How I Ended Up At This Desk

Another Corner of My Desk

Someone commented about how organized my desk was, well I must confess its not really.  I have a very large desk, and a very large portion of it is a complete disaster.  Here’s another shot of a corner of my desk.  I love my little drawers, I fill them with all sorts of things, spoons, splenda, salt, swiss army knife, markers, popcorn, rubber bands, band-aids, ‘lil guppy tool, and all sorts of other things.  It also makes a nice stand as you see fo rmy fan, my tea maker.  And of course then there’s another shot of the big red wax ball.  I can’t help it, it makes me laugh.

I’ve been thinking about work a lot lately, maybe because I’m at work a lot.  All of this made me think about the plethora of jobs I’ve held.  I’ll lay them out for you:

• Piano Teacher
• Office Cleaner and helped with some secretarial things at a cell phone sales company and plastics manufacturer (yes it was a combined office) on in 1990 which were those HUGE cell phones or bags.
• Subway Sandwich Maker for a grand 6 weeks.
• Sold Drugs and Drove a Vette……okay I worked at a pharmacy and drove a Chevette.
• Secretary for Parks and Recreation Dept of Independence, IA – the only secretarial job I’ve ever had that involved rollerskating.  We were also a rec center, fitness center, raquetball, and we had rollerskating and pizza party Fridays.  Also had lock-ins I would occassionally supervise.
• Newspaper Girl Friday…I did everything from man the front desk, help with circulation, prepare ads, and even got to work in the darkroom developing pictures.
• Hotel Clerk
• Conference Coordinator for an International Economic Organization (went to Montreal for a conference – it was fun)
• Customer Service Operator
• Receptionist at a Copier Sales and Service Company in Cedar Rapids, IA, it was a temp job, but then they found out I was moving to Peoria, so they transferred me to Peoria, IL office and made me the Office Manager….which now means at my current job whenever the copiers go down they come to me first to fix them.  But I don’t mind, I like fixing things.
• Sales Support for a Technology Company – meaning I prepared presentations, etc. for the Salesman and Vice-President I was assigned to.
• Insurance Company Secretary.
• School Photographer
• Secretary at a Secretarial Company in which we worked for a lot of different Sole Practioner Attorneys and other individuals who didn’t need full-time secretaries.
• Secretary/Office Manager for Family Attorney
• And that brings me to where I’m at now.

Wow, that is a lot of jobs.  But I was never fired, I always moved on myself – well with the exception of the Insurance Company, they came in one day and closed our entire office down.  I also moved a lot from the time I was 20-25.  My last two jobs have consumed 8 years of my life and will probably consume the grand majority of the rest of it. Its fun looking back on what we’ve done.

So what kind of jobs have you had?

Don't Worry the Cars Not Moving

Today is a fun day, its still a crazy busy day at work but I’m actually wearing a sweater I never thought I’d wear again.  In fact it was in a pile to mail to my niece as I couldn’t stand the thought of throwing it out since its one of my hand-knits.  But I grabbed it out of frustration this morning and low and behold it fits!  Sorry Sarah, I’m keeping this one afterall.

Basil and His Green Ball

I also woke up to an awful ringing in my ears.  Nick too.  Of course its just Basil obsessed with his green ball which has two metal bells in it.  Isn’t he adorable! 

As I was getting ready this morning, I made a mental list of all the things I must fix knitting wise.

1. My hooded sweater – the hood is falling off.
2. My green and black gloves, I have a stictch that is running.  I should do that soon.
3. My second sweater ever knit has a huge stain on it.  Its cream.  I think I’m going to dye it a drak purple and see if that works since I don’t have the heart to throw out a hand-knit.

As steeking time is approaching soon on my vest, I also hope this weekend, in the few precious moments I’m not at work, to pull my sewing machine out and set it up somewhere so that I’ll be able to steek my vest.  I also have a slight notion while I have it out to try and fix Ringbloomst with it. 

How to Entertain Oneself in Hectic Times

Yesterday, Wendy posted a picture of her desk at work.  And it made me think, why not.  Its where I spend what seems to be 90% of my life.  Why not share with all of you, how I entertain myself at work, when I’d rather be at home knitting. 

Corner of my Desk

Let me explain what you are seeing….

• My screen which I love as its huge, on the right of my screen a post-it to remind me to do something, and on the bottom left-hand corner an inspirational quote to motivate me to continue on weight loss.
• You’ll see my two huge cup of pens, including a sonic scredriver pen, several chicken pens, I even have a man weight-lifting pen, on a spool pen.  I really like funky pens.
• My bottle of Gloves in a Bottle.
• My green travel coffee mug.
• My wireless keyboard and mouse – in my book an essential.
• A picture of me thin, accompanied by my in-laws and my husband.  You can’t see in this picture but I have a picture of my sister and brother on the other wall.
• My funky parrot Tervis Tumbler.
• My black sharpie – a must have.
• And to the lower lef-thand corner of my screen you’ll see what looks like a red ball.  Its a huge ball of wax.  Here I’ll show you a close up of it.

Babybel Ball of Wax 4" Circumfrence

• Ball of Wax 4″ in CircumfranceYou may wonder why I have a huge ball of wax.  Well see everyday since I started trying to get healthy I’ve eaten a Babybel Light piece of cheese.  And you know how they each come individually wrapped in wax.  Well, I start gathering the wax together, soon it became a ball the size of a golf ball, then it grew and grew.  And now for entertainment I’m seeing how large I can make my grand ball of Babybel wax.

This week I have been able to steal a few moments away from work at lunch to knit.  We have an abandoned office, well an office no longer in use, that you now have to walk through a filing room to get to, so a group of us have taken it over for lunches.

 Those moments will be far and few between the next few weeks, but I hope this weekend I can make some good progress on the vest so I can at least finish it by the end of November.

Abner wishing it was the weekend

The dogs don’t like it when we are not home ontime, but they get used to it.  Eventually.

Water-logged

And we are all a bit water-logged, we’ve had over a foot of rain in October, which is just insane.  I don’t think the ground will dry out till next July.

Have a good weekend! Keep your pets safe.

Working with Children

As many of you know I work in a law office.  I’m a “fake” paralegal.  Fake because I was hired as a legal secretary and then was promoted internally to being a paralegal, but I do not have a degree.  I’m just decent at what I do.  A large portion of my job is coordinating people and briefing.  I basically manage the cases I’m assigned, make sure we follow the FEderal Rules and the Local Rules of each court, and make sure the work gets done and that we don’t miss any deadlines, as well as some more complex actual law type stuff. 

Right now we are in a major briefing crunch and trial prep crunch.  We have 3 appellate briefs due in the next 4 weeks.  We are also prepping for what at this time is to be a 4-week trial.  But the main focus is the briefs.  On one of the briefs I am coordinating between three attorneys.  Three attorneys that really don’t get along with one another.  Its kind of like corralling kindergartners on the playground.  Trying desperately for each one to be forgiving of the other’s weaknesses and faults and just get the job done.  The hard part is that this is when I need knitting the most, and this is when I have the last amount of time for knitting.

Plus then I’m fielding questions from other attorneys on the other briefing being done. 

Attorney “Where is the record on appeal?”

Me “Well since its all electronic filing, its basically the docket sheet.”

“ No its not, its the record.  See here’s this number. ”

“Yes, that is the docket number of the pleading in the District Court, which is from the docket sheet.”

 ”Well that is stupid, no one knows what that means.” 

“Um, I knew what it was.”

Mommy, I’ll come get them for you!

My evil dog, Django, is going to have to come and protect me, or otherwise I may need one of my other attorneys to defend me in a criminal proceeding.

But the vest is making good progress, although the next few weeks will not have as much done as the previous few weeks.  When I’m done, I’m going to knit my hat kit from the Inua Wool Shop.  I think its about time I had a hat for winter.

Its All In How You Look At It

No matter how we look at it, or how it seems, every day has the exact number of seconds, minutes, and hours as the next.  So why does it seem as some days pass quickly and others drag by and seem to take a much larger number of seconds to be done?  The days this past week seemed to go on forever.  Most likely though it was because I couldn’t wait for lunch to come so I could knit on the vest and the afternoons were trying as I couldn’t wait to go home and knit again.  I haven’t been this excited about a project in quite a while. 

Chart Two Nearly Complete

I’ve completed Chart Two and am now working on Chart 1 again through row 27, then I move to Chart 3.  Its going well, I’m working the decreases.  Silly me, I kept thinking of the decreases as the darts in Elizabeth which were in the body, these decreases are right on the edge so the decreases are no big deal at all.

I worked on this project quite a bit over the weekend, when I should have been cleaning, but I figured the cleaning would be there next weekend, and I’d really love to have the vest done and be wearing it sometime in November.

But then I can always come up with an excuse not to clean.  Sunday I did take a break though and finish putting in all my knitting books onto Ravelry.  I was extremely happy to see that they’ve added a ton of books to the Ravelry Library, and with only a few exceptions of my vintage booklets (say my 1952 Vogue magazine – although they had one of the issues from that year, just not the spring/summer).  Then I just love the fact you can search through your patterns to find something to knit, and search based on yarn weight, yardage, etc.  Its just simply amazing!

I knew I should have slept on the other couch

Abner made the mistake of snuggling with me on the couch while I was knitting the vest.  He soon found himself with the circular needle around his neck like a collar and posing.  I could never do this with Django.  Abner just puts up with way more shennanigans.

Your Honor, I Object

I object that I have to work when there is knitting to be done.  And not just any knitting fair isle knitting, which in my book is one of the best kinds of knitting.  According to the Black’s Law Dictionary, Employee Oppression includes making one work when there is knitting to be done.  Maybe I’ll see about filing a lawsuit with the EEOC.  I’m sure I’d win, I have the best argument in the world.  

Corrie Fair Isle Vest - Knit Picks

As I’m getting closer to the decrease portion of the body, my mind is beginning to wander and think about what to do the row after the decreases, how do you keep it in pattern.  Anyone have any suggestions?  I’m checking Ravelry for people who’ve knit it and also checking Knit Picks and see if they have any tutorials on it.  I’m also considering skipping the decreases, but I’m also making the largest size in Tall, so I’m a tad worried about running out of yarn!

In other legal news, I’m working up a draft Settlement Agreement between myself and Elizabeth.  I am confident in time, through the mediation process, we will come to an agreement we both can live with.  But until all the details are worked out, and due to the confidentiality agreement we entered into, that is about all I can say. 

Finally if you remember I shared a picture a few days ago of Abner and snow.  You will note his obvious high tolerance for the white stuff.  Here is a picture I uncovered of Django in the snow.

Not so Tolerant

 

He is obviously not so tolerant of the great white stuff.   This was the first winter we had him home, two years ago now.  I can’t believe he’s been in our lives that long, and yet it also doesn’t seem possible that he ever wasn’t there.  He looks so small and tiny, and quite unhappy.

He’s more tolerant of the snow now, but still not a huge fan of it.

Now back to figuring out a way to not have to go to work today, so I can stay home and knit.

New Project While Elizabeth is on Haitus.

Elizabeth has officially been put on timeout.  I finished the first sleeve, and then she went back into her backpack where she will stay until I decide whether or not I want to forge forth and attempt to fix the whole way to wide neckline issue. I think I will forge forth, but I need to let her age a bit.  I have found recently that many things are making me annoyed, irritated, moody.  So this weekend I took a complete haitus from the computer.  It was a good decision.  In fact, I think I may do that every weekend for a while.  I am forced to spend a lot of time in front of a computer during the week, but the weekends I need to breathe.

While Elizabeth is on haitus, I started the Knit Picks Corrie Fair Isle Vest.  I bought the kit a couple of months back and think now I might actually be able to fit into the largest size, so I started knitting it on SAturday, after I finished Elizabeth’s sleeve.  I’ll try and have a picture later this week.  Its going rather well.  This week I’m not going to walk at lunch, but instead spend my lunch hour dedicated to knitting.  I’m doing this for several reasons, 1) its rather dreary weather predicted this week, 2) between my morning aerobics and luncht-time walk I think I’m pushing my thigh muscle too hard and its aching nearly all the time. So I’m hoping a full 24 hours between work-outs will give it the needed time to recoop; 3) the lady I walk with at lunch is really driving me insane and since I have guilt issues it was easier to just say I’m not walking all this week in order to have a break; 4) I just don’t want to walk, and I really want to knit!

I need to deal with my way to easy guilt issues.  I shouldnt’ need a reason to knit at lunch.  Besides I’ve lost 43 pounds now, I need to start transitioning into a pace I can keep up for the long haul so I can still enjoy my life and not just focus on weight loss.

these two agree

Speaking of favorite projects, which we weren’t, but I was a few posts back, this was one of my all-time favorite projects.  Its a sweater I made for NIck and I love this outdoorsy L.L. Beanish type photo.

Aren’t my boys handsome.

Elizabeth is Making me MAD!

I’m not sure what it is, but somehow this knitting project is really ticking me off.  Let me break it down:

• The color is drab and dreary (or maybe its just the weather today – and the fact I dropped my favorite bag in a mud puddle)
• The further I knit, the more I know I’m going to have issues with the neckline. 
• The fact that my husband was right about the neckline, isn’t helping.  He told me, “its a gorgeous sweater, but the neckline is wrong for you, you don’t have wide enough shoulders.”
• I should have listened to him, and I have doubts I can come up with a fix that actually looks decent based on the flow of the sweater.
• The arms are too long. 

I have the first sleve nearly finished. I decided I’d continue knitting it, but then take a break and think about the rest of the sweater.  It’s just the more I knit on it, the more I’m convinced this is going to become another one of those projects I liked knitting, but hated the outcome and felt cheated in the end.  Like my disasterous Ringbloomst last year.

So I think it’ll go in timeout while I think, and maybe I’ll start the vest kit I got from Knit Picks.  Or maybe I’ll go back to working on the Log Cabin Afghan.  Or maybe I’ll work on my sister’s anniversary present.  I’m not sure.  I’m feeling overwhelmed with projects, I don’t have a whole lot of time to knit any more, and I need to work on something that doesn’t stress me out and make me mad.  I’m not sure what project that is at the moment.  I’ll figure it out over the weekend I suppose.

Let me share a beautiful picture of my Basil bird.  This definitely won’t stress me out.  With all the mosquitos on our property this last year, he was never allowed outside, so this is a couple years old.  But isn’t he beautiful in the crab-apple tree.  That tree is now dying as well.  Its not our tree, its on a piece of property owned by the farmer that works the land behind us.  So no one takes care of the tree as it should be.  I think next year, we may end up taking them down.  The farmer doesn’t want them there anyway.  He didn’t plant them our ex-neighbors did to beautify the space.  But now with them dying, it kind of defeats the purpose. 

Someone, or at some point, I signed up for a Knit-A-Long for  Norweigian Pattern on RAvelry.  I can’t remember signing up for it.  It doesn’t start till January, so I decided I’d go ahead with it, even though I’m just lousy at knit-a-longs.  But I could use an excuse to do some more colorwork.  Anyway, I’m debtaing between making another snowflake vest like I shared yesterday, if I have the yarn in stash, or a vest for my dad, that I bought all the yarn for about 4 years ago (when I made the snowflake sweater) and never knit.  I know I have the yarn for that, but if after I find the pattern and see if I have yarn in stash for the snowflake vest, I may revert to that.  As I’d love to have that vest for myself to wear.

Okay, I’m going to go and try to find something that won’t make me grumpier.

Favorite Projects

I don’t have any new knitting to show you, so I thought I’ share some of my favorite past projects this week.  Elizabeth is coming along, I’m working on the sleeve cap shaping for the first sleeve.  Once it is finished, I’ll knit the second sleeve before starting the second half of the body.  I’m more and more pesimistic about liking the neckline, and am thinking of some ways to alter it.  Hopefully this project hasn’t been a huge waste of time, as when its finished I’m starting a fair isle vest for myself.  I’m giving up on gift knitting for a while, because I want some new sweaters, and I’m being selfish.

• I knit this for my mom, but didn’t check my gauge, knit it too tight, and it didn’t fit.  But it fits my sister so she received it as a gift.  It was a fun knit.  And the more I think about the things I”ve enjoyed knitting the most its items with patterning.

  

  Snowflake Vest

• Hmmm, do we see a theme here.  My favorite mittens, are one of my favorite projects. I wear them all winter.  Love how they turned out.  Snowflake.  Black and White.  I’m detecting a pattern.

• 

  Baby Blanket.

  I loved how this blanket turned out with the different color embroidered flowers.  It was fun to knit and went pretty fast.  I knit a second one in pink with all white flowers, they were for a set of twin girls.  I’m told that now the girls are older they love to play with their blankets and make tents out of them.  But I liked this project for the aspect of the flowers.  Even though they were tedious to do, the end result was really cute.  

• Abner and Django have access to the bedroom today as it was storming when I left.  Django would not leave the bed. I tried and tried to get him to go to the kitchen, just to take his biscuit, nope he wans’t having it.  So he got his biscuit in bed.  Spoiled rotten dog.  Abner doesn’t mind the elements   Abner, on the otherhand, as you can tell by this picture, doesn’t mind the elements.  Although there was so much thunder this morning, he wasn’t completely thrilled either.

10 Things That Make Me Happy

1. My pets (that goes without saying)
2. Knitting
3. Fall and Winter
4. Wool Socks
5. Sheep, Musk Ox, Goats, Bunnies – anything that produces fiber
6. Nick
7. Thunderstorms
8. Sweaters
9. Snow
10. Biking

These are in no particular order.  Now, what makes you happy?

At Least Now I Know

Well the CT Scan showed a cyst on my ovary.  That mean the thing we started out two years ago assuming it was, was it after all.  Now I have to go follow-up with my Ob/GYN after she reviews the CT.  They are supposed to get back to me today.  At least I don’t have to go through any more gastrointestinal tests. 

Abner 7 Weeks Sleeping with a Toy

And for fun, how about some baby pet pictures.  I feel so bad I don’t have baby pictures of Django. 

Baby Basil Clutch

And for real fun, how about a ugly baby bird picture.  If memory serves correctly, Basil is the 2nd from the right in the back row.

I’ve been working on the first sleeve for Elizabeth.  I have a feeling this sweater won’t be done until probably January.  BUt I’ll still have a few months to wear it. 

Now its waiting and seeing what is done, if anything, with this cyst.  I hope they don’t want to just wait and see though, after 2 years I’m really sick of pain.  Its not constant, and it has lessened over the last year, but I’m really sick of it!

Okay enough whining.  Must get back to more important things, like Elizabeth.