ACK!!!

There I was, just a knitting away, when all of the sudden, the cable pulled out of my needle tip.  ACK!  

Not only that, as it did so, it dropped several stitches.  Double ack!  

Not to worry.  The first thing I did was to jump onto the Knit Picks website and order two more needles of that size, since for some reason I only had one.  Then I transferred the hat to my DPNs, tinked a few rounds to correct the dropped stitches, and I was off again. 

I was going to keep on knitting with my DPNs until my new needles got here, but there it was...deep in the recesses of my junk drawer, I found a brand new bottle of Gorilla Superglue.  After a few moments drying time, I think the join is stronger now than it was before.  The hat is now back on the circular needle and I'm back in the knitting saddle again. 

I'm still a bit nervous about using it, though.  The needle, I mean.  Hopefully, it won't come apart again.  

Speaking of, a couple of days ago I'd put in my vacation request to go the the Oxford Fiber Arts Festival in January.  I'd gone a few years ago and had a great time, and intended to go back, but they don't advertise it very well.  I wouldn't know when it was until they started posting photos on their Facebook page as it was happening.  Then, last year it was cancelled due to the ice storm, so needless to say, I didn't get to to go that one, either.  I'm determined to go this coming January, and wanted to get my day in early.  

When I got to work yesterday and checked on it, I saw that Uncle Supervisor had refused my request.  That left me a bit confused, since he's always approved every request I've ever put in.  

So, as soon as Uncle Supervisor got there yesterday, I flagged him down and asked why he'd refused my vacation request.  He told me that he'd tried to approve it, but the system wouldn't allow him to.  I'd have to put it in again after the first of the year, and he'd approve it then.  I guess that new system they went to back in March...or May, I don't remember.  It was one of those M months.  But apparently the new system won't allow us to start putting requests in in December like the old system does.  

Every day, in every way, they're working to make our jobs more unbearable.  

In other news,  the cold was not kind to my pepper plants, 

or my basil.  

They'd actually died back after that first freeze we had earlier this week.  I thought since I had some time, and was mostly caught up with what I needed to do today, I'd get out and pull them up, but alas, the bricks I'd put into the beds to protect them from whatever was digging were frozen to the dirt.  Instead of trying to pry them up, I decided to wait until it warmed up a bit. There isn't any rush...I can't plant anything until spring anyway.  

And what, you may ask, was it that I needed to do today?  Why, finish addressing my Christmas cards, of course!  I got the last batch finished up and ready to put into the mail.  If you don't get one here in the next week or so, it's because I don't have your address.  If you want to be added to my list, just let me know.  

In the midst of all of that other stuff, and catching up on a bunch of DVRed shows, I pulled the garland off of my mantle and took out the lights.   Then I fluffed said garland and put it back up. 

I don't know if it's my astigmatism or what, but when I put white lights on things, they wash the color out of all the ornaments around them.  Even on the Christmas tree, when I switch to white, it's like the whole thing turns into black and white.  So, I took the lights off of the garland, but I need to find a way to get more light into that corner.  

Or not, because I eventually want to get all of that taken out and re-done.  The brick, the mantle, and whatever that weird mirror thing on the wall is.  But that'll come later.  

And finally, today's advent figure is Joseph, Mary's husband and Jesus' earthly father.  

Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the City Of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. Luke 2:4