Happy Birthday to ME!!

(I'm off MY diet too!)

My dad woke me up early this morning (being a birthday girl and all, I was hoping to sleep in...oh well. I'm awake now). He wanted to talk to my brother and me, to get our ideas about what to do for my parents' anniversary...both my brother and I were so groggy and sleepy, and you could tell. But dad was thinking of taking a trip or something...Despite the fact that my brother and I think it would be great if dad and mom went on a trip together, ALONE, he wants to make it a family vacation.

So far, we've come up with New York, Vegas, Chicago...anyone have any ideas? Something quick (weekend trip) and not too expensive? Or even in Ohio, if we can't make it out of state? If so, let me know what your ideas are...(post in comments or drop me an email).

And, if you're looking for Webkinz (shameless plug), we received a shipment at our store: Vale Edge Blog.

One day away!

Good news:

Garfield is now celebrating his countdown to his 29th birthday, which makes me oh-so-very happy.

And here are pictures that I promised:

This is the back of my sweater--or what I have of it so far. I'm pretty excited that I've made it this far. I'm going to finish as much as I can this week (all of it?) we shall see!

This is what the front portion (and sleeves) of the sweater look like. It's actually a much prettier turquoise shade in person.

When I came home from work...this package was waiting for me...It's from my Secret Pal, and inside were some goodies for my birthday...

Some Noro yarn, with a great pattern (I seriously can't wait to try it! I am going to finish that sweater first, though!), a copy of Domiknitrix, some C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E , including a square of Ritter Sport, which always brings back memories of Germany (I had a friend, Aaron, who was hooked on this particular brand--so every time we went grocery shopping (or shopping), he always had to buy chocolate. And there is the cutest stationary. Between this and the cute sheep book, I have no idea where you find this cute paper! I love this package, and I've had a great pal--so thanks so much to Suzie!

I just wanted to show you a close-up of the awesome scarf pattern (the Noro yarn goes with this)...it's really great! (Shoji screen wrap and scarf pattern).

And, I wonder if I can get my boyfriend to wear this (Mohawk hat from Domiknitrix)?

Countdown to June 19

I was disappointed that there were no Garfield birthday comic strips over the past week, or even today. It's become a tradition for me, over the past few years, to read those strips.

And it's because Garfield and I actually have the same birthday (June 19). This year, Garfield will be 29 years old, and I'll be 28. Ever since I was about 9 or 10 (when I found out that Garfield and I share the same birthday, he has remained my favorite cat, and I'm sure that's part of the reason why I grew up loving Italian food ;) I hope that Jim Davis will have a birthday comic strip for Garfield on Tuesday. Or else that will be a sad start to my birthday, indeed.

As far as knitting, I finished the right front for my sunrise circle jacket (yeah!) and I am working on the back--and now am feeling MUCH better about being able to finish everything--thus, accomplishing my goal to make at least one sweater this summer--because I plan on making another one this summer! Yeah!

I'll post pictures tomorrow. I haven't taken them yet.

And yesterday, the boyfriend and I went to an Indian Restaurant, and we had pretty bad service but a great waiter who noticed that no one was serving us...so he waited on us...and we got free ice cream...coconut and pistachio. Actually I hate coconut.

The reason?

It tastes like suntan lotion to me.

I told Adam as such, after trying a little bite of the coconut ice cream, and the poor guy had a hard time eating the ice cream afterward--because he was like..."you're right. it DOES taste like suntan lotion. You ruined it for me!"

3-0

Whew. Apparently Blogger has some feature where you can type in Hindi. Hmm. I'm not sure that people could undestand what I write, if I type things out in Hindi--but that's kind of cool.

Anyway, when my blogger suddenly started spouting out Hindi, I got really distracted from my annoyance, so I am not sure I can do it justice...

But...

WHAT THE HECK IS UP WITH THE CAVS??? How come they're playing so bad? And LeBron was totally fouled at the end! Augh!

Lest you think I'm a rabid basketball fan, I'm not. I don't watch sports, but when one's sports team makes it to the finals (and come on, Cleveland? Our football team stinks, and I don't even know when the Cavs were in the playoffs, and I know we've yet to win a pennant in the World Series...)

So yes, I care. For this time being.

And I did knit a couple rows during tense moments of the game. Apparently I knit faster when there's more tension.

Pictures!

So I promised some pictures!

So first...some knitting ones from the package that I described yesterday...I love the fact that the box is pink:

And oh, why did the package have to come right before I left for work? I tried not to open it before I left. I lasted about 30 seconds, and this is what I saw inside (minus the biscuits and the chocolate).

There's some moisturizer (specially made, lemony-scented stuff which smells delicious), some great colorways (Vero), some rosebud tea and lemongrass tea--both of which I am curious to try, as I've never had either before. I'll make myself a pot when I have a few hours to sit down and relax.

Also there was some chocolate. Like this Caramello Koala, which looks cute, from the packaging. I forgot to take pictures of the biscuits. You can see the good magazines--Yarn and Gourmet International--both of which have drool-worthy pictures. Let me show you some of them:

This is all this passionfruit stuff...like a passionfruit semifreddo with mango and raspberry salad...and passionfruit vanilla slice...

Or how about this meringue stack with raspberries and cream? The magazine is like this. Sure, there are things I'm not quite clear on what they are, like baby shiso, treviso, or cevelo nero. But I'll find out ;) I'm not kidding, I was ready to lick the pages--especially the ones with the desserts--or even the "southern style barbecue" stuff with ribs and cornbread. Yum. But I don't think magazine papers have that finesse.

As far as the Yarn magazine, I like this red sweater...I think I can wear somethign like this.












And wouldn't those coffee/tea cosies make great Christmas gifts?












And for some odd reason, I am fascinated by this sweater, despite the fact that it would probably make me look heavy (those horizontal stripes) but there's something so wonderfully 1920's about it, too.

And aren't you glad that Paris Hilton is going back to jail? This card came in with our shipment today. My co-worker told me, "Nah, they'll never put her back in jail. Too much money." Well, I hope she finishes the rest of her sentence.

This is actually kind of neat. This is some sort of leaf, and on the underside of the leaf...

A flower is blooming! I've never seen that before--and our florist said that in about 20 years, she's only seen this about four or five times. I think this particular floral arrangement is still in the cooler at our store, if you want to buy some roses, with some blooming leaves.

And to make up for all the pictures of pictures of food...here is a picture of some REAL food! This is a tempura banana from Wasabi--this Japanese restaurant we went to for Amy and Rae's birthday. (Yum)

Christmas in June!

I had several fun things happen today...

1) I met an old acquaintance for breakfast at Wild Goat Cafe (yummy breakfasts)...She brought her knitting along, as she had some questions about knitting, so we did that a little bit before our breakfasts came (I had, what I call the breakfast sampler...a little of everything) and it was yummy. As we were paying out bills, this older woman (maybe in her 50s or 60s) came up to us and asked us what we were making. After oohing and ahhing over our scarves, she talked with us at great length about knitting, her knitting group, their projects, etc., etc.. J. was like, that was a weird experience. LOL. I suppose there is some sort of code among knitters...there's a strange kinship about sharing what you're doing and what you're doing (and the names of different festivals and such)...

2) We then hit up the library across the street--which looks more like a bookstore than a library now, that they've done all this remodeling and stuff. Found some fun books and a couple classic movies. (Odd that my hometown library has a huge stock of indie favorites and Hindi movies, as well as blockbusters--and this particular library is oozing classic movies and strange things like "Bill Nye the Science Guy: Digestion"). I also borrowed a couple CDs on tape--I tried listening to Guy Noir (Garrison Keillor) as I was driving, but I found that the more I listened to it, the less attention I paid to driving (I think being alive and intact would be a good thing), so I tried Bill Bryson (same thing), so I finally tried Ruth Reichl (I had been pronouncing her name "Rye-kl", as I would for a german name. However it is pronounced, "Ryechel", or something close to that). That book is fine for listening to in the car...nice, measured tones, no music in the background...

3) I got a package! Thanks to Lara (Discoknitter)! I got the package today, right before I was about to leave for work. It was pink (the packing)...and inside, there were yummy things, such as biscuits/cookies, a candy bar, handmade moisturizer, some very pretty yarn, and two lovely magazines (one of them that has lots of great spinning tips and some pretty sweater patterns!) I will have to take pictures tomorrow...they are coming soon, I promise! Lara's been a great pal--and a very interesting person...and a fun one to write to. Thanks, Lara!

4) I am debating a Trollbead purchase. Sigh. Decisions, decisions.

5) Our store has Webkinz. If you are interested, please visit our store here, or over here. We have shipments!

Links!

I created some fun, cute buttons for linking to this site...if you want to grab one, feel free to do so. If you like any of them, please save them to your computer (right click on the image and save. Be sure to link the image to this blog.)

I'm back! (Whoo-hoo!)

Actually, I really didn't go anywhere, but was just busy. Busy cleaning up, having parties at my house, knitting, and resting up (and reading a little bit). So, this is what I am working on.


I had to frog the back, because (silly me) I hate doing gauge swatches (you think I'd know by now...) and didn't do a good job of figuring out the gauge...and wound up with a back that was big enough for a person who's like, 6'5" or maybe about LeBron James' height. So I decided to just knit the fronts first. I tell ya, it feels like it takes forever because you not only knit the sleeve, but you knit the sleeve and the front at the same time. So it feels like you've not accomplished much...but you actually have.

I'm almost done with the left front and left sleeve. Hopefully I'll finish that tomorrow, and can get started on the right side (which will feel like it's taking just as long, if not longer, as I probably will start working a little more this week). Then the dreaded back (again!). Oh, by the way, I figured out the gauge this time. Sigh. Just had to go down a needle size.

As far as other yarn/knitting content goes: I went to the Great Lakes Fiber Festival in Wooster, which I think was a blast. I only took about 3 pictures there, I think I had a brain burp, and though i said I was going to take pictures of the barn interiors, I forgot to do that, except in several cases. But there was lots of lovely yarn and the crazy buffalo lady (did you know you could spin yarn from buffalo coats? I sure didn't. Not till I was looking at some lovely alpaca yarn, and wandered to the next booth, where the lady cornered my poor boyfriend and told him stuff like, how buffalo wool is so durable, that she had a pair of socks made from buffalo wool, and all her lambswool/sheep/alpaca/angora/etc. fell apart in less than 5 years, but her buffalo wool socks have stayed in good shape for years and years. And that she cried when she learned how many buffalo were killed back then (enough to feed and clothe the entire western hemisphere). Poor boyfriend. He wanted so badly to get away from the buffalo lady, but couldnt' quite figure out how to end the conversation, but as soon as he saw some potential customers enter the buffalo lady's booth, he was off like a bat out of hell. Hee-hee.

Ok, some of my acquisitions included some very pretty yarn (some as gifts, which i will not post here in case anyone stumbles upon pictures of upcoming gifts), but also some beautiful roving, which is more temptation for me to become proficient at spinning.

Speaking of spinning, there was this absolutely cranky lady who taught me how to use a spindle; she wasn't exactly the most patient person in the world, but I now know how to use a drop-spindle. The boyfriend tried it too, but couldnt' quite get it, and she wasn't very patient with him. You can see how much he loves spindling:

(Hint: He never wants to do it again.)

However, he did enjoy going to the festival, which is a good thing. Plus, he saw some things he almost--I mean it!--almost bought--but his common sense prevailed.

What was it, you ask...

A very cute, very fluffy angora rabbit named Ashley! I'm not even kidding. He was seriously contemplating buying a rabbit!

(Not that I'd mind...hehe. Especially when I can get angora from it). But he thought about it, and was like...well...I'd have to buy all kinds of stuff, like a cage, food, etc., etc....before I can get myself a rabbit. But he did get the lady's phone number, and I would not be surprised, if sometime this year (or next year) he got a rabbit for himself. I think Harvey would be a good name. (Right? ;))

And I got these at the festival:

I will take pictures of the roving later. I'll share those tomorrow or the day after, and think of fun projects for some of these (the last yarn that I showed a picture of--the woman gave me a scarf pattern for it, so I'll try it out.)

And there was sheep judging. The boyfriend was disappointed that it was not a shearing contest.

Ahhhh!

You know, it's so nice to finally not have to study my poor head off, write inane things about different psychological theories that I don't quite understand (but what little I knew got me an A in the class, anyway, so I am very pleased). It's nice to be done cleaning (save for some minor floor-sweeping/window polishing, etc., before a party on Sunday (surprise party for my mom's friend; her husband is borrowing our house under the guise that my brother will be visiting and wants to see my mom's friend before she leaves for a vacation)...

And since I did not have much to do...(plus, I finished off this great book, The Know-It All by A.J. Jacobs, which is hilarious and informative, and makes me want to read the entire Encyclopaedia Brittanica...so I knitted and watched TV (Home Improvement can be quite fun), as well as watching a couple DVDs (Big Lots: $2! Sadly, I think Big Lots has sold out of all the good stuff) -- Advertising Rules was funny (it had the girl who played Lena in Goodbye Lenin! and the woman who played the daughter in Rosenstrasse)...and I'm with Lucy was cute, even if not stellar. I'd like Henry Thomas, please.

At the same time...I knitted. I'm being all ambitious and am determined to knit down as much of my stash as I can during my holiday...so I've taken that turquoise blue yarn and am making Kate Gilbert's Sunrise Circle Jacket.

So far, this is what I have (I'm working on the back). Not bad for a day's work. The color is a lot better in real life.












I will admit that I am slightly terrified of the front, but I will be brave.

And for the moments when I need to pay more attention to what I'm doing (i.e., SnB knitting, or frenzied Ugly Betty watching (by the way, did any of you watch it????!!! So not fair that I have to wait till next season to find out what will happen. Great way to leave us all hanging, LOL!)











I will admit I'm not super thrilled with the way this looks, but it's okay. Maybe I'll end up giving this to my mom or something. It goes along with my goal to stash-bust as much as I can. After this (and the sweater), I'll start another sweater or vest, and finish up my red Noro scarf. And the super-secret double-knit scarf (it's a secret--i want to fiddle with it a bit more...if all goes well, there will be a pattern!)

I'll post the rest of my works in progress as the weekend (or week) goes on...I've got a few more projects that are on needles (whether or not I like them). Well, I've got another hour before I must sleep (party tomorrow, party Sunday! I am a busy girl! LOL!) so I am going to work in a few more rows on the Sunrise Circle Jacket!

Two more days...

Two more days of test-taking (and test-giving). I am officially down to the last 16 students that I'll need to test this week! Yippee! So glad that it's almost over. I think I'll be okay with the law exam; I'm surprised at how much I actually remember from the book and notes--just need to brush up on a few specifics. And I aim high: I'll be happy with...a B.

Now the psychology...sigh...it still continues to whip my butt from one end of the room and back again...but I am sure at Friday night at 9 PM, I will feel a lot better. Because I'll be done (minus the grading, which I will do this weekend)...and I plan on buying myself a pint of peanut butter brittle ice cream from Handel's, which I have not yet tried. And it sounds delicious.

Now, to the knitting content (skipping SnB tonight, of course)...and my SP10 Hostess is asking us: what do we do when we knit? Where do we knit?

Well, I knit in front of the TV. It's a big comfy couch...sometimes I'll watch a Lifetime movie as I knit...or a cooking show...well, anything. I'll even watch it during Ugly Betty. Unless I'm doing something complex (I've learned my lesson now). I tend to sit near the armrest on the left side...prop my feet up on my dad's footstool and knit away! Nothing fancy or spectacular, but it's relaxing and I look forward to doing that again--to a lifetime movie that I taped ("My First Wedding" with Rachel Leigh Cook...)

Two more days.

Oh, and happy birthday to Elisabeth.

What I really wish...

Is that I could learn through osmosis.

I am stuck on ANOVAs. I really don't get it (does anyone know? I'm trying to write my research proposal--rather, a fake one, for my class), and study for my exam on Monday. And everytime I think I have that glimmer of understanding, it blinks out. Augh. The worst part is that I have to take advanced quantitiative in the fall, so I better know this stuff, baby! (Not to mention that I'm not a fan of the professor, who is the only one who teaches the advanced level course. Ugh. 15 more weeks of torture with this guy. Too bad he's cute; his personality does not match his looks--but maybe that's how they get the female PhD students in his class? Relatively young, good looking guy? Then he grouches at you, once he knows you aren't going to drop the class--mostly because you need to graduate? And in order to do so, you better know how to do ANOVAs (all the different types).

Oh, another thing that drives me nuts about my professor. He loves to say, a priori. For weeks, I kept thinking, now what on earth does a priori mean--since I never took latin, and I'd always tell myself that I'd look it up when I get home, and of course, I would forget to do so. So the following week, he'd say something like, You would have to know this stuff a priori. And I'd be thinking, what the heck does that mean? Why can't he just use regular English? I'm sure I'm not the only one who would appreciate it--there are folks there who I am sure have not really heard the word before, and are guessing at its meaning. Or the students who are not from this country. I should have made a note of that on my course evaluation. It would have totally driven him nuts. There are also several other big words/ rare words that he bandies around, but I can't think of them off the tip of my head. Ugh.

I'd also like to put in a request for someone to write my take-home final for pscyhology, too. I am not used to thinking the way psychologists do. I'm much more linear in my field and there is too much theory in psychology for me. Give me facts any day. Although I like creative stuff, this really makes my brain hurt.

Does that sound fair--some osmosis learning for quantitative methods (or someone to explain all those stupid ANOVAs, research conditions, etc. to me), someone to take my written final for me, and I'll take the law one (even though i hate law, too?) Any takers?

On a lighter note: For those of you in this area (NE Ohio) who like Trollbeads or Chamilia, our store is having a trunk show this Saturday, May 5 (yes, Cinco de Mayo)...from 9 Am- 5 PM. Our website (ok, so it's our florist's website, but all the info is there) is at: www.valeegeflorist.com . And if you dont' remember what Trollbeads are, here is my bracelet (also makes things a bit more colorful. Maybe I'll see you there!

Old, Older, Oldest?

Pray tell, you ask--what is your oldest yarn?

Question 1 for this. Age wise? It's the stuff above this text (And directly below this). Or so I think so. It's from a knitting mill that closed earlier this year--unfortunately I had very little money (that is--i was getting paid just enough for gas, with anywhere from 50-100 dollars left over each month. And at $3 a pound, I couldn't resist. That, and the $1.75 skeins of turquoise blue wool yarn.

And the cone below, I think is just old. Just look at the fab color combo! Kinda like being in the Brady Bunch, I guess. I haven't yet figured out what i'll make with it. But I'll think of something.












Now, if you're thinking of old in terms of purchase date--it's probably this silk sari yarn below. i have 4 skeins. I know I've had it at least 3 years (purchased post-breakup with a crappy boyfriend, who is now an ex, and living very far away from me (good thing) instead of being 5 minutes away from me.

No, I'm not bitter. Really.

Anyway, I bought this GORGEOUS sari silk yarn, three skeins. But the person who owns Wool Peddler--there was some sort of problem with the shipping, and her entire shipment of yarn got lost in limbo, so she got another shipment to replace it. And thusly, she shipped me an extra skein for being patient, waiting for the yarn.











And I still can't figure out what scarf I want to make. I could make an ordinary boring 1x1 ribbing scarf, but that's boring. I'll think of something neat to make it a little more interesting...

Eventually.

And seriously--why the ex-boyfriend is so much better out of the picture?

He thought knitting was geeky.But not in a cool way. (That's not the only reason, but it's an important one. Love me, love my knitting.)

Now my current boyfriend likes knitting. So that is very cool. :) And he told me that if he gets this one job that he applied for, he may be able to make it down to SnB, which would be interesting...

Just a little less than 2 weeks till I am done with the semester...

Break from studying.

For my Knitter's Treat Pal, this is what my Bakelite necklace looks like! I think it's pretty neat, and people have noticed it (and those are people who I've always thought were unobservant).















I consider these a "stress-related" purchse, but a CUTE one. I don't know if you can tell, but the bows are actually "measuring tapes" (not real ones). These are incredibly comfortable. Alas, I scuffed up the heel on the left one already. Oh well. It's okay. I can live. Then when I wear these out, I can buy myself another pair of adorable shoes.













This is a GREAT motivation to get done with finals (and still be alive). Temptation! This is all from my secret pal, who not only bought me a skein of Noro yarn (sigh) and included a pattern for some pretty cute slippers (how'd you know that I love slippers?), but also some yummy Peruvian wool (the thick red stuff), a cute little notebook and matching pen (the sheep! How cute is that???) And do you see those Scharfen Berger chocolate bars? I am totally eating those during finals week (as I weep in a corner, wondering how come I can't remember things like, say...ANOVAs. Oh, and the books? That's totally motivation for "after finals." I will be reading those as soon as I am done taking tests (and grading my own exams...all 50 of them).













This is also something that people probably don't know I can do. Since we own a florist, I also have learned how to make corsages and boutonnieres for prom. So that's what I did on Friday. Very exciting. But I am pleased with some of the ones I made, although I probably wouldnt' have chosen the colors the girl did for the above pictured corsage. But hey, the customer's always right, I guess. At least the matching boutonniere is pretty nice, I think.












As far as the high school musical...can I just say...I am completely blown away! I've never seen Les Miserables, but I have to say--that's got to be a tough one for high schoolers to do, and they did it! I couldn't believe it. I didn't realize that the ENTIRE play is sung. Some of these kids are absolutely amazing. (The girl who played the grown-up cosette is going to major in voice in college) And even the one kid who was so-so at singing was a great actor, so he was able to pull off the so-so singing. Wow. I am so completely blown away by the whole production. It was hard for me to believe that these kids are only maybe 13-19 years old...and doing a very professional production, orchestra, stage crew, set design, etc., included. I can't wait to see what they do next year. I would totally love it if they do Wicked in the future.

And for a clip from the play (not the best sound quality, but here are the kids)

(The girl with the blue skirt is Cosette; first guy is Jean Valjean, the guy Cosette sings with is Marius..the guy in the red shirt is Enjolras)


(and yes, he leaped off the scaffolding on the stage).



All right. Now I do have to study.

Two more weeks!

Yes, two more weeks of school! Two more weeks of stress?

But there are some things that make it all better:

(1) New shoes (I tend to splurge a little more when I'm stressed out. I'm not exactly sure why). But they are cute. I did have to return one pair (exchanging it for a smaller size, so hopefully it will fit--should be here on Monday, I think). The pair that fits me perfectly is lavendar and has these cute leather bows that look like (are you ready for this?) Measuring tapes! So cute! The other pair (which dont' fit) are these kick-ass red shoes (since I threw out my other red shoes, cause they were too old--this is a nice replacement for those.

(2) The things I ordered for mother's day are in! Yay!

(3) I am officially done lecturing for the semester; however, I have final exams to give next week--and the next (see the comment about 2 weeks of stress). But I know I will manage. I thought about it, and I think if I manage my time well, I will be fine.

(4) I will see my old high school's musical! Les Miserables this year--which I've never seen. For those of you who've never seen the musicals at my high school, they are a sight to behold. Essentially, it's on the same level as an amateur production, complete with a gorgeous set, costumes, music, etc...very excited. i wait all year for the musicals. (I never was in them in high school, because i can't sing, and because I prefer watchign them to being behind the stage or sets.) So I'm selfish. ;)

(5) I opened the mailbox today, and in addition to the things I ordered for my mom, I also had a package from my SP10! Since I came home late, I didnt' take pictures--(I will take pictures when the light is good.). But...it is awesome! And there's chocolate (which I will need in two weeks!) and some books! Which I will also need in two weeks! I am so excited--and I will give the lowdown sometime this weekend (probably during a study break). So SP10, thank you so much! I am loving the gifts!

And check out this swap:Disposable Camera Swap. Interesting?

Procrastination

What does your drawing say about YOU?

I am sure if I used a real pen and paper, I could draw a better mountain. But this is kinda fun.

I am not yet sure if I will go to stitch n bitch tonight; it depends how much of my work I get done--can you believe I have about 2-3 weeks left of school? And tests and papers (nerve-wracking!) Today I am working on my paper. If I have time, I will do some reading.

I finished teaching on time this morning, and I decided to go hunt for yarn and gifts for my knitters' treat pal, so I went to Richfield and found some pretty sock yarn, then went to a store called Olivia Bloom, where I proceeded to spend about a hundred dollars (not all on my pal, of course--that would be excessive! I did find some yummy looking tea and lovely soap for her, and I found some cute necklaces for my friends' birthdays, and one bakelite necklace for me, which I think is incredibly cute.) So I am done spending money for a few weeks, at least--except on necessities!

Oh! And the yarn store I mentioned? They have BEAUTIFUL unspun wool in some of the most amazing colors. I've got to learn to spin well so I can try some of those beautiful colors! Apparently the owner of the shop used to own a sheep farm, but she got a divorce, and the sheep belong to her ex-husband. She's been spinning for over 20 years, and there's apparently another lady that works there, who is from Germany. Spinning classes there are private and are by appointment, and the lady who helped me (who was not the owner nor anyone from Germany) told me that if you buy a spinning wheel from them, the lessons come free. Of course, the spinning wheels are anywhere from 250-400 dollars. (I asked out of curiosity).

Maybe one day. But I am saving my money for a good 35 mm SLR camera, first.

All right. Back to my paper.

Favorite project! (So far)

So, I finally got around to it and am posting my favorite project, knitted from a pattern...maybe it's no surprise to know that I picked my red sweater (from Rebecca). It's my favorite because I spent three years knitting and frogging, and finally figuring out how to put it together. It makes me look a little bulky, but it IS warm. And it is RED. And it's got cute cables! This is not to say that it's perfect. It's not. There are some mistakes here and there, but unless you're looking for them, you won't see the mistakes.


Here it is:












Apparently, I also took a picture of my knee.
And here is a close-up of one of the cables...















So that is my favorite project in all its glory. I don't have least favorites, because I usually rip them apart or frog them, so there are no pictures in existence of any hated, reviled projects.

As far as job interview, I have NO idea what will happen in the future...I did my best, and we'll see. The person told me later (in a later email, in response to a different question) that they are not scheduling any second interviews till mid-May, and "if we decide we like you, I will contact you. Thanks! :)" (smiley face included in the email from her.) Luckily enough, I'm busy these next few weeks (wrapping up the semester here and wondering how I will give practical exams to 50 students during finals week!)

Last night, I saw Disturbia which was an interesting experience. For one, it was nice to see an old fashioned style thriller that was more psychological than bloody/gory (that is not to say that there isn't a little violence and a little blood along the way, but it's not excessive). My beef with the movie is that I wish the suspect (creepy neighbor dude) played the role a little more ambiguously, rather than playing "a bad dude" straight from the beginning, it would have been a little better if you (audience) weren't sure if he was honestly bad or if he was just creepy. (like the scary neighbor in Home Alone.) Second interesting thing is that I have not watched a movie with about 50,000 teenagers and about 2 moms. Interesting experience. I am so not the target audience for this movie!

I do wonder though, if these teens have ever heard of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, which is the basis for this movie. I wasn't sure how they'd pull it off, because Hitchcock's movie is just so beautiful and you have no idea if the neighbor is a murderer or not. I wonder what these teens would say.

Oh! And Bob Saget on Thursday was AWESOME. I'm glad I knew he's one of the most vulgar comedians on the circuit, so I was prepared, but he was sooooo hilarious! The thing is, I'm not even big on the cussing thing or anything like that (same with my boyfriend) and we were both just cracking up at his jokes...and vulgarity...and he does it with a smile. If you're not easily offended (over 18, too, I guess...haha) here is a link to a song that he's sung, called "Danny Tanner is not Gay". DO not play it around bosses, small children with big ears, or parents.




Enjoy!

I also started a swap over at swap-bot, if you want to sign up. It's nothing to do with knitting, but is letter-writing. Here it is, if you're interested! If not, there are some interesting swaps, too!
When I grow up

Just a little advice...

First bit of advice: Sometimes it's a good idea to make sure springs don't break off inside your tires. Apparently that is what happened to me. A spring broke off, and according to the mechanic--ripped the entire inside of the tire to shreds.

Good thing it went flat in the driveway and not on the highway. Or at school. Or somewhere I could get seriously stuck. I mean, seriously. Because my parents are out of town. And if I needed to get somewhere quickly...well, I'm sure I could find someone to come get me...but still!

Second bit of advice...well, you have to see this to believe it. There's a great way to get to Paris, France. You do have to go through New York though, and it sounds reasonably inexpensive. Just go here. And read all the directions, because the cost-saving trip direction is right there. Let me know what you think.

As far as the favorite project--I'll probably take a picture of it tomorrow...and post either tomorrow or Friday. I think I've got a good idea of what it is. :) Stay tuned!

Monday (oh lordy)

I hate Mondays. (But don't most people?)

Today's been one of those wacky, weird days...where things go hilly...like...

1) This morning, I was going to pull out of the driveway, when I felt like my car went into a ditch, and I heard a weird boom kind of noise. So I thought maybe I drove off the side of the driveway onto the mulch or something, so I angled my car to get more into the driveway...and started backing out again.

Boom. Thunk. Boom. Thunk.

What the hell was that? I looked in my side window to see if some cracks appeared in our driveway. None. I open the driver's side, and the doorframe is about an inch off the driveway. Oh, great.

I look at my rear tire (that was the one that got flat last year). No, it's fine. So I peek at the front tire, and it's completely flat. It looks like one of those cartoon flat tires. How irritating.

I ended up borrowing my mom's car so I could get to school. I made it. Last week, I was 5 minutes late because I didn't wake up till a quarter till I had to be at school. This week, I was five minutes late, because I had a flat tire. What's going to happen next Monday? Will I be late because my hairdryer broke?

(knock wood)

2) Good things can also happen, despite flat tires. Case in point: last week (I didnt' mention on the blog because I didnt' want to jinx anything) I sent in a resume for a job I would LOVE to have. Now I have an interview with Human Resources this Wednesday! :)

3) Oh, I'm going to see the Daddy of vulgar. Well, not really. But he did play a daddy, and he's actually pretty vulgar in real life. I got tickets for $5. The joy of being a student and being able to get student tickets!

Oh, which daddy, you ask?

Remember Mr. Tanner from Full House? Yeah. Bob Saget. I can't wait. I'll probably faint dead away when it gets really dirty.

Maybe.

4) My mom asked me to go to work after I got out of class. Grr. I have class till 7 PM. So I didn't even get home till after 9 PM. Think about it. 8 AM class, office hours in the afternoon, then a long, torturous class on quantitative methods. Which I hate. And I'm always so exhausted to begin with, and it just deteriorates.

5) Oh, and I think I'm coming down with a cold.

6) Well, this really has nothing to do with my day, but I've also been thinking long and hard about what my favorite project, knit from a pattern is. Well, I'm still thinking about it.

So what is it?

Stay tuned...

stuff--of all kinds!

First of all, I'd like to comment that I think a girl hit on me yesterday. I am not absolutely sure. I went to buy a milkshake at the local Handel's here, and this is a girl I've seen a bit, when I order ice creams. Anyway, I ordered my milkshake, and she handed it to me, and said something that sounded like "You're very beautiful", leaning on the counter near the window.

My mind rephrased it as: "Today is very beautiful", because, of course, a girl couldn't say something like that to me...so I responded with something inane, like, yes, it is very beautiful today...(I dont' remember exactly what I said). But after I said that, she got kind of awkward, so I think I heard right the first time. I feel bad now. Well, we'll see if this happens again. Probably I'll get milkshakes once in a while if it's hot, and I have to walk across campus or something...very refreshing.


But in any case, today was a bad day for trying to do homework (just couldn't focus!) but at least I'm over halfway done with my stinky paper! It's due next Monday, and if I can summarize 5 articles tomorrow, and finish up Friday/Saturday, I'm golden. I just want to get all my work done by Saturday, so I can rest up on easter (oh, and cook).

But what made today better (especially since I skipped SnB to work on my paper):

I got several packages...one from Webs (which I ordered...didn't have quite enough yarn for a project), and then I got one from piddlyloops. So I spent about 30 seconds wondering what I ordered from piddlyloops, because the label said something like a sewing team (and I'm a lousy sewer)...but...it was a gift from my secret pal! Thank you!

So there is my first drop spindle, with some lovely, fluffy wool (it feels SOOOO nice...one is standard wool, one is this nice creamy white one from a blue faced leicester sheep, the brown is shetland. I can't wait to try this out. This will have to wait till my paper's done, though: I can see my self getting into a zone for hours, which would not be a very good thing.
















Included in the package were these awesome buttons (the background is a Times New York Crossword puzzle that has me stumped. See all the blank spaces?)

















And these very cute notecards and tags...which i know i will end up using when I finish those pirate mittens. So cute! Totally made the day sparkle (even when it was hailing outside).

Monday

I actually tried to post last night, but Blogger was not letting me sign on! So I gave up, and went to bed with a good book.

Yesterday was an interesting sort of day-- the first day back from Spring break...and I overslept!

Okay, let me back up. I teach at 8 AM.

I woke up at 7:45 AM. My alarm clock never went off. So basically all I did was throw on some clothes, run a brush through my hair, brush my teeth and wash my face. For breakfast, I ate a banana in my car. I felt greasy and not so clean, but at least I was at school at 8:05 to teach (and thank god that there were parking meters open right in front of the building (my parking space is a bit farther and it's a five minute walk from there to the building).

What kind of knitting needles are you?

You are interchangeable.Fun, free, and into everything, you've got every eventuality covered and every opportunity just has to be taken. Every fiber is wonderful, and every day is a new beginning. You are good at so many things, it's amazing, but you can easily lose your place and forget to show up. They have row counters for people like you!
Take this quiz!








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I agree with the part about row counters. That's why it's my favorite knitting accessory. :)