We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Blog for a Root Canal

Good thing I had something to smile about on Monday (yesterday) because today was the first ever root canal, something I would love to avoid in future, but would be willing to undergo instead of the horrible pain and suffering I was experiencing until the blessed Novocaine took effect at the dentist's this a.m. And that was WITH pain meds.

The Brief, Unpleasant, but Essentially Happy Tale of Stacie’s Root Canal*

9:25 this morning--Stacie, no longer on (god’s gift to humankind) Vicodin because she has to drive, is now truly suffering with her toothache, even with 2 Tylenol and 3 Advil.

9:30 this morning—This is Stacie, having been given three mondo shots of Novocaine, and no longer in fear of the drill.

The dentist was a rock star—no chair-side manner, but faster than a mechanic changing a tire. I would venture to guess he’s done . . . oh, maybe a million root canals.

One of my nostrils went numb--that was weird!

Noon—See Stacie. See Stacie suffering. Novocaine now wearing off quickly, Vicodin front-loaded but not doing the job yet. What happened to my magical injected elixir???

But wait, the story gets better . . .

1 p.m.—Stacie with more Vicodin floating through her veins--

The hell with reading. I’m checking outta here!

Hope you are less dentally compromised than I am at present!!

~Stacie

*No, these photos are not of me, but rather my stunt doubles. (Buddha works overtime!!)

Monday Smile

Here's a naughty kitty if ever I've met one (and yes, I have met a few in my time!).

Check out the website I found this on, if you have a few minutes and would like to see a bunch of cute cats. Fortunately most all of them are in different hot water, not involved in any tangled skein like this cat is.

Winner #2

Well, the first winner had not given me a contact email addy, so I announced her name and waited, and waited, and waited.

Now I'm moving on, and the next name I pull from my trusty hopper* is . . .

one of my Ozzie friends--

Jejune!

Now, Jejune, I'm going to contact you via your blog or your email (if I have it, think I do) so that your prize package can begin winging its way to your coast tomorrow.

As for the sweater design, that prize package will have to be awarded in a week or two because I haven't had time to get to the decision-making process.
*The "hopper" is DD3 who unreasonably insisted that I wait until she got dressed before she randomly picked the next winner. I mentioned that no one need know she was in the altogether, but then she seems to know her mom well . . . this comment being proof thereof. ;^)

Ketchup: I am up to my eyeballs in alligators, knee deep in -- you get it. School is keeping me purty busy. BUT this year already feels less stressful than last year's firsts as an 8th grade English teacher and department chair. And I am knitting on a cable banded hat similar to the knitty.com Coronet pattern, but with the Irish Hiking Scarf cable (one of them) instead. I'm using Rowan Cashsoft Aran and it's luscious to knit with. In a soft orange, pumpkin I might say, that is going to be just right for . . . oops, cannot reveal intended giftee!

And I got my ravelry invite!! I already love what it does and am thrilled with what is still listed as "upcoming" on the site. I spent one of my two weekend days (yesterday) getting my stash and my projects listed. Instead of feeling guilty about the size of my stash, I felt empowered to begin to choose projects that these lovely skeins can be used for, and to combine some similar yarns for things that will finish up skeins or use one-skein purchases (I'm a sucker for the orphan bin) with other things I have. And with the holidays approaching and me having abandoned my stealth "scarfing" of my coworkers, I'll be knitting for the next two months to get things done before mailing time arrives. And with ravelry, once I enter a stash item in my loot, I get links to others using that type of yarn to see what they are doing with it, for ideas that will help me get it underway myself!

Off to shower and take DD3 (dressed) to do some errands. Then it's home to grade 54 student essays, which as any of you who have ever taught public school English know, is a paltry number to have to get through. I am not complaining, having once taught 150 kids at a time. But it must get done! Then back to knitting. ;^)

Cheers, and congrats again to Jejune!!