Memorial Day - Weekend in pictures....

It started with a baby blanket - cast on while driving to the city



AVboy had an appointment to see a chopper, which he fell in love with and bought the next day, I rode on the back once he painted the sissy bar...so hot!

There were fireworks and sparklers, and everyone had a smile on their face.... hooray for Sunday night.

And then there was Monday,
Hmmm, I probably shouldn't have had the cocktails BEFORE Round 1 of mandatory Jameson shots....

This was at least round 4 or 5... officially the BEST way to turn a barbecue into a party.

I had taken Tuesday off work already, and spent all yesterday being totally lazy.
Oh, and knitting some more on the blanket du jour....
.....or du "week in French" (anyone help me out with that one?)

anyways..... I had way too much fun and am not afraid to be on the motorcycle anymore.
I am also not so much intimidated by lace anymore, but something I learned the hard way -don't knit lace while drunk.
There's one bass-ackwards stitch you can see - that's the only one I left... it's the "home made character" justification....
Now, the 6 rows of misplaced lace leaves were totally frogged and re-worked.
(whoops! After a few drinks, who forgot where they were in the pattern and decided to take her chances rather than sober up enough to close one eye and count the stitches accurately - that would be me)

Finished Object...and knitting some more

I finshed another variation on the "Generic Norwegian Hat" pattern this Saturday.
The design, inspired by the recipient, started out on graph paper a few months back, I showed it to him and we manipulated the original color scheme to exactly what he wanted. I cast on at the beach a month or two ago, then I lagged for a while....doo dee doo...easy Cartman Hats...
Finally I buckled down (I have an old friend's baby shower coming up June 2nd!) and finished the lining and the crown on Friday (my day off and official DVR reduction day).
* For some odd reason, when I use this pattern with any design, I usually stop knitting the body around row 30 and skip ahead to the lining portion, then finish the inside before I begin the decreases......strange habit,no?
At least I get the Voila! finished feeling when I get to the last decrease rather than - nope, not yet, gotta lotta lining to do before we're sayin' Voila on this one...that's not fun knitting to me. Now, in my opinion, having a single hat with a set of circs on either end, knitting in opposite directions from 3 balls of yarn? That's my kind of fun.
So, here's my fabulous modeling of said finished hat,
taken in my backyard on Saturday morning
there's the decorated side.....

And a view of the rest... evenly spaced iron crosses wrapping around the perimeter.

And here's a pic of the dogs for good measure.....
I think Hana may be trying to attack her shadow, or a bug, or nothing... Hana's a dork.
But the shadow does kind of morph into one giant super dog.... so maybe I'm the dork.

More knitting to come...
Q:Who has new yarn on the way to her house?
A: ME! I do, I do!

2 Funerals & 2 hats

Since my last post I have been all over the place.... well not geographically, but, well, a lot has changed..... I guess it always does.

Anyways, to keep in touch with my sister, I created a myspace account - which is something I swore I would avoid for as long as possible (like the DVR and the cell phone...)

But now I'm "in" and addicted to commenting and posting pictures etc... in case you wanna stop by and be my friend? www.myspace.com/briannejuliet My "handle" is SugarBrix.

So yeah, in the last post, my grandpa passed away the night before new carpets were installed in my house. So, fast forward til that Friday which was the funeral.

I went with my mom for mutual support and to protect her from any awkwardness that can arise when the ex-wife of the deceased's son (who is also deceased) goes to the funeral. It was really nice to see my family, and to show up & sit with my mom, and to pay respects to Grandpa Royce, but to be brutally honest, I was jumping out of my skin by the end, I just wanted to get out of my funeral clothes, away from the silence of the catholic church (although a lovely church) and let the tears dry.

So I drove home, changed my top & my shoes, and went out for a perfectly lovely breakfast with "the girls" (AV boy was taking the pictures - we're still keeping it mellow and stoked)


(special shout out to Christy Riege - 2nd from the left - who was just voted Santa Cruz "Good Times" Best Waitperson for 2007! woo hoo!)


So of course, after breakfast and mimosas, we all needed to go to the bar to have a few drinks and get out the giggles.... except that's where the giggles ended abruptly.

Our friend Swampy had not woken up that morning,
I hesitate to call Swampy my friend only because he was everyone's friend and I could only hope that the impact he made on me gives me that right.

He was a man who you wanted to know, wanted to be around, he was a character.

I was lucky enough to have received quite a few rides home in his taxi cab and blessed to have enjoyed the "swamp barbecue" feasts he provided for Monday night football and any other excuse anyone could find to have him cook....the kind of BBQ you keep eating even after you're bursting.

He was such a local fixture, walking into the bar daily to pick up a drunken-fare, or stopping by to heckle with the boys...I was in shock - we all were.

I don't remember much else about that day except that there was a lot of hugging and crying.
http://www.joshuatreemusicfestival.com/swampy.htm

Now here's the part where I began to actually feel proud of all the hours I have spent lately on the disheveled stools in the bar that has become my clubhouse....the friends I have made are real people with goodness in their hearts.

Everyone rallied - money/ time/ energy, and with the most caring, respectful, selfless, and wholehearted week of work I have ever seen, by the following weekend, the bar was host to the "Swampy Benefit".

The public benefit began with a full fledged New Orleans style "second line" funeral procession (from the funeral home to the bar) But for the people who volunteered, every moment since the morning Swampy passed away, was full of anything they could possibly do to take care of Swampy's family and to celebrate him.

Here's a shot of the procession as we rounded the corner from Logan St. to Seabright Ave.

At the head of the parade was Swampy's cab, a large banner that read RIP Swampy with a "devil duckie" on it (his cab was full of duckies) and a brass ensemble playing upbeat "Saints go marching in" type songs (that included "when the saints go marching in"). The weather was perfect, and the wide street was packed - people came out of their houses, and stopped to watch and wave.

Then there were those who came to pay their respects, some smiling, some crying, some dancing, everyone hugging and sharing stories.

And behind us? Every Yellow Cab in the county....... showin love for #127.

I may have lost both my big toenails because of the heels I chose to wear that day, but its the smallest sacrifice I could have possibly made...and when people ask me "what happened to your toes!?!" - I can't complain a bit... it was a beautiful day and a beautiful way to celebrate and I wouldn't change a thing except for to have Swampy there physically instead of just in spirit, so I could tell him thank you.

The wife he left behind, is an absolute joy.... She has come to visit more often since the benefit. *Which (by the way) raised $19,000 that day alone to support Swampy's wife & daughter*

Sometimes, when it feels right to her, (and we do enough convincing that it's not too weird for us) she'll bring him in to sit on the bar with us for a drink.

I'm just in awe over the power of people when they go through a tragedy.

Even the ones that are chastised for being at the bar "too much" can surprise you.

I've made some really great friends at the bar that I wouldn't trade for the world.

And there's even bar related knitting!

BigMike (on the left) commissioned my knitting services to create a Cartman (inspired) hat for him. I told him that I would trade for a few drinks... when he kept buying drinks, and I had yarn leftover, I ended up with two to give him. I got the colors from knitpicks (wash/dry- able).

After one failed attempt at a secure pom-pom, I think these ones will actually stay together, even after a ride across town on his Harley....

And then - wonder of wonders!?! My new housemate wanted to learn how to knit! Huzzah!

(note little man taking full advantage of our first house-mate knitting day)

So that's about it for now I guess... hopefully I'll have some finished objects to post soon.

if you really want to see what big toes look like without toenails.... check this out.

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

or you can stop now.....

....

....

Too late.....

on a sadder note though....

remember when I said I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop?
Well, Thursday night when I was blowdrying my hair and putting on makeup for the impromptu clothes swap and red wine party Jessi-girl and I had thrown together, I noticed that I had missed a call from my mom and that I had a voicemail.
.
.
.
the other shoe dropped.
.
.


Rest in Peace Grandpa Royce,

trade big hugs with Dad for me okay?







After a long, fruitful and boisterous life, passed away on March 22, 2007. He was 86 years old. Royce is survived by his wife Donna, his brother Raoul Pollock, and his children Mara, David, Martin, Stephen, Kevin, John, Eric, Lorraine, Nancy, and Marla. He has among his children several accomplished educators, musicians and artists. Royce is also survived by 26 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews who kept him young at heart with their vitality. Royce and Brian, two of his sons, passed away prematurely in 2001 and 2003 respectively.
Royce was born on November 28, 1920 on Bixby Street in Santa Cruz. He graduated as the high school valedictorian from Chaminade-Whitney in 1939, at the time an all-boys Catholic school. Royce was an active Catholic at St. Joseph's Catholic Church as a Eucharistic minister, usher and lector.
A life-long resident of Santa Cruz, Royce briefly lived in San Francisco while working on T-2 tankers and Liberty Ships for the WWII effort. He joined the army's 65th division when he was old enough. As a staff sergeant and communications specialist, his duties took him to Germany, Austria and Hungary.
For most of his life, Royce worked in the construction industry and on many Bay Area projects including the Stanford Linear Accelerator and buildings at the UCSC campus. A life long learner and patient teacher, Royce also taught construction and ham radio at Cabrillo College and sailing for O'Neill's.
An avid sailor and ham radio operator, he also enjoyed tennis, softball, volleyball, bowling and fishing.
Royce had a strong impact on those who knew him with his consummate patience, wisdom and humor. He will be missed dearly by his family and friends.
A memorial mass will be held 9:30 am on March 30th at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 435 Monterey Avenue, in Capitola. Private burial services will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Royce's name to St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Capitola.
www.legacy.com/santacruzsentinel

Where'd Brie go?

Well, for quite a while I was super twitterpated,
and that's all I could think about,
Then I had a bit of a "forlornicorn" period,
and that's all I could think about.

And now?
Well, I'm still twitterpated with AV boy, but hesitantly....due to bitches beyond my control.
While the forlornicorn within me returns for fleeting moments,
and when it does, I'm lucky to have good friends to call me out.
.... because, as I'm sure you know...

we ALL have these times when everything seems so simple
Life finally seems to make some sense....
Clarity and perspective drop on by to say, "see! you learned all these really great things despite the not-so-good days"
.... and you're just so darn happy with yourself for getting through it.

But then - you figure out the hard way, AGAIN... (i.e. when you don't expect it)
that not everyone is stoked for you and your success.
(no matter how much you hope that these people don't really exist)
Some of them will even attempt to sabotage your new twitterpational happiness just to make themselves feel more powerful and not so scared of other people who are really having fun.

And when people spend energy being manipulative because they're scared?
It makes me feel confused and sad...... like a forlornicorn....
because I think everyone should just be nice to eachother and do what's right....


The "forlornicorn" is not so much a sad mythical creature as a keen observation (originally created by Laura) to describe someone who is being forlorn in public, usually with their head bowed down, surrounded by their own cloud of despair.
~sighing~ Oh....Forlornincorn.
(the visual imagery is enhanced exponentially if the subject is wearing a hat with a bill/brim)

*please note that to truely call out a person for being a "forlornicorn" you must look extremely forlorn, use your index finger as your horn and point it slowly and solemnly to the floor while pawing at the ground with one "hoof", forlornly of course*

So ~ how do you cure yourself of being a forlornicorn?
This way when it's dark out....


And...
This way when it's time to go to the beach with your girls

And the rest will work itself out in time.

The Adventures of AV Boy and Brie

I am happy.
The new guy is golden and makes me feel golden too.
Since it seems like he'll be sticking around for a while, he shall be referred to in posts as "AVboy".
(if you know him you'll smile, otherwise he's appropriately anonymous)
Ummmm yeah, If you haven't noticed yet... I am twitterpated.










The giggly warmness that just keeps radiating from deep inside me is intensified by the fact that I have made some great progress in the past 16 days since I last posted.
I am finally free of ALL financial ties with Tony...........(lovely sigh)ahhhhhhhhh..
I am finally free of the insane and terrible housemates that were trying to manipulate their way out of debt through deceit..............ahhhhhhhhh........(know anyone SANE looking for a room?)
AND My credit cards have been completely paid off in exchange for a low-interest loan through my credit union.....ahhhhhhh......so much relief, I am deflating AND giving myself a head rush.

I finally feel free.
I have been able to start to remember who Brie was before I tried to control everything.
Before I got so depressed trying to make other people happy that I lost faith and pride in myself.
Before I medicated to stop feeling because feeling hurt too much and hurting was unproductive for someone trying to do it all.
*I had to re-write that last part because I was referring to myself as "she" instead of "I", I guess sometimes it's easier to see the big picture when you separate yourself from it...*

Yesterday, I had an epiphany.
I have been afraid of change BECAUSE every major change I experienced made me feel like it was a comparatively worse situation... I always wanted to change back.
Until this one.
I couldn't control moving away from the good school and the friends I had known when I was 8, my parents' divorce when I was 13, growing 5 inches before everyone else and feeling like a freak at 14, watching my dad start a new family without me at 18, and answering the hotel room phone at Mandalay Bay in Vegas on a Wednesday afternoon to hear that my daddy had died when I was 23.
Changes were scary and meant drawn out periods of tears and confusion.
Until I finally saw these changes for what they were: just a part of life.
I had been consumed with fear of what would happen to me next, frantically trying to control everything to avoid a terribly dreadful aftermath and having grieve for my lost happiness, again.
When Tony left I was sure it was coming so I prepared and prepared to be depressed.
Therapy, budgeting, awareness of my vices and triggers, a new mature relationship that started with friendship because I had researched the success rates of 'rebounds'
......I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.... (revised to add...uh oh)
I couldn't end up better, I just couldn't be happier, AVboy just couldn't be that nice and kind and considerate, my finances couldn't actually fall into place,
I couldn't be happy.....
Change is always pain
Then you have to adapt to the new life that you just want to trade for the way it used to be.
Because it just never gets better....Right???

Hell NO!
For the first time, but not the last.
I'm happier.

Fat Tuesday

How appropriate that I would have my "final" appointment with the lovely weight management specialists at "the Healthy Way" on Fat Tuesday....
I can't wait to get on the scale. (does the sarcasm come through?)
I am supposed to have refrained from alcohol for 48 hours, exercise for 6 hours and food/excess beverages for 4 hours prior to the body composition analysis testing.
Well hmmmm:
The last drink I had was Sunday aftern-evening.
(although the pomegranate martinis at Aqua Bleu were the stand-out beverages of the weekend eh? joe's momma?)
So that's oh...7pm ish Sunday, which makes 45 hours until my appointment at 4.
close enough.
Exercise won't be a problem, lately mine has been of the horizontal variety (well diagonal & vertical too - but yikes! totally TMI) but the new guy has been out of town so, check.
Food & Beverages were the only issues I was having since my office is having a birthday potluck and the pizzas didn't even arrive until noon (my cut-off)
Agony!...that is.... until about 30 seconds ago when the phone at my desk rang....
.....ring ring...
"Generic Travel Company this is Brianne"
"Brianne? this is So-and-so from the Healthy Way, would it be exetremely inconvenient to reschedule your appointment? Cynthia is really ill today"
"No, that would be just fine, yeah Thursday is good, thank you, goodbye"
click.

Thank goodness there wasn't anybody between me and the goodie table.
I was back at my desk with the spoils within 30 seconds.
BEHOLD! The beautiful Chocolate Raspberry Cake that Katy made
(as in from scratch - we have some multi-talented peeps working here I tell ya!)
and it was sooooo good! The End.



p.s.
Will - I emailed Co in her undisclosed location (super mysterious huh?)
and passed on the comments you left for me/her.

Since I happen to have an appropriately knitting-related picture handy,
I'm totally used to having people ask me about my hot sister,
and I guess I'm just a die-hard pleaser,

Here's a picture of Co and her first knit hat using Lionbrand(or Lyon-brand? eh Colette?) Homespun.
The self-portrait is entitled, "Hardcore" and was sent to me via cellphone.


P.P.S How Fantastic is it that I had comments from Will AND Grace !

Happy Valentine's Day! - I'm still alive :)

Is there any way to actually catch you up on the past 57 days?
Here's my best attempt at brevity with enough information to get it all across.

doo-dee-doo knitting away for Christmas...fast as I can...
oh! I'll take a night off from knitting to have some drinks with my best friend in the whole wide world since Tony is working again....
whoops! had a few too many, are those red and blue flashing lights in the mirror?- thank goodness I'm not driving.
D'oh! Tony's driving..and now he's arrested...thank goodness I'm such a good girlfriend, I'll be there to pick him up in 5 hours and we'll get through this together....hmmm...3a.m. on Christmas Eve in the jail parking lot...didn't think I'd be here knitting and waiting for Tony to get released.... weird.
Hey! There's Tony! Let's go home!...I'll let you sleep until 4pm but..hey, aren't we still having dinner with my family at 6? - it means a lot to me.
What?!? The fact that I asked that means that I'm not here for you and I'm selfish and mean?
Okay, if you need time alone, I'll go by myself - it means a lot to me.
What?!? because I went by myself it means that I don't care about you and you're moving into the guestroom?
Merry Christmas by the way... thanks for nothing.
I made a couples counseling appointment for Tuesday the second, can I see you before then? Oh, you want to go separately? But how about after that? No? well.....
Happy New Year!
It's too late to salvage anything and you're breaking up with me?
...I see...
* 2 week fog which included 3 therapy visits and countless bar visits *
Happy Birthday to me, I'm 27 now!
No, really, go ahead and take everything we amassed during our relationship - it's not petty that you sleep on various floors and couches yet you took the pool table and the washing machine....I'm just glad you left all the stuff you didn't want.
Like the bills... empty promises are really keeping the electricity on this month.
.... 60 day notice from the housemates that have gone off the deep end..aaannnnddd..
Happy Valentine's Day! (yes, I DO have a Valentine, but that will come later)

At least:
I have my dogs.
I'm still a non-smoker.
I didn't get above 180 so I kept most of the weight off.
And Hallelujah! What fabulous attention I get now that I'm available!!
(that part is WAY too much fun)

I may have been too depressed to knit for the first 3 or 4 weeks, but with the support of my family, both blood-related and yarn-related (Sheikah I'm talkin 'bout you!) I was able to get through the fog of confusion, back to a point where I can think clearly and am actually living instead of just trying to get through another painful minute.

This girl is finally happy again.