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Anyone who lives in the St. Louis area knows about the construction on highway 40 (aka I-64) that began earlier this year and will continue for the next four years. It’s a huge project and it needs to be done but man is it an inconvenience for people who live near or commute via the highway. My man and I are lucky, we both work close enough to home that we can get there without the highways but we do live very near the highway. In fact, if you walk one block down our street, it dead-ends at the highway.

So far the construction has been mostly a slight nuisance. A large intersection near our home has been one huge traffic jam for months now and you can’t get on the highway going westbound there anymore. Well, there is a bridge about three blocks from our house that goes over the highway. Until one week ago when they closed it, I drove over it nearly every day. Still not a huge problem, detour around a few more blocks and you can drive under the highway. But this is the weekend that the Boland Bridge is coming down, along with two others. Houses in our neighborhood have been popping up for sale like you wouldn’t believe and tonight the reality of it has hit. You see, they do the major construction in the middle of the night so as to have the smallest impact possible on traffic.

So why am I blogging at 2am? They’ve started taking down the bridge. It’s not deafening or even loud by any means, just irritating. Hopefully the work they do this weekend will be the most heavy duty as they take down the bridge. Hopefully the next six months in which they will be rebuilding it will not interrupt our sleep. But if it does, I have good ear plugs.

Now I’m wide awake though so might as well get some stuff out of the way…

1. Chapter 25 of Anne of Green Gables is now available for downloading. I know these have been sporadic these last few months but life has been chaotic. Now that it is settling a bit I hope to release podcasts once a week.
2. Thank you for all your good, and sometimes funny, suggestions for keeping our brick oven apartment cool in the midst of our heat wave. We successfully survived the worst of it with some big pieces of cardboard, black plastic trash bags, and a window air conditioner moved from the back office (which is not connected to the central air but also is almost never used right now) into the living room. That extra bit of AC plus blocking the light has made a huge difference. It hit 105 here this past week so let’s hope that from here on out we will be heading towards fall weather.
3. I am constantly moved, saddened, and encouraged by reading peoples’ responses to and comments on my post about my ongoing battle with Meniere’s Disease. I’m glad some people found what I had to say helpful and for those who are looking for more help or people to talk to, please read this post I wrote on the many resources and online communities that are available for you to investigate further.
4. For those of you who want to know about my health, it is okay. I’m not having vertigo or symptoms at the same severity as I was prior to the Gentamicin injections. However, my balance is damaged and I am very sensitive to visual and aural stimuli and easily go into sensory overload when in the presence of my triggers. I saw my doctor last week and he thinks that my vestibular system has had enough time to rest and it’s time to give it a jump start to get it working well again. I’m decreasing my meds, both to minimize side effects and build up my tolerance. I’m doing some simple exercises designed for people with bad balance. And I am walking a mile a day. Trying to, anyhow. I’ve been wanting to start getting regular exercise and I’ve been lazy about it but now with doctor’s orders to walk a mile a day I’m more motivated. It’s hard with the weather the way it has been and with our local rec center being $7 a visit until I can establish residency but I’m working on making the walk a part of my routine. The good doc says that walking will help improve my balance, energy, and mood. I wouldn’t mind losing some weight while I’m at it of course! So, slowly, slowly, very slowly, I’m fighting my way back.
5. I’m working 12 hours a week at the library doing cataloging and miscellaneous technical services. I set myself up with a laptop in our meeting room and it is quiet and calm and a good environment for me. Besides the not making much money part, working part time is ideal for me right now and I am grateful that my boss is willing and able to let me continue part time when he now has to find someone else to work my old hours.
6. There was more I was going to write but I can’t remember and I think I may be able to sleep through the jackhammering now if I go lay down.

Sorry for the inelegant post but, dudes, it’s late, I know you’ll understand. Knitting and spinning updates coming very soon.

Hmm, no pictures makes for a boring post. Here, look at the mutts being cute:

Oliver: Come out and play!
Rosie: I need my beauty sleep.

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All kinds of exciting things in the last day! (And a bit of vertigo but it was the direct result of an exciting thing and thus worth it).

Exciting thing #1: I started working again. Just a few hours in the afternoon and only doing cataloging and web page stuff so I’m in a quiet, controlled environment. It was great to be back and feel useful and it’s wonderful that the folks I work with are being so patient and accomodating.

Exciting thing #2: My Kauni yarn arrived! It is lovely indeed and I can’t wait to get started but I’m going to finish my Camo Raglan Sweater first.  I’ve made a rule for myself of one sweater on the needles at a time.

Exciting thing #3: Harry Potter! Stephen and I saw a sneak preview showing last night. My cousin won tickets but was unable to go so we got to use them. (Note to self to make him a Gryffindor scarf as a thank you gift.)  We were sitting way too close and it was a huge screen so I had to constantly move my head back and forth to try to see the whole thing (this plus salty popcorn led to vertigo by the time we got home but as mentioned previously, it was worth it) but man oh man was it great. They did a good job fitting a huge book into two hours of film. Of course there were some things that I was disappointed to see left out but that’s always the case. Y’all are going to love it.

Exciting thing #4: I got my Ravelry invite this morning. I literally squealed. I’ve just been adding projects so far and I won’t go on and on about it because I know many folks are still waiting. If you are already on and want to friend me, I’m “AnnieC”.

Exciting thing #5: Finished Tofutsies!

Here is the finished pair:

A closer look:

These are a real mish-mash of patterns and elements. I did toe-up socks for the first time using the eastern cast on method that is in the most recent issue of Interweave Knits.  I did a heel flap on the bottom of the heel since that is where I tend to wear my socks out the quickest.  And then I was bored with stockinette stitch so for the leg I did the “Welt Fantastic” chevron pattern from “Sensational Knitted Socks” by Charlene Schurch.  It goes nicely with the stripey colorway and I think I wouldn’t have wanted it on the foot anyway since it is a bit bulky with the purl rows.  They’re just a smidge baggy so for my next pair I’ll go down a needle size.  I’ve already cast on a pink/purple colorway of the Tofutsies and have picked out a lovely pattern for it.  More on that later.  I also had quite a bit of yarn left over from the Blue Tofutsies so I’ll probably get a pair of ankle socks out of that.

Exciting thing #6: The chunky blanket is nearing completion so look for finished pictures of that soon!

I think that’s all for now.

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Well, I was better, and then I was sick again and now I’m doing a bit better again. It is the most frustrating thing. After calling in sick to work every day last week, my boss decided to put me on a sick leave of absence. It is for the best for everyone, he can hire someone to cover my hours and not worry about being short-staffed if I call in sick, and I can focus on my health without feeling guilty calling in sick all the time and return when I’m healthy. Still, it feels like a setback somehow but I’m trying not to think of it that way.

I see the doctor this afternoon. I don’t think I want another Gentamicin treatment at this point. I had vertigo last week but now I’ve had a few decent days in a row so I want to wait and see if maybe I just need some more time to recover and get my balance back. Today I had lunch at my favorite small, local restaurant with my mom. We’ve been going there forever and we go often so we know the owners rather well. I was talking to John, one of the owners today and he asked how work was so I explained things to him and it turns out that his wife Nancy, the other owner, has had spells of vertigo and some other symptoms. Doctors apparently mentioned Meniere’s but she’s been fine for a while now. He said that the next time we’re in he wants to get my doctor’s name and number. Also recently, my sister’s good friend’s boyfriend found out he may have Meniere’s. I met him briefly at our graduation party and Julia (my sister) mentioned to me recently that she wants my doctor’s info to pass on to him. I also referred a woman who is a friend of someone my dad works with to my doctor. When all these things happen, it makes me think that Meniere’s is either more common than people realize, or maybe it’s just a small world. It makes me so sad to hear of others suffering from it but it is also nice in a way when people already know what it is and I don’t have to explain it to them.

In other news, I officially moved out of my parents’ basement this past weekend and into the apartment with my fella. It was a tiring weekend but it’s such a relief to have all of my things in one place. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while now and it is great to get all of my things organized and really make this place feel homey.

If anyone wants to see the final project I did for my Flash class, you can see it here. I’m quite happy with it and plan on making it available for LV folks to use. Speaking of LibriVox, I’m easing myself back into it and into my podcast, now that I find myself with a bit more time, less stress, and able to read more. I just recorded a chapter of Anne of Green Gables, the first one in two months, and will edit and release it probably later today. As soon as I started recording I realized just how much I have missed it. For LibriVox I’m going to stick to recording for now, I really think all of the coordination burnt me out. I may jump back in eventually but for now I want to make sure it stays fun.

I’ve been doing a lot of knitting but I can’t post it because it’s a surprise gift for someone. I may post a picture just of the fabric at some point, we’ll see. I still need to finish up my Camo sweater and I’ve got some socks on the needles too.

I want to start posting book reviews again, I’ve been listening to a lot lately. But right now I’ve got to head out to the doctor.

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Good news: the vertigo appears to be under control although I’m still druggy and dragging and just not myself. I made it to work every day this week and made it through the whole day each day which feels so good. However, I also napped a couple hours after work pretty much every day to recover. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for much else and the stress in my life hit an intolerable level.

I’ve realized that stress is almost certainly making the Meniere’s worse and with some help from a wise soul I took a hard look at all of the things in my life that take up my time and energy. This wise soul pointed out that I need to cut back to the point where I can accomplish every thing that is on my plate even when I’m not feeling well. Then when I am feeling well, any extra stuff I can get done is bonus. I also need to not feel guilty about taking time to read and knit because those are my calming things. Knitting is almost meditation to me.

So, the things in my life that entail some sort of obligation and which cause me to feel guilty if I neglect them are: work, class on flash animation, approaching comprehensive exams, my podcast, my blog, a website I run for my family, and LibriVox. And here’s the plan…

Work is my priority. I enjoy my job and I’m blessed to work with people who are understanding about my illness. Even if I didn’t need the money, I’d want to work because several years of not being able to work made me realize how essential it is for me mentally to feel useful and appreciated.

After work, the next priority is finishing my Master’s degree in Library Science. This is the last semester and the last class. I’m doing well in my class. In fact, that mini project I posted about a while back got named “best overall” out of 30 something odd students in the class. Which is nice but also drove home just how much of a perfectionist I am. I don’t have to become a flash genius, I just need to pass the class, and I need to keep my standards I set for myself reasonable. The other component of finishing the Master’s is comps. A week of writing four papers each 4-6 pages in length. I could be preparing more than I am but that’s not my style. I’m a last minute writer. That week will come and I’ll get the papers done and it will be fine. I can’t let it hang over my head until then.

So then there are my various online projects. My blog is more something for myself that I enjoy than an obligation, as is my podcast. My family’s website is really minimal maintenance although I do need to upgrade the phpBB software. I’d like to devote more time to my blog eventually and my podcast has been terribly neglected recently. I never record because whenever I have time to do that, I realize how much LibriVox stuff I need to catch up on and my own project gets put on the back burner, sometimes for a month at a time.

As much as I love LV, it has become an obligation instead of a fun thing. I want it to be fun again. I want to record my chapters without feeling guilty. I want to go a week without logging in. So the biggest thing I’m doing to adjust my life is I’m taking a break from coordinating projects on LV. This is hard. I love LV and I hate feeling like I’m putting more pressure on others. But at the same time, as soon as I made this decision and spoke up to the other coordinators, I knew I’d done the right thing. Everyone jumped in with help and support and I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I want to come back to coordinating, especially poetry, when my life is more normal. But for now, LV is going on the back burner.

I know this may be dull to anyone who has read this far but I’m writing this as much to clarify my own thoughts and plan as anything else. And I feel better about things. I feel like life is manageable again.

Tomorrow I will record a chapter and post a knitting update and not feel a bit of guilt for doing so.

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I started some socks with my Mountain Colors yarn and was well past the heel when I realized it was way too big so I ripped the whole thing out and started over, this time with a fun little mock cable rib pattern. Now I’m about to where I was when I ripped out:

Fits perfectly and there is something so satisfying about working with thin yarn and tiny needles!

Then the Malabrigo. This will be a raglan sweater, pattern derived from The Knitter’s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns by Ann Budd, which I highly recommend. It’s like a recipe book crossed with a choose your own adventure book. Recipe in that you choose your style of sweater and gauge and then follow the instructions. Choose your own adventure in that you can choose the edgings, neckline, collar, waist shaping, etc. As far as I can tell, it’s turning out pretty well so far but the colorway of green and yellow has an interesting effect, take a look:

Does it remind you of anything? Yup, camouflage. But that’s okay, it will be my gorgeous, elegant camouflage sweater. Do you like the pretty Picot edging?

I do. I practiced it first on my Ocean Hat.

My Ocean Hat was really a tool to teach myself some new tricks like a picot edging, fair isle knitting, and a fun corkscrew hat topper. I used the Rowan All Seasons cotton yarn plus some leftover from the Sara Hat and some yellow cotton I got from the bargain bin at my yarn store. I used a pattern of interlocking swirls I got from The Knitting Stitch Bible by Maria Parry-Jones, another book I love so far. The pattern and the pastels made me think of waves, hence the Ocean Hat:

It’s a bit overwhelming to look at I think but it’s fun and I learned some new tricks making it so that’s what counts!

So I’m still working on the Yellowstone socks and the Camo Sweater. I also just got some truly lucious Alpaca yarn to make some gloves that I plan to start soon. Here’s a closer look at the Ocean Hat:

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