Life is Sweet

Guilty pleasures

What can I say? I have a guilty pleasure that is almost too embarrassing to reveal. I love Hell’s Kitchen. It’s one those stupid FOX summer filler shows, allegedly “reality-based” (who really knows?) and full of screaming, freaked-out people.

The editing is so terrible that you never know, truly, how events really unfold. They splice and dice and create teasers to the next segment that never deliver. It’s truly horrible in every way. Including, the most horrible of them all, Chef Ramsey himself. The tyrant who presides over the show.

Evidently he is a perfectionist to the point of being painful to everyone around him … except the editing crew. I like to picture him standing behind the film editors, screaming at them to put this bit of film here or there. But I’m sure he doesn’t have anything to say about any of it. He is likely just as much of a pawn in the pseudo-drama as any of the “contestants.”

All this being said, it is the ultimate of junk food TV. Watch one episode, and you won’t be able to stop.

Got me a job

Well, the search is over. I got me a job!

Thanks to an awesome former customer at the shop, I am the happiest new employee of CACI. I’ll be working at the Navy base, Bremerton. Probably after several weeks of training, I could explain what I’ll be doing. At this point, I’m not so sure myself. I know it involves databases and users and analyzing and processing. And, well, I have a lot to learn. But I am very excited!

I’ve had a really great break between closing the shop and going back to work. I’m so thankful for it. I feel like my batteries are recharged and I’m a human being again. I know I’m going to miss all of this time to myself, but it’s going to be great to be earning a living again. Now I can pay off the debt from owning my own business. (Thinking of opening a yarn shop? Talk to me first!)

Me & Bugs = Trouble

I am trying very hard to become a gardener. I honestly don’t believe that one becomes a gardener, though. I believe one is born a gardener. It’s like being a priest or something. You have a calling, and you follow it.

I really hate everything to do with gardening. I hate the dust, the dirt, the bugs, the bees, the spiders, the wasps, the milipeeds, the bugs, the bees, oh and the spiders. I just simply hate it.

Okay, I do like the birds. We have the most amazing display of crazy birds in our yard, thanks to our neighbor. His yard is certified as a bird sanctuary in the State of Washington. I only know what his backyard looks like from having climbed my fence and peeked over. It’s amazing. I joke to my hubby that the birds are hanging in the ghetto when they come to our yard.

Last night we balled up tufts of our dog’s fur (it’s really nice stuff) and the swifts swooped down and almost plucked it from our fingers. We ate dinner while the American Goldfinches played in the trees and hummingbirds dived-bombed everything in sight. Just a few minutes ago I watched a mature bald eagle fly right over my house, being chased by about 40 pissed-off crows. Aww, the birds.

But, seriously, the bugs. Ick. I spend my entire time in the garden screaming and running in circles to get away from some creepy crawly thing. I don’t think I’ll ever learn to embrace this art.

Putting to rest Sweet Stitch

For those of you who frequented my web site sweetstitch.com, I have news for you. As of the second week of June, sweetstitch.com will be no more.

Because one of the most popular areas of the site were the free patterns (even though there were only two!), I’ve decided to begin offering free patterns here on my Blog. I hope this will give you reason to visit and keep in touch!

Thanks to everyone for making sweetstitch.com such a success. At times we had over 45,000 hits per month with page views in the thousands. Wow! That’s more than I ever would have imagined. I kept the site up for four years. It will be sad to say good bye.

And so it begins…

It’s time to have a blog. A real blog. Not just a LiveJournal that I only update once a year.

I recently closed my business of three years and have joined the ranks of the unemployed. With Washington State experiencing its lowest unemployment rate since 1983, I am a little worried about job hunting. I feel like I have a rich and varied employment background, and I know I am a great employee. I’m just wondering how long it’s going to take my next employer to realize this!

While this is all at the forefront of my mind, I am managing to enjoy the heck out of the time off. I haven’t had a break like this since I was a junior in high school. Thanks to my wonderfully supportive husband, I can take it easy, get things done around the house, and enjoy lots of quality time with our elderly dog, Grandma Abby.