This afternoon I saw a 1966 Kenner kid's knitting frame in mint condition on eBay. At first I thought, "This is a good price and Maia would have fun with it." Then I thought it would be a shame if I bought it instead of some collector. Isn't that odd? Toys are meant to be played with, not stored away unopened. Still, someone should collect these things so that children in 3002 can go to a museum and see what their ancestors did to pass the time.

I have reached the point in my illness with which most people are familiar. I feel better but I'm really not well yet. I could have gone to work today, but my coworkers would not have appreciated me spreading my germs. My taste buds are screaming for something other than soup and my bed no longer feels a warm haven. The weather is beautiful outside for the third day in a row yet I can't go out and enjoy it. ABM scolded me for attempting to get the mail. As he said, "If you're sick, then get your butt in bed. I didn't take the kids out of your way for nothing!"

In preparation of my return to the Land of the Healthy, I got out of bed and did a few things: exercised, took a shower, got dressed, and straightened up my bedroom. Just as I was about to vacuum, I began to feel a bit woozy. Perhaps I overdid it just a tad. I just warmed up a bowl of chicken and rice soup (low-fat, of course) and am returning to my spot on the bed for a little while. So much for hooking up my new webcam today :-(.

Did I turn away from Jenny Jones? No, I did not. I sat here and watched this woman bring two men on the show to find out which one is her teenage daughter's father. Man #1 was told that he was the father by a relative and has been building a relationship with the girl for seven years. Man #2 stoutly protested being the father, but he was required by the state to pay child support since the girl was born. The DNA results are revealed and neither man is the father. The girl runs crying off the stage, of course, and Jenny Jones follows her to try to talk to her about bringing a different man on for another DNA test so that her viewers can know the truth! After seeing this kind of bulldog behavior by daytime talk show hosts, why would anyone go on one of these shows?

Rescue me! I am sitting here watching Jenny Jones! I knew if I stayed home long enough I would get sucked into watching trashy daytime TV. I keep turning away because I know it is rotting my brain, but I end up turning back again because there isn't very much you can do when you are sick in bed. Today's topic is the usual: "Who's My Baby's Daddy?", complete with shouting and DNA tests. Perhaps I better turn to the History Channel before I kill all my brain cells!

My throat still hurts but the swelling has gone down considerably. According to the doctor, I should no longer be contagious after today so ABM and the kids can come back home. I know it seems a bit extreme to quarantine myself from my family for strep throat, but my little one DJ gets very ill from things that hit the rest of the family lightly. In his young life, he has already contracted mono and RSV and had to be hospitalized several times. I think he has had strep throat as well, and I've heard that the second time you get strep is worse than the first. We are blessed to have a place like the MIL's house where they can stay in a situation like this.

I am SO ready to go back to work! It was a relief to get a break from customers complaining about their bills, but I miss my coworkers. Now I understand why my stint as a stay-at-home mom didn't work so well. I spent my teen years as a bit of a loner and crowds made me nervous, so I've always viewed myself as a non-social person. However, being at home with no one to talk to but four young children was a bit too much isolation. At my current job, I work with a fascinating group of young women who make me laugh and ponder different viewpoints. Also, for the first time in my working career I am not the youngest girl in the office relying on the wisdom of my more experienced coworkers. I get a chance to pass on a little wisdom for a change.

If ABM doubted that I was sick yesterday, those suspicions should be cleared up now. When I got up this morning, I was so woozy I could barely stumble to the bathroom. I've been floating in and out of consciousness ever since. I haven't taken a Vicoprofen since 6a; you would think it would be out of my system by now. Anyway, my loving husband took the kids over to the MIL's house with him while he continues working on her kitchen remodeling project. He also bought me several cans of low-fat soup so that I don't put on a few pounds while I am stuck in bed.

With limbs that feel like jelly, I haven't been able to be very productive during my quarantine time. I did finish another crocheted cap for a coworker; that makes three I've made this month. The other projects beside my bed will have to wait until I can stop my hands from shaking, I guess. It's no fun to call in sick when you're really sick!

Yesterday must have been Beauty Pageant Day. After I watched Miss Congeniality, I flipped over to PBS to watch American Experience which happened to be about the history of the Miss America Pageant. It was a program that combined two interests of mine: pop culture and history. The changes in America's standard of Caucasian beauty was striking. The contestants in the 1930s and 1940s looked much more like the farmer's pretty daughters than the Barbie dolls in pageants today. It was touching to hear what the pageant meant to past winners. I was in tears during the segment about Bess Myerson being the first Jewish Miss America and how important it was to the Jewish community. It was also interesting to learn that the first Miss Black America pageant was held at midnight so that they wouldn't be competing with the big pageant for attention. I remember as a teenager thinking it was some sort of racist plot that my local TV station aired the Miss Black America pageant after the late night news; apparently I was wrong. I know that local PBS stations have different schedules, so if you get a chance to catch American Experience this week I would recommend it.

ABM is back home now so I better climb back in bed before he makes me help him clean the garage!

ABM came home and saw me sitting at the computer which means he is never going to believe I am sick now. Never mind that he is at the drugstore filling my prescription for painkillers. I have been in bed all afternoon, but I got tired of sitting in the same spot. My dear husband will not believe this, however. In the World According to ABM, a person who is sick enough to be home from work is supposed to be lanquishing in bed, moaning pitifully and barely able to raise a glass of water to her parched lips. How much do you want to bet that he has me doing housework tomorrow?

Of course, the day that I am sick there is nothing but junk on TV. The premium channels are all showing movies that I have either seen already or didn't find interesting when they were first released. The least offending choice right now is Miss Congeniality so I guess Sandra Bullock will be keeping me company this afternoon.

If you ever have a sore throat, I would highly recommend Tylenol Sore Throat. It is a disgusting-looking brown liquid consisting of honey, lemon, and acetaminophen. It cut my sore throat pain in half and it was severe. If this had been a run-of-the-mill sore throat, I bet the TST would have completely relieved the pain.

Well, my coworkers called it --- I have a bad case of strep throat. When the nurse was testing me, she jabbed at my throat with the swab like she was trying to pop a balloon but I didn't get mad because I was just thankful that the office worked me in today. The doctor said that I am contagious until Wednesday, so I am sitting home alone while the rest of the family is at the MIL's house.

You would think I would be happy to be ordered to stay in bed for two more days. Unfortunately, ABM hasn't deposited his check yet so I couldn't stop by the store on the way home to fill my prescription or get anything soft to eat. Right now, I'm trying to swallow some creamed corn and wishing it was a bowl of soup. I know that he is working on the MIL's kitchen cabinets, but is it wrong for me to want someone to take care of me when I am sick? I can be such a man sometimes :-).

It turns out that my new exercise routine was not the cause of my lethargy on Friday, so I have no excuse to quit (drat!). Instead, I think I may have strep throat. My neck is painfully swollen on the left side and my throat feels as if I swallowed a box of straight pins. I'm on my way to the doctor's office now.

My morning caffeine infusion is not working its usual magic today. I am just not alert enough to reason with customers about their gas bills. My coworkers are talking to me and I am giving them a heavy-lidded stare in response. I started exercising in the morning before work which is supposed to give me more energy, but I think it is dragging me down.

M is having her first sleepover next month on her ninth birthday. She is so excited that she can barely contain herself. I, however, am dreading it. Being responsible for eight giggly girls is not my idea of fun, especially since large groups tend to overwhelm me. Still, I can't deprive her of this. As a homeschooling parent, it is my job to encourage the friendships that M develops and create events where she can spend time with other kids since she isn't seeing them in school. So I have to go into "good mommy" mode and pretend that playing Payday with pre-teens was exactly what I wanted to do on a Saturday night.

A poem by Anne Bradstreet, in honor of my sister's recent wedding:

"To My Dear and Loving Husband"

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee.
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompetence.
Thy love is such I can no way repay.
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let's so persever
That when we live no more, we may live ever.

Ah, the joys of homeschooling! This week's challenge is to find an appropriate piece for my daughter M's spring recitation. Part of her curriculum is to take six weeks and memorize something larger than the usual Bible verse. The timing coincides nicely with the Easter program we have at church every year so I try to pick something that is appropriate for the service, as well. Last year I lucked up and found the perfect poem: "A Prayer in Spring" by Robert Frost. It wasn't too difficult for an eight-year-old to memorize yet it was impressive enough to let everyone know that we aren't just playing around with the homeschooling thing. Since it also mentions God and spring, it was just right for the Easter service. My Sonlight curriculum guide gives three suggestions for this year's recitation: "Paul Revere's Ride", "Hiawatha's Childhood", or Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech. Paul Revere and Patrick Henry both tie in well with our history studies but they are both too difficult for my soon-to-be nine-year-old daughter. As for Hiawatha, I guess I am a child of the TV generation because I can't read the opening lines of that poem without visions of "I Love Lucy" popping into my head. So far, the front runner is Anne Bradstreet, the first English poet to live in America. She was mentioned in a book we read for history, "The Witch of Blackbird Pond", so she fits this year's curriculum. She was also a Puritan so her poetry has a Christian slant, as well. If she has a poem about spring, then I'm in business!

Feel free to direct me to any poems about Spring that might be appropriate so I can stockpile them for the future. Follow the Contact link on my home page to drop me a line.

What I'm listening to: A Woman's Worth by Alicia Keys

This morning I was browsing through the listings on eBay trying to add to my small vintage knitting pattern collection. I ran across a listing for a book entitled "Cherry Ames, Dude Ranch Nurse" and it brought back a flood of memories. My fascination with pre-1970 pop culture started when I was about ten years old and Happy Days was still on the air. I would listen to the oldies countdown on the local AM station every Sunday and immerse myself in everything I could find from the 1950s, including cheap dime novels like Cherry Ames. My classmates thought I was so odd when I wore a grey poodle skirt, bobby socks, and penny loafers in the sixth grade!

Of course, that was nothing compared to the comments I got in high school when I went through my 1960s phase. This started when I saw To Sir, With Love for the first time. I worked my way through the whole decade in about four years, from bouffants and Jackie O style to dashikis and revolution. There was an ensemble comprised of a black corduroy micro-mini worn with a red sweater and fishnet hose that caused quite a stir in my psychology class. Janis Joplin alternated with Broadway show tunes in my cassette player, and I began inching toward the 1970s with Richard Brautigan and Nikki Giovanni on my reading list.

These days, at the beginning of a new millenium, I am looking back toward the start of the last millenium. Artwork and vintage fashion photography from the 1920s and 1930s are what I search for most often on Google lately. Unfortunately, I am not slim enough to wear any of the styles but I like looking at them nonetheless. Since I am now a wife and mother, I am also fascinated with accounts of household life from those eras. It seems I've traded revolutionary spirit for domesticity as most people do when they mature.

Perhaps looking at all those color swatches in yarn catalogs is getting to me, but I am beginning to develop an appreciation for art. Usually when I am searching for new themes to add to my collection (I am a desktop wallpaper junkie), I look for my favorite TV shows or musicians. Lately I have developed a preference for fine art wallpapers, especially on my computer at work. Currently I am using "Still Life with Drapery" by Cezanne. The vibrant colors have a restorative effect after I have dealt with a difficult customer. I obtained this wallpaper from an obvious place: Wallpapers.com. Later this week, I will post a list of my favorite wallpaper and desktop theme sites.

I removed myself from my adult responsibilities on Saturday and it did me a world of good. My best friend Rabbit and I had a great time doing nothing in particular. We set up a few programs on her computer, stuffed our faces, and played Scrabble poorly until 2a. Conventional wisdom dictates that everyone should take a little time for themselves, but it can be nearly impossible when you have a job AND a spouse AND a houseful of kids all clamoring for your attention. This just makes the few times I can sneak away even more precious.

Our management team just issued their pep talk memo for the beginning of the new year, and I am tickled by one section: "When the calls are slow and all your WQs have been completed you can read, knit or play games . . ." The word knit was not in last year's memo and do you know why? Because there were no knitters in the call center until I started working there. Now there is yarn on every other desk! In the space of a year, I taught over 20 people how to knit or crochet and convinced others to pull their half-finished projects out of the closet. I've always wondered how people would remember me when I go, and now I know that I have firmly established my identity among family and friends as "the knitting lady".

Knitting can be a soothing activity and a great stress reliever. Unfortunately, the yarn can't do its magic if you don't have time to pick it up! The agitation is rising again while my knitting needles sit beside me, untouched. My work-in-progress is a sweater for my son using a beautiful skein of Lion Brand Homespun yarn in a colorway called Sierra. It reminds me of viewing a sunset across the desert. If only people would stop calling me with stupid questions!

Calmness and serenity have returned to my being. I just had to keep reminding myself that I am a conduit of God's love and kindness and I should strive to express that to those around me. Of course, I'm sure I will feel even better when I can take this headset off in about three hours.

I am so edgy today! I don't know what it is. I'm not ingesting any more caffeine than usual, and no one has done anything to me. I just can't seem to sit still and every customer that calls in is aggravating me. Luckily, I am going to spend the day with my best friend tomorrow. Perhaps a day away from my responsibilities is just what I need.

Everyone please send good vibes/prayers/chants up for my sister today. She and her soulmate tied the knot around 12n. It was just a short civil ceremony so she didn't want any of her family to make a special trip down. I just like the thought of many tiny prayers going up, wishing her a long succesful marriage.

Happy Birthday to Me! Yes, today is my birthday and so far it has been pretty low-key. I've gotten lots of e-mail greetings from my online friends and many in-person wishes from my co-workers. I imagine that my little munchkins will be directed by their father to make a few cards for me. ABM himself muttered a half-hearted "Happy Birthday" as he dropped me off this morning, but I'm not upset. It is the least that I deserve since I have only remembered his birthday a handful of times in the 13 years that we have been together.

Last Saturday, we attended a sales meeting at a relative's house. I wasn't keen on going because I had already decided that whatever the pitch was, we weren't buying it. When we got there, this creepy guy who obviously just finished Motivational Speaking 101 with only a C started telling us about how we were going to make tons of money in two to five years using the vast potential of the internet. He spent the majority of the presentation talking about how great it would be but precious little time explaining how we were going to actually do it. All the bragging about how much money he is already earning made me want to run screaming from the room but instead I kept tearing my fingernails off one by one to avoid looking him in the eye. Finally the presentation was over and he handed out literature packets for us to take home. When my husband opened the folder and I saw a familiar name (let's call him Mr. B), my brain when "Ding! Ding! Ding!". Amway! Even though the presenter never mentioned Amway (the company name he gave us was Quixtar), the whole business sounded vaguely familiar to me. When I saw that name, it confirmed my suspicions. I had worked for a construction company owned by Mr. B when I was a teenager and the foreman kept telling me how Mr. B and Amway had saved his marriage. However, I had also heard horror stories about Amway being vaguely cult-like so I knew I didn't want to be involved.

When my husband asked the presenter whether Amway and Quixtar were connected, he hemmed and hawed and evaded the question. As soon as we got home, I did a little research. Thank goodness for Google and DSL access! It took less than five minutes for me to find out that Quixtar was the internet arm of Amway, even though the presenter said that we would have trouble finding information on Quixtar through a standard search. There is one site called MLM Survivors that outlines all the lawsuits and has some interesting personal accounts. Since visiting that website, my husband seems to be on a crusade. He has contacted everyone who was at the meeting we attended as well as some church members that attended a different meeting the next day. Quixtar was the only topic of conversation over the weekend because several people we know attended presentations within the space of a few days. Did the organization just discover our town or what?

My little monsters are beside themselves with excitement. We usually get one significant snowfall every winter, and this winter we are getting in early. All four of the kids are staring out the window, marveling at the flurry of white flakes that are producing a child-enticing accumulation on the lawn. The forecast called for three to six inches of snow overnight, so I am sure that they will be waking me up at the crack of dawn to go out and play in it.

The snow is making my employers go nuts, as well. Since we work at a utility company, the calls increase when it is cold outside and the company wants to make sure we have no excuse for not coming to work tomorrow. When I left today, they were getting driving directions from the employees who live the furthest away from the call center so they could send servicemen in trucks to pick them up. Luckily, tomorrow is my day off. One person who will not be dragging herself in to get a few hours overtime is me!