Posts for category ‘Bunnies’

Whew! Huge apologies to everybunny. I had looked at the calendar this morning and realized that I have not blogged for some time when I meant to do so each week. There have been a lot of events, some crazy some just plain fun, but all have been adventurous. I will do my best to provide a quick summary…

December 31st:
While my friend Jessica (@bumbl_be) and I were eating the pints of Jeni’s Ice Creams that just arrived, Richie calls me on my iPhone. He asks what I was doing, and I told him about Jessica and Jeni’s. His response, “Hmm… Maybe I’ll have some today.” I had a whirring thought that he ordered some, and conversed about some other topics. He then said, “Maybe I should have some Jeni’s NOW.” I stopped mid-sentence. I asked, “Where ARE you?” He responded, “In your parking lot.”
That cheeky bugger!! Of course with his visit, we ended up missing the Juniper Moon Farm’s Open House on New Year’s Day. At least we saw the Hokies spank the Volunteers (Let’s go TECH!!) and drove up to Mountain Lake to see the snowed in hotel where the movie “Dirty Dancing” was filmed.

January 8th:
I had a fabulous belated Christmas celebration with my parents and sister’s family. The handknit presents were a hit, except for the hat that was too small for my brother-in-law. That’s more than okay; his Mom, the wonderful Edith, took it off his hands. My niece loved her Twinkle scarf, my sister loves her Pretty Thing, and my Mother loves both her red dress hat and Little Parade. My Daddy’s Koolhaas was quickly snatched by my Mother. Note to self: Make Ma lots of hats!

I had lunch with my BFF Anita and her son Aidan in Kelly’s Tavern at Pembroke Mall. Afterwards we visited my friend Brett at Artistic Creations Gallery. It was a nice time catching up with them!

January 13th:
Now that my darts are back (they were in my Civic), I popped into The London Underground Pub to see if I can challenge Ron (@ronaldb) to a game of Cricket. He was not there, but Sara his teammate was. Twisting my arm, she talked me into participating in “Luck of the Draw” on that Saturday. Little did I know how darts would change my social life in Blacksburg! I met so many folks since then, my time is a whirlwind.

January 21st:
Since I have joined two darts leagues, I decided to practice one day after work. Doing so, I met the delightful Patsy and Eva, part of the Martinettes. These women are in a group that welcomes lady newcomers to the New River Valley area. I attended my first meeting that Saturday (the 23rd) and am awed by their cheerfulness and excitement with life. Already I have been asked to display some of my fibery goods and to teach a workshop on knitting. I love these daring ladies! They refuse to keep still and take life by the horns.

Another cool bit? During my usual Friday night stop at Lefty’s on the 22nd, I met some of the fun and intelligent folks behind “The Plaid Avenger” of John and Katie Pritchard. John created the Plaid Avenger to keep folks abreast of what is going on with the world’s society. He teaches various geography classes at VA Tech. The one that caught my ear was his “Wines of the World” class. Boy, that would be fun to participate in those tastings discussions!

January 26th:
Today I start a fun adventure. I get to chat about STITCHES on my blog “On the Road to STITCHES” at Knitting Universe’s KniTalk Community!! The topics I will be discussing would be what knitterly items I want to make and wear for the trip, the classes I will be taking, the events I am lining up to see, and of course all the goodies that the Market is offering! As for Bigsock, no worries! I will be there too, so make sure you find some time to help the attempt on breaking the current Guinness Book World record for the largest handknit sock!!

If wondering about the Boys, they are alive and well. Caesar is as hungry as ever, and Julius is as mischievous. I have learned that if Julius is in my bedroom in the morning, I best get out of bed ASAP. Why? If I do not, he (ahem) will use my laundry basket as a litterbox. Crazy bunnies!! =:8

Many thanks to DKM for sending this message to me. I just love the idea.

Dear BunFriends,
As you are all aware the rabbit blogosphere was severely saddened by the unfortunate passing of Hans. No one can be sadder than his mom, the highly esteemed Furry Butts. I propose to fill her aching heart with the all powerful bunny love bomb.

What: Mass surprise for Furry Butts with her favorite thing-photos of FURRY BUNNY BUTTS (big fun for all!)

When: this coming Thursday, July 30th, 2009

What: All participants, (and I understand if you can’t for any reason) post their blog with the title ” Furry Butts Fursday” and have as the photo (s) pictures of your rabbit’s furry butt.

Who: Anyone with a bunny blog or with furry bunny butts photos can participate.

Other: Please feel free to pass this on to anyone except FurryButts. In fact please do, I don’t seem to have Emails for a quite a few bun folks who I think would like to join in…….

If you have any questions or would like clarification, please write back!

All Best to Everyone and Everybun,
Diana
The Spots
and Amelia too

Nothing is ever as devastating as when someone you love dies in your arms. It happened with me when Hayley turned unexpectedly for the worst, and the last thing I remember were my screams that begged her not to leave me. As I tearfully re-live those last few minutes with her, in my remembrance and understanding, here is my entry for Hans. Please note that not all the photos are from my kiddos. The first is a photo that Shalyn shared with me when she adopted Lady Beastie from Sweet Binks Rabbit Rescue. A lucky shot of Sven was made during one of the SBRR Education seminars that he loves to participate in with his mom, the awesome Ellen. The others are the Sweet Binks rabbits that I photographed during the Sweet Binks Rabbit Rescue socialization sessions I volunteered to do once a week.

To Hans’ mother and the warren he left behind,
*bunny hugs*
=:8

Various life changes have had me captive for quite a while, so I offer my deepest apologies once again. When the air clears, I know many of you will understand why I have not been able to write. For now, I am going to play with another Facebook meme that Ericka from the “Armed with Pointy Sticks” blog had posted. Enjoy! =:8

65 Questions You’ve Probably Never Been Asked
You know the rules. Tag people in this note (including the person who tagged you!) to learn more about people. Also, try to tag people whom you have tagged in other notes. Sometimes you learn things in new notes that you did not know about them before.

1. First thing you wash in the shower? My hair
2. What color is your favorite hoodie? Grey
3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? Perhaps
4. Do you plan outfits? Yes
5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? Mellow
6. What is the closest thing to you that’s red? My Ravelry “love(1)” tee shirt
7. Describe the last dream you remember having? I was filling up a vehicle so I could tow a boat. I then went across the gas station to get some food.
8. Did you meet anybody new today? Yes at both SOWA and WEBS
9. What are you craving right now? Umm… I fed the sweets craving with a Hostess Orange Cupcake. (GAH!! Yes, I know I am not supposed to have them.)
10. Do you floss? Nowhere near I should.
11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? I have to agree with Ericka: “Cole slaw!”
12. Are you emotional? I often wear my heart on my sleeve.
13. Have you ever counted to 1,000? I am a knitter…
14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? If in a bowl, I bite; if in a cone, I lick.
15. Do you like your hair? I love my hair — especially after growing it out in college.
16. Do you like yourself? Most of the time I do; but I want to improve in a lot of ways.
17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? How much will you pay me?
18. What are you listening to right now? The Red Sox and Mariners game on NESN.
19. Are your parents strict? They were, but they also spoiled my sister and me too.
20. Would you go sky diving? Yes! And hopefully I will with Anita for her 40th birthday this year.
21. Do you like cottage cheese? Yes, with peaches
22. Have you ever met a celebrity? Yes. My favorite meeting was with Muhammad Ali during a high school basketball game. His attorney’s nephew attended the school we were playing against.
23. Do you rent movies often? Not that I am aware of.
24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you are in? My ring
25. How many countries have you visited? Does being born in Cuba count? Otherwise, I have been to Canada and Denmark (with a layover in the Netherlands at the Amsterdam airport).
26. Have you made a prank phone call? I was too shy to do anything like that.
27. Ever been on a train? Yes — commuter, passenger, and I have ridden in the cab of a diesel freight engine.
28. Brown or white eggs? Whatever is fresher.
29.Do you have a cell-phone? Yes
30. Do you use chap stick? The only lip balm I use is “Heal my Lips” which is chocolate mint.
31. Do you own a gun? Not anymore, probably in the future I will again.
32. Can you use chop sticks? Yes, but not as well as most folks.
33. Who are you going to be with tonight? Home and online with the bunnies.
34. Are you too forgiving? It depends on how upset I become because I generally never forget.
35. Ever been in love? Yes — truly, madly, and deeply.
36. What is/are your best friend(s) doing tomorrow? Living their lives with their families. My BFFs are not local.
37. Ever have cream puffs? Oh yeah… YUM!
38. Last time you cried? When I was last happy.
39. What was the last question you asked? “Who’s hungry?” while I was feeding the bunnies their dinner
40. Favorite time of the year? Spring — the air seems crisp and new.
41. Do you have any tattoos? Not yet
42. Are you sarcastic? Playfully so, and only to those I adore.
43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect? Not interested
44. Ever walked into a wall? Once due to being distracted.
45. Favorite color? Too many to list, but not neons please!
46. Have you ever slapped someone? Yes, and also with an umbrella too.
47. Is your hair curly? No, but it gets wavy when it is chin length.
48. What was the last CD you bought? I bought 2 at the time: Aaron Copeland and Chris Isaak
49. Do looks matter? Yes, but only for my tastes.
51. Is your phone bill sky high? Not that I am aware of.
52. Do you like your life right now? It could be worse.
53. Do you sleep with the TV on? When I have a choice, no.
54. Can you handle the truth? I would rather be told the truth than led on with a false parry.
55. Do you have good vision? hehe… NO, especially at night.
56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people? I cannot imagine hating somebunny, but if a person rubs me the wrong way, I avoid him/her entirely.
57. How often do you talk on the phone? Daily
58. The last person you held hands with? My nephew during Mass
59. What are you wearing? Ravelry cranberry red “love(1)” tee, grey WRV zipped hoodie, khaki shorts, and hand knit Apple Lane’s Apple Pie socks in the Lucky colorway.
60.What is your favorite animal? hahahaha… BUNNIES!!
61. Where was your default picture taken? At my friend Eric’s apartment
62. Can you hula hoop? Barely, but at least I can.
63. Do you have a job? If doing work on Ravelry counts, yes. Otherwise I am searching the market.
64. What was the most recent thing you bought? Uh, no surprise — Yarn!
65. Have you ever crawled through a window? Yes

This past week was full of lovely goodness. I managed to file for unemployment, sort out some financial items, and get packages in the mail. The snow has melted substantially; enough that I could open the windows to release the stale house smells and to draw in fresh air. Adding the couple of WIPs (works in progress) turned into FOs (finished objects), and there appeared a hoppy bunny dancing away. My little warren however did not share the same enthusiasm and protested my loud steppings with obviously disapproving looks.

Introducing the packages, I begin with the much anticipated one from Jessica, aka BunnySquirrel on Ravelry. Hers was actually a replacement to the lost one she had sent in the mail early January. After three weeks, we realized the package became a no-show and she promptly pulled another set of goodies for me. This time, she added sugarless treats that would appeal to me and appease my doctor. Does Jess rock or what?

Two more packages in the mail arrived to cheer me up. A while ago, I destashed some yarn to a delighted somebunny in Sweden. Recently Ulrika was out shopping and spied some bunny stickers and matching fabric. She promptly purchased and mailed them to me. I love how the blue stickers are identical to the red fabric. If looking closely, two different rabbits are hidden. (See them yet?) The other package contained another square of soft fabric — white rabbits playing with beach balls in the green grass. The Japanese print has a beautiful shine and I am going to need help on translating the label. Yumi or Hiroshi, help?

If there is one thing I have learned in life, it is refusing to settle and be content with whatever is handed to me if I want something better. I love applying one of my favorite quotes towards everything I desire: “A thought came to you for a reason. PURSUE it!” The energy required for that gusto can be taxing. For the past few months I relied on caffeine and unhealthy food as my fuel. Now I am paying for it after being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and outrageously high amounts of cholesterol. After being told to cut eggs, butter, and starch in my diet, I decided to create dishes without denying myself flavor. So here is the first of my spontaneous recipes that are more health-conscious and are guaranteed to delight one’s taste buds. Please note that the measurements are estimates. I like to toss items together until they “look right” to me. Bon appetit!

Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients
1/2 cup flake coconut (optional)
2-4 tablespoons olive or canola oil (or 1-3 tablespoons sesame oil)
1/2 – 3/4 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons garlic
2 tablespoons parsley
1/2 teaspoon red/cayenne pepper
1/2 -3/4 cup coconut rum
1 pound of 31-40 peeled and deveined shrimp
pinch of red pepper flakes

Instructions
Toast the coconut by spreading it on a non-stick cookie sheet and baking in the oven according to package instructions. Set aside. Heat a 12-inch or larger skillet, tossing the oil, onion, garlic, and parsley. Adding cayenne, rum and shrimp, begin simmering on medium heat. When the liquid has reduced to half, add red pepper flakes and toasted coconut. Start watching the skillet contents because the shrimp will begin to caramelize due to the rum. When that happens, serve immediately with a favorite salad or side dish. =:8

Not sure about anybunny, but there is another meme going around Facebook where the writer answers a series of questions with one word. The talented Laura of “Sugar Bunny Boulevard” fame had tagged me first, and thus I must put my words to the test. Meanwhile, I have a recent photo that I snapped of Jessica Bunny with her husbund Zydeco. Notice his little body leaning against hers? In bunny body language, that is a sign of his sheer devotion and love. We only wish she would return the favor! =:8

——————————————————————-
One Word

Where is your cell phone?
dead

Your significant other?
asleep

Your hair?
long

Your mother?
hero

Your father?
protector

Your favorite thing?
support-structure

Your dream last night?
detailed

Your favorite drink?
bourbon

Your dream/goal?
happiness

What room are you in?
den

Your hobby?
knitting

Your fear?
entrapment

Where do you want to be in 6 years?
comfortable

Where were you last night?
home

Something that you aren’t?
content

Muffins?
buttered

Wish list item?
satisfaction

Last thing you did?
cleaned

What are you wearing?
Guess!

TV?
off

Your pets?
bunnies

Friends?
love

Your life?
limbo

Your mood?
playful

Missing someone?
yes

Drinking?
water

Your car?
classic

Something you’re not wearing?
dog-collar

Your favorite store?
LYSes

Your favorite color?
non-neon

When was the last time you cried?
Sunday

Who will resend this?
someBunny

My favorite place to eat?
multi-national

Favorite place I’d like to be at right now?
Virginia

With all of the immense activity in my oh-about-200 groups on Ravelry, it is a wonder that I was able to co-hostess the swaps for the “Bunny Lovers” group. We have had two swaps in Fall 2008 and Winter 2008. Both have been quite successful because no angels had to fly in and send rescue packages for any non-showing flakers. However, as a few Ravelry pals have pointed out, the lack of flakers might have something to do with my running the “In Search Of and Destashing” group (a topic worthy of its own post). I digress, and continue with the package I received on January 31st from the talented Kelly of the “Thumpyfuzz Fiber Arts” blog.

When I spotted the postman walking by the window, I thought to myself, “Cool! Maybe my bunny package has arrived.” To describe my reaction after opening the door, I had to double check the address on the 9×12x15-inch box. Its weight had me thinking Rich ordered something because there is NO way that yarn and bunny treats could be THAT heavy! Realizing that the address was Kelly’s, I carefully grabbed my camera and brought the box to the couch. I slowly measured and rotated the box to begin photographing every bit of this reveal. I always delight in slow openings for swap packages and savor the memories of each one.

Carefully I slit the tape and peered inside. Seeing the crumpled newspaper pages as filler, I quickly grabbed the crumpled pages and pulled them out. Immediately the boxes of tea appeared. Squealing, I saw that both were delicious dessert teas that would appeal to my sweet tooth. I grabbed the teas and photographed them accordingly. Looking back in the box, I saw that handspun yarn and candy had spilled into the space where the tea was. The richness of the red and brown colors combined with the luxurious feel of the yarns made me pause. Fondling the yarn was a delight. Photographing the yarn was another story because red is so difficult to catch! Saving the red-papered item for last, I moved it aside and reached to clear out more of the newspaper. But when I grabbed a tubular-shaped newspaper, it was solid — and heavy. Gingerly I lifted the item and unwrapped it. It was homemade pepper jelly! Already excited from curiosity, I opened another tube of newspaper and that was homemade pineapple salsa. Spotting the third and last tube, I opened that and was treated to homemade grape jelly. All I could repeat over and over was “OMGOMGOMG!!” The cake of chai tea soap with the soft washcloth (I love how it wraps around the hand!) appeared along with the bunnies’ treat bags individually labeled with their names.

Turning my attention to the last item, a red-papered treat, I wondered what it was. Not willing to take my time, I ripped open the paper and gasped. A felted fair isle bag fell out into my lap. To explain, felting is when an item made out of wool is washed and shrunk on purpose. Most folks are familiar with felting when purchasing the fabric for arts and crafts or when they accidentally toss a wool sweater into the washing machine and dryer. This bag was knitted with meticulous colorwork in what is called the “fair isle” technique of using two or more colors per knitted row. Kelly not only knitted and felted this bag, but she also embroidered and spot-felted details to it!! I mean check out the clasp, the shooting star and the moon!! I actually started crying because I knew how much work it took for her to make this bag for me.



I have met many folks like Kelly who inspire me to learn all I can about using my hands along with my brain. These friends have demonstrated that putting complete thought into little packages can have a lifetime’s worth of meaning. Thank you, Kelly, Blizzard, and Willow. The bunnies and I love everything!! =:8

Many thanks to everybunny who has been sending all the well wishes and good vibrations. The classic Beach Boys song in the title has been ringing in my head since Friday, and I welcome it. In following up on why I am not attending the Boston Job Fair, I realized that the companies I wanted to see were going to be in Dulles, VA, and not Boston. Hmmm… I see a road trip in my future!

Lately there has been a Meme going around Facebook, and I was tagged by a few folks. I decided to participate and post the results here on da’ blog. If anybunny feels like writing up his/her 25 things, feel free to link me up. =:8
—————————————————————
Rules in Facebook:
Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.
(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

01. I grew up watching television mysteries, thanks to my mother — Quincy, Barnaby Jones, Ironside, Charlie’s Angels… We watched it.
02. My favorite television cartoons are Scooby Doo Mysteries and Johnny Quest — I give them full credit for keeping me young.
03. I watch “Murder, She Wrote” almost every weeknight — I love JB’s observational skills and how she uses them to catch the murderers.
04. I still own my first car, a 1970 Ford Fastback. It popped out of Dearborn 3 months after I was born. One of my lifetime goals is to restore my baby back to nearly new for street driving.
05. I still sleep with my giant Paddington Bear, Skipper — a Christmas gift from my sister.
06. I learned to surf during the summer of my junior year in high school — I became addicted and constantly sought for that “high” when dropping in on a wave for years.
07. Surfing inspired me to purchase one of the “Apocalypse Now” surfboards (has not happened yet) and also gave me three of my favorite movies: “Big Wednesday” “Endless Summer” and “Gidget”
08. While in college, I was in the VA Tech Corps of Cadets (VTCC). I went from USAF, to USAA, to Corps only, to dropping out completely.
09. Thanks to the VTCC, I learned how to spout “Monty Python’s Holy Grail” and “The Princess Bride” word-for-word.
10. Also, thanks to the VTCC’s seats in Lane Stadium, I became hooked on college football, and have since brought my husband into the fold of NCAA Bowl Games. (GOOOO, HOKIES GO!!)
11. I can be very ADD to the point that I get overwhelmed and have no idea what I should be doing first — that is why I make lists. (FOCUS!!)
12. My OCD for perfection can frustrate me if I cannot finish everything of my task in one session or sitting. (IE, do not come near me when I am occupied or I might bite something off.)
13. My blog posts tend to be long since each generally takes a week for me to write from idea to finish — the Yarn Harlot’s visit to WEBS in May 2008 took months to write.
14. Like most Filipino kids in my hometown, I studied classical piano and took karate — I stopped after 10 years of the piano, 6 years for the karate.
15. I am hooked on knitting — the working of the hand/eye coordination, deciphering charts/instructions in multiple languages, finishing the project, and the seeing joy in the recipients’ faces completely enraptured me.
16. Because of knitting, I am somewhat obsessed with my yarn stash — it is now a nice-sized collection that necessitates an insurance rider.
17. I am in my second marriage — the first happened a week before I turned 29, and lasted 10 months before I walked out.
18. Because of my ex-husband, I became hooked on having a warm towel after a shower/bath and bought a standing towel warmer as my “engagement” present for my second wedding.
19. In Virginia, I played flanker in a local woman’s rugby league for three years before work started taking over my life. I truly do miss playing and the camaraderie.
20. I worked four years at one of the largest hospital networks in Virginia — 2 years as an administrative associate on the graveyard shift at the ER and Maternity wards, 2 years as desktop/helpdesk support for information systems.
21. It does not take much for me to pull close to an “all-nighter” but I will crash at 8AM sharp after staying up for so long — drinking tea and soda just might be a bit of a factor.
22. I have the following contact lenses colors: sapphire blue, turquoise, honey, and lavender — I wore the sapphire ones as my “something blue” for my second wedding.
23. I have 3 photographs I keep of my favorite dog in the world, Natasha, my Golden Retriever who left us on April 27th, 2000 — one of us two on the 3rd Street Jetty rocks, one of her and Penelope Lane Bunny, and one of her in an Elizabethan collar on October 31st.
24. At one point, there were 10 rabbits in the house — our 3 houserabbits plus the 7 that I rescued from a backyard breeder.
25. Currently there are four houserabbits living at home — all are “fixed” and two of them are a bonded husbund/wife pair.

While browsing through Facebook, I discovered one friend was tagged in a photo. The tag was for somebunny’s funeral. Blinking my eyes and shaking my head twice, I clicked into the photo set and matched familiar names with unfamiliar faces — faces that have aged within the past 2 decades. These folks were ones that I might have run into had I stayed in Virginia Beach and kept up in the social scene.

Whenever anybunny that I knew from high school dies, the death never fails to make myself ponder my own life, what I have accomplished, and if I am close to being satisfied with myself. We seem to find ourselves always reaching for some kind of goal running the gamut from a particular yarn to own or a pattern to make, then to graduating with a particular degree or a highly titled career. This week has been quite an adventure.

In our country’s political news:
Sarah Palin still opens her mouth (bad because her voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me) spars with President Barack Obama being sworn into office.

At my beloved VA Tech:
That gruesome graduate student’s decapitation spars with the Men’s Basketball team beating number one ranked Wake Forest.

As for myself, I was “pink slipped” on Friday at noontime — I no longer work at Verdasys as a Support Engineer for their Digital Guardian product. The exit interview was a positive one. When I discovered that management had been trying to find another position for me in the company so as to keep me, it offered assurance that I would be welcomed back when the economy turned. This turn of events makes life a little crazier now that Richie and I are both at home. Unlike his last job, our relief is that I was given severance with leftover vacation and I can receive unemployment funds. Since he worked as an IT contractor, he did not get any compensation for all his hourly time at the pharmacy chain’s home office. I am so glad he was able to put away money to cover his time while he was out. Crossing paws, we are hoping he lands one of the positions for which he interviewed, while I take some much-needed mental health time.

In my package, I have until March 31st for Verdasys to cover any medical/dental items. Due to a fear of dentists, I avoid them but have been extremely lucky with my dental health. My teeth are still perfectly straight and cavities are nowhere to be found. I do miss getting my teeth polished and wonder if all that free soda, tea, and coffee has affected them. Since my eyeglasses are showing their years of wear and tear, replacing them and ordering contact lenses seem like a good idea. Guess what appointments I am making on Monday?

This stunning event has awakened opportunities in one of my former fields, 3-phase power engineering. While chatting with a friend from The Corporation, he mentioned that various resellers were seeking folks of my caliber. I then chatted with a reseller friend who worked along The Corporation about my current career status. His response? “If you can relocate, I have a job for you.” Stunned, I asked where — Las Vegas, NV. I tried to imagine Richie in the desert heat, giggled at the visual, and became sad. The only way I could ever leave Rhode Island for better pastures in my career would be if we divorced.

Another positive effect is the obviously increased spare time. For the next few weeks I now can:

• Finish the knitting WIPS and queue that have been on my radar for so long (I laugh like Val Kilmer in Real Genius to my Roanoke buds about the Bias Fair Isle Pullover like Marnie had made — Hahahaha!).
• Finally address the condition of the House. Whenever I became emotionally upset I avoided dealing with it, something that I had always done as long as I can remember. Now that my sister will be up for the Boston Marathon, getting the house ready for her visit is a huge motivation. Plus, I will be back to cooking soon enough. First item to make? Lasagna and garlic rolls!! (FYI: Bread is one of my favorite foods to make. I used to knead up lots of honey wheat bread every winter.)
• Review everything I have learned career-wise from the past 10 years in order to ready myself for any job opportunity that pops up. I had been called a “Boy Scout” at one position because I was always prepared for any mishap or situation; I am kicking it up to a new level to include various skills.
• Continue teaching myself the rudimentary basics of the languages I want to know — French, Danish, Italian, and Japanese. Although since I had found this lace website in Russian a year ago, I might add that to the list.
• Revamp my exercise routine to include my Wii Fit and Dance Revolution. One goal to address is running the Gaspee Days 8K in June. Another goal is to play in the local women’s rugby league. Whoa, I just realized that I can be playing my Wii again! Baseball or Kniittiing anybunny?
• Participate at my various affiliated organizations. I am putting back the hours into Sweet Binks Rabbit Rescue that was lost while I was working in Waltham. Ravelry has always been my after hours no-pay job, but I am addressing the more tedious administrative work in my groups and am increasing my time the Ravelry Help! chat room on Lingr. Goody bags and prizes for the Paw Sox “Stitch and Pitch” on May 17th need to be jump-started. Knitting meet ups and LYS visits are being scheduled — I believe no explanation is needed on why.
• Start job hunting, which will involve a job fair in Boston this Tuesday. This also involves updating my website, resume, LinkedIn page, and then networking with my contacts. Where I will be applying is to be determined in three weeks after my mental health break.

Oy, I think I have enough items to keep sparring with the disappointment for awhile… For now I will finish the WIPs that I had started for my friends at Verdasys. =:8

As Secret Pal 12 starts to wind down, I looked upon my pal’s neglected socks and realized that I need to crack the whip and finish them. Meanwhile, I have been working on Eric’s cabled pullover in snips but what really has had my attention is this blanket.

I am incredibly pleased with this finished object, especially with the bound-off edge. The scary part of that edge? It took 5 1/2 hours to do. Seriously, I timed how long it took me to bind off each section and the average was 33 minutes — a total of 330 minutes. Here are the stats from my Ravelry project page:
Pattern — Round or Pinwheel Baby Blanket by Genia Planck
Made for — Scott’s daughter born early July
Size — blocked to 48 inches in diameter
Needle — US 6 / 4.0 mm, Addi Lace 47-inch and Addi Turbo 60-inch
Yarn: 2 kinds used
4 skeins = 900.0 yards (823.0m) of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted Multi in 201 Yellowstone purchased at Ewe Knit Kits & Yarn in Virginia Beach, Virginia
1 skein = 85.0 yards (77.7m) of Mission Falls 1824 Wool in Pistachio

Meanwhile, to prevent SP withdrawal when it ends, I have joined a couple of other swaps and started one on my own.
1.) The Red Sox Good Juju Swap is a secret one-time swap with packages due at the end of September.
2.) The Amazing Lace Swap has each person knowing who their upstream and downstream partner. It is similar to the Ravelry Scarf Exchange that I participated in last year.
3.) The Bunny Swap does not have us trading our rabbits, but requires folks to send 2 items to the other’s furry-loves, something yarny to the parent, and another treat in that package.
I think I may be addicted to swapping! =:8

Well maybe not everywhere, but this crazy bunny ended up playing in our fourth softball game Thursday night because of the “3 women must be on the playing field” rule in our league. What? I never mentioned that I play softball? Teehee, nobunny is missing much. I had never played before until a month after I started working at my new job and was told about a team being formed. Knowing that I lack the hand-eye-coordination to catch or bat, I warned folks that as much as I would like to play, I would not be a good player but would be a good cheerleader. With the first two games postponed due to rain, somehow I ended up in the batting line-up in the third game. I surprised myself by actually hitting the ball for a base hit and out-running the throw to first! Wow! Excited from being able to get on base, I called my (high school jock) sister “Ace” after the game. I could tell she was proud for me. Admittedly I think losing the extra weight helped in running around the bases. Now if I could only lose those last additional pounds…

Clicking the photo of myself on base will show how badly I felt during Thursday’s game. I kept coughing up a storm, and my misery was evident. We did win 24 to 17, so at least my pain amounted to something! One of the coolest shots is of us after we said “good game” to the other team when everything was over. The three men in the middle consist of one of my co-workers Ron (#11), my boss Jerry (grey cap), and QA extra-ordinaire Mike (with glasses). The photos above are from a friend from work, Misha. He has a fabulous camera and is one of our team’s “official” photographers. The photo below shows the other photographer Rich M. in the background and Misha in the foreground. I remember taking the photo, but was getting agitated because I could not find it. Later I realized that I was using the coach’s camera, not mine. DUH! The other photo happened when I drove home on Thursday. Right after the game, it began to rain, then it downpoured. Driving on the newly grooved Route 128 highway was not fun. Attempting to Kinnear a rainbow in the downpour is also not fun! Please excuse the blurriness, but it was the only shot of many that shows the colors best.

Now with the title mentioning bunnies, I just had to post some recent photos that I took of my fur-children in action. Today Zydeco kept flopping on his side, so I just could not resist snapping the camera at him. The other is his “giving disapproval” look on taking his photo the other night.

For the crazy part, Julius is still pining for a girlfriend and keeps hoping Jessica Bunny will give in and be his. Unfortunately for him, this middle-aged biddy has other thoughts. By the way, that photo of her and him together is her biting him in an attack!

Teehee! Time for the Secret Pal 12 Question of Week 8!
What is your favorite supper for a hot summer evening? (For added “flavor”, post a photo or recipe link)
With this SP12 question, I had to think for a bit but only for a short time. My favorite meal ever during the summer was just over (gasp!) 13 years ago. My sister Ace, our room-mate Anita, their (now husbands) boyfriends, my “puppy” (that was what my rugby teammates referred to the hapless creature), and I cooked a bushel of blue-crab along with a couple pounds of butter. Pair that with cases of cold beer and white German wine, and that is a feast to remember! Lately I have a tendency to pick up 2-3 pounds of King crab legs or large shrimp. Somehow those and lobster salad sandwiches seem to be the summer treat in the house. However, since showing a photo is mentioned, I will happily show everyone what I eat about every morning. A two-egg omelet (well that day it was a frittata) of bacon, cheese, onions, and tomatoes paired with a parfait of fresh fruit, granola, and yogurt. Add my cup of tea and loads of water, that is what I eat daily for my diet! =:8