Things that cut into my yarn budget: Downsizing

It's very, very early Monday morning. I slept soundly for a few hours, but around 3:30 I woke up. After almost two hours, I gave up on going back to sleep.

The past four days have been crazy on so many levels.

On Friday I got laid off.

I saw it coming. When I returned to work, I realized I had missed something major the week before. There were a lot of empty seats.

The word was they thought they were done letting people go.

I got sucked into another project with another team when I returned. But I slowly realized my team was doing a lot of finishing, and not enough starting.

And then Thursday, they scheduled a meeting. My supervisor asked if I could come in early (since I still had about a week of part time left.) He seemed way too concerned about everyone being there. Yet he never told us what the meeting was about.

And that's when I knew.

Friday morning I had an appointment to see the doctor about my elbow. (More on that later on.) The practice my family has been going to for years is just minutes from my parents' house. So I had already planned to spend the night there to avoid having to drive across town twice in a row during rush hour.

I wasn't going to say anything to them about it at first. But when Dad asked how work was going, I spilled everything.

We did a lot of talking that night. Maybe I was wrong. Things would be ok if I was right.

When I woke up Friday morning I convinced myself I was working myself up for nothing.

Then I thought they couldn't possibly cut all of us. Maybe I'd be one of the "safe" ones.

I went to the doctor, and headed back up to North Austin. I didn't have to be at work until the meeting (remember, I was still part time.) I didn't want to go home. So I just wandered.

I ended up at Borders, but they didn't open until 10 a.m. So I drove down the road and decided to have a bite to eat at Einstein's Bagels. I sat near two women who were having an intense conversation that seemed to be work related. I almost jumped in and asked them if their company was downsizing like mine. But I kept my mouth shut.

Then I went back to Borders. I set the alarm on my phone so I wouldn't be late, but wouldn't be early enough to be around during the awkward moments before the meeting.

I was too distracted to really read anything. I didn't even go to the knitting section. I wandered around flipping through various books. I considered getting a card to say goodbye. I decided that was premature. I flipped through various self help books. In the humor section I found a bank featuring Lucy from the Peanuts. She was at her famous "Psychiatric Help 5 cents" booth. It would have been a nice edition to my desk.

Ball and Chain by Social Distortion was on the radio on the drive to work. I sang the chorus as loud as I could all the way there.

We were whisked into the meeting almost immediately when I got in. When I saw the HR guy in the room, I knew my fears were confirmed.

The client hadn't renewed it's contract with our company. It was that simple.

After some discussion of the HR stuff, I was the one who broke the awkward silence. I couldn't tell you exactly what I said. Basically that it was nobody's fault, that we all did the best we could and that this company had treated us well. I cried and a box of tissues somehow appeared in front of me.

We aren't completely done. We have one week together as a team. Then there are three optional days in the first week of August, where we can work on a special project. Working these days will allow us to keep our benefits for another month. There is a possibility of being rehired, but we can't count on anything.

However, we were given the rest of Friday off with pay. Most of us ended up at a nearby pub. I was there at least four hours. We played a lot of "Monday morning quarterback." I still maintain that we all did the best we could. I know it sounds a cliche, but it's the economy. It's not personal, and it's not our fault.

I called my Mom and Dad and cried. I called Jules and cried. We went back to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Katie and Aaron were there to support me, and when I hugged them, I cried.

I'm pretty cried out right now. But I still tear up at times.

At times I complained about work. At times I celebrated work. I'm not that worried about getting a job. (Well, I am a little bit.) I'm grieving a loss. I'm attached to that place and the people in it.

But I think the universe is giving me an opening to move on to the next phase of my life.

I'm going back full time a little early. I was pacing myself for a marathon, but now I'm sprinting for the finish line.

Going back to work for the next few days is going to be tough. I may not be at the top of my game this week, but I'm going to do my best. Some may goof off the whole time. Some may not return at all.

But I'm not going out like that.

Now it's time for me to get dressed for work. I have some calls to make.

Things that cut into my yarn budget: Off of Work and Out of Commission

The last couple of weeks have been ...interesting. Part of me wants to blog all the gory details, but I know some parts of your life are best left off of the Internet, however "interesting" they may be.

The main gist of it is health problems. A hospitalization. Lots of non-knitting, yet craving to knit. I'm not quite functioning like a normal person.

I'm taking some time off of work right now to get things straightened out some more. Which means I'm living off my parents. My meager savings won't go far. And I have more hospital bills. And did I mention my insurance *claims* I haven't met deductible yet? At least I can fix that. I hope.

Sadly, Decimal will have to wait. Spending $40-$50 on KnitPicks yarn is usually doable, but not right now. It's stash knitting.

In between all this my Photogenic Scarf is stuck in my desk at work. I really, really, really want to knit that scarf. I need to find something equally soothing to knit. In my stash. ASAP.

(I hope my boss took that orange out of my desk like I asked. Otherwise it's going to start stinking up the place.)

I don't have it in my to do World Wide Knit in Public Day at the Capitol tomorrow. But I will be at The Knitting Nest to see Franklin Habit. I can't afford the class though (it's probably full anyway), but I'll probably pick up his book and get it signed.

I really want my scarf back.

Things that cut into my yarn budget: More medical stuff for me and the bunny

A while back I mentioned that the bunny would need her teeth trimmed soon. Well, yesterday I got a call from the vet's office confirming my appointment for today. I vaguely remembered scheduling it for January, but I didn't remember the day. I had to make last minute arrangements to take Bunny Foo-Foo to Mom and Dad's house. Dad took her in first thing this morning, and she's resting comfortably at Mom and Dad's house tonight. (We decided to wait a day before making her ride in the car all the way back to my house. She hates riding in the car.)

When I made the appointment, I was thinking that I would have recovered financially from the holidays by that point. I was wrong. (I made the appointment before I went to the hospital.)

Speaking of the hospital, I mentioned here that they had found a nodule on my thyroid. After much back and forth with my doctor and the hospital, I finally got the results of the ultrasound of my neck that they did at the hospital. And the results were that they need more tests.

I thought we'd know the results based on the ultrasound. But all the ultrasound showed was that there was a 1.4 centimeter nodule. It wasn't someone else's finger on the cat scan or a Junior Mint.

So now I have to see an endocrinologist, who will more than likely do a needle biopsy of the nodule. At least my FSA rolled over, but I've still met my maximum out of pocket. Yay?

The good news is that they still think that it's nothing.

And speaking of medical stuff...


I managed to stab my self with a pair of scissors last night. And it hurt a lot.

I was trying to close a pair of folding scissors like these, and something slipped. I managed to stab myself just below the thumb on both hands. It didn't break the skin on the left hand, but it bruised both sides. This is my right hand 24 hours later. There was actually a bump last night, but it's gone now. It still hurts, though.


Tonight I finished one of Jules' Gloves and started the other. These things are huge! The good news is that one of my coworkers tried it on in the break room, and it fit him. So it's possible that they'll actually fit Jules.

Things that cut into my yarn budget: Out of Network Doctors (and a new WIP)

Yesterday I got the first bill from my hospital stay. This bill wasn't even from the hospital. It was from the doctors who treated me while I was at the hospital. That means this wasn't included in my original estimate from the insurance lady at the hospital.

After insurance, I owed the doctors' $244 and change. I called in and asked about the charges. It turns out there was roughly $200 denied by my insurance because the doctors were out of network and not pre-approved. Apparently I was supposed to get a doctor pre-approved before I went to the ER.

So I called the insurance company. The "customer advocate" said she would put it through as in network because I was admitted as an emergency.

A few minutes later, she came back announced proudly that they were going to pay about $27 more on the claim. Yipee. She suggested that I call the doctor's office and ask for a write off.

Someone call Michael Moore.

I know I already posted this clip, but listen for the lady talking about pre-authorizing the ambulance. It's a similar situation.



WIP: Tychus

Sunday night I started Tychus for a belated Christmas gift. This picture is where I was when I went to bed Sunday night.


This is where I was last night before bed. I have two of the five sections complete.

I used the Cascade Greenland that I bought at Wildfiber. It's thick enough that I only need one strand. So far,so good.

Things that cut into my yarn budget: Pancreatitis

There's a reason I haven't posted in a week. I've been in the hospital.

Sunday night I became violently ill, to the point I called my parents to take me to the ER. I was pretty sure I had food poisoning. It came on suddenly. In fact, I had been at The Knitting Nest just a couple of hours earlier, feeling fine.

I was expecting to spend several hours in the ER, get some good anti-nausea drugs, go home and spend the night with my parents and be back at work on Tuesday. I managed to toss a few things on the top of my knitting bag when I left, but I didn't plan on being away from home more than one night.

After some blood tests, they determined that I had pancreatitis, and I needed to stay in the hospital.

I had originally starting blogging about this a couple of days ago, but the entry kept growing to the point that it didn't seem quite right for my knitting blog. If you want to read about all the details, you can read about it on my much neglected Livejournal. I made a point of not making it too gross, but it is detailed and it hasn't been proofread.

The upshot is that I'm recovering. They discharged me from the hospital late Wednesday night, and I stayed with my parents until last night. They aren't sure what caused it. I don't have gallstones, which is the most common cause. They don't think it will come back.

Right now Bunny Foo-Foo is staying with Mom and Dad until I recover a bit more. I plan to be back at work on Monday.

From the time I left The Knitting Nest on Sunday until last night, I didn't knit a stitch. Although I grabbed my knitting bag when I left the house, it didn't stay with me in the hospital. And it didn't matter if it had, because of the IV in my arm. It was in my right arm, and I had to try to keep it straight, or else the IV would kink up. And after a few days, that arm was really sore.


Including the IV, I was poked six times during my stay. I look like an IV drug addict. It was even worse before I took this picture. (The good news is that I'm healing.) You can't see the spot in my left arm where they drew blood twice. The most painful is the ginormous bruise on my left arm. That's where I "blew" a vein during a blood draw. Ouch.

On a knitting related note, the respiratory therapist remember me from Worldwide Knit In Public Day. I think her name was Ayesha, and I hope we see her around.

Also, while I was in the hospital Mom took home my jacket home and washed it - with my Knucks in the pockets. I was pleasantly surprised. They still fit and they didn't felt. I think they're actually better because all the pills came off. I think the silk content in the RYC Silk Wool DK prevented felting. Still, I wouldn't recommend putting it in the washer on purpose.

As for the yarn budget part, this stay will cost me no less than $1,500. Imagine if I didn't have insurance. I have some Aflac coverage to help, and my FSA is about to roll over, so that should help.

The other issue is that I'm completely out of leave, which means I won't get paid at all for the past week. I'll be getting loans from the Bank of Mom and Dad for a while to get by. I fully intend to pay back every dollar.

Yesterday I got a letter in the mail from my insurance company. They were gracious enough to approve 6 days in the hospital. How nice of them. I'm glad I needed less than that.

I also found out that I'm about to reach my out of pocket maximum. So I can afford to get sick again before my insurance rolls over May 1. Yay?

On a related note, if you're an American (or even if you're not) you need to see Sicko.

Things that cut into my yarn budget: Bunny Nose and Bunny Teeth

In August, I took Bunny Foo-Foo to the vet for "poopy butt". Before Thanksgiving, I had to take her back to the vet because her respiratory came back.

According to the vet, she's lost about half a kilogram since I took this picture. Dad is convinced she's starving, but the vet said she is at a healthy weight. Now she can hop up on the coffee table again. I discovered this a couple of days before I took the picture above. I walked in from the bedroom, and she stared it me with the guiltiest look. I wish I had a camera at that moment.

After talking with the vet, I decided doing a nasal culture was worth the money. I'd be throwing money away if I gave her the same antibiotic and it came back yet again. The culture cost about $90. The whole visit cost about $160.

I'm really happy with Westgate Pet and Bird Clinic. They have lots of experience with rabbits, and they're open on Saturday.

I took her the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and the vet said they'd probably have the results on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. When they didn't call before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, I assumed I'd have to wait until after the holiday.

But the vet called me at 9:30 Wednesday night, after getting out of surgery for the day, to tell me the results. I was very impressed. And Thursday, I found a voicemail from early that morning. They had left the antibiotic with an ice pack on the back door. (I didn't get the medication until Friday because I didn't get the message until late Thursday night.)

It turns out that I made the right call on the culture. She didn't have Pasteurella after all. She has Klebsiella. (I'm not sure if I got the name right.)

The antibiotics were only another $20. The bad news is that she needs her teeth trimmed. I scheduled an appointment for that in January. It's going to cost about $250, since they will put her to sleep for the procedure. The price includes a blood test, which is recommended for older rabbits. They explained all the costs to me in detail, and they make sense.

If you're keeping track, that's about $430 in vet expenses. I may be able to get vet insurance, but it won't cover pre-existing conditions. *Sigh*

Things that cut into my yarn budget: The Dentist. Again. (and some other stuff.)

I really, really, really thought today would be my last dentist appointment until I get another exam six months from now.

But nooooo. It's been so long since the I first started that I've developed two brand new cavities. Crap!

So this time I'm really going to get serious about flossing. I hope. Soon I'm going to run out of teeth to drill.

The cleaning wasn't that bad, but my gums are sore. But then again, they were poking them with sharp things. Also, I had a discussion about the unpleasant scraping sound the dentist's hook against your teeth with Lyndsey and her family on Sunday, and that didn't help.

This next round will be October 1, and will cost $89. They kept talking about "downgrading" my fillings, and I finally got an explanation. Apparently my dental insurance, through the bastards at Cigna, will only cover silver amalgam fillings in the back of my teeth, not the white composite ones. The white ones are considered "cosmetic" if they are in the back of your mouth. The problem is my dentist, and just about every other dentist in the country, doesn't use silver amalgam fillings anymore. It's a racket.

The good news is that I finally got my $600 stimulus rebate. It's only two months late. It's going straight into my ING savings account as soon as it hits my bank account.

(BTW - The ING account is a great deal. It's gotten some great reviews. I can give out a referral code to anyone is interested for a bonus when you sign up. If you are interested, e-mail me.)

Also, the Rainbow Bright Lunchbox went for $31 last night. I put it in the mail this evening. My next project will be more difficult. It's the Playskool Village Blocks playset. It will be harder to ship, and some of the stickers came off. Still, I think it may sell.

Things that cut into my yarn budget: A Clean Bunny Butt

Does this look like a fat bunny to you?


Today I took Bunny Foo-Foo to vet. The diagnosis? She's too fat to clean herself properly. (And her Pasteurella is acting up.)

Yeah, she knows how to get treats out of us.

The vet took her in the back and cleaned her poopy butt and trimmed the fur around it. She's gained weight since I took her to the vet in Spring 2007.

The vet said I need to quit giving her treats, which probably means I need to put her in her cage when I eat. (That's when she begs, or just jumps in my lap to go after the food herself.) I also need to cut her down to only two tablespoons of pellets. I might switch to Oxbow Hay as well, although she seems perfectly happy with the Kaytee Hay.

I also have to give her antibiotics for the Pasteurella for 30 days. That means I'll have to bunny wrestle every morning before for work for the next month.

The good news is that the vet thinks her teeth don't need to be trimmed. This is good, because a teeth trim would have required going under general anesthesia. (And it would have been expensive.)

The damage?

$114.80. That's $57.50 for the exam and $57.30 for the Baytril. *sigh* We talked about doing a "wellness" blood test, but that would have doubled the cost. I'll do it if things don't clear up on their own.

OPP
Are you ready for OPP? (Other People's Projects)


After the vet, I set up BFF at Mom and Dad's for the afternoon. We had lunch, and I saw Mom's WIP.

Mom is still working on BYOB. She had to use a really small needle to get the gauge, now the middle is a little tight. However, it will probably grow once she actually puts stuff in the bag.

Mom's also open to advice on weaving in the ends. She's using Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, and the ends are coming unraveled. Later on I'm going to see what Amy Singer says.

Things that cut into my yarn budget: The Dentist (plus a meme and a freebie)

Things That Cut Into My Yarn Budget
Today I went to the dentist. Again.

Since my dental insurance rolled over again, and I have my FSA, the bill wasn't as bad as it had been before.

Still, I owed $52 for the last trip. (I paid $50 before. I had to wait until they knew exactly how much insurance would pay.) This round will cost about $240. I paid half this time, and I will pay the other half when I get my permanent crown.

I'm also worried because I still hurt from last time. Also, if I have problems like I did last summer, the office will be closed from Thursday until the end of the month.

The dentist said I strained my jaw muscle. He recommends warm compresses, followed by stretching my jaw and bananas (for the potassium.) He said it was like a cramp. Does a cramp last for a month? If it weren't for the Advil, the pain would be constant.

I really don't get how he makes a living working four days a week all year, and taking frequent vacations. I also wonder about his staff. Are they paid for a forty hour work week? Are they ineligible for health insurance because they work less than 40 hours a week?

This is all pure speculation. I'm going to stop before someone calls me an anti-dentite.



Freebie
I don't know if it's full yet, but Hill Country Weavers is having a free class on Thursday.

Here are the stats:

NECK CANDY CLASS!
mmm... it's delicious!
free class and pattern

HCW is launching it's NECK CANDY CAMPAIGN to raise money to fight breast cancer.

SHELLI WESTCOTT of KNITTERLY will teach us how to create our own original piece of NECK CANDY.
Join us for this free class on June 19 at 10:00 - 12:00 or 6:30 - 8:30.

Treat yourself and consider knitting an extra to donate to the HCW CANDY JAR!
100% of the proceeds from selling your NECK CANDY will be donated to fight breast cancer.

RSVP 707-7396
Drop off your CANDY from now until the end of October!

The scarf pictured is a somewhat short one with cables and a ruffled edge. I think it's supposed to look like a breast cancer awareness ribbon. The one in the picture is pink.

I'll need to bring about 100 yards of worsted yarn. Decisions, decisions.

Meme
I saw this on Staci's blog, among others. She's be amused that one of her pictures came up (along with one of mine.)



1. Sally Lightfoot Crabs, 2. Pizza Porn, 3. LBJ robot, 4. Blue Purple Iris, 5. Michael Nesmith, 6. Homemade Ginger Ale, 7. Stitches West 2008, 8. mmmummm..mummm...mmmmummmmumumum, 9. 365days, day 144, 10. Jules, 11. quixotic impulse., 12. rsz_P3120791.jpg

Directions if you want to play:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Things that cut into my yarn budget: Plane Tickets

I'm going to visit Jules in June. Yay!

Things that cut into my yarn budget: Being responsible with my tax refund

After much flipping through paperwork,deciding to file online, looking up pin numbers, deciding not to file online, etc, I got my taxes done. I'm getting back about $400, which will go towards...

(dramatic pause)

...the dentist. I still have dental work that I've been putting off until my insurance rolls over. (Or it might go towards health insurance deductible. Whatever I have to pay for after my FSA runs out.)

I was hoping that I could use some of it for a washer and dryer, but it doesn't look good. It doesn't look like any of that will even be going into the savings, much less to buy yarn.

More Big Girl Knits
In other deprivation responsible news, More Big Girl Knits is on the shelves, and I have not bought it yet. I did stop Borders to take a look, and there they were (on the top shelf, so I had to ask an associate for help), two crisp, clean copies. Of course, I didn't have my camera, there are hardly and pictures on Ravelry and I still can't download pictures from my new camera phone, so I don't have any pictures to show you.

Definitely the must knit item for me was the Susie Hoodie, which is eerily similar to A Cardigan for Arwen. I've looked at several cabled hoodies, including Mariah, Central Park Hoodie and A Cardigan for Arwen, but I have been too lazy busy to adjust the patterns to fit me.

Modular Spirals also looks good, except for the curly edges, and the low cut neckline. There's nothing wrong with low cut necklines, I just don't know how much I would wear something like that.

The cover sweater looks nice. So nice that I wish I designed it myself. There's also another modular knit called "Pastille" (I think) that looks good, except I'd want bolder colors with more contrast. The Summer Chevron also looks like a nice quick knit, but again, I'd want different colors. I also like the fact that there is a Boo, Too has been rewritten with larger sizes than the original.

Contest
If you're poor like me, you can visit Cass Knits and enter her contest for a free copy of More Big Girl Knits.

Things that cut into my yarn budget: A New Cell Phone

A funny thing happened on the way to Bluebonnet on Wednesday. I bought a new cell phone.

I actually never made it to Bluebonnet. My phone (the one on the left) had been dying for the past week or so. When I charged the battery, it would only last a short time. I passed a Sprint store on my way out to Cedar Park and decided to drop by. I ended up leaving with a new phone (the one on the right.)

It's a fairly simple phone. It has a camera, but no other frills to speak of. I spent about $40. After the rebate, it will cost me about $10. (I signed another 2-year contract with Sprint.)

There was an $18 activation fee, but in the long run, I'll probably save money. My new plan is actually better than the last one. I didn't pay for any frills there either. I still pay 20 cents per text ,I rarely send text messages) and I didn't pay to send the pictures via phone.

I need to buy a cord so I can download my phone pictures. I took a few at Gauge today. (They got in some Handmaiden!)

I spent a long time at the Sprint store, where the salesman referred to me as "Ma'am" when he talked to his boss. ("Ma'am would like to change her phone number." "I want to make sure Ma'am does not lose her contacts." etc.) My phone was dying, and they had trouble transferring my phone numbers to my new phone. I finally said I'd just take it home and do it myself. For a while I was worried I'd never get my contacts, because I couldn't keep the phone on long enough to access my contacts. (Despite the fact it was supposed to be fully charged.)

I'm actually glad I did it manually. I left behind so many old numbers. It was a way of letting go of the baggage of old bosses, old landlords, old insurance companies, old doctors and other people I'm glad to be rid of.

I changed my number because I was still using a Florida area code, even though I 've been back in Texas for about a year and a half. If you need my new number, e-mail me at sallyvillarreal AT gmail DOT com and I'll send it to you.

My last phone was...unusual. I've had it since 2004. It got weird looks, even when it was new. It was supposed to be extra tough, so I'm a little nervous about the lack of thick plastic and rubber on this new phone. I think it's time to make a cell phone case.

There's also the matter of ring tone. After four years, I was trained like one of Pavlov's dogs to jump every time I heard the Muppet Show theme. Now I'm trying to find a new one. I may break down and pay to download one. I think it's worth it to have a ring tone that you know for sure is your own.

Parting Shot

I'm making progress on Strangling Vines

Things that cut into my yarn budget: The Dentist Part Two

So last week I had the heck drilled out of the upper left side of my mouth. Today I had the lower right side of my mouth drilled. Now I'm sore on both sides. At least I'm symmetrical.

But actually I'm not. While the dentist did grind down last week's fillings (which I think is the reason why I'm still sore about a week and a half after my last appointment) I think the same thing needs to be done on the right side.

You know when the dentist makes you bite down on the little piece of purple paper, looks for the purple spots and grinds them down? That's important. I know because I've had problems with this several times. And after a while, dentists usually say it's my imagination, and finally listen when I come back a couple of weeks later in pain. At least this dentist is better. I think the problem was that I was too numb to tell (especially today.) I could barely find the paper to bite down. I suspected this would happened and asked if I could come back if there were any problems. He said to come in tomorrow, because he's about to go on vacation for a week. And I'd know as soon as I got the feeling back in my mouth if it was going to be a problem.

It's a problem.

I feel that telltale pressure on the right side when I bite down that eventually turns into pain (aside from the giant-Novocaine-needle-in-my-gum pain that lasts for a couple of days.

But it doesn't hurt as much as my pocket book. $139 for this visit. I used the $9 I had left on the MasterCard Gift Card I won at work, and the other $130 came from my bank account, canceling out my bonus and then some. At least Ibuprofen is cheap.

And the dentist recognized me right away as the knitter. He said he actually knitted a bag once in shop class (yeah, I think he was confused.) He was amazed at how knitters can get clothing to be the right size. I said "practice," which isn't much of an answer. (There are entire books devoted to that topic. It's a bit hard to explain briefly to the non-knitter.) A little later I realized that a brief explanation of gauge would have probably shed some light on the subject, but by then I had a mouth full of tools.

He compared it to making vinyl flooring fit in a room. I think that would be easier than making a sweater fit. But then again, you can't uncut vinyl flooring, but you can unravel a sweater.

And more bad news. The tooth with the hole I mentioned in the other entry? The dentist thinks he may have "nicked" the nerve because the hole was so deep. He said there was a 50/50 chance that I would need a root canal. I would know if I started feeling more tooth pain in a month or two.

In less painful news, there are only 1,043 people ahead of me on the Ravelry waiting list.

Things that cut into my yarn budget: The Dentist: Part One

So a couple of weeks ago, I won a $200 MasterCard prepaid gift card in an incentives contest at work. What was I going to spend this on? So many yarns to choose from...

But I had to spend it on my teeth.

I'm trying not to look at it as "wasting" my prize, but being lucky enough to receive some much needed help paying for the dental work. After all, I won the thing the day after a cleaning and exam. At the exam, I found out that I was about to max out my dental insurance for the year to get neglected cavities filled.

About this time last year, I had to get a bridge. At the time I new I had lots of "little" cavities to take care of as well. But I was dealing with other health problems, and they were forgotten.

Until a piece of tooth broke off last April. Right before my new dental insurance kicked in.

So today I spent $191 of my gift card getting the upper left portion of my mouth worked on. I'm still numb (but it's wearing off, and now I'm starting to feel sore from all the Novocaine shots.)

And that's just part of it. I have another appointment next week that will cost about $140. And another after that that will be in the $180 range. Actually, I could do the right side in one sitting, but I can't pay that much at once.

At any rate, I did get to leave work early and spend time in the chair working on the blanket for Project Linus. It amazed the assistants. One said she was just learning to knit, and I recommended Knitting Help. The other said she learned how to crochet "circles" when she was younger. She was amazed by the yarn and had all sorts of questions.

The dentist seemed amused. He thought he was insulting me when he said I could knit while my brain was still numb from all the Novocaine he gave me (I'm hard to numb.) I took it as a compliment. After all, at this point, I probably can knit with one lobe tied behind my back.

In other news, I just checked Ravelry. Only 1,862 people ahead of me today. They're making progress!

PS- Don't forget to floss. I know I won't.

Things that cut into my yarn budget: Helping the LBJ Band

I was planning this little feature for a while, expecting stuff like dentist and vet bills to be in this spot.

But it ended up being something that made me sad and angry, not because of the money I spent, but because of what happened.

For four years I was a proud member of the one, the only LBJ Band at LBJ High School in Austin, TX. I spent some of the happiest times in my life in that band, and met friends I still have to this day. I hauled a both a bass drum and a snare drum around the marching field (not at the same time though.) I participated in UIL and solo and ensemble. I practiced hard. I traveled to London and Disney World. With all that has happened to me since I graduated from LBJ in 1998, sometimes I wonder if I will ever feel that type of happiness, pride and accomplishment I felt when I was part of that band.

So today my Mom told me that a lot of their equipment was stolen. I didn't realize the magnitude of the loss until I read this article in the Austin American Statesman. Apparently they lost $12,000 worth of equipment, and insurance won't cover it all. Among the equipment stolen was the on field sound system. I have no idea how they will conduct marching practice with out that sound system. And I'm sure summer band starts in a matter of weeks.

So I'm not writing to complain about the small amount I donated online. I'm writing in hopes some of you out there will read this and donate as well. If you were in a high school band, if you've ever played an instrument, if there is a time in your life you long to revisit, I think you'll understand.

The LBJ Band is taking donations via paypal on the band's website.