Thursday, September 29

Dreaming, morse

For the last few days (or is it weeks?) I have been having really crazy dreams. This latest one, though, left me feeling depressed when I woke up, and I don't even know why. I can only remember a few things about it:
Jon (HoJo, if you prefer) and I were going to buy a new album that just got released by ... someone. There was a vending machine that made me think of Lunchables. There were wedding plans involving someone from Europe. There were very sweet rings picked out for this wedding. The rings were on my finger. Then something happened and there was no one there.

Talk about random.

So then I started to think about knitting -- fair isle colorwork for reasons unbeknownst to me. I thought of a morse code hat that I saw on craftster.org, then thought of the S.O.S. commercial [... _ _ _ ...] and then got a German song by Muenchener Frieheit stuck in my head. The lyrics go "S.O.S. - ruf mich an" ... and so on. The sad thing is, I lost that CD a year ago. I miss it terribly. I burned it from my German prof back in Deutch 102.

I'm confused.

Monday, September 26

Happy birthday, Ashlee

Ashlee, it's your birthday! Happy birthday, Ashlee!

Since the dear old shoe diva is in Belgium at this time and a phone call would be a little bit on the expensive side and T-Bock's is a little far away for both of us, I'm putting her birthday present right here. So shoe diva, here is a list of things that happen to remind me of you, for one reason or another. I hope you enjoy them.

  1. "Numa numa yay ... like a slutty day."
  2. Velveeta shells and cheese + a hot pot = good times!
  3. "Christmas vacation! Christmas vacation!"
  4. Sex in the City
  5. A knitted womb will do wonders making you feel better.
  6. Hearing the first few measures of Wicked and getting chills.
  7. Nick & Tony's
  8. Gigantic baskets.
  9. "All I could see were heads and headlights!" (Oh, Darla.)
  10. Brandt 205's choreography to "It's Raining Men"
  11. Your 21st birthday bash ... where everyone else was under age and subsequently busted. (Of course, it didn't help that you lived over the hall manager's apartment ...)
  12. Slurp-smack Sarah.
  13. J-term sophomore year and our couch-turning tv habits.
  14. Hanging out with the verysmallRA in "time out".
  15. Old show choir videos.
  16. Fish (sorry, but they always make me think of you).
  17. "If it weren't for my horse ..."
  18. Turquoise luggage.
  19. Going to the hospital when you got your shot for your back that made you absolutely crazy for the rest of the night.
  20. "Shits, giggles, and vibrators - oh my!"
  21. La Rana, Spanish for The Rana.
  22. Shoes.
  23. Your mad bulletin board making skills.


I hope your birthday's way too much fun.

Saturday, September 24

News brief

From last night's edition of my BBC email, here are a few news articles about issues affecting our world.
  • Down's syndrom recreated in mice: Gerry Coghlan, a consultant cardiologist, ... said: "If you've got a mouse model of Down's, you can take individual genes out and see what happens over a period of time. "That way, we can find out which genes are responsible for the heart defects, the brain defects, the problems with the thyroid and the tendency toward leukaemia. "We can then begin to understand what the underlying problems in the cells that lead to these conditions are, and whether or not we can treat them."

    I have an aunt with Down's, and it's kind of hard for me to deal with sometimes. I can imagine what it's like for her, or for my dad (she's his sister), or anybody, really.

  • Vatican 'to ban new gay priests': The Vatican is to ban all gay men from joining the clergy even if they accept a vow of celibacy, reports say. ... "The difference is in the special atmosphere of the seminary. In the seminary you are surrounded by males, not females." ... But some Catholic leaders say there is no proof of any direct connection between the presence of gay clergy in the church's ranks and child abuse scandals. ... "I've heard priests both gay and straight seriously consider leaving. They couldn't believe that after centuries of either explicit or implicit welcoming of celibate gay clergy that church would turn its back on them."

    I hope that this is just a rumor, but something tells me that, what with the new pope and all, it's not.

  • Deadly plague hits Warcraft world: In his death throes Hakkar [the god of Blood] hits foes with a "corrupted blood" infection that can instantly kill weaker characters. The infection was only supposed to affect those in the immediate vicinity of Hakkar's corpse but some players found a way to transfer it to other areas of the game by infecting an in-game virtual pet with it. This pet was then unleashed in the orc capital city of Ogrimmar and proved hugely effective as the Corrupted Blood plague spread from player to player. ... Luckily the death of a character in World of Warcraft is not final so all those killed were soon resurrected.

    I find this one simply funny, since my brothers play WoW like there's no tomorrow. I'm still kind of confused about the virtual plague thing, though.


I don't really have anything else to say right now.

Except that I'm trying this brioche stitch (bi-color, too, if I can manage it), and it might make a really cool scarf, if I can stop my edges from getting loose.

Friday, September 23

On my mind

IG Concert 058
Amy Ray
stolen from dustro.
First of all, Dustro, knitting has simply become my life and my obsession. The Betty Ford Clinic will not be hearing from me anytime soon. Just keep knitting, just keep knitting ... There's nothing you can do to tear me away from my needles.

Second of all (and the most un-knitting content you're likely to see around these parts), I desperately want to go back to Greece. Desperately, achingly, imploringly, hungrily ... It was just so mindblowing to be able to walk on the Acropolis and see structures that have been around for centuries, to take a tram up the inside of a hill and see the stunning-est view of Athens, to hang out with a couple of locals and do a little Greek dancing, to see the "navel of the world" (Delphi, not Easter Island), to listen to a bus driver's Ελλη Κοκκινου CD over and over. I want to soak up Greece. (Okay, that sounds disgusting out of context, but it's true.) I need to do something to jumpstart my brain. I need to break free from the chains, so to speak.

So I'm trying to find a program that I could go through, the most plausible being The American School of Classical Studies at Athens or The Arcadia Center (which may not work, as it seems to cater to undergrad students only). Two initial problems stand in my way:
  1. Lack of funds (always a problem anyway, even more so when student loan payments start up)
  2. Not being enrolled in a grad program
I'm not sure living in Omaha's the best way to rectify either of these situations. I'm not about to leave Omaha, though. Signing a 12-month lease is a little bit binding and a lot bit expensive to break (and rather mean to Dustro).

And that's what page my mind has been on lately.

Thursday, September 22

Knit list

My knitting list has gotten too long. Now that I've made two Bubbys (Boobies?) in a relatively small amount of time, I think I could probably make more and *gasp* sell them. Maybe at the famed Covered Bridge Festival.

But now, from going to the craftster.org knitting forum, I've been finding lots of ways to keep busy in knitting land. I think I'll have something to do until, oh, mid-2006. The most recent additions to the Knit List are ...
  • Mr Dangly, a monkey.
  • Gwennabe Zim hat, which is styled a little after Gwen Stefani and Liz Zimmerman (patron saint of knitting).
  • I've also found a fun mitten pattern via the blue blog, which means that sometime soon crimson mittens will actually be true to her word.
  • There's another pattern that I'd like to try out at the blue blog, too. Check this bad boy out.
  • Socks are always on the list.

I also found a German knitting blog via someone else's blog. It's pretty sweet, even if I don't understand it all.

It's time to go make something of my life. Or, if all else fails, I'll just make something.

Monday, September 19

Home.

Apartment 007
Apartment 007,
originally uploaded by xamonster.
See that fabulous unit under the TV? The one with the drawers? Yeah, we built that. (It was from a pre-fab kit, but we still assembled it.)

The trunk is now serving its intended purpose (a coffee table, of course), the loveseat and (no)loveseat have been reversed, and a lovely rug helps to pull the room together.

Welcome home.

The concert

Concert 004
Concert 004,
originally uploaded by xamonster.
Friday was incredible. Our concert-going party expanded from three to five: Dustro and Mel and I were joined by Tracie and the Touched by Katrina NonRefugee (TBKNR), who decided to go at the last minute. When we finally got to Harrah's, we spent some time getting comfortable on our patch of grass and just chillin'.

And then it started. The opening act was pretty fabulous. The band was called Three 5 Human, and they're from Atlanta, GA. (Keep your ears open for them, Jon.) The lead singer Trina rocked my face off. She also sort of dances like I do. It was the strangest thing ever. She's got quite the set of pipes, and I think I'll be buying a CD.

And then the Girls took the stage. I don't really have words to describe it at the moment. There was just so much -- well, love -- in the air. (Not to mention lesbians, but they weren't in the air.) The only way I can describe it is Fabulous. I know that's a little dorky, but really, it was fabulous.

So was the bar we went to after the concert -- the Interlude Lounge (or 'the Lude'). And ladies and gentlewomen, I doubled my lifetime beer intake at that very bar. I have now had two whole beers in the past 22 years (and, coincidentally, in the past month. They've both been in Tracie's presence, so I think it may be her fault).

By the time we left the bar, we were mostly ravenous, and had to stop at the IHOP.

Friday, September 16

In the round

I was at the Knitty coffeeshop the other day, and I learned an excellent way to join when knitting in the round: just take the first and last CO stitches, and swap them. Or as fiberfairy posted, Take the last stitch (on the right hand needle) and slip it over the first stitch (on the left hand needle) and then go about your knitting business. It honestly works like a charm. I used to just CO an extra stitch and then knit the first and last CO sts together, but this new way is much more smooth.

I can't quite handle the spit splice, though. I'd feel bad spitting on something I was knitting for someone else.

It's time to figure out when to go to Harrah's for the Indigo Girls concert! Expect more pictures than you can shake a stick at.

Thursday, September 15

Pu, c6b, psso, yo

Cybernetic Robotic Individual Manufactured for Sabotage and Online Nullification If you didn't catch on from the title, this is a knitting post.

I've slowed progress on the KYO Rock Star. It will stay in the WIPs bin for a while. I did, however, manage to complete Bubby* from the latest Knitty while watching The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I must say, he's pretty fabulous. I decided to go for the reclining pose (the one in the first picture if you click the link), and I even gave him a little loose necktie instead of a bow. I indend to make a larger one out of Lopi, even though it's a little less than cuddly. It'll still be cuter than a bug's ear.

I also must say that I greatly enjoy picking up stitches (pu). I realize that I did it incorrectly back when I was making all of those booties, but now that I've done Headline News and Bubby, I think I'm a pro. These pu skills will come in handy if I ever get to working on that blanket for my mom again.

And apparently I am Dishcloth Cotton** ... who knew?

It's time to finish catching up with my news via Chips and the BBC. And Indigo Girls concert tomorrow? Heck yes I'm excited!


* I'm not really sure how to pronounce 'Bubby', so in my head it goes something like 'Boobie'. No surprise there, really. It's probably supposed to rhyme with Slubby or something.

** You are Dishcloth Cotton. You are a very hard worker, most at home when
you're at home. You are thrifty and seemingly born to clean. You are considered to be a Plain Jane, but you are too practical to notice. What kind of yarn are you? brought to you by Quizilla

Monday, September 12

Lynx

I was surfing a few websites a moment ago to take a quick pause while writing the "Down Memory Lane" section for October, and I ran across this link via Lifehacker under the heading "Clean that Food out your Fridge" (entry here). FoodieView can apparently search recipes by ingredients. This allows you to type in whatever you happen to have left over in your fridge and find a way to combine a bunch of items that might otherwise go bad. This could come in handy, Dustro.

“You ever wonder why Google doesn’t cache it’s own searches?” (short fiction by Kathy Kachelrieshere)

And Omelets in a bag? What's that all about? (Sounds yummy, though.)

But now it's time to get back to those old newspapers.

Saturday, September 10

These my knits

Soft drawstring bag 001
Drawstring bag,
originally uploaded by xamonster.
Dear Tracie,

Thanks to your extensive movie collection here at the apartment, I managed to watch
The Incredibles, Supersize Me, Kinsey, and Shark Tale all within two days. I also tried to watch The Notebook last night, but I got distracted. Thanks.

Much love,
Crimson


----


With Dustro gone, I've been forced to entertain myself with naught but a pair of sticks (and a pile of Tracie's movies). I decided to make a couple of new projects from SnBN (Stitch n Bitch Nation, for those not in the know) -- "Headline News", a cabled newsboy cap; and "Knit Your Own Rock Star", which is obviously just that. Of course, I didn't have quite the right yarn for the hat (or so I thought), so I headed off to a store on Dodge called Personal Threads.

My first experience there (maybe a year ago?) wasn't very pleasant, but yesterday's was much better -- the proprietor even complemented my hair! (Which I dyed. I think I failed to mention this earlier. It's a darker version of the last dye job, and it's called Chilled Plum.) After buying far too much yarn, it was back to the apartment to start the newsboy.

I worked on it while watching Shark Tale and To Wong Foo, which was on Bravo very late last night. I also managed to stay up until well after the prime numbers, falling asleep sometime around 4 a.m.

My phone woke me up at 10 this morning. It was my mom, telling me that both my brothers have gotten parts in The King and I, this year's musical. One of them wasn't too pleased to have actually gotten a part, though. I think he may have auditioned just because all his friends were. (The same thing happened last year with a solo he got.)

And, being awake, I finished Headline News. I was initially intending for it to go to a friend, but now I'm kind of attached. And after all, I don't know that she likes red all that much ...

I haven't begun the rock star just yet, although I think I'll get started soon. Maybe after lunch and a shower.

I also finished "Panta", a headband-type thing that was from a pattern written in Portuguese. I found it on craftster, and luckily enough, someone translated it. I don't much care for the purple color I used, but that's fine. It didn't take too long to make.

More photos later.

Thursday, September 8

Splotches

Dustro decided to take a mini-vacation, and I once again hi-jacked his computer. I don't have anything in particular to say. Just a few splotches of stuff.

-----


When I read something like this -- Music nerd, sci-fi geek, language wierdo, procrastinator extrordinaire. Penchant for making fun of popular culture. Indeed, I am going places. -- as the descriptor for someone, I just have to smile.

-----


This link for the tubular cast on is going to be important. (As I read the directions, I think that it sounds a little similar to the 'Turkish cast on' in the latest Interweave Knits mag. I'll have to give both a whirl, as I only ever use the long tail cast on. Meanwhile, I'll continue knitting a funky little bag out of the book Last-Minute Knitted Gifts (featured on the cover, oddly enough).

And I didn't realize it until just moments ago when I was surfing through the knitting blogs in my blogroll ... the fall Knitty is up! Hooray! There are lots of yummy sweater patterns, so Dustro may get his wish for a sweater sooner rather than later.

And as I can't get my blogrolling to work properly at the moment, I'll have to leave these two links here and come back for them some other time. Insubordiknit, Jessimuka knits.


Good night.

Monday, September 5

Workr, flickr

Lampshade hat 003
Lampshade hat 003,
originally uploaded by xamonster.
So I was finally able to upload some more recent pictures to my flickr account. They're mostly knitting, though, so don't get your hopes up just yet.

Sunday, September 4

Extended weekend

I've initiated Operation Make Mom Feel Terribly Guilty For Not Buying Her Favorite Daughter A Computer Even Though She Promised. It involved reminding her that I was going to use a certain scholarship to procure a certain computer, at which point she said, "No, no, use that for your tuition. We'll buy you a computer." Of course, then there was that lousy lawsuit that ended up costing somewhere in the 5-digit range. I thing that might jumpstart peace talks. Who knows?

I donated money to the Red Cross for the hurricane (despite quite understandable arguments against the Red Cross). It was only $5, though, which buys ... not much these days. Not even two gallons of gas ...

Dustro and Tracy and I went to Old Chicago last night for some tasty-yet-expensive pizza. I had a beer (monumental, I know). We returned to the apartment for a little Texas Hold 'Em, sprinkled liberally with tequila (in the sunrise and margarita varieties).

I finished Harry Potter and the Death of Dumbledore for the second time this morning. I was re-reading it for clues as to who R.A.B. could be. I wanted to take it a little more slowly this time, too.

I've almost completed a purple feathery scarf for the Aunt Who Still Hasn't Claimed Her Giant Apple. Next comes the hat. I also very much want to knit a Dr Who scarf for my dad. His birthday's in November, and I think he'd be very excited, as we used to watch the show together when I was little. (The URL for the scarf has now gotten a lot easier to remember: doctorwhoscarf.com, and I like the Season 12 scarf there. There's another at everything2.com.)

And I only have to work for four hours tomorrow, due to the vacation. It will count as eight. That's good news.


I need to find some healthier food, so I'm off to the kitchen.

Thursday, September 1

Thursday

Sorry if my layout gave you problems ... it looked fine on Safari, but Mozilla sort of made it explode.

I'm a little tired today, and I think I want to try to hang curtains. Or at least the rod. We'll see how that goes.