...and entered The Twilight Zone. Seriously, that was my first thought when I read this. The headline said "Limbaugh thinks Clinton a Brilliant Pick" or some such nonsense...I was going to fall out of my chair to learn that the man might have aquired a bit of decency. Rest assured, he's still a malicious jackass, so all is still (mostly) right with the world.
And this will be the last time I mention his name on this blog.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
The best part of winter..
Is fruit stuff. This stuff doesn't have a name. Just "fruit stuff". There's nothing to it, really. Just oranges and grapefruit, cut up into a fruit salad, marinating in its own juice. This is really popular with the family. When we were all at home, we could go through about 80 pounds of fruit in a season between four people--40 lbs. each of grapefruit and oranges. This is a 5 lb. bag of grapefruit and approximately as much of oranges. I had 4 left over out of an 8 lb. bag.
The part that makes this great is Texas grapefruit from the Rio Valley. So sweet, so red, needs no sugar! A little more expensive here than the Florida grapefruit, but it's worth the extra cost to me to have something that truly tastes like home.
The part that makes this great is Texas grapefruit from the Rio Valley. So sweet, so red, needs no sugar! A little more expensive here than the Florida grapefruit, but it's worth the extra cost to me to have something that truly tastes like home.
Yum!
It's Christmas already!?
This one comes from F, and I haven't seen it before, so what the heck. Besides, according to the people who do marketing, Xmas started 3 weeks ago, and I'm officially late! ha!
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Yes. Usually gift bags come out if the gift is unusually shaped. Or if I'm feeling lazy. Or if I run out of a certain kind of paper. Or if I know I won't get the bag back in the end. I tend to recycle gift bags. I'm also one of those strange people who really likes to wrap presents, so I tend to try to make either as elaborate as I can.
2. Real tree or Artificial?
REAL. Smells better, looks better, feels better. I could go on a long rant about how they are actually better for the environment than the fake ones (and I can prove it), but I'll skip that here. And for God's sake don't buy the fake tree scent stuff!
3. When do you put up the tree?
I haven't put up a tree where I live in a while. When I was in MD 2 years ago, it was two days before because that's when I got there and I was the only one putting out effort on that front (notice a trend, anyone???). If I travel back to Texas, I tend not to bother with a tree, but I'll put up other things.
4. When do you take the tree down?
See above. The rest of the decorations usually come down the weekend/week after New Years.
5. Do you like Egg Nog?
Actually, no. And I even had the opportunity to try it with real unpasteurized eggs and enough rum to kill any germs that might be in those eggs. And I still didn't like it.
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
hmmm...you know, I don't really remember one or another being a favorite. My parents could definitely go in for odd, though. When I was about 8 or so, I got a HUGE roll of scotch tape in my stocking. I must have had a confused look on my face, because my mom told me that Santa must know that I like to make stuff, and that I might be easier to be good if I had my own instead of taking hers all the time (I became the Thief/Keeper of All Scissors and Tape at about 4 years old). I used every inch of that tape.
7. Hardest person to buy for?
Dad's hard now, because if he wants it, he gets it. And if he wants it and doesn't have it, it costs $1,500 (taking the form of a new camera lens)
8. Easiest person to buy for?
Molly is a lot of fun to buy for, though it usually takes a while. Often if I get gifts for friends, they're the easiest. In fact, usually the friends that get gifts are the ones for whom inspiration struck while I was shopping!
9. Do you have a nativity scene?
We did when I was little. I can't remember if I have one in my Xmas box from MD. I make it to church, though. :) And in TX, it's often several times.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Who in the hell eMails Christmas cards?
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I'm allowed to say it now: Anything that came from Robert's mom. *evil grin*
12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
The (otherwise unranked) top 3 are: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Charlie Brown's Christmas, and George C. Scott's A Christmas Carol. Watching the last one is a Christmas Eve tradition--put it in after we get back from church with some wine. Mom HATED that that became a tradition..
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Sometime about the first week of December, though I try to start in November, if possible. Mom would grab deals in the summer and save them.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
No. I have returned them for things that I'll actually use, though.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Hmm..my first thought was "cookies". But now that Christmas is in TX and I'm usually not, I think I'll answer "Mexican Food"
16. Lights on the tree?
"Twice as many as you think you need" is about right.
17. Favorite Christmas song?
"O come O come Emmanuel". In Latin. And "In the Bleak Midwinter". That one needs a choir though, for the cool "Snow on Snow" harmony/echo.
For a reasonable (normal) answer, I really like the Chipmunks Christmas Song, too.
I feel like I got spoiled on the Christmas songs after singing them in HS choir for four years. Somewhere I permanently learned the words to A LOT of the more obscure ones, and a fair number of them in foreign languages..so my favorites are NEVER played on the radio nor are they sung in church, usually.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
I think it's been fairly well established by now. Xmas=Travel (usually to TX) for me. When I was a kid it almost never involved travel. I'm not sure which I prefer.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Hmm..Rudolph. Dasher, Dancer, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen...down by two.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Stars usually look less tacky.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
When we were little, mom would let us open 2 the night before. Now we do all of them the morning of.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
The radio stations that started playing 24/7 Xmas music on November 1st. And the fact that Thankgiving isn't even allowed to be it's own holiday. And that all the stores started putting up their merch. on October 1st. I'm already sick of looking at it.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
Ornaments have themes? Is "I made it when I was 6 and it's been going on the tree ever since" a theme?
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Gumbo. Actually, we don't DO much for Christmas dinner. None of the ceremony, "everyone dress up and gather together" sort of thing. We're all wrapped up in our comfy clothes (or shorts and t-shirts, depending on the weather), and we all kinda migrate in and out all day.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I've given out a list of things--Bellydance sword, melodia pants, and the Wall-E movie, but it's hard to think of things because I've already gotten what I really wanted-a job and the ability to stay in a living situation that I like. The only other thing I really want is my name back, and I get that in February/March.
I'm feeling pretty lucky/grateful as I head into 2009....
26. Who is most likely to respond to this?
uh...no one because responses don't usually abound around here!
27. Who is least likely to respond to this?
The list is long, here.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Yes. Usually gift bags come out if the gift is unusually shaped. Or if I'm feeling lazy. Or if I run out of a certain kind of paper. Or if I know I won't get the bag back in the end. I tend to recycle gift bags. I'm also one of those strange people who really likes to wrap presents, so I tend to try to make either as elaborate as I can.
2. Real tree or Artificial?
REAL. Smells better, looks better, feels better. I could go on a long rant about how they are actually better for the environment than the fake ones (and I can prove it), but I'll skip that here. And for God's sake don't buy the fake tree scent stuff!
3. When do you put up the tree?
I haven't put up a tree where I live in a while. When I was in MD 2 years ago, it was two days before because that's when I got there and I was the only one putting out effort on that front (notice a trend, anyone???). If I travel back to Texas, I tend not to bother with a tree, but I'll put up other things.
4. When do you take the tree down?
See above. The rest of the decorations usually come down the weekend/week after New Years.
5. Do you like Egg Nog?
Actually, no. And I even had the opportunity to try it with real unpasteurized eggs and enough rum to kill any germs that might be in those eggs. And I still didn't like it.
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
hmmm...you know, I don't really remember one or another being a favorite. My parents could definitely go in for odd, though. When I was about 8 or so, I got a HUGE roll of scotch tape in my stocking. I must have had a confused look on my face, because my mom told me that Santa must know that I like to make stuff, and that I might be easier to be good if I had my own instead of taking hers all the time (I became the Thief/Keeper of All Scissors and Tape at about 4 years old). I used every inch of that tape.
7. Hardest person to buy for?
Dad's hard now, because if he wants it, he gets it. And if he wants it and doesn't have it, it costs $1,500 (taking the form of a new camera lens)
8. Easiest person to buy for?
Molly is a lot of fun to buy for, though it usually takes a while. Often if I get gifts for friends, they're the easiest. In fact, usually the friends that get gifts are the ones for whom inspiration struck while I was shopping!
9. Do you have a nativity scene?
We did when I was little. I can't remember if I have one in my Xmas box from MD. I make it to church, though. :) And in TX, it's often several times.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Who in the hell eMails Christmas cards?
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I'm allowed to say it now: Anything that came from Robert's mom. *evil grin*
12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
The (otherwise unranked) top 3 are: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Charlie Brown's Christmas, and George C. Scott's A Christmas Carol. Watching the last one is a Christmas Eve tradition--put it in after we get back from church with some wine. Mom HATED that that became a tradition..
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Sometime about the first week of December, though I try to start in November, if possible. Mom would grab deals in the summer and save them.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
No. I have returned them for things that I'll actually use, though.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Hmm..my first thought was "cookies". But now that Christmas is in TX and I'm usually not, I think I'll answer "Mexican Food"
16. Lights on the tree?
"Twice as many as you think you need" is about right.
17. Favorite Christmas song?
"O come O come Emmanuel". In Latin. And "In the Bleak Midwinter". That one needs a choir though, for the cool "Snow on Snow" harmony/echo.
For a reasonable (normal) answer, I really like the Chipmunks Christmas Song, too.
I feel like I got spoiled on the Christmas songs after singing them in HS choir for four years. Somewhere I permanently learned the words to A LOT of the more obscure ones, and a fair number of them in foreign languages..so my favorites are NEVER played on the radio nor are they sung in church, usually.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
I think it's been fairly well established by now. Xmas=Travel (usually to TX) for me. When I was a kid it almost never involved travel. I'm not sure which I prefer.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Hmm..Rudolph. Dasher, Dancer, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen...down by two.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Stars usually look less tacky.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
When we were little, mom would let us open 2 the night before. Now we do all of them the morning of.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
The radio stations that started playing 24/7 Xmas music on November 1st. And the fact that Thankgiving isn't even allowed to be it's own holiday. And that all the stores started putting up their merch. on October 1st. I'm already sick of looking at it.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
Ornaments have themes? Is "I made it when I was 6 and it's been going on the tree ever since" a theme?
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Gumbo. Actually, we don't DO much for Christmas dinner. None of the ceremony, "everyone dress up and gather together" sort of thing. We're all wrapped up in our comfy clothes (or shorts and t-shirts, depending on the weather), and we all kinda migrate in and out all day.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I've given out a list of things--Bellydance sword, melodia pants, and the Wall-E movie, but it's hard to think of things because I've already gotten what I really wanted-a job and the ability to stay in a living situation that I like. The only other thing I really want is my name back, and I get that in February/March.
I'm feeling pretty lucky/grateful as I head into 2009....
26. Who is most likely to respond to this?
uh...no one because responses don't usually abound around here!
27. Who is least likely to respond to this?
The list is long, here.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Step One...
This is a post I've been meaning to do for a while. Now that I don't have the thesis looming over my shoulders all the time I've been able to start taking whacks at the list of things I said I was going to do when I was done. Properly speaking, Step One was to find a job. Step Two is to get out of the debt I accrued when living on next to nothing. To that end, I did this:
Step Three: build up some emergency cash...
On a related note, I do intend to keep this blog better updated now that the thesis is done. Keep checking for more updates!
Step Three: build up some emergency cash...
On a related note, I do intend to keep this blog better updated now that the thesis is done. Keep checking for more updates!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Big ol' jet liner...don't carry me too far away
While prowling the internet tonight, I came across this article describing dream symbols that point to stress. Oddly enough, I don't remember any of those dreams from when I was thesis-writing. In fact, I don't remember any dreams from that time. Only that I went to bed tired, woke up tired, groaned, looked at the clock, swore a bit, and got back to work.
One of the changes I have noticed since moving into the Hollow is that my dreams have become much more vivid. Not only that, they have become much more frequent. Maybe it's the lack of stress or the dark room (how long have I waited for one of those!), but whatever it is, it's working. I've been having a lot of dreams about travelling lately. Not actually being in new places, but in getting there. Going to the airport, going through security, and walking around the terminal, going to my plane. Before I got a job, I would sometimes get so far as being on the plane, but I'd always be taken off for whatever reason. I was waiting for something. Now, I don't get on any planes, but Mom is with me. She never tells me anything important, or even says much at all, but she's there, and I feel at peace with her presence. It's nice.
In general life news, the job is going well, and I'm liking it. I have to admit it feels very strange to not be fighting for respect in my work. I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Every time I go in to discuss my ideas with one of my bosses, I mentally prepare myself for an argument, for having to defend every aspect of what I think. It seems almost anticlimatic to only hear "Those ideas are interesting, Rebecca. That's a different perspective we hadn't thought of," and be sent off to my little space to think some more. In a lot of ways, this blows my mind a bit. I feel like there should be another shoe to drop or something. Or could it be that this is God's way of finally giving me the little mental stress break I've been needing for...oh, the past 14 months? I feel like I've been fighting someone for something for so long, that I almost don't know what to do. These past two weeks have almost felt...dull. I think I could get used to it.
Does this mean that I finally have some mental and emotional space to sort myself out in without putting undue burden on myself, my family, or the government at large? If so, thanks, God, I need it!
One of the changes I have noticed since moving into the Hollow is that my dreams have become much more vivid. Not only that, they have become much more frequent. Maybe it's the lack of stress or the dark room (how long have I waited for one of those!), but whatever it is, it's working. I've been having a lot of dreams about travelling lately. Not actually being in new places, but in getting there. Going to the airport, going through security, and walking around the terminal, going to my plane. Before I got a job, I would sometimes get so far as being on the plane, but I'd always be taken off for whatever reason. I was waiting for something. Now, I don't get on any planes, but Mom is with me. She never tells me anything important, or even says much at all, but she's there, and I feel at peace with her presence. It's nice.
In general life news, the job is going well, and I'm liking it. I have to admit it feels very strange to not be fighting for respect in my work. I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Every time I go in to discuss my ideas with one of my bosses, I mentally prepare myself for an argument, for having to defend every aspect of what I think. It seems almost anticlimatic to only hear "Those ideas are interesting, Rebecca. That's a different perspective we hadn't thought of," and be sent off to my little space to think some more. In a lot of ways, this blows my mind a bit. I feel like there should be another shoe to drop or something. Or could it be that this is God's way of finally giving me the little mental stress break I've been needing for...oh, the past 14 months? I feel like I've been fighting someone for something for so long, that I almost don't know what to do. These past two weeks have almost felt...dull. I think I could get used to it.
Does this mean that I finally have some mental and emotional space to sort myself out in without putting undue burden on myself, my family, or the government at large? If so, thanks, God, I need it!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
New at the Hollow...
Whew! What a whirlwind October it's been. More news will come out as it comes, but the first big piece is that I've moved. woohoo! Anyone who's asked me about where I live anytime in the past 18 mos has gotten a treatise on why NO ONE should live at Franklin Woods, and now I can say I don't live there myself anymore. After the Charging For Water incident (since when is water an amenity???) I made the decision to move and was out in something under 2 weeks. It didn't beat my prior record of 4 days (that record was set when I was trying to get away from Sherry), but it's not bad. Of course, I'm languishing among boxes on this end of things, but hopefully that won't be the case for much longer.
I moved into a set of rooms in a house near the UNC campus that is owned by the university. As such, rent is just right price, and an utter steal for the location. I have learned a few things, as well. For instance: How much closet space does Becky need? This much:
That's approximately 15 feet of closet space. Or, another way: 2 clothing closets, 1 reenacting closet, and 1 bellydance closet. Plus shelves. Plus a linen closet. Plus room for fabric and yarn stash. And some scrapbooking stuff. And there's still shelf space left over!
Also, I can boast such fine amenities as a reliable internet connection, in-house laundry facilities, hardwood floors (seen in above photos), nice house-mates, a compost pile and well-organized recycling facilities, and some new neighbors:
These neighbors are much more pleasant than my old neighbors, who were often awake (and waking me up!) at 4 am, they don't shout obscenities through the parking lot, and they don't have obnoxious visitors taking up all the parking spots. These photos were taken from my back door, by the way. The animals themselves were about 12 feet away. I really do live in the woods!
Up next: more photos of the hollow itself, and more reasons to love this place. And hopefully some good news....
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
And another one!
1. Take five books off your bookshelf.
2. Book #1 -- first sentence
3. Book #2 -- last sentence on page fifty
4. Book #3 -- second sentence on page one hundred
5. Book #4 -- next to the last sentence on page one hundred fifty
6. Book #5 -- final sentence of the book
7. Make the five sentences into a paragraph:
The police in the small town of Los Alamos, New Mexico, worried briefly in 1974 about a man seen prowling in the dark, night after night, the red glow of his cigarette floating along the back streets. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard. No matter. These equations, although simplified by the use of the hydrostatic approximation and by neglect of some small terms that appear in the complete spherical coordinate form, still contain several terms that are of secondary significance for midlatitude synoptic-scale systems (catch all that?-rw). The cottage was warm and filled with light, and smelt of tobacco and sulphur and the food that awaited us.
Hmm...not bad. Any guesses on the books?
2. Book #1 -- first sentence
3. Book #2 -- last sentence on page fifty
4. Book #3 -- second sentence on page one hundred
5. Book #4 -- next to the last sentence on page one hundred fifty
6. Book #5 -- final sentence of the book
7. Make the five sentences into a paragraph:
The police in the small town of Los Alamos, New Mexico, worried briefly in 1974 about a man seen prowling in the dark, night after night, the red glow of his cigarette floating along the back streets. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard. No matter. These equations, although simplified by the use of the hydrostatic approximation and by neglect of some small terms that appear in the complete spherical coordinate form, still contain several terms that are of secondary significance for midlatitude synoptic-scale systems (catch all that?-rw). The cottage was warm and filled with light, and smelt of tobacco and sulphur and the food that awaited us.
Hmm...not bad. Any guesses on the books?
Meme Wednesday
Here's how it works:
1. Grab the nearest CD.
2. Put it in your CD-Player (or start your mp3-player, I-tunes, etc.).
3. Skip to Song 3 (or load the 3rd song in your 3rd playlist)
4. Post the lyrics in your journal along with these instructions. Don’t name the band, nor the album-title.
There's something everybody knows
There's one place everybody goes
I've got this notion that it isn't what it seems
That I've been living in a dream
Draw me a picture
Draw it in color
'Cause I wanna see my life through
Someone else's eyes
Beautiful shadows in my mind
They're all that's left of your design
Scattered all over like the sun in our room
Crawling all over like June bugs in June
Draw me a picture
Draw it in color
'Cause I wanna see my life through
Someone else's eyes
I'll find my way again
I never thought that I could make such a mess
I got this feeling that it's gonna be all right
And I'll begin again tonight
Draw me a picture
Draw it in color
'Cause I wanna see my life through
Someone else's eyes
1. Grab the nearest CD.
2. Put it in your CD-Player (or start your mp3-player, I-tunes, etc.).
3. Skip to Song 3 (or load the 3rd song in your 3rd playlist)
4. Post the lyrics in your journal along with these instructions. Don’t name the band, nor the album-title.
There's something everybody knows
There's one place everybody goes
I've got this notion that it isn't what it seems
That I've been living in a dream
Draw me a picture
Draw it in color
'Cause I wanna see my life through
Someone else's eyes
Beautiful shadows in my mind
They're all that's left of your design
Scattered all over like the sun in our room
Crawling all over like June bugs in June
Draw me a picture
Draw it in color
'Cause I wanna see my life through
Someone else's eyes
I'll find my way again
I never thought that I could make such a mess
I got this feeling that it's gonna be all right
And I'll begin again tonight
Draw me a picture
Draw it in color
'Cause I wanna see my life through
Someone else's eyes
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Perverse pleasures....
You know, I get a real thrill out of venturing into "guy" spaces, getting exactly what I need, and not being hassled about it. Take Radio Shack. The looks on the clerks' faces when you go in and ask for a male Coax-to-USB cable is utterly priceless. Today, though, it was the auto parts store. Another version of the "guy store", where, as a woman, it's assumed that you are an idiot. Now, I've been dragged along to my share of these establishments (thanks dad!), and I know more or less how it goes: general stuff is out in front, but if you want a particular part, you need to ask the guys behind the counter standing in front of the intimidating-looking boxes. And they do know what they're talking about, so it's worth chatting them up if you're not sure.
First, a little background. On the way to liberate my furniture from Robert back in April, my CD player got jammed when I got over-eager in putting in a new CD. This has restricted me to the radio for the past several months, and my IPod when I just can't stand any more free-format stuff the undergrads play on WXYC. So, I decided it was time to take the bull by the horns and dig out the CD from the radio and see if I can get it working again. I tackle the radio with a pair of tweezers, get them into the slot where CDs go, and they get stuck.
Radio: 1, Becky: 0
The tweezers get rescued, and I attack some holes that look like they might lead to some sort of switch to release the radio. They do, but the tweezers aren't long enough.
Radio: 2, Becky: 0
A little savvy googling shows that there is in fact a tool, and it is easily available from the local auto parts store. And it's cheap. You bet it is: $3.99, and bonus points for the flirty salesman. Of course I'm going to do the work myself. And yes, I go to school here. Or did. And yes, I know that a graduate degree in Environmental Science means I must be pretty smart. I can handle a silly stubborn radio.
Back to the radio, tools in hand. A little futzing about with the placement and suddenly I'm presented with a metal box housing the radio. I start to undo some screws, and think for a minute...hmm..I should probably unplug this thing lest I set my car on fire.
Radio: 2, Becky: 1
I undo the screws, figure out how the face is attached, pop it off, and there, in all it's glory, is the stuck CD. Success! I fish out the offender.
Radio: 2, Becky: 2
Pop everything back into place, and now for the test: I plug it back in. And it works! I have my CD player back, and for a far lower cost than a new radio!
And I didn't even break a nail.
First, a little background. On the way to liberate my furniture from Robert back in April, my CD player got jammed when I got over-eager in putting in a new CD. This has restricted me to the radio for the past several months, and my IPod when I just can't stand any more free-format stuff the undergrads play on WXYC. So, I decided it was time to take the bull by the horns and dig out the CD from the radio and see if I can get it working again. I tackle the radio with a pair of tweezers, get them into the slot where CDs go, and they get stuck.
Radio: 1, Becky: 0
The tweezers get rescued, and I attack some holes that look like they might lead to some sort of switch to release the radio. They do, but the tweezers aren't long enough.
Radio: 2, Becky: 0
A little savvy googling shows that there is in fact a tool, and it is easily available from the local auto parts store. And it's cheap. You bet it is: $3.99, and bonus points for the flirty salesman. Of course I'm going to do the work myself. And yes, I go to school here. Or did. And yes, I know that a graduate degree in Environmental Science means I must be pretty smart. I can handle a silly stubborn radio.
Back to the radio, tools in hand. A little futzing about with the placement and suddenly I'm presented with a metal box housing the radio. I start to undo some screws, and think for a minute...hmm..I should probably unplug this thing lest I set my car on fire.
Radio: 2, Becky: 1
I undo the screws, figure out how the face is attached, pop it off, and there, in all it's glory, is the stuck CD. Success! I fish out the offender.
Radio: 2, Becky: 2
Pop everything back into place, and now for the test: I plug it back in. And it works! I have my CD player back, and for a far lower cost than a new radio!
And I didn't even break a nail.
Monday, September 01, 2008
A serendipitous weekend
Wow! For a weekend spent not doing much of anything, I sure had a good one. Perhaps karma is finally starting to work for me. Or so it seems for these past few days! First, on Saturday, I was the very happy recipient of this bunch of loveliness from Faraday:
For once, my camera captured the yellow correctly! That is two hanks of VERY yelllow and VERY orange yarn from Hawthorne Cottage, and two hanks of Naturally Aspire super chunky. I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful and generous friend! Perched on top is some local (to F) tea. It's a green tea with some roasted rice in it. The flavor is quite delicate, and the rice gives a peculiar (but yummy) aftertaste. I think the actual meaning of the brand is "Tea: 2x the caffiene", as when I tried some of this in the evening, I ended up being awake half the night!
Then, on Sunday, I went to go catch up on all the latest gossip with Anne at the Yarn Barn (in it's new closer location!). Next door to us is this store that sells all sorts of neat goods that are organic, fairly traded, and generally sustainable. There was a dress form outside the shop sporting a sari, with the label " recycled silk saris now available"....and who am I to turn down beautiful fabric? I didn't go in because I knew if I did I would be walking out with a sari, no matter the cost, and I couldn't bear to see what I knew I would have to turn down. Now, Anne knows a good deal when she sees one (and has similar tastes in fabric!)...SHE went in. Those saris? A steal at $30. Anne pointed out you can't get good saris in India for that price...I couldn't resist any more, and came away with these:
And my desk is even clean!
Finally, today, I adopted a bicycle. It was being thrown away at my apt. complex, and it looked, to me, to be in good shape. So I brought it up, dusted it off, and then took it down to the local bike shop for an analysis. I was right! It only needs a little love and a touch of work. For about $75, it will be good as new. Here's my find:
Not bad for a dumpster-dive find, eh? It's sporting air in the tires, a new seat, a little elbow grease, and some WD-40. It's got a couple scuff marks, still, but you can't tell unless you look really closely.
Up next: a completed sweater!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Another dodgy survey
Start the morning off right. There will be photos posted soon, too, I promise :
1. What is your occupation? Unemployed. Hopefully I’ll be an environmental consultant soon. I also occupy my time with free-lance sewing and alterations
2. What color are your socks right now? None at the moment
3. What are you listening to right now? My good friend Rick’s first reenacting caravan CD “Waterloo”
4. What was the last thing that you ate? hmm...some pita and hummus at the hafla
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Not well, but I could make it work.
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? hmm..Suzanne. Last night.
7. How old are you today? 27
8. What is your favorite sport to watch? College Football (specifically the Aggies! Whoop!)
9. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yup. I went strawberry blonde once. Nobody noticed…I’m going with auburn and blonde here in another day or two.
10. Favorite food? Tex-mex. Not that I can get any here in NC.
11. What was the last movie you watched? hmm…I put Hitch in a couple days ago for something to listen to.
12. Favorite day of the week? Saturday. So many possibilities.
13. How do you vent anger? Bitching to an un-interested party. Plotting revenge.
14. What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbie dolls and legos.
15. What is your favorite season? Summer. The days are warm, long, and lazy.
16. Cherries or Blueberries? Blueberries.
17. Who is the most likely to respond? Trent, perhaps?
18. Who is least likely to respond? Faraday
19. What is on the bottom of your closet? Oh lord…Shoes. Some scrapbooking stuff. An obscene amount of fabric. And a slightly less obscene amount of yarn. You can't see the floor.
20. What did you do last night? Performed in public with a bare tummy. Did pretty well, too.
21. Favorite smells? Freshly cut grass. Fresh vegetables. Apple pie. Lavender.
22. What inspires you? For artistic endeavors, history (specifically the clothing) For everything else, the quote “Either you think you can, or you think you can’t. Either way, you’re right.”
23. What are you most afraid of? Roaches.
24. Plain cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Could I have spicy and cheese together?
25. What celebrity would you most like to meet? Edward Lorenz, but he died a couple months ago. (Scientist, so he’s a celebrity to me only). Colin Firth, but only on condition that “meeting” included carnal knowledge. Same’s true for Jason Isaacs.
26. If you knew you had 30 days to live, what would you do with your time? Make sure my family and friends know how much they mean to me and how much I love them. See the pyramids and the sphinx. Take lots of pictures and write lots of things down for posterity, and hide some evidence. ;)
27. All-time favorite cartoon? Alvin and the Chipmunks.
28. Favorite spiritual place to go when your soul needs renewal? The woods. barring that, a walk with good music works. Barring THAT, zoning out to some Hearts of Space can usually refresh me long enough to work through whatever it was that drained me.
29. Favorite mode of transportation? The Duck, hands down. Then again, driving my dad’s car is a hell of a lot of fun.
Part deux:
Leave a comment and I will:
a) Tell you why I'm friends with you.
b) Associate you with something - fandom, a song, a color, a photo, etc.
c) Tell you something I like about you.
d) Tell you a memory I have of you.
e) Ask something I've always wanted to know about you.
f) Tell you my favorite user pic of yours.
g) In return, you must post this in your blog.
1. What is your occupation? Unemployed. Hopefully I’ll be an environmental consultant soon. I also occupy my time with free-lance sewing and alterations
2. What color are your socks right now? None at the moment
3. What are you listening to right now? My good friend Rick’s first reenacting caravan CD “Waterloo”
4. What was the last thing that you ate? hmm...some pita and hummus at the hafla
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Not well, but I could make it work.
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? hmm..Suzanne. Last night.
7. How old are you today? 27
8. What is your favorite sport to watch? College Football (specifically the Aggies! Whoop!)
9. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yup. I went strawberry blonde once. Nobody noticed…I’m going with auburn and blonde here in another day or two.
10. Favorite food? Tex-mex. Not that I can get any here in NC.
11. What was the last movie you watched? hmm…I put Hitch in a couple days ago for something to listen to.
12. Favorite day of the week? Saturday. So many possibilities.
13. How do you vent anger? Bitching to an un-interested party. Plotting revenge.
14. What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbie dolls and legos.
15. What is your favorite season? Summer. The days are warm, long, and lazy.
16. Cherries or Blueberries? Blueberries.
17. Who is the most likely to respond? Trent, perhaps?
18. Who is least likely to respond? Faraday
19. What is on the bottom of your closet? Oh lord…Shoes. Some scrapbooking stuff. An obscene amount of fabric. And a slightly less obscene amount of yarn. You can't see the floor.
20. What did you do last night? Performed in public with a bare tummy. Did pretty well, too.
21. Favorite smells? Freshly cut grass. Fresh vegetables. Apple pie. Lavender.
22. What inspires you? For artistic endeavors, history (specifically the clothing) For everything else, the quote “Either you think you can, or you think you can’t. Either way, you’re right.”
23. What are you most afraid of? Roaches.
24. Plain cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Could I have spicy and cheese together?
25. What celebrity would you most like to meet? Edward Lorenz, but he died a couple months ago. (Scientist, so he’s a celebrity to me only). Colin Firth, but only on condition that “meeting” included carnal knowledge. Same’s true for Jason Isaacs.
26. If you knew you had 30 days to live, what would you do with your time? Make sure my family and friends know how much they mean to me and how much I love them. See the pyramids and the sphinx. Take lots of pictures and write lots of things down for posterity, and hide some evidence. ;)
27. All-time favorite cartoon? Alvin and the Chipmunks.
28. Favorite spiritual place to go when your soul needs renewal? The woods. barring that, a walk with good music works. Barring THAT, zoning out to some Hearts of Space can usually refresh me long enough to work through whatever it was that drained me.
29. Favorite mode of transportation? The Duck, hands down. Then again, driving my dad’s car is a hell of a lot of fun.
Part deux:
Leave a comment and I will:
a) Tell you why I'm friends with you.
b) Associate you with something - fandom, a song, a color, a photo, etc.
c) Tell you something I like about you.
d) Tell you a memory I have of you.
e) Ask something I've always wanted to know about you.
f) Tell you my favorite user pic of yours.
g) In return, you must post this in your blog.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
WITL of froggie, Vol 1.
Heaven in a tea leaf (ginger peach)
Trying to remember everything
Common sense not required to manage this facility
Waiting...
What to do while waiting...
Highway Robbery (at least it's under $50!)
Cheaper than the gasoline! (by a long shot)
Week in the Life
So, I'm actually doing it properly this time. Here's the rules:
Aim of the Game: For one week, you are to post photographs taken during the day.
Rules:1. You must take between 6 and 8 new photographs per day.
2. Your WITL must be consecutive. No skipping days.
3. You must post your photographs at the end of that day, sometime after the last picture is taken.
4. Each photograph must have the time taken beneath and a title, with no other explanation.You must post these rules at your first entry, then link back to it for the other six days so that people will know wtf you're doing.Your post must say "A Week in the Life of [your name/username], Volume [whatever day you're on]."
Aim of the Game: For one week, you are to post photographs taken during the day.
Rules:1. You must take between 6 and 8 new photographs per day.
2. Your WITL must be consecutive. No skipping days.
3. You must post your photographs at the end of that day, sometime after the last picture is taken.
4. Each photograph must have the time taken beneath and a title, with no other explanation.You must post these rules at your first entry, then link back to it for the other six days so that people will know wtf you're doing.Your post must say "A Week in the Life of [your name/username], Volume [whatever day you're on]."
Friday, August 22, 2008
Are you serious?
I know I've been utter crap at posting. I'm going to get better at it. Promise. As proof, I'm going to re-attempt the week-in-the-life challenge. Starting...well, today works. I tried this back in April, and the most compelling I could do was this:
So, no. Done with that. This week proves to be much more interesting. There's bellydance involved. :)
I'm also officially in the job market. Know anyone who needs a freshly minted graduate student?
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Books!
This cracked me up...I can't underline things, so you're going to have to stick with read and unread.
The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed. Well let's see.
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them ;-) LET'S DO IT!
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens (I've started this one...about 4 times now..)
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy (I do not like him, Sam I Am!)
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (I read this one..in French! Take that, list!)
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen (I've started this one, too)
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37.The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (I started this one, too. Couldn't get into it)
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy (I told you, I don't like him!)
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding (Why are books like this ON this list?)
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson (looking for more of him to read. He's great)
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray (I want to read it...but it's seriously hefty. Need more courage)
80 Possession - AS Byatt (I saw the movie....SO want to read this)
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (also in the original French!)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
So let's see...that makes it....26 of them read. Yeah, probably more than average. I'm sure I'll get to the rest of the list eventually. Looks like a good one. :)
The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed. Well let's see.
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them ;-) LET'S DO IT!
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens (I've started this one...about 4 times now..)
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy (I do not like him, Sam I Am!)
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (I read this one..in French! Take that, list!)
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen (I've started this one, too)
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37.The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (I started this one, too. Couldn't get into it)
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy (I told you, I don't like him!)
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding (Why are books like this ON this list?)
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson (looking for more of him to read. He's great)
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray (I want to read it...but it's seriously hefty. Need more courage)
80 Possession - AS Byatt (I saw the movie....SO want to read this)
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (also in the original French!)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
So let's see...that makes it....26 of them read. Yeah, probably more than average. I'm sure I'll get to the rest of the list eventually. Looks like a good one. :)
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Strange Sights around the chamber
So, for all you doubters out there, the Harry Potter car does exist! It's not a pale blue Ford Anglia, and it doesn't fly, and it doesn't come rescue you when you're about to be eaten by giant spiders (though, around here ticks are much more likely right now)....but we do have a car that lives in the woods out at the smog chamber..and it makes me smile, so I'm sharing with you.
Its loooooking at yoooouuu.......
Its loooooking at yoooouuu.......Wednesday, April 30, 2008
You know, I've been asked (mostly by you, Trent!) why I don't post more stuff to my blog. And I've been thinking about why. Because I'm a terrible blogger. That's it. I'm a half-assed blogger. I don't consider myself to be particularly funny, and my skills at photographing knitting or my other projects are slightly lacking (mostly a photographer..)....and so there you have it. A relatively busy life (I won't dare call it exciting or interesting!) that isn't well-supplemented with pictures. So...in search of funny, I offer up these:
http://www.cyn.ca/knit/
Randomcyn. She's funny. We had a short discussion some months ago about why patterns are made to fit imaginary people instead of real ones...but even if you know nothing about knitting, you can chuckle as you're reading this. I bet, if my writing were half this funny, I'd get more traffic!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP_tfVGKxdE
Again...very stupid. But very funny. And, at least in the lab, this video has spawned lots of variations on the tune.
You want something beautiful and artistic? You got it:
But you see, this isn't my photo...it's my dad's. You can find the rest over at : http://www.alan-molly.smugmug.com/ . Nope. I'm not good for high art...just the astrodome and ice cream. :)
So, what is it that Frodoes all day? Well, today I helped my vet dig poo out of my cat's butt...and there's no pictures of that, thank God. I also did some work with water. My entire day can be summed up in a graph. That's it--a single, solitary graph. Good ol' Kat already beat me to the punch, though, and posted a similar graph over at her blog:
http://geocities.com/gallowayblog/index.html
The weekend? Surely I do fun stuff on the weekend. Well, as a matter of fact, I do. I work at the yarn store...and have a lot of fun...and bring home too much yarn. Too much sock yarn, lately, but anyway...THEY have a blog too. They even have some pictures of me up there, sporting some of my finished creations. Check them out:
http://yarnsetc.blogspot.com/
that's all for now, folks!
http://www.cyn.ca/knit/
Randomcyn. She's funny. We had a short discussion some months ago about why patterns are made to fit imaginary people instead of real ones...but even if you know nothing about knitting, you can chuckle as you're reading this. I bet, if my writing were half this funny, I'd get more traffic!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP_tfVGKxdE
Again...very stupid. But very funny. And, at least in the lab, this video has spawned lots of variations on the tune.
You want something beautiful and artistic? You got it:
But you see, this isn't my photo...it's my dad's. You can find the rest over at : http://www.alan-molly.smugmug.com/ . Nope. I'm not good for high art...just the astrodome and ice cream. :)
So, what is it that Frodoes all day? Well, today I helped my vet dig poo out of my cat's butt...and there's no pictures of that, thank God. I also did some work with water. My entire day can be summed up in a graph. That's it--a single, solitary graph. Good ol' Kat already beat me to the punch, though, and posted a similar graph over at her blog:
http://geocities.com/gallowayblog/index.html
The weekend? Surely I do fun stuff on the weekend. Well, as a matter of fact, I do. I work at the yarn store...and have a lot of fun...and bring home too much yarn. Too much sock yarn, lately, but anyway...THEY have a blog too. They even have some pictures of me up there, sporting some of my finished creations. Check them out:
http://yarnsetc.blogspot.com/
that's all for now, folks!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Something to fill the time...
Place an X by all the things you've done, or remove the x from the ones you have not.
This is for your entire life: -
(X) Smoked a cigarette.
() Drank so much you threw up (close, but not quite)
( ) Crashed a friend's car
( ) Stolen a car
(X) Been in love
(X) Been dumped
( ) Been laid off / fired - got a buyout - took a redundancy
(X) Quit your job
(X) Been in a fist fight. (I decked a boy in 6th grade for popping my bra strap)
() Sneak out of your parent's house?
(X) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back?
() Gone on a blind date
(X) Lied to a friend but only to protect feelings
(X) Skipped school
(X ) Seen someone die.
( X) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico. (how is it possible to have been to canada but not mexico when I grew up in texas???
(X) Been on a plane
(X) Been lost
(X) Been on the opposite side of the country
(X ) Gone to Washington, DC
(X) Waded in the ocean
(X) Felt like dying...
(X) Cried yourself to sleep?
(X) Played cops and robbers
() Recently coloured with crayons.
() Sang karaoke
( X) Paid for a meal with only coins
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't.
(X) Made prank phone calls
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose (that's so overrated. It hurts!)
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
() Been kissed under the mistletoe
() Watched the sun rise with someone you care about (
(X) Blew bubbles
( ) Made a bonfire on the beach
(X ) Crashed a party(
X) Gone roller-skating....
(X ) Gone Toilet Papering (also overrated)
( X) Gone to a major National League game
() Gone to Europe
( ) Been skydiving
(X) Worked as a waiter or waitress
( ) Bought gold bullion and silver
(x) Had surgery
(X) Moved more than ten times
( ) Collected the signature of at least one former president.....
( ) Been a care-giver for an invalid
(X ) Had jury duty and actually heard a case (and it was even child molestation in the catholic church!)
( ) Ushered at a movie theater
(X) Taught classes at work (taught classes for work, too)
( X) Water-skied
( ) Snow skied
1. Any Children? Nope
2. Any Pets? Just Annie
3. Any nicknames? Becky, Beck, Becker, Ykceb, Biki
4. What is your favorite drink? wine. :) And margaritas
5. Body piercing? Ears
6. How much do you love your job? I'll love it when I get my degree.
7. Birthplace? Houston, TX
8. Favorite vacation spot? The beach.
9. Ever been to Africa? Not yet
10. Ever steal any traffic signs? I have my stop sign staked out. Just need to go get it.
11. Ever been in a car accident? Yup.
12. 2 Door or 4 door? 4-door yellow suv. The Duck. :)
13. Salad Dressing? Don't like salad. The oil-based ones make good marinades, though.
14. Car or Truck? SUV? All the usefulness of a truck without the wonky weight distribution.
15. Favorite pie? Apple or blackberry
16. Favorite movie? My Fair Lady
17. Favorite food? Mexican food from Texas. anywhere else just doesn't cut it.
18. Favorite day of the week? Friday
19. Favorite brand of body soap? eh, not too picky.
20. Favorite TV show? South Park
21. Favorite smell? freshly cut grass, pumpkin....I like lots of smells.
22. What do you do to relax? go camping, do crafty things (sew, knit, scrapbook), read...
23. Message to your friends reading this? Don't let me go back for a PhD
24. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Beats me.
25. What do you do when you are bored? What is that?
26. Furthest place you will send this message? Beats me, it's the internet! An exploratory satellite could probably pick it up and send it back to NASA's mission control.
27. Who do you think will respond the fastest? I doubt anyone will.
28. Least likely to respond? See 27.
This is for your entire life: -
(X) Smoked a cigarette.
() Drank so much you threw up (close, but not quite)
( ) Crashed a friend's car
( ) Stolen a car
(X) Been in love
(X) Been dumped
( ) Been laid off / fired - got a buyout - took a redundancy
(X) Quit your job
(X) Been in a fist fight. (I decked a boy in 6th grade for popping my bra strap)
() Sneak out of your parent's house?
(X) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back?
() Gone on a blind date
(X) Lied to a friend but only to protect feelings
(X) Skipped school
(X ) Seen someone die.
( X) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico. (how is it possible to have been to canada but not mexico when I grew up in texas???
(X) Been on a plane
(X) Been lost
(X) Been on the opposite side of the country
(X ) Gone to Washington, DC
(X) Waded in the ocean
(X) Felt like dying...
(X) Cried yourself to sleep?
(X) Played cops and robbers
() Recently coloured with crayons.
() Sang karaoke
( X) Paid for a meal with only coins
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't.
(X) Made prank phone calls
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose (that's so overrated. It hurts!)
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
() Been kissed under the mistletoe
() Watched the sun rise with someone you care about (
(X) Blew bubbles
( ) Made a bonfire on the beach
(X ) Crashed a party(
X) Gone roller-skating....
(X ) Gone Toilet Papering (also overrated)
( X) Gone to a major National League game
() Gone to Europe
( ) Been skydiving
(X) Worked as a waiter or waitress
( ) Bought gold bullion and silver
(x) Had surgery
(X) Moved more than ten times
( ) Collected the signature of at least one former president.....
( ) Been a care-giver for an invalid
(X ) Had jury duty and actually heard a case (and it was even child molestation in the catholic church!)
( ) Ushered at a movie theater
(X) Taught classes at work (taught classes for work, too)
( X) Water-skied
( ) Snow skied
1. Any Children? Nope
2. Any Pets? Just Annie
3. Any nicknames? Becky, Beck, Becker, Ykceb, Biki
4. What is your favorite drink? wine. :) And margaritas
5. Body piercing? Ears
6. How much do you love your job? I'll love it when I get my degree.
7. Birthplace? Houston, TX
8. Favorite vacation spot? The beach.
9. Ever been to Africa? Not yet
10. Ever steal any traffic signs? I have my stop sign staked out. Just need to go get it.
11. Ever been in a car accident? Yup.
12. 2 Door or 4 door? 4-door yellow suv. The Duck. :)
13. Salad Dressing? Don't like salad. The oil-based ones make good marinades, though.
14. Car or Truck? SUV? All the usefulness of a truck without the wonky weight distribution.
15. Favorite pie? Apple or blackberry
16. Favorite movie? My Fair Lady
17. Favorite food? Mexican food from Texas. anywhere else just doesn't cut it.
18. Favorite day of the week? Friday
19. Favorite brand of body soap? eh, not too picky.
20. Favorite TV show? South Park
21. Favorite smell? freshly cut grass, pumpkin....I like lots of smells.
22. What do you do to relax? go camping, do crafty things (sew, knit, scrapbook), read...
23. Message to your friends reading this? Don't let me go back for a PhD
24. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Beats me.
25. What do you do when you are bored? What is that?
26. Furthest place you will send this message? Beats me, it's the internet! An exploratory satellite could probably pick it up and send it back to NASA's mission control.
27. Who do you think will respond the fastest? I doubt anyone will.
28. Least likely to respond? See 27.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
What I like about Texas
I got the opportunity to take a trip to Texas about a month ago for a friend's wedding..and I got a chance to spend some time immersing myself in Texas culture. So, a couple of pics to share with everyone:
This is the Astrodome in Houston. On the ground is the fairway for the carnival that is situated along the walkways around the Rodeo. This shot was taken from the top of the ferris wheel! And, another shot:
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
A Becky by any other name...
1. Your rock star name (first pet, current car): Oreo Escape (hmmm, that one's pretty good!)
2. Your gangsta name (fave ice cream flavour, favourite type of shoe): Peppermint Slingback
3. Your Native American name (favourite colour, favourite animal): Green Lioness
4. Your soap opera name (middle name, city where you were born): Leigh Houston
5. Your Star Wars name (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name): McRRe
6. Superhero name (2nd favourite colour, favourite drink): Blue Merlot
7. NASCAR name (the first names of your grandfathers): Pete Norman
8. Stripper name (the name of your favourite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy): Lavender Gummi (worms)
9. TV weather anchor name (your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): I think I should be exempt from this question, as I could work as a TV weather anchor with my REAL name. To play along though: Burns Boston
10. Spy name (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Summer Iris
11. Cartoon name (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now): Grapefruit Pajamas
12. Hippie name (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Oatmeal Dogwood
Enjoy!
2. Your gangsta name (fave ice cream flavour, favourite type of shoe): Peppermint Slingback
3. Your Native American name (favourite colour, favourite animal): Green Lioness
4. Your soap opera name (middle name, city where you were born): Leigh Houston
5. Your Star Wars name (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name): McRRe
6. Superhero name (2nd favourite colour, favourite drink): Blue Merlot
7. NASCAR name (the first names of your grandfathers): Pete Norman
8. Stripper name (the name of your favourite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy): Lavender Gummi (worms)
9. TV weather anchor name (your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): I think I should be exempt from this question, as I could work as a TV weather anchor with my REAL name. To play along though: Burns Boston
10. Spy name (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Summer Iris
11. Cartoon name (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now): Grapefruit Pajamas
12. Hippie name (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Oatmeal Dogwood
Enjoy!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Life beyond fiber..
Well, this post is for a friend of mine (probably the only one who reads this blog!) who complains that I don't post anything about what I'm thinking, just stuff about knitting and sewing. So, here you are. An actual post about something beyond fiber.
I suppose what's been on my mind most recently is all the crap surrounding Robert. I go up and down depending on which day...no, which MOMENT I am asked about it, and lately it's been down-ish. I supposed I'm still just processing everything, everything that was said and not said, and to whom. In one of the eMails, it's written that Robert doesn't love me and never did. Several times he mentions that he is married "only to his country" (angsty poetic crap, I know), but a refusal to acknowledge a marriage to a person still hurts. Since I no longer trust what he tells me (or ever told me, unless it was negative), I have a hard time believing that he does or did in fact love me. I don't know if I've adopted this belief as a coping mechanism, or what the truth actually was. Part of me is starting to settle on the idea that he didn't love me because he doesn't know what love is...which seems awfully plausible. It's hard for me to imagine that a person can love someone and still hurt them so completely without a second thought about it. Also on my brain's internal track is "Why?" whywhywhywhywhywhywhy....why this? why me? why now? why was I led to believe a lie?
There is an upside to all of this. Even with all that negative crap swirling around in my head, a small part of me feels refreshed and free. All that energy that was spent worrying about Robert, making sure I had time to connect with him (let's ignore the fact he didn't give a crap whether or not he connected with me...he said and wrote on more than one occaison that he wished I would go away and leave him alone...), making this marriage my number one priority (I know--it wasn't his!)....all that energy is FREE! And it wants to create. And work on my thesis...it wants to be and do and grow. And when it shows up, I'm really trying to make sure I hang on to it and make it last. Here's hoping it comes more often and stays longer!
And, by the way, in case anyone's asking, the skirt has been a hit! I've gotten lots of compliments on it. :)
What, you didn't think I could resist not mentioning fabric at all, did you?
I suppose what's been on my mind most recently is all the crap surrounding Robert. I go up and down depending on which day...no, which MOMENT I am asked about it, and lately it's been down-ish. I supposed I'm still just processing everything, everything that was said and not said, and to whom. In one of the eMails, it's written that Robert doesn't love me and never did. Several times he mentions that he is married "only to his country" (angsty poetic crap, I know), but a refusal to acknowledge a marriage to a person still hurts. Since I no longer trust what he tells me (or ever told me, unless it was negative), I have a hard time believing that he does or did in fact love me. I don't know if I've adopted this belief as a coping mechanism, or what the truth actually was. Part of me is starting to settle on the idea that he didn't love me because he doesn't know what love is...which seems awfully plausible. It's hard for me to imagine that a person can love someone and still hurt them so completely without a second thought about it. Also on my brain's internal track is "Why?" whywhywhywhywhywhywhy....why this? why me? why now? why was I led to believe a lie?
There is an upside to all of this. Even with all that negative crap swirling around in my head, a small part of me feels refreshed and free. All that energy that was spent worrying about Robert, making sure I had time to connect with him (let's ignore the fact he didn't give a crap whether or not he connected with me...he said and wrote on more than one occaison that he wished I would go away and leave him alone...), making this marriage my number one priority (I know--it wasn't his!)....all that energy is FREE! And it wants to create. And work on my thesis...it wants to be and do and grow. And when it shows up, I'm really trying to make sure I hang on to it and make it last. Here's hoping it comes more often and stays longer!
And, by the way, in case anyone's asking, the skirt has been a hit! I've gotten lots of compliments on it. :)
What, you didn't think I could resist not mentioning fabric at all, did you?
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Finally some progress!
Hello again, world. I seem to be falling off my resolution to write more frequently. Ah well. I've been too busy DOING things to write about them, it seems. Anyway, here she is:
Ta-da! It's my shiny new Bernina. We've been happily getting to know one another...with lovely creations such as this cute little lace pillow...an idea inspired by my cousin....and new skirts to wear to class, like this:
Not bad, eh? It's a chocolatey mole-skin and was incredibly easy to make..it looked a lot harder than it was.
In addition, I've also picked up my Terribly Ugly Textured Tunic...even if it ever becomes pretty, I might not change the name. :) It was a sweater I started back last August...and finished sometime around there too. Nice, easy raglan sleeve top from Fitted Knits. Oh, no, though...not that easy. When I finished..and put it on...it was HORRID. Too big in all the wrong places and too tight in even worse places. This was Not The Knit for Me. I was pretty mad at it, so I tossed it in the closet and let it sit for a couple of months. Then I pulled it out and frogged 85% of it. Now I'm actually going to work on it a little bit more. I have ideas on how to finish it and make it look good...and I'm going to love it when it's done. I hope.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
A new arrival
Well, so far so good. I'm keeping up on my resolution to blog more. That doesn't mean that this site is getting any more traffic, but hey. It's a start.
The biggest news of the past week is that a new arrival has entered my home. No, no babies, but a new sewing machine! Woohoo! It's a Bernina Aurora 430 and I'm totally in love with it. I had forgotten how nice and smooth and pretty and sleek Bernina's were. But now? My memory is happily jogged. I've already made a few things on it--a bellydance choli, and a skirt I've been hacking at for ages on. That, at long last, is now down to the final bits--the gathering and sewing. And it's a lot of gathering. Photos to follow as they get taken!
The biggest news of the past week is that a new arrival has entered my home. No, no babies, but a new sewing machine! Woohoo! It's a Bernina Aurora 430 and I'm totally in love with it. I had forgotten how nice and smooth and pretty and sleek Bernina's were. But now? My memory is happily jogged. I've already made a few things on it--a bellydance choli, and a skirt I've been hacking at for ages on. That, at long last, is now down to the final bits--the gathering and sewing. And it's a lot of gathering. Photos to follow as they get taken!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
New Year's and all that
Well, it's 2008, and that means, at least for most everyone, resolutions. I usually don't make them, but for some reason, this year they are showing up in abundance. Some way to improve every part of life. I want to get my thesis done (before the end of the year!), get to my WW goal weight, finish up projects I've had stashed away and make a dent in my scrapbook supplies...which kind of fits in with the projects stashed away. I also want to update this blog more. I've had it forever and never seem to do anything with it..I feel like I should either do it or not. So, I'm going to make an honest effort to do it.
Happy news: I'm finally about to get my sewing machine! I'm so excited. Since my machine was stolen, I've been handsewing what I need or borrowing machines as I need them. No more! I'm going to be the proud owner of a Bernina Aurora 440 QEE. It's a refurbished model, so I'm getting it at a deep discount (the previous owner traded up to an insanely expensive machine for Xmas)...the QEE part means Quilting Edition + Embroidery. It's got an embroidery unit, which will be fun to experiment with, and the quilting part just means that it has a lot of overhead and a nice big sewing platform. And lots of fun decorative stitches. I'll have a good time playing with this new toy. Visions of dresses and bellydancing clothes are dancing through my head right now.
Knitting news: I started a new project--Clapotis. I've seen hundreds of these things online, and there's probably hundreds more that are undocumented in the world. I was sold on it after seeing one in the flesh and trying it on. It's so elegant and makes use of such beautiful sock yarn that I just couldn't resist. Mine's in colinette jitterbug, colorway Gaugin (I love how they use artists names for their colorways!) Here's what it looks like so far:
More to come as I make progress. I hope to finish this soon, so I can wear it while it's still actually chilly outside. Given how long it's taken others, though, I have my doubts. I can still wear it into the spring, though. Once the AC is turned back on in school, I'm sure I'll be cold again!
Onward ho, back to the needles!
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