Signed up

I've signed up for Secret Pal 8.

It's a bigger commitment - US$60 - not including postage - and conact 3x a month, plus weekly bloggging, for 3 months.

But that's okay by me. Damn the useless NZ dollar though - it's a bit like the rouble or something.

Not a lot to say at the moment, as you may have noticed. I'm sure it's just a phase though.

Anonyblogging - decided

Awhile ago I blogged about whether or not I wanted to continue anonyblogging.

I think I've decided.

The Trouser and I will create some sort of wedding blog to keep the families happy and informed.

I'll continue as The Skirt until we're married and have moved overseas (all things being equal, we're talking about two events that will happen in fairly short succession - a few weeks apart).

At that point I'll probably blog as me. I might abandon Singleskirtedly, or I might carefully edit out the bits that will piss everyone off or make them super-upset, and continue here.

Phew. it's a relatively small decision in the greater scheme of things (and, as I try to remind myself, so are all the wedding-related decisions save the one about the groom), but it feels good to have that sorted.

Now all we need to do is plan the wedding.

It's time for LOOT!

(Grrr Blogger for losing this post, which took me ages, and for not letting me upload photos. You are a poo-head.)

Yes, loot time!

First of all, Secret Pal stuff. My giver was Audrey from Pixie Sticks. She sent loads of yarn, loads of yarn-in-waiting and the tools to make it yarn, and HEAPS and HEAPS of Reese's. The Trouser was pleased by the yarn, intrigued by the spinning (I think I may be able to convince him to spin some, since it requires a special "tool"!), and horrified, truly horrified by the Reese's.

I know it's immature, but I love to horrify The Trouser with candy (he also thinks that candy corn is evil). What you can't see from the photo above is how truly massive the Reese's pile is (hint: he's covered it in yarn). Thanks, Audrey!

While we were in Sydney and Gosford I had a look around very few knitting-related stores. There weren't many around, and you've already heard how dire it was in Woy Woy. However, my brother there recommended a stop at Kinokuniya to look at books, and I found knitting book nirvana:

Three whole shelves, all with knitting books! Knitting books are expensive in NZ, and get here relatively late, so I'm always on the hunt for something new. (Yes, I can use Amazon, but really - with the rotten exchange rate and the sloooow shipping - think it's possibly the US postal service - it's no bargain.)

Now, I was good, but I'm no saint. I got two books (which, upon my return, I've seen cheaper in stores in NZ, grrr). Here they are, along with the fruits of the trip to the weird Woy Woy store - 2 skeins of recycled denim and some 2 1/4mm needles, quite possibly from the 60s:

And before I forget, thank you to those who have commented and emailed me so supportively over the work drama. I seem to be one of those people destined to have work dramas, in spite of all my efforts for a quiet life, and I'm spending a lot of time thinking about why this is, and what I can do to change things. In this latest case, I befriended the instigator at a time when no one else would, and it seems that they were smarter. I need to remember that some lonely people are lonely because they are nasty, and no amount of kindness will change their attitudes (though therapy might!).

At any rate, it has been great to be able to blog about this and to feel so supported by people I've never even met, and I thank you all for your kindness.

Ugh

I've slowly come to realise that many of the emails I send to people who don't know me very, very well indeed, give the impression that I am a mid-80s cheerleader.

Both in tone and punctuation - far too enthusiastic.

Being who and what I am, this appals me.

Lots more to blog, including my SP7 package and some new projects - but after the loooong Easter break I'm snowed under with work. I'll get to it.

Misery

I've had a really bad experience at work recently. In spite of my determination to deal with it and move on, I am still feeling pretty upset and, most of all, quite vulnerable.

Without going into too many of the finer details, there's a piece of work I do twice every year. It draws on work that someone else has done, but it's always been my job to do this particular part.

A group of women I work with (can't call them colleagues because the feeling is now distinctly non-collegial), led by someone I had thought was my friend, got together and decided that they wanted to take this work over. I don't know why because it is not glamorous or exciting. My former friend, who is very controlling, wanted to impose a number her personal preferences on the work. She knew that because they would not fit the medium, I would say we had to modify them, and she wanted to have things how she wanted them, even though ot's not her area of expertise, or responsibility.

So she gathered up a couple of women and they tried to cut me out. They shopped things around to all my contemporaries in other departmnets and my superiors here. They made enquiries. They tried to get sign-off on everything so they could simply proceed without me.

They did most of this while I was away. And they did it without endorsement from anyone else.

But I found out eventually. I've politely inserted myself back in where I am supposed to be, and have kept my boss informed.

I've always treated these people with respect and will continue to be professional and respectful. I won't trust any of them, least of all ff, with anything ever again.

But I still feel rotten. Betrayed and upset that ff could be so nasty to me (even though it's not about me per se, it's her own screwy issues for which she refuses to get therapy). Even though it isn't about me, she should have known I would have been upset at what she did. And in order to make herself "safe", she flat-out lied to me.

I'm upset also because when I told one of my colleagues, he dismissed it as a personal problem between women, when it was clear I needed some sympathy and support. He told me I needed to work it out with ff. Hey, I tried, but she doesn't want to work anything out, she wants to make me as miserable as she is!

I feel vulnerable becuase I thought these women were my colleagues and that they had at least a basic level of respect for me. But they don't - or they wouldn't act this way. And so I go to work knowing that there are 3 people in the building who dislike me enough to want to spend a lot of their time and energy trying to boot me.

It sucks.

River: stagnant no longer

Tee hee, get it? River = water; progress = movement = not stagnant? Sometimes I kill (only) myself!

Anyhow, behold River in its many states over the past few days!

Completed but unblocked and with ends everywhere:

After a nice bath:

Blocked on the bed (the obligatory detail shot):

And in case you care, some specs :
Pattern: River, Rowan #38
Yarn: Rowan KidsilkHaze, nice mossy green colour - perhaps #28?
Needles: Evil aluminium circs, 7mm. Will use bamboo next time.

Once I finally got the hang of this pattern it was actually quite fun to knit. I have a few mistakes in there (that's what makes it beautiful and unique, right?) but I love this anyway. It's my first piece of lace, but not my last.

And I now that I get and embrace and actually enjoy the mathematical-ness of the pattern, I definitely plan to make a couple more of these. On bamboo needles, so I don't kill someone.

I wore my River to work today and almost no one complimented me on it. Bah, peons! But it's really too nice for work.

Sheer lunacy

Today, courtesy of the wonders of the Interweb, I bring you two examples of lunacy.

Instance of lunacy #1: People are willing to take a pay cut so they can bring their dogs into work.
View article
Hello?? It's a dog. It may be lovely, but it's a dog. If you need to take something special to you into work, try a photo, or even a special blankie.

Instance of lunacy #2: Japanese mummies who have waaaay too much time on their hands when making their kids' lunches.
View photos
Um, my mother used to occasionally slip a note in my lunchbox, and her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were very good, but lunchbox art like this is definitely a sign of a deteriorating mental state.

(But Mum? If you wanted to make me a delicious, nutritious bento box every day and decorating it like this fulfilled you, I would probably still eat the lunch. Hell, I'd have to - I wouldn't be able to afford to buy lunch as I frantically saved for your "special home".)

I tell you, I used to think all the crazies had my number. Now I know they don't - they just know which websites I visit.

I'm (yawn) back (yawn)

It was a lovely holiday. The last flight from Sydney got us in late on Sunday/ early on Monday, and the late-night carpet-cleaning on Sunday, and frenzy of unpacking on Monday night have made me a bit tired.

So only a brief post.

In brief, the grandmas were great - very spry, sweet, and lovely, as always. We spent some time one-on-one, which is very rare and special indeed. We also spent time with a lot of the family over there. In keeping with the family theme, we discussed the complex and rather nasty family issues that are still hanging around (rifts and betrayals, oh my!), and how they will make our wedding a bit crap.

I did a bit of knitting. The long-neglected River got a good airing, and I have sonewhat foolishly decided that it is a little short, so I'm adding in an additional 32 rows of pattern to get the desired length. I swear, I will never knit KSH on anything but bamboo ever again.

I visited what is quite possibly the world's most dire knitting shop, Lady Anne's Handcrafts in Woy Woy. Woy Woy does not have a lot going for it, and LAH has even less. We had driven a long way and I didn't initially see anything at all worth buying - quite sad! However, I did manage to find some needles I need for my beaded cardi, and some recycled denim yarn for a scarf for The Trouser.

Now we're home and work is interfering with the knitting, eating and sleeping habits I so carefully developed while we were away. How rude!