Accck, they took away my prime stitching time

I am probably going to catch 18 kinds of heck for this, but I have an admission to make. I stitch at work. Well, I used to stitch at work. I work in a call center, and we've had some major restructuring lately, so I had time to stitch. My boss didn't care if I did it, at least I was in my seat and not talking. I have a naturally loud voice, and my accent is of the Kentucky kind, so keeping me quiet is a priority. I was getting a lot of stitching done.

And then we moved everyone together and someone who doesn't work in this department decided that it was not professional for me to be stitching at my desk between calls. so I can't do that anymore. We can't read, we can't stitch. We can stare at the walls for the time we aren't on the phone. ACCCCCK. I've decided that I am going to use my now ample free time to work on my writing. I figure that can't annoy anyone.

But it really did annoy me to be told that. I have the lowest aux time (time we can't take calls), the highest call volume, and I am the one that when all the head office people come, they play my calls, because I am very good at what I do. And yet, the one thing that keeps me sane I can't do because someone doesn't think it looks professional. I think there was some sort of discussion that I couldn't even do it at lunch--EXCUSE ME? That is my free time, and it's a better way to spend an hour than rolling up and down the main shopping thoroughfare, running the risk of being late and eating fast food. I am really fighting the fast food cravings, because, if you don't drink soda, there really are no good drink alternatives at a fast food place, just fruit punch, iced tea, the quality of which ranges from exceptional (Taco Bell Raspberry iced tea) to exceptionally bad (pretty much everyone else's sweetened iced tea--it tastes pretty much what I imagine Lemon Pledge would taste like). So I checked today and my boss has no problem with what I do on my time. I am glad of that. It was really starting to get me mad. At the very least, I need that extra uninterrupted time to get SO's stocking done.

I've discovered a new bunch of cuteness. Primitive stitchery! I was trolling E-bay for it and found a lot of patriotic things. They look pretty easy to do, I do have some embroidery skills--have I ever told the story about how I became a chain-stitching expert due to an accidental misinterpretation of directions on a lap quilt? No? Picture it: a 3" X 3" intricately done stamped cross stitch lap quilt, with every motif lovingly (and slowly)outlined in chain stitch, instead of backstitch. 2 years it took me, friends, but I did it. It has a mystery stain on it now, because I never got it finished into a quilt, but I will finish it, and I will display it proudly because those miles and miles of chain stitch made me a master stitcher. Anyway, so these look pretty simple and very pretty. I think they would be quicker than a cross stitch. I just have to go get muslin. They'll be a nice change, cause sometimes, you really are too tired to count.

So that's where I'm at right now. I only work 5 hours this weekend, and I have to dogsit. I am going to clean my car out and then take the little dogs down to the park for a walk along the creek (cross your fingers no one decides to jump in and have a swim!), then gonna uncover the furniture on the side porch and stitch. At least as long as the Mongrel Horde allows me before they start getting mad at the people walking up and down the street.