A few weeks ago, my daughter S and I were at Mervyn's doing some last-minute back-to-school clothes shopping. She liked this light poncho that served as a cape over a tank top. But I had to tell her no, because the price tag was pretty hard to swallow. Plus we were getting two other tops for her already.
"If you really want a poncho like this," I told her, "I can knit one for you."
We went to get some yarn that weekend. The day after that, I looked for some patterns online and let S choose one that she likes. Less than a week later, a baby blue poncho was born.
I didn't follow the instructions to a tee. The poncho we saw at the store isn't formed from a square like most of the ponchos you see. Rather, it's shaped like a short cape. So instead of knitting a rectangle like the pattern we found, I used circular needles to knit it like a round skirt.
When the poncho was done, S wore it for a while and decided that the collar was too loose. So I crocheted a chain to thread around the collar and shirr it up. A pom-pom on each end of the chain completed the picture.
S was very happy with the results and wears it everywhere she goes. :)
##########################################################
I told a friend the other day that I was knitting a poncho for S. "Oh they're all the rage this season. I want one myself!" She enthused.
Yep, you can see department store ads showcasing ponchos like they're the coolest thing. Some even go so far as to declare them "the Must-Haves!"
All that fever might make any girl want to grab a poncho off the closest rack. But like all past fashion trends, ponchos aren't for everyone.
A well-endowed young lady should still stick with those curve-hugging tops and jackets, preferably with a pinch of spandex in the fabric. Most likely, a poncho will make one look lumpy and cumbersome.
But ponchos are perfectly suitable for little girls (so cute!) and skinny women (very impish). Bottom line: If you're not sure, don't wear them if you have breasts, unless it's a lightweight poncho that you can see through it.
Monday, September 20, 2004
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
My daughter has always been very particular about things. We've kind of attributed it to her idiosyncrasy and left it at that. But the other day after she had a fit about some very unimportant thing, I finally had to ask her, "Have you ever heard of the expression, 'Don't sweat the small stuff?'"
She shot me a dirty look and grudgingly said no.
"Well," I proceeded, "it means you shouldn't be so particular about everything. When something is important, you need to be precise, of course. But little details that aren't so important shouldn't drive you crazy."
The aforementioned fit happened while we were playing ping-pong. Twice that day she broke down in tears while playing ping-pong, all because I didn't make the ball land where she could hit it.
Mind you, I'm not a very good ping-pong player. So how was I supposed to make that tiny ball land at will, just so my precious angel wouldn't have a temper tantrum when she missed the ball?
It was frustrating when all she could talk about was how those shots were so impossible, with tears and sobs throughout her tirade. I almost wanted to yell, "How do you think it makes me feel, when I do want to make it easy for you but don't have the skills to pull it off? I already told you I'm not good at ping-pong. What do you want from me?!"
But after I realized all the consolation in the world couldn't stop that tantrum from running its course, I gave up on trying. Instead I told her, why don't you cry in your bedroom because I can't hear it any more. And she came out, an hour or so later, a happy camper again.
I don't want to --and refuse to-- sweat the small stuff.
She shot me a dirty look and grudgingly said no.
"Well," I proceeded, "it means you shouldn't be so particular about everything. When something is important, you need to be precise, of course. But little details that aren't so important shouldn't drive you crazy."
The aforementioned fit happened while we were playing ping-pong. Twice that day she broke down in tears while playing ping-pong, all because I didn't make the ball land where she could hit it.
Mind you, I'm not a very good ping-pong player. So how was I supposed to make that tiny ball land at will, just so my precious angel wouldn't have a temper tantrum when she missed the ball?
It was frustrating when all she could talk about was how those shots were so impossible, with tears and sobs throughout her tirade. I almost wanted to yell, "How do you think it makes me feel, when I do want to make it easy for you but don't have the skills to pull it off? I already told you I'm not good at ping-pong. What do you want from me?!"
But after I realized all the consolation in the world couldn't stop that tantrum from running its course, I gave up on trying. Instead I told her, why don't you cry in your bedroom because I can't hear it any more. And she came out, an hour or so later, a happy camper again.
I don't want to --and refuse to-- sweat the small stuff.
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Yeah, I've Been There...
My daughter has been taking swim lessons for almost 4 weeks straight now. This is her second session this year and she's doing extremely well. She passed her last session without having to repeat the same level, which was an all-time first for her. And from the looks of it, she's likely to pass this level with one try as well.
She used to be the slowest in every swimming class she was in. I suppose she was so wrapped up in her fear that she never really tried very hard. Repeating the same level was nothing new to us, either. But somehow she turned over a new leaf this year and really started to improve. I don't know if it's because she's finally comfortable in the water or what, but she's not the old dawdler that we used to know any more.
That is not to say that she doesn't dawdle in her class, though. She still takes her time adjusting her goggles after every swim. But she doesn't lag behind even when she does dawdle. In fact, quite a few times I saw, to my astonishment, that she came in first after taking her time adjusting her goggles and letting other kids have a head start. If someone had told me a year ago that this would happen, I'd have asked him what he was smoking!
There is a boy in my daughter's swim class that reminds me a lot of the way she used to be. He's always the slowest and he doesn't seem to try all that hard. This morning, both his parents were sitting only a few feet away from me and I could clearly hear the frustration in their voices: "Kick! Johnny, kick!" And I could certainly relate when they murmured to themselves, "I don't know what he's doing!"
I never had any idea what my daughter was doing, either. All I could see was that we'd have to repeat the lesson yet again. And the beach whale of a teacher that she had never bothered to help her get better. All that frustration was boiling inside as I clenched my teeth through her swim lesson every day.
But this year has been a whole new experience for me so far. I can actually laugh it off when I see her dawdle. Her improvement isn't lightning-speed, but it's not nonexistent, either. Having someone worse than her in the class certainly helps, but I'm sure that's just gravy. I feel sorry for Johnny's parents because I know exactly what they're going through.
She used to be the slowest in every swimming class she was in. I suppose she was so wrapped up in her fear that she never really tried very hard. Repeating the same level was nothing new to us, either. But somehow she turned over a new leaf this year and really started to improve. I don't know if it's because she's finally comfortable in the water or what, but she's not the old dawdler that we used to know any more.
That is not to say that she doesn't dawdle in her class, though. She still takes her time adjusting her goggles after every swim. But she doesn't lag behind even when she does dawdle. In fact, quite a few times I saw, to my astonishment, that she came in first after taking her time adjusting her goggles and letting other kids have a head start. If someone had told me a year ago that this would happen, I'd have asked him what he was smoking!
There is a boy in my daughter's swim class that reminds me a lot of the way she used to be. He's always the slowest and he doesn't seem to try all that hard. This morning, both his parents were sitting only a few feet away from me and I could clearly hear the frustration in their voices: "Kick! Johnny, kick!" And I could certainly relate when they murmured to themselves, "I don't know what he's doing!"
I never had any idea what my daughter was doing, either. All I could see was that we'd have to repeat the lesson yet again. And the beach whale of a teacher that she had never bothered to help her get better. All that frustration was boiling inside as I clenched my teeth through her swim lesson every day.
But this year has been a whole new experience for me so far. I can actually laugh it off when I see her dawdle. Her improvement isn't lightning-speed, but it's not nonexistent, either. Having someone worse than her in the class certainly helps, but I'm sure that's just gravy. I feel sorry for Johnny's parents because I know exactly what they're going through.
Friday, July 16, 2004
The Missing Case, Part Deux
I went to the local library this afternoon as planned. They looked up and down and couldn't find the case. After they swiped my card, the supervisor-type lady suggested that they look up the message in my record. And there, they found a note saying someone from the XX library had called me this afternoon and left a message.
“Does it say when the call was made or what it was about?” I asked hopefully.
“No, it doesn't say. It could be that they got the case, though. You could give them a call to find out.”
As soon as I walked out the door, I whipped out my cell phone and dialed the XX library’s number. The lady at the circulation department recognized my name immediately:
“Oh yes, Toaster. We got the movie that you returned but the case was empty. The disc wasn't inside it. So perhaps you still have the movie in your player at home. You could bring it back and we'll check it in for you.”
“But I got a call yesterday from your library saying that you got the disc but not the case.”
“We get a lot of crates of materials that people return from all over the county. If you've already returned the disc, I'm sure it's in one of those crates and you'll just have to give us a few days to sort them out and we'll put them back together. And don't worry about the overdue charge. I'll make a note here that you've returned both the case and the disc and you've done your part, so there won't be any overdue charge for you.”
HUH? Did she hear a word I said?
Patiently, I told her again. “No, no. I got a call yesterday from someone at your library. She said that they'd just got the disc but they didn't have the case.”
“Are you sure it was someone from this library, not the other one from our city?” She asked suspiciously.
“Yes, I'm pretty sure of that.”
“Well, would you mind if I go look around to see if I can find it? If it's already here, then I'll be able to check it in for you today.”
“Yes, please!”
She came back about a minute later. “I apologize for this. I usually work at the other library (of the city) and I'm not very familiar with where they put things here. I found the disc and I'm going to check it in for you right now.”
Thus concluded the idiotic mystery of the missing case.
“Does it say when the call was made or what it was about?” I asked hopefully.
“No, it doesn't say. It could be that they got the case, though. You could give them a call to find out.”
As soon as I walked out the door, I whipped out my cell phone and dialed the XX library’s number. The lady at the circulation department recognized my name immediately:
“Oh yes, Toaster. We got the movie that you returned but the case was empty. The disc wasn't inside it. So perhaps you still have the movie in your player at home. You could bring it back and we'll check it in for you.”
“But I got a call yesterday from your library saying that you got the disc but not the case.”
“We get a lot of crates of materials that people return from all over the county. If you've already returned the disc, I'm sure it's in one of those crates and you'll just have to give us a few days to sort them out and we'll put them back together. And don't worry about the overdue charge. I'll make a note here that you've returned both the case and the disc and you've done your part, so there won't be any overdue charge for you.”
HUH? Did she hear a word I said?
Patiently, I told her again. “No, no. I got a call yesterday from someone at your library. She said that they'd just got the disc but they didn't have the case.”
“Are you sure it was someone from this library, not the other one from our city?” She asked suspiciously.
“Yes, I'm pretty sure of that.”
“Well, would you mind if I go look around to see if I can find it? If it's already here, then I'll be able to check it in for you today.”
“Yes, please!”
She came back about a minute later. “I apologize for this. I usually work at the other library (of the city) and I'm not very familiar with where they put things here. I found the disc and I'm going to check it in for you right now.”
Thus concluded the idiotic mystery of the missing case.
Thursday, July 15, 2004
The Missing Case
Last Friday, I returned the DVD of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" to the local library. Unbeknownst to me, the disc was not in the case. That night when we turned on the DVD player to watch a different movie, I realized my mistake and went into panic mode.
"They're going to make me drive to the library that the DVD is from to return it. No wait, they're going to say, 'No problem, we'll take care of it' and then lose it!"
To be fair, we have a pretty cool library system. All the libraries within the same county are connected via computers and everyone with a library card here can borrow things from all these libraries. The Grinch movie I borrowed came from a library about half an hour away, but all I had to do was put a hold on it and it was delivered to the library closest to me and I could pick it up at my earliest convenience.
But there are times when I'm beginning to think the hassle outweighs the convenience. For example, quite often we find video tapes not having been rewound. And then about two weeks ago, I got a call from the library saying that the pamphlet inside a movie I'd borrowed and returned was missing and perhaps it was at my house. Fortunately for me, I had a vivid recollection of a sticker on the case of that movie specifying that the pamphlet was missing. So I pointed that out to the lady and suggested that perhaps they ask someone else where that pamphlet might be.
Therefore it's not hard for me to start panicking when I found out that I had returned the case, but not the disc, of the movie.
The next morning, I called the library as soon as they were open. The lady answering the phone heard my story, then put me on hold to confer with her colleagues or look for the case. She came back saying, "Okay, you can just bring the disc in and we'll put them together." Boy! Was I relieved! That sounds like they still had the case, doesn't it? Maybe I was all paranoid about it after all!
I went to the library an hour later and found the lady that I'd spoken to. She remembered my story but told me that they didn't have the case! After taking the disc from me, she said she'd send it back and we should be all set. At this point my husband spoke up, "Is it possible for you to have it in paper saying that you got the disc from us?" She claimed that they never had to do that, but agreed to it any way. So she fumbled around, putting a note together and making a copy of it and having me sign and all kinds of stuff. As we walked out the door, my husband muttered, "What do you bet that they don't get them back together?" I muttered back, "There's no bet. I totally agree with you."
Tuesday morning, I went online to check on my library account. The movie was still on my record. The due date was the day after, so I renewed it. After dropping my daughter off at a camp that afternoon, I went to the local library to talk to one of the familiar faces behind the counter. After relating my story, I asked if she could check to see if the movie had been sent back. She swiped my library card and said, "I see that it's been renewed." "Yeah, I did that this morning because I didn't want it to be overdue."
And wouldn't you know it? They didn't have either one there. She said to me, "Just give it a few days and see if they turn up. If not, I'd call the XX library and ask them about it."
Yesterday (Wednesday) I called the library where the movie came from and told the lady about my story. She was very sympathetic and helpful. She called the other library in their city but neither library had seen the disc nor the case yet. "I'd give it a few more days and see if it clears from your account. If not, call your library and have them take a look" is all she could say.
Just when I thought all hope was lost, I got a call from a different person from the XX library that afternoon:
Toaster? We got the disc of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' this afternoon."
"You did? That's great!"
"But we still haven't seen the case."
"Oh no! But can you clear it from my account now?"
"No. We can't clear it until we've put the whole thing back together. Where did you return the case?"
"I brought it inside the local library. But they couldn't find it the next day. I wonder if they returned it without the disc and the case got stuck in the truck or something."
"Could be. Any way, I'd give it a few days and if it still doesn't clear, give your library a call."
Well, it's Thursday and the disc and case haven't reunited yet. So I went back to my local library and told someone else about my miserable story. She swiped my card and said, “I see that it's been renewed.” And I just wanted to say, “Duh! I renewed it so it wouldn't be overdue. How hard is it to figure that out?” But all I said was, “Yeah, I did that so it wouldn't be overdue.” She looked all over the place but still couldn’t find the case. And then she gave me the same departing wisdom: “I'd give it a few more days and see if they’d get it back. If not, call up the XX library.”
GEE! I'm beginning to detect a pattern here.
Logic dictates that when my local library didn't find a disc inside the case, they would have to put the case in the "snag shelf" and wait for the disc to show up before sending it back to the XX library. In fact, I can't think of one single reason why the case wasn't there the first time we checked! As for their universal "give it a few days" attitude, I guess they've never watched a missing-person drama to know that the longer you wait, the colder the trail runs.
So here's what I've decided to do: I'll go back tomorrow around the same time I went last Friday and see if the same people are on duty and ask around. Perhaps someone will remember something about that case. The green color makes it hard to miss. Plus, it didn't have a disc inside!
"They're going to make me drive to the library that the DVD is from to return it. No wait, they're going to say, 'No problem, we'll take care of it' and then lose it!"
To be fair, we have a pretty cool library system. All the libraries within the same county are connected via computers and everyone with a library card here can borrow things from all these libraries. The Grinch movie I borrowed came from a library about half an hour away, but all I had to do was put a hold on it and it was delivered to the library closest to me and I could pick it up at my earliest convenience.
But there are times when I'm beginning to think the hassle outweighs the convenience. For example, quite often we find video tapes not having been rewound. And then about two weeks ago, I got a call from the library saying that the pamphlet inside a movie I'd borrowed and returned was missing and perhaps it was at my house. Fortunately for me, I had a vivid recollection of a sticker on the case of that movie specifying that the pamphlet was missing. So I pointed that out to the lady and suggested that perhaps they ask someone else where that pamphlet might be.
Therefore it's not hard for me to start panicking when I found out that I had returned the case, but not the disc, of the movie.
The next morning, I called the library as soon as they were open. The lady answering the phone heard my story, then put me on hold to confer with her colleagues or look for the case. She came back saying, "Okay, you can just bring the disc in and we'll put them together." Boy! Was I relieved! That sounds like they still had the case, doesn't it? Maybe I was all paranoid about it after all!
I went to the library an hour later and found the lady that I'd spoken to. She remembered my story but told me that they didn't have the case! After taking the disc from me, she said she'd send it back and we should be all set. At this point my husband spoke up, "Is it possible for you to have it in paper saying that you got the disc from us?" She claimed that they never had to do that, but agreed to it any way. So she fumbled around, putting a note together and making a copy of it and having me sign and all kinds of stuff. As we walked out the door, my husband muttered, "What do you bet that they don't get them back together?" I muttered back, "There's no bet. I totally agree with you."
Tuesday morning, I went online to check on my library account. The movie was still on my record. The due date was the day after, so I renewed it. After dropping my daughter off at a camp that afternoon, I went to the local library to talk to one of the familiar faces behind the counter. After relating my story, I asked if she could check to see if the movie had been sent back. She swiped my library card and said, "I see that it's been renewed." "Yeah, I did that this morning because I didn't want it to be overdue."
And wouldn't you know it? They didn't have either one there. She said to me, "Just give it a few days and see if they turn up. If not, I'd call the XX library and ask them about it."
Yesterday (Wednesday) I called the library where the movie came from and told the lady about my story. She was very sympathetic and helpful. She called the other library in their city but neither library had seen the disc nor the case yet. "I'd give it a few more days and see if it clears from your account. If not, call your library and have them take a look" is all she could say.
Just when I thought all hope was lost, I got a call from a different person from the XX library that afternoon:
Toaster? We got the disc of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' this afternoon."
"You did? That's great!"
"But we still haven't seen the case."
"Oh no! But can you clear it from my account now?"
"No. We can't clear it until we've put the whole thing back together. Where did you return the case?"
"I brought it inside the local library. But they couldn't find it the next day. I wonder if they returned it without the disc and the case got stuck in the truck or something."
"Could be. Any way, I'd give it a few days and if it still doesn't clear, give your library a call."
Well, it's Thursday and the disc and case haven't reunited yet. So I went back to my local library and told someone else about my miserable story. She swiped my card and said, “I see that it's been renewed.” And I just wanted to say, “Duh! I renewed it so it wouldn't be overdue. How hard is it to figure that out?” But all I said was, “Yeah, I did that so it wouldn't be overdue.” She looked all over the place but still couldn’t find the case. And then she gave me the same departing wisdom: “I'd give it a few more days and see if they’d get it back. If not, call up the XX library.”
GEE! I'm beginning to detect a pattern here.
Logic dictates that when my local library didn't find a disc inside the case, they would have to put the case in the "snag shelf" and wait for the disc to show up before sending it back to the XX library. In fact, I can't think of one single reason why the case wasn't there the first time we checked! As for their universal "give it a few days" attitude, I guess they've never watched a missing-person drama to know that the longer you wait, the colder the trail runs.
So here's what I've decided to do: I'll go back tomorrow around the same time I went last Friday and see if the same people are on duty and ask around. Perhaps someone will remember something about that case. The green color makes it hard to miss. Plus, it didn't have a disc inside!
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
The Family Sport
My husband started golfing on a weekly basis recently. One day he said that I should start golfing so we can do something together when he retires.
We're both in our mid-30's. Retirement seems lightyears away for me. But when he asked me what I was going to do when he retires, I couldn't very well give him a ready answer. So it was decided that I should take up golf as well.
Our daughter has already shown some interest in golf. She's been doing "Golf Camp" at home with her dad since summer started. For a short while I seemed the lone holdout for this sport in our family. That is until it was decided for me that I should get involved. ;-)
The problem with golf is that it's a very exclusive sport. Unlike basketball or soccer, they don't like you to tag along just to watch your beloved ones play. So the only way to get involved is to play the sport yourself.
So I got books and video tape from the library on putting. I practiced my putt shots with my family. On the 4th of July last week, we went to my in-laws' and practiced our drive on their lawn and left unsightly patches on the ground. I got an almost-blister on a left-hand finger and felt the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome on the right wrist.
But hey! According to my dear hubby, I'm getting better! I still need to practice around 60 putt shots a day, if I want to be any good. But I'm gonna try and make him happy. The family that golfs together, stays together. Right? ;-)
We're both in our mid-30's. Retirement seems lightyears away for me. But when he asked me what I was going to do when he retires, I couldn't very well give him a ready answer. So it was decided that I should take up golf as well.
Our daughter has already shown some interest in golf. She's been doing "Golf Camp" at home with her dad since summer started. For a short while I seemed the lone holdout for this sport in our family. That is until it was decided for me that I should get involved. ;-)
The problem with golf is that it's a very exclusive sport. Unlike basketball or soccer, they don't like you to tag along just to watch your beloved ones play. So the only way to get involved is to play the sport yourself.
So I got books and video tape from the library on putting. I practiced my putt shots with my family. On the 4th of July last week, we went to my in-laws' and practiced our drive on their lawn and left unsightly patches on the ground. I got an almost-blister on a left-hand finger and felt the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome on the right wrist.
But hey! According to my dear hubby, I'm getting better! I still need to practice around 60 putt shots a day, if I want to be any good. But I'm gonna try and make him happy. The family that golfs together, stays together. Right? ;-)
Summer Fun
Never have I felt the power of summer at its fullest until this year. It used to be an idyllic existence we led during summer time. We could hit the library or the pool at our leisure. But this year is quite different.
First off, the local pool at the high school only has public swim sessions on weekdays. We can't go there on weekends as a whole family any more. Needless to say, it's more crowded when we go because everyone wants to take advantage of the little time we have to use the pool.
Another thing is, I'm starting to feel time catching up to me. I start to forget things when I'm under pressure. Just yesterday, I totally forgot to take my daughter to the gymnastics lesson because I needed to fill out some forms for a meeting that I was attending today. When I got out of the shower this morning, I realized that it was already Wednesday and yesterday was Tuesday but we didn't go to the gymnastics! Grrrr....
I quickly called the gymnastics place and scheduled a make-up lesson for this afternoon. But who knows! Maybe I'll forget something else this afternoon because of the impromptu make-up lesson!
First off, the local pool at the high school only has public swim sessions on weekdays. We can't go there on weekends as a whole family any more. Needless to say, it's more crowded when we go because everyone wants to take advantage of the little time we have to use the pool.
Another thing is, I'm starting to feel time catching up to me. I start to forget things when I'm under pressure. Just yesterday, I totally forgot to take my daughter to the gymnastics lesson because I needed to fill out some forms for a meeting that I was attending today. When I got out of the shower this morning, I realized that it was already Wednesday and yesterday was Tuesday but we didn't go to the gymnastics! Grrrr....
I quickly called the gymnastics place and scheduled a make-up lesson for this afternoon. But who knows! Maybe I'll forget something else this afternoon because of the impromptu make-up lesson!
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