Seaweed goodness, And the chance to win a Wicked handmade

Alright, so I realize I've been a little quite.

I've been.. busy, and then yesterday I was avoiding getting on any site I actually care about. Why risk the nastys that are floating around the intarwebs. (considering we've been dealing with a nasty virus at work, and it's not that conficker thing, I just again don't want it on my comp at home.)

Knitting:
I've been working on a "Seaweed Shrug" as I've been calling it..
Not a good photo, but you can at least see why I've been calling it the sea weed shrug.



This photo is from a few days ago, and it's at least 3 feet longer by now. Okay, mayhaps not that much.. but darn near close. I will of course have photos of the finished product.

Also on the knitting front, I am opening up a little give away.
I originally posted it on my facebook, but I've gotten no one to actually follow the rules. I might give them something anyways, if I can't get 5 people to pay it forward on their own.

I'm feeling crafty.....so I think this one will work out fine

The first five (5) people to respond to this post will get something made by me. (You do not have to have been tagged.) This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully: HECK I MAY JUST SEND TO ALL THAT POST A COMMENT :)

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get.
2. What I create will be just for you, with love.
3. It'll be done this year (2009).
4. I will not give you any clue what it's going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. It may be baked goods.
5.I reserve the right to do something extremely strange, if inspired to do so.
6. In return, all you need to do is post this text into a note of your own and make something for me and the first 5 to respond to your note.
7. Send me your mailing address if you don't live close to me!

IMPORTANT: This offer is at your discretion but I would like to think null and void if I do not see you post your own note to pay this forward

Moving on..
I am rather tired this morning as it started snowing yesterday. What was supposed to be flurries was as ferocious as the blizzard we had.
So this morning something woke me up before my alarm.. might have been my internal alarm that i set last night, and also my cat helped wake me up. That meant I was out of bed when I my first alarm went off at 4:30.
I was dressed and downstairs 10 minutes later brushing off my car. Thankfully the snow stopped, but it was nothing but ice on the streets.
Had to stop and get gas, because I was not going to deal with trecherous driving on a nearly empty tank. Nope.. thats just asking to get stuck somewhere and not being able to run your car every 10 minutes for warmth because you ran out of a gas after the second "gotta keep warm" segment.

I got to work by 5:30, but I took it slow and steady the entire time. Yeah, a few red lights happened while I was still going through the intersection, but any cop would see that there was no way I could have stopped and I was already half way through the intersection before it went red.

Today is going to be a long day no matter what the call volume is like. Just because I'm so very tired.

Yesterday was odd... it was the first time in a long time where I didn't talk to Guy at all (when I wasn't upset with him.)
I wasn't on any real chatting sites or anything that could snag my info, and he was also at a Rugby match (right? I can't recall if it was Football or rugby) in Bath.

Which accordingly to the email I got this morning, Bath is now on one of the lists of "It'd be nice to move here." From what I've seen in photos and such like that, yes I would enjoy Bath a lot. So I'm not opposed to the idea. It's very Roman in the archtecture and just.. beautiful. I can't wait to someday visit.

Had some unpleasentness at work the past few days, but it's been resolved, and in the end I was doing my job as I was told to do it. So.. *shrugs* it's all good and my manager backed me up on it.

I guess I'm done rambling for now..

Books:
Bed book: Mirror, Mirror by Gregory McGuire
Couch book: Unusual Suspects - (Sookie Stackhouse short story is in it)
Purse book: the unchanging - Peshawar Lancers

Seriously shocking

I am still in shock.

I just had a ... wait for it...

Pleasant experience calling Customer Service!

Brian at Overstock.com... whoever you are, you were a peach.
All it took was me giving my order number. Confirming my phone number and address. Giving him a brief run down of what the heck was going on with my Zen, and voila!
Within 24 hours, I will have my printable mailing label in my email box.
I already have my Zen and all the little bits of hardware that came with it (i'm missing just the silly little bag/pouch that came with it, and one of the software cd's. the tiny lanyard, I'm just gonna not worry about as it works very well attached to my mothers camera, and I doubt they will notice thats not in the box) back into it's box, and snugged inside a box fit for mailing. All I have to do, is tape the box up, slap the label on it and drop it in the mail.

The entire phone call took less than 10 minutes, honestly it took me longer to gather all the bits and pieces and do a half assed search for the software cd.

It sucks that my Zen died, but I'm glad that I had spent the 10$ for the 2 year warranty on it. Of course, that warranty will expire this up coming Nov, but I think I can renew it. I'll have to look into that. I just need my zen to last me 18 months. Yes, I say 18 months, because if it dies in 17 months, and I'm stuck on the plane to the UK (18 hour flight minimum) with no music, or having to deal with the old school of CD's. I'll most likely kill someone. So, in 18 months, after I've had a chance to settle into the UK, it can die. I'll get a new one. Because at that time, I should be able to afford the nice like... oh 40 gig one instead of the puny little 4 gig one I have now.

I don't care if they just fix mine, or replace it or give me credit for a new one. I honestly don't care, either way I'll have a new zen soon. If they just give me credit for a new one, I don't think they even have the 4gig ones on the website anymore, so I'd just spend a bit more and get one of the newer models. With more space on it.

But all in all, within the next 2 weeks, I'll have my music back. Woohoo.

I don't think there was any music on my music player that I can't replace.. I think I was smart and either have it all on cd or I've still got it zipped on my computer. It'll just require me to unzip the files again. I think I've even got my playlist for the "A Hard Day's Bite" Inspiration list.
Though, I don't think the version of the playlist I have on my laptop is up to date. Either way, thats no biggie.

Today I am home from work. Stupid Presidents day. Most likely there won't be any posts from me later this week, simply because I'll be working 10 hour days. Yup. Even friday. (Though, since I never do take lunch, I'll most likely still be able to leave after 8 hours instead of 10 hours on Friday...)

Reading update:
Just finished reading "Wolfsbane and Mistletoe" Which was a collection of werewolf novels, obviously set at Christmas. I only read it for the Charlaine Harris story of "Gift Wrap" (Sookie Stackhouse). None of the other stories grabbed my interest at all to even bother reading them, and I was more interested in getting back to my knitting. So eventually I'll own the book and go back and read all the other stories.

I also finished reading Coraline by Neil Gaiman, which I can't recall if I spoke about at all or not. I loved the book.

I also finished reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon. Which I have to say, I enjoyed this one so much more than i've enjoyed any of the others in the series that are set in the "Americas". I am actually looking forward to the next one.

Couch book: How to Live on Mars by Robert Zubrin (haven't actually started it yet)
Bed book: Tale of Desperaux
Purse book: as always, it is still The Peshawar Lancers

Knitting update:
I am about halfway done with my project of Entrelac. It looks rather pretty.. I love it. Due to the colors, it is becoming a project for Guy, which I'm sure he will use. After all, the UK has been rather cold right now.

And on a completely random note... I just watched Labyrinth for the first time in a long time. Sigh. I love that movie. I giggle at all the goblins.

Throwing the hat in..

So, last night a decision was made. What was that decision?
Well, a local MP in Guy's area has decided to retire. He has decided that he doesn't want to be in office when he turns 60. So he is stepping down. I understand his decision whole heartily... I mean, the political life can be rough, especially when your in your "I should be retired" years.

Guy has decided to throw his hat in the political arena. This is not a surprise as his eventual goal is to become Prime Minister, and one has to start somewhere.
The surprise is the timing. We weren't even going to start this kind of endeavour until he graduated, and I was over there with him.

At this stage, it is just submitting his name for even the option to run. But, if he gets selected, then he'll start campaigning etc. He'd also be the youngest MP.

I am sad, as I want to be there to help him campaign etc. I had braced myself for the Political Wifely duty, but this is ... Early!

I cannot tell him not to do it, because the opportunity is unlikely to present it's self again any time soon and he'd be a fool not to submit his name.
This is what we have been hoping for. 3 years now, we have been working towards this. It's just.. again... early!

If Guy were to get selected. And actually WIN the campaign... He would become a MP, and he would have a salary around £57,000 (I think thats the number he told me last night) a year, and also accommodation in London. (Well, up to £20,000 for accommodation) which.. hell. We could do nicely with that.
The money aside, this would be the perfect start to Guy's political career and eventual run for Prime Minister.

We want this!

It would also mean, that if he won the campaign, I would be hot footing it out there sooner rather than later. (After I get my tax refund, I'll be only like 5 months away from having the full amount I'm trying to save for the move. But with Guy's salary, we wouldn't have to wait those 5 months)

Methinks I'm going to start lighting candles and doing my witchy stuff.
I ask for prayers (doesn't matter who you pray to), and thoughts and wishes to help in this matter as it would drastically change both mine and Guy's life for the better.

Now, I'm being sensible, and I'm not getting my hopes up. I've known too many Murphey's to be that silly. But I am letting that little hope in side of me actually think about how great it would be.
Yeah, moving to England sooner rather than later would be sweet, but it's not even that that I'm thinking of. It's the fact that if he did get this, he'd be one step closer to his dream, and for me that means a lot.
I can suffer through 16.5 more months of a job that makes me want to cry and pull my hair out.
I can horde my finances away each month for another 16.5 months. I've been doing it for over a year already.
I can live as I've been living for the last year and a half (I say that because, I wasn't happy with my living setup prior to that coughDot/Amanda/Cherylcough

So when it comes down to it, I can and will live how I've been living for the last 2 years. But to have him get closer to his dream, sooner rather than later, would make everything much better for the both of us.