the blue blog archives: bdays

I just got back from a quick happy birthday trip down to NYC with my son B to see grandma. (Poor S had to stay home with daddy and 103 degree temperature.)

B was thrilled to ride on the train. He spent three hours of the four hour ride happily looking out the window, leaving me with a surprisingly great deal of knitting time. He did insist on helping me with the cables on katy though.

On Saturday, I got to go to Broadway - no kiddies, just me, other theater-going adults, and a lot of spam.

There was just enough time before the ride back on Sunday to do a little knit-tourism. First up was the new knit cafe in town, the Point. (Where I picked up a t-shirt and some sock yarn - surprise, surprise.)

And of course, a must for every NYC knit-trip, Downtown Yarns. B even helped wind the Koigu I bought! (I'm going to make the shrug that the woman helping B is wearing.)

And then we came home, I dropped the suitcase on my foot and got to spend the first three hours of my real birthday in the ER. Happy, happy. Result: a bad bruise, no broken bones, and half a Fixation ankle sock complete. I'll be spending the rest of my birthday on the sofa with my foot elevated. And most likely watching the fireworks tonight on tv.

So happy birthday to me and God bless America, home of the free, the brave, the most fabulous knitting stores in the world, and 24-hour healthcare!

posted by alison at 11:12 am | in feather and fan , nyc knitting

Comments

happy birthday! hope the foot feels better soon :O)

Posted by: amanda at July 4, 2005 11:25 AM

Happy Birthday! To have fireworks for one's birthday every year--how special! :)

Posted by: Stacie at July 4, 2005 11:27 AM

Happy Birthday! What a bummer about the foot booboo.

Posted by: Lauren at July 4, 2005 11:28 AM

Oh, I can totally relate to that foot up in the air thing. Good luck. Ice helps. So do Motrin type drugs, if your stomach tolerates them.

And happy birthday!

Posted by: Laurie at July 4, 2005 11:42 AM

Hoping you have a wonderful birthday...and of course keep your feet up and knit.

Posted by: Leslie at July 4, 2005 11:43 AM

I just LOVE B's Che T-shirt! All the boys in our family have Che shirts too :)

Happy birthday, hope you get lots of great, knitty presents. July is the perfect month for birthdays, right?? (My turn in 5 days...)

Get-well-soon hugs
Helene

Posted by: Helene at July 4, 2005 11:52 AM

Happy Birthday!

Posted by: Andrea at July 4, 2005 12:02 PM

Happy Birthday! At least you have Koigu, right?

Posted by: Nadia at July 4, 2005 12:16 PM

Happy Birthday!!! And SPAMALOT???? Lucky, lucky, lucky girl! I'm jealous!!! I really hope it makes it to my corner of the country someday!

Posted by: Carry at July 4, 2005 12:22 PM

Happy Birthday Alison! Two wonderful knit stores to tour, a play (w/o kiddies) and cake sounds like an ideal birthday celebration even w/the foot problem! Thanks for the knit store pics (I'm going to call the one store to find out about the pink knitted jacket in the background of your picture!).

Posted by: Leslie at July 4, 2005 12:39 PM

Happy birthday Alison. Sounds like you've made the most of it.

Posted by: Jessica at July 4, 2005 1:00 PM

Happy Birthday Alison! Hope all your dreams, knitty and otherwise, come true!

Enjoy your birthday...foot elevated, knitting water of choice, fireworks on TV and knit, knit, knit!!!

Posted by: Debi at July 4, 2005 1:07 PM

Happy birthday, and I hope you feel better soon! What a silly injury!

Posted by: grumperina at July 4, 2005 1:07 PM

You're so right, Grumperina, it is a silly injury. Everyone at the ER was quite amused by me: my foot hurt like hell and was ugly as all get out, but otherwise I was feeling great after my awesome weekend and sitting there knitting away happily.

Posted by: alison at July 4, 2005 1:12 PM

Oh...fab trip, sorry to hear about your foot! At least while your sitting you can knit!

Posted by: Christie at July 4, 2005 1:18 PM

Happy Birthday! Wishing you a speedy recovery!

Posted by: Liz at July 4, 2005 1:23 PM

Happy Birthday!!! At least the foot mishap happened AFTER all the yarn stores :) Hope you are feeling better soon and hope you have a wonderful day. Those pictures of your son and all the yarn are awesome!!! Take care.
ps. hope his brother is feeling better too, those fevers can linger on, or at least they have for us.

Posted by: michele at July 4, 2005 2:14 PM

Alison, Happy birthday!

Hope your foot recovers soon :)

Posted by: emy at July 4, 2005 2:24 PM

happy birthday! Sorry about the foot...it's a great excuse for staying put though to knit! ^_^

(my birthday's tomorrow! and for once I'm looking forward to it...)

Posted by: tania at July 4, 2005 2:28 PM

Happy Birthday! Glad you had a good trip.

Posted by: Kristin at July 4, 2005 2:43 PM

Happy birthday! That is too bad about your foot - I thought stuff like that only happened to me! Feel better soon.

Posted by: Tiffany at July 4, 2005 3:24 PM

OW ow ow!
Happy Birthday -- I hope you (and S) recover quickly!

Posted by: Lindsay at July 4, 2005 3:27 PM

Happy Birthday!

Posted by: Kat at July 4, 2005 3:30 PM

Happy Birthday!! hope your foot is better soon.

Posted by: ada at July 4, 2005 4:16 PM

Joyeux Anniversaire Alison!*

Hope your foot feels better - Have a happy 4th of July.

It's kinda weird to "see" you with only one boy...
Can't wait to see the shrug in Koigu..Feather and Fan ?

Best Wishes...

* do I need to translate ?! ;o)

Posted by: karen at July 4, 2005 4:46 PM

Happy Birthday! Bummer about the foot, but thankfully nothing is broken. How was Spamalot?

Posted by: Norma at July 4, 2005 5:05 PM

Happy birthday! Sorry you hurt yourself, hope you get better soon:)

Posted by: beth at July 4, 2005 6:12 PM

Happy Birthday! Looks like you had a wonderful trip, such a shame about your poor foot. I have to say that my perspective on long waits for health care has really changed since I started knitting.

Posted by: jo at July 4, 2005 6:17 PM

The suitcase nearly broke your foot when you dropped it?...Um, exactly how much yarn had you packed into it?

Thanks for taking us along on your fun-filled journey. And happy birthday!

Posted by: Linda at July 4, 2005 6:24 PM

Happy Birthday! And, ouch.

Posted by: claudia at July 4, 2005 6:50 PM

Happy birthday!!

Posted by: karen at July 4, 2005 9:36 PM

Happy Birthday! Hope your foot is on the mend.

Posted by: Kathy at July 4, 2005 11:55 PM

Happy Birthday! Glad you had fun in my fab City! Hope S (and your foot) are both feeling better.

Posted by: Jon at July 5, 2005 12:56 AM

Happy Birthday!! So sorry it started off on the wrong foot (couldn't help myself). Glad there was knitting involved though:)

Posted by: Deb at July 5, 2005 1:59 AM

Happy Birthday! Hope the foot feels better soon, its a good excuse to rest and knit though isn't it?

Posted by: kerrie at July 5, 2005 3:32 AM

Happy Birthday, Alison!

Posted by: Bettina at July 5, 2005 3:37 AM

Happy Birthday, hope your foot is doing OK!
Love the child-size Che Guevara t-shirt, whereever did you find that?

Posted by: Rebecca at July 5, 2005 6:30 AM

I love the Che shirt! Where can I get one in a toddler size?

Posted by: The Feminist Mafia at July 5, 2005 9:22 AM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Ah, the bright side of things - now you have no excuse NOT to sit around and knit. Dream come true.

;)

Posted by: Bookish Wendy at July 5, 2005 9:28 AM

happy birthday! i hope it was a good one (other than your foot) and that you have many more.

plus.. i'm FILLED with jealousy over the fact that you got to see Spamalot... oh what i wouldn't give to see Tim Curray live...

-saff

Posted by: saff at July 5, 2005 10:56 AM

What fabulous parenting, to parade a child around wearing the image of a murderous thug, what a fabulous life lesson. Oh sure, it was romantic to ride the motorcycle, but how romantic was Che's shooting innocents in the head. I hope your boys learn to live by his motto "A people without hate cannot triumph against the adversary" -- we need more hate in the world.

From a Cuban's perspective: http://www.babalublog.com/archives/001193.html

Another shirt you might want to put on your children:
[link deleted for graphic content]

Consider me a reader lost.

Posted by: anonymous at July 5, 2005 12:19 PM

For those of you looking for the Che shirt, it's made by Appaman. My mother found them in NYC. The website should tell you where they are available.

For the anonymous commenter, I didn't come up with the idea of making Che shirts. Che's image has become part of the popular culture, representing a desire to rebel against an oppressive system or, if you prefer, a cliched notion of being radical. Like most Americans, I know something about Che Guevara, but not a lot. And like most sensible, well-meaning people, I'd appreciate more useful information and links, rather than mean comments and offensive pictures. Here's a start:
Wikipedia entry for Che Guevara
The Time 100 -The Most Important People of the Century
PBS: The Legacy of Che Guevara
Slate.com : "The Cult of Che"
The Observer: "Just a Pretty Face?"
Cubanet: "Che t-shirts keep reality under wraps"

Posted by: alison at July 5, 2005 1:10 PM

I'm not too wild about Che. Talk to Cuban Americans about him and see what they have to say about him.

Posted by: Lola at July 5, 2005 2:56 PM

Did you like Spamalot? Stupid question, how could you not? I saw it just a bit ago and I think it was wonderful. ^_^ I hope you read (and saved) the program!

You know, I live in NYC and I've never gone to dowtown yarns. I ought to do that sometime.

Posted by: Gwen at July 5, 2005 4:44 PM

Happy Birthday Alison!! I was born on the 4th of July as well. I don't know about you but I have mixed feelings about having a bday on a national holiday. It seems that many friends have plans on the 4th so I'm always nervous about having a party. However, I do love the fireworks and that I never have to work on my bday!!

Posted by: Deena at July 5, 2005 4:47 PM

Happy Belated Birthday! Mine is on Thursday (the 7th)...and I spent the day on Monday similar to you. I bruised/twisted my ankle pretty badly on Saturday, and I spent the day on Sunday and Monday with it elevated. On the positive side, I got a LOT of knitting finished. My 6-sox KAL sock is almost finished, so I should be able to jump right in on the sockpaltwoza sock!!

Here's to July Birthdays! :)

Posted by: Angela at July 5, 2005 7:54 PM

Thanks for all the birthday wishes, everyone! And happy birthday right back at ya to all my fellow July birthday gals. :)

Posted by: alison at July 6, 2005 11:12 AM

when you were on line at the theatre.. did you see someone looking a little too long at you? I walked by you and thought... I cant' believe how much that woman looks like alison whose blog I read religiously! but I doubted myself.. I looked to see if there was any obvious hand knitting on your self... didn't see any.. thought of shouting " alison" got shy.... ok.. wasn't that the best show you"ve seen! I was carried away.. can't remember laughing so hard. nancy from Los Angeles.

Posted by: Nancy at July 6, 2005 6:54 PM

Hey - happy belated birthday! I haven't had the chance to read any blogs for a week...mine's coming up on Saturday - yay July b-days!

Posted by: Eklectika at July 6, 2005 9:49 PM

happy birthday!! (a little late)

i'm so completely jealous about the trip to a NYS yarn shop.... i just am stumped for words.... think i would have passed out!

Posted by: rebecca at July 7, 2005 12:37 PM

Well, how on EARTH did I miss this. Hrmph.
I hope you are healing. And enjoying birthday cake.

Posted by: sandy at July 7, 2005 4:00 PM

Happy Belated birthday...so your were born on the 4th of July? how neat...I have a 2nd cousin born on that day as well.
Hope your foot feels better.

Posted by: Orli at July 8, 2005 10:48 AM

Happy Birthday!

Posted by: LauraA at July 8, 2005 1:16 PM