Patti O'Shea's Blog, page 76
July 26, 2018
Air Travel in Real Life
Someone I work with shared this video and it's pretty funny! The last minute or so is an ad, so feel free to stop it when the two men in purple come on the screen.
July 24, 2018
Quiet Please
I've been in my new house since October and I've gotten used to a lot of things here and miss less and less about the house from which I moved. There is, however, one thing I desperately miss about my old house--the near-absolute quiet and privacy.
My former house was on a steep hill with trees on three sides. In the summer, I literally couldn't see any of my neighbor's houses from the back patio. And while I could hear dogs or kids playing in their yards, it wasn't constant. It was like this shady retreat and so peaceful. I adored this!
The new house? OMG, it's loud. Maybe it's because I'm on a level lot, but I can hear all the cars and golf carts drive by. I can hear people talking all the time as they walk past. I hear everything all the time even late enough at night that you'd think these kids would be in bed. And privacy? Forget about it. I have a fence around my yard, but one day while my dad and I were out working in the back, I see a head poke over the fence. "Howdy, neighbors!" Gah!
The only positive is that my bedroom is at the back of the house so I don't get the street noise back there, but I do hear my neighbors on that side. Their driveway is next to my bedroom and so is their patio. My dad does get all the street noise, but he doesn't hear well, so it's not an issue for him. The biggest problem is my office is at the front of the house. It makes it hard to write.
So I have a new goal now: Save enough money to get foam insulation added to the walls. Until then, I have to wear a headset and play music in order to get words.
My former house was on a steep hill with trees on three sides. In the summer, I literally couldn't see any of my neighbor's houses from the back patio. And while I could hear dogs or kids playing in their yards, it wasn't constant. It was like this shady retreat and so peaceful. I adored this!
The new house? OMG, it's loud. Maybe it's because I'm on a level lot, but I can hear all the cars and golf carts drive by. I can hear people talking all the time as they walk past. I hear everything all the time even late enough at night that you'd think these kids would be in bed. And privacy? Forget about it. I have a fence around my yard, but one day while my dad and I were out working in the back, I see a head poke over the fence. "Howdy, neighbors!" Gah!
The only positive is that my bedroom is at the back of the house so I don't get the street noise back there, but I do hear my neighbors on that side. Their driveway is next to my bedroom and so is their patio. My dad does get all the street noise, but he doesn't hear well, so it's not an issue for him. The biggest problem is my office is at the front of the house. It makes it hard to write.
So I have a new goal now: Save enough money to get foam insulation added to the walls. Until then, I have to wear a headset and play music in order to get words.
July 19, 2018
Knitting Challenge
I learned to knit in April of 2017, so of course I decided it was time to tackle my first sweater. Mostly this decision was made because I fell in love with a pattern and wanted to try it, however, the yarn the pattern calls for cost more than $100 and there was no way this could be my first project. It was a top down, seamless sweater and since there was an online class for a top down, seamless sweater, I signed up for that and bought much cheaper yarn.
My first hurdle was swatching. This is where a knitter tries to see if their stitches per inch matches what the pattern requires. The pattern for the online class wanted it washed and dried the same way I'd wash and dry the sweater, so I made one large swatch and tested out the size knitting needle called for, one smaller, and one larger.
I finished this after laundry day and I waited an entire week for the next load of clothes. I came out spot-on for gauge, BTW, which I almost never do. (The picture is of my swatch.)
With the size needle I needed settled, I opened my pattern and prepared to knit. Only to discover I needed a 16 inch circular needle to cast on. Guess what I don't own? The disappointment was major.
Now I'm on hold while I wait for the necessary needles to arrive. I'm impatient, not only because I want to start my first sweater ever, but also because I don't want to start another project and have to put it aside, so no knitting for the past couple of weeks. :-( I suppose I could have worked on a couple of projects I had hibernating, but I didn't feel like it.
Come on, needles! I need to cast on!
My first hurdle was swatching. This is where a knitter tries to see if their stitches per inch matches what the pattern requires. The pattern for the online class wanted it washed and dried the same way I'd wash and dry the sweater, so I made one large swatch and tested out the size knitting needle called for, one smaller, and one larger.
I finished this after laundry day and I waited an entire week for the next load of clothes. I came out spot-on for gauge, BTW, which I almost never do. (The picture is of my swatch.)
With the size needle I needed settled, I opened my pattern and prepared to knit. Only to discover I needed a 16 inch circular needle to cast on. Guess what I don't own? The disappointment was major.
Now I'm on hold while I wait for the necessary needles to arrive. I'm impatient, not only because I want to start my first sweater ever, but also because I don't want to start another project and have to put it aside, so no knitting for the past couple of weeks. :-( I suppose I could have worked on a couple of projects I had hibernating, but I didn't feel like it.
Come on, needles! I need to cast on!
July 17, 2018
The Novella That Grew
I've mentioned from time to time--both here and on other social media--that I was writing a novella. Well, guess what happened? The novella is growing to novel length.
I had about 3/4 of my first draft written and was confident it would be a long novella. Okay, a super long novella, but even though technically 45,000 words is considered a novel, I just couldn't count it as this. But as I reworked my draft, it grew and grew, and grew. As I write this, I'm at 20,000 words and I've barely reached the beginning of my first draft.
As I think about what I have left to write, I'm guessing I come in over 60,000 words. Maybe higher. This is truly a novel.
On the plus side, I am having so much fun writing this story and my characters are torturing themselves, so I don't even have to do that. :-) I would and I'd enjoy that, too, but it's easier when they do the hard work for me. Heh!
Wicked Obsession is coming, and it's a the prequel to a new series I plan to work on.
I had about 3/4 of my first draft written and was confident it would be a long novella. Okay, a super long novella, but even though technically 45,000 words is considered a novel, I just couldn't count it as this. But as I reworked my draft, it grew and grew, and grew. As I write this, I'm at 20,000 words and I've barely reached the beginning of my first draft.
As I think about what I have left to write, I'm guessing I come in over 60,000 words. Maybe higher. This is truly a novel.
On the plus side, I am having so much fun writing this story and my characters are torturing themselves, so I don't even have to do that. :-) I would and I'd enjoy that, too, but it's easier when they do the hard work for me. Heh!
Wicked Obsession is coming, and it's a the prequel to a new series I plan to work on.
July 12, 2018
Plush
When my favorite towel maker had a huge sale, I bought a lot of towels and wash clothes and bath mats. I was really glad I'd gone crazy when I discovered they'd gone out of business. For years I've been using these towels I got at bargain prices. But I reached a point where the backup supply was exhausted and I was forced to buy new towels.
As it turned out, someone had bought the name to my favorite brand of towel, so I decided to buy a set of the new ones to find out how well I liked them.
They were thick and plush and I was like awesome! I threw them into the washer, dried them, and hung them up to use. It didn't take long to discover something I never considered--those super plush towels are heavy!
I've always used a huge towel to wrap my hair, now this towel is hanging from the weight and getting caught beneath my other towel. Trying to pull it loose almost guarantees that it will come unwrapped from my head. Drying off has become an adventure too because of the weight. This used to be a quick, easy thing to do. Not any longer. Now the process feels slow and laborious as I maneuver this weight around to catch water.
The label on these towels assure me that they'll only become plusher the more they're washed. :-(
It honestly never occurred to me that super plush towels would cause so many issues. They absorb well and I have no other complaints except for how heavy they are, but they're not the original towels that I loved.
As it turned out, someone had bought the name to my favorite brand of towel, so I decided to buy a set of the new ones to find out how well I liked them.
They were thick and plush and I was like awesome! I threw them into the washer, dried them, and hung them up to use. It didn't take long to discover something I never considered--those super plush towels are heavy!
I've always used a huge towel to wrap my hair, now this towel is hanging from the weight and getting caught beneath my other towel. Trying to pull it loose almost guarantees that it will come unwrapped from my head. Drying off has become an adventure too because of the weight. This used to be a quick, easy thing to do. Not any longer. Now the process feels slow and laborious as I maneuver this weight around to catch water.
The label on these towels assure me that they'll only become plusher the more they're washed. :-(
It honestly never occurred to me that super plush towels would cause so many issues. They absorb well and I have no other complaints except for how heavy they are, but they're not the original towels that I loved.
July 10, 2018
Cover Reveal
I've resisted sharing the cover for my latest story for a while now and it's been so hard! I've wanted to show you all how awesome it turned out since I got it.
This is for Wicked Obsession which should come out late summer or early fall. I'm hoping late summer. It's the start of a new romantic suspense series called The Paladin League. The first hero up is Ryder Pienkowski. His heroine describes him as half Italian, half Polish, and all gorgeous. She should have added all stubborn to the list.
It was supposed to be a wedding: a little fun, some wine, the chance for Langley Canfield to forget a devastating breakup. Until the wedding turns into a kidnapping, and her brand new ex—US Army Special Forces Sergeant Ryder Pienkowski—races to the rescue.
This is for Wicked Obsession which should come out late summer or early fall. I'm hoping late summer. It's the start of a new romantic suspense series called The Paladin League. The first hero up is Ryder Pienkowski. His heroine describes him as half Italian, half Polish, and all gorgeous. She should have added all stubborn to the list.
It was supposed to be a wedding: a little fun, some wine, the chance for Langley Canfield to forget a devastating breakup. Until the wedding turns into a kidnapping, and her brand new ex—US Army Special Forces Sergeant Ryder Pienkowski—races to the rescue.
July 5, 2018
I Have Socks
Believe it or not, I finished my socks. They fought me until the very end.
I had to rip one entire sock apart because I'd dropped a stitch in the leg and didn't notice it until I was to the gusset. My attempts to fix it made everything worse, leaving me with no option except to start the entire sock over from the beginning.
As I'm working on the toe and nearly to the end, my ball of yarn had a knot. This is one of those knots they put in at the manufacturer when they have a break, so there is no way to undo it. That meant I had to cut out the knot and had two extra ends to weave in. This didn't make me happy so close to the finish line.
Also there are many mistakes and imperfections, but considering how hard I fought to create these things, I'm calling it good. (Those are dragon sock blockers inserted into the socks.)
I had to rip one entire sock apart because I'd dropped a stitch in the leg and didn't notice it until I was to the gusset. My attempts to fix it made everything worse, leaving me with no option except to start the entire sock over from the beginning.
As I'm working on the toe and nearly to the end, my ball of yarn had a knot. This is one of those knots they put in at the manufacturer when they have a break, so there is no way to undo it. That meant I had to cut out the knot and had two extra ends to weave in. This didn't make me happy so close to the finish line.
Also there are many mistakes and imperfections, but considering how hard I fought to create these things, I'm calling it good. (Those are dragon sock blockers inserted into the socks.)
July 3, 2018
Happy Independence Day!
For my American readers, Happy Independence Day!
June 28, 2018
The Sock Fail Continues
After all the problems I had with my first pair of socks, I was happy that things were going smoothly. I finished the legs on both socks, did the heel flaps without any issues and was excited that I was going to catch up with the other people doing the Knit-A-Long (KAL).
And then a funny thing happened. Not funny haha. Trust me on that one.
As I'm doing the heel turn and picking up stitches for the gusset, I think to myself, wow, these socks look pretty big. This isn't the first time I had this thought. It had crossed my mind when I was knitting the legs that they looked awfully wide, but I shrugged it off, assuming that it was just puffing out because it was flat.
But as I made the turn into the foot of the sock, there was no more denial. The sock looked huge. Like Sasquatch could wear it. Or the Jolly Green Giant.
I hadn't bothered to do a gauge swatch, which was foolish in retrospect, but I hate knitting them so much when they don't make anything and it's just a sock. How far off could I be? Well, I got my ruler out and checked my gauge. I was five stitches off the pattern. That's a lot of stitches and it explained why I was knitting Christmas stockings and not socks that a human could wear.
It took the heart right out of me. I'd been all excited, all happy and then all the air was sucked out of my lungs. All that work and I wouldn't have socks I could wear.
Okay, so I never wear socks at all if I can help it, but still.
At first I thought I would continue just to learn how to make socks, but when I woke up the next morning, I decided to start over and knit them smaller this time. I'm starting the ribbing on sock one, and the good thing about my earlier disasters is that I was able to get the cast-on right the first time. I'm hoping it goes much quicker this time around.
And then a funny thing happened. Not funny haha. Trust me on that one.
As I'm doing the heel turn and picking up stitches for the gusset, I think to myself, wow, these socks look pretty big. This isn't the first time I had this thought. It had crossed my mind when I was knitting the legs that they looked awfully wide, but I shrugged it off, assuming that it was just puffing out because it was flat.
But as I made the turn into the foot of the sock, there was no more denial. The sock looked huge. Like Sasquatch could wear it. Or the Jolly Green Giant.
I hadn't bothered to do a gauge swatch, which was foolish in retrospect, but I hate knitting them so much when they don't make anything and it's just a sock. How far off could I be? Well, I got my ruler out and checked my gauge. I was five stitches off the pattern. That's a lot of stitches and it explained why I was knitting Christmas stockings and not socks that a human could wear.
It took the heart right out of me. I'd been all excited, all happy and then all the air was sucked out of my lungs. All that work and I wouldn't have socks I could wear.
Okay, so I never wear socks at all if I can help it, but still.
At first I thought I would continue just to learn how to make socks, but when I woke up the next morning, I decided to start over and knit them smaller this time. I'm starting the ribbing on sock one, and the good thing about my earlier disasters is that I was able to get the cast-on right the first time. I'm hoping it goes much quicker this time around.
June 26, 2018
No Screens
The health care plan I have from work has an app called Rally where you have different missions or challenges that you assign yourself to complete. I have mixed feelings on whether or not it really helps, but it doesn't take much time, so why not?
Recently, I signed up for a new challenge--no screens for one hour. This means no phone, no computer, and no television. An hour is nothing, I thought. How hard can it be?
It's actually pretty amazing how long an hour actually is.
I started out on the first day--Saturday--by saying I'll just knit for an hour. No problem. After about 10-15 minutes, I realized that I'm used to knitting a few rounds and picking up my phone. Knitting a few more rounds, phone. Knit, phone, knit, phone. It was torturous to not touch the phone.
I tried to think of what I could do that wouldn't involve a screen or an activity where I'd be using the phone or TV. This was harder than it should be.
Can't write. That's computer. Lunch? Well, I hang on my phone while I eat (and yes, I know I shouldn't do this). I wonder how many steps I've taken today and how close I am to 10,000. No, I can't check that yet. Must wait.
I ended up working on my weekly schedule in my planner. I am a paper planner because I can and do completely ignore electronic reminders. Paper works better for me. So I sat down and did a punch list of things I wanted to get done this month. I worked on each individual day of the week. And when I was done, I still had another twenty minutes to go. ::sobs:: I knit some more and counted the seconds down until that hour was up.
It didn't get any easier on day 2. At some point, it's got to get better. I hope.
Recently, I signed up for a new challenge--no screens for one hour. This means no phone, no computer, and no television. An hour is nothing, I thought. How hard can it be?
It's actually pretty amazing how long an hour actually is.
I started out on the first day--Saturday--by saying I'll just knit for an hour. No problem. After about 10-15 minutes, I realized that I'm used to knitting a few rounds and picking up my phone. Knitting a few more rounds, phone. Knit, phone, knit, phone. It was torturous to not touch the phone.
I tried to think of what I could do that wouldn't involve a screen or an activity where I'd be using the phone or TV. This was harder than it should be.
Can't write. That's computer. Lunch? Well, I hang on my phone while I eat (and yes, I know I shouldn't do this). I wonder how many steps I've taken today and how close I am to 10,000. No, I can't check that yet. Must wait.
I ended up working on my weekly schedule in my planner. I am a paper planner because I can and do completely ignore electronic reminders. Paper works better for me. So I sat down and did a punch list of things I wanted to get done this month. I worked on each individual day of the week. And when I was done, I still had another twenty minutes to go. ::sobs:: I knit some more and counted the seconds down until that hour was up.
It didn't get any easier on day 2. At some point, it's got to get better. I hope.
