Baby Blanket Photos

For those of you who were wondering, yes, I did finish the baby blanket in time for the shower, which I attended last Friday. Sorry I've been late getting these images up - I was running a two day Phonathon to call parents the last two nights. (It went very well. I even got to call for a bit!)

The pictures of the blanket are below. There is a close-up, of course.

Waiting in Grey

I was thinking about that story *The Strand* that I wrote for my E355 class all last semester. I wanted to try something different in that theme - a short.

Waiting in Grey

She was beautiful bathed in the florescent light.

“You’re married,” she said. It wasn’t a question, although she had never asked before.

“Yes. I love her very much,” because nothing is ever so simple.

“I could never not love her,” he went on, “She holds my past. She shares my memories.”

She paused.

“You think I am being dramatic. You’ve never been married. That is what it is to be married. You become interwoven with another in memories.”

No one spoke the way he did. It was why she was in love with him. One of the reasons anyway.

“You read too much Henry James,” she said, in explanation, although she knew that wasn’t the case at all.

They were stalling notably and had been doing so for what seemed an infinite time.

How long can we wait in the grey? How long can we go with no decisions at all? She wanted him to be the adult and take charge. He wanted her to provide seduction, all the while not knowing if seduction was in her character. Did she even know if seduction was in her character? She was beautiful, giving her license for temptation, but she did not know guile and hurt, could not imagine the pain that would be caused if action occurred because in a breath he had said, “I love her very much.”

Still she did not have the naïveté of youth – she was old enough to be past that.

“Walk with me,” he said, needing motion, needing the clarity that might come from the hit of cold air as they exited.

A university if never vacant and dark in entirety, could manage to be vacant and dark enough. Her hat made her hair jut out wildly moving in him a pang of something not quite desire, not quite love. And while it was at this moment moving towards being something like love, something like kindness between them, it would never be lust because neither of them could imagine that far, confining themselves inadvertently to teacher/student roles that ought to have been abandoned. And no matter how many times she said it, his first name would always reverberate with a clang in her ears, filling in professor in her brain.

“You were in my dream last night,” he said, surprising her, sighing. This was, in its way, its own kind of cruelty. “I’m corrupting you,” he went on.

She laughed but gently.

“I’m not your prelapsarian Eve. You should know.”

He had not thought of it before. She had been somewhat of a girl in his mind. That she was not an innocent that he was corrupting gave him a relief, a freedom – he would not be ever taking advantage of her.

“It’s been complicated before,” she continued. “This is not the first thing that I have done that I know is wrong. I had not stopped loving him, you know. And the funny thing, the really funny thing was that I didn’t feel bad the way I thought I would. I thought it would kill me to see my boyfriend after what I had done, after those kisses and, well, it doesn’t matter. But it didn’t. It really didn’t. The guilt I felt was for not feeling guilty.”

Her soliloquy stopped him, greedily grabbed his air from him. The moment had weight. He carefully touch her cheek, watching her eyes briefly close in the creation of memory then focus back on his in uncertain want.

“These things don’t matter,” she said with assertion, “Anything before this – it doesn’t matter.” As if saying that made it true.

She moved with words, waiting for him to move with action.

He was uncertain, after the cold of her cheek under his palm, after her words.

“Come with me,” she said, taking his hand – astonishment in itself – bring him back the way they came, entering the front door of the building as if they had nothing to hide. And what is someone should see them?

The office door had been left unlocked.

“I had always thought that there was a moment when things became inevitable,” she said, “but that’s not it at all. Every kiss is a new and different choice, a different damnation.”

“You’re not who I expected you to be.”

She let him kiss her then, which he did in the softest of touches, watching her eyes again close, thinking, “Now there is memory between us too.”

She was still cold from the outside, and he wrapped her in his coat, watch her hunker down into the fabric which cascaded down her, miniaturizing her, making her a girl again.

Neither one thought, “What have I done.”

“It won’t be enough,” she said.

“I know.”

“And you were never mine to have.”

He laughed warmly and brought her to him.

“It will be a beautiful and an ugly memory,” she said.

“Not ugly, just something sad and often more than memory.”

“Then kiss me again?” she asked.

And, another little sin, he did.

Anniversary Day

Today was Seth and my two year anniversary. We had the day off. We had lots of fun. We gave each other cool cards. I made Seth breakfast in bed. We saw Across the Universe. For dinner, we went to this place we had never been in South Deerfield - Wolfie's. It has basic, good food.

I just took a bath. Seth put so many bubbles in that the tub is still full.



Also, in case you think, "Gee, I haven't seen a picture of Lily in a while..." Here are a couple of pictures of Lily. She is getting so big! She looks absolutely beautiful. Her winter coat is coming in and she is super fluffy. I have been brushing her. She likes to sit in the bottom draw in the kitchen where we store bags and be brushed. Right no she is cleaning herself on my desk. Adorable!





Also, pretty cute: There are pictures of pigs on the Yarn Harlot's blog. Click on that link and press page down 5 and a half times. See that really fat pig with no eyes! Oooooh!

P.S. The baby blanket for Kim is finished! I'll take a picture soon, but I have it packed away at the moment.

Fun at Work

Left to right: Meghann, Kim, Maria, Me.
Photo courtesy of Barb.

More.

Basics:
Name:	Nicole.
Date of Birth:	March.
Birthplace:	Connecticut.
Current Location:	My apartment in Massachusetts.
Eye Color:	Brown.
Hair Color:	Red.
Height:	5' 1".
Heritage:	Hungarian, Italian, German.
Piercings:	Two in each ear.
Tattoos:	No. I think tattoos are gross.
Favourite:
Band/Singer:	Counting Crows.
Song:	"Anna Begins"
Movie:	Moulin Rouge.
Disney Movie:	Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
TV show:	Star Trek: Voyager.
Color:	Blue.
Food:	Matzo ball soup.
Pizza topping:	Eggplant and spinach.
Ice-Cream Flavor:	Cookie dough.
Drink (alcoholic):	Wine.
Soda:	Birch beer.
Store:	Faces in Northampton.
Clothing Brand:	Gap.
Shoe Brand:	Doc Martin's.
Season:	Summer.
Month:	June.
Holiday/Festival:	Passover.
Flower:	Grape hyacinth.
Make-Up Item:	Mascara.
Board game:	Clue.
This or That
Sunny or rainy:	Sunny.
Chocolate or vanilla:	Vanilla.
Fruit or veggie:	Fruit.
Night or day:	Day.
Sour or sweet:	Sweet.
Love or money:	Love.
Phone or in person:	In person.
Looks or personality:	Personality.
Coffee or tea:	Tea!
Hot or cold:	Hot.
Your:
Goal for this year:	Success.
Most missed memory:	I don't know. It's late, and I am tired.
Best physical feature:	Feet.
First thought waking up:	"Hi, Hoober."
Hypothetical personality disorder:	Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Preferred type of plastic surgery:	None.
Sesame street alter ego:	Snuffy.
Fairytale alter ego:	Anne of Green Gables - Does that count?
Most stupid remark:	I don't recall.
Worst crime:	None.
Greatest ambition:	Success.
Greatest fear:	Lonliness.
Darkest secret:	I am a pretty simple person.
Favorite subject:	English.
Strangest received gift:	Crutons from the Easter Bunny. Greg got canned beets.
Worst habit:	Fidgetting.
Do You:
Smoke:	No.
Drink:	Very infrequently.
Curse:	Infrequently.
Shower daily:	Always.
Like thunderstorms:	Eh.
Dance in the rain:	No.
Sing:	Poorly.
Play an instrument:	Flute. Although, I haven't played in a long time.
Get along with your parents:	Yes.
Wish on stars:	I used to.
Believe in fate:	No.
Believe in love at first sight:	No.
Can You:
Drive:	Yes.
Sew:	More or less.
Cook:	A little.
Speak another language:	No.
Dance:	Yes. I am especially good at Dance Dance Revolution.
Sing:	Poorly.
Touch your nose with your tongue:	No.
Whistle:	Yes.
Curl your tongue:	Yes. And make it look like the edge of lazagna.
Have You Ever:
Been Drunk:	On expensive champaign.
Been Stoned/High:	No.
Eaten Sushi:	Yes.
Been in Love:	Yes.
Skipped school:	I skipped class maybe once in college.
Made prank calls:	In my youth.
Sent someone a love letter:	Yes.
Stolen something:	No.
Cried yourself to sleep:	Probably.
Other Questions:
What annoys you most in a person?	Rudeness.
Are you right or left handed?	Right.
What is your bedtime?	10.30.
Name three things you can't live without:	Seth, tea, knitting.
What is the color of your room?	White - it's an apartment.
Do you have any siblings?	Greg, my brother.
Do you have any pets?	Lily, Seth and my cat.
Would you kill someone you hate for a million dollars?	No.
What is you middle name?	Marion.
What are you nicknames?	Dad gives me a new nickname every week. Seth calls me Hoober.
Are you for or against gay marriage?	For!
What are your thoughts on abortion?	I don't make decisions for others.
Do you have a crush on anyone?	My boyfriend.
Are you afraid of the dark?	No.
How do you want to die?	Suddenly in bed in old age in my sleep.
What is the largest amount of popsicles that you have eaten on one day?	I have no idea.
Would you take a bullet for the one you love?	Yes. Who says the bullet would even yield lasting damage.
What is the last law you’ve broken?	I don't break laws. Maybe I went a little over the 65mph speed limit while passing someone on the highway today though.
In a Member of the Opposite Sex:
Hair color:	Brown.
Eye color:	Blue.
Height	Medium/Tall.
Weight	Doesn't matter.
Most important physical feature:	Smart is sexy!
Biggest turn-off	Dumb is not sexy.
Take this survey or other MySpace Surveys at PimpSurveys.com

What I Would Do

What would you do if?
The President of the United States called you:	I'd think it was a prank call.
You won the lottery:	Well that depends - is this the I won in the lottery thing or the I won million in the lottery thing? Either way, I'd be pretty excited.
You got invited to be on a reality TV show:	I'd decline.
You caught a friend stealing from you:	I'd be upset. Then I'd confront him or her on the issue.
You witnessed a murder:	I'd probably panic, call the police, and have PTSD that would lead me to require years ot therapy.
A random stranger offered you candy:	Politely decline.
MySpace and Facebook closed:	Oh, please, like that would ever happen.
A genie granted you one wish:	I'd think about what to wish for really really hard.
You lost your favorite possession:	Um, I'd be upset. If I could, I'd try to replace it.
You found 10 dollars on the ground:	I'd keep it.
Your date throws up on you:	First, I'd take us both back home. Then I would take care of poor Seth.
Someone cut off a chunk of your hair:	I'd try to get a haircut that hid the problem.
Your favorite celebrity comes to visit you:	I would try to think of intelligent questions before hand. Although, since my favorite celebrity is Katharine Hepburn, who is dead, a visit from her would come as quite a surprise.
You were stranded on an island with nothing but the ability to make one phone call:	I'd call my family. They'd take care of the rest.
Take this survey or other MySpace Surveys at PimpSurveys.com

Photo Update

Good news. As you can see the blanket for Kim's baby is moving right along. I have a dozen days to go and am (about) a third done. I just might make it...





Look at the cool treat Seth made me for finishing up the Phonathon! It's a celebration.

Quick Knit!

My co-worker, Kim, is having a baby girl. This is not new news. In fact, as long as I have known Kim she has been pregnant (leaving it difficult for me to imagine her in any other state - but that is another matter). As Kim is quite a lovely co-worker, I told her that I would make her a blanket for her soon to arrive daughter. I told her this months ago, and then did nothing. After all, the baby isn't due until January, which is far off enough that I thought I didn't need to do anything other than buy the yarn (sage colored) that was needed.

Then Tuesday arrived. I got to work and found in the box on my door and invitation. To a baby shower. For Kim. On.... November 16!!!

This leaves me with approximately two weeks to finish the baby blanket, which was only started on Halloween. I'm moving as fast as possible and have finished a quarter of it. This puts me in good shape to finish in time. I'll keep you posted as to my progress.

N.B. Last night of the Phonathon is tonight!