Sunny Day

It's gorgeous and cold. The sun is out, trees are covered in the faint green of new leaves and teeny little blossoms. A beautiful, sunny day!

A nice thing about this area is that even with all the variations in weather, it is often clear and bright. Not the creepy cloudlessness of Southern California, but blue skies with wispy clouds to frame them.

Maybe it's just because it's Spring now, but I feel reenergized and content. Now disorder in my life makes me want to get up and clean instead of retreat in despair.

Or maybe, I'm just getting energy from swinging around my Pokewalker to level up my Pokedudes. :D Think of the calories I am burninating by jiggling my foot because I have that little walker held in place by the leg of a handknit sock! Wheee!

On a day like today, I look back on the sadness I felt and marvel. Was I really that unhappy? How could anyone be so filled with angst?

I thought of a Karan Casey song, Love is Pleasing. First heard it late last year on Prairie Home Companion and immediately went and bought the CD. Other than the darkness of the last verse (although, perhaps I felt that way too and am refusing to believe it), it tells the story of my Winter.

But now it is Spring and I will be going out to look for chocolates today. Yay!

Spring! Yay!

A busy week and the start of Spring! The pic is of a place called Savage Mill, whereat Veronica and I spent time at the Homespun Yarn Party on Sunday.

Looks creepy, huh? We weren't in that part of the old mill, just overlooking it. And whilst there, we ran into Eric the Knitter, and Donna and Candi, with two of her little cherubs. Such a warm day that we sat out on the deck to chat for a bit before the cherubs got restless and Donna's clan took off.

We've been a bit busy at work, fixing up stuff and things. It seems over the course of the past sprint, there has always been at least one of our team out with plague. I had a very, very mild case last weekend, and recovered quickly. Ed's out again this week with whatever he's had, poor guy. :(

Spring also means that a young lady's fancy turns to romance again. I've been meeting random internet dudes for coffee.

I have some random advice for said random dudes:

1. If you and I are meeting for coffee, I'll buy my own because I'm a modern girl. So please don't worry about waiting for me before getting yourself a cuppa!

2. Did we say coffee? Or lunch? If coffee, then I think I am not wrong to be surprised to find that you've eaten lunch right before I arrived. What if we got along well and I'm hungry after my cuppa coffee? Now we can't go eat something together because you're full, and I am not the kind of girl who wants you to sit watching me eat my lunch. Or perhaps that is your ploy to make a clean escape in case we don't click? Either way, it might be nice for you to move to a clean table so I don't need to sit there sipping coffee, staring at your pizza bones or something.

3. I do have a life, such that it is. If I don't call you or email you within 10 minutes of you calling or emailing me, please do not take offense. If, however, you feel the need to be offended, maybe you shouldn't email me and tell me how vexed you are. It makes you look needy, desperate and clingy. I am looking for a man, not a cling-on.

4. See number 3...I don't know if it's something in the water on the East Coast or what. It's happened to me more than once in the past couple of weeks and I am kerflummoxed. Is there some new internet dating contact rule that I've completely missed? =\

Tomorrow night is the knitting group's second anniversary party at Donna's house. Yet again, I am so glad to have met these women. They are awesomely friendly, sweet, and funny. My apartment smells like chocolate tonight, for I am baking Nigella Lawson's Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake. Nom, nom, nom!

Erin Go Whut?

Must remember to wear something green tomorrow. Sadly, my Saroyan will not be completed in time, but I'll take it along to knit night. It's halfway done (yay bigger needles).

I didn't think to look at the lunch menu for tomorrow. Maybe Becca will be making us something with corned beef!

Yay!

Blah. Ick. Phooey. Ooh.

Not even paying attention to Daylight Savings Time, I managed to sleep in till nearly 10:30AM. That is not like me; I am generally an early riser.

The following bout of violent sneezing provided illumination: I have a sort of cold-thinger, which also explains the cold sore thinger that sprouted up at the end of last week.

Now, I have had occasional lip-things due to stress. And, I started the year feeling extremely stressed, but have since settled into relative normalcy (as in, normal for me). When I started getting a lip-thinger, my first reaction was disbelief. Really? A lip-thinger? When I feel so good?

The answer was, unfortunately, yes.

I suppose the good side to feeling blech is that I am sequestered with my new toy, the Alienware MX11, which I purchased using my tax refund upon the lyrical descriptions of Mr. Moorgard. When he received his two weeks ago, he gloated in IMs. Well. I can see why. This little guy rocks my world (the netbook, not Mr. Moorgard)! And I have not yet gotten a cute little optical drive yet so that I can load it up with gamey goodness! It just needs a cute little name; it is too clinical to continue calling him MX11.

I've been working on my test knit socks; they are coming along nicely and I am at the point of creating the heels. Since I'm test knitting these, the designer asked me not to post photos of them in-progress...but they are very pretty. Unfortunately, they are also making my wrist hurt a wee bit since they are traveling stitches, like the Twisted Hourglass socks I recently finished. Something about them makes my carpal tunnel go PING!

That made me want to knit something on larger needles, so I started something new rather than reach for something already in progress. I am a procrastinator with a backlog of projects.

New project: Saroyan, being knit up in lucious Miss Babs Yummy sportweight sock yarn, Colorway: Verdigris.

Journeys

The knitters' retreat was very...interesting. Heh :) Veronica and I hit the road a little before 6PM and arrived around 7PM...at the wrong "lodge." Evidently, when the instructions were emailed that said, "Go to the lodge!" they really meant, "Go to the hall!" We found this out after Veronica parked her car, we unloaded it, and schlepped into the lodge with all our stuff.

Eventually, in the dark and over the unpaved, muddy road, we made it to the correct building, where it was freezing cold. Freeeeezing! Apparently, the heating ducts were not working, which resulted in shivering knitters standing in front of the fireplace trying to warm up.

And then, our "rustic cabin" that turned out to be something out of Army basic training, with concrete floors and musty bunk beds. Fortunately for us, we were in the uphill cabin, as once the eight of us in our building began running water, the toilet overflowed across the concrete floor in one of the cabins downhill from us.

We did not see any bugs of note, other than spiders on the ceiling. And the mousetrap beneath Veronica's bunk (which neither she nor I had noticed, and Catherine wisely refrained from mentioning until this morning) wasn't set or occupied.

While I'm not sure I will ever do this particular retreat again, I did have fun hanging out with Veronica and Catherine. Our mutual discomfort in the surroundings as well as our love of knitting naturally bonded us together.

I took a nice little walk along the muddy road, trying to find the hiking trails. While I didn't find any real trails, I made my way out to a set of wooden swing benches in a snowy field and sat swinging in the sunshine. It was a good opportunity to be alone for a little bit during a busy weekend.

The result? I'm happy. I love living here, I love the women I've met through knitting, and I'm enjoying being me. Feeling content has been a long time coming, but as you can tell in this photo, I'm really smiling. And not just because my Skew sock is turning out mostly okay.

Twisted Journey

Finally! I have actually finished a pair of Twisted Hourglass socks! :D

I started the first pair last year and absolutely loved them, then realized they wouldn't fit. Very sad! This year, I decided to do them in a much stretchier yarn. They are bright and I love them.

They also have some errors, but you know what? They fit, they look good (at a distance, hehehe) and I've accomplished something that I've wanted to do for a long time.

This coming weekend, I'll be learning how to do an entirely different sock construction, the Skew sock, while at a knitters' weekend retreat in Pennsylvania. Two of the women from the Wednesday knitting group are also going, so that will be lots of fun! Catherine is soooo funny, and Veronica is adorable. I'm really looking forward to spending time with them and learning new things. Yay!

Frogging

I'd have photos to share, but I apparently left my camera at Molly's house last night after her Frogging Party (I hope, anyway, as I've unpacked all my stuff and can't find it).

What is frogging, you ask? It's when a knitter decides that a project is juuuuuust not going well, or something's been outgrown and the yarn of which it's made could be put to better use elsewhere, so the knitter unravels it. This is also known as "ripping" which also can sound like "ribbit" and hence, frogging.

Remember: knitters also abbreviate "Knit Along" as "KAL" - we are a mystical bunch.

In any case, Molly (one of the Wednesday knitting group) invited us all to her home for a potluck and frogging party. Chandra drove Jeannie, Veronica, Tammy, and myself up and we stayed till around 11PM. Lotsa good food, laughter, and many reclaimed cakes of yarn.

Sadly, my Ravelympics Rick socks were one of the frogged items. They were simply too ugly with that peg-leg thing stretching out all the stitches. I'm going to start over adding in another repeat of 12 stitches.

Also finally frogged out my original blue Twisted Hourglass socks as well as my Noro entrelac socks/armwarmers. The yarn cakes are sitting on my grown-up coffee table now, pristine (if a bit wrinkly), in lovely anticipation of what they will become next.

Olympics

The first time I'd moved away from Seattle, we were back in Hawaii the year of the Goodwill Games. Watching the events unfold from the hometown of my heart was emotionally wrenching to me. I loved seeing familiar sights of evergreens, snowy mountains and bright blue water.

This year, I'm on the East Coast and looking at Vancouver during the Olympics. Vancouver is geographically so similar to Seattle that it's always felt like a hometown to me, too.

I am not homesick. Or at least, not as much as I thought I'd be. I'm enjoying the glimpses of places I've been, but not feeling sad over being so far away.

That's good. :)

I thought about going for a drive today, since it was so sunny and pretty out. Instead, I curled up to watch some Olympics (interspersed with murder shows), knitting on my Ravelympics sock. Rick is giving me grief, sadly. As you can see in the photo, one sock appears significantly skinnier than the other. That is the sock for my peg-leg. Adifferent stitch on the right sock, slip-slip-knit, is pulling it in tighter than the left sock.

At some points, I considered ripping both socks out and starting over with an extra pattern repeat to make them wider, but kept knitting anyway. It fits, but the amount of stretching it must do takes away from the cuteness of the pattern.

Anyone know any pirates who need a pair of lovely socks? :)

Ravelympics 2010

I signed up, then backed out, then decided at the last minute to actually give it a go.

Ravelymics is a knitting event on Ravelry in which participants cast on a project during the Opening Ceremonies and complete that project before the end of the Closing Ceremonies. Some of the events are pretty funny take-offs on real Olympic events with names like Hat Halfpipe, Nordic Colorwork Combined and Scarf Super-G.

I am on Team Socksters, in the Sock Hockey event, and will be knitting Rick. This is a Cookie A pattern in which each foot is knit "mirrored" to the other. Hitherto, I have leaned toward patterns that are completely written out with supplemental charting. With Sock Innovation, though, every pattern is only charted.

While it might not be snowy in Vancouver, where the actual Olympics are taking place, Maryland is a wintery wonderland. I've dug out Jane Grey twice this week, and predictions are for more snow next Tuesday. Our office closed Monday, which was funny/sad, as I had spent all that time digging out Jane and actually made it to the office before it was shut for the day. It closed again Wednesday for another snowstorm and then on Thursday because streets were still messed up.

I'm glad I made it to the office yesterday. Candyce and Kevin sent me flowers and a tower of cupcakes for my birthday! Yay! And when I came home last night, there was a box of chocolates from the Wiesmans, whom I haven't seen since leaving San Diego, waiting for me on my doorstep.

After all the turmoil last month, I feel remarkably calm and peaceful now. I have very wonderful old friends and very wonderful new friends. I'm very lucky.

Jane Grey and Snowmaggedon

I believe the unit of measurement is "metric f*ckton." It took an hour to uncover her. I'm warming up with a cuppa tea before going out to shovel the bit of parking lot right in front of her so she can move a bit and then we shall be off to work!

Snowpocalypse 2010

Had to charge up my camera battery, or I'd have had a photo from earlier, before the snow started to stick. Imagine that the air conditioning pump thinger to the right has no snow on it at all until 7PM. I had to brighten this photo up slightly as it was really dark out, since the snow hadn't coated all the trees yet. The orange cast of the street lights is really peculiar.

Midnight. No need to lighten this photo. The wind was really picking up, too. It's mesmerizing to watch the snow falling, then a gust of wind shakes the tree branches, causing accumulated snow to cascade down. Almost like a silent movie, with wind. :)

At 8AM this morning, my dining room window is sprinkled across with snow. Don't know how long I'll be able to take photos through it now! Also observed that the door into the building across from my back patio was covered in snow across its lower third.

When I went out to get a photo of my own building's door snowed under, I ran into our complex's maintenance men already shoveling it out. Since I was already boiling water to make tea, I made enough tea for all of them. They've been out since 6:30AM and will be shoveling and plowing all weekend. They're a nice group of guys. Even though I'd barely run a comb through my hair and had on whatever came to hand, I took my cup of tea on the stairwell with them until they had to go back to work.

I live in a nice place.

Dead!

Received my death socks yesterday afternoon. Aiee!

They are very comfy :)

That means I'm out of Sock Wars, alas. The second pair of socks, which Kate/PadowanKnitter started and I completed, have not yet reached their target in California, but she's dooooomed! And my assassin, the gracious and friendly Amanda/Obi-Wan-Knitobi, hasn't been killed yet, either, even though her assassin already sent death socks to her.

Mittens is sleeping beside me, squeaking through his nose. I think he has a cold, poor kitty.

It's pretty darn cold around here. Started snowing as I drove home from work tonight and it's still coming down. I find it very interesting to live in an area that's prepared for snow. Even little side streets around here are regularly plowed. My apartment complex clears out the parking lots, too, so that's pretty nice. And I have a cute little snow shovel so that I can scoot snow away from Jane Grey if necessary.

Last week was a particularly difficult week for me, for reasons unknown. I took some time off work, knit, read, napped and had angst. On the bright side, I've lost 20 pounds since moving out here. On the other hand, most of it is because I haven't been eating very well. And even though I feel much better and peaceful today, dinner turned out to be a couple of slices of challah with butter. I hope I'm not snowed in tomorrow. I'm almost out of challah!

Obsessed

I started reknitting Twisted Hourglass while waiting for my Sock Wars target Kate to send me her socks-in-progress. Until my assassin kills me, I am still in the game. However, until I receive Kate's socks to finish them (and kill the person who had been her target), I can work on something for myself.

Last year, I'd started Twisted Hourglass in a beautiful blue tencel yarn that, while gorgeous, did not have enough stretch. Once I turned the heel, I was no longer able to get the sock over my heel. Very sad. I set the project aside to be frogged. But the pattern is so beautiful, I really wanted to finish it. And so now, using yarn that I'd bought to make Dan a pair of socks with, I am starting the pattern over again.

I don't know what's wrong with me. Had been feeling relatively well, proud of making it through the holidays without a complete meltdown. Now, though, I'm unable to function properly at anything but knitting. Reading about knitting, thinking about knitting, actually knitting...it's the only thing that I want to do. I put away half my Christmas decorations, couldn't find the boxes for my Santa plates, and so left them up. When I see them, I get a sense of panic...why can't I put them away? Why can't I look harder for the box in which their boxes are stored? And then I retreat back to the bark-o-lounger to knit.

The stitches slip off the needles, one after the other, producing something beautiful. Knitting is the only thing holding me together.

Sock Wars V

Sock Wars has begun. Photo is from last night, before I went to sleep. Socks are currently double that size, but something has happened to the little memory card adapter thinger on my laptop, such that I cannot upload photos so easily. Instead, I had to use the camera in the laptop, which doesn't adjust easily.

My victim lives in New Jersey; my assassin lives in the UK. I think I can get off one kill before I am killed...maybe. Apparently some folks are having issues with the set up on Magic Loop for this particular pattern as there's an SSK at the end of a needle. Not a problem in general and especially not when using DPNs (which I'm not)...but two-at-a-time means I shall have to fiddle around a bit when I get to that point since there's a couple of points along the way where I can't slide a stitch from one needle to the next.

Which is gibberish to non-knitters :D Hahaha!

In news anyone can understand, I finished my Spot Check socks on Thursday night, weaving in the loose ends just before midnight. They're incredibly comfy and really cute! I think I shall make another pair, using a different constrast color than black. The next bits of color on the Mini-mochi yarn are cool colors of blue and green and I can't wait to use the rest of it! It was fiddly to work with, like a thin roving, but so soft.

Anyway, coffee is done and I must return to battle. Adieu!

Starting Over

I like the meditative quality of tarot; it helps me focus my thoughts and see things from a different perspective than usual. Every January, I sit down and think about what I hope to achieve in the next year and where the last year took me.

I didn't do a tarot reading at the start of 2009. Glancing through my tarot journal, I see that almost all the readings I've done in the past two years were related to Dan. Dan also does tarot, and we would read each other's tarot spreads and talk about our interpretations. In fact, the first time I was over at his apartment when we weren't dating, we talked about tarot and he mentioned that his deck was under his pillow...except that it had fallen behind the bed. When he pulled the cards up and handed the deck to me, the card on the top was The Lovers. He said later that he hadn't realized it at the time but that it was certainly a good sign. And so it was.

One thing that always, always came up in both of our readings was the fact that our entire relationship was dependent upon Dan to direct its flow. One of my journal notes shows The Sun as the card of hopes and fears. My note: "A cherub. The sun rays. A red flag. A wall." Perhaps I should have paid more attention.

Yesterday, I sat down to do a reading for 2010. I get a sense of change and renewal, and doing well at work. The overall positives outweight the outcome card for me. Ten of Swords is not a tremendously positive card, but on the other hand, it's a card of change and endings. Endings aren't all bad; when one thing ends, another begins.

That's how I see it. For me, this is a year in which I will finally accept the changes that happened in the past year and put it behind me. I'll be okay.

New Year's Eve

What a rollercoaster year...I'm really glad it's over!

Stopped by Wegman's tonight to pick up some things and got the sushi guy to make me a rainbow roll, just so I could have something like sashimi today. Local kine girl, 'as why. :) They do decent sushi for a grocery store, and he was out of something so he put on something more expensive to make up for it. How nice. :)

I'm already in my pjs since I won't be going out tonight. Melody and Mittens are curled up beside me on the bark-o-lounger, sleeping. I'm going to put on a chick flick in a bit and eat cookies, watch the movie, knit, maybe read a magazine. It'll be like nearly all my other New Year's Eves over the past decade.

This is the year in which I learned that I adore knitting socks. I like it so well that it's pretty much the body of my completed work this year in knitting. I am in the middle of knitting my first pair of two-at-a-time socks, a pattern called Sugar Maple. When I'm finished with these, they'll be the 10th pair of socks I've completed. Next month, I'll be competing in Sock Wars as well. And, as I told them last night, the knitting group women really saved my sanity in the past couple of months. Without them, I think my sadness would have become even more overwhelming than it seemed. How lucky am I to have found them, huh?

I'm also actually rather happy here. It's just so gosh-darn pretty! When a group of us went to a yarn shop in Pennsylvania last week, I stared out the window at the snowy landscape and beautiful old buildings we passed. I do love this area and can't wait to feel completely settled.

Hang On

Survived Blizzard 2009. No power outages, had enough knitting to keep me busy, also food and tasty beverages on hand. The cats and I hunkered down on the bark-o-lounger, wrapped in a blanket together and snuggled.

I also played some Dragon Age; I am a Dalish rogue. My goal today is to play through more of the story. So far, so good. I do like a nice BioWare game to immerse myself into.

Was supposed to head out to The Mannings today with some ladies from the Wednesday knitting group, but the snow is still abundant on the ground. We're going to go up tomorrow instead. Hopefully, the back roads will be plowed by then.

At my current gig, we do not get the last week of the year off with pay, as was the case with SOE. I am instead taking the rest of my annual PTO this week, which may or may not be a mistake. I've been a bit anxious about how all this freakin holiday cheer is affecting me. So far, I've only burst into tears once, though, so that's good.

This'll be the first time in forever, though, that I have not had one or both little cherubs with me. It totally sucks. I suppose in my mind, I was going to be in Seattle with Dan and would get to hang out with them...and since that isn't what happened this year, well, there you are. And here I am, in a wintry wonderland 3,000 miles away from the men I love.

Holiday Party Time

The past week has been party after party, always a challenge for someone who is as "party shy" as me.

Last Saturday was the knitting group's gift exchange party at Chandra's house. I have to upload all the photos I took, after yanking out all the blurry pet photos (heh...I love Chandra's cat, who is named Remington...just like my first cat!). It was a snowy night, perfect for testing Jane Grey in the cold.

Sunday, Mike and I drove down to Rockville and spent some time with Ray and Rane. Mike and Ray talked art and got caught up while Rane and I talked about all sorts of things. :) I wish I lived closer to them; it was so, so comforting to be able to chat with someone that I knew before moving out here. They invited me to come spend time with them over Christmas.

On Tuesday, I had some co-workers and some of the knitting group over for a cookie exchange. The event filled me with anxiety beforehand, as I couldn't invite everyone I wanted to lest they all show up and have no place to sit or stand in my apartment. It seemed that every time I turned around, I remembered someone else I wished I could have invited. Still, folks seemed to have a good time, and we were certainly filled with an abundance of marvelous cookies!

Then Wednesday night, Jeremy planned a get-together for the content devs at the Irish pub. It was a nice event (even if he had to guilt me into skipping knit night) and we got to meet the significant others of some of the guys we work with. Just not enough space to mix up and visit with everyone.

And then, tonight. It's the company holiday party in DC and it'll be very big and very scary. Big because it includes the Bethesda studio as well, and scary because it's, well, a party. Fortunately, I am carpooling down to DC with Anna (our newest dev...yay! another chick!) so I won't be alone. We're sharing a hotel room down there, too, so we won't need to drive back in the middle of the night.

I just need to figure out what I'm wearing and how much gear I really need to take for a weekend in DC.

Long Weekend

This is pretty much the sum total of my entire long weekend. I hung some art (probably crookedly). I dug into storage boxes of holidays past, decorated my little tree and set out my collection of Santa figures. I also cried a lot.

Haven't done as much knitting as I wanted. My Tidal Wave sock is nearly done; maybe an hour more on it. Also nearly done is a diagonal scarf for one of my Secret Sant-ees. I might do a hat to go with it, but the way I've been feeling lately maybe not.

I meant to go to Ikea today, but the thought of swimming upstream against the holiday shoppers was overwhelming. I might go one night after work, though. We'll see.

Bought some Xmas gifts online, planned out others, ordered a grown-up coffee table for myself. I've been using an old pressboard steamer trunk and want to look less like a college student and more like a real adult. Eventually, I'll get a real TV stand, too. Much as I like the glass blocks and boards, they do look a bit more like dorm room than living room.

I picked out gifts for Dan that I know he'd like but that I won't be buying for him. I wonder if he does the same thing? Probably not. Women always seem to hold onto emotions much longer than men. This weekend was much more difficult than I expected. Just as I thought I was getting to be over things and moving on, someone made an innocent comment that made me sad and sad is where I am still.

All of the stuff we bought for Christmas last year as well as his old holiday decorations are here...can someone let him know that I'll send them to him in January, when I think I'll be able to look at them again? Thanks.

Crazy

These are my new favorite socks: Monkey, by Cookie A.

I've never really been interested in these socks, but then I bought my first Crazy Zauberball yarn and it wanted to be this pattern. It shall not be the last time I get this yarn; it feels pretty darn comfy...can't wait to wear these to work tomorrow.

Working on Rane's baby blanket has halted for a few days. I ordered a longer cable for my Knit Picks Harmony needles as the blankie is now at the limit of my 29" cable. It should get here next week. Yay!

The apartment smells nice since I baked a chocolate gingerbread cake to take to Zeb's on Thursday. I made one last Thanksgiving, too, since Dan's dad Ed loves chocolate even more than I do and he wanted chocolatey desserts. I'll miss Ed...he was pretty darn cool.

This is the kind of cake that will improve with time and will be perfect by Thursday. Provided, that is, that it turned out. It cools unmolested on the stove now. Perhaps in a bit, I shall wander in to test it. Yeah. Testing it. Uh-huh.

A Day in DC

Long day of firsts. First dim sum in Maryland. First time getting lost in Silver Spring (although quite likely not the last; that place is a Bermuda Triangle). First time on the DC Metro.

And, may I just say, that the whole DC experience is completely enhanced by a good playthrough of Fallout 3. :) I stood in happy awe that the Metro stations look just like they do in the game, except in better repair. Becca asked why there were so few trash cans, and in possibly one of my geekiest moments ever, I said that they were taken out because too many people hid their loot in them after killing Super Mutants.

Somewhere along the way, the beautiful silver bracelet Dan gave me last Christmas fell off. I noticed it was missing the Air and Space Museum, which added to the odd experience of being there.

Last time I was in DC and in that same museum, I was preggers with Phil. And still about five years away from realizing that I hated pretending to like airplanes just because my then-husband adored them. The group wanted to see this particular museum, so in I went...but within minutes realized that I didn't have to pretend any interest; I could go and do something else.

And so I did. The group had actually separated upon entering the museum, scattering off to look at different things. When I realized my bracelet was gone, I retraced some of my steps and Mike ran into me; we went to the Hirschhorn. Where, may I note, they have lovely leather couches that tired people can sit for a bit to strategize where else to go.

We spent the last hour of the day wandering through the Natural History Museum (which, again, gave me gleeful moments of Fallout 3-ness). Loved the rooms of little tiny skeletons! We were chastised for trying to head into the reptile room after the guard had given us all a two minute warning to leave.

After getting lost (again) in Silver Spring, we headed back northwards and had supper at Fazzini's, whereupon I fell into a food coma.

I hope I recover enough to get to the Irish festival and its kilt contest today.

Oh, and this...

...is Jane Grey's best feature: butt warmers!

I love you, Jane Grey!

Random

This is Nottingham, done in bulky alpaca. Mike picked out the yarn on Saturday and it was a good choice! I had an easy time knitting it and it feels sooooo soft.

...

The other day in a meeting to go over something at work, I took an opposite view to everyone. =\ Not trying to be difficult (I don't have to try; it comes easily to me), just trying to make a point. One of the artists pointed out that we could do things my way if he did X and so folks decided to do it the way I suggested. Kate, the goober, says, "Well, you are one of the most influential women in MMOs..." for which I smacked her. Heh.

...

Same sort of thing happened this morning at scrum, although I forget exactly what we were discussing, but this time it was our QA lead Jason who said it. Fortunately for him, he was standing as far away from me as possible and so I didn't get to smack him.

But maybe I will, anyway, tomorrow.

...

Chick-fil-A for dinner tonight via the drive through.

Me: May I get a number one, deluxe, with a small Peppermint Chocolate Chip shake?
C-F-A: You have to get that in large.
Me: Well. Okay. Twist my arm.
C-F-A: [laughs]

I pull around to the window and she leans out and says, "You are the nicest customer I've ever had here, and I've been here for two years."

Isn't that a shame? :( I suppose folks give her grief because they can't get a small shake or something. I tell you, if you have to take out your miserable day on Chick-fil-A's drive through peeps, you do not deserve their food, especially this Peppermint Chocolate Chip shake which is amazing.

A Grand Day Out

It was supposed to be much colder yesterday, but luck and the sun shined upon us all day. Yay!

In the "it's a small world after all" category, one of the artists where I currently work used to work with Ray, Rane's husband, back in Colorado. They didn't know that I knew each of them until I started planning this next weekend's trip to DC and included Ray in the email (handy that he works for the same company, even if in a completely different location).

I have been moping quite a bit lately, coming home from work on Fridays and hiding with cats and knitting until Monday forced me back to the office. Yeah, I know. We broke up in September; it's now November and I need to get over it. Whatever.

In any event, yesterday turned into a really awesome day, and not just because of the great weather. Mike (aforementioned artist dude from work) had been talking about a restaurant he likes in Hampden. Christina, who watched my cats for me, lives in that 'hood and has been talking about the cool yarn shop there. Since we all already had plans to meet up at the Greek Festival that afternoon, I invited myself to have brunch with Mike.

We walked up and down the street, hitting up a number of shops along the way. My favorite shop was Ma Petite Shoe, which features shoes and chocolate. How awesome is that?

The yarn shop was very bit as cool as Christina said it would be. The ladies there were very friendly, inviting me and Mike to see their restroom. :D Apparently, cool restrooms are the hallmark of local yarn shops. This one was papered with some of the most cheesy, awful pattern photos of old knitting projects. The kicker is that they keep little speech bubble sticky notes and pens handy so that folks can add captions to the photos. Hilarious!

And then we headed to the Greek festival, which was really cool. Tons of food, a glimpse into the beautiful cathedral itself and some time hanging out with Kathy, Christina and her sister. Mike and I hung around watching the impromptu dancing before heading back to the office where Jane Grey patiently waited for me.

It feels as though I'm turning a corner of sorts. It's a good feeling.

This Is It

I grew up listening to Michael Jackson. One of my favorite albums was Off the Wall as it came out during my musically formative years. How many dances did we attend back in the day where everyone got up to dance to a Michael Jackson song...I couldn't even tell.

At Polly Esther's, where one room did disco and the other side did retro-80's stuff, there was a night where we walked in and the dance floor was empty. Devin went to get our drinks and his friends and I were standing around talking. Don't Stop Til You Get Enough came on and I dragged one of the guys out to the floor...and within seconds, the whole place was dancing, too. I still love that song. It reminds me of a lot of happy, joyous moments within an otherwise dark and dismal time.

This Is It was good. They did a great job editing together various rehersal sessions into a cohesive piece. What I loved most of all, though, were the shots of the background dancers on the floor below watching Michael performing. The joy in their faces tells the whole story to me. It would have been an awesome concert experience. Whatever personal issues Michael may have had, this was all about music and movement and I'm glad they have this film to showcase it.

Another cocoon weekend for me, other than going out to the movie. I had pizza delivered last night after I came back from the show...is there anything better than a small, local pizza place that calls you to make sure you really wanted anchovies? :) Fazzini's is my Italian comfort food joint and the fact that they deliver makes it even better. Comfort straight to my home and my belly! Yay!

I'm currently on Cookie A's Monkey Socks bandwagon. It's a wagon that's over 10,000 socks deep on Ravelry. You see, I have this Crazy Zauberball yarn that went looking for a pattern and it picked the Monkey...and I'm glad it did. The pattern is really easy, quick and looks fabulous. I'm already at the heel of the first one and can't wait to finish the pair of them!

Tis the Season

Finished this hat last night while watching a biography of Jimmy Stewart, which seemed entirely appropriate. Now I want to head up the road to the Blockbuster video shop that's going out of business to see whether they have The Philadephia Story.

I adore black and white movies, especially the ones with lovely costumes and snappy dialog. Sometimes the acting isn't up to our modern (methody) style, but observing a way of life that's completely foreign and yet familiar has a lot of comfort.

My local yarn shop has all its sock yarns at 20% off, so I plan to head out in a bit for some browsing. Tomorrow is another stitch n' bitch at Kate and Becca's and I may need something new.

Er, other than the fact that I already have something like 50 different types of yarn around here, apparently. I believe I am stocking up for a wool shortage! Yeah. That's it.

Recharging

Some days are just much better than others.

Today, feeling a little mopey, so I'm going to watch some Star Wars, wind yarn into cute little center-pull balls and maybe start a pair of Skyp socks for Kevin. After all, he has a thing for socks and I am his "other" wife. :) It'll be nice to knit something for someone who'll appreciate the effort.

Later on, after scrubbing out that awful bathtub (it needs serious re-enameling and so every bit of scum that can catch on something, does), will take a hopefully relaxing Lush-infused bath.

I'm not angry over the break-up with Dan. It's just so, so disappointing. And it's not even that the reason is, well, unreasonable. All it means is that our paths ran along together so well and now the paths diverge.

I miss him. I'll miss having him in my everyday life because I am, at this moment, still in love with him. He wants things I don't, I want things he doesn't...so there's no future. Meanwhile, I'm allowed to mourn and be occasionally mopey...and so I am.

Home

I had a pretty good weekend. As with all holidays, the time sped by and suddenly last night I had to head to the airport.

Friday started at 3AM, since I live an hour from the airport and had to get to the off-site parking lot, shuttle to the airport from there, and check in two boxes of Dan's things that accidentally shipped with my household goods. That left me pretty exhausted, but so happy when I finally landed at SeaTac.

Flying to Seattle is always a homecoming for me. I picked up my rental car and headed to Candyce's house, which has been my second home ever since I met her. Driving across the floating bridge, I reflected how the last time I drove across the lake, I was happy and excited. I didn't imagine that my next trip to Seattle would be bittersweet. By the time I knocked on Candyce's door, I was in tears and saying (as I often did when arriving there), "Honey, I'm home!" had quite a different feel. We cried for a bit because we miss each other and because she sensed my unhappiness.

That's what I love about Candyce. I don't have to explain myself, she just knows.

And so, the weekend flew by. Game night was great (as usual). Dim sum was awesome (as usual). And though I had to drop out of shopping with Candyce and Lorien on Sunday, I did spend the day with Phil. Rob met up with us as we were downstairs in Uwajimaya's, giving Phil the scoop on living downtown and how the best Asian grocery store in the Northwest is wasted on him. ;)

Yesterday, Candyce and I spent the day in the hospital as she was getting meds dripped into her to help break up her migraine. I finished a Tidal Wave sock and started on its partner by the time she was finished and feeling a bit better. As you can see in the accompanying photo of Candyce in her Jayne Cobb Hat, she is feeling better today. Yay!

I'm looking forward to returning to work tomorrow. While the move wrenched me away from my friends and family, I love my job. Liking what I do makes up for a lot.

I'd like to thank...

...Suz. I can't think of anyone else who encouraged me, nurtured me and made me feel as though I really could do anything in games if I put my mind to it.

Thanks, Cosmic Twin. I'm sure it's still your influence that's blessing me in all sorts of ways that I don't deserve.

It's kind of funny to see my name on a list like this. I'm tickled that Melissa's also on the roster! Went to Target tonight on the way home from work, but this one didn't have a copy.

I know that Carolyn was researching and writing the article for a few months. When she first asked for nominations, I nominated Suz. Unfortunately, the article was going to be about women currently working in MMOs, so Suz didn't qualify. But she qualifies for my personal list. Without her, I wouldn't have gotten so far.

There's a certain bittersweet quality to this sort of thing at the moment. I wish I had someone to share the moment with here with me now. Someone who'd hug me and take me out for a celebratory incandescence. Instead, I hugged the cats (who put me in my place with their lack of impressed-ness) and settled in to work on my Owlings.

Random Bits

My ear hurts a lot so tomorrow it's off to meet not-my-doctor for the first time. The doctor who is my chosen primary care physician isn't in until Thursday, but apparently when one calls up with an earache, one is moved to the front of the queue.

On the other hand, this is just one of those "the East Coast is different than I expected it to be" moments. I'm pretty sure I could have gotten an appointment to see my own chose doctor this very week. This week! That's unheard of anywhere else I've lived, unless you were at death's door or some other patient kicked the bucket and freed up a slot.

I kept imagining how much more crowded it must be here in the East, since all the textbooks say folks had to move West to get land and stuff. But there's large tracts of land (hehehe) all over the freaking place, wide open farmlands and fields with horses wandering about on the hillside.

Yesterday afternoon I went over to Kate and Becca's house for a stitch n' bitch session and it was very nice. Emily's butter tart recipe proved to be authentic tasting, so I guess I'm doing it right after all. :) I knit a little bit of my True Love sock, messed up a stitch and decided to put it aside for the moment. Went back to knitting my Brooke's Column of Leaves scarf, which would totally have been finished by now if I hadn't decided to do three columns instead of one.

And then when I wandered home, I decided to start something completely different as I want to bring it to Candyce next weekend. It's almost completely done now, although it's not as good looking as I had hoped. Still, it feels very lovely as I used sock yarn held double to give it the proper weight. I'll take pictures of it when it's done, but won't post them till after my trip.

I hope my ear heals up by then.

Everything Hurts =\

Friday, twas cramps. Little stupid female cramps that really, really make me wish the plumbing would just dry up already. Haven't I already suffered enough for my ovaries in this lifetime?!

Since all I felt up to doing was sitting in the bark-o-lounger with Mittens as a heating pad, I knit and watched Inspector Lewis (I do like having on-demand Masterpiece Mysteries). By nightfall, however, I realized my True Love sock projct is going to be as painful as finding actual true love.

It's just not that into me. =\ The heel just wouldn't sit right. I frogged. I tinked. I tried out several variations on heels. None of them looked right and going by faith with the written instructions was a disaster.

Evidently, even having a map of True Love is not enough to let it find its way.

Ripped it all back late last night and thus have nothing to show for two days of knitting it. Blech. I will take it with me to Kate's house this afternoon for a Stitch 'n Bitch, together with a batch of Emily's butter tarts.

Even butter tarts hate me this weekend.

Topping this all off is a horrible ear ache in my left ear. The kind that makes swallowing painful, hearing muzzy and when coupled with my female complaints will at least get me into the bitching mood appropriate for this afternoon's fete.

Finishing Up

While in Austin, I finished off my Rib Fantastic socks, but I don't like how the toes turned out. They're both awfully shallow and I'm afraid they'll rub through. Hence, I'll be undoing the bind off and re-knitting the toes this weekend.

Meanwhile, however, I started up another pair of socks. This time, the pattern is Tidal Wave. That said, I think I have already messed it up, quite possibly at the point in time where the girl in the seat beside me on the plane began heaving into her airsick bag. =\ Could have been a lot worse (her illness, not the sock)...fortunately, she wasn't as sick as she could have been. Still...yucko!

Speaking of yucko, did I mention that I was sequestered for the better part of a day in Steve's hotel room? We added timing and style to our presentation and observed this happy note on the desk. Invasion of the crickets follows me to Austin! Aiee!

Added some Austin photos to my Flickr page. I'm not sure what the motivation is for me to take photos. Sometimes it's because I see something beautiful and want to remember it. Other times, like this morning, I see something unusual and try to capture it. I wish I had a better camera, but oh, well. I can only do so much :)

Over in Austin!

Our panel is done! Yay! We didn't kill each other beforehand or afterwards, so that's good. I like working with Steve (most of the time) and today we worked together well. Some times, things work out.

Kramer noticed that there's already an article about our session up at GameSpot. Whoa. The dude must have left our panel and immediately posted it. Guess we were very inspirational. :)

On the way home tonight, Sushi and I stopped for...sushi! At a mobile stand! It was really good stuff.

Tomorrow, I relax and attend a couple of oher sessions. Then on Thursday I head home. The days went by very quickly. I've had a good time and great eats!

Little Women - A (Scathing) Review

A classic tale, a movie filled with stars...what's not to like?

Quite a lot, actually. I haven't seen this version of Little Women since it came out in theaters, but it's been a free on demand movie so I watched it again. Now remember why I didn't like it.

First, you have Winona Ryder as Jo. Winona is beautiful; Jo wasn't. When you have someone so lovely in this role, you really need to have other beautiful actresses to pull off Meg and Amy. Since this film was apparently by the Winona Ryder Fan Club, she is the best looking of the sisters by far. While Trini Alvarado is pretty, she isn't pretty enough to be Meg when you have Winona as Jo.

That makes every time Jo says something about how she's the least pretty of the sisters come off completely false. When Amy cries out about Jo's hair being Jo's one beauty...are you kidding me? Winona-Jo is gorgeous with or without hair!

Kirsten Dunst does a credible job as young Amy, but Samantha Mathis is a disaster as the older Amy. I don't think this was her first acting gig, but it certainly seemed that way. She was stilted and not very charming. Charm is Amy's best virtue, but you'd never know it to watch Samantha in the role. Her only virtue is that she bears a sibling-like resemblence to Claire Danes, who was the healthiest Beth I've ever seen. That's not a bad thing, in and of itself, and Claire was good at being shy and retiring. But still.

Let me pause for a moment to mention how disgusting it is to observe over the edge of this laptop that Melody is snarfing down a spider she has slain. =\ Anyway...

And then, there is Christian Bale. Ladies of the jury, I ask you: Even if you thought you'd be miserable married to him because he was your best friend, wouldn't you want to wake up to that man? I certainly would! And seeing that he and Winona-Jo are the most beautiful people in the movie, and given how many other aspects of it were changed from the book, they should have continued the blasphemy by having Jo marry Laurie.

Finally, there's all the kissing. I suppose they wanted to jazz things up a bit by having romantic interludes that meant business. Hence, you observe Meg swapping spit with John Brooke (another miserable miscasting...I mean, really...Eric Stoltz?!) in the doorway of her parents' home. And Winona-Jo getting busy with Mr. Bhaer backstage at the opera. WTF?! Jo wouldn't do such a thing!

By the time the end credits were rolling, I was seething with irritation. This is one of my favorite books. I still cry when reading about Beth's passing. While it would be too much to ask for movie makers to film everything exactly as it happens in a book, this version of Little Women misses so many marks.

There are nice things about it. The costumes are lovely and the settings are great. Winona is a very good Jo, other than the fact that she overshadows everyone else in the film besides Susan Sarandon (who is a kick-ass Marmee). It's a visually appealing film. But it's not true in some fundamental ways to the book, and that's a real shame. I'm sure that since the movie came out in 1994, there are little girls who think this is what the book is really like.

What you should do is balance a viewing of this film with the George Cukor version starring Katherine Hepburn. It's not precisely true to the book either, but it gets a lot of the elements right that the 1994 movie completely disregarded. And Ms. Hepburn is completely believable as a gangly girl who doesn't think she's good-looking. Clearly, she is, but it's a challenging beauty that's the perfect fit for a character like Jo.

Labor Day Weekend

I'm spending the weekend knitting, shifting boxes and curled up with Mittens tucked beside me. Not necessarily all at the same time, mind you.

Since it's a long weekend, I had considered going for a long, long drive in the country. You might think that, having just driven over a week to get here, I wouldn't be interested in spending any more time in Jane Grey than is absolutely necessary. But she's so comfy, so pretty and this area is growing on me the more of it I see. Some days I drive home by going ten miles out of my way, just so I can come home via the "airplane bridge" that crosses the end of the loch and passes some lovely little homes perched directly beside the road.

Both of you who read the blog know by now that Dan and I decided that long distance relationship is not for us. It's been very difficult for me in particular since I'm so far from everyone and I am (no surprise) still in love with him. Still, we were friends before and we'll get back to being friends now that it's after. It's just not after enough for my little heart.


Meanwhile, though, I've completed my Blackrose lace socks and immediately cast on the next project, shown above. I'm using a beautifully soft Dream in Color yarn called "Stardust." It is washable wool with a thin silvery thread shot through it such that it has a gentle sparkle. I love it. I thought knitting with the Panda Superwash was lovely, but this new yarn is lush and sooooo soft.

Boxhenge still takes up a good part of my life. I shift boxes from one room to the next. Part of why I'm not being so efficient at this is that I've peered into the exterior storage room that came with my apartment to see how much I could put away there. On the back wall were two very large, very scary-looking bugs. I think they are from the cricket family, but they were certainly very frightening to me. I do not want to go out there later and find that one of these dudes has gotten into my Christmas decor or something. Hence, I'm not using that outdoor closet and am running out of places to hide flattened cardboard boxes.

Maybe I can turn them into cat furniture.

Coasting

I've been taking the long road home from wherever I go, getting used to my new surroundings. If I feel that I've wandered too far off the beaten path, I turn on the GPS to get me home.

Although Gypsy (the GPS) does have a penchant for "as the crow flies" and will occasionally take me down some pretty interesting, beautiful and narrow little backwoods pathways to get me back on an interstate. She's funny that way.

Yesterday's adventure was to a town called Westminster, home of the Carroll County edition of Maryland's DMV. After having some issue proving I live here (which seems so odd to me, considering I had all sorts of proof...just not the proof they wanted), I managed to eventually get licensed.

Next goal: getting Jane Grey registered in the state. Then, our transformation will be complete.

I really need to keep my camera in the car as I drive around as there were so many times while wandering home yesterday that I wanted to stop and take a picture. Maryland is so pretty! It's softly green, undulating little hills, curvy roads and old farmhouses beside the road with fading red barns beyond them.

While I'm not living in a cute little 1840s cottage after all, I am still drawn to the greystone houses that are scattered all over the place here. Maybe someday, I'll actually get to live in one of them. :)

A Comedy of Comcast

This wasn't funny on Saturday, when they made me cry bitter, salty tears of frustration and anger. Tonight was almost funny. Almost.

I found it so completely stupid that I'm posting my chat session with Comcast's customer service. If they can record me for quality assurance purposes, I can post the log.

As a former Senior Customer Service Rep, I have to say...Comcast's cookie cutter responses are horrible. I can type pretty quickly and so never used canned responses back in the day. But at least we had decent canned responses and not the crap these people are using.


LiveAssist Transcript

Print Copy Email Close [and of course, the email option DOESN'T WORK]
chat id : ###-###-###-###-###
Problem : Ask Comcast Escalation [note: I didn't start off all escalated; apparently, changing information on your account automatically escalates the session. I think.]
Tracy > Ask Comcast Escalation

(Tue Aug 18 19:17:17 EDT 2009)
Mariane > Hello Tracy, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Mariane. Please give me one moment to review your information.
Mariane > Good Evening to you.
Mariane > Hi Tracy!
Mariane > How may I help you today?
Tracy > I need to change my phone number.
Mariane > No problem.
Mariane > Allow me to help you with that.
Mariane > For security verification purposes, Can you please verify to me the following:

1) Account Holder's Name
2) The full service address (Billing address)
3) And The last four digit of your Social Security Number (SSN).

Tracy > The new number is ...
Tracy > ####
Tracy > Wait. you need all of that info now?
Tracy > You already know my account holder name; you're typing to me.
Mariane > Yes please.
Tracy > Billing add is ---
Tracy > I need to make sure the tech calls my new number tomorrow or he won't be able to reach me.
Mariane > I see. For this matter Tracy, the changing of the phone number will take effect 24 hours.
Mariane > Do you want to proceed?
Tracy > Yes, but the tech needs the new number or he won't be able to reach me.
Mariane > Yes.
Mariane > No problem.
Tracy > Please make a note in my file with my new number and the fact that he must call that number.
Tracy > Thanks.
Mariane > Please give me moment to process your request.
Tracy > okay.
Mariane > No worries. I will take care of this for you.
Tracy > So we're done then?

Mariane > I'm sorry for the delay. We are having system maintenance as of this moment, this is the reason why this is taking a while to load.
Mariane > I am still processing the request for you.
Tracy > All right.
Mariane > I'm sorry. I got an error. Please standy on this chat page, I will need to transfer you to our sales department for the number change.
Mariane > I can transfer you now.
Mariane > Standby.
Tracy > ok
Mariane > Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst


(Tue Aug 18 19:25:15 EDT 2009)
Anna-Lisa > Hello. Thank you for choosing Comcast. My name is Anna-Lisa and I will be processing your order today. Please stay online while I create the work order for your request. It will take me just a few minutes to pull up your address in our system. Please hold for a moment.
Tracy > Fine.
Tracy > Although, as you know...we don't really have any choice in who provides cable.
Anna-Lisa > I’m sorry, you have reached Massachusetts. Please hold while I transfer you to the correct region.
Anna-Lisa > Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst


(Tue Aug 18 19:26:48 EDT 2009)
Dowell Angelo > Hi, how are you doing today?
Tracy > All I want to do is change my phone number on this account.
Tracy > And make sure that the tech will call that number tomorrow, or he won't be able to reach me.
Dowell Angelo > I understand.
Dowell Angelo > Not a problem.
Tracy > If it isn't a problem, why have had been through two other reps before you?
Dowell Angelo > I understand. However, there's a different department who handles this type of concern.
Dowell Angelo > Rest assured that at the end of the chat your concern will absolutely resolved.
Tracy > I'm resting. (Tue Aug 18 19:31:04 EDT 2009) [I'm getting a bit snarky now =\]

Time passes; I open up Bejeweled Blitz in another browser, keeping my eye on the chat window...
Tracy > Is something wrong? (Tue Aug 18 19:34:48 EDT 2009)
Dowell Angelo > For the security of your account, please verify the last four numbers of the Social Security Number.
Tracy > Hello?
Tracy > Ping time 7:35PM [Alarmed at how long he seemed to be taking, I started sending myself the time so that it would show up directly in the chat window]
Dowell Angelo > Are you still connected with me? (Tue Aug 18 19:36:39 EDT 2009)
Dowell Angelo > Did you receive my last message? (Tue Aug 18 19:36:40 EDT 2009) [note: Dowell is being snarky, too]
Dowell Angelo > Did you receive my last message? (Tue Aug 18 19:37:03 EDT 2009)

Tracy > Why do I need to repeat this?
Tracy > I've already been escalated twice within your network.
Tracy > All I want to do is change the phone number on my account.
Dowell Angelo > I understand.
Tracy > Please change my number to ###.
Dowell Angelo > I will be directing you the appropriate department who handles phone service. [note: alarm bells went off in my mind at this point...clearly, they have no idea what I need or why I called]
Tracy > Make sure the tech knows to call THAT number in the morning, or he won't be able to reach me.

Tracy > Wait. What?
Dowell Angelo > Not a problem.
Tracy > You are transferring me again?
Dowell Angelo > Yes, Tracy.
Dowell Angelo > No need to worry.
Tracy > How hard can this be?
Tracy > That will be the fourth person I'll have chatted with.
Tracy > Of COURSE I am now worried.
Tracy > I'm not looking for phone SERVICE.
Dowell Angelo > I can assure you that this would be the last department that you will be transferred.
Tracy > I am looking to change the number on my Comcast ACCOUNT.
Dowell Angelo > And from there, everything will be fine.
Tracy > Not get a comcast phone, or comcast wireless.
Tracy > Do you understand what I need to do?
Tracy > I need someone in account services to change my existing account.
Tracy > Ping time 7:40pm

Dowell Angelo > I understand that. That is why I needed to transfer you to the Digital Phone department because you were transferred to us the Order Taking department.
Tracy > I do not NEED A DIGITAL PHONE. [Is yelling now...for good reason]
Tracy > I NEED CUSTOMER SERVICE on an EXISTING CABLE ACCOUNT.
Tracy > I do not HAVE a Comcast phone, nor do I want one.
Tracy > I just need to change my account phone number..on my ACCOUNT.
Tracy > My CABLE account.
Tracy > Please connect me with a department supervisor.
Dowell Angelo > Yes, that is what I am trying to say. I needed to transfer you to the appropriate department so they can be able to change the phone number.

Tracy > I would like to escalate this further up the tier.
Tracy > You keep saying digital phone.
Tracy > You are incorrect.
Tracy > Please have a supervisor enter the chat room.
Tracy > Thanks
Dowell Angelo > Alright. Just a minute, let me get my Supervisor online.
Tracy > Thank you.

Dowell Angelo > Just a minute, my Supervisor is just setting up her tools.
Dowell Angelo > I appreciate your patience.
Tracy > All right.
Tracy > Ping time 7:45pm
Dowell Angelo > Thank you for patiently waiting.
Tracy > Okay.
Dowell Angelo > I will be transferring you now to my Supervisor.
Dowell Angelo > Her name is Iris.
Tracy > Appreciate it.
Dowell Angelo > Is there anything that I can assist you with before I transfer you?
Tracy > No, thanks.
Dowell Angelo > Alright. Please stay online while I transfer you.
Dowell Angelo > Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst


(Tue Aug 18 19:49:35 EDT 2009)
Iris.18173 > I am more than willing and happy to assist you with that.
Tracy > Fine.
Tracy > I hope it's your supervisor not another analyst.
Tracy > Iris, can you explain to me what it is that I need tonight?
Iris.18173 > Yes Tracy, this is Dowell's supervisor. How may I help you today?
Tracy > Did he not tell you?
Tracy > ping time 7:50pm
Iris.18173 > Alright Tracy, I will double check that here on my end. Just a moement please.
Tracy > I'll be patiently waiting. [The Return of Sgt. Snarky]
Iris.18173 > Thank you.


Iris.18173 > Hi Tracy, If I understand it correctly you are requesting to change your phone number on your account and you are transferred for 2 reps already . I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you.
Tracy > Are you able to make that change for me?
Tracy > You are, after all, the fourth person to whom I've explained this.
Iris.18173 > Can I get to verify your account number?
Tracy > ###
Iris.18173 > Thank you for that information. Let me go ahead and check what I can do here on my end.
Tracy > ping time 7:57pm

Iris.18173 > Thank you for waiting, as much as I want to help you with that for security and protection of the account we are not allowed to alter any information on your account. What I can do is to refer you to our Comcast Digital Voice Department to help you with this concern. [huh?!]
Tracy > But I do not have Comcast Digital Voice.
Tracy > I have a Comcast cable account.
Tracy > And a tech coming tomorrow who will call the wrong phone number to try and reach me.
Tracy > According to your website, the only way to change my account phone number is to either call or use this chat system.
Tracy > Why can I not use this chat system to do something as simple as change my own account phone number?
Tracy > I am not trying to obtain new service, just service an existing Comcast Cable account.
Tracy > And I guarantee, if you transfer me to Digital Voice, they will be surprised to hear from me since I do not have a Digital Voice package with my cable service.
Tracy > Of course, right now, I don't even have cable service.
Tracy > Which is why the tech is coming out in the morning.

Iris.18173 > Alright Tracy, I just want to verify if this is your correct home phone number Old###?
Tracy > I've answered all the security questions, so please, just change the phone number on my acount.
Tracy > No.
Tracy > That's what I am trying to change.
Tracy > My phone number is ###.
Tracy > The tech needs to call that number, or he will not reach me.
Tracy > Ping time 8:04pm
Tracy > Iris, surely you can see why this is becoming frustrating for me.

(Tue Aug 18 20:06:48 EDT 2009)
Iris.18173 > Thank you Tracy, would it be alright for you to give you the number of the local office so that you can contact them and at the same time I will take note on your account your correct phone number which is ### so that they may contact you before going to your place to check on your cable service.
Tracy > what?
Iris.18173 > I understand where you are coming from, Tracy. [No...no, you don't.]

Tracy > Wait. So you're saying your website is incorrect.
Tracy > And that I cannot service my account information by using the chat system.
Tracy > So I've been online now since...gee, 7:15PM or so....for nothing.
Tracy > Why, that's almost an entire hour of chatting!
Tracy > If you can get to my account, I would really appreciate it if you could simply change the phone number.
Tracy > What is the purpose of having a nationwide network if you are unable to centrally service any account?
Tracy > ping time 8:09PM

(Tue Aug 18 20:11:09 EDT 2009)
Iris.18173 > I apologize for the long wait. Can I get to verify the last 4 digits of your SSN please.
Tracy > Again?
Tracy > For goodness' sake, it's still me! The same person who gave you all this information an hour ago, since it's now 8:11PM!
Tracy > As I'm being transferred internally through your chat system, you surely don't think that I've changed somehow?
Iris.18173 > I have checked you previous conversation and I have checked your SSN . I just want to verify the information. I will now change your phone number. Just a moment please, Tracy.

Tracy > Iris, are these chat logs reviewed later for quality assurance purposes?
Iris.18173 > Yes.
Tracy > Okay. So you don't mind then if I post this session for peer review? [y'all are my peers]
Tracy > ping time 8:15pm
Iris.18173 > I understand where you are coming from Tracy. i just want to verify your number because on the previous chat it is ###, or is it ###?
Tracy > ###
Iris.18173 > Thank you. I have changed you phone number on your account. Would there be anything else I may help you with?
Tracy > No, thank you.
Iris.18173 > You are welcome Tracy.

(Tue Aug 18 20:18:41 EDT 2009)
Iris.18173 > I will appreciate your feedback about the service you experienced with me today. It is our priority to provide you the best customer service. Kindly answer the survey at the end of this chat so we will know how we can improve our service. [roflmao!]
Tracy > Oh, I sure will!
Iris.18173 > Thank you for contacting Comcast. We value your business. If you need assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us through Live Chat or E-Mail (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week). As well, Comcast offers excellent FAQ and Help forums located at www.comcast.net to help you reach a resolution without contacting our technical support.
Iris.18173 > Analyst has closed chat and left the room