Woohoo. (and owie)
So, once again, my secret pal rocks. She sent me my February package EARLY, and not only was it beautifully decorated:
it was full of wonderful things:
The pictures are unfortunately dark, but here's what was in there:
- a pretty postcard
- a ball of Trekking sock yarn (in a lovely dark color that seems to be a mix of black, burgundy, and dark green: subtle and neutral, but still interesting!)
- a set of gorgeous Brittany size 1 double points in birch. (lux-ur-y)
- Knitter's Little Helper hand balm from Blue Sky Alpacas (and was there anything on the questionnaire about having the world's driest skin? No. Maybe they should rename this Psychic Pal. Seriously, SP: when I was a kid, my skin used to get so dry that it would literally _bleed_ in the winter. Even with 2-3 lotionings a day, it still gets pretty dry. This is so very much appreciated!)
- oolong tea candy (at 3g of sugar for the average piece of hard candy, these are just the right amount for special-occasion treats, since I can only handle one at a time, but these are so special that just one is enough to savor)
- pretty beads
- brass pin stitch markers
- finally (and this is the most tickles me most with its sillines and usefulness) a postal-style stamp saying "certified work of art"
On a less-unexpected note, my color cards from Beaverslide Dry Goods came today, and boy, oh boy.
Almost every color they have is one of my colors. They have a nice mix of brights and more muted colors, but they're all fairly cool in undertone, and just plain pretty. Considering the quality, price, and personal and eco-friendly production, what's not to like? I'd say they complement KnitPicks nicely within that price range: both have basic, classic yarns at excellent prices, but KnitPicks goes for smoother, more polishes looks, while Beaverslide goes for a more organic, slightly rustic look, both at similar (and very low, particularly for the quality) prices. Wow-e-wow.
Finally, and lest I collapse in paroxysms of joy, two big ouches:
- I had to write a check to the Commonwealth for $715 yesterday. Stinky tax software that shall not be named didn't include income I earned at an internship in Texas in 2002 towards my Massachusetts taxes, and I got audited. Now, I have no problem paying my share. However I absolutely hate finding out several years later that I owe money, and not only taxes, but a good $100+ in interest, and ESPECIALLY because software that claims expertise screwed up. I'm hoping that I can get that refunded, in accordance with their accuracy guarantee. The other thing that really bothers me is that this whole thing was caused by the fact that my employer at that internship (which shall remain nameless) overpaid me, through their mistake. When I noticed that (back in the fall of 2002, just after I returned to Boston) they had given me an extra paycheck, I called them and asked what to do, and they said to send them a check for the extra money. So I did, right away. Then, in 2003, they sent me a letter, saying that I owed them more money. Apparently, my second-to-last paycheck had the wrong end date, so I had a few days more pay than I was entitled to. So I agreed to send them the wages for the days I had mistakenly been paid for A YEAR EARLIER. But then they wanted me to reimburse them for the federal taxes on the extra wages they had paid me. Now, I did not have, and had never had, this money in my possession, and they had paid it because of their own mistake. It took me several phone calls to convince them that getting that money (which, again, I had never even seen) back from the federal government was their problem. And then, quite some time later, I got corrected W-2s. Which prompted an audit, which prompted the bill for $700+. Once again, I have no problem paying what I rightfully owe, but G*D D*MN IT! I wish this would just END. Sigh.
- I have two large blisters on each foot. I've been walking to and/or from work (3 miles each way) several days a week lately, to plump up my stats for the MIT Fitness Challenge. Today, I forgot to bring my proximity card (which lets me leave my office building after 7pm without setting off the alarm). I realized this at 6:58, and had to rush to get out before the alarm was activated, and, in the process, forgot to put on my athletic socks. As a result, I walked home in sneakers and kneehighs, which, let me tell you, don't do much to reduce friction. The real problem, though, was that I didn't start feeling it until I was five minutes from home. Now I have blisters the size of dimes on my heels. So, while I may have logged 120 minutes today, I may be laid up for the next day or two while I heal. :(
But I do have kickass presents to keep me company. :)
it was full of wonderful things:
The pictures are unfortunately dark, but here's what was in there:
- a pretty postcard
- a ball of Trekking sock yarn (in a lovely dark color that seems to be a mix of black, burgundy, and dark green: subtle and neutral, but still interesting!)
- a set of gorgeous Brittany size 1 double points in birch. (lux-ur-y)
- Knitter's Little Helper hand balm from Blue Sky Alpacas (and was there anything on the questionnaire about having the world's driest skin? No. Maybe they should rename this Psychic Pal. Seriously, SP: when I was a kid, my skin used to get so dry that it would literally _bleed_ in the winter. Even with 2-3 lotionings a day, it still gets pretty dry. This is so very much appreciated!)
- oolong tea candy (at 3g of sugar for the average piece of hard candy, these are just the right amount for special-occasion treats, since I can only handle one at a time, but these are so special that just one is enough to savor)
- pretty beads
- brass pin stitch markers
- finally (and this is the most tickles me most with its sillines and usefulness) a postal-style stamp saying "certified work of art"
On a less-unexpected note, my color cards from Beaverslide Dry Goods came today, and boy, oh boy.
Almost every color they have is one of my colors. They have a nice mix of brights and more muted colors, but they're all fairly cool in undertone, and just plain pretty. Considering the quality, price, and personal and eco-friendly production, what's not to like? I'd say they complement KnitPicks nicely within that price range: both have basic, classic yarns at excellent prices, but KnitPicks goes for smoother, more polishes looks, while Beaverslide goes for a more organic, slightly rustic look, both at similar (and very low, particularly for the quality) prices. Wow-e-wow.
Finally, and lest I collapse in paroxysms of joy, two big ouches:
- I had to write a check to the Commonwealth for $715 yesterday. Stinky tax software that shall not be named didn't include income I earned at an internship in Texas in 2002 towards my Massachusetts taxes, and I got audited. Now, I have no problem paying my share. However I absolutely hate finding out several years later that I owe money, and not only taxes, but a good $100+ in interest, and ESPECIALLY because software that claims expertise screwed up. I'm hoping that I can get that refunded, in accordance with their accuracy guarantee. The other thing that really bothers me is that this whole thing was caused by the fact that my employer at that internship (which shall remain nameless) overpaid me, through their mistake. When I noticed that (back in the fall of 2002, just after I returned to Boston) they had given me an extra paycheck, I called them and asked what to do, and they said to send them a check for the extra money. So I did, right away. Then, in 2003, they sent me a letter, saying that I owed them more money. Apparently, my second-to-last paycheck had the wrong end date, so I had a few days more pay than I was entitled to. So I agreed to send them the wages for the days I had mistakenly been paid for A YEAR EARLIER. But then they wanted me to reimburse them for the federal taxes on the extra wages they had paid me. Now, I did not have, and had never had, this money in my possession, and they had paid it because of their own mistake. It took me several phone calls to convince them that getting that money (which, again, I had never even seen) back from the federal government was their problem. And then, quite some time later, I got corrected W-2s. Which prompted an audit, which prompted the bill for $700+. Once again, I have no problem paying what I rightfully owe, but G*D D*MN IT! I wish this would just END. Sigh.
- I have two large blisters on each foot. I've been walking to and/or from work (3 miles each way) several days a week lately, to plump up my stats for the MIT Fitness Challenge. Today, I forgot to bring my proximity card (which lets me leave my office building after 7pm without setting off the alarm). I realized this at 6:58, and had to rush to get out before the alarm was activated, and, in the process, forgot to put on my athletic socks. As a result, I walked home in sneakers and kneehighs, which, let me tell you, don't do much to reduce friction. The real problem, though, was that I didn't start feeling it until I was five minutes from home. Now I have blisters the size of dimes on my heels. So, while I may have logged 120 minutes today, I may be laid up for the next day or two while I heal. :(
But I do have kickass presents to keep me company. :)
posted by Nadira at Monday, January 30, 2006
2 Comments:
I kind of blame you for my current Beaverslide Dry Goods fascination because I'd never heard of them until I started reading your blog. Thank you SO much for yet another source of CRACK, er, fiber, which I needed like a hole in my head. Got any more great sources for yarn and fiber up your sleeve? :-PP
I'm really glad your package got there ok and YAY you like it and BOOO taxes and OUCH blisters.
SP
Whoa, what a week you've had, Jess!! Keep knitting on the run. (I'm not surprised you voted for me to do steeks :,) LOL
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