The Bariatric Journey Part 1

I have been attending the Swedish Bariatric Clinic since October 2017 and under the insurance company's requirements for 6 months of Medically Assisted Weight Loss.  As of April 2018, I've completed my 6 months, received the approval from the Doctor's office, and sent the request for surgery to the insurance company.
I finally received notification from the insurance company and have my approval for surgery. My date is May 29th and I'm getting the vertical sleeve gastrectomy.
I'm getting nervous. I've done lots of reading and the 6 months have prepped me for what it may be like, but I know that I'm not really sure how things will go. It is a big step to make such drastic lifestyle changes. I hope it is for the best. 

Wishing for Christmas

I just finished going to the Knit Picks website and looked around for items that I may like to get for Christmas.  Now I'm not avocating for anything to be purchased, but there is some cool stuff there.  I could always use more yarn to add to my stash or use those blocking pins to finish up a project for the person who gifted me the pins.  Just sayin'.

Socks and Feet - do they really go hand in hand?

I ended up knitting in public this past weekend, just not how I thought I would.  The plan was to knit at a LYS (Local Yarn Store for those of you not-in-the-know) but plans fell thru.  So instead I ended up taking B to a beach area for a stroll and some leisurely knitting.  We enjoyed it so much that we packed up a dog, the boy, and some picnic items and went back the next day.  The weather was very co-operative and we all got a small bit of burn.  I was able to finish the pair of baby socks that I started on Saturday and start on new ones.  Which brings me to this post's main subject.

I'm starting to obsess over socks.  Silly, I know, yet I've started to get some pleasure out of knitting something so small.  Sure there is the headache of turning the heel, but they tend to move quickly along the needles and you have something to show for the knitting time in a fairly short period.  Now I'm finding myself searching for patterns and looking over my stash to see what would be appropriate to work on.  I'm thinking of presents, gifts, expressions of my love for others...and I'm thinking of people's feet.

Now, just so you know, I don't like feet.  At least I don't like my feet.  And, well, B's feet aren't all that hot. And, truth be told, the boy's feet are just nasty.  So I guess I don't like the feet of people I know.  Anyway, thinking about people's feet has me thinking of ways I can get them to tell me their shoe sizes or how to measure them so that I can make socks.  But then there is all the pressure related to telling someone to measure their feet for something that I'll be making that will be personal for them.

How do I know they'll measure right?  What color socks do I think they'll like?  What if they have a particular color in mind and I don't like knitting that color?  Do they like short socks or long socks?  How about thickness?  Are they to be fancy or plain?  How do I know they'll even tell the truth about their foot size?  Maybe they've always wanted small feet and think that if I make them smaller socks, their feet will magically shrink?  These are the things I think about.

I'm going to stick to thinking about my feet for now and what I'd like my feet to be wearing.  I don't usually make things for me, but I want to make more socks and I know my feet so I'll be making me some socks.  Maybe lots of socks or maybe only a few.  Maybe I'll make enough socks to wear a different pair every day.  Maybe I'll only make enough to wear on a special occasion.  Maybe I'll get bored while working on this next pair and they'll end up sitting on the needles for over a year like the last ones.  You never can tell with socks.

Knitting in Public

     Today I plan on knitting in public.  It may not seem like a big deal - though for some I guess it might be.  Why knit in public?  Today is the start of World Wide Knit in Public Day.  It is actually a week long celebration of knitting and other fiber craft.  According to what I've read about it, it actually does span a week and is celebrated world wide.
You may ask the following questions:

"Why do you need to dedicate a day to do this?"

"Is it bad to be seen doing this activity?"

"Are people supposed to hide away in secret because it is so shameful? "

"Why would anyone want to do this and/or who cares?"

I suppose if you didn't actually participate in the activity itself, you may not get it and the questions are sort of valid.  Even to those of us that do participate may ask the same questions.

     Basically it is a way to gather like-minded people together to share ideas and have fun, while also raising some awareness.  There are people out there who don't know that young people knit, that it is not just a grandmotherly activity.  Some people don't know that you can make fabulous things like socks, shawls, and skirts.  They think that knitting is only good for blankets and god-awful Christmas sweaters.  There are even people out there that don't know that you can make your own custom crafted clothing, that you don't have to buy things made in China and sold at your local X-Mart.

   This celebration is a good way to get it out there, in your face so-to-speak, in public so that people can look, touch, and ask questions.  It gets knitters out of their homes and into the public eye, sharing their craft and themselves.  It tends to spark the interest of more people, some of which will now pick up sticks and give it a try when they might not have done so before.

     Knit in public.  Show off your stuff.  Hope to see you there.

*Please know that I don't just advocate for knitting.  I also crochet, sew, am learning to weave and spin, and that I do other crafty things.  So even if you don't knit, get outside with your craft and show it off.  People will be interested and you may just find a new friend.

About me

     You may be curious as to what the title of the blog means.  Well, I was born and raised in NJ but didn't stay.  I still have lots of family there because "why would you want to leave?".  Yeah, why would you?
    Well for starters, I never felt like I belonged there. I didn't feel true to myself while living there.  I felt that I had to be what people wanted me to be and not who I wanted to be.  I don't think anyone ever fully understood me.
     Then there is the small-mindedness.  My perception is that you are expected to be raised there, meet someone, fall in love, and raise a family there.  Your family needs to live close by to everyone else in order to meet up for weekends and holidays, except for the family that lives in Florida.  You are expected to vacation in Florida as much as possible, visit New York and PA, and when you are done raising your family, you retire to Florida to join the rest of the family there (if you have the money, otherwise you are doomed to live in NJ till you die).  There is no room to do anything different, and if you do, well... something must be wrong with you.
     Being from New Jersey, you deal with lots of jokes because you are not from New York.  You end up being the butt of jokes.  Jokes about the air, the toll roads, the water, your hair, your clothes, your accent....  You learn to laugh at the jokes, laugh with people, laugh at yourself, or you go crazy.  And that is while living there.  When you leave, it is pretty much the same but the jokes seem to be a little more malicious, a little more "I feel sorry for you" because you were from NJ.
     Regardless, I moved away, far away. The other side of the country far.  I've lived in California and Alaska.  I've been to Mexico and the Caribbean. I've vacationed in Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Louisiana. I've driven across country to get my stuff from NJ and bring it to the West Coast, I've helped a friend move by driving from Chicago to the West Coast, and I've driven up and down the West Coast countless times.
     There are times I miss NJ  and others that I wish I was back there.  There are times that I hate being in the NW and others that I love it. 
I'm from NJ and living my life in the NW. 
I'm happy and content. 
I'm more myself than I've ever been. 
I'm a Jersey girl living in the NW.
I'm a Jersey Devil with an NW exterior.

Let's get this thing started

Okay, so here's the first post and I'm trying to figure out what to write. It's hard to imagine anyone reading this and yet I understand the need to write like I'm talking to someone, mostly someone other than myself. LOL.
So do I treat this like a journal that I expect someone to read when I'm not looking or do I write like there is an audience to listen to me? Input on this would be helpful, but B doesn't seem to care either way, and I haven't asked anyone else.
My internal debate is over whether or not I believe anyone will read this versus telling everyon I know about the bog so that someone will read it.
Is it wrong to try and force a following? Why would anyone bother to do this if not to be recognized? Is it a need to just share with others no matter the outcome?
I don't know. I guess we'll test drive a few things and see how it goes. Maybe with some feedback I'll be able to come up with something.
Let me know.