A ton of bricks

Oh. My. God. The last few days have been rough. I feel like I've been hit with a ton of bricks, or been on the receiving end of an falling anvil, Looney Toons style.

As a result, I've sort of stalled. For those of you currently swamped with snow, you know what I mean. I feel like a car trying to get out of a parking space, and I am just sitting there rocking to and fro, but getting nowhere.

Eric's car was totaled yesterday. Well, to be more specific, Eric's mother's car was totaled yesterday. He's fine (thank goodness!) but they're not sure about the car. To make matters worse, the same thing happened last year. Someone slammed into Eric last December, completely totaling his car, and the fact that it happened again almost makes me want to laugh. He was rear-ended on the highway by a pickup going 45 MPH.

Thank goodness they weren't going faster. Thank goodness he's alright. That's really all that matters right now, but it's sort of a slap in the face on top of everything else. His mom is having major surgery in about a month, and so dealing with insurance, cars, (and the lacktherof) and everything else seems like a cruel cosmic joke!

I can't wait to get back. It's heartbreaking hearing all this when all I can do is send emails, and occasionally call.

My contribution to all of this is to adopt Eric's two cats while his mom is recovering. He'll be living with both of us, with me when he can, but mostly with his mother in Lansing. She can't have any pets until she recovers, and since I'll be living alone, I decided I wanted a cat. As of yesterday, I will be living with Thumbelina and Lucy, two of my favorite kitties ever! I can't wait to introduce them on the blog.

I've been trying to knit, but even that seems stalled. I've got a pile of WIP's taking over my desk, and it's stressing me out. My time in London is quickly getting shorter, and I don't want to be taking back bags of yarn! I need to finish them, and I need to finish them soon.

• -I have about an inch left on a baby hat I'm knitting (my own made up design)
• -I cast on a hat for a swap partner over on Ravelry. (The College Knitters Group is doing a swap.)
• -I need 3 more squares for my super secret project! Just 3 more! Two more really, and one needs to be embroidered. It's almost painful, I'm so close.
• -I've started a present for my cousin, and stalled halfway through.
• -I've been asked to knit another amigurumi penguin for a friend, and I'd like to get it done before I leave.

I did finish a little something...

...a chemo cap for Eric's mom. (Uplifting, no?) I'm kind of in love with it, even if it looks beyond terrible on me. (Hence the cropped pictures. All you get to see is my unplucked eyebrows!)

The pattern is from Elann.com, found here. (Or on Ravelry.) It was a quick knit, and the way you assemble it is pretty awesome. I'll explain it terribly, I suggest looking at the pattern. It took two balls of Esprit cotton, which is kind of a pain to work with, but the finished pattern stretches beautifully, and seems like it will be very comfortable. Not incredibly soft, but I think it will breathe a lot, so no sweaty heads under this turban.

Now, I'm going to listen to some music and try to plan the rest of my life. No really. Any ideas where a girl should go to grad school? Any one have any connections in the publishing world?