Thank you for all the birthday wishes.  I think the thoughts on spirituality came from the Buddhist Morning Inspiration.  I have them emailed to me every day and some days they really strike a chord inside.  Most days they at least make me think and rethink my assumptions.  (If you're interested in checking it out, the website is here.  This is not an endorsement of Buddhism over any other faith/belief.  The emails are just thought provoking and anything that challenges me and makes me think is a good thing)

I took today off as a birthday present to myself and the weather has cooperated.  The sky is a vast expanse of blue and there are still some bits of orange hanging around although it's pretty windy so that will change.  Pk is going to help El figure out what's wrong with her computer and then we're going to buy him a new keyboard.  He has a bad habit of leaving a full glass of iced tea on the edge of the desk and has knocked it over not once or even twice but three times and destroyed two keyboards.  Currently he's using one of Kate's old ones since she bought herself a new laptop and doesn't need it.  I think we'll buy him a spillproof cup while we're out today.

One of the young women I work with was pregnant and the baby came way too early.  She was due sometime in January and had the baby yesterday.  She's fine and the baby, (all 2lb 10 oz of her), is holding her own.  I had planned to make some baby socks and in the process teach another coworker (who is becoming a first time auntie very soon) to make socks.  That plan has been changed.  I looked online for some patterns for preemies and found a hat pattern that made me smile so I made it.   I had some yarn left from El's sweater and some white for contrast and it was easy and surprisingly quick.  I think this will suit the mom well.  She's a funky kinda woman and traditional cute baby things would not be her style. 

And if that weren't cute enough, I found some Patons Kroy sock yarn in bright colors to make some tiny little socks with.  I think the needles are size 0 and I love the little tiny stripes it's making.  I should be able to whip up a couple of pairs of these over the weekend.

We are planning to go to Em's house for dinner tomorrow.  It's for Jim's birthday which was the end of October.  I'm not sure we're taking Elanor since she and Katie seem to have picked up some creeping crud or other and are coughing and sneezing and sounding rather gross at the moment.  I got some strong cold medicine (and man is that stuff expensive) for El and it seems to be helping her breathe somewhat better.  I don't know about everywhere else but here, if you want to buy Sudafed (I can't spell the generic name) you have to produce your driver's license and you're only allowed so many milligrams of the stuff a month.  I know it's used to make crystal meth and that's the reason for the crackdown but it makes me feel slightly dirty when I have to buy it.

Oh, I forgot to tell you what I got for my birthday.  Besides a new laptop, I mean.  Em got me The Intentional Spinner by Judith McKenzie McCuin; Kate got me Handspun Handknits and a skein of beautiful Cascade Heritage sock yarn and I also got a copy of Spin Control by Amy King.  If my spinning doesn't improve with all this info, there's no hope for me!

Funny thing about the yarn Kate bought and synchronicity.  I was at work reading blogs (c'mon you do it too!) and I came across the Travelling Woman shawl.  You know how when you come across a pattern that speaks to you?  Well, this one called out my name.  It shouted "Me, Me, you want to make Me!".  I had some Cascade Heritage fingering weight yarn I bought in Lancaster that El had asked me to make into some socks for her.  It's a beautiful bright blue with some darker tones.  The same color as the skein that Kate just gave me.  Now, I had enough to make the Travelling woman shawl (if, that is, I could convince El she would be just as happy with socks of a different color).  She agreed and now I'm trying to convince myself to finish something already in progress so I can cast on without feeling guilty.

I notice the Verizon guy is out working on the pole so the connection may be lost at any moment.  I think El's been having some problems with her connection and that may affect ours.  So, have a good weekend!