June 11, 2004
Who Invented This Stupid Day Anyway?
Vacation next week, so no blogging but I hope, when I come back, to have many stories of sightseeing adventures with my fambly. StalkerAngie, you will survive, I promise. :-)
Father’s Day is always an emotionally awkward and complicated time for The Mysterious K and me because both of our fathers are gone and sorely missed. It’s perhaps even more difficult for TMK because her father had the chutzpah to die on Father’s Day, a fact which got even worse the next year when Father’s Day, which is a moveable feast, split into (1) Father’s Day and (2) the date of his death, which were no longer one and the same. That double-whammy made TMK quite the Miss Crankypants, let me tell you! After that, however, we decided to apply a “lemon/lemonade” philosophy to the situation and, rather than wallow lugubriously in our memories and stick our heads in the sand on the day of, we opted to meet this sappy holiday head on by declaring it “Dead Dad Day” and holding the annual Mark and Vincent Memorial Barbecue. At first, TMK and I were the only attendees but, over time, we gathered together a collection of similarly fatherless friends who were more than happy to be able to join us in this slightly macabre celebration, and the barbecue eventually became the Mark and Vincent and_______and _______and_______and _______and _______ and _______ Memorial Barbecue. We eat, we reminisce, we play lots of games, including the most insane version of croquet ever, we watch videos and, before you know it, the day is over. This year we actually have other, different plans but I suspect we will revive Dead Dad Day next year.
I wasn’t really sure where I was going with all of this but, while I was writing it, a new comment from Mouse led me to her blog, at the bottom of which I found this quote which sums it all up perfectly:
Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh. -George Bernard Shaw
Mouse, if you only knew how my family has a history of funny things, some contrived, some by happenstance, occuring during funerals, cremations, and ash-scatterings! Thank you bunches for posting this, and a nod, of course, to GBS for his brilliance.
Knitting Knews
I’m too busy to knit right now (and am storing all my knitting energy up for Sunday) so I will just leave you with links to two amazing pages on my two favorite miniature knitting sites. Many of you may be familiar with these sites, but if you aren’t, you are in for a fantastic treat!
Miniature intarsia socks (To give credit where credit is due, I found this particular page through blogdogblog.)
Posted by Ryan at June 11, 2004 11:09 AM
You always find the most amazing sites Ryan! The sweaters were amazing, but the intarsia socks made me squint up to my screen and whisper to myself "whoa...that makes my brain hurt." Which is just some stupid thing I say when I can't wrap my mind around how something is done. You know, like math. ;-D
I have been picking up my knitting after being sick...starting on a scarf for a friend... Yeah, I know I could have gone back to work on my fair isle vest...picked up one of the 3 sock projects I have going, Em's intarsia sweater, my sweater, I could go on....but you know, I wanted to buy yarn and start something new. So I did. Perhaps we could start a pool on when I will actually finish a project....Have a lovely vacation. Holidays suck, I so believe that. Give TMK a big hug and tell her she is not alone......L
Posted by: Lisa in Oregon on June 11, 2004 02:39 PMWelcome back, Lisa. We've been missing you!
Aren't those miniatures fantastic?! I hope you surfed the sites a little because there are other even more amazing things on both of them.
Glad you're feeling well enough to knit. Bloggers and Dear Readers alike seem to be falling like flies!
Posted by: Ryan on June 11, 2004 02:55 PMI'm with Lisa. I LOVED the miniatures, but they make my brain hurt too. Wonder what Shamu is doing....
Yes, Blog Mistress, I will survive, but I still won't be happy. But it does give me something to look forward to. Guess I'll stalk my hubby for a week. Even he will be glad when you are back. Besides, I know that you will be having a grandacious (it's a word. is too.) time with your family and I can't be upset about that!
Ummm.....maybe it's the fertility meds...but the thought of the 2 of you being without your fathers just brought tears to my eyes. Then I thought about trying to cope with Father's Day without mine...nope. That makes everything hurt. I'm a southern gal and we're big on daddys down here. Sending hugs and snuggles to you and TMK for that now awful, stupid holiday.
I am so gonna go look at Shamu now.
Hope everyone has a great day!!
Posted by: Stalker Angie in Tx. on June 11, 2004 03:31 PMAngie: Well...around 3:30pm Shamu was hanging with his other two orca pals--girl orcas by the look of their dorsal fins! ;-)
TMK
Posted by: The Mysterious K on June 11, 2004 04:07 PMTMK,
You'll be delighted to know (as I was to find out), that they were none other than Baby Shamu and Grandbaby Shamu. Or so the site says. And personally, I like to believe it because it just seems to be a family sort of time around here. :o)
Posted by: Stalker Angie in Tx on June 11, 2004 05:24 PMIf you believe, as I do, that intarsia should be made illegal, then miniature intarsia socks are a True Perversion. Sick, sick, sick.
Posted by: Kit on June 11, 2004 08:50 PMHave a fabulous vacay!
Posted by: Rachael on June 12, 2004 03:58 AMI wanted to thank you again for all your sock help! I was so proud of my work that I but them on last night with the needles still in. I can't wait to finish it and have one sock to wear while I take another 4 years (notice it keeps getting longer) to finish its mate! I'm actually excited about socks now thanks to you and Linda.
Posted by: Rebecca on June 14, 2004 04:58 PM