5 And A Beagle

Guess what I did after work yesterday? Yep, I finally donated a little bit of my own renewable resource.

I had tried about 12 years ago, but was nicely told "not today" when I answered 'yes' to the question - "Are you currently breastfeeding".

I tried 2 years ago, but was again nicely told "not today" when they poked my finger, tested a sample and found my blood was sadly lacking in iron.

So off I went yesterday afternoon, fingers crossed that I'd pass the finger poke test. A round of question and answer and it was time to relax in the chair while the nurse searched high and low for a vein. Turns out that mine don't exactly stand up and make their presence known. (kind of like me in a crowd) After two attempts, one on each arm, success.

The nurses at the clinic are so wonderful. Joking and distracting so that chickens like me don't fixate on what's happening, and then becoming your own personal cheerleader, congratulating you on filling the bag.

After all is said and done, it's juice and cookies and more words of gratitude. The volunteers remind you what a great thing you just did. Your blood donation can be split 3 ways: into oxygen rich red cells, that can help patients who are anemic due to blood loss, then platelets, needed by cancer patients who can't produce enough of their own, and finally into plasma, the liquid that the carries everything, which is needed by hemophiliacs.

Makes you feel good to do something good for someone.

In Canada 1-888-2-DONATE
In the US 1-888-USBLOOD

Favourite Colour Swap Questionnaire

1. What are your top three favourite colours? Blue / Beige / Mauve

2. What crafts do you really enjoy? Knitting / Cross Stitch / Sewing

3. What products do you really covet? One of the 10 Commandments is "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife." So I really try not to covet things...except for my neighbour's cleaning lady, but I really would like more that just one pair of Addi turbos (currently own size 3.25mm)
4. What other activities do you enjoy besides your favourite crafty things? Reading / Baking

5. Is there anything you collect? Nope

6. What is your zodiac sign and/or Chinese zodiac symbol? Capricorn

7.What are your favourite… With any of these....I don't have any one favourite.

…scents/smells?

…types of music and/or bands?

…authors?

…animals?

…places to shop?

…season?

…yarn/fabric/paper/other craft supplies?

…candies or goodies?

8. Do you have any wish lists? No. Well, except for a cleaning lady.

9. Are you allergic to anything? No.

10. Do you have any pets? What are they? Only one Beagle who at times can create enough chaos that you would think we had a dozen.
11. Please include anything else you would like your secret pal to know about you- anything that would be helpful in finding you little gifts that you will really enjoy.
I'm sure I would love and appreciate anything that my pal sends. And because I suspect that my pal is from somewhere other than Canada, I would especially love something that is specific to their country.

Do you think #5 has just a few too many stuffies? Miles thinks so. Every so often he quietly creeps into her bedroom, chomps down on a stuffie and slinks out the back door. If he's caught in the act, he'll drop it and continue walking away as if he wasn't even involved in the caper.


If you were chosing fabric for a tote bag which combo would you chose???

ADDED: Votes weighted in favour of the black/olive combo so far. I'm waiting on a vote from PoCo....what do you say????

Because I have no new pictures of knitting (I'm still on the first chart for Icarus...240+ stitches and counting) and I've had no spare time to speak of due to too much work.....I'm taking the lazy way out with this post.

As was found on Nutmeg Knitter's blog (and many more)

Life's To-Do List....... (the ones in bold are what I've done, with a few added comments.)
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain (Grouse Mtn - 3km (2 mile) hike up 853 m (2,800 ft). It's not Mt. Everest, but it's a mountain and I've climbed it.)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula (not likely to happen, if I can help it!)
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise (who hasn't done that when you've got little ones. But actually, I have done it even without a baby attached to my breast)
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces (only made it to 5 so far)
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds (actually, when I alphabetized my music collection....they were albums. Since the advent of CDs, I have no time in my life for organization - now, when I need it the most.)
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day (Sadly, a pleasure of the past)
60. Posed nude in front of strangers (Are you kidding!)
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater (I miss drive-ins)
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight (short of knitting, I can't imagine voluntarily doing anything for more than 6 hours straight)
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice (While being serenaded with O Solo Mio. Was a lot of fun for us, but there were a lot of shutters being slammed shut as we paddled by. I suspect the locals don't appreciate the regular rounds of the crooning gondoliers)
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage (does it count if your stage performance was a ballet recital 40 years ago?)
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children. (ongoing process)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over (what I keep threatening to do if certain family members don't start pitching in with their chores)
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild (no, not those kind of mushrooms....they were yummy local mushrooms and completely non-hallucinogenic)
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach (see comment for tarantula)
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life

The new knitty is out. Aren't these the cutest.

I have two relatives and two co-workers all due in the next couple of months. I don't know if they'll be having little boys or little girls, but I'm thinking a few pairs of these cute little tulips would be a good thing to make up and have on hand.

Here are the two knitting projects I've been working on this Canada Day weekend. A Purple 'Pea Pod' sweater and Icarus, both from the recent IW Knits. Pea Pod is now finished and blocking, and Icarus is up to around 180+ stitches on the needles.

All this in between catching up on laundry, a little bit of baking and trying to get the back yard prepped and ready for some brick laying next week. (Not enough of the yard work though, it's just too darned hot!!)