The same realization that caused me to ditch my dresser a couple years ago woke me up again in the last couple of weeks. I’m a very visual person. That saying, “out of sight, out of mind”, that is 10000% how my brain works. But I tend to forget, or tuck that little bit of knowledge away somewhere I can’t see it so it can jump back out and surprise me all over again.

A couple years ago, that caused me to rearrange my bedroom and finally move any and all clothing (including socks and underware) out of my dresser and into the closet where I could see everything in one place. Those items are in one of those hanging shelf things. The point is, I’m no longer letting the things at the bottom of the drawer sit there forever because I can only see the stuff on top (nor am I never wearing the stuff because it’s hiding inside a drawer). It was one of those personal revolutionary moments and once I started using that system exclusively, I wondered “why didn’t I think of this before”.

In addition to being very visual, I also compartmentalize. One of the things that took some adjusting on facebook (and has me slightly uncomfortable with my wedding guest list) is the fact that all my neatly compartmentalized groups of friends get to mingle and meet each other out of context. It’s not that I’m really any different with one group over another, I just mentally store them in context, so my coaster friends and my college friends and my high school friends and my band friends and my internet friends don’t generally have cause to interact amongst themselves. So, visual and compartmentalizing.

So, the grand revelation? I’ve compartmentalized my daily activities, so to fit something like regular exercise into my life it needs a compartment that visually separates it from everything else. Enter, the Y. I finally figured out that everything I try to do at home isn’t working because I’ve spent 32 years training my brain that the primary function of time spent at home is the lazy. The feeding and the sleeping and the tv watching and the web surfing. Lazy. Home = lazy. Home is where the lazy happens.

Instead of trying to change that, I’m just establishing a new x=y correlation in my head. The YMCA = activity. So, my routine for the last week has been to get up with the alarm, weigh in on the wii fit, brush my teeth, pull back my hair, pull on my workout clothes and get out the door before my brain realizes what’s hit it. That’s the hardest part. Once I get to the Y, I put in 20-30 minutes of whatever I’ve chosen to focus on that day, hit the showers and head to work. The advantage is that I’m still not getting out the door at home as early as I could be but instead of being late for work, I’m a little late for working out. I’ve built enough time in for working out that I can still get in at least 30 minutes even when I’m late and since I’m not at home, I’m not motivated to be lazy, so I’m out the door at the Y quicker and I’m only 2 blocks away from work, so I’m on time for work for the first time consistantly since, well, since I started if I’m honest.. (punctuality has been an issue for a loooong time).

Why didn’t I think of this before?

I’m trying not to jinx it, but I found a set of knitting needles in my hands this weekend for the first time in over a year… I’m holding out to see if this was just, as Mike referred to it, a “retro Bethie” moment, or if I’ll start easing back in.

 Have you?

It was in the 40s and sunny yesterday. I swear.

I have been knitting, but I’ve been slow since the mad dash of holiday knits. I did finish dad’s socks and they’ll get their own post soon. I’ve also started my mom’s birthday present, but I’ll save those for later too. Right now, I’m distracted by kitties. Specifically baby kitties.

Not mine, my best friend Rachel lost her kitty to old age about 3 months ago. She decided on a whim last week to look through the classified ads at work and on Saturday visited someone local who had two 3-month-old kittens available for free. Later that evening I got a phone call that was something like this:

Rachel: I’m gullible

Me: You got both kitties didn’t you?

Rachel: yes

Me: I’ll be right over

They are going to be a bundle, and are still adjusting but very playful and they are adapting to Rachel and her apartment quite quickly. I’ve been sucked in by that new kitten cuteness and have spent at least an hour over there every day getting my kitten fix. However, so far, they are unnamed. Rachel’s somewhat indecisive and has never taken on the task of naming a pet before. We’ve been bouncing ideas back and forth but for now they’re just “the baby kitties”. So, any name ideas for Rachel?  Edited to add: they are both boy kitties, forgot to mention that.

It’s been a crazy year with a lot of ups and downs. I’m really ready for a new beginning and a better year ahead. My car has been my biggest enemy this year, and it decided last night to give me one last hurrah for the year. So after a year where I’ve replaced the battery, the tires, the rear brakes, the casing on the side mirror, and the engine… last night the drivers side window came unclipped and fell into the door. I live in Michigan, it’s December, and the nearest dealership is 30 minutes away. I’m not looking forward to that chilly drive. So, get your car serviced regularly or it will come back and bite you in the ass. Consider this my public service announcement and biggest lesson learned for 2007.

Knitting wise, I’ve been all over the map this year.

I’ve played with a ton of sock patterns resulting in 18 pair (19 if I finish dad’s today). My mom got 3 pair, I gave 3 pair at Christmas (dad, brother, and sister-in-law) and the most spectacular pair went to my sockapalooza sock pal. The rest are all mine and between those and the few pair I knit in ‘06, I’m down to a very scant number of non-handknit socks in my wardrobe. I have a couple pair of solid black and brown trouser socks and a few pair of athletic socks, but the rest are all knit! I knit simple socks, fancy socks, cabled socks, lace socks, socks at amusement parks, socks in the car, socks at work, and even participated in a crazy mad event that was essentially a multi-round sock race. It’s mostly been my year of socks, and with my sock yarn stash as it is, there are many more years of socks ahead.

I made 5 scarves, including two very nice chevrons. I love my amusement park chevron and wear it constantly. 3 of the 5 scarves were gifts, 2 of them gifted for Christmas. I have several other scarf patterns I want to play with, but they really aren’t my go-to project.

I made my first sweater, an undertaking that was far faster and simpler than I ever expected it to be and something I consider among my biggest accomplishments of the year. Another is in progress and I see many more in my future.

And I made a few other random accessories… a hat, some gloves, a few dishcloths.

It’s also been a year of knitalongs, a year of Ravelry, and a year with NaBloPoMo, and a year that I’ve realized I need to figure out a better strategy for managing those sorts of things if I’m going to participate.It’s been the year that the knitting traveled. I worked on socks in several amusement parks, and my socks got to see some rather coaster geekish things like the walk-back tour at the Voyage at Holiday World, and the brake run of Kentucky Rumbler at Beech Bend Park. One sock even rode the carousel at Kennywood.

I’m not really setting any notable knitting goals this year, I’m planning more on just going with the flow since I tend to do that anyway. I am going to be mindful of the presence of the holidays a little sooner(like say, next week), I am going to try to pare down the number of projects I’m splitting my time between, and I’m finally ready to tackle some lace, but beyond that you might as well stay tuned, because I have no idea what the future holds for me in this craft.

I am working on some other more personal goals though and I’ve begun them a few weeks prior to the new year. My mantra for ‘08 is “What can I do today to improve my health, wealth and home?”

I’ve got some little projects, and some notable ones in the works. The biggest one this year will be finally focusing on getting rid of debt. The money thing has been hanging over my head like a noose, and I’m ready to behave like a mature adult and get it taken care of. In the grand scheme of things, it’s initially a short term cleanup project with some longer term implications and additional goals once the debt is gone. I can have the credit cards gone at the end of the year, and most everything else taken care of in another beyond that, in the meantime, I’m working on establishing some healthier spending habits that should help in the long run. Financial independence in my 30’s is not unreasonable and is well within my reach.

That one trickles into all sort of other projects that will be more of a downscaling than full removal. mostly Knitting from my stash, fewer coaster trips (this is definitely a limited time while buckling down for the debt reduction thing), decluttering my apartment, better time management, and cooking more meals at home. I’m not really making resolutions, just setting some goals and direction and aiming to be in a healthier and happier place at this point next year.

For my brother, I present:

The top 10 uses for gigantic handknit socks (on the off chance that they don’t fit)

10. Tissue box cozy

9. Collection vessel for loose change

8. giant bookmarks

7. gift bags

6. Pop bottle cozies

5. thumb-less mittens

4. If you felt them down, they’ll fit mom as really warm slippers

3. detachable pockets

2. unconventional earmuffs

1. New matching Christmas stockings for you and your wife

___________

The socks are done, if you hadn’t noticed. The tissue box photo was my attempt to show scale.

In addition, I finished the cabled scarf for my cousin to match the Unoriginal hat I made her. I’ll have photos and the pattern to share shortly after the holidays. I love how it turned out.

I’ve dropped a couple more projects off the list and now I’m hyper-focusing on finishing up my dad’s socks. I’m on the cuff of the second one with two more knitting days to go. I’m hoping I don’t give him a sock and a half on the needles for Christmas, but I’m prepared for that possibility.

Here’s where my list stands.Dad’s Socks:  Almost halfway done. I’m slowly progressing down the foot of the first sock, looks pretty much like it did the last time.

Brother’s Socks: Haven’t cast on again yet, they’ll get their place OTN soon.

3 pair of women’s socks (recipients deliberately kept nondescript):

Pink Monkey Socks: done, just finished today.

The other two pair haven’t been designated yet but will shortly.

Mom’s scarf: same as before

Sari silk scarf: same as before

At least one or two more scarves to be determined.

A couple hats that haven’t been started yet.

Undetermined pairs of gloves/fingerless mitts/mittens: One pair finished a month ago. Others not yet started, may be made to match the scarves.

My lungs are still jumping out of my chest, I have one cozy cat and another who’s decided to alternate between spastic and annoying and cute and cuddly all day long. Guess which one she chooses at 5 in the morning?

I’m just really hoping the meds kick this soon, I’m miserable right now.

Rose in the International Rose Test Gardens in Portland, OR, 2004

Carousel Horse in Vancouver, BC, 2004

Gromit

Texas Cyclone (R.I.P), 2005

Lily

Cuddlebugs

Will you forgive me for another empty, pointless post?