Tuesday, January 31

End-of-January rollercoaster

Today's been an up-and-down kind of day. First, I got woken up early to help my mom retrieve a piece of show choir clothing from the van. Fine, except that when I was getting in my car, I bashed my head on the door frame. Ouch. I went back to bed.

Then, as I was walking to work (because my dad still hasn't put the new battery in his car), I passed Brie and KT's house and saw not one but two Jeeps parked in the driveway. Brie saw her old one at a car lot yesterday, called them up, and got it back this morning (for almost half the price he was asking). Hooray for a two-Jeep family!

But then KT called later to say that their poor black lab, Luka, was going to be spending the next week at the vet. Apparently he got infected with parvo, and there's a chance he might die. He looked awful last night when I saw him, and KT said he'd been vomiting all day yesterday, so she'd made an appointment to take him to the vet this afternoon. He must've gotten worse overnight, because she called me at just after noon to give me the news. Now they're stuck disinfecting (bleaching) the entire house and yard. And their roommate's dog has gone to stay with her mom. That will leave the house eerily quiet, with only the four cats vying for attention.

I hope the poor thing gets better.

Saturday, January 28

Me up at does


These are now mine, as is this button...

I took my Flickr badge off because I think it's slowing up the load time. I've provided a link to my photos in the sidebar instead.

Last night I was in WDM watching my brothers and the rest of Vox, their vocal jazz group, perform and get critiqued before a tonight's concert. As my mom and I were leaving the auditorium to go find some dinner, one of my Dorian campers, who was performing in the next group, recognised me and said, "Xa, from Dorian, right?". It was great. I didn't get to stick around to listen to them, though, because my tummy was a-rumblin', and my mom needed to get home to sleep. But it was still cool.

And I just took the plunge and officially emailed the Yarn Harlot to enter the Knitting Olympics. Gold medal, here I come!

Thursday, January 26

The morning after

Apparently Megan Mullally is going to have her very own show, according to Yahoo. I found the link via Queerty, a blog that I've visited a couple of times because people have linked to it. Queerty itself has a fun post, that is, if you belong to the small group of people that toast to Alan Cumming.

I also did my part in voting for various nominees in the Bloggies — mostly because I had to vote for the Yarn Harlot.

Your existing situation: Imaginative and sensitive; seeking an outlet for these qualities – especially in the company of someone equally sensitive. Interest and enthusiasm are readily aroused by the unusual or the adventurous.
Your stress sources: Has an unsatisfied need to ally herself with others whose standards are as high as her own, and to stand out from the herd. This desire for preeminence isolates her and inhibits her readiness to give herself freely. While she wants to surrender and let herself go, she regards this as a weakness which must be resisted. This self-restraint, she feels, will lift her above the rank and file and ensure recognition as a unique and distinctive personality.
Your restrained characteristics: Circumstances are forcing her to compromise, to restrain her demands and hopes, and to forgo for the time being some of the things she wants.
Trying to calm down and unwind after a period of over-agitation which has left her listless and devoid of energy. In need of peace and quiet; becomes irritable if this is denied her.
Your desired objective: Feels exhausted by conflict and quarreling and desires protection from them. Needs peaceful conditions and a tranquil environment in which to relax and recover.
Your actual problem: The unsatisfied desire to be respected, to stand out from amongst her friends, is causing some anxiety. As a result, normal gregariousness is suppressed and she refuses to allow herself to become involved, or to participate with others in their ordinary activities.


Creepy. You, too, can find out these amazingly intuitive things about yourself by taking the ColorQuiz.

And as I have a bit of a headache from last night's adventures before the drunk blogging, I'm going to go lie down for a bit.

Drunk dialing blogging

As fun as drunk dialing is, drunk blogging may well be funner.

The evening began normally enough with Chinese food and a trip EW (Evil Wal-Mart). At EW, however, I discovered a cereal promoting Pirates of the Caribbean with Johnny Depp's face on it. I promply transformed into a teeny-bopper and carried it around the store with me. B and K got a lot of useful items, including condoms and pacifiers for a practical joke.

We went to Hy-Vee and got $40 worth of alcohol.

We drove back to B and K's to watch Project Runway — I love love love Andrae's design this week! — Saved (the drinking game version) and play beer pong. We got drunk. We tried to play karaoke, but the dog chewed through the microphone cord at some point when we weren't watching, and we had to quit. K started crying because B only had one sock on ... "Isn't your other foot cold? Where is your sock? I'll give you my shoe."

Tuesday, January 24

Phlegm

So this "little bit of a cold" is not so little. It's a giant glob of phlegm trying to escape from all directions. Seriously, it seems every time I open my mouth to say something, I end up coughing and all the phlegm seems to say, "Quick! She's opened up! Escape now!"

It's disgusting.

Friday, January 20

Am I talking to myself?

I think I've caught a little bit of a cold, but I can't help but wonder if it has something to do with all of the secondhand smoke I've been inhaling. Nasty.

I saw Brokeback Mountain again with Brie and KT. I still don't know what to think about it. I keep going back and forth: liked it, hated it, liked it, hated it.

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I was going to post a picture of my Kittyville hat, which I finished two days ago, but I can't make it any smaller due to not having a good photo editing program at home. It's a little big-ish, since I was spacing out on the stockinette part, but I don't mind. For now, you'll just have to imagine me wearing a red hat with earflaps and cute, pointy, kitty ears.

I really, really, really want to join the Knitting Olympics. But I have to decide what to do. The specs say something that's challenging to complete in 16 days. I want to do something with colorwork and/or felting. I'm definitely not ballsy enough for a sweater, but I could probably make a tote bag or something. Now to chart out a pattern or ten ...

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As for this week's episode of Project Runway, what can I say? Emmett looked supergay in that shirt; it was so tight (toight like a toiger, in fact). I really think Santino should have been auf-ed this week, but Emmett's down for the count. Seeing Tim Gunn on ice, though, made me feel better.

But I have something to say about Chloe's designs. While I enjoy them, I have a small problem: so much turquoise! Half of them are turquoise. (Don't believe me? See for yourself.) Now down't get me wrong — I have nothing against the color. I am wearing a bit of it right at this very moment. But I don't feel she's branching out enough color-wise. Maybe it's just me, though. Or maybe she's trying to match Bravo's latest color scheme. Looking at her professional collections, she doesn't seem to have much turquoise going on at all. Maybe she's just really into the color right now.

At any rate, don't miss fourfour's recount of this week. It's sound byte heaven.

Also, it seems that Kara Saun's "Envy" dress from last season is up for auction. Go ahead. I double-dog dare you to bid on it.

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It seems that Ellis is coming back to the Ritual Café in April. Any takers? (And on a side note, I found out that the Ritual Café hosts a SNB group on certain Sundays, so I may try to visit that some time. I mean, who wouldn't want to spend quality time at a café?)

I'm off to read Barry Trotter, which KT lent me.

"Stop that movie," Headmast Alpo Bumblemore said, "or Hogwash is history!" Already overrun by brawling, fetid fans of the bestselling Barry Trotter books, Hogwash is certain to be pulled down brick by brick after Barry's new big-budget biopic debuts. So Barry Trotter, Ermine Cringer, and Lon Measly are hauled out of retirement to face their toughest challenge yet. Not only do the twenty-two-year-olds have to elude packs of rabid fans, outwit Barry's sponging godfather Serious, and vanquish their old foe Lord Valumart, they have to face the most powerful enemy of all: Hollywood!

— the back cover



Oh, and music geeks, check out this Honda ad.

Tuesday, January 17

Musical meme

I stole this meme from flybystardancer, who recently rocked out a really well-knit Harry Potter hat-and-scarf set.

Shuffle your cd player / iPod / whatever and write down the first 14 titles of songs as an answer to the following questions; see if they are applicable!

1. How does the world see me? Monkey – Ellis
2. Will I have a happy life? Question of Time – Depeche Mode
3. What do my friends really think of me? Shedding Fears – Ellis
4. Do people secretly lust after me? What You Meant – Franz Ferdinand
5. How can I make myself happy? Push and Shove – Ellis
6. What should I do with my life? Eleanor Put Your Boots On – Franz Ferdinand
7. Why is life full of so much pain? The African of 1963 – Sacha Sacket
8. How can I maximize my pleasure during sex? Enjoy the Silence – Depeche Mode
9. Will I ever have children? Playboy Mommy – Tori Amos
10. Will I die happy? Tear in Your Hand – Tori Amos
11. What is some good advice for me? Pick-up Song – Ellis
12. What is happiness? Winter – Tori Amos
13. What is my favorite fetish? Color – Sacha Sacket
14. How will I be remembered? Meet Me By the Water – Rachael Yamagata

It's a little limited because I'm at work, but entertaining none the less.

Sunday, January 15

Happy birthday, mom!

It's my mom's birthday today — a mighty 43.

I've been spending my day thus far working on the Kittyville hat, published in Stitch n' Bitch and cataloging my yarn stash, which I started doing after running out of yarn after finishing the base of the hat and trying to find some more. I was convinced that I had some, so I started going through bags and bins of yarn, only to discover that I only had short bits from a previous botched intarsia project. Then, of course, my bed was covered with yarn, WiPs, and plastic bins. I had been meaning to do it eventually. Mostly I'm just copying the yarn label onto an index card, writing what I made with the yarn, and punching a hole in it to run a few inches of the yarn through. I don't really want to do all that acrylic or Wool-Ease, though. Or that damn boa stuff. What a mess.

I watched Lilo and Stitch yesterday and thought that her doll would be a cute project. You know — that green one? Yeah.

I'm off.

Saturday, January 14

Best blonde joke

Being a former blonde, I have to say that this is the best blonde joke ever.

Friday, January 13

A few of our favorite things

Prompted by fourfour's latest analysis of Project Runway, I have been singing the theme to Zoobilee Zoo. Do you remember the show? Well, I went browsing, because I forgot maybe two of the words ... and came upon this! This gem doesn't just have the lyrics — it's even got a video clip of the theme song. No joke. I know the RHD is going to love this site.

Also, for those of you that've seen Brokeback Mountain, here's a lighthearted shoutout from Santino and Tim Gunn captioned "I wish I could quit you!"

And it's Trogdor's third birthday. Go burninate celebrate!

Tuesday, January 10

I'm not on crack. I swear.

You may have noticed that the time of my last post was 4:26 a.m. That, my friends, was no lie. It wasn't edited or nothin'. That being said, I'm fuckin' tired. Maybe I should just buy some Tylenol PM or something. I feel like I haven't slept in years. Also, I'm pretty inclined to agree with Dustro's theory of PCD.

But back to work.

Yomping in the yeep

Pull on your Depends and turn up your speakers, kids: this video's a keeper! Why? Let's just say "I want it that way."

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Brie traded in her truck today. She now has a Jeep again, just like good ol' times. I'm so relieved. In fact, we were so excited that KT thought we should take a mini road trip so that Brie (and I) could meet a couple of her friends — a (lesbian) couple who have four (yes, four) childrens. The youngest is around 8 years old; the oldest is 17. We got there quite late, so the kids were in bed, but I managed to meet one of them, who woke up bleary-eyed and parched and came to the kitchen to get some water.

Friday, January 6

Epiphany

Greece 001Today is Epiphany in Greece. I'm feeling a lot bit wistful, because at this time last year I was tromping on the Acropolis, taking pictures of all sorts of rocks.. I was looking at some pictures for a while (that site's in Greek, but don't let it stop you!) and then I remembered HoJo's photos, which, miraculously, are still on Luther's server. He must've had an in with the techies. But really, I miss Greece so much right now. I'll just go listen to some Greek music that Demetrios would always listen to on the bus ...

If I remember correctly, Ashlee's heading back to Belgium today. Safe travels.

And, to comment on yesterday's links, I was again reading Blogging Project Runway — the latest post (From the mailbox) even has a comment from Diana. (I neglected to mention yesterday that she's got another website, iHEARTswitch, which is a web-based show geared toward getting girls hooked on technology. You should check it out — Diana hosts it with Alison Lewis. There's not much up yet, but I suspect it will be going strong in not too long.) And I've gotten word (via Blogging Project Runway) that Project Jay airs Feb. 22. Whee!

I'm fairly certain we're going to see Brokeback Mountain tonight, as it's finally arrived in the Big O.

Finally, I adjusted the code so that, if the blog entries have been smooshing down to below the sidebar in your browser, it shouldn't. But let me know, just in case.

Thursday, January 5

Miscellany

I need to leave a few links that have been amusing me lately.

First, this movie by Jonathan Coulton will probably make you smile — it's an amalgam of interesting Flickr photos put to music.

Next, to those of you who are fans of Neil's and Terry's Good Omens, HarperCollins presents Crowley's and Aziraphale's resolutions.

And fourfour's analysis of the beginning of Project Runway 2 was pretty funny, especially if you're addicted like Dustro and I. (We all remember Jay McCarroll last season: I didn't steal the bitch's dye!) He also provided a link to another PR blogging extravaganza: the aptly named Blogging Project Runway. I think I'll keep an eye on both these, even for sheer entertainment purposes. And, against my better judgement, I added Santino's blog to my blogroll. It's nothing spectacular, so it'll probably disappear after a while. But Diana's blogthat is staying. I love Diana because she's so nerdy and normal. And yes, Dustro, Zulema's last name really is Griffin (and her website has mood music).

And I really want to make Ron's Animal Cracker hat. I think it would be a good introduction to stranded/fair isle knitting. I'm also going to jump on some mosaic knitting soon, whenever I find (or make) a suitable chart.

But now I have to go to the post office and send my journal to NY for the Penpal Journal Swap.

Tuesday, January 3

Karaoke

I just spent the last three and a half hours at Brie's house, playing with their new karaoke game. I managed to score perfectly ( 50,000 points ) on Time After Time. You should have been there — my mad skillz were rockin' the house.

Monday, January 2

Let's go!

Here we are, standing at the edge of 2006.

I think it's time to grab life by the horns.