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Date:	2009-04-22 22:46
Subject:	I'm tired.
Security:	Public
Mood:	sleepy

So, I've taken one final, finished typing up a massive case study which is the final for another class... I'm writing an analysis paper tomorrow which is the final for yet another class... and ONE more heinous exam and this semester is finis. Finally.

In order to properly procrastinate/avoid schoolwork at all costs, I've knitted about 10 inches of Irish Hiking scarf goodness. I love love Malabrigo worsted. Love it.

I also washed some really dirty alpaca fleece and now it is lovely and fluffy and a whitish cream color. The lot of it is drying in the dining room.

Elizabeth and I dyed some wee hanks of wool with Kool-Aid for her science fair project. Three yards of wool and one packet of Kool-Aid yields some massively bright, rich color. *intense*

Okay, that is all. I'm whooped.

*sigh*



Swatching is necessary before starting any pattern, and I just realized that the "rose trellis" stitch pattern(from Vogue Knitting's website)is not going to mesh happily with the Reynolds Saucy Sport that I have in my stash. I think it needs something that is unlikely to strand so much (something less splitty) especially when making the bobbles (which are so much fun to make).



The pattern needs to be heeded closely, since I made ONE mistake on row 3 and it's evident that it effed up the entire pattern. The bobbles are supposed to lay in a triangular 2-over-1 pattern, and as you can see from my swatch, it doesn't... (said swatch has already been frogged in frustration.)



It is a lovely stitch pattern though, I just don't think I have the patience to deal with that sort of attention span requirement right now.

*puts sweater design on hold*

Maybe I'll make Urchin with my handspun instead.

Date:	2009-04-18 12:06
Subject:	Hysterical
Security:	Public
Mood:	giggly

So, I'm on the phone with the boyfriend. I mention that on our trip to Wisconsin, there's a yarn shop called The Sow's Ear which also has a cafe.

"You can sit and have a cup of coffee, and I can shop for yarn."

He says, "I like the word 'yarn', it sounds Norwegian."

Then, without skipping a beat he says something that sounds like, "Eeh-yorgen-fjorden," and I just bust out laughing, because he was so serious when he said whatever he said. Then he says, "What? I totally could've just said something there."

Date:	2009-04-17 19:15
Subject:	tgif
Security:	Public
Mood:	exhausted

Today was an exhausting whirlwind sort of a day, and next week is finals week. I have two more papers to write, but they'll be relatively easy (and are finals for two of the classes.) My most dreaded test is next Friday, in which I hope to be able to remember all sorts of mathematical skills. We shall indeed see. I will be spending Thursday, if not at work, doing equations all day.

All I want to do is knit. And be with Reid. I'm headed to Wisconsin next weekend. Perhaps there will be yarn involved.

And some new Addi circs.

So, I just found out that I will likely not have work for the next couple of weeks, which is somewhat of a relief, since I have a research project, 2 papers and finals next week. After that, however, I need to *work* my heinie off for the rest of May. The prospect that there might not be work terrifies me to some extent.

Of course, there are things that I want to read prior to summer classes starting, and things I want to knit; namely Sandrine from Chic Knits (and to be able to have disposable income to purchase superwash wool in the quantity I need for said sweater is now... iffy.) Oddly, I don't have enough stash for that sweater (in DK, at least.)

I'm also knitting squares for Knit-a-Square charity (well, I will be) in order to eliminate the stragglers in the stash.

I am also helping Elizabeth do her science fair project (on Kool-Aid dyeing, no less) and found out Monday that the science fair has been pushed up a month to May 1st (there will be photos).

Evie and Emily both have a doctor appointment today in which they will each receive about 3 shots, so that ought to be thrilling (not.)

There's the list so far. I also have an interview with the district attorney on the 29th, so wish me luck there.

Things are grand with the boyfriend. We are in mutual adoration, and really, what more can you ask for? We're headed to Wisconsin (of all places) next weekend.

Date:	2009-02-07 10:44
Subject:	Yet again...
Security:	Public
Mood:	happy

I don't understand the lack of immunity that my kids seem to be experiencing. Since Wednesday afternoon, I have been knee deep in children who vomit. Today, they seem to be somewhat better. I still haven't been afflicted with it, which I am happy about.

In other news, I knitted up a Booga Bag. Or partially knitted, since I cannot find my 10.5 DPNs to save my life, and I'm not going to break down and buy some. I redid my office and I think they got placed somewhere as a result. I do know that all of my DPNs, save one pair, are in the bag with the size 10.5s, so I will have to find them eventually in order to finish said bag.

I had my house cleaned until the plague hit, and I'm feeling like I could sleep for 100 years or so, so it will likely not be cleaned today. I can state that the dishes are clean, and really, that's all I care about right now. I'm tired of doing everything else. Including the massive pile o'laundry said sickness has produced.

In other news, seeing someone. He is delightful, witty, smart, and looks like Scofield from Prison Break. We went to Chicago together last month (no kids!) and went to the Field Museum and the Art Institute. He not only likes museums as much as I do, he can carry on a conversation about items in said museums. We get along quite well, I must say. Kind of like having a best friend that you can kiss. A lot.

Date:	2008-11-16 13:03
Subject:	Plague
Security:	Public
Mood:	cheerful

My house has been stricken with the plague. I'm sick of being sick, and it seems like since the advent of school, I've had a brief respite of a few days. Somehow, this has all reminded me that I need to sew buttons back onto my coat. Don't ask why. Perhaps it is random thought day. So, here's a gift from me to you, because it's quick and easy and just right for a snowy November morning:

Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 cups plus 1 Tbsp. flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour, but g'head and use all purpose if you got it.)

1/2 tsp EACH: baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and Chinese five spice, if you've got it.

1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 350*F (sorry, I don't know what that is C.. I think 180C, but i could be wrong). Grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and set it aside.

Mix the flour and spices together in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, pumpkin, eggs, and oil. Add to the flour mixture and stir until combined.

Bake for 50 minutes. Try not to eat it all at once. Makes one rather perfect loaf.

Date:	2008-11-14 13:23
Subject:	And so we move on...
Security:	Public
Mood:	okay

It has been a long emotional break from that last post. I no longer feel bad. He is a poor excuse for a man, and he deserves nothing less than some chick who has cheated on her last two husbands for someone new. Karma is indeed, a motherf*cker, and I'm sure that one day either she or he with know what being devastated feels like. Enough about that.

I have been throwing myself into ME. I currently am ill, but who really cares about that. I have been painting a lot (watercolor) and writing a fair amount (a book) and I'm just so much happier than previous. I have a pretty wonderful circle of people around me, which I am thankful for. School is going okay; it could be better, and I will freely admit to slacking off the past week or so.

All is very nearly good in the life of me.

Date:	2008-08-19 18:02
Subject:	Last to know.
Security:	Public
Mood:	crushed

I found out last night that everyone he works with knew about her and him. And I used to wonder why they looked at me funny when I'd go into work to see him. Or when I'd pick him up. And people she knew, knew. I went to a bbq at her house at the end of May... and everyone there knew, except for me. Everyone. Everyone. Even her husband knew. I was the only one who didn't.

And right now, actually... since I found out last night... I feel like the stupidest person alive. I cannot get over how blind I was.

He cheated. I kicked him out. I was sad about it for a bit. I missed him. I wanted him back.

But now, I don't. Now, it's all about me and my girls.

But I desperately miss my husband.

I ache for him.

Date:	2007-07-16 11:35
Subject:	Remodeling is like being pregnant.
Security:	Public
Mood:	exhausted

1. You sort of have an idea when its going to end, but not exactly.
2. It never seems like it'll be over.
3. You buy things for its impending completion.
4. You agonize over it day and night.
5. It's messy.
6. There are things no one told you to expect.
7. There are usually more people involved than you'd like.
8. Said people from #7 question or comment on your every move.
9. It gives you an undeniable urge to scarf a box of donuts.
10. You wake up every day and your body doesn't seem like it belongs to you.
11. There is painting.
12. There is swearing.
13. You yell incoherently at your spouse when he suggests something outside of your "plan."
14. You get something really cool at the end.

I guess at the turn of the 20th century, it was a popular trend to wallpaper your ceiling.

As if you didn't have anything better to do.

I have spent the better part of 4 days scraping 2 or 3 layers of actual paper wallpaper off of my plaster ceiling. My living room is 33 x 12, so there is quite a bit of territory to cover.

I have a wallpaper steamer. This worked for the most part. The really stubborn areas, however required more moisture than the steamer could provide. Not to mention that holding the steamer above my head until the wallpaper had loosened was hugely time-consuming and made my shoulders very sore. It did have the added bonus of loosening the wallpaper that was under the lip of the crown moulding.

Enter the sponge. Covers small areas. Also makes water run down my arm and into my armpit. I did 2 days worth of spongework. I'm annoyed by it. Takes too long.

Boiling water and the mop proved to cover a lot more area. The downfalls to this are that the mop is heavy, gravity plays a nasty role in allowing water to run down the mop, my arm, and into my armpit. Looking up, one risks the very real possibility of having hot water drip into your eyes.

I have about 15 linear feet of wallpaper to go. Luckily, most of it isn't very wide... about a foot or so.

Well, the 2" scraper and I are getting back to business. I just had to vent.

I am currently lusting after new furniture and home accessories. Of course, I'm broke as hell. It just so happened that I came upon an issue of InStyle Home that I forgot to chuck in the bin, and whilst perusing through it, I came across my interior design doppelganger: Brittany Murphy. Seems Ms. Gloria from Happy Feet and I have a few million interior design flavors in common, with one glaring difference: She has the funds to act on the yearnings of tres chic furniture. I, at the moment, do not.

Not to say that I will not, because, dear reader... we both know I will. I'm currently demolishing my living room to make way for my better living room. The husband and I have been hard at work removing decades-old wallpaper from the ceiling this week (don't ask.)

So, if you happen across a well-shod thirtyish woman of dark hair and pale skin licking the linen-upholstered Louis XVI armchair in the window of some antique store somewhere... tell me to snap out of it (and by all means, please buy me the sterling trophy cup to put my sad little posies in... as a distraction from the chair, of course.)

Until then.

I'm working on Haiku from Knitty.com. I got some Crystal Palace Musique in this delicious rainbow-esque colorway. It took me about 2 hours to knit half of the sweater last night, so I should be able to finish it up by Sunday (I'm driving Thursday and Sunday for the day, so those days are pretty much out.) And packing tomorrow... and driving some more, but locally.

Anyhoo... I'll pop in some photos when I'm done. I sized it to fit Evie and it should fit Emily in the fall.

Date:	2007-03-25 01:29
Subject:	A long overdue update
Security:	Public
Mood:	tired

Emily has been off the apnea monitor for... 4 months or so now. She currently weighs 19 lbs, and is just as healthy as can be. She has a tooth. She is attempting to crawl, which looks like some sort of horizontal spastic leap. That child is mobile.

Got a new car. A minivan. A goldfish bowl on wheels. It has a built in DVD player. I want to live in it sometimes.

Dad died right after Thanksgiving. Cancer. Fought the good fight. Decided it was time to rest. Miss him.

Going to Boston next weekend. Can't wait to see the fam. Party!

Have identical twin nieces. Born at 37 weeks in February. They're doing well. Healthy little buggers. Future references will be made to the "Anas" since both of their names end in -ana. (pronounce that aaahh-nah for my sanity, please.)

There is a wee yarn shop on Main St now where I live. They don't carry very much (lots of Plymouth Encore for some reason though), Berroco, Crystal Palace. It is still a respite though. I shopped; spent $30 yesterday. Came away with sock yarn and CP Musique in a very happy colorway.

Got new laptop. Hate Windows Vista. Word 07 is endlessly annoying.

Still in school. Much better at medical stuff now. Still have trouble with consistent tense and i before e. Don't recite the rule. I already know it. It still doesn't help.

We're good. Kids are good.

And Emily finally came home last Tuesday, and it's been a week of sleep deprivation ever since. She's doing quite well though.

Date:	2006-09-05 15:53
Subject:	You have seriously got to be effing kidding me.
Security:	Public
Mood:	pissed off

So far, I've been denied by 10 different banks for a car loan. Why you ask? WHY? I don't have bad credit. It's that I don't have ENOUGH credit. Like I'm supposed to go out and have every Visa card on the market so I can already be in debt in order for me to get in more debt? How messed up is our lending system? I don't have debt, other than my mortgage and a furniture company credit card (in order to have some sort of revolving credit account open and active.) I thought it was fiscally responsible to not have a stack of bills, and to pay for things in cash, but who am I to think of such things? It turns out, that in order for someone to lend you money with a decent interest rate, you have to owe other people money. Lots of it, it turns out.

A vast conglomeration of stuff just doesn't appeal to me, nor does paying some bank 19% interest to buy stuff that I could pay cash for and pay zero percent interest.

I just need a minivan. I don't even want a brand spankin new one (because there's that 20% depreciation factor as soon as you sign your name to the paperwork that I'm just not too keen about.)

So at this moment, my credit score probably sucks ass due to the amount of inquiries placed upon it in the very recent past from said auto lenders. I'm going to try one more dealership, then I'm going to get one of those pedal cars I keep seeing in the back of my Organic Gardening magazines. One that you actually pedal.

Get out your Flinstone feet.