Stop the ride, I wanna get off!
Towards the end of each school year there seems to be a mad dash by the schools, teachers, etc. to fit in as many activities as possible. These activities range from end of the year parties for all of the kids who celebrate summer birthdays, to end of the year performances and field trips to use up allotted PTA money. This week we have three performances at two different schools. two birthday parties, a garage sale and there was one field trip. Next weeks' schedule is even crazier and I'm supposed to have a garage/yard sale this weekend.
Needless to say, I've not had much time for knitting, blogging, etc. But I want to thank Aija for the lovely sock yarn she gave me for winning a contest she held last week. It's beautiful Lisa Souza hand dyed yarn. I love it. Thank you Aija!
Did I mention I have a garage sale to prepare for?
The extra big socks for my Dad's Christmas present are completed... finally. The Sockotta yarn looks nice, but it isn't as pleasant to knit with as 100% superwash. I hope they will fit him.
I hate having garage sales.
I cast on a pair of Evelyn Clark's Blossom socks in some Socks that Rock yarn in the Fire on the Mountain colorway. They are bright and happy and the yarn feels luxuriously soft after the Sockotta. This yarn came from Jessalu . It looks completely different in person than it does on the STR ordering page.
Now for a rant... okay, so my DH is still unemployed thanks to corporate layoffs at Verizon. He's been actively looking for work for almost 5 months now and by actively I mean that he is busting his ass by applying for jobs, sending out resume's, doing follow-ups and going to interviews. All the while he's been looking he has managed to serve some active duty days with his National Guard unit. He has been in the Air Guard now for almost 23 years and he served in Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Desert Calm as well as traveling to the Philippeans, Denmark, etc. Stateside he's participated in forest fire aid, flood aid, and most recently he was in New Orleans following Katrina. So here's my beef. He went down to the Veterans' Affairs Office in Tacoma to see if there were any training assistant or education opportunities available. There are some great packages available for Vietnam Veterans... which is too little too late in my opinion as many of these people needed help earlier. There are also some wonderful education grants, etc. available for soldiers who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq, there again, rightfully so. But there is NO aid or assistance other than the standard Montgomery GI bill for those who served in the first Gulf War. WTF! About 10 years ago a friend of mine laughingly made a comment that "It wasn't a real war". That comment pissed my off then and the attitude shared by her at the time and apparently congress to this day still pisses me off. We have about 30 more days of health insurance left and I'm getting nervous about finances, etc. DH has even said that he'd consider a middle east 6 month tour just to help us get by. I do NOT want his 42 year old ass over there a second time, he's not physically up to it. But hey, then maybe he'd qualify for retraining assistance since he'd then be a veteran of a "real" war. That's the end of my rant.
Off to cook veggie burgers before tonight's fourth grade performance! Oh, and I have to set up and price for a garage sale too.
posted by Heide at
4:16 PM
9 Comments:
1. Oh boy do I recall the end of year school rush. It was only two years ago that my youngest (of two) finished school, and not having to deal with the end of year thing was one of the main things I was really excited about when we walked out of that school for the last time!
2. Your Dad's socks look great!! Well done. I'm sure he'll LOVE them.
3. Bright happy socks look like fun. Can't wait to see future updates on these.
4. I'd be as mad as hell too. Isn't there somewhere you can kick up a stink about this? Surely if all those affected by this - and there must be lots of families - made a united noise, you might get heard? Might. Hmmm...goodluck.
I agree 100% with your rant. He's worked hard to serve our country - and we sure as hell should give back now! Good luck at your garage sale - we're having one this weekend too. A neighborhood one. I'll be thinking of you - I'm hoping for some quality knitting time while sitting out with the "junk".
Did Americans give their lives in the Gulf war? Damn straight they did. As far as *this* American is concerned, that makes it a real f*cking war. F*ckers.
Pisses me right off, too. Can you tell?
Oh, glad you like the yarn :o))
There's something truly truly wrong about that... I hope things get better on the job front soon. I'm frustrated and angry hearing that the programs aren't available - it seems incredibly stupid that they arent't there.
On the knitting front, the socks for your dad look cute on you. And I love your STR socks. Very cheerful!
Good luck with the next couple days.
Well, you definitely have every right to rant about this as it's so horribly unfair what's going on there. "Not a real war"? I almost started screaming when I read that! What a shame, and what a shame that there's no more aid than this standard thing that hardly covers any needs! I do have my fingers crossed that things will go better for your hubby on the job front soon!
As for the knitting, such lovely yarn you've received, and the one you're using for the socks is gorgeous too, so happy and cheerful! Looking forward to seeing them finished!
I hate to hear stuff like what is going on with your husband. Hard to be patriotic sometimes, you know?
But about the garage sale. Garage sales are a Bad Idea. Yes, there is some money to be made, but at the cost of giving up an entire spring weekend, not to mention all the set-up and pricing (and the storing of all that stuff all this time). Then, whatever doesn't sell has to be re-stored or taken to the dump.
Have you considered what your hourly wage will probably end up being, beside the fact that you'll be a prisoner of the sale for two days? If it rains, it will waste your time. If it's sunny, you could have spent the weekend doing much more enjoyable things.
It's only Friday; there is still time to renege! Give stuff to charity (or put it up on your local Frrecycle list) and take the rest to the dump. And ENJOY the weekend!
Excuse me for ranting, the caffeine is kicking in.
I hope your sale goes well.
Your dh's situation SUCKS! That is the most rediculous thing I've ever heard! Our soldiers are treated like crap and it's unreal!
We'll keep you in our thoughts on the job front... not a real war?! Hm.
You're welcome for the yarn! I started another tiny contest on my blog to celebrate the KP gift certificate I was lucky enough to win from you... :)
I ditto what Jessalu said. As for the garage sale. It's a bit of a gamble every time, isn't it? You never know what's good and what isn't and who will show up. I'm pulling for you. On the med front, is Washington fairly good on Medicaid or something like it? At least to take the pressure off Brian. Also, have you checked with your local MS office? Sometimes they can help. You guys are in my thoughts (and even though you don't believe, I do) and my prayers. Hang tough, kiddo.
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