A little quicky

Net cafes are really few and far between in NYC. Everywhere seems to have free wi-fi access, which is fabulous but pox all use when your laptop is on another continent. We were about to break out the Visa and buy some tech, when we found a rather overpriced place with one chair between us. Joy.

So given that last night was our first here, what did we do? We went to an Irish pub, and drank Guinness and whiskey. Hardcore, that's us! Today, I've mostly been cursing the fact that I brought my big huge warm coat, as the weather here is positively balmy. Wind chill doesn't seem to exist over here at all. That, or the sky scrapers do a fantastic job at negating it.

Natural history museum is 2 blocks from the hotel, so we partook of that today. I'm now afraid of taking off my shoes, in anticipation of how fricking much they're gonna swell.

Have located yarn stores and gaming stores. Reports to follow at some point :)

Updates a go go

I'm currently sitting at the keyboard of a net cafe computer, and having made a mental note to wash my hands with 15 gallons of soap when I leave, thought I'd give a quick update...

Christmas was great. We had dad home from Sunday til yesterday, and he's doing really well. I got mucho, mucho shiny-o, and generally had a lovely time. The visitors never really left, which was cool, though the early morning starts both sucked and blew.

Tomorrow I be leaving on a jet plane. OH is having slight panic attacks, but is coping well.

I hope to update from NYC, with lots of yarn pr0n.

Hope y'all had a great holiday, and have a good new year, wherever on the planet you may be!

It's beginning to look a lot like Xmas

Last night was our Dublin office party. Huzzah. Much sushi was consumed. Someone ate a huge lump of wasabi for a bet. And didn't cry. Naturally, this meant that my camera batteries were dead. Eventually, I will pull a finger out, I swear. Just not this week. Maybe I should get some of those new Duracell lithium batteries for my trip, and give up the idea that I'll actually go off and a) buy an adaptor and b)not only take it out of the packet, but use it.

The trip...oh yeaaaaahhhh!
This is my last day in the office this year. I am craving something deep fried and salty, so lunch will probably involve at least a cheeseburger (can I has cheezburger?) Overall, things are very, very busy, but rather lighthearted. I really like my colleagues. Working from home roxxors, but I do miss the office.

I'm leaving here at 4pm, or at least that's the plan. Jump on train, hopefully without my overfilled bags spilling their festive guts on the platform. Try to knit on train, and give up to have nap. Wake up in panic 20 minutes later, convinced that I've missed my stop and therefore my transfer.

....or something like that.

I have mittens on the needles, and My Booky Wook to keep me going at least. Since I arrived in Dublin yesterday, and won't see OH til Wednesday night, we had a mini celebration on Wednesday evening, and once more my "to be read" stack has hit body weight level. Wahoo! You'd think that this would mean I won't be buying any books for a while, but no. Barnes and Noble is one of the big points on our itinerary.

I am geek, hear me roar!

With all the fun, excitement and general pandemonium that goes along with the gorging-on-turkey, I won't be posting for a few days. I've also made the very sensible decision to actually chase up a net connection and check in online on Wednesday, so that I don't have to get up at 6am to go to the airport.

So happy winter festival of choice to everyone, and I'll see you on the other side!

The black hole of yarn

In the past two weeks, I've been rather quiet. This is directly related to my inability to cast anything off.

I mean, I've been knitting like a woman posessed, but am still not getting anywhere. You know those moments where you measure the length of an item, say, a sock, and you have 4 inches, and then having knit for about an hour, you remeasure, and still have 4 inches. Or 4.1 inches.

That's pretty much my month so far, in a nutshell.
My casting off like crazy mojo only lasted a week.

Argh.

I'm on sleeve two of the neverending cardigan. Once that's done and sewn on, I've to pick up stitches and add about 6 inches to the cuff as the pattern was horribly wrong.

Having finally decided on my Christmas knitting, I've had to tell the receipients that they won't be done til after I get back from NYC, as the most urgent project at the moment is knitting mittens so that we don't get frostbite as a souvenier.

Main problem with this is I have to start the wedding shawls as soon as I get home. The yarn is waiting for me, and I've decided on a pattern that's fast, effective, and will allow me to hopefully escape second shawl syndrome. It also doesn't take eleventybillion yards of yarn to make. I am not in the market for hundred dollar shawls right now.

Other than that, life marches on.

My dad should be allowed home for 2 days at Christmas, which would rock. My mother reckons we'll clear a 10lb turkey between us in that time, no problem. Even though my dad is on half portions, and I don't really like turkey. I'd swear she was a famine victim in a former life or something...

So, with two weeks to go, has FO panic kicked in for anyone else, or am I the only person throwing in the towel this early in the game?

You never know....I might get more done now that I've surrendered.