It occurred to me yesterday that my blog is not exactly anonymous. If you were to Google my name, profession and state, you could probably find my professional website easily. (Okay, it's on the third page of hits, but still.) That doesn't actually bother me; I know I don't have that many readers, and none of you are planning to stalk me, I hope. (In fact, you should email and say hi.) What I worry about more is someone I know professionally stumbling upon my blog. (That, friends, comes up on the second page of hits, once I leave off my last name and add "blogspot".) That means I can't indiscriminately vent about stuff here, like I can with my day job. Which is what I want to do right now (hence the timing of my realization)--basically there are multiple people/organizations who have recently treated me less than professionally, when I always do my best to make sure I am consummately prepared and professional. I'm supremely pissed. And I can't say any more about it! Grrr... I did tweak a few things just now--making the blog non-searchable solves most of the problems, unless someone were to come across a cached page or something--and I feel a little safer, but I still don't feel right going off on the people who need going off on right now. Ugh.

Anyway, happier news. I'm actually working on a successful pair of Monkeys--though they're just anklets to wear under sneakers. I shall call them "Evil, Evil Monkey!" (wish I could find a good audio clip!), because I'm making them toe-up, and I was unhappy with reversals of the lace pattern (both other people's efforts and my own) so I decided just to do it as written, so it will appear upside down. I'm using the Pagewood Farm bamboo blend leftover from Mark's Rhombi, but I don't have enough so I'm doing the heels from a teeny, yummy sample of Twisted Fiber Art Arial I got in a swap. I finally understand why these socks are so addictive--the pattern is super easy to memorize, and they are lightning-fast. They may even make a good holiday present for someone special, if I am so inclined.

Speaking of holiday gifts: last year totally broke my will. Especially after my brother-in-law (the nice one even, not the slimeball one who molested my plant like, two years ago now) placed that order on the answering machine. I am not reliving last year, where I started knitting gifts in August and didn't look up until December. That was disgusting. Any crafted holiday gifts this year will be things I want to make--so for example, maybe I'll make a cute mug cozy or two, then decide who I should send them to. Or maybe I won't make any mug cozies, and those people will get chocolate instead. I am no longer a sweatshop! And Mark is totally in agreement. There is no need to get bitter with my fiber.

I'm listening to some classic Ani right now... It lifted my mood almost immediately.

people used to make records
as in a record of an event
the event of people
playing music in a room

This is a CD of awesomeness. I don't know if it just helps me reconnect to a simpler time that just seems simpler but really wasn't... Back then I had to worry about boys and money and papers and what I was going to do with the rest of my life. Now I just worry about buying a house and saving for retirement and the economy and fitting in a family with my career. But I have a boo at home, and we live simply but comfortably. See? I do have so, so much to be thankful for.

Sorry. I was feeling morose, and this is helping.

I will post pictures of the Evil, Evil Monkeys (the second should be done by the end of tomorrow, depending on our weekend plans), plus the Poet's Pullover (finished except for many ends to sew in) and my first fingerless gloves for myself (Malabrigo Lace, yum) when I can get Mark to take the pictures. It's hard to take pictures of your own hands...