get along, I opted for the oven method. Luckily it was late at night and a little on the cool side, because that oven being at 450 degrees for fifteen minutes certainly can heat up a house. Add to that, the birds nests have to cook for 20 minutes at 350 degrees and it could get downright uncomfortable in the heat of the day.

In the time from one dinner to the next, I worked on Ocean Star a little. I was able to almost complete the star points between the center medallion and the diamonds and squares. Working on this piece is so soothing to me. Nancy Buhl's designs are a delight, as it's mostly repetitive stitching. I can't wait to do another!

July 9, 2009 - Loooong Day!

I knew it would be, but still...

Kasey and I left for Barnes & Noble at 12:45, stopping at my doctor's office along the way to get a referral for an appointment I have tomorrow morning. We arrived at B&N shortly after 1pm and stitched until 3:52. I made decent progress on Ocean Star despite chatting with a new member, Kathy, about online jobs, school, and networking. I'm so glad I was there today! Kathy is going to be a huge help in getting my resume, Visual CV, and job search kick-started.

I was supposed to be at DoRS at 4:00. I kept checking the time and somehow that last 40 minutes got away from me. I looked at my phone at 3:08 and the next thing I knew it was 3:52! Why does that always happen?

I made it across town in record time, but I was five minutes late for my appointment. Since Sue was 20 minutes late for our last one, I knew she wouldn't mind. She and I discussed my findings regarding the Medical Coding Certificate at AACC and when she heard how long it takes and the courses required, even she didn't want me going that route. She agreed it was too much medicalese.

I told her that my heart was still with proofreading/writing/editing and she checked my career assessment, her notes, and the DoRS rules and I now have the go-ahead to get my four-year degree! The community college doesn't offer a Journalism or English course of study, so I will have to create my own. After looking at the University of Maryland's course requirements for Journalism, that's not really the route I want to take, either. I'm pretty sure I'll wind up being an English major once I transfer to a four-year university. I don't want to be a reporter, I want to be a writer and or editor.

My next step is to apply to Anne Arundel Community College and meet with the Disability Services and Academic Advisors. I have to have an appointment for the DSS office, but Academic Advising is on a walk-in basis.

After my appointment with Sue, Kasey and I went home to wait for Sarah to call. Once she got home I went over to pick her up and we headed to our first stop. We went to Food Lion, Trader Joe's, and Shoppers Food. We got back to my house and brought all my groceries in. Sarah helped me by taking some of the meats down to the chest freezer in the basement. We left all the non-perishables in the kitchen while I took her home. Tyler helped unload all their groceries and I headed back home. It was 11:30 by the time I arrived back home. Then I had to finish putting all my groceries away.

Kasey helped though! When I stepped into the kitchen I found an empty bag. It had been 24 Martin's Party Rolls. She ate every single one. I let her live, but only because I had six more packages of them. I eat them for snacks all the time. Anna and Caleb love them, too. So I bought every one that Food Lion had. Sarah bought the one pack that Shoppers had because she had to try them after I told her how good they were.

July 6, 2009

Continuing in yesterday's vein, I worked right past midnight on Ocean Star, completing all the purple squares and diamonds before going to bed. For some reason repetitive stitching in needlepoint doesn't lose its interest for me like it does in cross stitch. Maybe it's because progress is seen much quicker in NP than in XS? Most NP stitches certainly cover more fabric than an X!

It was back to dialysis today. Since I played hooky on Friday I couldn't get out of going today. Well, not without a really good reason, anyway. "Because I don't wanna" isn't good enough, unfortunately. It'll work for one treatment, but no more. I didn't take anything to stitch, choosing to read instead. For some reason neither the book I read before going to sleep last night nor the Jane Feather book I read during today's treatment really kept my interest. Luckily I have several others from which to choose!

Once home, I did more work on Ocean Star. I wanted to see all the colors together so I did some of the fill-in in Watercolours' Moonglow as well. I'm very happy with my color choices. I think they combine for an overall pleasing-to-the-eye result. None overpowers the others and none blend unnoticeably into one another, either.

July 5, 2009 - Stitching

I had to put that theory to the test. Theory? You know, my big discovery:

Computer on = No stitching; Computer off = Stitching

I've proven my hypothesis! "How?" you ask?

With this...
I present to you proof positive that my theory is correct. This represents more than 24 hours of no computer and 11 hours of a 14-hour stitching marathon.

That was my Sunday. I stitched. No television. No DVR. Just stitching. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, too!

This is the Desert Star pattern by Nancy Buhl of From Nancy's Needle. I've finally settled on a name and I will call this Ocean Star, in deference to the obvious star pattern.

June 14-19, 2009

First off, I would like to apologize for taking so long to post an update. Apparently Blogger and Internet Explorer weren't getting along this week, as I was repeatedly told that IE couldn't open Crossed Purposes; hence, no updates. But it's working now, so here goes...

Sunday
I still didn't feel well so no stitching was done. I finally made myself eat real food but unfortunately it didn't help the situation any. This usually only lasts 3-4 days, so Monday night I should be okay. I spent the day watching movies on Turner Classics and reading emails.

Monday
Shortly after midnight I picked up LCKQ and continued with the fill-in of the Celtic band. I usually get bored with so much repetitive stitching but am not having any trouble with this project.

Tuesday
I went to Provinces library for the Heirloom Stitchers' meeting but Kathy Y and I were the only ones there. While Kathy did a little stitching, I did none at all. We had a nice chat for an hour and a half and then decided to head on home.

Sarah called me while I was driving and we decided to meet up at the Super WalMart. I bought Anna a pair of D-D-Dora (that's how she says it) tennis shoes for her to play in. She always wears Crocs whenever I see her and they just make me nervous on one so young as she.

Do you mind if I ask why the uncouth morons seem to congregate in WalMart stores? I had Kasey on one side of me, Anna holding my hand on the other as we walked into the pet supply aisle. Four adult women were in the aisle, squirting each other with dog shampoo bottles. Two of them came running right at us. I had to pull Kasey out of their way. Meanwhile, I shot a dagger-filled look at all of them. They had shampoo all over the floor, and of course Kasey couldn't help stepping in some of it. I was very worried that she'd slip.

I found a store employee and told him "four blonde women" squirted shampoo all over the floor so that someone could come clean it up. I was completely disgusted and I think that will be my last foray into Super WalMart. I guess manners aren't taught or adhered to in public anymore?

Wednesday
I woke up with a sore throat so I called my clinic and told them I'd be staying home. I felt better a couple hours later, but I still didn't feel like going to dialysis. Instead, I went to the post office to mail some trades and RAKs. I came home and the sight of the livingroom just depressed me. I couldn't handle the mess anymore. This is what it looked like as I got started cleaning the hearth in front of the fireplace. Here is the view from the hallway. I apologize for the spots on the one picture; I'm not sure what happened.



I'm embarrassed to show you but I'm also very proud of how much I accomplished in just one day. Of course I had to take breaks to rest and that weak muscle in my lower back gave out before I even finished moving things off the hearth, but I persevered!

By midnight I'd cleaned the majority of the room. All I had left was the area between the couch and my stitching chair in front of the door. I'm still working on that, and vacuuming the rest of the carpet. I'm hoping to cover the stains that my Saluki left with an area rug. I'll have to look around for a sale when I get paid next month, if I can fit that into my budget.

Thursday
I was awakened by a bad thunderstorm and a deluge of rain before 8:00am. I tried getting back to sleep for an hour and just couldn't so I came out and stitched for an hour and a half. By 10:30 I was exhausted again and went back to bed to sleep until my alarm woke me at 12:30.

As usual, it was the AnnapolisKnits stitch-in at Barnes & Noble in the afternoon. Kasey and I arrived shortly after 1:00pm and stayed with Judy and Linda until after 5:00. I completed the fill-in of the Celtic band on LCKQ this morning, as well as one side of the last purple border, so I went to work on completing the last two borders. Before I left I'd done the entire purple border and one side of the Abelone border.

I was determined to finish LCKQ that night and went home to keep stitching away. At 9:00pm, the wall of exhaustion slammed into me once again and I could not keep my eyes open. I told Debi, who I was IM'ing with, that I was going to take a nap and would be back "in a couple hours."

Friday
HA! That "couple hour" nap turned into five hours! I woke at 2am. Luckily Debi was still online. We resumed our chat and I started reading emails instead of stitching, but did finally pick it up around 3:30am. And then the frogs attacked LCKQ! There was an error in the Abelone border all the way at the first corner. I had to frog two of the three sides and then started re-stitching them.

I finally went back to sleep at 9:00am and woke up in time for dialysis. I still can't stitch during my treatments, so I read a book for an hour and then slept for the last two hours. Gloria woke me up shortly before 6pm to tell me that I was done and needed to hold my needle sites.

Carol B-C, Carol B (Knitter Carol), and I had arranged to meet at Border's tonight, so I went home to pick up Kasey and headed straight for the mall. Knitter Carol was already there, as she'd been doing some shopping earlier, but Carol B-C came in just after I sat down.

We stitched until around 8:30 and then went to the food court to get dinner. Since it was so loud that Kasey was nervous, we returned to the Borders cafe with our meals and ate in a much quieter environment. We picked up our stitching after all the food was gone and I put the last stitch into LCKQ five minutes before the store closed! Lavenderblue Celtic Knot Quilt is my 14th finish of 2009, the Year of the Sampler! I'm sure you could hear Carol B-C's "Wooo Hoo" where ever you were!

I took LCKQ off the stretcher bars and put a new canvas on them at home. I want to start Desert Star by From Nancy's Needle next.