no it is NOT Friday. What's up with that? :D At least it's 5:00 somehwere, right?

Do I count as a knit friend? I read the blog. If so, I want Roy please! :)

Hey Purlina - I have been thinking quite a bit about yesterday's post, but didn't get a chance to write anything until now. So, I just wanted to add my two cents. 1.You are a very smart, wise, perceptive person. 2.Everything you said made perfect sense to me. 3.Its okay to have days like that, and phish! on those who can't understand that. 4. Hang in there. You know it will get better, and those days/moments will diminish over time. 5.Penguins are cool. 6.Would you like another cat? :-) I just rescued a young female orange tabby...

I live right down the street from Magpie! It's a great store with all kinds of fun stuff by local and non-local artists!

It so should be Friday already! I mean, I'm ready for it to be Friday, late afternoon.

The pirate shirts are great. Also, have you seen the shirts Franklin has in his shop? http://www.cafepress.com/60613/1622883

Thanks for the link for the fun tee. Also for the Thursday cuteness - lord knows we need all the help we can get as the week grinds down to Friday...

I want Soba!!!

Of course, I just adopted Sh*tty Kitty and he's a stinker! literally! So maybe a cat isn't a good idea just now.

Thanks for supporting craftster! I found it a couple of years ago and it is such a source of inspiration for me. And yes, some people do indeed craft porn on there...although so far my work firewall hasn't caught on to that!

I would pay someone to tell me that it is Friday.... (Well maybe not this week, I have a paper due on Tuesday...)

Dibs on pretty little Frankie.

Bobby baby is mine! Love me some skulls and X-bones.

Like marcia I want to ask something about yesterday's post. Laurie, do you think Mr. X reads your blog? Even once in a while? What about Mrs. X (what do we call her?). Does it influence what/how you write?

Do not give me a cat, whatever you do. I've got felines of my own.

It's Friday! Here in NZ it is, anyway.

Magpie! Yes! I've been there! I used to live in Somerville, MA, and I have to say that Magpie is the cutest little shop (it was down the street from my old place). Sadly, I live 3,000 miles away now, but if any of y'all live in Boston, I highly recommend a visit. It's right in Davis. On the red line. Seriously. Go there. And uh, buy a t-shirt, I guess.

As terribly as I want a cat or a dog or any freaking pet besides my noisy, stuck up, just feed us you stupid human birds, hubby is allergic to fur-babies so no cat in my stocking please! Besides, I might be somewhat attached to the flying feather-dusters and not want them to become a Frankie or Soba snack.

Liza, I honestly don't know if they read this or know I have a website, and either way it wouldn't effect how I write about things. This is my own experience, a diary, and I'm not out to slander anyone or prove a point or do anything, really. I just write down stuff I'm thinking.

I like to write. I enjoy the good feeling you get after you've finally put into words this very thing that's all jumbled up inside you, and I've always been this way ... ever since I was little. Writing it all down. I'm not sure how much of my present-day story really has to do with him (and her) at all anymore, mostly it's just the bits and pieces of my life. But sometimes I think of how weird it is that I am the one alone and he's the married one. It doesn't mean I am thinking of him, the man, the person. More like "him" ... this piece of my past.

I do admit that sometimes I am incredibly curious about what she looks like, or how old she is (I ask myself, is she skinnier than me? prettier? younger?) but some of that is just pure curiousity. What does she look like, this woman who married my husband? It's a weird thing to ruminate on, I know.

I am maybe a weirdo.

But then the rest of the time I don't think about them as actual people anymore. I know that sounds odd. They're kind of like plot points in a story, just something that happened once. I think that is the kindness that time and distance give us, we see things through a much longer lens.

A few days ago, one of my friends was listening to me whine and carryon about the holidays and she told me, "You know, they're probably really unhappy, anyway."

And I thought about that for a while. And I felt really, really good when I realized I just didn't care AT ALL if they were happy, or unhappy, and frankly I didn't wish unhappiness upon them.

It just didn't matter. Had no impact on how I felt, because while I may still be working out the past, and I may be lonely or whatever, their present or future relationship is meaningless to me. It makes no impact at all on my life. They're just strangers now, people I don't know and my story is more linked to the person I knew back then, and its repercussions on me now.

Anyway. That was a good feeling.

Good Lord I can be long winded.

Wow. Are you ever in a good state of mental health. Impressive!

I think something changes in you at some point, and you start to see how little power someone else has over your feelings.

Sometimes I feel sad and shitty, and it has nothing to do with the man, Mr. X. It has everything to do with my own issues, and the "Mr. X" experience, that whole feeling of OH MY GOD WHY DID I MAKE SUCH BAD DECISIONS. Lately I have been looking back a lot at my marriage to pinpoint things I did wrong. It's not because I want him back or even know him at all any more. It's because one day I want to do better. And when you know better, you do better.

I'm so far from good on some days. But other days, like today, I'm OK.

And also, the question from yesterday about kids. I'm not really ready to talk about that right now, I guess. Too private. Got to sort out how I feel about it inside first, you know?

I think the flipside of love is not hate, it's indifference, and you've achieved a major milestone in your life. The way you feel about X now is good, and it's healthy, and I think you should feel extremely proud of yourself (I'm patting you on the back from the east coast!).

apparently I really know how to kill the conversation, whoops ;)

I just want you to know that whenever Rockabilly songs come on my Yahoo radio, I immediately skip to the next song. For you.

Jenny, I heart you :)

Well, we can talk amongst ourselves! I have new yarn I'm looking for a project for, some lovely handpainted alpaca. I'm thinking wristwarmers. Do you know of a nice, simple pattern?

Sorry, am I taking over the comments, as if this was my blog? (hangs head, skulks away, blushing)

I've been meaning to get to Magpie for a long time and you Laurie, from 3000 miles away, have given me the perfect reason! I love the internets!

About yesterday's post, I can relate in a weird way. My new boyfriend's ex wife is on my mind a lot lately ... not to get into all the details, but I have an opportunity to meet her soon, and I kind of do but I kind of don't. You are much, much nicer than my boyfriend's ex, it's a different kind of situation, but it got me thinking, I wonder if Mr X's new wife thinks about you a lot as well? I think women tend to compare themselves a lot to other women. It's kind of funny but kind of sad. My heart goes out to you, Laurie, and I am very proud of you and your tree.

I'm not sure if people will see this but just a plug for Magpie and local indie stores... tonight is the Midnight Madness Holiday Shopping Night and there's a 20% off coupon for Magpie on their 'news' section of the website.

Way back in the dark ages when I was a tween, my wise older sister told me that every relationship teaches you about what you DON'T want in a man. I completely agree, but what she failed to include was that it also teaches us about parts of ourselves that could be improved. And the great thing about failed relationships and life lessons in general is that no one can take that experience, that knowledge, that growth, away from you. It's all good!

And as long as we're on the discussion of life lessons, when I was in my 20's, an older, wiser friend of mine told me to never date someone that you already know you could never marry (for whatever reason), because you could still fall in love with them, or they with you, and find yourselves in a pickle. Wise words.

No it's NOT Friday yet, thankyouverymuch. And hey, thanks for pointing that out! I've got a papercut, wanna drizzle some lemon juice in it while you're at it? Huh?

P.S. Did you get to see Drew when he was out there?

My husband got me a skull/cross-bones knitting bag from About A Skirt, and I love it! I gotta get the tee... Thanks for the links!
:)

Hey, cutie picture at Drew's site! Glad you had some fun.

As each of our daughters reached 16 - driving/dating age in our house, their dad gave them a list of important stuff for LIFE. The oldest then added one or two she felt were important and so it went until the last one ended up with a tome. I will always remember when one sister added this one: Never date anyone with more problems than you have.

Darnit! I thought your "Stitchers of the Caribbean" advert was for a book. You couldn't pay me to get on a cruise ship, not even one with a knitting theme, but I'd have bought the book in a heartbeat. Ah, the disappointment!

Am I a knitting friend? I'll take Supermodel Frankie, please. :)

We love hearing you ramble on! You speak for many, many of us who have had similar experiences.

I love what you wrote about how Mr. X isn't really a person any more, but more of a symbol of a chapter in your life and where you've been. You are blessed to be in that spot. The skank he's married to now has to deal with him, in the flesh, and must wonder at times whether he's going to do a number on her, too.

Karma. It's a beautiful thing.

I sent the T-shirt link to the head of our knitting group here at work. We actually had a dozen people yesterday meet to knit at noon. (Well, a few did other crafts...)

I want Bob!

Oh, s***, I meant Roy! lol! Well, I love them both, I'll take them both! ~blushes~

I used to wonder what I did wrong to make my ex stop loving me, I thought i'd made some bad decisions at some point but after a while I realised that I made all the right decisions. At the time of making them I was happy. I was always happy until HE changed and HE decided he wanted to be alone (with another woman). He is now a stranger, and lonely from what I hear, I dont even like him anymore and im so glad I didnt pretend to stay friends with him because he is not worth my friendship, he is not even worth knowing anymore. An insignificant.

Things get better with time, you already know that. I hope things keep improving for you.

Cool! But I still like your tshirts better.....

ooohhh...so many somerville area readers of CAP...we should meet for a party at Spark! Laurie, thanks for introducing me to people in my neighborhood!

Cats? No thank you! I have 3 of my own, plus 19 pet rats (4 of my own and a foster litter of 14 plus the mama of course), and I have a step-daughter living with me, so that's enough for now!

And really, I'm a crocheter so does that cat offer even apply to me?

i want a cat! seriously, i ask for one every gift-getting holiday. (my fav birthday present ever is my fat yellow cat.)

Is there any chance that you could visit your parents for Christmas? Or, could they come and stay with you for the holidays?

Lorraine, I have rats too! (not the teenagers but the real things) I have two and have had them about a month and a half. They are so smart...I had no idea. They're sweet, too!

Magpie lives down the street from me. They are teh awesome.

I'd take Bob, but the confusion would get to me. "Bob, where's Bob?"
On the whole Mr. X thing, yesterday, in a 2nd grade room, one of the rules (yes, 44 rules for 2nd grade) is "If you make a mistake, learn from it and MOVE ON". This had become my new mantra (says the woman who is still talking, alone, to the teachers who dissed her 4 years ago. Really. must. move. on.......)You have learned for sure and, based on the decorations, you are moving on. Congrats!

Note: You're not weird to ruminate... just be prepared because you might get surprised one day.

My Mr. X's new Mrs. X walked up to my face one day while I was working (I was stage managing a theatre production) and introduced herself. She said, HI, I'M MR. X'S WIFE, PLEASED TO MEET YOU (yeah, in a really loud voice, like the caps indicate). She had HUGE hair and an Exxon Valdez slick of makeup on, AND she was pregnant. Arrrgh! I hadn't seen my X in the 5 years since the divorce. He was hovering about 20 feet away (possibly so I wouldn't swat him). I actually talked to them very pleasantly for a moment and then went back stage (because, hello, I'm at work folks!) and sat and sniffled a bit. All the actors clustered around me and offered to go beat him up, which made me laugh and realize that I was SO much better off where I was without him. Kind of a relief really.

Anyway, love you, and I still have dibs on Frankie. :-)

Laurie, I wish I had posted right back but I had to go to work and then I got my stupid Exploder stuck in the snow and had to dig for an hour. Don't ask.

I love your answer. There is so much bad juju out there -especially after a broken heart- and I love that your heart is so big.

Hey it's Friday HERE!!!! You should be here,
Laurie. And what's more it's nearly 4pm on
FRIDAY AFTERNOON. (I'm not joking, I'm in New Zealand). Hang on in there, sweetie, I'm sure there's a wonderful man for you out there. In the meantime, you have US, your faithful readers! (ok, ok, hardly the same! sorry, just trying to
make you feel better)

Somerville MA CAP fans may (or may not) want to know that there is a Stitch 'n Bitch at Spark on Wednesday nights from 6pm to 9pm. right on the red line at Davis Square!

Love your comments on your own comments today, dear.

I don't like to wish ill upon others, really. Bad for one's karma and all that. But it does occur to me that the Universe must remain in balance. For every action, an equal and opposite reaction, ya know?

So the happier YOU are ... well ... you get my point.

I have been thinking about your ex's new wife and it occurred to me that he left you for her -- and this part is freaking hilarious -- and I bet she thinks he will be loyal to her. But leopards don't change their spots, do they?

I am also going to make a focused diet proposal to all your fans here:

Almost everybody pledges to lose a few pounds for the New Year. But we never pledge who's going to find them.

Back to that equal and opposite reaction thing -- you know -- if I lose an umbrella, somebody else finds one?

This year, my New year's resolution is to lose ten pounds. Now I have lost weight before, but never with a focused idea as to who will FIND that lost weight when I've discarded it. So I am going to lose ten pounds and send it to Mr. X and his new wife. Just think, if everybody else sends their New Year's weight loss in that direction .... they may never be able to leave the house.

Purl, I apologize for using your blog like this, but I saw that "Lisa in Va" wants a cat. Lisa - I really do have a orange female tabby that I am trying to adopt out. I really like her, but I already have 5 of my own. Six is just too much. I live in Maryland, so depending on where you are in VA, maybe you could meet the kitty? Please email me if you are interested. Thanks! And Purl, once again I apologize for using your blog like this, but 6 cats is definitely in the realm of bad craziness.... :-)

Hi! I'm de-lurking to tell you about the slickest knitting bag ever - the Yarn Pirate bag! My sister bought me one to carry around my projects in, and I love it beyond love!

(Your writing is exceptional, and a joy to read. And now I'll slink back to Lurkland.)

Yes, it is finally Friday. And did you see the "She's crafty stuff" on Crafster's Cafe Press site? I think I am so going to need a hoodie.

And of course, it would be even easier for you to find the bag I'm talking about if I knew how to work html.

This is the link to the bag I was talking about:

http://www.plainmabel.com/ckshop.php?item=1311&ret=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.plainmabel.com%2Fckshop.php%3Fpage%3D1%26keyword%3Dyarn%2Bpirate

I typed 'I'm not going to do Christmas this year' into a search and found you here. I live in Cleveland & it's snowing like hell. It's too cold for Christmas. I don't know how to knit, but I'd like to come over anyway. This blog made me laugh out loud, so I'll come back, and thanks for that. We just got a great big dog from the shelter who should experience Christmas along with my six cats who expect their stockings to be hung with care. So, for them only, I'll do a little something.

Hi all! I'm so glad for once this design has been attributed to me like it should be! I've had to get 6 knock-offs taken off CafePress so far. :( Boo!

Anyway, I thought you all might like to know that I've listed all the places you can get this shirt on this page here:
http://www.craftster.org/shop

I now have a version up at Spreadshirt where you can add whatever words you want underneath!

Leah

oh god damn, I just bought the other one on cafepress. this one is cooler, more subtle.

AND OMG I LOVE YOU AND YOUR BLOGGING/KNITTING WAYS.

k.