I Took a Shortcut

As my knitting friends know, math is an important component in knitting. I have finally learned my lesson. After skipping the math part of several of my projects, this is by far the best example of why I not to do it again.

The math: at 4 stitches to the inch, I could make a 4-foot by 4-foot blanket with approximately 200 stitches. Instead, I skipped the math and simply thought 400 was a good number. So, I am knitting 400 rows of 400 stitches each.

Really, Mindy? This is the blanket so far.

...after 120 rows

...over 30 hours

...and 48,000 stitches.

It's 9-feet, without even being stretched out.

No more shortcuts!

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My Week as a New York City Tourist

For the past week and a half, my husband and I have been taking in the sites of New York City as from the eyes of tourists. Yes, you may remember that my husband started work recently, which began with six weeks of training. Well, the short story is that the training program coordinators allowed him to skip part of the training because he didn't need it. Four out of one hundred trainees skipped this part of training. Anyway, I'm bragging and digressing . . .

First Tourist Stop: The U.S. Open on Long Island. We visited on a fabulous day. The weather was great, and the matches were spectacular.

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Welcome to the U.S. Open!

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A wide angle view from the top of the stands.

View back toward Manhattan from the top of the stands. Hoboken is

on the other side of Manhattan, which made for a lengthy train ride.

Second Tourist Stop: Ellis Island. Ellis Island was the first stop for all immigrants who came to the United States between 1900-1925. It was fascinating to learn about our ancestors' first steps on American soil.

The view from Ellis Island to our next stop - The Statue of Liberty

Third Tourist Stop: The Statue of Liberty.

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Beautiful. American. Freedom.

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Fourth Stop: The Letterman Show. We sat in the front row at the Letterman Show today and saw Senator Obama and Lebron James. Seriously, it was fantastic. I got in the spirit of television and acting, constructing myself completely bi-partisan. I think I was made, though, when I was the only one cheering and clapping when he asked the crowd how they felt about Sarah Palin.

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We weren't supposed to take pictures inside the theater, so this is a shot I took from my camera phone right before a security guy came and threatened to take the battery out of my phone.

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Tourist or not, though, there is no label for anyone here in New York, or elsewhere in this nation, other than American when it comes to September 11. I never saw the skyline before I moved here.

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Here is a picture someone else took of the skyline with the twin towers.

Here is the picture I took last week.

God, bless America. .

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We have never needed it more.

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Hanna Leaves Behind a Beautiful Skyline

Two shots of New York City's Financial District the day after Hanna blew through. It's only a few days before September 11, and this view is very different than it was before September 11, 2001.