ZAP

That might have been the sound my television made at 2AM on thursday before it died a not-so-glorious death. I'm not exactly sure because I was too busy huddled on the floor in the center of my living room with a frightened infant and a cowering dog trying to climb into my lap at the same time. We had a freak lightning storm that night, which knocked out the power at our house, and filled it instead with creepy flashes of light.

At that moment it occured to me that "The Nightmare Before Christmas" type of halloween decorations we had picked up at HomeGoods were not the best choice.


Things I enjoyed during a weekend of no TV:
Depending on the good ol' radio for ambient noise
Staying up late for stimulating conversation rather than late night comedy
Facing the other people in the room with you, rather than straight ahead at the tube


I'm also brainstorming a little knitting project-nothing has quite grabbed me yet for my next project, so I'm going to play with some gorgeous sportweight from Foxfire in "Russian Sage." The idea forming in my mind is some kind of fitted croppy vesty thingie. We'll see how it turns out. The handpaint is just beautiful, and feel fantastic to knit with. How spoiled I am!


I also whipped up a toddler hat for the winter in Blue Sky cotton. There's just one problem; I can't get him to leave it on his head. Not even long enough to nab a photograph!

Color me happy. Would you like to know why? The Christmas cabled sweater is done-but guessing by the size of its recipient, I had better start calling it the Thanksgiving cabled sweater.


So tonight I've been thinking about things-happy thoughts really. Mostly. Because other than almost always having an immediate family member situated in a COMBAT ZONE, I'm pretty fortunate. Life is good. I love my life, my husband, my silly child. I have amazing family and friends. My job kicks ass. My mother and father have an unending supply of 'moo' for us. Heehee. In general, health, no wealth, but plenty of blessings. Yet, I know a few people who have similar lives who consider themselves not so lucky. It just amazes me, but even worse, pisses me the hell off. So I'm going to blow off some steam today. I mean, honestly, the nearest men in my life have gone to war, lived in intolerable heat and other conditions, worked the most challenging hours, and lived over A YEAR away from the ones they loved, and I don't EVER remember hearing them complain as much as some of the spoiled, self-absorbed people I talk to day-to-day.

Okay, I just deleted about four paragraphs worth of venting-believe me. The point is-well there is no point. Just thank God for what you do have. If you are sick or suffering, my heart goes out to you. But if you have health and someone who loves you, just thank your lucky stars. I have worked for people in worse situations. And even though I'm working in a new area entirely, I can't stop thinking about those people I used to work for. Just can't shake it. Then to hear able-bodied people complain about fatigue and sound generally miserable. Well, I guess tonight is my 'just deal with it' post. Does anyone else ever get irked like this?