What else ya got?

*****Warning! Rockin' Sock Club shipment spoilage below!*****

This could have been a very bad day; it certainly started out that way. First, I have to backtrack a little. You see, last night we had some severe storms pass through Western Pennsylvania. The lights flickered a little bit last night (I was blogging wirelessly, for those wondering), but by the time I went to bed the worst of the weather had passed through. When I woke up this morning, shortly before 6, the power was still on and my alarm still worked. Everything looked relatively calm outside. I hopped in the shower, got dressed, and dried my hair. Then, as I was wrapping the power cord around the hairdryer, the lights flickered again -- and then went out all together. I waited a few minutes, hoping the power would come back on, but no luck. Okay, I thought, I can drive in early to work and get some coffee there since I couldn't turn my coffee maker on. And that's when it hit me: With no power, the garage door opener wouldn't work and I couldn't get my car out of the garage.

My long-suffering fiance to the rescue! About a month ago I woke him up at 2 in the morning when some piece of machinery (a battery power backup, I learned later) started beeping and wouldn't stop. Today, I woke him up before his alarm did for help with the garage door and then proceeded to yell at him that it wasn't going to work and I didn't know what I was doing (I wasn't mad at him, I was just nervous and hadn't yet had my caffeine!). Fortunately I was able to get the door open and my car out and everything was okay, despite a complete lack of power anywhere in the neighborhood.

I got to work really early. So early that I had to swipe my ID card to get in the building and up the elevator to my floor. So early that the deli down the street where I first attempted to get coffee and breakfast wasn't open yet. So early that, when I stepped off the elevator on my office floor, I set off the motion sensor to turn the hallway lights on.

Fortunately, everything turned out fine. I called home several times to see if the answering machine would pick up (meaning the power was back on) and by 9:30 everything seemed to be back to normal. Still, the whole anxiety of the morning and the not getting sufficient caffeine intake when I'm used to it really messed up my routine and had me feeling sort of off all day.

Lucky me -- I had knit night to look forward to! Nearly all of my regular knitting buddies showed up (although we were missing Donna and Betsy). Amanda was there to collect her winning yarn and, since she's been unsuccessfully trying to convince us to do a knitty camping trip, brought this little guy to share:

The best part? It's actually a music box that plays "Light My Fire." Hilarious.

After last month's surprising no-show, we weren't sure if we'd see our regular 40-drinking graphic novel lover. He didn't make an appearance at his usual time, so we assumed he wasn't coming and started making up stories to explain his absence. J even called in at about 8:45 to see if he was there yet! And then, just as we were all talking about him rather loudly, who do you think walked in?

(My camera apparently thought I was trying to nonchalantly take a photo of Yvonne's glasses.) We knew he was a regular there, but we had no idea just how regular he was; when he walked in, he was greeted by name by the woman working at the cafe counter. Yes folks, that's right, 40 Guy now has a name: Calvin. Does this guy look like a Calvin to you? Nah, me either.

The other ladies did a lot to make this day better, what with their knitting gossip and yarn petting (and sniffing) and goofy making up of stuff. A special thanks goes out to Yvonne, who presented me with a pair of 16" US 2 Addi Turbo circs. She'd tried them for socks but found herself to be much more of a fan of magic loop; knowing how much I loves my two circ method, she thought I'd get good use out of them. Thanks so much, Yvonne!

What else made my day a good one, in the end? When I opened up the mailbox, there was a very thick envelope inside. I knew immediately what it was, and I was not disappointed:




This colorway is called Firebird. It reminds me a little of the yarn I used for my Hederas, but with a few more colors and much more depth. I love it.