Birthday, etc.

My parents have been buying us the sort of things we wouldn't buy for ourselves, which are the best kind of presents. Since we're in that sort of "setting up housekeeping", "newlywed new graduates stage," we've been spending spare cash on acquiring work-appropriate attire and basic furniture, rather than decorative objects. It's been lovely, as they really do add something to a room.

I mentioned in passing we'd seen a picture in IKEA that would match our living room perfectly. Lo, and behold, my parents gifted it to CodeMonkey for a surprise birthday present. We've decided that the living room needs a framed, vintage NYC subway map to go on the other wall.

My birthday was recently, and my mother made me a beautiful red and black pillow. The front is batik, and the back is red Chinese characters on a black field, a clever nod to CodeMonkey's dual Chinese and Malaysian heritage.

I spent Thanksgiving evening repairing my socks--making darns, removing pills, and sewing up holes. I own a little battery powered sweater shaver, but it can be a bit overenthusiastic, damaging the fabric while depilling. I find nothing works as nicely as a small pair of very sharp scissors, if you have the patience. I put the finishing touches on one sock and began another. At left, a year old pair, freshly depilled for another winter. At right, a new sock; it's twin is in progress.

Thanksgiving

On our third date, I told CodeMonkey that I was chronically ill. So ill, in fact, that my doctor didn't think I'd ever be able to work a normal job.

I'm thankful for the modern medicine that means this never happened, that enabled me to resume a normal life.

I'm even more thankful that CodeMonkey was unfazed by this revelation and said he'd care for us both, if need be.

I'm thankful I had the good sense to realize then that he was a keeper.

I'm most thankful for him, his love, and his unfailing patience in the subsequent years. The years with him have been the happiest of my life. I'm thankful for my parents, and their sacrifices on my behalf. I'm thankful for my in-laws, and their love for me. I'm thankful I live in the most thrilling city in the world. I'm thankful I have everything I need and most of what I want. I consider myself the most blessed woman in the world.

Wtf, Lands End?

See those two sweaters? Both of them are Lands End long sleeve cashmere cardigans, in a size medium. Both are from last year's line, bought on clearance plus 30% off (champagne taste, beer budget). I have owned the top one for about a month and I've been wearing it regularly. It's been carefully laundered, and has not been shrunk. The one below it is the same sweater, in a size medium petite. It's about 5 inches bigger in the torso, and has deeper armsceyes, longer sleeves, and a longer body. I am absolutely swimming in it. This is absurd, and it's going back. I don't care if I'm a size small, medium or large, but I'd like to know that if I buy the same garment from the same year in the same size, THEY WILL FIT THE SAME WAY.

Back in the Swing of Things

-I think I've finally adapted to my new job. Success!

-We were lucky enough to miss the brunt of Hurricane Sandy, thankfully.

-Since everyone needs a post-hurricane-we're-all-back-at-the-office treat, I'm making a large batch of bacon and cheddar scones for CodeMonkey and I to take to work tomorrow. (I omit the chives, swap whole milk for the cream, and use Dubliner cheese instead of Cheddar. Heavenly every time.)

-The return of cold weather means the return of the never ending hand wash only laundry. Between my sweaters (one long sleeve crew neck and one cardigan worn daily), CodeMonkey's sweaters, wool socks, wool stockings and various other sleepy garments, I'm doing hand washing daily. Buy stock in Eucalan. (That's the cheapest wool wash I've found. Buy it when it's 50% off with free shipping. One tablespoon to 5 gallons of warm water. A gallon lasts forever.)

-I'm watching Call the Midwife. I think it's the best show I've seen in years. PBS has all the episodes available for streaming right now. Go watch them.

-Since things have called down a bit on the work front, it's time to start goal setting again. This week:

-Lose one pound.
-Read one hour daily.
-Knit one hour daily.
-Crack 12,000 steps/day on the pedometer at least 4 times.
-Eat no more than 18 out of 42 meals out this week.

Civilization is Hideously Fragile

My husband has taken to working all the hours in a given day. He hasn't been home before 10:00 p.m. in over a week. On Friday night, I mean Saturday morning, he got home at 4:00 a.m. I'm not entirely clear on what he is doing all those hours at work, and I try not to ask, because he develops this weird twitch over his left eyebrow when I do. It seems very stressful.

Unfortunately, my husband is the only motivation I have to behave like a responsible adult. Without him around I:

-cease to cook nutritional meals (the other night I had string cheese for dinner)

-fail to buy groceries that can be assembled into proper meals (the last grocery trip included KIND Bars, chevre, milk chocolate and single serve containers of hummus)

-forget to take his pants to the dry cleaners (he only owns 4 pairs of work appropriate pants, so this is a bit of a problem)

-fail to fold the laundry (instead I leave all the baskets in the living room and dress from them)

In fact, without my husband around in the evenings, I pretty much sit around, knit socks (I have plenty of socks; what I really need are sweaters), and watch old episodes of trashy TV series on Netflix. It's not that my husband demands a decent dinner, folded laundry, or other such home comforts. It's just that I'm ashamed to let my inner frat boy take over when there's someone around to witness it.

Thyroid

I have Hashimoto's disease. In layman's terms, this means I don't have a thyroid. My last endocrinologist believes I developed this condition around age 13. I started medication at 18, but managing it fell by the wayside between other, more serious medical problems and multiple post-college moves.

I'm seeing a new endocrinologist who increased my dosage by 10% after reviewing my test results. I'm seemingly losing weight a bit more easily now, and I have more energy than I can ever remember. That's great. I'm no longer coming home from work and collapsing into bed. We do stuff out of the house on weekends! On the other hand, I'm struggling to fall asleep. I can't sleep more than 6 or 7 hours a night, and I am unable to fall asleep before midnight. I'm not sure if this is a good trade off.

New Socks

I finished these on Wednesday. Yarn is Felici Sport in Macaroon. I didn't start the heel soon enough, so they're a bit baggy. I have discovered I need to start the heel before the instructions say, or it's too long. I'm tempted to draw a line on my foot in Sharpie so I can remember the right spot.