Monday, January 22, 2007

Blue Monday...

Apparently, today has been classified as the most depressing day of the year! According to wiki :

This date was calculated by Dr. Cliff Arnall, a researcher/tutor at the University of Cardiff's Center for Lifelong learning [...] The date was calculated by using many factors, plugged into a formula. The factors include: weather conditions, debt level (the difference between debt accumulated and our ability to pay), time since Christmas, time since failing our new year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and feeling of a need to take action.

I hadn't heard about this until my husband mentioned it at dinner tonight. But I have to say I had been having a bummer of a day until then so it all made sense to me. It all started innocently enough with one of those regular pregnancy follow-up appointments.

But, it turns out my belly is huge and my doctor is getting concerned about the size of my little lemon so I have to go for a growth check ultra-sound. No biggie (no pun intended). Yes it's an extra appointment, but at least we get another peak at the little guy which is always a reassuring and happy moment.

Then she took my blood pressure and after being borderline for the past few months it crossed the line today so I have to go to the hospital tomorrow morning for monitoring and if it is still high I'll need to move to the 'at risk' pregnancy queue ... again! I had gestation hypertension when I was pregnant with Julian and know the drill - lot's of tests, monitoring and drugs! Ugh! I'll try to zen out tomorrow morning before she takes my readings and hopefully it'll be low enough that she'll let me off the hook. Wishful thinking never hurt anyone? Did it? Say it with me: "Ommmmmmmmm"!

So all in all, the check-up was a total downer. And then when we got back to the car...we had a $52 parking ticket waiting! What? My doctor's office is in a lovely cottage house on a quiet street in an area so suburban it is practically the country and we managed to get a parking ticket at 9:21 am on a Monday morning! Seriously! I didn't even think they had parking ticket people in these parts. We didn't notice a sign (though there probably was one) and weren't blocking any intersections, driveways or fire hydrants so really why would there be no parking allowed there? Plus, we usually park on the other side of the street where there is a big empty parking lot, but this time my goony goo goo decided to park on the same side as the clinic so I wouldn't have to walk as far or cross the street, or chance slipping on ice (shouldn't he get some kind of lifetime thoughtfulness award? really, he's such a caring husband ;0) And $52 for a parking ticket in suburbia? Come on. It's only $37 for a parking infraction in the heart of downtown Montreal!

But I digress.

And now, since the last thing I want to do is tag any of you with the blue monday bummer, I thought I'd leave you with the most absurd knitting project ever! This is not a joke. It is an actual pattern from the latest Lopi pattern book.

Anybody got a horse they'd like to knit a sweater for? I think it's even funnier that Camilla Valley Farms (oh how I love this place for really reasonably priced sweater kits and such) is actually offering a kit for this pattern!

Cheers!

30 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:06 p.m.

    that horse is hilarious! keeping my fingers crossed for you and the babe.

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  2. The horse made my day. Thanks... not so blue now!

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  3. now I can see why the Yarn Harlot linked to your blog - it's lovely.
    A horse sweater ! what will they think of next. :-)

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  4. Anonymous11:13 p.m.

    Good luck with the extra visits to the doc.

    Just think of that horse sweater. It is sure to lower your BP. Do you think it was EZ style?

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  5. Good luck with the babe. Think mellow thoughts! :)
    That horse sweater is just too funny! And to think I dread the miles of stockinette in a human-sized sweater . . .

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  6. Anonymous12:14 a.m.

    Hope your doctor appts. go well! That home stretch is the toughest!

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  7. Anonymous12:22 a.m.

    So sorry for the bad Dr appt. I had the same deal with 2 outta 3 pregnancies. So. Not. Fun. I'll be sending my good thoughts your way. And thanks for the laugh!

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  8. Anonymous12:28 a.m.

    OMG, the horse sweater is too funny!! It reminded me of penguin sweaters (there's actually an entry about this in wikipedia...)
    Good luck with your appointment tomorrow!

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  9. Anonymous12:59 a.m.

    I don't have a horse, but I may need to find one so that I can use that awesome pattern. Good luck on the appointment.

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  10. Anonymous1:22 a.m.

    Oh bed rest, extra tests, tickets...no fun! I sure hope that the doc lets you off the hook! :) I love your blog!! Great patterns that I can't wait to knit for my babies! :)

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  11. Anonymous3:01 a.m.

    In her excellent Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, Amy Krouse Rosenthal appeals a parking ticket on grounds of karma. (She got the ticket while buying gifts for deserving recipients, she had testimonials to her good character, etc.)Seems a tactic worth your and your driver's consideration.

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  12. Anonymous8:12 a.m.

    Sending good vibes for lower blood pressure...I had the same thing with my little one. A rough road, indeed.

    My bet is the parking tickets in suburbia are worse because they don't do it as often so they have to make up for it somehow...I swear, the Montreal traffic ladies in the nasty little red cars are haunting me :-)

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  13. My horses wear blankets in the winter but I can not imagine, will not ever, knit sweaters for them!!! Imagine them wet and smelly! Yuck.

    Good thoughts coming your way!!!!

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  14. Anonymous9:07 a.m.

    Knit something really simple before the appointment today. It could help with the blood pressure. Attempting that horse sweater wouldn't. :o)

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  15. That's why my Mom's pony is such a PITA, she just wants a sweater. Wonder if we can find someone crazy enough to make one for her?

    I'm definatly feeling the blues too, pre post partum?? I'm only 15 weeks along.

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  16. Anonymous10:03 a.m.

    Blue Monday.....maybe that's why I've been so tired I want to die!!! Good luck with the dr. appts. The dr. was worried about my 2nd pregnancy, my son only turned out to be 10lbs 14oz! Sending out the "ohm vibes". Moms gotta stick together!

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  17. Anonymous11:28 a.m.

    That horse is killing me. And here I'm still struggling to master people sweaters. He doesn't seem to mind the sweater. Perhaps all the fillies are in over in the corner of the pasture talking about it.

    Good luck and keep the stresses low!

    The Harlot said in her blog yesterday that Julian's christmas sweater was the cutest baby sweater ever!! Just in case you were too busy yesterday and didn't read it.

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  18. Best of luck with the wee one. I hope you don't get put on bedrest. Yuk.

    That horse is just plain odd.

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  19. Anonymous12:37 p.m.

    Thank you for this picture! It made me laugh out loud. A great pick-me-up for a grey day.

    Robin

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  20. Anonymous12:54 p.m.

    Wow. God forbid my aunt sees this.

    Check this out too...
    http://velmasworld.blogspot.com/2006/12/giant-knit-rug.html

    Hope all went well at the doctor!

    love,
    r

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  21. Anonymous12:57 p.m.

    OMMMMMMMM!
    I had a bummer of a day too! It is reassuring that it was in the cards and not b/c I am a bummer of a person.
    Hope your appointments went ok.

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  22. Take care of yourself. Pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) is nothing to take lightly. I know you aren't but be careful. The horse blanket/sweater is great!

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  23. Anonymous5:47 p.m.

    I hope everything goes well for you and the bub. How awful getting a parking ticket. Maybe your hubby should write in and say that he needed to park there because he was worried you may slip on the ice and your very pregnant. It might help you out you know. Good luck.

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  24. Anonymous6:30 p.m.

    Sorry about the news from your check up- I too had gestational hypertension and spent some long weeks pre delivery at the hospital. Good luck- thinking nice warm zen like thoughts.

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  25. Anonymous7:16 p.m.

    Best wishes to you and the baby.

    My horses wore blankets in the winter but they had a bad habit of tearing them, so there's no way I would have spent the time and effort to knit them. Plus, I get bored in the time it takes to knit a man's sweater, no way I would make it through something that big!

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  26. Fingers crossed for you and lemondrop!

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  27. Oh my goodness...a sweater for a horse! What will they think of next????

    Hope all goes well tomorrow at the doctor's office!

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  28. Anonymous9:34 a.m.

    I hope all is well for you and the little one. :) Not too much longer to go.

    I have a horse I could knit that sweater for. He's my nephew (my sister's horse). I could knit it, but I won't. LOL

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  29. haha! The horse sweater is strangely disturbing and hilarious at the same time. :D

    How odd about the parking ticket! Now I want to go on a full-out investigation to see what the heck the deal was.

    I hope your zen thoughts pay off and you can avoid the hassles of the high risk category!

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  30. Anonymous9:15 p.m.

    You are great! I enjoyed your post today---I hope the remainder of your pregnancy is uneventful. The horse sweater is too cute!!!

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