Randonymity

Dipping my toes in the dating pool again

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But how many times will I have to tell some stranger my life story
Which gets longer and longer and longer the longer I live on this earth?
And how many times will I pretend I’m fascinated by the ordinary
Details of the lives of the strangers that I’ve encountered on my search?
Christine Lavin, “Blind Dating Fun”

Back at the beginning of December, I had a little personals ad contest; many of you participated by writing very creative and amusing “ads” for me. I am positive that my life would be infinitely more… unusual if I actually used one of your ads. 😉

As I mentioned in that post, one of the wonderfully unexpected side effects of my October surgery has been how much happier and grounded I’ve been feeling – better than I have for two or three years, actually. For much of that time, dating just sounded like too much effort; by December, it was starting to sound like it might be kind of fun. (Really! Shocking, I know. I swear I was off the heavy duty painkillers by then, too!)

But… I don’t actually meet any dateable people in my regular life. I’m a knitter, so my free time is spent hanging out with groups of women (you’re my pals and you’re cute and all, but…). I’ve worked at the same small company for nearly 12 years (not that I recommend poaching coworkers! No! Do not want!). So… on to the online personals.

I’ve done the online dating thing a time or two in the past and I have a few interesting stories (as does Juno). For some reason that escapes me now, the first time I did the online personals, I went on 25 or 30 coffee dates in six weeks. Shall we pause to contemplate the utter insanity?! Christine Lavin could easily have written “Online Dating Fun” instead of “Blind Dating Fun.” Out of all that craziness, I went on two second dates, one third date, no fourth dates, and finally took a break from the whole venture.

Then I dated a friend of a friend (that classic method of meeting) for a year or so. But really, once you’re out of your mid-30s, your friends tend not to have a lot of single friends anymore… at least not ones they can, in good conscience, introduce you to. So, back to the online personals – but that also coincided with the beginning of the waning energy and enthusiasm mentioned above.

Which brings us back to the present. I’ve been giving the online personals another shot, albeit on a much more restrained basis this time around – I’m aiming for quality over quantity. Wish me luck!

“Have you cleared this plan with us?! We do not approve of you having any more distractions.” -Mayhem

Randonymity, See the Sights

What Minnesotans do to stave off cabin fever

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We fish. You won’t find me out ice fishing in this lifetime, but I might be tempted to check out the Art Shanty Project sometime… ETA: Annie wrote about the Art Shanty Project a few days ago – and there’s even a Knitting Shanty!

We drink. If you’ve ever wanted to sit outside in a bar made from 12,000 pounds of ice, check out the Ice Chamber at the Chambers Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. I think I’d be huddled by the fire pit the whole time!

We fest. The St. Paul Winter Carnival is over for another year, but you can still check out the pictures and contemplate what the Hot Dish Tent was like.

We raise money. For a shockingly different fundraiser, you could participate in the Polar Bear Plunge and support the Special Olympics – yup, you do have to jump into an icy lake.

We cross-country ski.

We skijor.

We fly kites.

We ice skate – both indoors and out.

We read.

We knit.

We hibernate…

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Mayhem

Contests, Those Cats

In which Mayhem gets very, very excited

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Wendy’s giving away a copy of Twelve Months of Knitting by Joanne Yordanou. Send her an email by 4 pm EST, February 7, to be included in the random drawing.

Is it usual for there to be hundreds and hundreds of people at a caucus?! Wow. I’m glad I had a book with me last night, because that was one slow line.

“Ohmigosh! Big kitty! It’s a bird! It’s a bird!” – Mayhem

“Mwmph! Mwmph! I got it, big kitty! No kitty food for us tonight!” – Mayhem

Tales of the Neighborhood

Pictures from the neighborhood

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Because really, what neighborhood is complete without a custom chopper shop?

I’m definitely stopping in here before bicycling season starts:

Care to speculate as to the message behind this one?

I’m not sure why Arby’s having wifi amuses me so much…

Head on over to the Uptown Mpls Blog for some completely spectacular pictures of Saturday’s luminary event on Lake of the Isles as part of the City of Lakes Loppet (a cross-country ski race, held annually in Minneapolis).

“Where do you get those pictures, Mom? I can’t see these things from the windows. Other than the evil vet and the hallway, nothing exists if we can’t see it from the windows. We still haven’t figured out why you go sit in the hallway for eight hours a day during the week…” – Chaos

Contests, Reading, Viewing

In which I ‘fess up to not spending all of Sunday in my PJs

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Sarah-Hope is celebrating her blogiversary by holding the First Annual What If Knits Save-the-Cats (and Other Animals) Blogiversary Raffle – by donating to any one of an assortment of animal rescue organizations by February 14, you’ll be entered in a prize raffle. First prize is a gorgeous Swallowtail Shawl!

Reading Update
My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon edited by P.N. Elrod. I didn’t enjoy this collection as much as My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding, but there is nice Harry Dresden story by Jim Butcher.
Long Hot Summoning (The Keeper’s Chronicles #3) by Tanya Huff. Much better than the second book, plus it has a completely fabulous fifth line on page 161.
The Book of Old Houses by Sarah Graves. The latest in the Home Repair is Homicide series, this book continues a thread started in the previous book (Trap Door). I’ve loved the rest of the series, but the last two books have only been “meh.”

Viewing Update
Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix. Whoa. Talk about breakneck speed – if you haven’t read/listened to the books, you won’t have any clue what’s going on!
Grosse Pointe Blank. Black comedy starring John Cusack as hitman Marty Blank, back in town for his high school reunion. I can’t believe I don’t already own the soundtrack for this one.
High Fidelity. What can I say? I was in a John Cusack mood this weekend. 🙂 Another good soundtrack, although very different than that of Grosse Pointe Blank.

‘Tis true, ’tis true… although I spent all day Saturday in my PJs, I actually got dressed and left the house on Super International Pajama Day! What can I say? It was sunny and warmer than it’s been and I just needed to get out and go for a walk. I did get back into PJs as soon as I got home.

“For shame, Mom! I spent all day in my pajamas. What, you’ve never heard of the cat’s pajamas?” – Mayhem

Alongs

Third Annual Bloggers’ (Silent) Poetry Reading for the Feast of St. Brigid

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Today is the Third Annual Bloggers’ (Silent) Poetry Reading for the Feast of St. Brigid. (Year One; Year Two)

A Smell of Cordwood
Pablo Neruda

Later, when stars
opened out to the cold,
I opened the door
Night:
on an ocean
of galloping hooves.

Then from the dark
of the house, like a hand,
that savage
aroma
of wood on the woodpile.

An odor
that lives
like a tree,
a visible odor.
As if cordwood pulsed like a tree.

Vesture
made visible

A visible
breaking of branches.

I turned back
to
the house
in the circle
of darkening
balsam.
Beyond,
a sparkle
of motes in the sky,
like lodestones.
But the wood-smell
took hold of
my heart,
like a hand and its fingers,
like jasmine,
like a memory cherished.

Not harrowing
pine-odor,
not that way,
not slashed
eucalyptus,
not like
the green
exhalation of arbors —
but
something more recondite,
a fragrance
that gives itself
once, and once
only,
among all things visible,
a world
or a house, a night
by the wintering water;
that awaited me there,
occult in the smell,
of the rose,
an earth-heart plucked out,
dominion
that struck like a wave,
a sundered
duration,
and was lost in my blood
when I opened the door
of the night.

Randonymity

Tails passing in the night

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Keep Jeanne in your thoughts – she’s had a very rough week. Goodbye, Bugsy – you will be missed. *sniff*

When I got home from work yesterday, I found two packages waiting for me! The first was a gorgeous mix cd and a postcard from MamaTulip, which was apparently carried here on foot from Canada, as far as we can tell. Thanks, MamaT – I’m enjoying the music muchly! The second was a ball of yarn that I begged off Jane when she hated how it was knitting up – thanks, Jane! Hopefully my larger feet will work to my advantage for a change and prevent the pooling that was driving Jane crazy. Jane also sent some toys for Chaos and Mayhem, which Mayhem is helpfully obscuring in the photo below.

“I’m always helpful, aren’t I, Mom?!” -Mayhem

*gagging sound offsides* -Chaos

Chaos was lured into a better mood with one of the toys, now dubbed “Bee Mouse.” (Chaos is indeed often called “Claw Boy” – how did you guess?!)

“It isn’t going to sting me, is it?” -Chaos

Apologies for yet another blurry photo in a week of blurry photos, but I couldn’t resist the expression on May’s face.

“With my chameleon-like ability to color coordinate my eyes with this toy, I’m going to lure it to its doom! Tee-hee!” -Mayhem

Alongs, Randonymity

Linkity linkity link

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Don’t forget that Saturday, February 2, is the Third Annual Bloggers’ (Silent) Poetry Reading for the Feast of St. Brigid. (Year One; Year Two)

Sock Madness 2 is just around the corner – you can already get updated buttons on the blog!

Lucy of the Free-From Blog has a great list of gluten-free knitters – go add yourself if you’re a gf knitter who isn’t on her list!

Nice article on Pet Connection about cats – my favorite quote is “‘Cats are not as domestic as you might think… They are probably allowing you to live with them, not the other way around.'” Hence Fraro’s brilliant description of we cat “owners” as “catstaff.”

Speaking of Fraro, she sent me this link yesterday – does it remind you of any particular kitty you know?! And then she sent me this link. Hee hee – that is exactly what Chaos and Mayhem would email or IM me while I’m at work.

And then, continuing the cat theme here, Eklectika sent me a link to an adorable tea set.

And then Lisa sent me an amusing link on how to make a “cat burglar joule thief.”

Oy – was I radiating “send me links!” vibes yesterday or what?!

I think I’ve done this one before, but hey, since I’m not reading the same book… Open the book you’re currently reading, turn to page 161, and copy the fifth sentence on the page:

“Beats the fuck out of me, but it’s not a squid.”

And there you have it. What? The book? You want to know what book? Oh. Ok – Long Hot Summoning (The Keeper’s Chronicles #3) by Tanya Huff.

“Cheesecake? Who you calling cheesecake?!” -Chaos

“Beefcake? Who you calling beefcake?!” -Chaos

Contests, Knitting

Examples of poorly composed photos

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Stop by and wish Carole a happy blogiversary! If you leave a comment on her blogiversary post by 8 pm EST, February 1, you could win brownies.

Kerry nicely summed up our local weather right now. We aren’t getting the blizzards that other parts of the state are getting, but the windchill is -41°F as I type this. As Kerry noted, when your home goes from the +41°F of Monday to this, it makes very startling booming noises as it contracts.

I’ve been working on another pair of Kristi’s Flatiron Socks from Great Adirondack Silky Sock (color Nightshades). Please ignore that furry bit wandering through my first photo. It wasn’t there when I started taking the shot… This sock was going better (as in I was turning the heel) before I took these photos and realized the sock is a bit too short for my foot – and now the sock is a bit shorter, waiting for me to reknit the foot back to the heel!

“What random furry bit?! That’s me! Hmph.” -Chaos

“I’ll random furry bit you!” -Chaos

“Hey, this is a new needle flavor, not the usual Addi flavor…” -Chaos

Contests, Randonymity

Look! Over there! Tummy!

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KathyMarie is having a contest to celebrate her birthday. Leave her a comment with your favorite birthday memory and you could win some prizes. Contest closes midnight CST, January 31.

Shelly’s fluffy black kitty Bailey recently celebrated his birthday, and Shelly’s having Bailey’s Birthday Challenge in his honor. Check out the details on her blog – you have until February 29 to complete the challenge.

Heh – really, Chaos and May shouldn’t complain… Kmkat’s poor black kitty Hannibal had to model eight different preemie hats in one modeling session!

Don’t forget that Super International Pajama Day is this Sunday! Celia’s provided some helpful tips for making your SIPD a success.

Many, many thanks to all of you who’ve nominated this blog as being excellent, or as one that makes your day!! 🙂

Last week, Chaos developed a very odd fixation. Yup, you’re seeing that right. He became fixated on the Nora Roberts novel Key of Light, which Jeanne had just returned. She swears she didn’t soak it in nip or cat pheromones…

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Mom. What book?” -Chaos

He spent two days lying on that book, holding that book, rubbing that book on his face… and all I got were these two lousy pictures. D’oh!

“Really, I don’t see a book. Have you been hitting the nip?” -Chaos

Can anyone spot Chaos’s bellybutton in the picture above?

Art journaling, reading, knitting, and cat parenting. It's a wild life.