trials and tribulations

I think I've stumbled upon a problem with my school work habits.

Thing is, I can sit at my computer for several nights, staring at the same paper and get nowhere. (Sure I was sick too, but this is a running theme since college.) BUT! If I get up, grab my thumb drive and my laptop and hit a coffee joint...I can bang that 10 pager out in about 4 hours. And unless you can get caffeine by osmosis, it's not the coffee, cause I drink tea. Chamomile and lavender tea, which I highly recommend.

Isn't that weird though? My thoughts coalesce over the hum of an espresso machine, but not in my own home. I have to put the finishing touches on it today, so you can bet your ass I'm going to be at the Jittery Joe's this afternoon (east side if you please).

The frustrating part is that I can't just sit in my jammies and nasty hair, oh no, I have to put on proper clothes (read: bra) and dig out some cash cause I know I'm going to need a drink and a snack, which is not something I can't really afford all willy-nilly right now. Guess that's the price of deciding that your self esteem is more important than money.

When I finished and my brain was completely fried and wrung clean of all useful knowledge, I decided to do something fun.

So I whipped out the dyes and made a big mess. Seriously. My first attempt was so bad I didn't even take a picture. I had dyed a tiny test skein and didn't like it, so I attempted to overdye it a nice periwinkle. Well, turns out my stove gets VERY hot, very fast and now that tiny skein is an incredibly dark purple/navy color. Overdyed, indeed. Oops.

I gathered my wits and stopped cursing, and chose red instead.

World, meet Ruby. Ruby Soho. Destination, unknown.



She's slightly variegated, but really more semi-solid. This yarn just makes me giggle, and I can't believe how well it turned out. It's exactly what I wanted...not a solid red, just a little dark here and a little lighter there. Perfect.




Then I realized it was time to get down to business, and I whipped up some Punk Rock Girl for Robyn over at Knit & Purl Mama! The skein on the left is hanked up as it was dyed, and the one on the right is skeined up with a niddy noddy. R - these will go out to you tomorrow via USPS.



And now, I must polish up my paper and the mega-assignment for my assessment class, both of which total a whopping 90% of my grade for this semester.

But no pressure.



(On a very, very unrelated note: As a TV/radio/film major in my undergrad, i have to wonder....wtf is NBC doing?!?! First they put Studio 60 on 'hiatus' (BS, they'll finish airing the episodes they paid for and cancel it, which sucks because it's a really great show), then they give us the phenomenally produced Black Donnellys' and now they're yanking that with no notice? For MORE "reality" shows? What the hell? What am I supposed to watch on Thursday, aside from freaking GA reruns and recaps? I'm so over all these 'hiatuses' and extended breaks. In the 3 months I've had cable again, I've been able to watch about 4 or 5 new episodes of my shows. Where the hell is Heros? When is GA coming back? TV did not used to be like this. I'm on the verge of canceling everything but Discovery, DIY, and HBO.)

superstition

I'm not much on superstition, but I'm pretty sure this particular Friday the 13th conspired against me.

1. I was feeling pretty icky yesterday, but today I woke up with a 100 degree fever. And I couldn't get a sub for my class. No one even called me back. So I had to go to work.

2. I lost my voice about half way through the day. This is not good in a place where you have to shout over screaming one year olds to be heard.

3. Today was payday. The accountant made the check out to Michelle. Even though she knows my name and has met me several times. The bank wouldn't take the check obviously.

4. When I got home, I tried to take some pictures. My camera died for no known reason.

5. And in the mail was a bill for my summer tuition. Which I won't be paying because I've applied for financial aide. But not according to my school. Gah.

Regardless of all this seeming bad luck, as the day progressed little windows of opportunity opened to negate all the ickiness.

1a. I got to leave early. And sneaked into my doc's office just before they closed. He diagnosed me and wrote me a prescription. I was in and out in 10 minutes. And he wasn't even supposed to be there that late. They locked the door behind me.

2a. I coughed up some nasty phlegm and got my voice back. How gross is that though? Bleh. But now I have a gravelly voice and I can properly do justice to Smelly Cat.

3a. I called the accountant and I can pick up my new check tomorrow.

4a. My camera is revived, and there are pics below. Woo!

5a. I called Piedmont and got all my silly tuition crap situated. I have to resubmit all my financial aid junk, but I can fax it in tomorrow while seeing the accountant.

What luck, eh?

This is some yummy strawberry field-esque yarn I worked on earlier this week. I can't think of a fun punk name for it though. Any thoughts?



And just to add to the testament that knitters rule, Madge sent me a super sweet package of cool stitch markers and a card with lotuses (loti? lotes?) on it!! What a nice surprise!

Thanks girl!!



Clearly I need to make some adjustments to my camera now. These are not fuzzy in real life, promise.

Finger crossing

Ya'll are so great. My interview went pretty well, and I managed to not drop anything. It seems like it would be a fun job with a lot of independence and flexibility. I should know something Monday!

It's not that I don't enjoy working with the kids I'm with now. But I am a little tired of going to class covered in boogers, slobber, and various other baby mess. I'm sure I smell just great. Bleh.


Warning: The rest of this post is kinda picture heavy. Feel free to drool if necessary.

I've been working on several things during class and in my "free" time.

First up is Knitty.com's RPM sock in STR's Lucy colorway:



Next is Retro Rib from Interweave's Favorite Socks book, using my Letter to Elise colorway:



I liked it so much that I couldn't just let it languish in my stash!


This is a swatch in the round for Blue Orchid. The camera is still not getting the color nuances of this skein, but it's better than the last time I tried. Wish it was sunny today!



I just got some new yarn! This is the Blue Faced Leicester I ordered a week or so ago so that I could try something really, really scrumptious. And oh my is it. Just look at that spin! And it's superwash and sooooo soft. I can't wait to get started with it.



This is the 100% merino that I also have, just to compare. The spin is a little looser, but it's just as soft and also superwash. I really just want to pet them both all day.



If there is a colorway any of you like so far, I can dye some up for you in either yarn. And I'm continuing to work on more color combinations as I have the time. Pesky old grad school keeps getting in the way.

These were a gift from my mother-in-law! She got them from our local yarn store, but the girl who makes them has an Etsy shop here. Aren't they cute?! She has some really cute markers on the site. I'm going to order some to look like each of my cats.



Have a nice Hump Day everyone! I'm gonna go dye!

Question!

How is it that most people carry off that put-together look? I just don't get it.

No matter how prepared I am, something always happens. I drop my keys. Lean over to get them and my sunglasses fall off my head. Then my purse flings itself to the ground in a desperate attempt to get as far away from me as possible. Which means the cell phone now has the opportunity to escape as well.

All this chaos frustrates me, and then my clothes are all wrinkled and suddenly nothing on my body fits right and I'm extremely uncomfortable, and quite put out about it. Why?!?!

I just don't get it. I have plenty of confidence. It's the little things that kill.

(And seriously for a moment...how the hell do moms do it? Holy burp stains, Batman. This town has a lot of put-together-looking moms. I have a pretty freaking good idea what I am going to look like...)

I have a real, professional interview tomorrow...can you tell?

New yarn and a very sad yard

Thanks for the well wishes; I think they worked. In fact, I feel like a whole new person!

Though my allergies are still kicking my ass, and they will continue the onslaught until...well, forever really. Allergy shots never did much good and I'm immune to everything on the market, prescription or no. And since I'm allergic to 80 of the 120 things they tested me for (that was a fun day), I just kinda have to suffer through. I can't possibly avoid all the allergens. Dust, dirt, and cardboard are everywhere. As are my cats and dog.

Anyway. I did some dyeing yesterday with my new rockin' sock yarn, and here are some of the products:



Some Punk Rock Girl, and Blue Orchid, which is a teal-y blue, darker blue, purple and black. This photo isn't doing it much justice. I'll try to get a better one soon.

This pic is the inspiration for Blue Orchid:



Well, that and the awesome White Stripes song of the same name.

This is something Pete asked for, called Toxicity (woo System of a Down!). I want to bring down the orange a tad, as it's very dark, but I love the limey green and bright yellow. Or should I just leave the orange?



And oh my gawd, I have to share. I saw this shirt downtown the other day and almost spewed diet coke everywhere!!



Hahahahahhahahaha! Whew. Me too, man, me too.

(Insert disclaimer about how I don't condone cutting, blah blah, I grew up doing it myself, blah blah, just laugh at the joke kthx)

the weekend of eternal sickness

I've been sick all stinking weekend, and it's wearing on me. I guess the pollen caught up with me and maybe I ate something that disagreed with me, since it's a combination of ills. Thank god it's raining today so this pollen will get out of the air and off my car.

I had a nice long post all written out, and then Blogger got hungry and ate it, so this is the short sweet version since I'm too tired to rewrite the whole thing.

New things this weekend:

The yarn arrived. Yay! And I got an Ashford swift today as a get well present from the hubby. He's so smart that one. Dyeing to commence very soon!



The Buffy comic arrived. And was quickly devoured. I'm ready for the next one please, Joss.



MCR/Muse tickets. Oh yeah baby. I can hardly wait!



Old things becoming new again:

This is some Lorna's Laces in Chino that has been in my stash for a while. It was previously earmarked for a design I was working on, but after a while I'm now bored with the design, so I ripped it. I need a pattern so I have something to work on. I currently have NOTHING on the needles, ya'll. It's disconcerting and I feel like something is missing in my life.

Must. Cast. On.

But what?

3 posts in 3 days? i must be unemployed!

I finished the Monkey socks today, thanks to an excruciatingly long Advanced Grammar class last night. I know it's just the first semester, but I'm over school already. Must. Persevere.

Sigh.

Here's Monkey. And proof that I'm not so good with the picture taking late at night. And also proof that I could have chosen better patterned yarn for this project.

From above:



From the side, in midair, cause I'm a gymnast and junk:



From the creative angle, with the camera no where near my face:



These socks don't represent the Monkey pattern very well, partly because of the yarn, which I happen to love, but maybe for something else (Lorna's Laces in Parfait), and partly because I didn't block the socks. Honestly, who blocks a sock? (sorry, just watched Casino Royale and now I'm channeling Austin Powers.) They're much prettier in person. Most importantly, I learned about arch shaping. Ok, really just doing more decreases at the gusset, but still. I have a narrow foot, so it's important to get right, otherwise you just have a bulky sock that doesn't fit into your shoe.

In other news, I started a job today, and it closely resembles the things I asked for earlier this month, with a few key exceptions. The pay is significantly less. But I'm with cute babies all day, honing my mom skills, until 3:30 when I can go to class or just go home and study. Or dye lots of wool. Priorities you know. And I can wear whatever I want and be barefoot all day, which totally rocks because that's how I hang at home. Except now when I get home I have to change cause I'm covered in baby drool. And wow is my hand-washing OCD-ness kicking in. I'm pretty sure I'll have scrubbed them raw by next week.

OH! I blew past my 75 mile goal for April 1, and I'm now at 80, so I'm going to get on my bike this weekend and see if I can't power out those last 20 miles. Maybe I'll make 100 anyway!

new banner!

whee!

i love my new banner! i've been meaning to put something fun up there for a long time, and pete threw this together via photoshop in a few minutes (cause he's awesome and fast), and together we figured out how to manipulate the html and voila!

pretty, eh?

busy little bee

Gosh it's nuts over here! And I'm not even working.

Ok, first things first...the drawing!! As accomplished by my super scientific method of writing names on little pieces of paper, throwing them in the air and seeing which one lands first.


And the winner is.................MADGE!

Shoot me an email with your address and I'll get this skein o' joy right out to you! Congrats!!!

For the rest of you, I'll have some more Punk Rock Girl very soon!

I'm continuing to dye up yarn using some worsted I had in my stash. And I'm having so. much. fun! My first batch of colorways are musically inspired, since that's really what started it all. I'm paying tribute to some of my all-time favorite songs and bands, most of which are punk, goth, and alternative types. And as soon an my yarn order comes in I'll have several to show you. You can almost hear me tapping my foot, I'm sure.

To give you just a taste, this is Letter to Elise (god bless The Cure):



And here she is in the round:



Such a show off, that Elise.

I love the pinks and grays, but I'll be branching out soon enough (where is the mail man already?!?), and I'm feeling very red and blue.

Anarchy in the UK anyone?

resurrection of the buffyverse, and a prize

Holy crap.

Buffy is back.

Like many other Buffy fans, I'll take Joss Whedon in any form I can get, though preferably in the Buffy incarnation. And now the series continues as a comic! What a perfect forum. And great, just when I have no money, along comes a new addiction. (Mary, make sure to tell Madge!)

*****

I have to tell you, I'm so thrilled that ya'll loved Punk Rock Girl. Just looking at it makes me giggle a little, and knowing that ya'll love it too, well that just makes me giggle some more. I'm big on giggling. And silliness in general. Wish I could get a Masters of Silliness. That would rock.

Anyway, since you guys are so amazing, I'm going to host a drawing for Punk Rock Girl. That's right, I'm giving it away! But not because we aren't BFF and all, it's just that sometimes you gotta share the love. And PRG deserves a good home, since I barely have time to knit at all any more. It's taken me almost a month to get through a pair of socks (and that's the only thing I'm working on)! It's totally astonishing how fast the day goes by when you have no work to do. Super fast. Yet still, no time for the knitting. Bizarre.

So! Leave a comment in this post to enter the drawing. Don't forget to tell your other knitting friends. Unless you want better odds of winning for yourself. But I know knitters are the generous sort, so spread the word!

On a side note, this particular skein is KP's Bare superwash merino, 462 yards, 7-8 st. per inch on US 1-3 needles. If you don't like KP, stay tuned - I've ordered some yummy Kona to try next!!

just you and me, punk rock girl

Since I named this skein Punk Rock Girl, I can't get the Dead Milkmen out of my head.


Magic looped on 60 stitches:



All skeined up and no where to go:




"We got into her car away we started rollin
I said how much you pay for this
Said nothin man it's stolen..."

Ask, receive

I'm a believer in the concept that what you put out to the universe comes back to you, whether energetically, or in some other form.

In my last post, I mentioned two things I wanted, and in the span of 24 hours I had both.

Yesterday I finally made it to IKEA with Nate, and my brother and sister-in-law.



We had a blast, and I got a really cool table for my laptop, since I'm too short to reach our coffee table with ease. We also got some glasses and a great picture for one of our bedrooms.


My second wish was to see the Harlot. And guess what. Denise made it happen! (p.s. where the hell is your blog girl?) On April 20th we're heading up to Lexington, KY, since that's as close as the Harlot is going to get to Georgia, and we're gonna spend a weekend in horse and tobacco country. Woot! We might even have to drive through Nashville on the way home, since neither of us has ever been.

Since the universe is in a giving mood, I'd like a kickass, fun job that let's me work part time (30 or so hours/week), but pays me more than I was previously making (the universe knows how much), and doesn't freak out if I work from home, and also lets me wear whatever I want. Thanks. Plus, a million bucks couldn't hurt. While you're at it and all.

I, too, am in a giving mood, and a few of you asked me to post shots last weekend's yarn knitted up. From the cast on edge to the purl ridge is knit back and forth, then I magic looped it and knit in the round like a sock.

Tulips:



Bruise:



I think my mother-in-law is getting the Tulips, because she just fell in love with it, and she likes bright funky colors. I'll probably be making some more because it was just so much fun.

I also got a shipment of new dye colors to enhance my new obsession:



And now I have a new colorway drying on the deck.



Nate's comment was that I should be knitting for the Suicide Girls, so this one is called Punk Rock Girl. It's gonna make some seriously fun socks.

parum pum ping...

Man. I really, really want to go to THE Knitting Party of the Year. I wish I could meet the Harlot, and cavort with knitters from all over and take over NYC with our yarniness and wackiness and drown Central Park with our multi-colored socks. Choke on them NYC, choke! Haha!

Ahem. Better to choke on socks than smog right? I'm just sayin.

But alas. Tomorrow is my last day with the Company of Eternal Lies, and I shall soon be broke and probably working at Barnes & Noble, if they'll even deign to hire me. Once I'm completely free of the shackles of bullshit, I'll go into further detail. Also, I'm not a huge fan of NYC (smog and asthma are NOT friends). Maybe she can do the next one in Boston, or Denver, or LA (celebrity smog! at least i'll suffocate with a smile!), or hell, Atlanta! That would be perfect!! And she can do it in the IKEA, cause it's big and I still haven't been yet, and cause I said please and I can make cute faces and all. Or you know, just to suit me cause I'm me.

Sigh.

blunderificus

Look! More yarn!

Ok, it's the same yarn from this weekend. But now in yummy yarn cake form!



I tried to skein it all by my little self, but to say that the effort was disastrous would be selling it short. Yarn in tangles, spurned on in its badness by wide-eyed kitties eager for some yarn kicking action. So I wound it instead. Today I sneaked over to the yarn store during lunch and snagged myself an Ashford niddy noddy for next time. All hail Ashford.


In other yarn news, I finished the design swatch for the Star Wars hat. There are several mistakes, but they're fixed on the chart now. Knitting a circle out of a bunch of squares takes critical thinking. And maths. Both of which I'm resisting right now, as I struggle through an "everyone please just leave me the hell alone, I want to sleep and pretend the world doesn't exist" funk. I think spring break was just too short.

Anyway, here's the mistake ridden prototype swatch:



It needs love and blocking, but it doesn't entirely suck. I tried the yarn dominance trick (down yarn! bad!), but I'm not sure it worked very well. Now for the band and the text. Eep.



Oh, and did you yarny-type folks see Cookie's pattern site? I'm all aswoon over Rhiannon. But my fear is that they will take forever to knit, and I've no idea where to wear them, seeing as how I'm not Scottish, and I threw away my Catholic school girl skirt long ago. But you know how you just neeeeeeed something sometimes? Well I neeeeeeeeed kneehighs.

Clearly, I have lost my head.

dye happy

I had a wonderfully productive weekend. Caught up on a lot of school work (though not completely), went for a 6 mile walk with the hubs, and dyed some yarn. I'll continue to catch up tonight, and hope to be completely on top of my game by Thursday. I wasn't terribly far behind, but I have been lazy and stressed. The walk puts me at 54 total miles this year, which is no where near my goal of 100 by April 1, so I've revised my goal to 75 miles by April 1, and I feel very confident that I can meet it. Even if I don't, it's a lot farther than I would have done on my own, so I win both ways.


So, about the dying. I'm not so sure I'm very good at it.

This was my first attempt, with Jacquard dyes from knitpicks, and some sponge brushes I found at Michael's. I used pink, yellow and emerald, with spring in mind (specifically my long lost dead tulips...I'm in mourning).



And the close-up:



The pink looks almost fushcia, but it's not quite that bright. I loved the salmony/orangy color made by the pink and yellow, so I kept doing it.


Then I did something much darker. If I were to name it, Bruise would probably be appropriate:




I used some of the Jacquard dyes in blue, then I used the Rit dyes I found at Michael's for the black and purple.

Once I figure out how to skein them up, I'll post those pics too.


And there was one more dye job in the house this weekend.

Mine.



Man I love having black hair.



P.S. Taylor says "woof, mofos"

zenification

The hor-o-scope for Libra, according to the Divine Aunt Purl, sayeth thus:

LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 23) We all have so much stress wrapped up in money. Libra is no different, even with all the balance and Zen and so on associated with Libra folks, money can still bring up all sorts of tricky issues. Toward the end of the month, money will loom large and in charge, and you can cower, cry in a corner eating cheetos, or decide that money is just math, not magic, and while you yourself may not feel all mathy and brilliant in the moment, they have these new-fangled things called calculators which do the adding, and in this case, subtracting. The upside is that you are better prepared right now than most to handle some weird financial blip and your Zen will return right after tax day in mid-April. That's not long to wait for Zen, now is it? You Libras and your ability to remain upright in a flood, I tell you what. Share a little of that rowboat with a Cancer girl? please?


She's right about that upright ability. Me and the tree pose are justlikethis, and it's my favorite. Yeah, I might cross that thin insanity line when really stressed out, but I always look back and go "oh damn, there's that line again" and hop back over to semi-normal. But sometimes it takes a while for that realization to kick in. Ahem.

I will be keeping my cool this month though. Even though I put in my notice at work yesterday. And I have no job to go to afterwards. While that's a somewhat insane thought, it's really not that big a deal. Yes I know I just bought a house. And I have two car payments. Yet I'm still not worried. I have my resume out to a thousand different places, and I'll get something. The relief I feel is totally glossing over all the negative 'what-ifs'. Not to say that I'm not looking at those 'what-ifs', I just know I can handle them if they should arise. And that my friends, is very zen indeed.

So is this:



Look at all the sheeps! (I know they're "lambs", shush.)



Eeeee! Poor widdle bwack sheep, all awone.



These two follow their mom! And try to eat every time she stops! Run mama sheep, run!


I see these new little guys every day on my way to work (no, I do not live in the boonies, but when you're near a university people study stuff, and on my way to work is where they study the sheeps). Every day I drive past them and I can't help but squeal "baby sheeps!" in the most shrill voice I can muster, so it would really sound more like "bbships!" if it were actually audible to the human ear. Luckily for the rest of the world, I don't carpool.

They just make me so happy, what with the way they just run around being sheeps and all. And the knitter in me can't wait for them to get fluffy in hopes that on shearing day someone pulls me over as I pass by with a "hey lady, want some free wool?", in which I reply "hells yes handsome young farmer boy, I'll take all you have!". Clearly my baby sheep fascination is multifaceted.


More good things today:

1. I'm getting almost 3k from my previous employer (to my IRA), mostly because I rocked when I worked there and it's bonus time. See above about not being stressy about money.

2. Borat. Enough said.

3. Affordable karate lessons.

4. BB SHEEEEEEPSSS!!!

yarn-type pornage

there must be something about chicago.

everyone from chicago that i've interacted with has been truly awesome.

maybe it's the wind. if you have to grab on to strangers to keep from flying down the street, panties a-flashing, perhaps it's wise to make nice with those who might keep you upright.

my point here is that robin, who is from the chicago area, is wonderful. last week she posted about some hemp yarn on her blog, and said that the first person to comment got the skein. and guess what? i'm quick.

and it happened to come on the most awful day i've had in a very long time. as soon as i saw the package i just relaxed. cause i was reminded that there are other people in the world who are just cool...just because.

hempy goodness (thanks again, robin!!!):




i also got my kp order for pete's hat this week (and now pete has a blog!! omg! go check it out!):




i can't wait to get started on this hat. the swatching is done, and the charting has begun.

while i was waiting for the hat yarn to arrive, i started a sock so i could keep up with one of my goals this year. i want to work on making socks for myself that fit properly. i've taken some measurements, and i think the problem lies in the fact that my calf is bigger around that my foot. almost all sock patterns have you decrease back down to the original cast on number, which for me is too big. i'll probably do a good deal of ripping, but at least i can identify what part needs work.

this is monkey from knitty.com, in lorna's laces' parfait colorway. yay for pink socks.



as i was taking pictures this morning, i heard an eerie crunching sound.

beware, the sneaky cheerio eater...



(also, big events happened today, but i'm not sane enough to post about it today. maybe tomorrow!)

babies and tattoos....but not baby tattoos, or tattoos of babies

What a short weekend. I spent almost all day Saturday at Karen's house, finishing up the super secret knitting project. We ate lunch and dinner together, and I left around midnight. It was great to finally spend a lot of time together and talk about all the things we've been meaning to discuss.

I'll have pics of the project, if someone sends them to me ever so graciously (hint hint guys), as I forgot my camera for the event today and had to make my idle hands busy with finger foods. Mmm, cheese straws. If I had fondled some yarn, I probably would have been ok and potentially could have avoided the panic attacks followed by uttering the word "baby". Regardless, I won a sweet prize for keeping my mouth shut more often than everyone else. At least when it came to the "b" word.

And on that front, I think the hubs and I have come to an understanding that neither of us will ever really turn to the other and say, "honey, let's have kids right now". Therefore, we've decided that if it's not an accident, it isn't meant to be. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being "hell no, I'll slit my wrists and throw myself in front of traffic before I'll ever reproduce" and 10 being "please god, impregnate me now via your divine essence so that we may be fruitful and multiply like insane bunnies", we both sit at a comfortable 7: "if it happens, cool, we'll make the world a better place with the fusion of our awesomeness, but if not, no one will cry...not really hard anyway...ok maybe just a little".

Guess it would be wise to inform the parents so they can stop calling me every month to see if I'm "regular". My common response is, "yes mom, I just made number 2, and there were floaters AND sinkers!". Her reply is usually, "jeez you're so gross....you're gonna be a great mom".


Scout posted that she wanted to see some flesh art, and I happen to sport a bit of ink.



This one is my first tattoo, and is now quite faded. I swear there used to be some yellow in there somewhere. Anyway, it's on my left shoulder blade, and I got it when I was 20. I designed it myself, with a bit of fleshing out by the artist. It took about 40 minutes, and I swore I was going to die. It was the first major defining act (and there were many) of my independent adulthood. We all know the debauchery that shortly followed.




I got the lotus done over the course of several months, during the summer of 2004. I love it, even though it's a lot bigger than I intended. I had an initial design in mind, and the artist and I worked over it several times until we got something I absolutely couldn't live without. What started as a simple little geometric design across the lower back became an intense 5.5 hour exercise in patience and the art of breathing through the pain. And my skin reacted very negatively, which meant that I could only sit for an hour at a time. Getting up the nerve to go back every few weeks was tough. But I couldn't be happier, and it was definitely worth it.

Would I ever get another? Probably not. Five hours was enough.

uber me

so i forgot to mention that not only did i write a paper on leet, i had to present it too.

and i totally r0xx0r3d.

i used a leet translator as part of my hand out, as well as a guideline to gaming acronyms, and a few comics like this one (with permission, of course).

i was horribly nervous, cause that's what i do - freak myself out to the point that words escape me, then i get embarrassed, my face gets all red because i cant remember what i need to say. it's a vicious cycle. so i tried to go last. i found my nerve, however, when the guy before me did his presentation on text speak, and proceeded to swear that no one uses leet anymore, and that he could find almost no research on either topic. of course i had to show him up. but not in an "i'm better than you" sort of way.

for a grad student to say "i couldn't find any research" is just bullshit. work harder. look harder. if you still can't find anything, extrapolate and use what you can find to go further. or hell, just write about something else.

anyway, the presentation lasted about 20 minutes, including question/answer time, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. txt guy even participated a good bit, and we had a nice little banter about the whole thing.

still. must suck to get pwn3d by a girl.

Well my first paper as a graduate student is finally finished. I have a tad of fleshing out to do to answer some questions I posed, but otherwise, it is done. My gaming friends might find it interesting that I chose to write about the grammar behind leet, and its ramifications for grammar instruction. They might also be appalled to discover that I spent two years of my gaming life basically spying on the way gamers use leet, and how it morphs and alters words and phrases. Or they might just think I'm a loser. Whatev. It's definitely affected me and I use pieces of it in chat as humor or for ironic effect, or simply out of plain old laziness. Regardless, the damned paper is done. W00t! ;)


And since you guys are too lazy to guess, this is one of the projects I'll be working on over Spring Break. Pete designed his own hat, now I just have to chart it and knit it up. Isn't it cool?!? I'll probably be making a second one, once Nate sees how awesome it is.




I finished my part of the super super secret knit, so I'll have pictures of it next week once it's fully completed.

I've also been working on Unbiased from Knitty.com, in some Noro Silk Garden. It's a fun black/gray/brown/tan mix, that's sure to go with just about everything. I'll post some pics later this week. The camera and I are not friends this week, hence my lack of real pictures.

I saw this meme type thing over at Lick My Sticks, and since I love music, here goes:

Soundtrack of my Life

Directions: If your life was a movie, what would the soundtrack be?

1. Open your mp3 library
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press Play.
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing.
5. When you go to a new question, press the Next button.
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool.
7. Don’t skip songs.

My Movie:

1. Opening credits: Give Me a Call - 311
2. Waking up: Hardest Button to Button - White Stripes
3. First day of school: Head Over Feet - Alanis
4. Fight song: I'll Be Here Awhile - 311
5. Breaking up: Teenagers - MCR
6. Happiness: Give Me Novacaine - Green Day (lol)
7. Life’s okay: Same Mistake Twice - 311
8. Mental breakdown: My Doorbell - White Stripes
9. Driving: From Chaos - 311
10. Flashback: It's My Life - No Doubt (fitting)
11. Getting back together: Forgiven - Alanis
12. Wedding song: Excuse Me Mister - No Doubt
13. Birth of first child: Black Math - White Stripes
14. Final battle scene: Freak Out - 311 (lol)
15. Death scene: All I Really Want - Alanis
16. Funeral song: Still Dreaming - 311
17. End credits: Freeze Time - 311

Guess there's a lot of 311 on my ipod, eh? Oops. Maybe it's time to diversify. It makes great running music though...

If you like it, consider yourself tagged!

agony and ivory

today has been vicious.

first, a rise-and-shine appointment with the evil tooth drill and it's maniacal master. i really hate a dental appointment, even just a cleaning. i have a wonderfully sweet dentist who runs his own dental 'spa', and still...keep the damn drills out of my mouth please. i can get a massage all day long, but turning on the drill is just going to ruin the effect. the soothing parts really are great though. i got to listen to my ipod, and snuggle under a blanket with a warm neck pillow while they poked and prodded. but i was there for four hours. FOUR simultaneous hours. almost upside down in an uncomfortable chair. agony. all to get a temporary crown and a tmj appliance. makes it sound like i'm walking around with a fridge in my mouth. luckily it's only mini fridge sized. and i only have to wear it at night, which i think i'll start tomorrow. today i'm too sore and bruised. i have a little mouth, and it only enjoys being stretched for specific, pleasurable reasons. dentistry is not on that short list. but cake is.

then i had to go to work. all drugged up and calling microwaves 'microsoft'. hey, they start with the same five letters, sue me.

then it was on to class, where i further made an ass of myself. i prefaced by saying 'i might be a tad out of it, but....'. maybe no one noticed the slurred speech and glassy eyes. i'm sure what i said was poignant and meaningful and....ah who am i kidding.

on a less stressful note, i am working on two super secret knitting projects!! so exciting!

ok, only one is really secret. pete and i were discussing the other project, and when i wanted details he photoshopped a design (cause he's super cool):

me: one insignia? text all the way around?
pete: hmm....yes. did you enlarge the pic? i even gave it a knitted texture.
me: i can tell
pete: you're not even remotely phased that i drew up what i wanted
me: it looks awesome, but i wasnt too surprised, you're a visual kinda guy
pete: i had to make sure it was manly and badass...in case you got any flowery and kitteny ideas
me: who? me? never
pete: yes you, i had no idea if Brielle (one of my old insane gaming characters) would take over during the knitting process
me: i personally detest flowers and kittens and butterflies too
pete: look at your sig, asshead
me: i made no mention of bunnies



any guesses?

go, now

I've been watching this story for a while, and I've really been shocked into silence.

The story is about Julie Amero, the substitute teacher in Connecticut who is looking at 40 years in prison for the porn ads that popped up on her computer during class back in 2004. I've been doing some more reading today, thanks to Scout, and from what I see, if they wanted to go after someone, it should have been the school's network admin. It's their job to keep this kind of thing from happening, not a teacher's fault if it does happen. And educators should have a yearly IT 101 class to help them troubleshoot for spyware and teach them the basics of operating their computers if they don't know already (and even if they do know, since technology changes faster than we sometimes can keep up with).

I'm the resident computer geek in my office, and in every office I've ever been in. Just today I taught someone how to use Outlook, and showed another employee how to burn a file to a CD. Both very basic operations. And I feel pretty sure that when I'm working at a school I'll be helping other educators with their computers. Not knowing what to do when a computer isn't operating properly is not a crime. The crime lies in letting this sort of incident inhibit the way we use technology in classrooms.


This link goes to Julie's blog. Please donate if you feel so inspired. I certainly did.

incoming: long post

i feel like i've been away forever, and i have a ton to talk about! so i'm just going to spill it and not edit, cause really, who has time?

when i'm not reading for classes, writing papers (although my writing here constitutes far more than i've written on my paper due next week...oops), or working and being stressed about work, i'm doing a lot of thinking.

thinking about everything. my finances and paying off my sizeable debt; my student teaching next year, which is not a paid gig; my current job situation and how to rectify it; how to shave off 15 lbs; how to focus on class better and think more critically about what i'm learning and what it means (cause it matters for my dissertation); how to keep my marriage from imploding thanks to all the stress i'm under; how to fit in time to knit and work out and run errands and afford to eat...want more?

in thinking about all my thinking (metacognitive much?), i'm realizing that if i don't put some organization and order into all the things manifesting themselves right now, i could easily quit my job, leave school, and find myself naked in the street insisting that the light poles are lying sons of bitches. so, i'm seeking balance, structure, contentedness, sanity, and far less stressful environments. the libra in me demands serenity now!

so i've added a few blogs to my bloglines account: zen habits and ririan project. they are both inspiring me to get things done, focus intently, and most importantly...breathe. i hear this breathing thing is good. gonna keep doing it.

to get better organized i've been reading Getting Things Done vicariously through nate (can you read vicariously?), and i'm trying out a system called tracks, which is based on the GTD system. so far i find it very useful not to have all these things on my brain, but rather stored somewhere that i can come back to them later and focus on what needs to be done right this moment. doesn't keep me from being distracted by the hot & spicy cheezits calling my name, but that's another problem altogether.

i also picked up you: on a diet. honestly, i never would have read this book if it weren't for laurie's recommendation. and what an awesome book it is, once you get past the silly similes and metaphors. it provides incredible insight into how our bodies work, in lay terms, so that we can really get a good idea of how our food affects us. and the chapters about the psychology behind 'going on a diet' is so dead on for me. i'm definitely an all-or-nothing kind of girl, so when i sabatoge a diet it is dead to me, in a mafia sort of way. but i'm really starting to embody the u-turn idea, so that when i make a mistake, it's no big, and i'll just eat an apple and call it even. me and apples are going to be bff, ya'll. i also love the idea about automating meals. i love oatmeal with some walnuts, half a banana and maple syrup, so that's been my breakfast for the last few days. yum. i'm also walking every day too. i'm up to 40 miles on my trek to 100 by april 1. i feel behind for about two weeks, but i'm picking up the slack now. i average two miles a day, so i'm not worried about making the goal.

i introduced my mom to the book as well, and ya'll...i'm soooo proud of her. she's always struggled with her weight and never done well with diets, and this book has made such a huge difference for her. just understanding why she has high blood pressure and what it's doing to her body has completely changed her way of thinking, and she's eating better than she ever has. i got all weepy in the grocery store while talking to her on the phone about it. it means so much to me for her to succeed, because my 'why' for working hard and dieting has always been 'i don't want to look like my mom'. i know that's kinda sad, but it's true.

and in honor of her success (i hope she lets me post before and after pics, cause she's rocking the hell out of this 'no diet' thing), i'm bringing sexy back. next week i'm cancelling my gym membership, since it's too far away now, and buying a weight rack and a bench to add some definition to this formerly hot frame. i have had literally zero interest in sex for at least the last two months (longer to be really honest, and that is a scary amount of time for this formerly sex-crazed chick), and i realized today that it's because i don't think i'm sexy anymore. and that's a damn damn shame. so i'm going to put in some work and get my groove back. and it will be awesome stress relief from all this other crap.

wow, that was a lot of typing. if you made it this far, bless your heart, you deserve a lie down. and now, back to my paper and being scholarly and junk.

love, peace and harmony.

<3

Happy V-Day to all of you! If you don't have a valentine, consider me your surrogate. But the job description includes flowers and jewelry, and also cookies, so come prepared.

Nate and I don't do the whole card/flowers/chocolate thing at all. Last year we went to Zaxby's for dinner...because we were hungry, not because of what day it was. (And also because everywhere else was totally packed.) The way we figure, people are grossed out by our mushiness 364 other days of the year, so we don't have to rub it in their faces on what can be a painful day for some. Tonight we'll go to our favorite restaurant (Thai, of course) for dinner, and then find some dessert. No cards, no gifts, no contributing to the corporate sponsored you-must-show-someone-you-love-them-or-else day. Regardless, I hope all of you have a great day!

And thanks for all the nice comments about my version of Central Park! I wear it almost every day, and it is so warm and snuggly!

Central Park...Cardi

Central Park Hoodie, sans hood.
Began: 12/24/06
Finished: 2/3/07
Yarn: Knitpicks' Swish
Needles: Denise size 8



Didn't notice until I posted this pic that the sweater is laid out crooked. It's actually very symmetrical and perfect.



Leather buttons by Joann's. It's almost comical that I chose a washable yarn, and dry clean only buttons.



The collar works very well. I just picked up the stitches all the way around, knit in 2x2 rib for four inches and blocked.