Banished by the kitteh

Update: On Friday I popped my baseball cherry by attending a Washington Nationals v. Texas Rangers. If you know me at all, you might ask “Why on earth would Jen be caught dead at a baseball game?” Two reasons. Number one — my future brother-in-law Jason love-love-loves baseball, and I want to be able to have a conversation with him or at least follow along if he’s telling me something about a game. Number two — the amazing Karin discovered that the Nationals were hosting a Stitch-n-Pitch for this particular game. She organized the June Stitch-n-Bitch (our monthly knitting get-together) to be held at the ballpark, and six of us (Karin, Courtney, Aimee, Amy, Cecilia and myself) brought knitting projects to the game! We each got a bag of freebies from the organizers of the Stitch-n-Pitch, and for the core-group of knitters it was a chance to meet Cecilia (who’s awesome) and have one more special Maryland memory with Courtney, who’s headed for greener pastures (well, perhaps grayer sidewalks is more appropriate, since she’s moving to a Big City)!

The game ended up going into overtime, and poor Jen the anti-sports gal didn’t know that baseball goes until well, someone wins. *urk* At the end of the 12th inning, when the stadium made the announcement that it was too late to shoot off fireworks after the game, we packed up and headed home. The game was tied when we left, but I’m happy to announce that the Nationals did beat the Rangers, 4 - 3.

The girls were awesome and probably would’ve stayed ’til the game ended so I could say I saw an *entire* game, but the truth is I knew I had to drive 6 hours down to Blacksburg, Va., the next morning in order to spend a few days with my sister, Jaci. For my birthday, she bought us two seats in an Annie Modesitt class!

Jaci’s local yarn shop in Blacksburg - Mosaic - is an AWESOME little yarn shop, and the ladies there are just about the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Jaci has come to really love knitting, in part because the ladies there are so supportive and helpful! This past weekend, the shop put together and hosted Purl Jam 2008, a weekend of classes, shopping and fiber frolicking! Annie’s Sunday class taught us knitting tips and tricks, including how to make dreadlocks, yarn buttons and i-cord bind offs. The class was very interesting, if a little contradictory, and afterwards we were able to do a little bit of yarn shopping! I bought some beautiful skeins at the hotel where Purl Jam 2008 was held, but we also went into the Mosaic store in Blacksburg so I could purchase some additional yarn and pick up a Thank You/I’ll Miss You So Much present for Courtney.

On Monday, I drove Jaci and her two dogs - Ella and Lexi - home to Maryland. That night, I was confronted with the not-so-exciting news that a check I had deposited (and subsequently, spent) bounced on Friday (I wasn’t aware) and my bank had not only drained my savings account in order to pay my incoming charges/bills, but I had racked up $175 in overdraft fees over the weekend. So, I spent 3 HOURS today ironing all of that mess out, and ended up going home early because at 3:30 p.m. there was no point in going back to work. I was exhausted. Too tired, in fact, to bug Courtney for copies of the Stitch-n-Pitch photos to add into this post. Too beat to take pictures of my fabulous yarn purchases for you to oggle from across the Internet.

Instead, I’m washing my sheets and waiting for my sister to come over so I can show her how to use double-pointed needles. But I feel bad for not sharing any new pictures and for not making this post more exciting. So here… amidst my mood (which is recovering from blackness and stress), I present to you my Hot Dog of the week:

HAHAHAHA There now! I feel so much better!

Worth saving for

The last time I visited my sister in Blacksburg, Va., we took a short drive over to Floyd in order to pick up a very particular brand of coffee from The Harvest Moon. Harvest Moon is a local store that carries organic foods, coffees and teas, health care products and some of the best cards.

Housed on the second floor of the building is Over The Moon Bakery & Coffee Shop, which is also the Over the Moon Gallery. Here you can peruse wonderful local art and crafts while grabbing lunch, or, if you’re like me, a chocolate chip cookie and a bottle of root beer. (And man, let me tell you, that was some GOOD root beer!)

Something particular caught my eye; something that I knew - just knew - was very special. I was right:

Douglas Alan Terrill is a man living in Ferrum, Va., who creates high quality, hand-crafted, contemporary rocking chairs using hardwoods such as cherry, maple, walnut and oak. Each rocking chair takes over 130 hours to build and is made of over 100 individual pieces of wood. Best yet? If Doug doesn’t have a chair that makes your brain totally turn to butter the minute you sit down, he can make a custom chair for you!

There were two rockers on display at Over the Moon. I sat in the first one, and I was smitten. Then I realized there was another one, marked “Petite.” I caressed the smooth wood, which I think was walnut, and lowered myself into the seat. Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious. Mother. In. Holy. Something.

Doug Terrill created quintessence of proportions and movement in that chair, and if I had thought I had found something to covet in the first rocker, upon sitting in the one sized perfectly for me I fell into a deep, unabashed, hopeless love. It was a fine piece of craftsmanship, offering beauty in form and function.

Some rockers are pitched too far forward, and you have to work really hard to rock back. Others make you feel like you might topple over backwards. But not Doug’s rocker. Once settled into its exquisite curves, this was simply a pleasure to rock. Easy. Effortless. Soothing. Ahhhh.

I’m not sure when I will be able to afford such a luxury as a beautiful piece of furniture that is also gorgeous ART, but Doug, if you’re out there, keep a petite rocker in a dark wood in the inventory for me!

Pixels of Chicago

I had imagined that I would be posting images while I was in Chicago, but I had such a good time that I never seemed to want to sit down in front of the computer and put it all together! (Can you blame me?) After I got home, I managed to corrupt some of my image files on my jump drive and then there was that bit with the dog and her tooth… So, here, FINALLY are some pictures from my trip to the Windy City. Enjoy!

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Cloud Gate - the monumental sculpture located on SBC Plaza is a major feature of Millennium Park. The 110-ton elliptical sculpture was designed by the celebrated British artist Anish Kapoor. At least, that’s what the postcards said. This is me, trying to stop “The Bean” from rolling away (left). Because it is kidney bean shaped, you can walk underneath and through it. The sculpture itself creates an interesting abstract pattern in its reflection. (I’m the tiny person at the bottom with the lime green jacket at my hip (right).)

The Lurie Garden - nestled behind the Jay Pritzker Pavilion (designed by Frank Gehry) in Millennium Park, Jamie had never before seen this 2.5-acre garden, which we happened to stumble into. It was gorgeous - a well-tended bit of earth in the middle of skyscrapers. Just what I’d need to in order to live amidst all that concrete, steel and glass.

The Crown Fountain - water flows from two 50-foot glass block towers into a shallow reflecting pool. The towers depict video of real people from Chicago. In the video, if the person is pursing their lips, water flows out from a spigot in the side of the tower. If the person is smiling, there is no water pouring out of the spigot, but it might be pouring out from the bricks themselves. It was the coolest and most interesting fountain I’d ever seen.

Navy Pier - Located on Lake Michigan, Navy Pier has been a Chicago landmark since it first opened in 1916. Originally designed as both a shipping and recreational facility, the Pier also served as a military training site during two world wars, a venue for concerts and exhibitions, and the temporary home for a once-fledging University if Illinois’ Chicago campus. Today, Navy Pier showcases a unique collection of restaurants and shops in addition to unequalled recreational facilities. That’s from the postcard. Now, here’s pictures of the gate leading into Navy Pier (left), Jamie and I with a view of Chicago’s downtown in the background (middle), and my cup from Billy Goat Tavern, home of the double cheezborger, which apparently helped spawn an SNL skit (although I’d never seen it). Also, horses from a musical carousel that was designed specifically for the Navy Pier.

Tribune Tower - Prior to the building of the Tribune Tower, correspondents for the Chicago Tribune brought back rocks and bricks from a variety of historically important sites throughout the world. Many of these were incorporated into the lowest levels of the building and are labeled with their location of origin. Included are pieces from the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon, petrified wood from the Redwood National Forest, the Great Pyramid, Notre-Dame, the Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall. There are 136 fragments in the building, and most recently a piece of steel recovered from the World Trade Center was added. It is Jamie’s favorite building in Chicago, and while walking around it we found a piece of Edinburgh Castle - another place that Jamie and I have visited together!

Sculptures - a moose and King Lear.

View from the Signature Room - I already posted a picture of myself enjoying a martini on the 96th floor of the John Hancock Tower… here’s the view (in the two rightmost pictures you can see Navy Pier, and the building that’s sort of wavy with three waves to it? Oprah owns a floor of that building!):

A different kind of derby

One evening while in the Windy City, my friend Jamie and I attended an event like no other… we parked a few blocks away from the cement-block building that was our destination. A gymnasium — the sort of urban fish bowl arena where you climb up a flight of stairs and then up into your stadium bench seating, but still feel like you’re underground. The diminuitive, rectangular windows barely vented in a breath of fresh air that tried in vain to whisper through the throngs of bodies and excitement. Fans in each corner blew warm, stale air across the crowds, as multiple sets of speakers allowed the announcer’s voice to pound in our ears and make our hearts beat a little faster.

In between the basketball nets, on the floor of the gymnasium a track had been outlined with both bright neon yellow and black tape. It’s a small, flat track with metal folding chairs lined up, musical-chairs-style in the center for the two teams to occupy during the match. Several referees milled about, stretching and gliding across the corners of the room, while the team players geared up and started their warm-up laps on classic roller skates. No one was strapped into in-line skates at this event.

The crowd began to focus on the players - four distinct teams. Two were obviously the teams we had come here to watch; the other two are wearing shirts with hand-painted numbers and letters - a “B” league match up. These latter teams are up first - a match to get the crowd worked up, a match so that spectators new to the sport might be able to figure out what’s going on, and how the scoring system works. But first, a tribute to a player who was injured in a previous season and a presentation of a check from fundraising efforts. Tequila Mockingbird now sits in a wheelchair, a completely different set of four wheels from where she stood a season ago. We applauded her perseverance, and then our attention turned back to the event that we gathered here, squeezed in next to each other on wooden board bleachers, to witness.

The first match initiated my eyes to the game, the rules and the objectives of roller derby. A field of four players - blockers - from each team jockey for their positions behind a line drawn on the track with tape. Several feet behind, a fifth player - the jammer - from each team plants their rubber toe stop into the gymnasium floor and prepares to launch.

The first whistle blew, and the blockers took off. They are allowed to push with their bodies (shoulder and butts), but not with their hands and arms. Each team is trying to distract the other team from blocking their jammer from bursting through the pack. A second whistle blows, and the jammers are racing to catch up to the pack. They approach the rear, trying to figure out the best way to wiggle through and be the first to break past all of the opposing team blockers - the goal is to be the lead jammer.

Once they’ve broken through the pack, both jammers will try to obtain points by lapping the pack again, and the pack helps them out by controlling the pace, by blocking the other teams’ blockers from blocking their jammer, and by pulling and pushing their jammer into the lead position. The lead jammer is a coveted position, because only the lead jammer can call off the two-minute-long jam at any time (but preferably after scoring points, and before the other jammer scores points for her team). A thirty-minute half goes by surprisingly fast, and then… the Main Event.

We were here for the 2008 Ivy King Cup Championship, where the Hell’s Belles were up against the Double Crossers in a championship re-match… these same two teams made it to the championships last year! The Hell’s Belles may have lost last year, but this year they’re coming into the championship with an undefeated season.

After the first half, Jamie and I decided to pick teams. I chose to go with the Hell’s Belles, and cheer them onto an undefeated season, while Jamie put her vocal support behind the Double Crossers, the underdogs. Now familiar with some of their names, we threw ourselves passionately into cheering, booing and heckling.  “Go get her!” “Don’t let her through!” and “Whoo hoo! Way to go!” Among the names we called out to, or screamed were:

Sassy Squatch. Blossom Bruiso. Loco Chanel. Athena Decrime. Shocka Conduit. Harmadillo. Mexicutioner. Goldie Shocks. Norma Lee Wright. Peg Legs. Hoosier Mama. Phannie of the Opera. Anita Bier. Mona Lott.

And the referees? Travis O’Adjustus. Elke Hollic. Dr. Vroom. Doris Day of the Dead. Art O’Phishal. Sheik Yerbouti.

Just on the names alone, I could learn to really like Roller Derby.

It was a close match throughout, and the teams parried high scores back and forth so the crowd could never be sure whether their team was going to win. In the end, the Hell’s Belles skated it up to beat the Double Crossers - 50 to 46 - completing the 2008 season undefeated!

Creative advisor to genius

As the Lady of Honor, I ended up planning and coordinating Amy’s Bridal Shower which is set for July 12 at the Royal Tea Room in LaPlata. As a person who deeply loves good design and quality paper, I also got to create her invitations. Well… almost.

See - I knew exactly what I wanted them to look like, but was having a hard time getting them perfect on the computer. I grew frustrated, and was *thisclose* to giving up entirely and buying ready-made invites from Target when in walked the Paper Queen herself: Sarah S-E. (AKA, the one who brings oomphasis to everyday design and laughter into my harried life.)

In passing she sensed my distress and slowed, and stood there as a maelstrom of frustration dripped off my tongue and hissed past my teeth. “I just don’t enjoy this part! I know what I want it to look like… I even know what fonts I want to use, but I just don’t want to put it together! Damn invitation!”

And yes, I think I actually huffed and puffed a bit after I finally got that out. REALIZATION: I’m not meant to execute design, only to dream it up and help edit it. The truth is, I have learned in recent history that I accomplish tasks like this best when I work in concert with someone who has executable talent. Someone like Sarah. Thank god she actually enjoys this part — the tweaking and kerning and stretching and adjusting and minute differences in color tonality.

Thank god she loves me enough to use her creative talents as a balm to my own raw, wounded design ego. Alas, my future does not lie in designing paperlicious goods and mail enhancement (although I daresay that I made a fine production horse)! Even so… BEHOLD:

Ta da! This invitation is exactly as I’d dreamed it to be. Sarah listened very patiently to my (very) detailed description and accepted all of my lackluster pieces and concepts. And armed with my messy intentions, Sarah brought them to life with a dramatic flair, perfectly spaced and cleanly worded! (Did she not do a MAGNIFICENT job of tracing the antique teapot image I found?!?!)

Such a fantastic job, in fact, that I’m not even going to mention that *both* of us completely missed the fact that she typed in my phone number wrong. So don’t try to call me to RSVP regrets… I can’t be reached there. (Which may or may not have been the point all along…)

Tooth of dog, heart of gold

Teeth are an interesting part of our bodies. As I was growing up my mom worked for a dentist, so I became very familiar with the large set of plastic teeth (”Mr. Mouth”) and extra large toothbrush that she would bring into our classrooms in order to teach the other children how to correctly brush. Teeth are strong, but they can also be somewhat delicate. They can be sensitive to cold or heat, yet they are also capable of tearing into meat and then grinding it up. Looking into a dog’s mouth, you get the feeling that you’re witnessing a greatly exaggerated version of your own mouth - especially when you focus on the canines.

At least once a child has learned to speak, he/she can try to explain how something feels when it hurts. Not so for our fur-friends. And one thing I also learned a great deal about as a child is that Labrador Retrievers are some of the dang toughest dogs around! They’ll almost never tell you if something hurts or if they don’t feel good, and that can be a scary thought. It’s how I lost my first yellow lab, Dawn, who at the age of seven ended up becoming jaundiced - her eyes, ears and gums were yellow, indicating liver failure. We took her to the vet who wanted to keep her overnight for observation. At 5:30 p.m. she was fine - out for a walk and had eaten dinner. At 8 a.m. my mom woke me up to tell me that they were going to pick up her body. I didn’t think I could cry as hard as I did that morning, and I didn’t know a person could hurt inside with that amount of intensity - pure loss and a deep, aching grief that was paralyzing.

I never quite forgave myself for letting the vet residents take Dawn away without me saying goodbye, so when it came time for Dr. Brown to lead Kelsy away to surgically fix her canine tooth I stopped the good doctor, called Kelsy back to me and gave her two big kisses on the top of her head - one for me and one for M.

Whether it was the kisses or not, history did not repeat itself. Kelsy’s cardiologist was able to perform his exam and based on his findings, the surgical dental team prepared an anesthesia for her. Kelsy woke up fine from her deep slumber, and was even able to take home a souvenir in a tiny, plastic tooth-shaped box:

This is Kelsy’s front right canine tooth. As you can see, only 1/3 - 1/2 of the tooth is actually present in the mouth. The rest is embedded up in the bone. Crazy, huh? The rightmost image shows the black dot that Dr. Brown referenced when she told me that Kelsy’s tooth was already dead… an injury sustained from chasing balls up the driveway many years ago. The fact that this tooth was dead might have had something to do with the fact that when Kelsy’s tooth caught on Dakota’s collar and ripped free from it’s place in her mouth, she didn’t scream. In fact, she didn’t even wimper or cry… she just looked confused, like something was wrong in her mouth and she wanted to spit it out - if the tooth wasn’t in its place then it was in her way.

When I got her home, Kelsy’s nose was quite swollen. I had a hard time getting a photo that did it justice (same with the tooth, actually), but in the above image you can see that the right side of her face (left side as you’re looking at the picture) is quite puffy compared to the other side.

It was harder to take a picture of Kelsy’s post-operative mouth than it was to take a picture when the tooth was still broken inside her mouth. But, as you can see, there is an indentation in her lower lip where her canine should be, yet isn’t. (Almost directly below the rightmost fingertip at the top of the image.)

I didn’t call to check up on her for two days (it was Father’s Day weekend and M hadn’t been home in six weeks), but today I couldn’t take it anymore. M got my message and called me back… Kelsy is doing fine! Off the pain medicine, which is good. Dakota even got to come home, and apparently when she went up to Kelsy to lick her mouth, wolf-style, Kelsy put her in her place good: “Don’t touch my face you miserable puppy, with your damn collar!”

That’s my girl.