American's become even MORE afraid of immigrants

Check out No More Deaths ~ No Mas Muertes for information on the recent Sellz and Strauss arrests after helping recent border crossers access immediate health care. No More Deaths is a volunteer organization helping establish water and emergency relief areas in the desert. Hundreds of illegal immigrants die each year trying to walk through the desert into Arizona in hopes of work and a better life. Here is an article from Mother Jones on the subject.

The conflicting regulations of the Bush administration over immigration and workers policies have led to confusion and harsh penalties by the border police. Hey, lets just become as xenophobic as Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo and build a fence between us and Canada while we are at it! Who elected this guy?!

"So radical were his proposals - calling for a fence along the United States border with Canada, for instance - and so fierce were his attacks on fellow Republicans who did not share his views that many of his colleagues tried to avoid him. Mr. Tancredo said Karl Rove, President Bush's senior adviser, had told him not "to darken the doorstep of the White House." NYT front page article.

The big meet and greet

This sunday is a big, scary day. Wilson is coming home to meet the family for dinner. I have never before been nervous bringing a guy home, no matter how scary my dad may behave from time to time. This time it is different. It is not just a simple meet and greet, put a face to a name situation. This is a big, relationship-altering, will my family like him? meeting. This is me bringing home a man I am madly in love with and want to move in with meeting. SURPRISE mom and dad! I suppose I created the additional drama to this simple meeting to emphasize the seriousness of our relationship and my commitment to it. Lordy, is my stomache in knots with nervousness.

Red blinking lights

Ran last night at Loch Raven with the boy. Started at the side parking just after the gate and ran till a 1/4 mile past the second bridge and back. Felt great! Still had energy when we got back to the car and certainly could have handled another mile or two. Total run time was about 30 min? Need to start bringing a watch with me, but that violates my anti-watch theory. Why submit to the clock?! Google's pedometer is wonderful. The loop around my neighborhood is 2 miles and from Biddle street around the Harbor and back is 4. These nice little jogs are keeping my spirits up during the winter. My arms are getting smaller though without the climbing (maybe that's a good thing?!). Just hoping to keep the motivation going. Every time I run harder through the hills and faster. Progress is a wonderful thing.

My credit card was stolen. Irrationally I was hoping it was just lost in the back pocket of a pair of jeans somewhere and never canceled it. Stupid mistake. $300 in charges later. Who spends that much money at Royal Farms?! Absurd! That is a LOT of fried chicken and coffee. The big question is where did I leave it? And why am I so irresponsible? Thank goodness for Bank of America and their wonderful policies reinstating me for all the fraudulent charges. As my bank account quickly reaches the zero dollar mark I have been overwhelmed with worry about my job and not making enough money to make it through the winter. Interview Friday morning just to keep my options open.

The scarf I am almost halfway through knitting. Hopefully I will have enough yarn to finish. The lace pattern on the edge worked, but not as I thought it would have. The color work is too easy. Yarn is beautiful and soft. Almost the same colors. Will post a picture of the real thing next chance I get. Pattern is from the Rowan Vintage book.

This sweater was started about two months ago and I lost patience with it. Hopefully will finish it by the time Spring arrives. Working on shaping armholes on the back piece currently. The yarn I have was different than suggested and I am terribly worried it will end up too wide.

Holiday Knits

With nothing better to do over the holiday vacation, I entertained myself with some knitting. The first two pictures are of the wedding blanket I am knitting for Julia. The last panel is shown. Now just a few turns of a tapestry needle and some edge work and whala! Finito! The chair cover was origonally a cap gone wrong. But I like the chair cover so much, I may use the pattern to make another one! Currently trying my hand at an entrelac knit color scarf. The pattern is more confusing than it needs to be. What else should I do with my three skeins of peruvian highland wool?! (all differnt but coordinating colors). Hats? Braided scarf? It would be a shame to throw it in the random scrap yarn basket. Sigh. Guess I should figure this pattern out. Crazy entrelac.

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