Angst

A lot of heartsick angst here today. I traded in my beloved Saturn for a Subaru. I know, in my heart, it was the right decision ( dealer paid off the loan on old car, i had positive equity in my car, got the color/model/features I wanted), but I was really rooting for my Saturn. I was.

3 weeks ago, it stopped braking and accelerating. On the highway. I had just had the brakes done, so I took it back: brakes are fine. Must be a sensor or transmission problem. Car is fine... drive home, leave it, head to work the next day. Same.problem. Except, now, I get "bumped" in traffic b/c I had no brake lights. *sigh* Call dealer, tow it in. Mention 3 times: brakes, struts, accelerator (car was jumping around).

Saturn/GM service only looks at cars towed in after lunch. So, if your car gets towed at 7:30 am (mine), they put it on a list, and look at it after 1pm. They never got to mine on Day 1. Day 2, got it on the lift at 4pm (close at 5pm). Day 3, says nothing wrong; I ask if they have test drove it. No. Well, drive it. Car gets stuck and they have to tow it back to the dealer after a 4 mile test drive. Call me to have it brought back to the non-dealer brake place. Hm. No.

Day 4 with my fancy rental car (paid for by Saturn, who called to say my warranty was up in 8 days)... fixed. They think. Keeping it overnight to drive again in the morning. Day 5...pick up my car and told "brakes fixed." Okay....what about struts? Um, didn't look at them. Okay, warranty is up soon... need to wait 1 week to bring it back in and they need it all day.

Le sigh. Struts fixed.. head to doc office on Monday: dashboard lights start blinking, flashing... car is running, makes whiny sound... lights come back on.

My 2007, fully loaded Saturn Vue, with 32,000 miles was falling apart.

Monday night, signed on dotted line for new 2010 Subaru Forester 2.5X premium in Camellia Red. :) Cry when I leave the dealership. Love the Subie, but really going to miss my Saturn. I was rooting for you!

What shall we name her?

More Beth classes...

More classes today!  10+ cast ons and norweigan purls....so.much.fun! Right, Sue?

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Twining...

Twined mitten class with Beth Brown-Reinsel (www.knittingtraditions.com) all day today....love, love, love this class!

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Winner, Winner... Chicken Dinner

I have no idea where the above title comes from, do you? It's something I started hearing a few years ago ( I think it's Southern) and it has stuck. Stuck.Stuck.Stuck.

Winners. I'm a winner and you are all winners! If you left a haiku for my blogiversary, send me a pm at kskaare (at) gmail (dot) com w/ your address so that I can send you a present. :)

I'm a winner...? I totally won at Kristen Tendyke's contest and I got a free pattern! :) I'm sure she won't mind me linking and lifting a photo from Ravelry....

I first met Kristen at a knitting class one weekend through a mutual friend, Andi. Kristen and Andi work at Classic Elite Yarns... where I did a project management project for one of my classes (yup, project management with Kristen Tendyke, Cecily Glowick, and Pam Allen (via phone)--- all for a grad school class? Swoon!) and now Kristen lives in a little house in Texas. I'm not kidding about it being little... it's approximately the size of my kitchen and I live in an apartment. :)

Dunkin' run....

What do you get when your significant other walks up to the Dunkin' Donuts to get the Saturday morning coffee? Me, I got a tea and these! I <3 PC. (and our florist, who just adore him)

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Friday night

Spent @ PC's curling club (broomstones) while he squeezes in a few more games before the end of the season. Can you guess which one is him? :) 

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Anniversary & Contest

So, 5 years ago on March 24, 2005, I started Minestrone Soup. It's been a great ride and I'd really like to thank each and everyone of you for reading, laughing, crying along with me. I'm going to keep on blogging, even though it's feeling less and less popular.

5 years ago, I was....

• recovering from being hit by a car on Valentine's Day
• considering living with PC
• blissfully unaware that my dad had cancer
• watching my mom struggle with her emphysema, congestive heart failure diagnosis
• digging out from a giant blizzard!

4 years ago, I was...

• smoke free for 3 weeks (l-o-n-g weeks)
• living with PC for 3 weeks (l-o-n-g weeks)
• wondering what to do with my life
• reporting to Sylvie at work
• learning about chemo/radiation for my dad
  

3 years ago, I was...

• at a new job, and wasn't sure if it was meant to be
• wondering when the cat will learn to like me
• realizing that renting is not all it's cracked up to be
• fully involved in the knitting guild

2 years ago, I was...

• still crazy in love with PC
• in year 2 of job and learning that I like Type A bosses, but I don't like conniving ones
• starting a new project at work with a new supervisor, who turns into a great friend!
• waiting for Sylvie and Mariuca to have their babies

1 year ago, I was...

• out of work
• scared to death of not being able to stay in my field, but not really wanting to either
• began 'networking' and discovered that I am really, really good at it
• started to think about moving
• still worried about PC's heart and blood pressure

Today, I am...

• happy in my new job (even though it's 100% more stressful than any other)
• knitting, knitting, knitting
• quilting, quilting, quilting
• confident that Pumpkin likes me
  
• sure that PC loves me
  

If you have stuck around this long, you deserve to see the contest:
Rules:

1. write a haiku about me, PC and/or Pumpkin in relation to this blog
   
2. submit by March 23 via the comments on this post
   
3. Winners announced March 24
4. Yarn, needles, books and patterns will be provided as prizes
5. You may enter more than once
6. if you blog about this (or tweet) and have contestants tell me "[insert your name/blog here] sent me" I will add you to a special drawing.

Bon chance!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

As a woman of obvious Irish heritage ( I come by my dark hair and blue eyes honestly), I can't let today go by without wishing you all a Happy Saint Patrick's Day!  So, raise your pint to the sky and repeat after me: Sláinte! (to your health!)

Toes for curling

PC is a curler. He loves the game and I think between it and flying, he has truly found his passion. What kind of curling gf would I be if I let him stand on the ice for hours in store bought socks (I love llbean, but his wool socks are getting holes and they wer pricey)???

Enter pair #2 of the handknit curling socks. He put them on and smiled...enough to warm a knitter's heart, and hopefully a curler's feet!

Good curling honey!

Btw, 600 + people showed up to PC's club on sunday to "try curling"...and two of them read this blog!

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

silence

I know there has been some radio silence lately here on the blog. One reason is that the commenting system was just whack-a-do and Trek (there should be a link there, if not, I'll fix it when i get home) had to go under the hood and pull out parts of my blog. Now, I have my blog back. And it's happy. And I sent her yarn without her knowing. Oh. whoops. well, she knows now.

Second is that I'm dealing with some indecision in my knitting/personal life that has to come to fruition soon. Some of you know that I am a coordinator for a guild here in the metrowest of Boston. I love my guild, but recent events have caused me to seriously consider stepping down/bowing out. I'm not sure yet, but I need to make a decision soon. There's a lot involved in this and I am trying to figure out if I am letting one or two events cancel what's been a wonderful experience or are one or two events highlighting what I've been seeing through rose-colored glasses. See? Hard. 

Third: my car. My fun loving, road tripping Saturn Vue is being evil. She decided she needed new 'shoes' for the spring ($400) and then decided that she didn't want to get them dirty, so has stopped working. From what I can guess from my knowledge of cars, online research and gut feeling: it's my transmission and it's slipping. On an automatic, which doubly sucks. So, she stopped this morning near a Marshalls (note: no matter what PC says, keeping socks-in-progress in car is always good) after she just Stopped. In the middle of the road. Got bumped by a very nice man, who felt SO bad (not his fault) and he kept traffic at bay while I turned the car on and off a few times and then coasted into the parking lot. So, Betty Sue (my Vue) is at the dealership today... she had to be towed. 

A side note; a Saturn dealership is really just a big garge waiting room these days.

More later. I have socks, sweater, and cowl progress to show.