Infrequently Updated!

I'm not dead yet!

2010-01-22T12:22:00.004-05:00

See, now this is what I meant when I said I knew I wasn't going to post anything. I've been so wrapped up with Ravelry and Facebook and, I don't know, life, that I haven't put anything up here. At all!

New news from life: I have started taking lessons at my son's martial arts school; a whole bunch of us go together, and it's very fun and kind of physically grueling. I think today's been the first day this week that I haven't been sore or stiff. But it's so empowering when I do the moves correctly - it makes me feel like I'm a ninja or something. A white belt ninja. Woo hoo!

The Boy is kicking second grade's ASS. He's getting good grades, and his behavior is remarkably awesome! He's also really getting into classic, old-school Nintendo - and I am in favor of that! He's an extremely fun, smart, funny, awesome kid, and I couldn't be more proud of him.

In August, I opened a shop on Etsy; The Crafty Hamster. I sell hand-dyed yarn and other stuff. That's the best way to describe it; "other stuff". right now it's coffee cup holders and knitted bags, but who knows what I'll make for it? It's had a slow start, but I'm certain that I will pick up my mojo as I go.

I'm still with Z, still in love, it's a good good thing. We're working out a timeframe as to when we can get a house together. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a financial setback when I lost a lot of hours at work, but I'm feeling hopeful about it. I have polished my resume and am going to present it like a crazy offering to all of the temp agencies in the area.

So not much has changed over the course of a year, really. Still making stuff and loving people. Life is good.

Hum. Been a while since I posted.

2009-03-06T09:50:00.003-05:00

So take a look at all the yarn I've dyed recently.

This is everything except the five balls that are being used in other projects. Everything that's in a skein will eventually be sold, once I get my act (and my Etsy) together. If you click the photo, it'll take you to the Flickr page, where I've put notes on everything, so you can find out what I named these. I'm a big ol' dork. :) EDIT: It's part of FO Fridays!

In other news: lots of work lately, despite some of my stores being cut back to once a cycle. There's still a lot of big projects going on regardless, so it's the same amount of work, just in one long visit instead of several shorter ones. I'm not sure what this is supposed to achieve.

WATCHMEN TONIGHT!!!! It should be full of awesome and great.

Are you on Ravelry?

2009-01-13T19:14:00.003-05:00

I figure, most people who find this are either coming through Facebook or Ravelry. Now, if you know my real name, you can find me on Facebook... but on Ravelry, I'm "hamstergal".

Now you know!

Playing on Wordle

2009-01-08T13:13:00.002-05:00

Got me this:

Now go make one yourself at Wordle.net!

Happy New Year, and some news we can all smile about.

2009-01-01T12:08:00.002-05:00

It's 2009!

And guess who's gonna be a knight!

No, not me. But here's hoping the next Discworld book will have his new title on the spine. "Sir Terry" has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

Here's hoping the rest of the year has as good of a feeling to it. Yay!

SoupyNette

2008-12-22T13:55:00.002-05:00

SoupyNette
Originally uploaded by 7 Seconds of Love

I totally forgot that I had uploaded this a million billion years ago.

I then gave it to my brother.

Soup on your head!

Interesting discovery.

2008-11-17T11:59:00.002-05:00

Upon Googling my name, I have discovered that there is a model out there with the same name as me. And we're the same height. Alas, that's about all we have in common, as I could easily make two of her with a bit left over mass-wise, but I still find it amusing. This may be why I've gotten some entertaining misdirected emails...

However! Photographic proof shows that I too am a hottie!

With my Favorite Kid.

Going out for the Knight with a few of the girls.

Rocking a bad-ass mustache.

Yes. I do have productive things to do, but choose not to do them. :)

˙ɹoʇıuoɯ ɹnoʎ ʇsnɾpɐ ʇou op

2008-10-02T10:38:00.000-04:00

Stand on your head to read this post. :)

¡sɟɟo-ʇsɐɔ ʎɯ ʎnq ǝɯoɔ ˙puǝʞǝǝʍ sıɥʇ ǝlɐs pɹɐʎ ɐ ǝʌɐɥ ǝʍ :sǝʎ ɥo

˙llɐ ʇɐ unɟ ʇou ˙ƃoo ʇnq 'ƃuıɥʇ ʎɹɐssǝɔǝu ɐ s,ʇı ʍouʞ ı ˙op ʎllɐǝɹ ˙ƃuıʇǝıp ǝʇɐɥ ˙ʍou ǝɯ llıʞ ˙ʇǝıp ɐ pǝʇɹɐʇs 'oslɐ ˙os op oʇ ʎǝuoɯ ǝɥʇ dn ƃıp oʇ ǝʌɐɥ ʇnq 'uoos lıɐɯ ǝɥʇ uı sǝƃɐʞɔɐd oʍʇ ʇno puǝs oʇ ǝlqɐ ǝq oʇ pǝǝu ı puɐ 'dn pǝɥsıuıɟ ǝq oʇ pǝǝu ʇɐɥʇ sʇɔǝɾoɹd ʍǝɟ ɐ ǝʌɐɥ ı *ʇuɐldpɐǝɥ* ¡ǝɯıʇ ǝɯɐs ǝɥʇ ʇɐ uǝddɐɥ sƃuıɥʇ ǝlʇʇıl ǝɥʇ llɐ lıʇun sƃuıɥʇ ǝlʇʇıl ɹǝʌo ʇǝƃ noʎ dn-pǝxıɯ ʍoɥ ǝzılɐǝɹ ʎllɐǝɹ ɹǝʌǝu noʎ ˙sɐuɐuɐq ʎlʇɥƃıls os ɹǝʌǝ ƃuıoƃ ǝɯ sɐɥ ǝɟıl

Yarr!

2008-09-23T16:06:00.001-04:00

My pirate name is:

Mad Jenny Bonney

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Meet Taco

2008-09-21T15:36:00.006-04:00

My brother's calling himself "Daddy". Wouldn't you? Meet Taco.

She's seven weeks old, just adopted this weekend, and Dayv and Kris brought her to the family reunion yesterday.

She is super-tiny and apparently made of full-on cute.

She slept over last night, and I got to go to PetSmart and help buy a bunch of toys and stuff. So! Cute! She attacks fingers and will fall asleep on your chest. We joke that she's a lesbian kitty because she snuggles between boobies.

After meeting her, Z and I talked and we've decided we may need a kitty to help warm up his place. More to follow...

EDIT: See more Taco!!!

Just a friendly reminder

2008-09-18T10:27:00.003-04:00

Hey kids!

Do you know what tomorrow is?

TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY!!!!!!!!

You simply *must* talk like a pirate! It's the law in these parts.

In other news - the Kid is enjoying first grade, I recently celebrated five years (FIVE YEARS!!!!) with Z, I am no closer to finishing the second Thelma story, and have written out but not typed out a felted bag pattern. And I learned how to dye yarn with Kool-aid, but I may have covered that already.

It's tough when you never ever blog, and suddenly there's all this stuff to talk about. I've been trying to contact friends from long ago, whether via facebook or some other medium, and have been doing well so far. :) In a way, it feels good to have people who remember who you were, as well as those who know who you are now. Also, it's interesting to see who knows who and how. You do get some unexpected crossovers.

I need to make a point to get back onto irc again soon. I have been so busy with life in general that I just forget. I also need to work on my swap packages! For several lovely people! Also the Minion Hats for the Ravelry Venture Brothers group. Fun!

Natalie Dee says it.

2008-09-04T19:08:00.004-04:00

This would rock SO MUCH MORE if I actually wrote in this mofo. :)

Also, Hi Melissa!

Adventures in crafting. Again.

2008-08-26T14:30:00.003-04:00

I made my own hand-dyed yarn yesterday. For the first time ever. I know, I'm awesome.

I used Fisherman's Wool for my base, and Kool-Aid for the dye. Grape and Cherry, if you care. :) It still smells a little fruity-sweet. When we laid it out and dyed it, the Kid and I made alternating bands of red and purple, but we muddled it a bit when we put it in the microwave to heat it. It still came out beautifully, though. Look!

My hands are still purply-red. But I don't really care... it was a lot of fun, and I officially have started looking for different colors of Kool-Aid to try it again. (There only seems to be Grape, Cherry, and Lemonade available in the local supermarkets. Sad, I know.) I have most of the skein of Fisherman's Wool left...

This lil' ball will end up being at least part of a hat. I keep picking it up and petting it and smelling it. Hi, I'm weird. :) I hope to do a semi-solid purple to pair it with so it doesn't have to be a teensy lil' hat.

Hm, I did name this appropriately.

2008-08-14T10:32:00.004-04:00

It's Olympics time! Once again, my family and I celebrate the spirits of world togetherness and athleticism by sitting on our butts and watching different events at opposite ends of the house. Yay! Well, that is an exaggeration; we are often together watching the same event. But I do find it amusing that as a world, we celebrate our athletes by sitting and staring at them on television. Go irony! As for me, this is the first Olympics that I suddenly realize that I am *way older* than most of the competitors (especially in some highlighted events - I'm looking at you, gymnastics - where the athletes are literally half my age) and super out of shape, so my shoulders and arms are sore from doing extra time with Wii Fit in the mornings.

Ah, Wii Fit. I have a love-hate relationship with my daily routine on the balance board. I haven't seen whether anyone else has a hardware problem with it, but sometimes, my board freaks out in the middle of longer step and boxing sessions, and I have to get off, turn it off and on again, and resume, having now missed several steps, breaking my flow and lowering my score. Yes, I know score doesn't really matter, but I do get a bit miffed. I'm the only one in the house that has this issue, but ever since last month, I'm the only one really using it besides Liam on the balance games. I actually deleted a few family profiles since they hadn't been used. At least I'll be getting my money's worth out of it - even if I just keep losing what seems to be the same five pounds over and over. Whatever. It's better than doing nothing, and even if I weigh the same, I look and feel a bit different. Also taller. Hard to explain.

One of the other things keeping my on my butt is participation in the Ravelympics! During the Olympics, I have taken it upon myself to finish three different knitting and crocheting projects. If they are completed in time, I win. If not, no medal for me! I chase a back-to-school vest for Liam, a Pokemon stuffed toy, and (in the Works-in-Progress Wrestling event) a promise to finally complete that green Megaman backpack I started two years ago and never bothered to sew together. There's time to do this! I'm almost halfway done with the vest already, and I'm feeling confident about the rest.

Another fun treat for me has been my subscription to the Venture Brothers Shirt Club. Oh my god. Awesome. Every week, I get a new, VB-themed t-shirt. My favorite is the Dean! shirt, but they all rock pretty hard. Well, I'm not crazy about the OSI one, but I'm sure it'll grow on me. I've seen the shirts going on eBay for much more than I paid for them, so I'm glad I decided to get in on it when I did. Especially since they only make each design available for one week. Yikes.

Instead of going on a big vacation this year (although I must confess the Disney Weekend in May was rather good), my family has been going on a series of short trips. Camping with our friends at their place in the Poconos. Anime Next (and the kid cosplaying as a Moogle, super cute). Wild West City. The one I'm missing to go to work today, at the Crayola factory. The Butterfly Gardens. One I'm plotting for Saturday to Nintendo World and maybe Jekyll & Hyde's. Many of these are known only to the planner (it's me, mom, Judy, and out friend Donna plotting these) until we arrive at our destination. It's pretty awesome. And I find I can work my weekly assignments for work into four days, so it's easy enough for me to take a day off if needed.

Stuff I need to do: take the Kid back-to-school shopping (ack, first grade!), do my financial aid paperwork, schedule my last six classes. It's too hot to think about school, though. Just. Too. Hot. It's not too bad outside, but somehow my bedroom and living room have become giant easy-bake ovens. Last night I woke up around two because it was so so hot in here. The boy was fine; he managed to get a breeze through his room somehow, but it was stifling in here. I grabbed some iced tea, turned on the house fan (why was it off?!?) and moved the floor fan to the foot of the bed. And fell asleep immediately. I prefer a cool room for sleeping, so summers are not a restful time. Yes, we have air conditioning. No, we're not using it. Unless it goes over ninety-two (or it's horrifically thick and heavy with humidity), it's lower-cost fans.

No fiction lately, although I have been considering some of the early-Thelma ideas. Nothing seems to gel though. I want to get it in gear so I can amuse myself and others. The world needs more humor; I'd be honored to provide it.

Hahahahahaha!

2008-06-19T11:50:00.002-04:00

Take that, figure-eight cast-on!

You're my bitch now.

*continues going insane*

No more stealthiness

2008-06-02T22:32:00.001-04:00

Just a humble request.

If you happen to read this blog, leave a comment and say hello.

I'm dying to know who drops by.

I can has cheezburger strikes again!

2008-05-31T22:33:00.001-04:00

more cat pictures

Wheeeee!

2008-05-27T20:47:00.001-04:00

I may have to go with the subscription. But... money... argh.

I will decide by the deadline. :)

eBay again....

2008-05-27T17:32:00.002-04:00

Just arrived today!

Because writing letters is fun!

2008-05-26T17:54:00.002-04:00

Dear Inappropriate Crush Object,

If you'd stop being so darned clever and charming, maybe I'd stop feeling like a silly teenager whenever I talk to you. So knock it off. Thank you.

Love,
Me.

Sox In

2008-05-25T20:54:00.001-04:00

SoxIn
Originally uploaded by Hayzee C

Posting this image (made by the talented Hayzee C) to show that I am participating in this year's Music with Sox In swap. :)

Just a thought

2008-05-15T14:23:00.003-04:00

Ebay? Oh, it is SO BAD for me. I keep buying yarn. Pretty yarn, yarn that I would never find otherwise due to only really shopping in big box craft stores and having no idea where my LYS is other than it's somewhere on rte 27, possibly close to where I get my hair done. But I buy nice things! Things that are so nice! They are!

I just thank my lucky stars that I don't pay much attention to the items at etsy.

On the bright side, I may well have some good supplies for when the Music with Socks In Swap for the Discworld Ravelry group starts up, yay!

Thinking about Thelma.

2008-05-11T01:57:00.003-04:00

Still need to work a bit more on Thelma and what else I want to do with her. Initially, I was going to go into her background as a young Monster Hunter, and how her pals were some of her wacky sidekicks, etc., but then it occurred to me that it wouldn't be as much fun as it is with her as she is now.

Old Ladies Fighting the Undead. It's a new fiction genre that I'm starting up. Anyone else does it, they gotta report to me.

Why this is great: Consider that the characters are facing their own mortality as well; the risk of turning is more *real* to you when it's more than just battle accidents and dismemberment that'll make your protagonists fall. Imagine seeing your recently deceased friends up and about and eating brains. It's more likely for the old than it is for the young, if you think about it. Having dead friends, not eating brains.

Why do these things come to me when I should be doing work for school? Sigh.

me! me!

2008-05-09T01:38:00.000-04:00

My Personality


Neuroticism	81
Extraversion	63
Openness to Experience	58
Agreeableness	44
Conscientiousness	0

You are not generally self conscious about yourself, however you feel strong cravings and urges that you have difficulty resisting. You tend to prefer short-term pleasures and rewards over long-term consequences. You tend not to talk much and prefer to let others control the activities of groups. You are reasonably interested in the arts but are not totally absorbed by them. You are mostly a compassionate person, however you prefer to make objective judgments when possible, however you feel superior to those around you and sometimes tend to be seen as arrogant by other people. You often say or do the first thing that comes to mind without deliberating alternatives and the probable consequences of those alternatives.

Take a Personality Test now or view the full Personality Report.

Again, I live up to the name

2008-05-09T01:16:00.002-04:00

So glad I called it "Infrequently Updated", no matter how off it seemed when it was shiny and new and I blogged every day.

Things are decent here in hamsterland. We (my family, my aunt's choir, and assorted chaperone-style people) just returned from a trip to Disney World, which is always a lot of fun and much less hokey than I initially believed. I'm still plugging away at my classes, planning on graduating this year, and must order the cap and gown and class ring soon, now that I think about it.

I recently rediscovered my old IRC channel, which is still up and running, surprisingly enough, and still has the same familiar faces.... er..... names in the side window. Awfully good to see people, some of whom I severely missed. Severely. I hope I get a chance to spend real-life time with these folks soon. Even if they do accuse me of having had a second child and selling it to the gypsies. Dorks. ^.^

Made just for me?

2008-04-11T14:02:00.002-04:00

No. It can't be. Can it?

It's named after me.

It's my favorite color.

It's even loopy and off-center, much like a certain person that shall remai.. all right, me.

Could this be My Very Own Sweater? I'm so excited. Of course I bought the pattern. Now, I can either see what I have here that may work out the be the right weight/amount, or I can go plop down over a hundred dollars on the recommended yarn (but it's SILK! It's so NICE!!!), or other.

But damn. That is hawt. I need to make my sweater that has my name.

Musing on manga and a Dear John letter

2008-04-05T10:27:00.006-04:00

So here's something that you don't see every day: a manga that seems tailor-made to appeal to both me and Z. It's got the mushy shojo plotlines that I go gaga over (love! betrayal! shopping as therapy!) and appeals to my wannabe fashionista side, and for Z, it's got the London punk aesthetic all over it in big bold letters. I would even go so far as to assume that one of the Nanas (the main characters are two girls with the same first name, super cute ^.^) may well be modeled after Z's hero, Siouxie Sioux. She has that combination of look and attitude, you know? I imagine that her band in the series, the Black Stones, sounds like a female-led, melodic version of the Clash, but that's just me.

----------------
Dear John Cusack,

I am very sorry to hear that you have recently been having trouble with your stalker. The actions of the woman who has been shadowing you can only be described as deplorable, and as a way of trying to make it up to you, I would like to offer an exchange - I shall stalk you instead! I have no intentions of using your address falsely for any reason, and I won't bother you or your friends and associates. Hell, I don't even live on the same coast, so you won't even get to see me. So how will I be "stalking" you? Well, I won't, actually. I'm too lazy to actually try, plus my boyfriend would get exceptionally jealous of me. Especially since he's a fan too, although he doesn't like you that way, if you know what I'm talking about here, John. So if you like the idea of having a stalker that doesn't actually stalk you, feel free to contact me, and I would be more than happy to merely revel in my crush on you rather than actually annoying you in person at your home and place of business. Should you decide you do actually need to have me in-person at an event, lend some sort of "I have such wacky fans!" credibility, it may be necessary for it to at least be on the East Coast. I'm not made of money, John. Love ya, but it's just not financially possible for me to make it out there. Anyway, do consider this offer. As your current stalker is obviously overstepping what is decent, having me step in with my total lack of a reasonable work ethic may prove to be a nice break for you.

Yours truly,
Nette

Why do I always get the weird ones? Why????

A purge of the old stuff

2008-04-04T14:35:00.004-04:00

And I don't mean bulimia. *laugh* No, I just went and deleted my old MySpace and LiveJournal accounts. Yes, all of them. Even the craft journal and the kid's stuff. I wasn't using the sites for anything, after all, and that's just from a different era in my life. I'm moving on.

That, and I've actually started, for the first time in my life, regularly exercising. Every day. For forty minutes. Go me. It's been a full week and I haven't wanted to quit or anything, even when my mother walked in on me doing a hilarious yoga pose. It was pretty funny. Oh man. :)

Haven't been writing much lately, not much story material has been , erm, materializing lately. Getting some knitting done, though, and have made progress on socks and a cute doll and some bag projects. Woo!

I'll have to add the new stuff to my ravelry later, but for now, I procrastinate.

And here's a new photo, just to have an image in the post. Yay, content!

Z does the *best* evil eyebrows ever.

I can't believe I actually wanted him to move back to NJ

2008-03-08T18:48:00.002-05:00

My brother is trying to fart the theme song to Power Rangers.

Somebody help me.

Photo shaming?

2008-03-01T00:14:00.002-05:00

In an attempt to get myself moving on some stalled knitting projects, I have gone ahead and posted photos of the unfinished objects (UFOs) that have been clogging up the works. I put them in my Ravelry projects page, and shared all but one of them with some of my groups, so here's hoping some motivation will come from this.

Just to be difficult, I won't put 'em here. Ha ha.

Have a Hug.

2008-02-13T23:40:00.004-05:00

There seems to be a large amount of disgust concerning tomorrow, Valentine's Day. I can understand this. It's a day originally intended to honor a saint (the church has about ninety zillion of these; I think it's more unusual to have a day that doesn't honor a saint or something, but I digress) that has been changed into a huge money-making marketing machine. Granted, every holiday has, in case you haven't noticed, but I agree that commercializing days is a bad idea in general. And then there are those that say it makes singles feel inadequate. Well, on my single V-days, I give presents to my family, and they tend to give better chocolates than any of my boyfriends ever have. Okay, it seems to celebrate coupledom and all that entails, and there is no equivalent for those who aren't tied down. I get it. It's depressing as all hell. But that's only if you let it be.

I figure, let it be a day that celebrates love, in all its forms. Get a heart-shaped rawhide for your dog! Call Grandma and tell her she's a sweetie! Take advantage of next-day, 50% off chocolate assortments! You deserve it! Rent some horrible movies and stay in with some popcorn and a box of tissues (weeping for girls, wanking for guys, either way, you'll need 'em.) Get wasted on REALLY good wine with your best friends. Whatever. Just don't hate the day for what its become, hate society for encouraging it. Share some love, instead! And pass the truffles.

Cheap shopping. WOO HOO!

2008-02-05T23:20:00.000-05:00

Okay, it's yarn-related, and boring to non-knitters. Might even be boring to other knitters. This is just a warning. See? I can let you know ahead of time.

For those still reading.... all one of you.... hi. I swung by Jo-Ann's today, just to see what was in stock because, after all, there's no shame in expanding the stash when you find decent stuff on the cheap.

I did.

There were these knitting gift packs, complete with circular needle, crochet hook, and all that happy stuff, and four decent sized balls of either variegated or self-striping wool yarn, and they were marked down to eight bucks. Whee! I got one in a blue-yellow-grey colorway, and one in an extremely girly red-pink-PINK one. Also, they had a sale on Paton's Classic Wool, which I love, so I got two balls. Total spent? Twenty-five bucks after tax, and I got ten balls of feltable loveliness. Oh, baby.

I've been on Ravelry an awful lot lately - I love love LOVE browsing the UGHs. Nothing like enjoying other people's knitting disappointment, eh?

Also, on a non-fiber topic, classes start super-soon. Huzzah!

I just spent an awesome four hours

2008-02-02T01:23:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I'm not feeling so very good, so I figure I'll hole up at home, check the e-mail, yadda yadda. And I find the Girl Genius comic series (by the amazing Foglios, Phil and Kaja) is online, and I go and read a little, and then some more, and then.....

You go read some. It's just the best thing ever. Hooray for Girl Genius!

Quite productive, knitting-wise

2008-02-01T20:10:00.001-05:00

So I've gone ahead and finished a few projects, only one of which was in the "Please finish these before you die" pile. Let me show you some pictures, world.

First, a cute handbag made with some "vintage" (read: old) wool I had in my stash, with a design done in ribbon yarn. I used the Vertigo pattern for this, and so should you. The second is a hat I made for the Kid, who is currently very into Flags. From all countries. And states. And any other thing that requires a flag. He loves them. And I love him. So he has a flag hat.

The next two are close-ups of an item I just sent off as a gift, so no full images in this space just yet. (Ravelry, on the other hand, has them. Bwa ha.) But suffice to say it's cool as all hell.

I'd also write something, but my brain's going a mile a minute right now and it's hard to keep up with myself. But I'm back in school starting super-soon, and it's a wonderful thing. Also, looking forward to Valentimes.

Hmph.

2008-01-25T15:08:00.000-05:00

Other people are required to blog, strictly for my amusement. This decree has been handed down as of today. Hurrah!

Also - started and finished the brilliant Peter and the Starcatchers yesterday. I think I liked him better as Black Stache than his current moniker.....

Two weeks into the new year: a list of totals

2008-01-17T12:06:00.000-05:00

Time taken off from work to help with Mom after her surgery: One week

Size of Mom's ovarian cyst: About the size of a grapefruit or a kaiser roll

Do I have a picture of it? Yes, but not sharing online due to disgusting contents.

Weight gained since Jan 1: Four and a half pounds

Where it came from: apparently fat particles fly through the air and attach themselves to me. Also, possibly fast food dependency.

Progress on knitting projects: an inch and a half into a pair of socks, a foot of garter-stripe scarf, a fully formed pattern in my head but a moderate determination to finish outstanding WIPs (and one promised gift!) before I start anything new. Even a Knit-a-long.

Yarn purchases: Two balls of ribbon yarn at dollar store

Yarn I wanted to purchase: More than you can possibly imagine, unless you knit, then yes, THAT much.

Clothes ruined during painting Z's house: one pair jeans, one t-shirt, one bra. Underwear and socks shockingly unscathed.

Has he moved in yet? No.

Speculative date of his moving in: Jan 20

Actual date: May be February at this rate

Days late on car payment: two

Days until I get paid: one

Days until Dad's birthday: two

Gift ideas: zero

Holiday photos uploaded to computer: 69

Times I laughed at that: once

Months I've been low on black ink: two, and I can still just squeak out my work papers every cycle anyway. My faxes are still, apparently, legible.

Resolutions partially accomplished: I am re-enrolling in school this week. With a semester's worth of credits left to earn before my bachelor's, it's stupid to not continue.

Number of cavities at Kid's dental checkup: zero

How proud am I of him? Immeasurable

Days missed using Brain Age 2: one, and seeing the little pixel-doctor's frown of disappointment was hilariously encouraging.

Brain Age, according to the software: 28

Actual Age: 30

Desire to refer to myself as 28: Meh.

Old friends contacting me through Facebook: one

Happy to see this person? HELL, yes. :)

Shock at seeing measurements for bridesmaid dress: None

Still want to change them? Yep. They're kinda huge.

Plans for diet/exercise? None yet

How to lose weight then? Sheer force of will, and/or reliance on stomach viruses. (totally kidding)

How much of this post is serious? Enough.

Brief and to the point

2007-12-29T01:23:00.001-05:00

Not words I would usually apply to my writing, but, ehn.

Christmas was wonderful. I have two projects outstanding, but at least those who are getting them know that they're coming, so that's not so bad. The Kid was simply awesome this year - he opened every gift like it was the greatest ever, and although he did have some clear favorites (A to Z Mysteries, Sonic action figures, the gift card that allowed him to buy His Very Own DS), his responses were so over the moon for even mundane gifts. Six, I think, is the Best Age, but then, I say that every year.

I got to cook Christmas dinner this year, for the first time! We had ham, sweet potatoes (with marshmallow, yum!), green bean casserole, and veggie lasagna. And we also had leftovers.

As for my own best gifts? Having my family around me, spending a first Christmas with a good friend, watching the delight in the Kid's face.... oh yeah, and Metalocalypse season one, Danger Mouse, Brain Age 2, and the yearly gift of a Bag of New Underpants.

Gearing up for a difficult week ahead. However, if the first week of the year is going to be rough, then the rest should be okay, right?

Happy New Year if I don't post before then, all. :)

I'M IN!!!!!

2007-12-21T23:20:00.000-05:00

I just got my Ravelry invitation! This is something that I've heard about for some time, but finally got around to signing up for it a little while ago. It's.... well, how can I explain it without comparing it to other sites? It's social networking and project ooohing and aahing for knitters and crocheters. And apparently addictive, according to what I've seen.

I'll go have fun on there and see what happens, ne? ^.^

Cookie and Knitting Progress

2007-12-19T10:59:00.000-05:00

Finished so far:

About six dozen each of the peanut butter, coconut drop, and mint candy cane cookies, and two and a half dozen gingerbread men (would've been three dozen, but the Kid got the cute idea of having one tray's worth "hold hands"). Finished a scribble lace scarf, made significant headway into a garter stripe scarf and a snowflake lace scarf (it's a scarf year), still need to make the Thing for my Random Internet Gift Exchange (even though I know what I'm getting, I don't want to spoil the surprise for my opposite number.), bake chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies, and I have to finish assembling and felt one very nice handbag.

As for buying stuff - I need gifts mostly for guys and for Z's family. At least I know what I'm getting the kids. Oh, and one more little kid, too, because she's a sweetie. I can do this on the weekend, since I don't get paid until Friday.

Oh, hai, Zoos.

moar funny pictures

I promised good stuff

2007-12-16T12:15:00.000-05:00

And good stuff will happen!

So, while I was at work yesterday, Z went out with his sister and brother-in-law and got himself a car! It's a dark grey Accord, and it's bee-you-tee-full!

Also, today he got to scrape snow off of it for the very first time!

I need to get started on my cookie-baking. Only nine more days!

Post 50!

2007-12-15T17:45:00.000-05:00

Is this cause for excitement? Couldn't say.

Z is back home. THAT is cause for excitement. Hooray!

Things are.... tense, between the holidays and everything else going on. Superpowers would help immensely.

Here's hoping things go well for the rest of the year, and the times ahead....

Next post will be fun, I'll try and make sure of that. Tonight I feel like being vague and gloomy. Except for the previously mentioned hooray. That was genuine. It's nice to have a few bright spots in the dark, isn't it? I just wish both of my bright spots could've been home this weekend.... but one out of two isn't bad. Actually, there's some more good stuff - my mother doesn't have cancer. Did I mention that before? I may have. Well, that's another bright spot. I guess overall, there's plenty of good to offset the bad, but why does the bad stick so fiercely with us, and the good seem to flicker past?

Little things....

2007-12-09T12:01:00.000-05:00

I have nearly all of my holiday knitting done.... just six projects left, three of which are already on the needles! Yay! I still have shopping to do (mostly for the menfolk and for Z's family) but it's nice to see how much is finished.

I love these two pictures:

The Kid's party is today! We finished making goody bags last night, full of fun little trinkety things. I hope he has a blast! He's so big now; I can't believe my baby is six tomorrow!

Also, my new deodorant makes my armpits smell like Piña Coladas.

It's cold.

2007-12-08T01:23:00.000-05:00

Yes. It's cold.

After work, I spent some time tagging some of the pictures in my flickr photostream, knitted a couple of rows of a lace pattern, and got to talk on the phone with the Kid. While my day hasn't improved, hearing his little voice always makes me smile. I even got to sing him "our song" like I usually do before he goes to sleep.

Can't wait for both of my guys to be back home.

Some days are up

2007-12-07T13:55:00.000-05:00

And some days are down.

This is a down day.

Tomorrow, my mother is scheduled for a CT scan to find out whether the growth in her abdomen is cancerous, or just another weird fibroid like the ones she's had on and off throughout her life, and I don't know how to deal with it either way. She'll need surgery no matter what, and it's not going to be easy or fun over here for a while. I'm going through some baloney with the Kid's father, and our court date is fast approaching. The little guy's birthday is soon, too, and his party's this weekend, and I still need to pick up some last-minute party goodies, bake a cake, and make goodies to bring to school for the big day itself. And Christmas - don't talk to me about Christmas! If I had another month, I'd be close to being ready on time. I'm wound up emotionally and hormonally from an early period this month. I need to get Z's bed in place, at least, for when he gets home next week. (And he's carrying his own burdens lately!) Laundry must get done. Work needs to be done. I can;t find a stack of very important paperwork, which I may have purged in my recent "Let's Get Rid Of The Extra Paper So That The Desk Isn't A Fire Hazard" binge. And to be honest, what I want to do is just sit down and knit something - anything - to recenter myself.

Yarn as therapy? I hope.

I'm so damn crafty

2007-12-03T20:57:00.000-05:00

So, I was going through my son's dresser, cleaning out the too-small shirts to make room for new winter stuff, and I came across a lotta buncha (okay, three) Otakon tee shirts that I bought for him in the years that he was too young to go. They're cute, and he likes them, but he can't wear them and, for instance, breathe at the same time, so I got busy.

I made them into pillows.

I cut around the graphics on the shirts, resulting in four good-sized pictures (one had front and back images, the others were backs-only.), dragged out the sewing machine, and by the time he was back from his dad's place, he had two new cuddle cushions.

Check 'em out!

Work in Progress

2007-12-03T13:37:00.000-05:00

An iPod sock. Oh yeah! Like everyone and their mom hasn't tried to make one of these!

You do it too, so I'm not alone. It'll fit a nano. When I figure out the larger versions, I'll be sure to add them in. ^.^

You need:
small amount of (self striping, naturally) sock yarn.
Three size 1 dpns
one size 2 or 3 dpn
one small button
thread to match/clash with your sock yarn & button
size d crochet hook

Gauge - 8 st/inch. row gauge not really important.

Dimensions: while laid flat, 2 inches wide by about three-and-a-quarter inches or so high.

Cast on 32 stitches on your larger needle, and VERY CAREFULLY slip every other stitch onto two separate dpns. In other words, you're taking the cast-on stitches from the big needle, and you slip the first onto one smaller needle, the second onto another smaller needle, the third onto the first smaller needle, etc., until all stitches have been transferred.

Now, start working in the round! Knit around and around in plain old boring stockinette until the sock is as tall as your nano. Three and a half inches, if you're keeping track. Knit another round or three to make it pull comfortably over the top, then bind off on one needle only.

Work flat on second needle for about an inch, inch and a half, then bind off (You may want to work this in seed stitch or some other non-rolling stitch, or block the hell out of it). With the crochet hook, chain a few stitches to make a loop, and attach to the center of the flap. Sew a button on the sock, just where the loop on the flap would reach to, and make sure the loop fits over the button. I cannot stress this enough, as the button and loop should be working in total effing harmony.

That's all. Go weave in your ends. You're done. You can block if you want to, but you probably don't.

My (not-so-impressive) goals for this weekend

2007-11-29T22:28:00.000-05:00

1. Get the invitations ready for the Kiddo's birthday party. It's next weekend, so I hope I can get the friends from school in time. Partially done: need to buy colored ink to print them out for him to bring to school Monday. He helped design them. ^.^DONE!

2. Put together the Christmas list. Pretty much everyone's getting handmade things this year, but how many gifts do I still need to put together? Who am I exchanging with? Do I even know? (and is it OK to hint that I'd LOVE the Aziraphale and Crowley perfumes? And how cool is it that they even EXIST?) Work in progress.....

3. Shave the legs. It's a jungle down there. Sure, no one sees my legs but Z, and he's still in Georgia for another two weeks, but it can't hurt to start some maintenance down there. I'm starting to look a little manly. Done. It's nice to look like a girl again.

4. Make my room no longer look like a yarn shop threw up in a thrift shop. There's some serious straightening that needs to be done. Also, getting the assorted strings organized will help a bit with #2. Not quite done. Spent more time in the Kid's room than mine. Sigh.

5. Work. Yes, that still needs to be done, as well, doesn't it? Alas. To be honest, I did shift a fair amount of my store visits to Friday and Saturday this week so I can spend more time with the kid. But I can still Do It All. A challenge appeared when the Kid needed to go to see the doctor Friday afternoon, but I'm on my way to finish things up as soon as I get my uniform on. Forget that. Done, baby, done!

6. Actually call my brother and have a real conversation with him that doesn't involve either one of us reading out loud from the internet. DONE!!!! He's working overnights now. Weird....

I promise I won't do this too often.

2007-11-24T00:32:00.000-05:00

Posting test results is really more of a MySpace or LiveJournal thing, and I try to keep this as different from those experiences as possible. That said, I enjoyed this test.

If I do it again, soundly berate me.

I blame boredom.

2007-11-23T21:25:00.000-05:00

Either that, or I have been spending WAY too much time reading and listening to everyone else's stories. Nonetheless. I have actually, for the first time in a long time, actually written a (I think) coherent and amusing story.

I haven't proofread it much; this is basically the second draft, taken from the version I scribbled in my notebook between shopping trips today. It's been renamed twice so far, and I have yet to find a permanent last name for the lead character (The current one is from a spell-check suggestion from her previous name), but.... well, I like it. And I probably won't be too embarrassed to reread it in a month's time. I hope.

Also, there's zombies. You're welcome. And I hope you enjoy.

Thelma Lagerfeld's First Night at Bingo

Thelma Lagerfeld’s 1986 Cadillac pulled into the VFW parking lot fifteen minutes after Bingo night was scheduled to start, as usual. She took her wrap-around driving shades off and tucked them into the sun visor, then checked her helmet of apricot-colored curls in the rearview mirror. She sighed, reached into her oversized tote bag, and pulled out a value-sized can of Aqua Net hair spray. After a few liberal spritzes of the sticky stuff, she stuffed the can back into her bag with her Bingo markers, two packs of Marlboro Reds, her deceased husband’s Zippo, a roll of peppermints, and the other detritus that accumulates in the purses of the geriatric set.

She stepped out of the car and made her way to the side door of the VFW building. She actually hated Bingo. However, her girlfriends Muriel and Sally kept crowing about the men they had met there, and Thelma was not about to miss out on any opportunities. They kept telling her to make an appearance, an unforgettable entrance, and that the gents would be sure to notice. So, gritting her teeth, she went. Muriel and Sally told her to make sure to “dress for the men”, so Thelma was in an ill-advised halter top that strained across her drooping breasts, pale floral Capri pants that accentuated every dimple and ripple in her thighs and rear end, and high-heeled mules that made her teeter when she walked. She felt too exposed and a bit shameless, but the girls did say she needed to lose her shame to get a man, especially at their age. She straightened up as she put her hand on the door.

Judging by the sounds she heard, this was an awfully rousing Bingo night.

Muffled shouts came from behind the door, with a rising note of hysteria. Thelma decided that they must have caught someone cheating, and shame on anyone who would try to cross the Shady Pines ladies on their evening out! They’d get a lecturing they’d not soon forget. However, a particularly bloodcurdling shriek made Thelma’s already-teased hair stand on end. She stood frozen with her hand on the knob for a minute, then smiled. Shameless, right? Time to live up to that. She swung the door open and stepped inside.

Not what she expected.

She was half-anticipating a robbery, or a hostage situation, or even gang violence. Barring that, a catfight over one of the few remaining available men wouldn’t have been shocking. What Thelma saw, though, was her friends and some of the neighbors from the senior village cowering behind the caller’s table, flinging Bingo cards and golf pencils at a group of slow-moving, groaning, slavering zombies. Thelma saw Muriel and Sally holding onto each other and crying, a mass of orthopedic shoes, leopard-print stretch pants, and running mascara. Thelma’s mouth hardened. Muriel and Sally may have talked her into wearing hussy clothes, and they may have unwittingly lead her into an attack by the undead, but that didn’t matter. These zombies were going to get it. No. One. Messes. With. My. Girls.

Thelma flew into action. She whipped out her extra-large can of Aqua Net. She took her lighter in her hand, kissed it for good luck, and sparked it into flame under a spritz of hair spray. A fireball whooshed into life and ignited the nearest zombie. The undead slowly turned and began to lurch her way. She dispatched another four of the stumbling animated corpses with her makeshift flamethrower before she ran out of hair spray. Frustrated, she pocketed her lighter and threw the can to the ground. She glanced over to the table, where the other seniors were standing in awe, their mouths open. However, her girlfriends seemed to be getting it together. Good.

She grunted a signal to them as she grabbed the flag that stood near the door. She stripped the material from the stout metal pole and began to swing it at the zombies, making sure to aim for their heads. A burst of light and heat from one side made her flinch, then grin. Muriel, another Aqua Net devotee, had taken her cue, and was incinerating the unlucky bodies that Thelma knocked down. Thelma risked a glance to her left, and saw Sally swinging at some other zombies with her own artificial leg. The trio worked their magic until the final creature was down.

Thelma breathed a sigh of relief, and patted her hair back into place. She smiled at the frightened but amazed group, still immobilized behind the caller’s table. She had no idea whether this was an isolated incident, or if there was going to be more carnage to follow. But she did know one thing.

If THAT didn’t impress the menfolk, she was absolutely going to have to join the senior choir instead.

Gratitude

2007-11-22T09:39:00.000-05:00

So today is Thanksgiving, and before we all munch our way into a tryptophan-induced coma, take a moment to reflect upon the good stuff that keeps us going. Our families, whether we're together or not, and the love they have given and continue to give to us. Our friends, for everything they do for us. For our homes, and for work, which we can be considered lucky to have. Just remember - Life Is Good.

And now, a message from the kid.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, he was done faster than I expected.

To you and yours, a safe, fun, holiday. Now go fall asleep watching football.

Another thought for today

2007-11-20T15:09:00.000-05:00

When considering unwinding a skein of sock yarn at both ends to find the center point and divide into two center-pull balls: Don't.

I may get untangled someday.

Living up to the page title

2007-11-20T11:13:00.000-05:00

I see it's been some time since I posted in here, hasn't it? While much has gone on in real life (Z finally came home for a great weekend! Getting lots of Christmas crap knitted! Saucy text messaging! Introducing the Kid to palindromes! Paying off the car!), there hasn't been much activity here in blogland for me.

So today, you get a bunch of links for other sites that I enjoy. Why? Beats making a sidebar. And you never know when a linkback may occur. Although I do doubt it for some of 'em at least.

Let me get the first two out of the way, because you already know about them, and if you don't then you may well have missed the point of having the internet in the first place, funny pet photos. For cute fuzziness to the nth degree, get your tush over to Cute Overload and prepare to go "awwwwww!" until you drool. For the poorly-spelled caption variety, your source should very well be I Can Has Cheezburger?, home of the so-called LOLcats. Prefer cats saying silly things, but as a cartoon? Also, have a hankering for hoboes? Visit Adam Koford's HOBOTOPIA for his Laugh-Out-Loud Cats comics and other niftiness.

Like laughing at photos of unfortunately dressed celebrities? Sure, we all do. Get your "They wore WHAT?" fix at Go Fug Yourself, and resolve to never wear formal shorts. You're doing us all a favor, believe me. For good photos of the largely non-famous, Bill Wadman's mission to deliver 365 Portraits this year is a visual treat. Like them new-fangled moving pictures? Get a quick fix with Joel (or Mike) and the 'bots with this collection of MST3K Shorts!

Want to knit with a wacky, drunken Southern girl? Why the heck not? At Crazy Aunt Purl's site, you get all that PLUS obsessing over her cats. Sweet. I also get a kick out of the goings-on of soon-to-be-famous writer Max (and other strangeness), who has a penchant for zombies and such. More frightening, but shorter, are the products of the Daily Scares writers, who I am convinced I know from school, and if so, they haven't changed a bit. EDIT: I do know them, and they're talented. Go listen to the stuff. You will love it.

So go click around. I've got nothing here today. I'll come up with something next time. More superheroes or something.

Martian Child

2007-11-02T14:50:00.000-04:00

Oh, I want to see this.

My bestest best guy, ever (okay, third after the kiddo and Z), John Cusack, has a new movie starting this weekend. It looks like a cutesy-poo thing about accepting a weird kid for his faults BLAH BLAH BLAH but despite that, I want to see this. Hell, I'd pay money to see this man read out loud from a stack of corporate memos.

I could bring up the "Well, Z looks just like him during the 'Better Off Dead'/'Say Anything' era" discussion that this usually goes into, but let's just say that although there is a similarity, (okay, a HUGE similarity. Even the same height, come to think of it. It's just the hair texture and noses that differ) they're different brands of good-lookin'.

Whatever. You can't find me this weekend, I'm likely to be wallowing in Cusack-induced blissfulness.

Guess what?

2007-11-02T00:02:00.000-04:00

Z is coming home for a visit!!!!!

Does it show that I'm excited? ^.^

He'll be in town for Veteran's day weekend, so we'll need some fun for Saturday evening. Maybe Bitting's, or something? We'll figure it out.

Halloween awesomeness

2007-11-01T15:16:00.000-04:00

So it was a great, great day. Kiddo's costume was so cute, he charmed the peanut butter cups right off of everyone he met. He was *really* into trick-or-treating this year, too, so we had a LOT of fun making the neighborhood rounds after school. He was a bit rambunctious at the class party; I just hope it was because he was overexcited. I dressed up as well, but I always do, so no big shock there. Our Jack-O-Lanterns are still pretty much intact (yay lack of pumpkin rot!) and I need to snap some pics of them before we toss them out. I was hoping we could carve one with the immortal image of a bear holding a shark, but sadly, I was voted down. Instead, we have a grumpy face and a cheery face.

But yes. Fun ensued. And my kid was cuter than anybody, hoorah!

Corn; it's not just for breakfast anymore!

2007-10-23T12:08:00.000-04:00

So let me tell you all about this past Sunday.

Ever since Fall officially arrived, the Kiddo and I have had a bug up our collective butts - we wanted to go to a corn maze! I have enjoyed them since I was a kid, and Kiddo was excited about giving his first one a try. So after checking online, reading reviews, and using the time-honored approach of going to great-Grandma and asking her where to go, we wound up lost in corn on a gorgeous sunny Sunday. It is a huge, fabulous maze, filled with dead ends, spirals, paths that cross over on themselves, and trivia about the towns around the farm, and, of course, corn. Each little signpost also includes a "Corn Hotline" that you can call to get help out of the maze if you get hopelessly lost.

We didn't wuss out, nor did we take the easy way (marked, hilariously enough, with easy Buttons from Staples); the Kid and I (and the Grandma Patrol, who came in hopes of a farmers' market) plugged our way through the maze and made it out on our own, in only half an hour. You should go. It was at Etsch Farm, in Monroe Township. There's a haunted version of the maze on Saturday, the 27th, but my butt will be firmly partying by then.

In other news; who else likes zombies? I am both amused and appalled by them, a sort of a sick fascination. I can't watch zombie movies without getting nightmares, but on the other hand, they are a source of unending sick jokes. New internet pal Max has actually written up an online course - complete with tests! - on Zombie Survival Techniques. Also, noodling about on Facebook has led me, though a series of links, to the Living Dead Girlz dance troupe.

Have fun...

Rock candy, baby!

2007-10-18T13:15:00.000-04:00

Since last Friday morning, I have been boiling, re-boiling, sitting, waiting, checking, starting anew, and generally wasting sugar and ruining mason jars.

But it's paid off. Ladies and gentleman, I have finally created some mighty fine and tasty rock candy! Yaaaaaaaaaaay!

It's a lot smaller than I thought it'd be. And more delicate. Oh well. There's another batch ongoing in the kitchen, which seems to be making bigger crystals than the last two, but I think I've boiled the syrup down as far as it'll go and may have to toss it once this one's finished hardening.

But I made candy! This is so cool for me! :-D

Now I can justify owning a candy thermometer! Which I didn't use this time! But next time maybe! Also, I need more food coloring.

Music Video!

2007-10-16T13:15:00.001-04:00

Stop whatever you're doing, and spend a few moments to enjoy some Mesopotamish action, animated by Chris Timmons, directed by David Cowles.

I still need to order myself the t-shirt. Someday....

Weird coincidence?

2007-10-14T14:12:00.000-04:00

So last night, I had an odd dream about an old high school flame. It was extremely bizarre and largely incomprehensible, but it had something to do with my mother buying his family a dvd player? I think? Anyway, it was so weird to see him in the dream, that I decided to Google him today (he has an unusual last name, so I figured, what the heck, should be easy to find).

Guess what, he was on a reality/cooking TV show fairly recently. Awesome! And got eliminated/left fairly early. Boo! I'm going to go see whether they're running the first season of Hell's Kitchen on my cable's On Demand service, and see if he still sounds/acts the same as he did fifteen or sixteen years ago.

So yeah. That's today's weirdness!

Photos out the wazoo

2007-10-08T12:53:00.001-04:00

So, it's about time there was more than Just Plain Text all the time.

From New Hope: the first pic is on the bridge through town, the girls were looking at the ducks in the river, and it was just perfect, the way everyone was lined up. So, "Hey, look over here!" *click* The second one was at our dinner at Wildflowers. The very charming maitre'd snapped that photo for us. I was rocking pigtails for the first time in a long time. :)

Ah, spaces in faces..... the loss of the Kiddo's second tooth was widely celebrated. He lost it just before breakfast, and insisted I take his picture right away! I don't know why he wanted his glasses off for the photo, but he does look adorable anyway. The second was just fun with sprite manipulation. Kiddo and I made avatars of ourselves (modified from a Capcom Cards game, I forget which one, but I had the sprites saved in a misc. folder in my pictures) and printed them out.

And Also - the socks I designed for the Kid are finished, he wore them to school (before the current unseasonal heat wave, wtf with that) and told me they were comfy. Yay! I shall post the pattern.... eventually.

Walking with Dinosaurs. If you get a chance to go, GO. It is simply amazing. Even if you can see the little go-cart thingies that make the dinos move about the arena. Don't care. Still magical. Go go go go gogogo. It's informational, it's scary(ish), it's funny, it's sweet (Baby T-Rex gives many AWWWWW moments), it's great. The Kid and I LOVED it. We also spent far too much on t-shirts and toys, but really, everyone does need a T-Rex head with fiber-optic lights coming out of the top.

That should be enough for now, don't you think?

Do Not Call.... please....

2007-10-05T12:54:00.000-04:00

So, we submitted my cell phone number to the National Do Not Call registry this week. I have never received any unsolicited calls on my phone, but we figured we would take that precaution. It takes 31 days for the service to "take", at which point phone solicitors are not allowed to call.

Today - my phone begins ringing at 8:51 with a number I don't recognize. I research the area code online - Los Angeles. Hm. I know it's not my brother, because he would leave a voice mail, and he wouldn't be up that early in the morning in his timezone. Between that time and noon, I get calls from this number 10 times. Four times the first hour, three an hour afterwards. So, I look up the number online, and apparently it's a VERY aggressive telemarketer, with multiple complaints against it. Finally, I pick up, and they're looking for a Nicole somebody. The noise in the background sounds like a busy call center, too. So, I tell them it's the wrong number (I am not, nor are any of my family members, a Nicole.) and hope it's the last I hear from them.

Which is all well and good. But I just got another unknown number on my phone (area code search this time leads to Staten Island) and if this keeps up I may just turn the phone off.

I should also point out that, aside from a few wrong numbers (there's this one person who repeatedly wrong-numbers me. I could kill, especially that one time he called after midnight. You just don't do that.), I have NEVER, until this point, recieved any calls from telemarketers/phone solicitors/etc on this number. They all started when I signed up for the Do Not Call registry.

Kind of makes you wonder.

Here's the update you've been clamoring for

2007-10-03T15:44:00.000-04:00

...or have you?

Atlantic City, while fun, was a drain on the wallet - even though I only spent the money I set aside for spending. Perhaps I was too optimistically hoping for a decent win, or to at least break even? Bad planning on my part, at least.

Rusty, my grandfather's cat, passed away on Monday. His cancer, although it was a treatable variety, was too aggressive, and he was in pain. Poor fuzz. The worst part was that this happened the day after Grandpa was admitted into the hospital himself, so he couldn't even be with him. Now he's really upset, and is in no hurry to get back home.

The kid is, as always, awesome. But that's constant enough, isn't it?

I really, REALLY miss Z. I still haven't figured out when I'll be going to Georgia to visit him, and the particulars behind that. But I desperately want to see him. There's certain things that only one person can take care of, you know? ^.^

Tonight, we're going to go to Walking with Dinosaurs, which we're all very excited about seeing. Kiddo especially.

Day got better....

2007-09-29T17:41:00.001-04:00

Ok, so once the water was on, I was able to bathe and get to work - on a perfect day for driving! Windows down, stereo turned up, hair in a clip so it doesn't fly into my mouth.... today was an excellent time to be on the road. And it was a short call today, so I was back home in just a few hours.

Tonight - Atlantic City. Woooo!

grumbles

2007-09-29T11:12:00.001-04:00

The water isn't working.

Let me expand on this. The township is currently rerouting the water in our town from another area while a sewer-clearing project is going on. This is to prevent sewage from backing up into the water lines in our houses. However, the water that comes in now has an unpleasant taste (from the pipes, I assume) and much lower water pressure than we're used to. Also, because the temporary pipes are above ground, if something happens, like some damn fool breaking a pipe by driving over it with his car, and driving away and not doing anything about it until someone else in another house on the street notices the toilet won't flush, for example, and then it takes a while for someone to get over and fix it, and....

Let's just say that if I'm not showering within the hour, someone will pay. I might make people have to smell me.

I'm updating away from home!

2007-09-28T20:04:00.000-04:00

It's just that I never do this anywhere other than sitting on my bed, and it's a novelty.

I'm at my friend's house, waiting for her cousin to get here so we can go to a birthday dinner. Yay, birthdays! But the cousin is stuck in traffic, we think. Boo, stuck! It's hard to tell; we can't get through on the cell. So, we wait and I putz around in the office. Indifference!

I'm really just doing this from here so the blog shows up in the visited history and she'll be able to find it again. Because I'm bad about forwarding my address to people.

Ulterior motives, much?

edit - because it's (forty-five minutes past) midnite! The cousin never showed up, so we had a local do at the Cheesecake Factory instead of going all the way to P.F. Chang's. Still fun. They write "Happy Birthday To You" in flavored syrup around your dessert when you're the birthday person, apparently. Too Cute. J enjoyed her (literary-themed) gifts, too.

Rusty

2007-09-27T10:13:00.000-04:00

Let's all give big wishes of hope and health for my grandfather's cat, Rusty, who is currently having trouble breathing due to fluid on his lungs and is in the vet's for observation. Rusty is a great cat, extremely friendly, and actually understands what people say to him. He'll actually come to you when you call him! He was a stray, adopted from the same feral community the gave my family pretty much all of their cats for the past five or so years. (Harry, Maggie, Mollie, Lil' Bit, Clover, and Cinnamon.)

It's odd; I noticed that the males are always super-friendly and smart, and the females are shy, elusive, and reluctant to let humans touch them. Discuss.

From my brother

2007-09-26T12:39:00.001-04:00

His idea for a superhero. And I quote -

"CAPTAAAIIINNN BREAKFAAAST!!!

"What’s that kids? You don’t have time for breakfast? No problem!

"And he whips up something old people ate when they were kids, like goatmeal or lardcakes.

Brilliant right?"

I can see the comics now - Captain Breakfast Vs the Toaster Waffles of DOOOOOOM!

Speaking of Mr. Pratchett

2007-09-25T23:47:00.000-04:00

The first two chapters of Making Money are very good, indeed. It's another Moist von Lipwig story (roguish man leaves past life of thievery, totally makes over civic services!), which is a nice treat. I'm mainly a fan of the Ankh-Morpork Watch stories, but this guy's growing on me.

Finished things, things in progress, things yet to be done

2007-09-25T15:11:00.000-04:00

That's a generic title for ya. Woo!

I finished grafting the toe on the kid's second sock yesterday. They're finally done! I'm going to give them a spin through the wash (and wait for cooler weather) before he wears them anywhere, but they look fantastic. I also finished the first of a pair of Monkeys. I think when I remake these for my mother, I'll substitute a short-row heel, only because I dislike the look of heel flaps. I guess I'm just picky like that. Pictures are when my lazy butt actually decides to take them.... :)

I recently reread all six of my Jasper Fforde books. (The first four Thursdays and the first two NCDs, for the curious.) Out of order. Purposely. I like seeing where things that happen in the earlier books go to in the later ones, and reading them out of sequence makes the setups more visible. I like that. Fforde's a great writer; I hold him to the same high standards that I do Pratchett. He assumes that his reader knows what he's talking about when he makes out-of-the-ordinary references; does that make sense? It's not pandering to the lowest common denominator, which I can't stand. (See also: why I don't read romance novels) His books make you want to enthusiastically tackle the classics.

On the stove, right now, a pot of chicken rice soup is simmering. I made a roast chicken last night, and purposely chose side dishes that would work well in soup. (Except for the apple/raisin/onion stuffing inside the bird; does not translate well to broth-based dishes, lemme tell ya.) So tonight's meal is last night's, with extra water. Yay, I suppose. At least it's fast leftover turnaround, so there's no chance of developing Nasty Fungal Growths while in Refrigerator Limbo.

I finally started assembling my knitted backpack I started last summer. I hope I can actually finish it by winter. It's Mega Man, after all; how much would it rock to actually use it? :)

The shirt that I wanted to get my brother for Christmas is no longer available in his size. Boo! I don't know whether to get a medium and hope he hasn't eaten all month, or just chalk it up as a loss and think of something else.

The best album I forgot I had

2007-09-19T17:35:00.000-04:00

I recently blew the dust off of my copy of Common Rotation's "The Big Fear". I first heard this band several years ago when they opened for They Might Be Giants, and then again when they did a show at Vintage Vinyl.

I forgot how good it was. Damn.

If you go to their web site, you can download "Indie Rockin'", the first track. Tell me you don't love it. I'll whup ya.

Also currently rocking my world - the bass line to TMBG's "Withered Hope". Woo!

While I wait for things to print out....

2007-09-18T13:12:00.000-04:00

I have a whole lot of paperwork printing at this moment.... ah, the fun of my job, it's so... something something something. Actually, I rather enjoy it, but I'm setting up Holiday displays in my stores (Holiday displays? and summer isn't officially even over yet.... sigh....) and they require several million pages of planogram each, so I sit patiently while good ol' DJ (that's DeskJet for the rest of ya) cranks out page after page in draft mode so I can actually get moving some time this week.

Went to New Hope with the girls this past weekend. It was a blast - I hadn't had a girls' day in such a long time, and it was a relief to just head out and check out ten gazillion shops and things. Yay. There's this one place, I forget the name, they charge twenty cents admission to get into the store - but you do get a lucky pig. I kid you not. It's in my wallet right now. It was well worth it; it was a thrift shop, but the best possible kind. There were action figures and lunchboxes and silly things along with the expected vintage clothing and kick-ass hats and the like. I found what appeared to be an Emerald City Guard uniform on a costume rack, many Hefner-esque men's dressing gowns, and The Greatest Pants Ever - white corduroy with aqua and lime animal print. And what did I buy? A figurine of Arthur from the Tick. For three bucks, only! A fine addition to the toy collection. A shop right next to a "magic supplies" store sells some of the best organic coffee I've ever had. There's a bookstore that had another dimension - I swear I entered L-space at one point. We went to a restaurant called Wildflowers, which serves a combination of Mexican, Italian, Thai, and American food. Since there was four of us.... let's just say we covered the gamut. It was a blast, and the desserts were great.

Looks like I'm getting toward the end of the stack of papers here. Good timing, too - my black ink seems to be running low.

A list of Things

2007-09-11T19:08:00.000-04:00

Inspired by Laurie (from Crazy Aunt Purl; read, laugh, obsess, buy a book.), I shall make a bad-mood busting list of Things that I Enjoy.

My son
Obviously. He cheers me up like nobody's business. Even when he's the one whose actions have gotten me cheesed off in the first place, a little hug or cuddle from the kid gets me right back on track.

Secret Platinum deodorant
Because nobody likes a sweaty fat chick. Now, I am simply a chick. Without an unpleasant odor. Bonus!

Rediscovering gaming
I haven't played a tabletop roleplaying game in YEARS. Still liked them, just didn't play any. Now, I'm in one game and pl anning on starting another. Hooray! It's like improv, without the appreciative audience! And with dice. And geeks. But geeks rock. So there you go.

Lion brand Magic Stripes yarn (and any other self-striping sock yarn, actually)
Let me tell you about this stuff! I love knitting things with a lot of different and fun colors. I detest weaving in ends. I have mittens and a hat sitting and waiting for their ends to be taken care of, and they look sad, but I systematically avoid working on them. Intarsia, fair isle, they're great for adding stuff. Don't get me wrong. Once you know how to do them, you can use them judiciously to make things beautiful. But I digress. Hate changing colors in a piece, especially small items. And lo and behold.... self striping sock yarn! In many many colors! And the Lion Magic Stripe was cheap at the craft store, so I got what, five different colorways? I can make socks that look like they took a million billion years, and yet it's TV knitting in the round. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee! That's some awesome stuff.

The cats and the laser pointer
Enough Said.

I will add more lists of great stuff as they occur to me.

Also: sorry about the hiatus int he hero stuff. I'll be on that sooner or later, I'm sure. Until then, just remember - mutant super powers do not a well-rounded hero make. Talking like Yoda, on the other hand, interesting makes your sentence structure, hmmmm? Yes, innate telekinesis. I threatened to use it at work last weekend. Still one of my favorite powers.

The World loses its voice.

2007-09-07T13:09:00.000-04:00

Arrivederci, Pavarotti.

Kindergarten, no crabbing here!

2007-09-05T17:26:00.000-04:00

I don't think I have ever seen a kid so eager to get inside and go to class on the first day. Kiddo was practically storming the place. Some of his classmates were a bit more reserved, but he was enthusiastic and ready to party!

He looked sharp, too, in a striped polo shirt and charcoal slacks, and new shoes (that even the principal noticed!). But then, he's a great-looking kid, even with my natural bias.

He came home just as happy as he was dropped off. What a great kid!

Crabs and Kindergarten

2007-09-04T12:48:00.000-04:00

For Labor Day, we had the family over. Not the whole family, just my aunt, grandparents, and, um, those of us who live here. The plan was crab legs, corn on the cob, and salads. No biggie, right?

Why on earth did we decide it was an awesome idea to get ten pounds of crab legs? (five each of king crab and snow crab) Especially when neither my mother nor I have ever prepared crabs before? Well, we set a pot of broth on the stove (crab flavored, swiped from some ramen packages), mixed in some old-bay seasoning, and after fighting with and cleaning the legs (TEN POUNDS!) we set them in a bamboo steamer on top of the pot. We perhaps should have measured first....

The steamer overhang the edges of the pot by about an inch all around. There was a layer of dried broth around the edges of the burner when we were done. It was a disaster, except for one thing.....

they were delicious. Apparently, you can't wreck crab as easily as I had thought. Hooray! Unfortunately, there were leftovers. Pounds and pounds of leftovers. We foisted them off on the relatives, knowing full well how even the yummiest leftovers go ignored in this house. Also, the bamboo steamer still kind of smells like the bad part of the Shore. Ick. I hope time and repeated washings get that out before we try to use that puppy on vegetables....

Quick, other topic! Today is the kiddo's last day before Kindergarten starts!

...

2007-09-02T18:27:00.000-04:00

TETSUOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I'm watching Akira.

Excitement over Super Smash Bros for Wii!

2007-09-01T16:59:00.000-04:00

My source (Hi, Rob!) has let me know about one of the levels that will be in this upcoming Wii release: Wario Ware Minigames. Yep, the environment will change every five seconds. That'll be fun to pull off. I am SO hyped up for this game! Is it Decemberween yet?

But enough about my character.

2007-09-01T12:21:00.000-04:00

Last night, I played my first round of Werewolf in, what, ten years? It was shockingly easy to get back into. For those who care, I play a geeky, pudgy Glass Walker named Tommy, who we've nicknamed Choji. What? He likes to eat. It's a quirk. I played it up, but then, it didn't help that our story teller began the story in a diner. Just saying.....

It was fun! I enjoyed finding a way to solve problems in-character (he's a thinker, not a fighter, much to the dismay of some of our pack's warrior-types) and act out a couple of gags. (Yes, it is a bad idea to call your pack leader "Big Momma".) There are some disturbing elements of the game, but when you think about it, we are portraying horror-movie monsters, so it's no surprise when the plots and themes are the stuff that nightmares are made of. Mostly, it's the staying long after the game is over, laughing with the other players, that makes it great.

I also amused people by working on a sock in-game. ("Yeah; Tommy's not doing this.") I haven't turned the heel yet, so some of the boys thought it was a dice bag.

Also, I need to go buy crab legs today. Yum!

Diverted text

2007-08-31T10:29:00.001-04:00

This was originally going to be posted in the forums at knithappens.com, but I was foiled by a technical difficulty. So, it's here, where I'll cross-link to it later.

-------
I think I may have something here. You don't see a whole lot of kids' sock patterns out there in the wide world, and a mistake in design may have led me to make some great cabled socks for my son. I had the first one finished ages ago, but then I lost one of my size-0 circulars. Last night, I figured, hell with it, and cast on the second with my dpns. Now, it's been months since I did the first, and I have the attention span of a gnat, so I'm happy I wrote everything down. If the second one looks just like the first when I finish, I'll know it's a good pattern, and I'll share it with you guys in my blog.

So yay! New socks for all!

Mini-post for now

2007-08-29T20:10:00.001-04:00

I just feel it is important to let the world at large know that

I'M BAKING COOKIES!!!!

Mesopotamians!

2007-08-28T23:42:00.000-04:00

The camping was brief, but a nice exit from reality for a while. Kiddo had so much fun picking blueberries and going to the zoo, and we rode on the little golf cart just for fun, and there were margaritas by the campfire at night... ah! I punked out a bit yesterday, what with being miserable and not having slept much, so after Seeking Out Discount Stores™, I took a nap, and rejoined the world next to the fire pit for supper and s'mores. Oh boy! I got to share a bed with Kiddo in the trailer - a full-size lower bunk, not bad, with a down blanket. (He says, "It's a giant pillow!) Today was the zoo, Local Diner Inspection, and Futzing About before we underwent the long drive home.

Ever notice how random capitalization of phrases makes things seem more exciting?

No superhero theory tonight; just a note that Kiddo thinks my assortment of powers is lame. But then, he thinks Aqua-man is cool, so I'm not taking it personally.

It's Z's first full day at government training, he reports that it has rained, and he was offered a free bicycle. Also, lots of paperwork. *sigh* It's still good to hear from him. I bought him a present. I can't tell what it is (he may end up reading this!) but it's pretty awesome.

I'm making amigurumi veggies to kill time. No patterns; just making it up as I go along. I'll post photos eventually, if I remember.

And what does the title of this post have to do with anything? I have "The Mesopotamians" by TMBG stuck in my head. It's not 700 hobo names (thank goodness), but it's super-catchy and I can't wait to buy the t-shirt.

Packing things

2007-08-26T12:37:00.000-04:00

Aside from not using newspaper, it's pretty much impossible to keep your hands from becoming coal-black when you wrap things up for packing. I was as dark as a Mignola comic. Whoo.

The kid is on his way to camping with my mom, and I don't get to join them until tomorrow. However, this is Z's last night here before he's gone for THREE AND A HALF STINKING MONTHS, so I should probably enjoy the short time we have left today and tomorrow.

Some people ask how I can stand it. Well, it's not as if I can dictate what he has to do for work, I just have to deal with it. We're going to try to visit each other at least once a month, and will write and e-mail as needed,and we still both have phones, so it's just the actually-seeing-each-other-in-person-and-all-that-entails that'll be missing.

Granted, that is the best part. Also, we'll be apart for our four-year anniversary, which hurts. But we'll be okay.

I just realized something

2007-08-25T11:07:00.000-04:00

If I keep posting like this, the title of this blog will be a blatant lie! It's not nice to lie to the people, is it? So, let's just assume it's humorously ironic. Also, sooner or later, I'm going to end up posting knitting stuff in here. Maybe the knitting content will be the infrequent portion of our program.

I've been fussing with the layout a little bit. I still haven't quite figured out how to change some sections, but I'm getting there.

-----
To Do:
Pack for camping (self and kid)
Help boyfriend get ready to move
Go to work
Finish second sock and second glove
Clean out car

Swiped from a knitblogger.... and more on heroes

2007-08-24T23:46:00.000-04:00

First off, every one say hi to qutecowgirl, from whose blog this meme was nabbed.

.... I only say "fart" once? That's not like me one bit. I'm generally a not safe for work little potty-mouth. I mean, I can cuss up a blue streak, especially when I've had a few. Maybe I'm more polite when I type it out? That's my theory; I'm nicer on paper. Yay.

-----
Back on the superhero front!

Once the powers are chosen/granted/discovered via a surprisingly non-lethal getting run over by twelve tractor-trailers and an angry moose, and one decides to live the life of fighting Eeeeeeevil™, how exactly is the heroic alter ego's name chosen?

There are options; you can base it on the powers themselves, either specifically (like Green Lantern and his.... green lantern. Ok, so it's a ring lately, but you get the idea.) or by allusion. The Flash comes to mind as an example of the latter. Sure, his blinding speed does make him go by in a "Flash" (har har), but his hero name could just as easily be given to a hero with the power to blind the enemy with bright flashes of light (although he'd more likely call himself Captain Paparazzo or something) or one with a distressing tendency to expose himself to unsuspecting citizens.

Sometimes inspiration comes from elsewhere. Batman chose the symbol of the bat because of the fear it strikes into the heart of evil-doers, not because he sleeps upside-down in a cave and finds criminals by means of echolocation. No matter how cool that would be.

Others are a bit more generic. Yes, Superman and Wonder Woman and even Ultraman; their names work, but they're also extremely generic. It's like calling yourself Admiral Awesome. It gets the point across, but no one really knows what you actually *do*.

Now, on to the imaginary hero I'm cooking up here. With my chosen powers of teleportation, animal communication and shapeshifting, powers obtained via aliens and/or magic.... right. I can't think of anything. Alas! The city goes unprotected while I wander around trying to figure out what moniker to slap on my contact cards. It's important to make it sound impressive. No city wants to be saved by Tele-shift DooLittle, after all.

New favorite

2007-08-24T20:06:00.000-04:00

Yep.... it's official.

I ♥ Nerima Daikon Brothers. As of this point in time, it's edged Saiyuki and Excel Saga out of their tied-for-first position on my "favorite anime programs" list. I even love the theme song - the original and English dub versions.

I'm either incredibly easily impressed, or this show has a little extra special something to it.

special bonus info I dug up!!!!
Shigeru Matsuzaki, who provides the lead character's voice (Hideki, who apparently there is NO FAN LOVE for, except for me, sigh), also performed vocals on the Katamari Damacy soundtracks. Ah, Katamari Damacy strikes again, who knows where it'll pop up next?

Heroes - not the TV show

2007-08-24T10:57:00.000-04:00

It's difficult to decide what kind of superpowers one would choose for oneself, if given the option. I know, most superhero origin stories don't allow for picking and choosing of super-human abilities, but what would an optimal assortment of powers be for a unique hero, without just lifting the entire skillset from an existing hero?

Me, I'd opt for communication with animals, shapeshifting (mass-limited), and teleportation. Not a very human-based set of abilities, and not something that I can see as being granted via earthly science, this would plead a magic- or alien-based origin story. I dig the idea of off-worldly origins, even if Supes has this category made more or less cliche.

I'll come back to this later.

out of nowhere

2007-08-24T00:21:00.000-04:00

I have decided that glasses make most guys cuter.

Carry on.

Two in two days? That makes this a daily!

2007-08-23T19:16:00.000-04:00

Just to get in the habit of writing more often, a few thoughts:

"Rat Patrol" would make a kick-ass level on Guitar Hero. Even if it resides in bonus-song-Land like Trogdor. I wish there was a way to use your own music, create your own levels for it. There is something like that for DDR fans; Dance Factory gives uneven results, but you can dance to the Katamari Damacy soundtrack if you want. Oh Em Gee, indeed.

Speaking of Trogdor, I wonder if it's too soon to request the Homestar Runner DVDs for Christmas? Hmmmm..... Or even just a hoodie. Whatever. I'll pick up my own when I have money. In 2014.

I'm probably going to buy the car I've been leasing. It's used, but I know the one owner, and she took pretty okay care of it.... at least I know *exactly* what I'm getting into.

I'm depressed and angry at everything and everybody. So, after I drop Z off at the airport on Monday? Camping. With people who will make me margaritas.

Breaking in

2007-08-22T13:10:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to start this up, while waiting for my work website to connect. :)

I'm not even sure *why* I set up yet another blog, since I have (currently inactive) accounts on Livejournal and MySpace and even keep a teensy one on OKCupid. (To be fair, I set up that one to play the comparing games with my boyfriend. But he won't play. Not his fault, his computer died. But still!) The social networking aspects of those sites tend to put me under a little pressure, though. This form of blogging allows for less drama.

Especially when you tell no one it exists. (or very very few, for that matter).

I may post about knitting, I may actually write for a change, who knows. Most who find this will do so by accident. But welcome, regardless of how you got here.