Facing down the test anxiety demon

A couple of months ago I began training for A+ certification to be a computer tech, I have two months to go so here I am with a head full of stuff and trouble getting it on paper to prove it, because my old demon "test anxiety" has come to roost for a bit.

So to coin a phrase "I'm not as young as I once was", that being said, I am not ready for the scrap heap, and to quote again, "If you don't use it you loose it." 

Life is about learning and growing from the day we are born until the day we die, and this is inevitable as taxes and relatives. If we reflect on life, we live it well; when we are true in our commitment to our brain, we continue to quench our thirst for knowledge and by doing so exercise and work our brain.

I have regrouped the tools and started the music therapy, self hypnosis and found an awesome study buddy on one of my friends who is committed to getting me through this. A doctor suggested a medication, but it is also a heart med I would rather not take if I can avoid it. So to summarize, I have picked up the boot straps on the study skills, I am making sure I get the needed proteins and brain foods, have begun music therapy and self hypnosis and just found and started to study with my newly found tutor. Luck has nothing to do with, I will be victorious in the end, or know the reason why.

It has been cool to go into places and know about the things I am looking at and being able to talk the talk of a tech. Yeah me! I can talk about it, my instructor knows I know it but we have to make sure I can get the proof on paper, there are thing we are trying on the test end as well.

My new online friend for information to pass this course is Professor Messer, in his A+ videos, great for helping to permeate the information I have and to review it whenever I want.

My knitting is suffering, but, it was a planned victim of collateral damage that I will get back into a little more after I pass the class. My little fur people; Sadie and Abella, are part of the collateral damage, it appears they are getting ready for couch sessions and doggy Prozac because I am gone so much, Sadie about glued herself to me literally this morning, DH had to hold on to her so I could get out the door, I felt so bad for her,
 I was meeting a class mate to study.

Poor DH is handling being a knitting and A+ widow well, he is such a great guy. His mom did well raising him.

I bought myself a net-book for my birthday back in September, and had a lot of freeze up troubles with it. I was able to find and resolve the issues on my own and it is working quite well and comes in handy for class. I am just loving fixing my own stuff. disassembling things to see how they work in class, replacing parts, networking computers, partitioning drives, and killing viruses. Life is good!

I completed the pair of socks for my Niece Tia in the Tonks colorway as well as a pink lace shrug, she loved both. I did not have time to get pictures of her in them so I am going to ask her to take some and email or send to my phone.

I now have a droid phone that I am having so much fun with and upgraded my Sprint wireless card to a hub so we can be on the net book and the computer at the same time.

I am totally loving my Addie click set, I have sweaters on needles like crazy that I do not have time for and I am not only a yarn geek/snob, I am becoming a computer geek as well. Life is good!

Ok, now for a commentary. Mylee Cyrus  is not my cup of tea, I am not going to speak to her talent or lack there of, but I will say this: She is not the only one who does this and she is a product of the industry in it's true form, as she struts half naked on stage, playing to a crowd of children and adults, gesturing and gyrating her body inappropriately for the young audience. Why are parents NOT taking action and speaking when their children are being sexualized in this manner?, why are they taking their children to these concerts?. It's not ok, and because its the trend or fad, it does NOT make it ok! Mylee turns 17 in November, I have to say her parents are not concerned with the image she displays, and I shake my head in wonderment at how people can be amazed that we have so many sexual predators going after children. I am not by any means blaming victims, I am saying that our society needs to take a harder look at its self and realize there is culpability on both sides of the fence and get on the ball so innocent children are better protected. AT some point there will be another law suit and it will go after a part of the industry that churns out this soft core pornography for children.

I recently had the pleasure of being in a conversation with a very astute and intelligent 9 year old girl. The topic was music and she stated she did not like pop, or mainstream, that it was disgusting and quite frankly said, and I quote "Grandma, there are pockets of resistance". KUDOS to her parents!

Brain numb

I have been back in class, this one is A+ Certification. Great class, love it; makes my brain hurt and go numb. Those trade off's in life again I guess.
I have finished a second pair of felted flip flops for my cousin Stazia, she just loved them to no end. Still working on the cotton bamboo tee and started my friend Lisa'a socks from the book we are both in called "Think Outside the Socks". We are both far too excited about seing ourselves in print. We were both sent two free books when our sock were returned and I purchased an extra copy as I had designated one for Jenny who gave me the confidence to create the sock and wanted my sister Heidi, who is a new knitter to have one as well.
Heidi has been knitting for about a year, she tries to fit it in to her busy life and recently talked about knitting socks. I am excited about this, but I think my fair Isle sock will not be on her list of to do's any time soon, Lisa's could be, but I think plain may be best with all the chaos in her life, job, DH, all those kids (I swear there are a million.)
I have a lovely purplish sock yarn from Knitosophy and the socks are looking very lovely. Great pattern Lisa!
I finished my class internet project early and thought I would take the time to make a quick Blog entry before lunch. Thank you for joining me.

Happy Stitches to you!

Recorded Reality V.S. What she Says

First of all I would like to say that, I am at bind off for the bottom of my mohair top down sweater, I will then need to pick up and knit sleeves and front edges. Yeah! getting closer.

We all may know about the rally for Michelle Bachman this past week here in the cities. Makes me shake my head, two points: constitutional rights and religion. 

I don't honestly know whether to laugh or cry. First of all, Michell was saying she wants to bring us back to a constitutional base, we have gotten away from the constitution and our rights here in America.  I do not necessarily take issue with that statement, what I take issue with is what seems in  my opinion to be a faux effort toward atonement by the republican party. Shortly after 911 is when the BUSH administration was trying to pass legislation to restrict and take a lot of our rights away here in America and for the record this is not the first time the Republican party has made an effort to do so and push us into a militaristic fascist regime. Yeah, I said it and I meant it, you may not find it in the history books because inconvenient truths are kept hidden, but if you are wise, intelligent and resourceful, you can find the information in the Library of Congress, the documents exist, check your local library.

Michelle was the one that latched on to Bush's hand like some overwhelmed groupie after a press conference. Now you want to protect our rights? Really Michelle, do you think everyone is that forgetful?

Let us not forget the lovely Mrs. Palin, one of the original"Mavericks" from our last presidential election, who's ex-running mate McCain who now denies he ever said he was a Maverick, wow, are perhaps on the fringe of the Republican party re-inventing themselves. Is this more of the lets do it and deny it later crap we have seen in politicians all along? probably. The records show and do prove on and off capital hill, just where the true heart of Republicans is and it is and has been for decades with big business, money and corporations. Now I ask, what do those people really have to do with HONEST Christianity? Except to espouse it and not follow it, like the holiday Christians that go to church one the big holidays. And where is the adorable baby Palin carted around during the campaign season. Remember she said she would be a voice in the white house for special needs? Is he no longer convenient? Guess that is something she would not do after the campaign, except to say oh, don't use that word, its derogatory. Certainly by now, with all of her celebrity status she has achieved she could have accomplished more than that by now; and how is all htat abstinence stuff going for the Christians?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rob-asghar/bristol-palin-and-the-tro_b_510658.html
Just someone else's opinion on abstinence. 
I see so many things out there saying how our new president is Americas biggest "#%@%" mistake, well, sans the expletives, the Bushes were a very low point for morality in this country and the biggest step forward for chances at fascism and moral decline in how we treat each other. Just saying and wondering, how does that equate him to being the moral selection? There is so much out there and it is sad that in our society educated people want information handed to them without research on their own part, please make the time, and who knows how much change could be enacted if we all educated OURSELVES with the FACTS better!
Yes, I am mostly Democrat, from a long line of Democrats, but when I jump party lines, it is an educated jump, and maybe once when I was naive and wanted to believe did I vote Republican; otherwise it was independent.
On the news a woman was talking about the Rally with Palin and Bachman saying that Michelle B. needs to remember that Palin was basically the right religious choice and Minnesota needed more God help. 
Since when, is someone who has blatantly lied in public, not as; pure as her religion espouses and cant seem to keep her own family order, a choice on GOD?? Would the real God stand up so we can please meet the great omnipresence? I have a great faith and belief of God and all that this entails.
First of all we have a constitutional separation between church and state in this country! Michelle B. needs to remember and protect that right! This does NOT exclude God from the white house, the Republican party DOES NOT have the market cornered on being God fearing an religious, other presidents believe in God and go to church too. Abortion is the biggest red herring of our time in politics, pulling people attention away from some extremely important issues, oh look something shiny. Does our whole country need ADD meds? I have to wonder. 
Before I forget, anyone can pray in our public schools. Yes, it is true, make your intentions or your group's intentions know and they have to provide you with a space as long as you do not disrupt school. That is how the other religions get away with it.
Let us stop covering up and showing a change, not just talking about it, oh wait, think of all the money and power cliches and then think of the Republican party. Hmm... 
Yes, there may be some good ones out there, I just need to meet them, but as long as they work for the aristocracy of this country, they will not get my vote.


Need to work a bind off, so..
I love my Addi Clicks set!!! best investment I have made in knitting.


Happy Stitches

Flavor of the day

Having just returned from a visit to Mankato, I again seem to be ill, chest congestion, I think it is the environmental changes of air etc. I am also getting better and decided it was a vegetarian chili day.

2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 small or medium onion chopped fine

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. parsley

1/2 tsp herbs de province

1/4 tsp. tumeric

1/2 tbs. seasoned salt

4 C. water

Bring above ingredients to a boil

Add 3/4 cups rice.

2 C. pinto beans or beans of choice hydrated

Boil for two min. and turn to simmer until rice is cooked.

may not sound like much, but tastes very good.

I have been finishing project, talking about them but not posting them, so here are some of my finished objects. along with dog pictures, I apparently have not taken pictures of my Narvik sweater.

These are the felted flip flops I made my niece.

A few pictures of Abella, here she is in a basket.

Here is Abella

in a vase with my Red

cable sweater in progress beside her.

My finished Red cable sweater

Sadie and Abella at Heidi's with a sippie cup.

 The Dolls House in Owatonna.

Happy Stitches

seeing lookalikes

When I was in my late teens and walking all over town, I would sometimes see someone who would begin calling me by the wrong name until they got close enough to see I was not who they thought. We have all seen someone who looks like someone else we know, sometimes the resemblance is uncanny and/or eerie. Today I had one of those experiences, I saw a man, who not only resembled my father in looks, bit stature as well, he was wearing clothes like dad did with those brown eyes. My nephew agreed he said he almost called him grandpa, the problem is I think we made the poor man uncomfortable because of how we were looking at him.We spent most of the day at the dog park, the morning wa quiet, but the afternoon was full of people and dogs my nephews and the dogs loved it, Bella was not as out going as usual, a bit intimidated by all the really big dogs.
It got a bit warm in the sun this afternoon, so of course the dogs had to get their clothes off, it is very odd to see them naked, I think they were a bit taken aback by being without clothes in public, but when the pack started to run Sadie was in heaven and happy as could be. Ah, to be free, running with the pack, ears flapping in the wind as you run, I think she was smiling.
I finished my red cable sweater and I am working on a mohair cardigan, it is top down and I am past the sleeves, working down the sides.
It was a good day and we will be out and about tomorrow having fun.

Happy stitches to all.

skype

Ok, so now I have discovered Skype. One of my cousins uses it and she does not have a camera, so you can use Skype without it.

A lot of people I guess use it for international computer to computer calls, it will cost if you call phones but it does work that way. I just downloaded the program last night and began talking to my cousin, it was kind of cool, talking and using the computer at the same time.

If I get brave I can make a video blog post, but I don't really like my pictures. Don't know that anyone needs to watch my goofy face in motion, but it is a thought.

I have one flip flop ready to felt, just have to make the thong on the second one. My cousin put in a request for a pair for herself, she is making necklace dog collars for the girls. I use harnesses to walk them so the collars are just to hold tags, and now they will be pretty.

Sadie, Bella and I had a nice visit yesterday, it was a long day, but fun. we talked, the birds seemed happy to see us and Greta even decided that one of the dog treats was for her.

I am taking red yarn skeins for my sweater to Jenny tonight for winding, she is such a good friend to do this as the flying fibers from winding cause me to have a reaction.

I want to finish the slippers today and felt tomorrow, I am taking them to show people tonight.

Hope everyone is having a good day. Keep your sticks clicking!

Happy Stitches

A cat reincarnated as a dog?

Last Summer out cat Monika passed away, she was a cleaver and resourceful little dilute calico that liked to steal socks and make herself little nests to sleep in. At one point in time I was befuddled at how few socks I had and could not figure out where they were going; even losing them to the dryer in mass quantities did not make sense. One morning I awoke to a strange scratching sound, I opened my eyes to see Monika laying on top of the dresser pulling the sock drawer open with her little claws, she hooked a pair of socks, got it in her teeth and took off with me in hot pursuit of the sock thief, I found her nest and regained my socks.

I have not thought of that in a long time, until today. Last night I took my socks off in front of the bed, this morning I see Bella grab a sock in her mouth, I told her to stop but she ran faster, nosing the door to her kennel open to get inside with the sock. I grabbed my sock, she followed me out of the bathroom and when I turned to look at her she ran back in the kennel, I had to laugh.

Is my new puppy a reincarnation of the cat? maybe just the same soul group. Who knows but, apparently she likes socks and cares little if they are not clean.

Lesson: do not leave dirty socks by the bed, the dog will take them.

In knitting news I am several inches in to my second red cable sleeve, I am working on soul number two of the flip flop slippers and I have my Pattern works order so I can make little socks for the two sock blocker key chains I ordered. There is no further progress on the top down sweater and I will need more yarn wound for the red cable sweater. 

Bella is on the desk whining at me, I need to keep her from attacking Sadie and using her as a chew toy, because she possibly injured Sadie's ear, the vet and I are not sure; time to go play with the dogs.

Happy Stitches