Annie's Blog

DH left this evening to go back to Las Vegas. Hard to have him leave again, especially since I’m not sure when we’ll get to visit again. It’s expensive for the kids and I to fly out there, and difficult for him to get away for more than a day or so from the new job. But we’ll survive.

And the good news is that someone is coming to look at the house on Wednesday morning. My wonderful cleaning crew comes back tomorrow afternoon, and then the Louisville area SBSTT (stitch, bitch, show, tell & teach) group comes over for Viki’s birthday tomorrow night, which (hopefully) will leave lots of positive energy in the house and make someone want to buy it.

I am a strong person. I know that. I know that I can do and handle a lot–maybe even more than most people. But being separated from DH is hard–on me and the kids. I hope the house sells quickly. Tomorrow will be one week since I signed the contract with the agent, so it’s really too soon to tell. I’m a little disappointed that he doesn’t have the picture up on the MLS listings yet, but I guess things take time. I have some good pictures of the front of the house, so maybe I’ll e-mail a few “just in case.”

I keep thinking that I’m going to pick up my knitting and relax a little, but the truth is that my mind is going a million miles an hour, thinking and planning…and wondering what it will be like to live closer to the left coast. It’s funny, but in all the lists and rings that I’m on, I’ve yet to find a single person from southern Nevada…everyone seems to know someone there, though, so I’ve got some good contacts. And Ruth Schooley sent me the name of the person who runs a big knit shop about 8 miles west of downtown Las Vegas, so I know there’s knitting civilization there. That’s a huge relief, that’s for sure.

I’m a little down, too, because moving will end this phase of my life and start a new one. Not that I’m afraid of something new, just that my time here in Louisville has been…well, fantastic. Grad school, first real jobs, meeting and marrying Eric, buying a first house and then a second, having children…all those things happened here. And there are so many dear friends I’ll have to leave to long distance. That part is going to be hard as well. Real adult friends are a treasure–I have been blessed here, that’s for sure.

But hey–I also get to look forward to unpacking my stash once we get there, and who knows what treasures I’ll uncover? And who knows what will go missing, necessitating shopping trips and online acquisitions…

Time to go rip the contacts from my eyeballs, put my jammies on, plug in my heating pad and crawl under the covers with the chihuahua. I know she, for one, is definitely going to love baking her bones in the clear Nevada sunshine. Sigh. It was nice to have DH breathing next to me in the bed this weekend. Sometimes all you need is just to know that someone else is there.

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high- a nd/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you? I’m not really a snob. I do prefer natural fibers (or at least blends with some natural fibers), but I’m also a sucker for Eros and Glitz. I don’t, however, like cotton. Not one little bit.
2. Do you spin? Crochet? I spin and crochet—in fact, crocheting is the first fiber art I ever learned. Next came spinning (thanks to my DMIL, who gave me a spinning wheel for my birthday the second year I was dating her son), and finally knitting. I’m self-taught on all three.
3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.) I have no fiber-related allergies!
4. How long have you been knitting? I learned to knit in 2000.
5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No, but I could make one if you’d like.
6. What’s your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) Lavender, chamomile, mint, coffee, chocolate (and some of those in combination)
7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Sweet tooth? Just one tooth? Are you crazy? I crave chocolate (especially dark chocolate) 24/7.
8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Knitting, spinning and crocheting pretty much do it for me. I’ve finally started putting all my photos in photo albums—does that count? No embellishments, though. Small steps, right?
9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I like acoustic rock, folk, classic country…
10. What’s your favorite color? Or—do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? I do pretty well in blue/reds (as opposed to orange reds), blues, purples…also earth tones.
11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? Married (will be nine years in August) with two children (Hannah, 6 and Luke, 3), two cats (Rainbow and Todd), three dogs (house dog is Perdita, a nine-pound Chihuahua or Chihuahua mix and two English Pointers as outside dogs—Jake and Lincoln, otherwise known as the “twins”). We also have fish and are toying with the idea of allowing DD to have a hamster once we get to Las Vegas. Oh yeah—I’m moving to Las Vegas as soon as I can sell our house here in Louisville. DH Eric is already there at his new job. For the record, being a single parent sucks.
12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know) I’d like to work part-time at a bookstore that would give me a 90% employee discount rate, and then spend the rest of my time with the kids, Eric and fiber stuff. Oh yeah—and I want to be rich enough to support my fiber habits.
13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? I love soft yarns, especially silks and silk blends. I love yarns that “bloom” like mohair and angora. I’d like to say that I love cashmere, but the truth is, I’ve never had the opportunity to knit with cashmere. I did get to pet some on the hoof once, though!
14. What fibers do you absolutely not like? Cotton and “crunchy” acrylics (acrylics that crunch when you squeeze them. Some acrylics are nice…)
15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? Lace, cables, and oh god, I’d love to learn fair isle and intarsia.
16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? I’ve loved the three Booga Bags I made, but also the sweaters and socks I’ve made for other people. I also have two shawls started, and will go back to them when I have more time to knit without interruption…like maybe when Luke starts first grade???
17. What are you knitting right now? Wobbly Ribs from Knitters Winter 04/05
18. What do you think about ponchos? Maternity wear. A fad, like bellbottoms.
19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Circular, especially Addis and Clover bamboos. I prefer DPNs to circulars for socks, though.
20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Wood (bamboo, rosewood, ebony), stainless, or brushed aluminum.
21. Are you a sock knitter? I’m REALLY good at the first sock. It’s the second one that gives me trouble!
22. How did you learn to knit? My mother-in-law gave me a basic cast-on and knit stitch lesson, and I taught myself out of books and from friends since then.
23. How old is your oldest UFO? Three years. Is that bad?
24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird? Don’t really have one, although I’m kind of partial to Thomas the Tank Engine, Mulan, and Snow White thanks to the kids.
25. What is your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving or Easter. It’s the food. Both holidays are rich in tradition for my family—times when the whole family gets together and cooks and eats for days straight. It’s all about the food.
26. Is there anything that you collect? Yarn? Needles? Audio books from audible.com! I kind of gave up collecting when the kids were born, because trinkets and things were too easy for them to grab and destroy. I guess I also collect good, free, online patterns, as well as online friends—ironic that the place I’m moving is the one place where I haven’t “met” anyone online!

Thanks, SP4! Can’t wait! E-mail me if you have any questions–atarbox at mttc.org or annietarbox at yahoo.com.

How much do we actually know about our friends? This is a questionnaire to get to know them better. Read through the comments below about your friend and then make sure you read the instructions at the bottom. Have fun!

So you think you know me….
1. What time is it? 8:59 am
2. Name as it appears on birth certificate: Anne Margaret Brush
3. Nicknames: Annie, COTFU
4. Piercing: Ears
5. Hair color: Brunette with a sprinkle of silver
6. Place of Birth: Long Island, New York
7. Favorite food: Chocolate—dark chocolate
8. Ever been to Africa? No
9. Ever been toilet papering? Nope
10. Love someone so much it made you cry? Yes
11. Been in a car accident? Nope, just a minor fender bender
12. Croutons or bacon bits? Bacon Bits–but only if they’re real bacon
13. Favorite day of the week: Saturday and any day off work
14. Favorite restaurant: Ernesto’s Mexican Restaurant
15. Favorite flower: Lily of the Valley
16. Favorite sport to watch: College basketball or Pro football
17. Favorite drink: Margarita (summer) Small-batch Bourbon (winter)
19. Disney or Warner Bros.? Disney
20. Favorite fast food restaurant: McDonalds
21. What color is your bedroom carpet? Hardwood oak floors
22. How many times did you fail your driver’s test? none
23. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail? Viki
24. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? I wouldn’t….credit is evil!
25. What you do most often when you are bored? Bored? What is that? I’d like to try it sometime
26. Bedtime? 9:30-10:00 pm
27. Who will be the first to copy and respond to this questionaire? A RAOK’er
28. Who is the person you sent this to that is least likely to respond? ?
29. What is your favorite TV show? The Apprentice
30. Who is the last person you went out to dinner with? DH Eric, Hannah and Luke
31. Ford or Chevy? Ford
32. What are you listening to right now? Mistress of Dragons by Margaret Weis on Audible
33. What is your favorite color? lavender
34. Lake, ocean or river? Ocean
35. How many tattoos do you have? None yet. I reserve the right to get one later
36. Have you ever run out of gas? Nope
37. Time you finished this questionaire? 9:05 am

Return directions: Now, here’s what you’re supposed to do…and Copy ( this entire questionaire and paste it into a new e-mail that you will send or into comments… Change all of the answers so that they apply to you. Have Fun!