Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Saved Project

Pretty much the first thing I did after I learned I was pregnant with Thing 3 was to begin her blanket. I didn't have a pattern or a clue as to what I wanted, but I spelunked through my stash and came out with some interesting cotton yarn and started a-knitting. Several weeks later, I had created this and completely lost interest in the project.
Hideous, eh?
After reading Mason-Dixon Knitting, I was inspired to cut the darn thing up and make several baby burp cloths out of it. But then . . . inspiration. What is a hideous baby blanket can be a totally fetching (or other age-appropriate adjective) pre-teen skirt. I sewed the ends together, sewed in an elastic waistband and voila. I haven't been able to get Thing 1 to stand still long enough to model it, but she looks FAAAAABulous (or other age-appropriate adjective).

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Craziest Places I've Knit

Kat-Knits is running a contest for the craziest places you've knit. Here's my entry:

1. On a cruise ship in the Caribbean - nothing like knitting wool sweaters in 90+ degree weather.
2. In the hospital while in labor - after a couple of false starts, the midwife told me to come back when I could no longer knit.
3. On the dais at a professional conference where I was presenting a paper - from the audience, it looked like I had my hands in my lap.
4. In the audience at innumerable professional conferences
5. On the client's time - my personal favorite: If someone else is driving, I knit. And it's billable.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Channelling BPC

On CNN's American Morning, they reported that Prince Harry, "second in line" for the British throne, graduated from the royal military academy and wants to go into combat. There was much speculation about what it would mean to the Crown if 2nd Leftennant Harry were to realize his dream of leading a force recon team. . .

Two thoughts -- 1. Charles may have been written off years ago, but he's still first in line even if William is cuter.

2. The Third in line is, historically, cannon fodder so why would anything change now?

I wonder who Harry's Koo Stark will be. Maybe a member of the Pussy Cat Dolls?

Monday, April 10, 2006

Totally In Love

I totally love the new job. Had my first day today. So unfamiliar to have partners lined up outside my door with actual work that needs to be done. And in a short time period. Wow.

Saturday, April 08, 2006

On an unrelated note. . .

Since I am officially closing up shop as The Law Offices of Me to become an associate in a law firm (or "serf") on Monday, I spent about 2 hours in my underground lair finishing up my invoices yesterday evening. DH was in charge of watching the kiddies. When I sneaked upstairs for something, I was confronted by this image.



It was best not to ask.

FO to report

I finished Thing 3's dinosaur sweater (so named because of the buttons.


And she loves it.

Friday, April 07, 2006

Le Grind

I had lunch with a coupla former colleagues yesterday (guess I should refer to them as "friends" now. I'm certain that I hung around at Former Employer as long as I did because I enjoy their company so much).

But it did fill me with a little foreboding about Monday -- New Job Day. It was all fun and games joking about ineffective support staff and incomprehensible management decisions during past lunches, when I was totally unemployed. But hearing them bitch and moan yesterday just reminded me that I have a new set of questionable rules and truculent support staffers to navigate.

And what if I don't make any friends? What if they hate me? What if no one has a sense of humor there and I have nothing to do all day but bill hours and plot the violent overthrow of the copy room staff.

In the show, they got people who make your copies for you.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Children and Other Hazards of Sex

My children seem determined to ruin my last week of freedom before returning to the daily grind. Things 2 and 3 are home today. Think 3 has been banned from day care until she no longer has a fever for 24 hours and Thing 2 has various cold symptoms. Thing 1 made a valient effort to stay home, but was sent to school anyway.

Coupla sick kids - nothing new, right? Except that Thing 3 turned into Super Crack Baby last night and kept us (mostly me) awake for 4.5 hours while she kicked, wiggled, talked and sang instead of sleeping. I admit, at times it was amusing. How often is one serenaded by a 21 month old at 3:30 a.m.? ("Myyyyyy relaaaaax. Myyyyy sleeping. Myyyy pillow. Pillow pillow pillow. My sleeping. . .") But mostly, it was exhausting. I found myself wondering exactly how much codeine cough syrup I could safely administer to her (if my dose is 1 tsp, then would 1/8 tsp be safe for a 27 pounder?).

She just come downstairs. I'd better stop typing before she figures out I'm writing about her and she really makes me pay.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

I'm a Civilian in this Battle. . ..

I'm blathering here -- feel free to skip this post altogether.

I helped a dear friend both surrender himself to the Connecticut State Police and hire a decent criminal defense attorney. Now I find myself in the middle an attorney-client battle I don't want anything to do with.

My friend found the attorney to be a bit obnoxious in that he seemed to think my friend is guilty. I explained that most clients of a criminal defense attorney are guilty, so try to excuse him. Plus, my friend isn't exactly innocent, he's just not quite guilty of the charges.

Having my free ear, my friend calls me to find out what to expect in his case. Je ne practice criminal law pas, baby. My answer is usually, "I dunno. Probably X. In civil matters X would be next." I guess he thought I would call his attorney to find out what happens next and report back. Nope.

So today was supposed to be some pretrial hearing or other. My friend is told that he had to be there (probably because he owed the criminal lawyer some $$, not because the procedure required his presence). My friend and I show up at court around 9. Criminal court opens at 10:00 and the criminal defense lawyer isn't there. By 10:30, I get concerned and call his office and learn that he had a conflict in the morning and won't be in court until around 11:30.

Now, trial lawyers have conflicts like this all the time -- it is no big deal -- but his office should have called my friend right after they called the court to say they'd be late. Instead, the lawyer (either stupidly or absent-mindedly) expected my friend to sit around for 2 1/2 hours. My friend is hoppin' mad and tells off the attorney's secretary. Then, he stops in the prosecutor's office and explains that he cannot stay (for medical reasons). My friend wants to fire the attorney for rudeness (My friend calls the behavior "unconscionable". Polka dot and plaid is unconscionable. This was just fucking rude.)

Now I'm getting voicemails from the criminal defense attorney presumably to try to straighten this out. I don't want to get involved. I'm a civilian. The criminal defense attorney is highly regarded, but committed an act of rudeness. My friend is horribly affronted, doesn't trust the attorney, and isn't going to forgive him. I may be willing to accompany my friend to court because I have nothing better to do, but I'm a civilian in this battle. If you want me to mediate, pay my regular hourly rate.

In other news, I accepted the job with the Law Firm I Heart and I start on Monday, April 10. Woo hooo! It will be good to be back in the game again. Plus, I understand that this firm has a "professional" support staff, that is "managed" by actual, qu'est-ce qu'il dit, "managers". I'm thinking that means my 2 paragraph letters will be transcribed in fewer than 6 days. . .