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  <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter</id>
  <title>Notes from a KnuttyKnitter</title>
  <subtitle>knuttyknitter</subtitle>
  <author>
    <name>knuttyknitter</name>
  </author>
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  <updated>2009-09-06T22:13:03Z</updated>
  <lj:journal userid="11011422" username="knuttyknitter" type="personal"/>
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  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:44198</id>
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    <title>Shit Like This...</title>
    <published>2009-09-06T22:13:03Z</published>
    <updated>2009-09-06T22:13:03Z</updated>
    <category term="post secret"/>
    <content type="html">&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a7jkcMVp5Vg/SqLrZ_pXx5I/AAAAAAAAJv8/GB-kFttpC5E/s1600-h/canada.jpg"&gt;http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_a7jkcMVp5Vg/SqLrZ_pXx5I/AAAAAAAAJv8/GB-kFttpC5E/s1600-h/canada.jpg&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a7jkcMVp5Vg/SqLpF_QpmSI/AAAAAAAAJuc/V9F51CNHkMY/s1600-h/mailthem.jpgmakes"&gt;http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a7jkcMVp5Vg/SqLpF_QpmSI/AAAAAAAAJuc/V9F51CNHkMY/s1600-h/mailthem.jpgmakes&lt;/a&gt; me so very sad and scared.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:43906</id>
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    <title>Moving On?</title>
    <published>2009-09-05T18:59:07Z</published>
    <updated>2009-09-05T18:59:07Z</updated>
    <content type="html">So for a long time, I wasn't there.&amp;nbsp; I mean, I'd say &amp;quot;yeah, I need to move on,&amp;quot; but words and practice are quite different.&amp;nbsp; I think I'm baby steps closer to practice, but wondering...&amp;nbsp; how does this work?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am:&lt;br /&gt;Independant&lt;br /&gt;Strong&lt;br /&gt;Intelligent&lt;br /&gt;Emotional&lt;br /&gt;A dedicated and loyal friend&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am also tired.&amp;nbsp; And this moving on business is much harder that I ever imagined.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:43705</id>
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    <title>Why now?</title>
    <published>2009-08-16T17:20:21Z</published>
    <updated>2009-08-16T17:21:50Z</updated>
    <content type="html">Livejournal just told me my last entry was 28 weeks ago...&amp;nbsp; So why am I feeling compelled to write something now?&amp;nbsp; I think because Facebook is too public, writing in a notebook is too private (I spend enough time in my own head as it is), so this seems appropriate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm moving, again.&amp;nbsp; Seems like I can't ever stay in one place for more than a yr or 2 despite the knowledge that moving makes me nearly paralyzed with anxiety and tearful at the drop of a hat.&amp;nbsp; I hate packing, I hate unpacking, and I hate (in some ways) change.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2 such examples of tearfulness (albeit somewhat appropriate).&lt;br /&gt;1.&amp;nbsp; When my brother and sister were little, we had a &lt;a href="http://www.amazon.com/Papa-Please-Moon-Classic-Board/dp/0689829590"&gt;book &lt;/a&gt;called &lt;u&gt;Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me&lt;/u&gt;.&amp;nbsp; It's a wonderful book and often when I'm calling my dad, the title pops into my head.&amp;nbsp; I mentioned it to him the other day:&lt;br /&gt;Me: Sometimes when I call you, I want to say &amp;quot;papa, please get the moon for me&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;Daddy: I remember that book.&amp;nbsp; And I would, if you asked me to.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2.&amp;nbsp; I called my 17 yr old (and sometimes, appropriately, very adolescent) brother to ask him if he could help me move:&lt;br /&gt;Me:&amp;nbsp; E, are you available next weekend to help me move?&lt;br /&gt;Brother: Yeah, maybe.&amp;nbsp; Why?&amp;nbsp; I thought you had it under control?&lt;br /&gt;Me:&amp;nbsp; Yeah, I kind of do, but I'm getting really anxious about the whole thing and would rather have you and Daddy here to help if you are available.&amp;nbsp; If not, it's OK.&lt;br /&gt;Brother:&amp;nbsp; No, I think that would work.&amp;nbsp; Would you want us to come on Friday?&lt;br /&gt;Me:&amp;nbsp; Whatever works for you.&amp;nbsp; Why don't you talk to Dad and let me know.&lt;br /&gt;Brother:&amp;nbsp; OK, I'll call you in a bit.&amp;nbsp; I love you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm lucky.&amp;nbsp; I know that.&amp;nbsp; Sometimes I need hourly reminders, but I do know it.&amp;nbsp; And yet, I'm still struggling with everything that's occurred over the last year or so.&amp;nbsp; So today, even though I know how lucky I am, I am sad.&lt;br /&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:43389</id>
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    <title>Perhaps a resurface, or maybe just a blip :-)</title>
    <published>2009-02-01T01:39:26Z</published>
    <updated>2009-02-01T01:42:50Z</updated>
    <content type="html">A silly quiz!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. Name one song that reminds you of an ex.&lt;br /&gt;Stumped on the 1st question - this does not bode well for me&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. Where was your default pic from? &lt;br /&gt;Walden Pond, Fall 2006&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3. What's your middle name? &lt;br /&gt;Plum&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4. Relationship status?&lt;br /&gt;Um, complicated?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5. How do you feel about kids? &lt;br /&gt;I love them!&amp;nbsp; Particularly when I can play with 'em and then go home :-)&amp;nbsp; But I'm also really looking forward to having my own.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;6. What is your current mood? &lt;br /&gt;Relaxed&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;7. What color underwear are you wearing? &lt;br /&gt;White, I'm kinda boringly attired today&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;8. What makes you happy? &lt;br /&gt;Family, good friends, puppies, cuddly babies, &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;9. What makes you sad? &lt;br /&gt;Lots of things&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;10. What life experience do you feel you haven't had yet, but want to?&lt;br /&gt;Being a momma&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;11. If you MUST be an animal for ONE day- what would you be? &lt;br /&gt;I think a monkey, then I could throw poop at people that piss me off&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;12. Ever had a near death experience?&lt;br /&gt;Nope&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;13. Something you do a lot? &lt;br /&gt;Knit, talk, watch TV&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;14. What's the name of the song stuck in your head right now? &lt;br /&gt;Old skool 90210 music&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;15. Who did you copy and paste this from?&lt;br /&gt;Siercia&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;16. Name someone with the same b-day as you?&lt;br /&gt;An old college friend&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;17. When was the last time you cried?&lt;br /&gt;Today, I was reading &lt;a href="http://half12.blogspot.com/"&gt;this blog&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;18. Have you ever sung in front of a large audience? &lt;br /&gt;Yeah, I was a diva in my day&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;19. If you could have one super power what would it be?&lt;br /&gt;Get my way, always ;-)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;20. First thing you notice about the opposite/same sex?&lt;br /&gt;Face (general, yes)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;21. What do you usually order from Starbucks?&lt;br /&gt;Grande non-fat hazelnut latte&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;22. Favorite romantic gesture?&lt;br /&gt;I forget what romance is&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;23. Favorite color?&lt;br /&gt;Sometimes pink, lately I've been liking orange&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;24. When was the last time you lied?&lt;br /&gt;No idea&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;25. Do you still watch kiddy movies or TV shows?&lt;br /&gt;On occasion&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;26. Favorite guilty pleasure? &lt;br /&gt;Silly TV shows on DVD (currently watching 90210, Season 1)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;27. What are you eating or drinking at the moment? &lt;br /&gt;Just finished stuffed salmon and steamed veggies - yum!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;28. Do you speak any other language? &lt;br /&gt;Minimal French, more minimal Spanish.&amp;nbsp; And I was getting towards fluent-ish in ASL, but don't use it enough.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;29. What's your favorite smell? &lt;br /&gt;Oh, interesting question.&amp;nbsp; Ocean and clean sheets from the clothesline.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;30. If you could describe your life in one word what would it be?&lt;br /&gt;Fluctuating&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;31. When was the last time you gave/received a hug? &lt;br /&gt;I think last nite when I left a friend's house&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;32. Have you ever been kissed in the rain? &lt;br /&gt;Yes&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;33. What are you thinking about right now? &lt;br /&gt;90210, getting in my PJs, dessert&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;34. What should you be doing? &lt;br /&gt;Cleaning the house&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;35. What was the last thing that made you upset/angry? &lt;br /&gt;A situation at work - not angry, just really sad&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;36. Do you like yourself? &lt;br /&gt;Yeah, most of the time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;37. Do you like working in the yard? &lt;br /&gt;I think I would like to have a small garden, but in the past, no.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;38. If you could have any last name in the world, what would you want? &lt;br /&gt;What a bizarre question.&amp;nbsp; I'm pretty content with my current last name.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;39. Do you act differently around your crush? &lt;br /&gt;Yeah, probably&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;40. How many times have you fallen madly in love? &lt;br /&gt;A few&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;41. Are you still in love with your partner? &lt;br /&gt;See #4&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;42. What is the biggest dream you have had manifest? &lt;br /&gt;Being an adult?&amp;nbsp; I don't know.&amp;nbsp; These questions are getting too deep for a Saturday evening.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;43. What is your dearest dream you have had to leave behind? &lt;br /&gt;Having kids, but it's just been temporarily left behind.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;44. What are some of your favorite toys (kids' toys, not grown-up toys)?&lt;br /&gt;I love [some] board games, coloring is quite relaxing too.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;45. What is your darkest desire? &lt;br /&gt;See #42&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;46. Of all the things you have had to give up on your path in this life, what do you miss the most? &lt;br /&gt;I'm trying not to have regrets, but I miss semi-constant companionship&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;47. What change are you working on? &lt;br /&gt;Stability, being a control freak, acceptance&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;48. Do you have any friends you just can't stand? &lt;br /&gt;Yeah :-(&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;49. What are your top five prized possessions (tangible objects)?&lt;br /&gt;Too deep for me right now&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;50. If you were having a platonic friend visit for a week, what are some things you would want to do with them? &lt;br /&gt;I agree with Siercia - Depends on the friend, and what they liked to do.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:43246</id>
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    <title>Because I should do be doing a number of things......</title>
    <published>2008-12-07T22:17:30Z</published>
    <updated>2008-12-07T22:17:30Z</updated>
    <category term="procrastinating"/>
    <content type="html">This is what happens when I'm getting ready to go on a trip - I've started too many knitting projects, shopped too much, and now this!&amp;nbsp; Clearly I am not packing for Israel or cleaning up the house.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bold the ones that you have done, commentary/explanations are welcome.&amp;nbsp; I've done exactly 1/2.&amp;nbsp; This reminds me of the &amp;quot;Life List&amp;quot; that I wrote in 7th grade....&amp;nbsp; I should go back and revisit that - it would be interesting to see how much like and not like my 7th grade self I am :-)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;1. &lt;b&gt;Started your own blog&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 2. &lt;b&gt;Slept under the stars&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 3. Played in a band&lt;br /&gt; 4. Visited Hawaii&lt;br /&gt; 5. Watched a meteor shower&lt;br /&gt; 6. &lt;span style=""&gt;Given more than you can afford to charity&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 7. &lt;b style=""&gt;Been to Disneyland&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 8. &lt;b style=""&gt;Climbed a mountain&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 9. &lt;b&gt;Held a praying mantis&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 10. &lt;b&gt;Sang a solo&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 11. Bungee Jumped&lt;br /&gt; 12. &lt;b&gt;Visited Paris&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea&lt;br /&gt; 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch&lt;br /&gt; 15. Adopted a child&lt;br /&gt; 16. &lt;b style=""&gt;Had food poisoning&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty&lt;br /&gt; 18. &lt;b&gt;Grown your own vegetables&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 19. &lt;b&gt;Seen the Mona Lisa in France&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 20. Slept on an overnight train&lt;br /&gt; 21. &lt;b&gt;Had a pillow fight&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 22. Hitch hiked&lt;br /&gt; 23. &lt;b&gt;Taken a sick day when you're not ill&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 24. &lt;b&gt;Built a snow fort&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 25. &lt;b&gt;Held a lamb&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 26. &lt;b style=""&gt;Gone skinny dipping&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 27. &lt;span style=""&gt;Run a Marathon&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 28. &lt;span style=""&gt;Ridden in a gondola in Venice&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 29. &lt;b&gt;Seen a total eclipse&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 30. &lt;b&gt;Watched a sunrise or sunset&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 31. Hit a home run&lt;br /&gt; 32. &lt;b style=""&gt;Been on a cruise&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 33. &lt;b&gt;Seen Niagara Falls in person&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors&lt;br /&gt; 35. &lt;b&gt;Seen an Amish community&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 36. Taught yourself a new language&lt;br /&gt; 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied&lt;br /&gt; 38. &lt;b&gt;Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 39. Gone rock climbing&lt;br /&gt; 41. &lt;b&gt;Sung karaoke&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt&lt;br /&gt; 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant&lt;br /&gt; 44. Visited Africa&lt;br /&gt; 45. &lt;b&gt;Walked on a beach by moonlight&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 46. Been transported in an ambulance&lt;br /&gt; 47. &lt;b style=""&gt;Had your portrait painted&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 48. Gone deep sea fishing&lt;br /&gt; 49. &lt;span style=""&gt;Seen the Sistine Chapel in person&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 50. &lt;span style=""&gt;Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 51. &lt;b style=""&gt;Gone scuba diving or snorkeling&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 52. &lt;b&gt;Kissed in the rain&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 53. &lt;b style=""&gt;Played in the mud&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 54. &lt;span style=""&gt;Gone to a drive-in theater&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 55. Been in a movie&lt;br /&gt; 56. Visited the Great Wall of China&lt;br /&gt; 57. &lt;b style=""&gt;Started a business&lt;/b&gt; (it didn&amp;rsquo;t last long)&lt;br /&gt; 58. Taken a martial arts class&lt;br /&gt; 59. Visited Russia&lt;br /&gt; 60. Served at a soup kitchen&lt;br /&gt; 61. &lt;b&gt;Sold Girl Scout Cookies&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 62. &lt;b&gt;Gone whale watching&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 63. &lt;span style=""&gt;Got flowers for no reason&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 64. &lt;b&gt;Donated blood, platelets or plasma&lt;/b&gt; (I can&amp;rsquo;t, but I donated bone marrow)&lt;br /&gt; 65. Gone sky diving&lt;br /&gt; 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp&lt;br /&gt; 67. &lt;b style=""&gt;Bounced a check&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 68. Flown in a helicopter&lt;br /&gt; 69. &lt;b&gt;Saved a favorite childhood toy&lt;/b&gt; (in my bed right now)&lt;br /&gt; 70. &lt;b&gt;Visited the Lincoln Memorial&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 71. &lt;b&gt;Eaten Caviar&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 72. Pieced a quilt&lt;br /&gt; 73. &lt;b&gt;Stood in Times Square&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 74. Toured the Everglades&lt;br /&gt; 75. Been fired from a job&lt;br /&gt; 76. &lt;b style=""&gt;Seen the Changing of the Guards in London&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 77. &lt;b&gt;Broken a bone&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 78. &lt;b style=""&gt;Been on a speeding motorcycle&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person&lt;br /&gt; 80. &lt;b style=""&gt;Published a book&lt;/b&gt; (thank you &amp;ldquo;Publishing Lab&amp;rdquo; in elementary school!)&lt;br /&gt; 81. &lt;span style=""&gt;Visited the Vatican&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 82. &lt;b style=""&gt;Bought a brand new car&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 83. &lt;b style=""&gt;Walked in Jerusalem&lt;/b&gt; (well, I will in 3 days)&lt;br /&gt; 84. &lt;b&gt;Had your picture in the newspaper&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 85. Read the entire Bible&lt;br /&gt; 86. Visited the White House&lt;br /&gt; 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating&lt;br /&gt; 88. &lt;b style=""&gt;Had Chickenpox&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 89. &lt;b style=""&gt;Saved someone's life&lt;/b&gt; (see #64)&lt;br /&gt; 90. Sat on a jury&lt;br /&gt; 91. &lt;b&gt;Met someone famous&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 92. Joined a book club&lt;br /&gt; 93. &lt;b&gt;Lost a loved one&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 94. Had a baby&lt;br /&gt; 95. Seen the Alamo in person&lt;br /&gt; 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake&lt;br /&gt; 97. Been involved in a law suit&lt;br /&gt; 98. &lt;b&gt;Owned a cell phone&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 99. &lt;b&gt;Been stung by a bee&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 100. &lt;b&gt;Read an entire book in one day&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:42930</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/42930.html"/>
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    <title>Long overdue</title>
    <published>2008-11-17T02:07:48Z</published>
    <updated>2008-11-17T02:07:48Z</updated>
    <content type="html">I've been remiss in my blog up-keep.&amp;nbsp; It COULD be very therapeutic, but instead I find myself needing to be vague, guarded, and it's the antithesis of therapy.&amp;nbsp; And really, who wants to read the weekly travails of a weepy and mostly sad me?&amp;nbsp; I don't even want to read that shit and I'm living it.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And now for the good stuff...&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Things that suck&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;Divorce&lt;br /&gt;Feeling rootless&lt;br /&gt;Not having a permanent full time job&lt;br /&gt;Being sad&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Things that don't suck&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;3 months off anti-depressants!&lt;br /&gt;Finally going to Israel&lt;br /&gt;Knitting socks&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When I was little, and similarly tending towards the negative, my mom used to ask me how school was.&amp;nbsp; I would list a ton of shitty things 1st.&amp;nbsp; Momma made a rule - for every bad thing, I had to have 3 good.&amp;nbsp; I should implement that in my daily life again I think.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:42544</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/42544.html"/>
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    <title>Still here</title>
    <published>2008-08-04T03:21:53Z</published>
    <updated>2008-08-04T03:21:53Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;p&gt;Yep, I'm still alive and breathing, despite no posts for over a month.&amp;nbsp; Maybe that will be my September resolution?&amp;nbsp; Probably not though - I'm hoping for a real job by then....&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:42274</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/42274.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=42274"/>
    <title>Procrastinating</title>
    <published>2008-06-27T15:56:55Z</published>
    <updated>2008-06-27T15:56:55Z</updated>
    <category term="meme time-wasting books"/>
    <content type="html">&amp;nbsp;&lt;div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"&gt;&lt;span style="FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: &amp;#39;Verdana&amp;#39;,&amp;#39;sans-serif&amp;#39;"&gt;The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed."&lt;br /&gt;1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.&lt;br /&gt;2) Italicize those you intend to read.&lt;br /&gt;3) Underline the books you LOVE.&lt;br /&gt;4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them ;-)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"&gt;&lt;span style="FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: &amp;#39;Verdana&amp;#39;,&amp;#39;sans-serif&amp;#39;"&gt;1 &lt;i&gt;Pride and Prejudice&lt;/i&gt; - Jane Austen &lt;br /&gt;2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien&lt;br /&gt;3 &lt;b&gt;Jane Eyre&lt;/b&gt; - Charlotte Bronte&lt;br /&gt;4 &lt;b&gt;&lt;u&gt;Harry Potter series&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/b&gt; - JK Rowling&lt;br /&gt;5 &lt;b&gt;To Kill a Mockingbird&lt;/b&gt; - Harper Lee&lt;br /&gt;6 The Bible&lt;br /&gt;7 &lt;i&gt;Wuthering Heights&lt;/i&gt; - Emily Bronte&lt;br /&gt;8 &lt;b&gt;Nineteen Eighty Four&lt;/b&gt; - George Orwell&lt;br /&gt;9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman&lt;br /&gt;10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens&lt;br /&gt;11 &lt;b&gt;Little Women&lt;/b&gt; - Louisa M Alcott&lt;br /&gt;12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy&lt;br /&gt;13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller&lt;br /&gt;14 Complete Works of Shakespeare&lt;br /&gt;15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier&lt;br /&gt;16 &lt;b&gt;The Hobbit&lt;/b&gt; - JRR Tolkien&lt;br /&gt;17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks&lt;br /&gt;18 &lt;i&gt;Catcher in the Rye&lt;/i&gt; - JD Salinger&lt;br /&gt;19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger&lt;br /&gt;20 Middlemarch - George Eliot&lt;br /&gt;21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell&lt;br /&gt;22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald&lt;br /&gt;23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens&lt;br /&gt;24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy&lt;br /&gt;25 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams&lt;br /&gt;26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh&lt;br /&gt;27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky&lt;br /&gt;28 &lt;i&gt;Grapes of Wrath&lt;/i&gt; - John Steinbeck&lt;br /&gt;29 &lt;b&gt;Alice in Wonderland&lt;/b&gt; - Lewis Carroll&lt;br /&gt;30 &lt;b&gt;The Wind in the Willows&lt;/b&gt; - Kenneth Grahame&lt;br /&gt;31 &lt;i&gt;Anna Karenina&lt;/i&gt; - Leo Tolstoy &lt;br /&gt;32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens&lt;br /&gt;33 &lt;b&gt;Chronicles of Narnia&lt;/b&gt; - CS Lewis&lt;br /&gt;34 &lt;b&gt;Emma&lt;/b&gt; - Jane Austen&lt;br /&gt;35 Persuasion - Jane Austen&lt;br /&gt;36 &lt;b&gt;The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe&lt;/b&gt; - CS Lewis&lt;br /&gt;37 &lt;i&gt;The Kite Runner&lt;/i&gt; - Khaled Hosseini &lt;br /&gt;38 &lt;i&gt;Captain Corelli's Mandolin&lt;/i&gt; - Louis De Bernieres&lt;br /&gt;39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden&lt;br /&gt;40 &lt;b&gt;Winnie the Pooh&lt;/b&gt; - AA Milne&lt;br /&gt;41 Animal Farm - George Orwell&lt;br /&gt;42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown&lt;br /&gt;43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez&lt;br /&gt;44 &lt;i&gt;A Prayer for Owen Meaney&lt;/i&gt; - John Irving&lt;br /&gt;45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins&lt;br /&gt;46 &lt;b&gt;&lt;u&gt;Anne of Green Gables&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/b&gt; - LM Montgomery&lt;br /&gt;47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy&lt;br /&gt;48 &lt;i&gt;The Handmaid's Tale&lt;/i&gt; - Margaret Atwood&lt;br /&gt;49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding&lt;br /&gt;50 &lt;i&gt;Atonement&lt;/i&gt; - Ian McEwan &lt;br /&gt;51 &lt;i&gt;Life of Pi&lt;/i&gt; - Yann Martel&lt;br /&gt;52 Dune - Frank Herbert&lt;br /&gt;53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons&lt;br /&gt;54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen&lt;br /&gt;55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth&lt;br /&gt;56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon&lt;br /&gt;57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens&lt;br /&gt;58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley&lt;br /&gt;59 &lt;b&gt;The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time&lt;/b&gt; - Mark Haddon&lt;br /&gt;60 &lt;i&gt;Love In The Time Of Cholera&lt;/i&gt; - Gabriel Garcia Marquez &lt;br /&gt;61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck&lt;br /&gt;62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov&lt;br /&gt;63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt&lt;br /&gt;64 &lt;b&gt;The Lovely Bones&lt;/b&gt; - Alice Sebold&lt;br /&gt;65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas&lt;br /&gt;66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac&lt;br /&gt;67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy&lt;br /&gt;68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding &lt;br /&gt;69 &lt;i&gt;Midnight's Children&lt;/i&gt; - Salman Rushdie&lt;br /&gt;70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville&lt;br /&gt;71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens&lt;br /&gt;72 Dracula - Bram Stoker&lt;br /&gt;73 &lt;b&gt;&lt;u&gt;The Secret Garden&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/b&gt; - Frances Hodgson Burnett &lt;br /&gt;74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson&lt;br /&gt;75 Ulysses - James Joyce&lt;br /&gt;76 &lt;i&gt;The Bell Jar&lt;/i&gt; - Sylvia Plath&lt;br /&gt;77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome&lt;br /&gt;78 Germinal - Emile Zola&lt;br /&gt;79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray&lt;br /&gt;80 Possession - AS Byatt&lt;br /&gt;81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens&lt;br /&gt;82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell&lt;br /&gt;83 &lt;i&gt;The Color Purple&lt;/i&gt; - Alice Walker&lt;br /&gt;84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro&lt;br /&gt;85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert&lt;br /&gt;86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry&lt;br /&gt;87 &lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;Charlotte's&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;Web&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; - EB White&lt;br /&gt;88 &lt;i&gt;The Five People You Meet In Heaven&lt;/i&gt; - Mitch Albom &lt;br /&gt;89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle&lt;br /&gt;90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton&lt;br /&gt;91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad&lt;br /&gt;92 &lt;b&gt;The Little Prince&lt;/b&gt; - Antoine De Saint-Exupery&lt;br /&gt;93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks&lt;br /&gt;94 Watership Down - Richard Adams&lt;br /&gt;95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole&lt;br /&gt;96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute&lt;br /&gt;97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas&lt;br /&gt;98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare&lt;br /&gt;99 &lt;b&gt;Charlie and the Chocolate Factory&lt;/b&gt; - Roald Dahl&lt;br /&gt;100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:42176</id>
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    <title>Reminiscing</title>
    <published>2008-06-13T11:51:18Z</published>
    <updated>2008-06-13T11:51:18Z</updated>
    <content type="html">The wedding pictures were out last nite......&amp;nbsp; I tried to not pay attention, but they are still out this morning and I just looked so&amp;nbsp;damn happy (and pretty fucking gorgeous too!).&amp;nbsp; What the hell does one do with&amp;nbsp;amazingly beautiful wedding pictures in times like these?&amp;nbsp;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:41668</id>
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    <title>Happy June</title>
    <published>2008-06-06T18:52:45Z</published>
    <updated>2008-06-06T18:52:45Z</updated>
    <category term="update news random"/>
    <content type="html">&lt;p&gt;Today consisted of a number of scintillating occurrences:&lt;br /&gt;(1) Made it to therapy.....early!&lt;br /&gt;(2) Gained a new respect for my PCP and her office&lt;br /&gt;(3) Packed my 1st and 2nd boxes - 1=knitting books, 2=social work-y books.&amp;nbsp; Next in line is sweaters and other books.&lt;br /&gt;(4) Watched a wonderful &lt;a href="http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/292764/I-Am-a-Promise-The-Children-of-Stanton-Elementary-School/overview"&gt;movie&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;which reminded me for the millionth time why I chose social work.&amp;nbsp; The principal, Deanna Burney, is AMAZING!&amp;nbsp; Talk about&amp;nbsp;difficult, yet&amp;nbsp;rewarding, work environments!&lt;br /&gt;(5) Had a successful conversation w/supervisor re: client complaint (my 1st ever!!!!)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This weekend I get to see the fabulous soon-to-be &lt;a href="http://daughtercountry.livejournal.com/"&gt;Dr. Z&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;who is in town for the weekend!&amp;nbsp; And then ANOTHER grad party, a housewarming party, and another grad-ish party :-)&amp;nbsp; Busy and hopefully sunny and warm (I got a cute new skirt and fabulous new shoes that I wanna wear!).&lt;/p&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:41238</id>
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    <title>more updates</title>
    <published>2008-05-24T13:39:45Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-24T13:40:50Z</updated>
    <category term="happy random update"/>
    <content type="html">I have so pretty amazing people in my life. And some of them know me pretty darn well..... I got the &lt;a href="http://bolsabonita.com/easynow/6.htm"&gt;BEST graduation present ever&lt;/a&gt; from the one and only Z.&amp;nbsp; The card said non-professional, for my days off.&amp;nbsp; Luckily today is one of those magical days :-)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.mapquest.com/maps/Belmont+St+%26+Common+St+Belmont+MA+02478/"&gt;Apt&lt;/a&gt; has been deposited upon - July 1st is the big day!&amp;nbsp; And!&amp;nbsp; Josh found &lt;a href="http://www.mapquest.com/maps/jamaica+plain+MA/"&gt;one&lt;/a&gt; too!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://thepaintedbirdtattoo.com/"&gt;Tattoo &lt;/a&gt;consult yesterday - now I just have to do it!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm now off to get my hair cut shorter (I was given a week to decide if I liked it.&amp;nbsp; I do, but I'd like it better shorter) and then knitting brunch :-)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the up-swing, at least for the time being!&amp;nbsp; I think I'll be a glass is half full person from now on :-)</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:41116</id>
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    <title>Can I have some cheese with my whine please?</title>
    <published>2008-05-21T03:41:14Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-21T03:41:14Z</updated>
    <category term="bitching"/>
    <content type="html">&lt;p&gt;Whine #1:&amp;nbsp; So I have this friend, or I thought I did.....&amp;nbsp; Something happened though and the dynamic has totally shifted.&amp;nbsp; Leaving me feeling like I'm constantly apologizing for everything and begging forgiveness when I know not what I've done.&amp;nbsp; And really, when it comes down to it - she lied to me big time and it should kinda be her apologizing...&amp;nbsp; Something about dependancy and needy-ness?!&lt;br /&gt;What is it that makes us (ok, maybe just me) gravitate towards people who do not treat us with the respect we deserve and should demand?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yay #1:&amp;nbsp; I *think* I found THE apartment!&amp;nbsp; It's in Belmont and is beautiful.&amp;nbsp; I just hope the Sister gets her hiney out here and gets a job!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whine #2:&amp;nbsp; I'm feeling like a horrible wife.&amp;nbsp; Wait a minute....&amp;nbsp; I'm feeling like a horrible person as J is so sad lately (as am I off and on) and I think as our situation becomes more and more tangible, the realness is really hurting him.&amp;nbsp; Interestingly I feel more guilty now about our situation than I have in the past....&amp;nbsp; Wonder what that's all about?&amp;nbsp; Someone who's been through this - words of wisdom?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yay #2:&amp;nbsp; Had a somewhat bizarre interview yesterday (very last minute, very not planned out, very much with HR and not a single social worker) for a temp position, but if I get it, it's a foot in the door....of &lt;a href="http://www.cha.harvard.edu/"&gt;Cambridge Health Alliance&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I think that's it for now.&amp;nbsp; I'm tired.&amp;nbsp; Have clients tomorrow.&amp;nbsp; Am ready for a new job, which I hope does not mean that each time I get close to a yr in any job I get tired of it......&lt;/p&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:40780</id>
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    <title>update</title>
    <published>2008-05-19T13:20:22Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-19T13:20:22Z</updated>
    <category term="update news random"/>
    <content type="html">No pix of the new hair cut, but it's shorter, a little bang-ish, and pretty cute :-)&lt;br /&gt;The new top mentioned in the last post was fabulous and if I could wear it daily, I think I might.&lt;br /&gt;J got to go home to Tiny Town, GA for the 1st time in months - she's down to treatment every other week now!&lt;br /&gt;Oh, and I officially have my MSW!</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:40456</id>
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    <title> Hell freezing over??</title>
    <published>2008-05-16T13:44:50Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-16T13:44:50Z</updated>
    <category term="random work style"/>
    <content type="html">&lt;p&gt;1.&amp;nbsp; I made a &lt;a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/oppositional-defiant-disorder/DS00630"&gt;diagnosis&lt;/a&gt; for insurance/treatment purposes and it's now forever on someone's record?!&lt;br /&gt;2.&amp;nbsp; I'm ready for a change....so I looked &lt;a href="http://www.beautyriot.com/article.php?id=3302&amp;amp;c_id=54"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and &lt;a href="http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2006/celebdatabase/camerondiaz/cameron_diaz1B_300_400.jpg"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;- at noon&amp;nbsp;you'll find&amp;nbsp;me &lt;a href="http://www.davishairdressing.com/"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;:-)&lt;br /&gt;3.&amp;nbsp; I bought a new &lt;a href="http://www.bcbg.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=3108273"&gt;top&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;which necessitates bra-less-ness&lt;/p&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:40254</id>
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    <title>knuttyknitter @ 2008-05-13T15:08:00</title>
    <published>2008-05-13T19:08:35Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-13T19:08:35Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;p&gt;3.9 this semester......OMFG!!!!!&lt;/p&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:39937</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/39937.html"/>
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    <title>knuttyknitter @ 2008-05-12T22:59:00</title>
    <published>2008-05-13T03:17:57Z</published>
    <updated>2008-05-13T21:20:19Z</updated>
    <category term="bone marrow"/>
    <content type="html">&lt;div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;&lt;a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/knuttyknitter/pic/0005165g/"&gt;&lt;img height="240" alt="" width="320" border="0" src="http://pics.livejournal.com/knuttyknitter/pic/0005165g/s320x240" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;On my way home (as I write, not as this is posted) from the most amazing weekend in Atlanta - I went to meet my bone marrow recipient, J. She is my hero and inspiration and the older sister I never had, but always wanted (really, we share genetic material now, we are related). Here’s our story:&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;In December 2003, after a difficult year (full time nursing school, a divorce, and having her grandmother (who raised her) diagnosed with cervical cancer), J ended up in the emergency room resulting from an ectopic pregnancy. Her fallopian tube ruptured, requiring emergency surgery. Upon coming out of surgery, the doctors explained to J what had happened (tubal pregnancy, ruptured fallopian tube) and that she had &lt;/font&gt;&lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leukemia"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;leukemia&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;. Stunned and in disbelief, J requested to go home… This was the beginning of an uphill battle with cancer and other demons. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;After chemo, radiation, &lt;/font&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.gleevec.com/index.jsp"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;Gleevec&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt; (with horrible side effects), J was told she was bone marrow transplant candidate.&amp;nbsp; Generally, the best BM matches are siblings, of which J has 1 full and multiple ½. After everyone was tested, the family was notified that no one matched. A community bone marrow drive was held with an incredible out-pouring of potential donors. Alas, no one in the community matched either. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;In February or March (the dates are a bit fuzzy) 2005, I was selling hand-knit baby items at a JCC craft fair which just happened to coincide with the &lt;/font&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.marrow.org/"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;National Marrow Donor Program’s (NMDP)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt; annual drive. I figured I’d get my finger pricked and get on the registry. They told me that they probably would never call me as unrelated donors are not very common. Josh also registered. A few weeks later, I got a call – would I come in for further blood testing – I was a potential match for someone. The rest is a bit of a whirlwind, for me. J is able to recount her side of the story far better. But I was tested and found that J and matched 4 out of 6 of the requisite antibodies – not a perfect match, but the best so far. And she had been waiting 17 months. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;J said that at one point between February and May, the NMDP “couldn’t find me” and told her she wouldn’t be able to get her transplant. I’m not sure where I was, but apparently I was out of town for a week or so and they were unable to get ahold of me. This was quite a setback for J as she had been told that w/o the transplant she would die. With the transplant, she was given a 30-40% survival rate.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;Long story somewhat short, I donated on May 25&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; and May 26&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;. In the evening, on May 26&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;, J and her family watched as a med-flight helicopter landed on the roof Emory University Hospital (they could see if from her window) and within an hour, J received my bone marrow via an IV drip.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;Out of the woods? Not even close! Minutes after receiving the transplant, J’s body went into fluid overload – her skin not even capable of holding the fluids all in. The snowball continued to roll and over the course of the next 100 days, J’s lungs, liver, and kidneys shut down. She was intubated and spent months in ICU. She remembers very little (thankfully), but remembers saying good bye to her family and her fiancé (B) and closing her eyes. The next thing she remembers was waking up as her breathing tube was removed and she gasped for air (in reality, J was in a coma for a while). Finally able to go home, J returned to Tiny Town, GA and received a hero’s welcome. Her stay was short as she came down with pneumonia and was whisked back to Atlanta for another extended hospital stay. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;Cut to 2008 – many treatments, side effects, hospital stays, and heart breaks later, J is again in Atlanta, this time at the &lt;/font&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;American Cancer Society’s&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.cancer.org/docroot/SHR/content/SHR_2.1_x_Hope_Lodge.asp"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;Hope Lodge&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt; (an AMAZING place – definitely my charity of choice!). She is getting &lt;/font&gt;&lt;a href="http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/TUTORIAL/BLDBANK/BBAPHER.html"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;aphersis&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt; treatments twice a week in an attempt to combat 2 of the most damaging side effects – &lt;/font&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.marrow.org/PATIENT/Plan_Life_after_Tx/Managing_Long-Term_Effects_of_/Graft-Versus-Host_Disease/index.html"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;graft vs. host disease&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt; and &lt;/font&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cirrhosis/DS00373"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;cirrhosis&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;. I flew into Atlanta on Saturday afternoon, spent the rest of Saturday, all of Sunday, and ½ of Monday with J. It was hard to leave – she’s a fighter, but she’s tired. 29 yr old bodies (NOBODY) is really meant to take this much abuse, and this hero has been through the ringer. She’s an incredible optimist and rarely complains despite being in almost constant pain. In her cohort of transplant patients (J says then tend to do transplants in groups), she is the only survivor. J has absolutely defied the odds multiple times and will hopefully continue to do so until she’s kicked this bad-boy’s ass!&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;Interestingly, I thought I knew it all about cancer, after babysitting for Brie, working at &lt;/font&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.childrenscancerprograms.com/default.asp"&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;Heart Connection&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;font size="3"&gt;, being morbidly obsessed with all TLC and Discovery Health shows. But spending less than 48 hours with J has changed me. She’s truly my hero and I love her so much. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:39824</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/39824.html"/>
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    <title>knuttyknitter @ 2008-04-26T11:03:00</title>
    <published>2008-04-26T15:19:32Z</published>
    <updated>2008-04-26T15:20:35Z</updated>
    <category term="poor me"/>
    <content type="html">I hesitate to even open up livejournal these days since it seems that all I have time for is pity parties and I don't want to subject others to my whining.&amp;nbsp; And then I realized that this is for me and part of the catharsis is expressing.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For some reason, process perhaps?, this past week has been the toughest yet for me emotionally.&amp;nbsp; Chalk it up to about 75 life altering transitions maybe?&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The intellectual, rational me (we'll call that the IRM) KNOWS that it will be very hard, harder than I could have imagined.&amp;nbsp; And the IRM, for some reason, thinks that knowing will help soften the blow.&amp;nbsp; A friend told me that separating and the following divorce was the worst experience ever.&amp;nbsp; When I heard this the first time, I didn't pay as much attention as I might have.&amp;nbsp; Again, thinking that I am different some how and that my situation is different.&amp;nbsp; And then it hit me - I'm NOT that different.&amp;nbsp; Sure we all feel and think in our own ways, but this truely is the most difficult thing I've ever done and the process has just started.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What makes things very hard is that I do still love Hubbs and I know I'll miss him, but something, somewhere, has brought me to this point and I have to go with my gut.&amp;nbsp; HAVE TO.&amp;nbsp; Even when the easiest thing would be to forget it all, ask for forgiveness, and go on as we had for the past 10ish yrs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;T (therapist extraordinaire) encouraged me to write myself affirmation cards that I can look at when needed.&amp;nbsp; Today I thought that perhaps one of them could be a phone a friend reminder....&amp;nbsp; But sometimes there is no one to listen.&amp;nbsp; Sometimes this is a very private pain that regardless of how you explain it, analyze it, try to work with it, it just needs to be.&amp;nbsp; And that is very hard.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm tired and it's just beginning.&amp;nbsp; I don't want to spend my summer in and out of tears and doubt.&amp;nbsp; This is when I need my fairy godmother to make the right thing happen.&amp;nbsp; This is when I need to not be an adult, making very adult decisions, and not making them well.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And then there are the good days - the days where I can laugh, go about my life and be hopeful.... until I realize what's happening around me and that it's mostly my doing.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I want to stop the train, I want to curl up small and be taken care of.&amp;nbsp; And most of all, I want to not hurt, not be hurting others.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:39555</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/39555.html"/>
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    <title>The Panacea</title>
    <published>2008-04-23T22:17:04Z</published>
    <updated>2008-04-23T22:17:04Z</updated>
    <content type="html">I found it!&amp;nbsp; It's baby giggles - the cure to all that ails you....almost.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am currently counting my many blessings and reminding myself that I am very lucky.&amp;nbsp; Sometimes I need to remind myself more often.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The count down has stagnated, at least in terms of work getting done.&amp;nbsp; I have one paper left and seriously contemplated hiring someone to write it for me, that's how done I feel.&amp;nbsp; I think I'm all talk though and could never go through with it, which is a good thing!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And today, in the glorious sunshine, Little Miss L and I went shopping and out for lunch in Coolidge Corner - twas quite nice to see chubby baby thighs peeking out of the stroller instead of layers of&amp;nbsp;blankets and snowsuits!&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:39290</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/39290.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=39290"/>
    <title>PSA</title>
    <published>2008-04-22T02:20:24Z</published>
    <updated>2008-04-22T02:20:24Z</updated>
    <category term="babies"/>
    <content type="html">&lt;a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/knuttyknitter/pic/0004z5rw/"&gt;&lt;img height="240" alt="" width="180" border="0" src="http://pics.livejournal.com/knuttyknitter/pic/0004z5rw/s320x240" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We would like to remind you to stop and smell the flowers......&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/knuttyknitter/pic/00050qat/"&gt;&lt;img height="240" alt="" width="180" border="0" src="http://pics.livejournal.com/knuttyknitter/pic/00050qat/s320x240" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Or maybe just eat them :-)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I love this child!&amp;nbsp; I can't believe that she's starting daycare in 2 weeks :-(&amp;nbsp; Until then, I will bombard my knitting and bitching space with cuteness.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And an updated count down - 10 days until classes are over&amp;nbsp;(but none this week) and 11 days until internship is over.&amp;nbsp; And then what?&amp;nbsp; That's TBA :-)</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:38945</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/38945.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=38945"/>
    <title>Soap Box Realizations</title>
    <published>2008-04-13T14:48:44Z</published>
    <updated>2008-04-13T14:48:44Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;p&gt;*Stepping up on my pedestal*&lt;br /&gt;Stress makes people crazy&lt;br /&gt;Boys are dumb&lt;br /&gt;Decision making sucks&lt;br /&gt;Sometimes, cuddling with Bearded Dragons makes it all better&lt;br /&gt;*And stepping down*&lt;/p&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:38832</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/38832.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=38832"/>
    <title>Still breathing...</title>
    <published>2008-04-10T14:00:16Z</published>
    <updated>2008-04-10T14:00:16Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;p&gt;...barely.&lt;br /&gt;I have 22 days left.&amp;nbsp; That's 22 days until I have finished all course work and internship.&amp;nbsp; 16 days after that, I will walk across the stage, get my diploma, and then.....&lt;br /&gt;And I'm exhausted on about every level possible.&amp;nbsp; Who's crazy idea was adulthood and self-sufficiency?&amp;nbsp; I'm thinking kibbutz, Peter Pan, or some combination of the 2.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On a more positive note, because I refuse to be 100% self-defeating - I have a summer job (continuation of internship, but paid!!!!), I had 2 job offers, I have ANOTHER job interview (peds in-patient psych.).&lt;br /&gt;I have amazing people in my life.&amp;nbsp; Just when I think I'm ready to throw in the towel and curl up on the floor in a fetal position, I am reminded again of how much I love and how much I am loved.&amp;nbsp; It's a very nice thing.&lt;br /&gt;Between the end of classes and graduation, I will be going to GA to meet my bone marrow recipient.&amp;nbsp; I'm a whole ball of emotions about that process, and will probably not fully know how I feel until I'm back in Boston on May 14th.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I think I need a pedicure and a vacation.&lt;/p&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:38405</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/38405.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=38405"/>
    <title>A few of my favorite things...</title>
    <published>2008-03-23T01:28:37Z</published>
    <updated>2008-03-23T01:28:37Z</updated>
    <category term="pictures spring"/>
    <content type="html">...knitting with like-minded people&lt;br /&gt;...warm, sunny days&lt;br /&gt;...&lt;a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/hm004j/2ndDayOfSpring2008"&gt;Mt. Auburn Cemetery&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;...reflections</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:38256</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/38256.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=38256"/>
    <title>Biggest Loser?</title>
    <published>2008-02-27T02:08:21Z</published>
    <updated>2008-02-27T02:08:21Z</updated>
    <category term="school work weight"/>
    <content type="html">Remember when I said I wanted to lose weight?&amp;nbsp; And then I haven't said much since then?&lt;br /&gt;Guess what?!&amp;nbsp; -10 lbs today :-)&lt;br /&gt;That means that I reached my goal a week early (therefore, I set a new goal for next week) and I'm so proud of myself *pats on the back.*&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Big shift in supervision today at internship - I confessed that I didn't like a family and rather than shooting me down (I was a bit concerned), M was validating, supportive, and coached me in dealing with them in spite of that fact.&amp;nbsp; After a shitty start, this has been a great learning experience and wonderful internship.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And back to the grindstone.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:37956</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/37956.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=37956"/>
    <title>Oscar (Meyer Weiner)</title>
    <published>2008-02-25T02:58:33Z</published>
    <updated>2008-02-25T02:59:58Z</updated>
    <category term="commentary movies awards"/>
    <content type="html">&lt;p&gt;Questions and Observations, in order of appearance&lt;br /&gt;(1) How adorable is Ellen Page?!&amp;nbsp; How much do I love &lt;a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467406/"&gt;Juno&lt;/a&gt;?!&lt;br /&gt;(2) I LOVE Jon Stewart!&amp;nbsp; Why did I not know this before?!&lt;br /&gt;(3)&amp;nbsp;Why does Jack Nicholson INSIST on wearing sunglasses, always?&amp;nbsp; Does he not have eyes?&lt;br /&gt;(4) I think I would like to be friends with George Clooney.&lt;br /&gt;-Commericial break - I wrote 4 pgs of a case presentation today-&lt;br /&gt;(5)&amp;nbsp;I have not seen enough movies this year&lt;br /&gt;(6) There is something very touching and endearing about emotional acceptance speeches&lt;br /&gt;(7)&amp;nbsp;Maybe I'll become a member of the academy....&amp;nbsp; how do I do that?&lt;br /&gt;(8) What's with the obsession with Mylie Cyrus?&lt;br /&gt;Sadly, I do not have the energy to keep up a running commentary for the duration of the awards.&amp;nbsp; The rest will be watched from bed, with some knitting.&lt;/p&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:knuttyknitter:37673</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://knuttyknitter.livejournal.com/37673.html"/>
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    <title>knuttyknitter @ 2008-02-21T12:38:00</title>
    <published>2008-02-21T18:22:46Z</published>
    <updated>2008-02-21T18:22:46Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;p&gt;I love reconnecting w/(long) lapsed friends.&amp;nbsp; Count for this week is 2 :-)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Been more seriously looking at jobs, and yet, it seems so far off.&amp;nbsp; However, I need to have something in place for June.&amp;nbsp; Or rather, it would be preferable to having something in place for June.&amp;nbsp; May would be OK as well....&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So I have a mini dilemma, making me feel like a bad sister.&amp;nbsp; Sister has applied for a position that she really wants.&amp;nbsp; If she gets it, she'd be elated.&amp;nbsp; If she doesn't, she would (98% chance) move to the Bean.&amp;nbsp; My dilemma?&amp;nbsp; Yup, I want her here.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I feel like I perpetually live my life out of synch.&amp;nbsp; Everyone is coupling up, settling down, having babies....&amp;nbsp; I thought for sure that would be me.&amp;nbsp; And yet I'm not.&amp;nbsp; In fact, it appears to be going quite the opposite direction which is simultaneously exciting, scary, sad, and unknown.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And now my baby love is waking so I sign off :-)&lt;/p&gt;</content>
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