Monday, April 15, 2019

Back In The Saddle

I don't even know how to get back to writing here, so I'm just going to jump right in and we're all going to pretend I haven't been missing for 3 weeks, okay? Thanks.

It's spring here.



One tiny box of neatness


I Marie Kondo'ed my handknit socks. They are the ONLY thing that I have (or ever will) Marie Kondo. When things are a mess, I open my sock drawer to gaze upon this testament to order and find the will to go on.



Speaking of socks (and, uh, disorder), I had to rummage through my clean clothes in the laundry basket this morning to find some socks (because I had worn all the Marie Kondo'ed ones, and how many times am I going to say that poor woman's name, I wonder?), and it took me NINE TRIES to fish out the second sock of a pair. I mean, what are the odds?




Even though it feels as though I have no time to do anything now, I still knit, because sanity is very important to me. This cowl is a Christmas present for a friend. Christmas 2018, but hey, who's keeping track of that sort of thing, anyway?




Hummus - it's not just for breakfast anymore. Susie has been pretty much living on this stuff, because she's vegetarian and I don't cook anymore and she is tired of eggs and grilled cheese. Theo found a place that makes really superb hummus (NOT the Sabra kind) and brings us a container on the weekend when he visits. He also brings us zatar-seasoned pita chips (pictured above), which are hard to describe, so just take my word for it - they're delicious.

The working life is still amazing, although I don't see how any family manages a 2-career thing with younger kids in the house. Larry and I are taking parental neglect to new levels here, and trying to organize doctor appointments and rides to activities for the 2 offspring still living in our home just might drive us around the bend.

We're lightweights, is what I'm saying. Some people are just not cut out to be power couples, all right?





12 comments:

  1. Keep knitting.

    I remember you urging me to blog and I replied that I was too busy with work.

    I volunteered for something last fall, and when fell off from it when I got busy at work with the new year. I need to crawl back to them and say I was too busy. I guess I need to jump back in again.

    Younger kids are not 13 and 16. Maternal guilt should be assuaged.

    Great to hear from you again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DID YOU JUST SAY "I TOLD YOU SO"?

      Delete
    2. Blogging is a lot of work. And work is a lot of work. No man can serve two masters.

      If you want to interpret what I said as "I told you so", that's fine with me, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO YELL AT ME.

      Have fun at work.

      Delete
    3. It was fake yelling, don't worry. Take it as exasperation tinged with a bit of ouch, yeah, I get it now. Oh, and I know I don't have younger kids. I just meant that luckily, my two are old enough to fend for themselves. I wouldn't be able to manage this, otherwise.

      Delete
  2. Your socks are gorgeous and I am impressed with how much you accomplish. When I went to work, so much was set aside; when I quit working last fall, I managed to not pick most of it back up. Those things are languishing. On the other hand, the new dishwasher doesn't leak and is much quieter than the old one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think "the youngers" end up with better survival skills... just my thought. Benign neglect is a wonder.

    ReplyDelete
  4. No need for guilt - look at it this way, you are preparing those two for real life so it's a life lesson really.

    ReplyDelete
  5. So happy to see a post from you pop up. I will always wait around to read what you write!

    I admit that when I saw the pic of the sock drawer I went, 'oh no, not that Marie chick again!' People, chaos keeps life interesting, right? I am hosting Easter Saturday evening so Coach's family can get to their other sides' on Sunday. And we can avoid my side all together (not telling them we are free on Sunday), so I am relying on leftovers and chicken patties to get us thru the week because I am not cooking anything but Saturday's lasagne plus lots and lots of housework. Form of child abuse? I have no idea how working parents do it, but I am glad they do because I would be out of the babysitting biz.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm intrigued by this hummus business. And sometimes the free range parenting turns out the more independent and capable kids, so rest easy.
    GORGEOUS sock drawer.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What are the odds of pulling a pair of socks? Or more like what’s the probability?

    Brain teasers involving unmatched socks in a dark room.

    12 brown socks and 12 black socks.

    How many socks do you take to make sure you have a pair?
    3, but you don’t know if the pair is brown or black.

    How many to make sure the pair is black?
    14. You could pull all twelve brown socks, and then 2 black socks.

    Next problem. 12 pairs of custom knitted socks.

    How many socks do you take to make sure you have a pair?
    13. If every pair is 1A and 1B, 2A and 2B etc., you could pick the 12 A socks without matching it with a B sock. But the thirteenth will be a B, and match one of the 12 A’s.

    Probability (using what I learned in high school or brain teaser books, and not looking anything up, as will be obvious):

    Example: If there is a group of 30 people, there is a high probability (I was told) that 2 of them will share a birthday. The reasoning is that the first person says his/her birthday, and the second person says that’s not my birthday – there was only one chance in 366. But the third person has 2 chances to match a birthday. And the fourth person has 3 chances to match…. So for 30 people, there are 1+2+3+….29 = 436 chances to make a match. And for some reason that’s enough more than the 366 possible birthdays to make it probable that 2 of them will share a birthday.

    So for 12 pairs of socks:
    Pulling out the first sock, there is no chance you will have a pair = 0.
    Second sock, 1 chance to make a pair, Third sock = 2 chances. 1+2+3+…7 =28 which is more than 24, so I think it is probable that you will have a pair after you pick 8 socks, and highly probably on the ninth sock 1+2+3+…7 =36. Keeping in mind that for 13 socks (1+2+3+…12 =78) a pair is a definite. So it sounds like you were a little unlucky on that instance of the problem.

    I suggest you test this by keeping track of how you do with real life sock matching for 100 repetitions, and get back to us with the results ... in about 2 years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why do I get the distinct feeling you had a slow day at work yesterday?

      Delete
    2. I probably did.

      Delete