Spinnin' Yarns

(cross posted on my group's writing blog too)

So sad. I know he was 90, but he was my favorite science fiction writer.

"Arthur C. Clarke"

I have a couple of favorite books of his, one is
"Childhood's End"

I also read the entire 2001 series (wait, I missed the final one... hmm...), Rendevouz with Rama, and many, many other books by him.

Not as well known, but absolutely lovely, is his Tales from the White Heart
Also, The Nine Billion Names of God

I'll stop. Once in grad school, I ditched out early from a class so I could sit in on a satellite feed to hear him speak from Sri Lanka. He had to call us back because his office, he said, was in the top of the house and since as he put it, he was an "old man" it took him a while. The delay was annoying but it was good to hear him, unlike many of his fellow science fiction writers, he always had hope for the future and vision, and I liked that his books contained hard science facts but didn't read like a textbook.

He will be missed.

Posted by tracy at 07:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seriously, ow doesn't begin to cover it. I'll try to blog more later, but I'm on the way to my postop over the bumpiest streets in the US. Please send kind gentle non-owie non-sick wishes my way.

Posted by tracy at 01:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Copied from knittyboard

my boobie hurts.

It was an altogether annoying experience. I had to wait an HOUR, and they put me in a "segregated" waiting room (everyone else is in a big room, I got my own). I had learned from my mammogram that this place often makes you wait forever, so I didn't listen when they told me to leave everything in the locker, and I brought my knitting bag with me. I got about 6 rows of sock done (before I gave up, ribbing went slowly with teensy needles and arthritis so I switched to a boooring scarf with silk (which I love and am gritting my teeth thru because it's such a lovely color). THEN I read some Yarn Harlot, which made me feel better. I was about to switch to my indigo ripples skirt when finally it was my turn (yippee?)

So I've had eleven fibroadenomas. Eleven. Now, the four they could measure (they didn't bother with the smaller ones) that makes FIFTEEN. I think I about have a Ph.D in boobie. Mine usually grow, so they take them out, but this time I stopped all hormones (bye bye pill...) and am hopeful they won't grow. The thing they use for a core biopsy is a smaller version of the KT core sampler I've seen on the science channel... it really felt (and sounded) like getting your ears pierced (or a staple gun). The first three cores weren't bad, but then there were four... and you know that skit on SNL where Amy Pohler (or however you spell it) and others are doing a "commercial" for a product to get rid of their "really cool lower back tatoos" because they are moms now, and they say "that burning means it's working!" because it's acid? And Amy shouts "Mother ------! That hurts!" I had to bite my tongue to not shout that.

Then the whole bumpy ride home (seattle taxpayers, can't you please put in an extra dime for road repair? Please?) including one particularly bad choice of a turn by dh over cobblestones, I just kept having a "reel" play in my head of Conan O'Brien's impression of Clinton when he says in a Clinton voice "mmm boobie!"

I'm going to get some sleep and take some drugs.

(and uvula, if you are reading, I wish you were here so we could field trip to littleknits, it won't be the same without you, but I will console myself with some sea silk in your honor)

Posted by tracy at 05:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's sort of amazing that such a primitive thing is still the thing to do for lymphedema. I got many "ooh sexy" comments on my stocking, but here is the "final" result

Almost normal... my thigh was 1" bigger around than my normal leg and now it's smaller, I still have "weird toes" as they said, because there is still fluid pooling there that they can't get out, but it's much better.

Bad news is I have a new stocking (which is still better than wrapping) that goes all the way up to Nebraska... and it is driving me nuts behind my knee after all day. Ugh.

Anyway, much better. Here's a blurry shot of the fronts:

Posted by tracy at 09:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You kidding me?

Ok this program bites. It was free, but seriously? It's acting like it's Feb already... aha.... for some reason settings swapped back to "7 days" and I've been neglecting my bloggy. Poor bloggy.

I have no pictures, folks, because stupid me left my camera at my friend's house. You should email her and tell her that a) she doesn't need my camera because she's a very talented photographer and b) you want her to photograph your entire family. Every week. Because yes, she is that talented:
just moments ago

My children are there. Extra points if you know which they are. ;-P Actually, dh and I were up there too at one point, not sure if we still are.

So I am going to get my crappy ass camera back, and then I can take pictures of the ice skating bag I made dd, the woobie I just finished for another friend's baby, and the cute fleece skirt I made for his big sis (who pampered my vanity and has been bragging about me all over her new city)

Ooh, I just found a pic of woobie #1 (I'm on the second, whose eyebrows turned out a bit--er--well, it's a design feature, right? I am not picking 10,000 stitches off of fleece, dammit!)

Oh, I also crocheted dd a bun holder for ballet, but dh took her on Sat and was a dork and couldn't figure out how to make a bun and keep it on her head. Sigh.

I did manage to figure out the Bernina's embroidery--fun! I also discovered (HOW did I not notice before?) my Brother machine has a knitting thing (ball of yarn and 2 needles) but it is broken... I tried to re-embroider The Little Mermaid and her hair wound up on top of her face, and Flounder wound up on top of her hair. Then I tried Belle and she wound up with a log on top of her face. Stupid freakin machine...

Posted by tracy at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Download file

Posted by tracy at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)