Merry Christmas

(or, if you're like me... Happy Birthday!)




As I was cleaning this week, my suitcase was out in the middle of the living room floor- Webster fell in and had a great time playing inside the suitcase. The next few days are going to be busy! Meeting my dad/Grandma/Brother for birthday lunch then heading an hour south to have Christmas with L's family- then back up here to have Christmas with my family at my house on Saturday.

I knitted every single Christmas gift that I'm giving this year, so I'm really excited to cast on something for myself today. I'm thinking a Pogona- my bosses at the yarn shop actually gave me some yarn for my birthday/Christmas- so I may use the skein of Casacade Heritage they gave me and then I can wear something new to work. I sense a mass cast on coming on!

I know that this might be a bit dodgy or cliche- but, if you're reading this, I want to say thank you. The last few years haven't been the easiest for me and blogging, and the bloggish friends that I've made have helped me so much. Thanks everyone for being so wonderful, and have a great Weekend no matter what you might or might not be celebrating this weekend!

Suck it.

I know I promised good news yesterday, so I'm a day late. But it's still good news.

Remember, back when I was on The Island, how Dr. H spent quite a while telling me what a horrible writer I was and how I was never going to finish the program and how I turned in the worst thesis proposal he'd ever written (I'd link to it, but I'm not sure I want to sift through that much anguish).

Well, Dr. H. You Can Suck It. You heard from my advisors this week, telling you that I did indeed finish my thesis. And then, Dr. H, you yourself had to go to the registrar and perform the grade change to make it official. On Wednesday I got the email and talked to someone in the degree conferral office- I am officially a Master now. I did finish.

Also. I had a meeting with one of the professors I TA for now (in the midst of MA number 2)- and we ended up talking about my research. In the completely unrelated hour-long lunch I got more positive and constructive feedback on my research than I had in two years of fighting with people on the Island. Dr. L from here thinks I have a great topic that is likely to garner funding for further research. Suck it, Island- I have triumphed over you for once and for all.

So, basically, my good news is that in the same week I got my first quarter grades from my first quarter of MA #2, and did not fail- and MA #2 was finally conferred. So awesome (and I'm feeling sweetly vindicated, can you tell?)

Knitting pictures soon, maybe?

Robot Santa!

The boyfriend, and I have been preparing for our first Christmas together.

Well, we have since last Friday when I was officially done writing, reading and grading.

We got a little Christmas tree (it's staying at my house since that's where we'll be for Christmas), and have pledged only to have handmade ornaments. The best part is the tree-topper we made together:

It's ROBOT SANTA! (and yes, I knit his hat).

I have more good news for tomorrow. Now, it's time for bed.

Crunch Time

Paper #1 (Discussing the evolution of Marx's concept of alienation) due tomorrow at noon. First set of finals and final batch of regular grading due for students at noon (so my grading work will begin).
Paper #2 (Discussing Pakistan for my US Environmental History Class) due Tuesday at noon.
Final set of finals for grading will be done around 11 on Friday, grades due from profs on Sunday.
Dance performance on Saturday.

Here's what happens when there's a reading frenzy at my house:

Webster gets highlighted. (can you see the green on his wee kitty cheek?)




Oye. Back to writing.

Snow Turkeys!

Happy Thanksgiving!



It's been snowing here, so my family holiday has been postponed until Sunday. Webster and I are trying to stay warm and knitting and writing.

P.S. if you know my real name, you might be able to find it in that book up there... : ) One of the reasons I couldn't blog for a while- it was so hard to keep the secret!!!

My favorite part of the day:

Watching the sunrise over the water.





Also, (obviously for those of you who aren't reading this in a reader), I've changed my design, and I am so happy about it.

I love the rain. One of the best things about being home is the rain. I know that there was rain on the Island and in Georgia, but it's not the same kind of rain- and there is something amazing about a blustery fall day.

It's apparently the end of the quarter, because I've cast on about four new projects since Thursday. And I have ideas for several more. Evidently I knit when I'm stressed. There are a few hats in the works that I will hopefully be able to share soon.

Happy daylight savings time, everyone!!

Still Alive.

Although barely, it seems sometimes... It's funny easy it is to forget how hard grad school it.

It's also funny how much of a difference a really great support system makes- which is one of the reasons I haven't needed to blog so much lately, between being so close to my family and the Boyfriend- I've just been too happy and contented to feel the need to blog!



Webster got into a fight with a pomegranate seed the other night, and it looked like he was all bloody for days afterwards. It was hilarious.

Another reason for my contentedness: The view from my new apartment.



Ah, beautiful sunsets over the water.

Also, I've been knitting, although not nearly as much as usual.

Pineapple Upside Down Hat (test-knit):



Papers are going to be due soon- blogging may be part of my strategy to write more. We'll see. I hope everyone is having an amazing fall- I know I am!

My life, coming true.

This has been the best week ever. I'm exhausted and stressed, but it's all good stress and it's all awesome things.

This is what happens when your dreams start to come true!

First of all - my little man is doing well. In fact, here he is enjoying a pile of yarn in my house!



The boyfriend is also amazing, although he is younger-cousin sitting this week, so I haven't seen to much of him.

On to the good news:

I'd been wanting to move to the South side of my town- it's where I grew up, it's where the yarn shop is that I work at, it's where my new school is, it's where the Boyfriend lives and works... you get the idea. When I moved back home, I moved to the North end of town because it was cheaper and I needed a place fast.

Last week I realized that, with school starting in the fall, it didn't make much sense at all for me to continue my full-time position with the construction company in the next county over. Too much time commuting, too many work hours and too much stress. Plus, the shop owners were willing to give me a raise, increase my hours (from 5 per week- not difficult!), and contribute to a health insurance program. Sweet deal, right? So I started looking for a new apartment and began to dread telling my current bosses that I was leaving.

So I started combing Craigslist, and on Monday I went to look at The.Perfect.Apartment. Its on the south end of town, right across the street from one of my favorite parks. It's got a view of the ocean, a cute walkway and it's an adorably charming old building with tilty floors. It's perfect.
I get the keys tomorrow.

Also on monday, one of my favorite authors (academically) was in town giving a book talk. And I heard from one of my old students from Georgia- which nearly made me cry.

So- this all happened on Monday, and that would have been plenty of wonderful things for one week. I was getting so excited about moving, preparing to start school again and beginning a new stage in my life.

Then, I got an email from my school. They're offering me a full graduate assistantship.

What does that mean? It means that they're going to pay all but 10% of my tuition. It means that they're going to give me a stipend. It means that I will have health care... all in exchange for teaching, grading and/or researching. Completely amazing. This is what I want- I want to work in higher ed, I want to teach... this is step number one. My life- the things that I want for my life- are all coming true.

I'm still kind of in shock. It's completely unexpected as a first year student at this school- which is like all schools experiencing severe budget cuts. Now- I get to go to school, get paid for it, and play with yarn for fun... My life is about to be completely awesome.

Amazing.

I have the most amazing boyfriend ever.

My birthday isn't until December- but he's already got my present picked out...

You see, every year in this neck of the woods there's this knitting conference. My very Norwegian self has really wanted to go, but due to funding restrictions I wasn't able to. I mentioned the event about a week ago in passing- and yesterday he hands me the registration sheet and tells me to pick my class...

Who should I pick? Nancy Bush and Estonian Lace? Evelyn Clark and Shetland Lace? What's a lucky girl to do?

The best part isn't even the fact that I get to take an amazing class from an amazing knitter. The best part is how absolutely excited he was that he was able to do something for me to make me happy. He's not trying to buy me (like others that we've seen...), he's legitimately trying to make me happy. And I think that is pretty darn awesome.

In other news- am I the only one that seems to be stocking up for the winter, stash-wise? My stash seems to be growing at a pretty alarming rate. I keep telling myself that it's all for Christmas presents, but I am beginning to realize that I am going to start getting creative with yarn storage options...

I'm still open to blog nickname suggestions for this amazing boy. I got nothing, and I refuse to call him "the civilian." Anyone?

Eek! I'm going to be in the same place at the same time as Nancy Bush and Evelyn Clark! So excited!!

Why do I bother?

I think there is some sort of cosmic force that attracts Webster to my knitting. Especially when its blocking. I'm really glad that I didn't spend an hour trying to pick all the cat hair out of my Brandywine before I blocked it:



Because he moved in as soon as I was done with the pins.



What a goof. Yes, I let him stay on the shawl- he looked so comfy!

Aww...

I can sum up the past month or so with one picture...



A heart cupcake- cupcake made by yours truly and frosting heart added by my favorite civilian just for me.

I've been gone because...

My first dance performance is today. I've been furiously practicing, sewing and knitting (yes, knitting!) my costumes- and hanging out with a certain Civilian who is pretty awesome.

I am totally nervous about the performance today- but in an excited, good way (I think).

I need to do some hair and makeup- and snuggle with a kitty before I leave. I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

Ask and I shall receive...

Two awesome dates with a civilian.

That is all.

I'm editing this because that is not all- I want to talk about this one.

For our first date, he suggested that we go to my favorite restaurant (a small, local place with a great view and awesome fondue). We sat and talked for a while- about all kinds of things. Then, one of his bosses walked in- so I met his boss on our very first date.

Today, he emails me and says that since his boss met me the other night, the boss extended an invitation for me to a company dinner event thing that was going on tonight. So- tonight we had our second date and I met his entire company and their families. Non-traditional, yes. Trial by fire, right?

I actually spent the evening discussing my thesis and history and actual real things. His other boss (the one I hadn't yet met), grilled me throughout dinner about history and my choice to become a historian and to study modern historical conflict- and I held my own in the conversation.

Towards the end of the night, there was some discussion (not with me) that involved the pulling out of the iPhones to check some facts- at which point I leaned over to my date (who apparently seriously needs a good nickname) and mentioned that I knit my iPhone a sweater. He not only wanted to see my iPhone sweater, but then asked if he could show it to his boss. Turns out, the boss that I met originally is actually a knitter himself.

Walking me to my door, my un-nicknamed date tells me that, while this certainly wasn't a test of any sort (we joked about it on the way there)- that I performed well and held my own in some tough conversations.

Yay.

for good measure, here's the little man after my shower last night:

Am I completely insane?

It's late, and I should be in bed... but here are some things that have been on my mind lately. I don't think any of them are about knitting- so if you're not in this for the personal reflections, I would stop reading now.

1. What on earth is wrong with me that I'm only attracted to men in the military? I've gone out with several really nice, engaging and sweet civilians... with zippo chemistry. I'm talking about guys from several different industries, some of which can keep up with me in conversation and so far all of which put up with the knitting (huh. I did manage to talk about knittting). But I feel NO attraction to any of them. In fact, the idea of having to kiss them (again, in a couple cases) makes me feel like I want to vomit. Am I a military junkie? Worse... am I a townie?

2. I've been in a weird malaise state lately. Not sad or depressed, but just kind of aimless. I have aims that I know I should have- but haven't been able to be motivated to do anything... and then it hit me today- While I have personal things that are going on (work, thesis), I dont have any crazy deployment cycle to work around. Deployments have always been my time of get things done and self improvement and take care of myself... and now that Ranger Man is no longer deployed and we're no longer together, I can't even pretend that this is just like a deployment (ugh, writing this is making me tear up). Seriously, is there something wrong with me?

3. Yeah, the Naval Aviation Officer is great and I really like him, but I'm just not sure that he really likes me... and he's off on another TDY next week, so who knows what's happening with him.

4. It has to be possible to transition in to a civilian life, right? But what if I don't want to?

Or... is it that I'm just scared of something and won't let myself transition into civilian life? I know what it's like to go through constant TDY and deployments- I don't know what it's like to not have any of those. I don't know what it's like to not worry all the time, I don't know what it's like not to have the constant roller coaster of emotions. Gosh- it wasn't fun when I did it, why am I clinging to it? It's as though I can't feel anything unless there's a sense of urgency- somehow things are less real out here in the real world. As though, even though it was hard- it was real, and I knew how to do it. I don't know how to do anything with the criminal defense attorney, or the Software Sales Guy, or the executive recruiter, or the finance guy. Sidenote- I thought for sure the attorney would work. He spends his time in jail, that's got to be good for something, right? nope. nothing.

Also- at what point does it turn into me leading these other guys on? I go out with them, I enjoy talking to them but feel no spark... how many dates is acceptable to try to manufacture sparkage? I feel that when they kiss me and I want to vomit, that's a good sign that it's never going to happen- but what if they don't? Software guy is very entertaining and I very much like hanging out with him- our next date will be #3... will he try to lock lips then? can I stall him longer to try to want to kiss him?

Oh, and Webster seems to have flip-flopped on the boy issue and now seems to like them all. He's no help at all.

And it's not like this is something I'm obsessing over. I'm living my life, I'm doing my own thing- but gosh, some days (i.e. today), I just feel like I'm banging my head against a wall. Most of the time I go to work, go to dance, knit, sew, cuddle with my one true love (the one with lots of fur) and don't worry about it. Most of the time I know that I am awesome and that everything will work out. Unfortunately, this is not one of those days.

On the bright side, I made a sweater for my phone. Once I can figure out how to photograph this (how do I take a picture of my phone when my phone is what I'm using to take pictures?), pictures will be posted. Having a sweater-clad iPhone makes me insanely happy.

I'll try to post something happier and more upbeat tomorrow. For now, I needed to get this off my chest...

Best. Day. Ever.

Yesterday was quite possibly the best day ever.

It started out with a HARD two hour workshop with (literally) a belly dance superstar. You can check her out on Youtube here- she's phenomenal. It was basically two hours of drills, and I'm going to be feeling it for a few days. Right afterwards I went to the grocery store and was holding my abs the whole time, halfway afraid that they were just going to fall off my body.

I went home and took a little nap, then spent the rest of the afternoon baking brownies, before heading back into town to watch a performance by the aforementioned amazing dancer and some other local dancers. It was an evening of awesome dancing and hanging out with my dance friends.

Then, after all of *that* was done, I spent the rest of the evening with a certain Naval Aviation Officer...

Dance, Brownies, More Dance (I knitted a bit before the performance, and I wore Tuscany to the show, so there was totally knitting involved), and then a cute boy. Best. Day. Ever.

Oh yes, there was some of this too...



Snuggle time! He looks like he was about halfway through a bath in this picture- scraggly cat!

Update.

So, I'm going back to school again in the fall. No- I haven't actually finished my thesis from my last Master's degree. But I'm going to start another MA program in September. It will be here, in my hometown, and hopefully this degree will be more conducive to my PhD plans.

My classes for my last degree were awesome- COIN theory, history of genocide, the International History of the Cold War... Complete awesomeness. And I love being a historian, I really do- but I love being a historian that focuses on conflict.

Here in hippieville, my choices for fall classes include the History of American Environmentalism, and Canadian Culture and Identity.

Wow. That leaves me a bit speechless. Where's the strife? Where's the angst? Where's the violence and irrational actors? I don't know if I can sit through an entire quarter of "Canadian Culture and Identity." On the bright side- it will probably give me less nightmares than the history of genocide class did...

Sir Shedsalot is happily occupying my lap right now, happy that my dates both tonight and last night didn't materialize. Quite frankly, right this second it's hard to say that either last night's boy or tonight's boy could have made me much happier than this kitty does when he sits on my lap.



Perhaps soon, I will 'introduce' a boy or two to the blog. Well, preferably the one that I like the most... I'm really not sure how/when it's appropriate to have the "so, where is this going" talk- because until we have that talk, I am not willing to get rid of the back up plans. However, maintaining the back up plans is getting exhausting!

And why, oh why, do people keep trying to set me up with random people they know that happen to be single? I'm not going out with my boss's boyfriend's friend who is 11 years older than me and nicknamed "Squeak." Not. Going. To. Happen.

Kitty Blogging!

I have a post coming. Be patient. But I don't want to jinx anything, so I'm not blogging about anything just yet.

My life has been kind of slow and boring, working 7 days a week will kill the blogging mojo, let me tell you what.

Besides the doing nothing but working, I received the latest draft of my thesis back this week with what will hopefully be the last set of revisions. Chapters 3 and 4 (i.e. half the thesis) are structurally unsound and will need serious re-writing. The good news is that the information and source material is good- it's just my writing that was bad, so I'm working on that as well.

So... not much to blog about.

I have been knitting. Here's the lil man helping me with with my version of the Brandywine Shawl:



He looks so sweet and innocent in pictures... I wish I could capture the mischievous glint in his eyes sometime.

Sir Shedsalot, for your viewing pleasure...

Since you asked for it...




Sir Shedsalot himself, looking regal.

Today was a completely awesome day- working at the shop was super slow, so I just sat outside in the sun and knit all day. I actually got quite the sunburn from knitting.

I also got to watch the world go by, and got lots of fun Knit-In-Public comments...

One passerby: "You've got the right idea!"

I watched a seven year old belt out Johnny Cash, and had this befuddling exchange:

Well Meaning Guy: It's a great day for outdoor knitting!
Me: It's a WONDERFUL day for outdoor knitting!
Well Meaning Guy: [something indiscernible], Good Luck!
Me: (in my head) do I look like I'm about to stab myself? What do I need luck for?

Knitting in Public... it's never dull.

Happiness is...

Running into the guy that you completely idolized all four years of high school, until you finally dated him at the very end of senior year and discovered that he was a complete jerk...

And realizing that his smile no longer has any effect on you. Priceless.



Also... having this finished sock:





Now all it needs is a second sock...

Tuscany on the Town

Going out on a date means... An opportunity to wear my knitting!







Tuscany's date night debut!


Handsome's been hanging out under the covers, in the meantime.

It's Monday!

I've been hiding from my blog because I just don't know what to say! Dating and working full time is seriously cutting into my knitting time, and I'm not sure I'm ready to blog about the details of the dating. So, I'll distract you with a picture of a snail!



It's not too bad for an iPhone picture, right?

And the little man (ignore my legs in the background...)




He's so furry and adorable!

I may have knitting by the end of the week. It's a slim possibility. I have lots of WIPs, but nothing done. I will tell you that Mr. Naval Aviation Officer passed the knitting in public test- We went to see a movie after dinner last weekend, and he drove us to my apartment on the way to the theater to pick up my knitting, and then sat with me knitting in the theater, with my yarn in his lap, feeding the yarn out to me. Y'all know that's my favorite thing ever...

Happy Monday, everybody... Happy Monday.

Lessons Learned

Let's start out with a picture of the very special dog I alluded to before...



Meet Sierra. One of the soldiers I was writing to with Soldiers' Angels, Travis, just brought her home from Afghanistan. He found her when she was a teeny tiny puppy, hiding in a ditch that he was using for cover during a "little firefight." They brought her back to their base and he did a lot of work to be able to keep her, and then to get her back home to him.

I'm knitting her a blanket, because I think she needs as much love as possible. I'm making a big squishy striped garter stitch blanket out of Lion Brand Thick and Quick.

Things I've learned this weekend:

If you're going on a first date, don't rest your forehead on your steering wheel before you go inside to meet your date, especially if your steering wheel cover is bumpy. You'll end up with a line of bumps down the middle of your forehead.

Also, if you're going on a first date, you should try not to knee yourself in the eye that afternoon. Black eyes are not attractive, although they do make a good ice breaker.

Things Webster has learned this weekend:

While it is fun to lick up all the shower water after the shower is over- it's best to stay out of the shower while the water is still running. Webster nearly took a shower of his own today, which I think would have had disastrous consequences. Luckily, he realized that the water was coming down still and didn't manage to get all the way through the shower curtain.

The accountant guy from last night? Didn't have a chance after Naval Aviation Officer from the night before...

Best first date ever... uh oh!

All right y'all, I just went on the best first date ever.

However, (and this is a big however), he's a military guy. Not a Ranger- he's a naval officer- but still. Am I really getting myself into this again? I have another first date with a completely different guy tomorrow (an accountant)- so maybe that will help put things into perspective?

This is what I feel like doing right now:

Tuscany Shawl

One of the perks about my part time job:



My boss says... "So, how about you knit something with this, and wear it to work. I'll give you the yarn." This is the Tuscany Shawl from "No Sheep for You."

It's knit from our own house brand of yarn, a silk/merino blend. It was awesome to knit with. We don't have an online shop, otherwise I would link to it...

I moved into my new office today- would it be weird to decorate with my stash?

Be Happy! Be Happy!

I present to you:

The Socks of Happiness.

These colors scream "Be Happy! Be Happy!" to me:



They are nice and squishy sport weight socks, originally intended to be bedtime socks, but may just end up being 24-7 socks because of their intense awesome factor. Just regular vanilla socks, knit on size 2 needles. I believe the yarn is 3 Irish Girls Sport Merino. The colors are incredibly vibrant and perfect.

I have more knitting, but no more pictures of knitting to show... there is much less sunlight here than there was in Georgia and on the Island! Picture-taking is difficult!

It's hard working full time after you've not been working full time for a while! Not to mention, I no longer have a spring break to look forward to- Memorial Day seems like a long time away! I'm working a lot with contracts and accounts receivable and things like that- which is a tad out of my league, so much of what I'm learning is completely new information. It's not hard, per say, but it's just a lot of new things- I've been going to bed at 8 every night!

The King hanging out under the covers: (He sort of looks like a Sumo Kitty in this picture... )




You can only see two of my quilts here, but rest assured that there are two more that aren't pictured. I am still not accustomed to the temperatures here... Both of those quilts were made by my mom for me... and hand quilted. Perhaps they will get their own blog post one day...

Catching up

So, to provide more details about meeting Cat Bordhi's photographer...

The shop that I work at runs regular ads in Vogue Knitting. a few weeks ago, they were shooting a photo to potentially use in an upcoming Vogue- and my bosses were having difficulty working their light meter thingy. Luckily, I was just a spectator for all of this...

So they call in their handy-dandy photographer buddy to help them out. Their handy dandy photographer buddy who they also introduced to Cat Bordhi and she ended up using him for her books. They started talking about "Cat," and it took me a moment to figure out who they were talking about and then I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped to the ground.

Then, when the person who was actually modeling had to go, they used me to do light checks and bounced the light off my forehead. So, I met Cat Bordhi's photographer and my big shiny pasty white forehead was just perfect for seeing how much light would reflect off of it. Great.

He was super nice and helpful, although I was in fangirl mode most of the time, and trying to hide it...

Well, hello there!

I finally have the internet in my apartment! Today marks my official re-entry into internet-land!

I feel like I've been gone so long that I'm a bit overwhelmed with the idea of starting to blog again...


I've been doing lots of knitting, but not so much with the taking pictures of knitting.

Here's my completed ravelympics lace (ish) citron:



I've also finished a sweater, most of a hat, a shawll, most of a shrug and have started a small blanket for a very special dog.

Mancandy is history, and will henceforth be known as "jerkboy," but let's not get into that.

I started a dance class, which is making me incredibly happy.

And, what's really been taking up most of my time/emotional energy...

I got promoted! I'm a bona-fide regular, full time employee again! The week before last was crazy stressful with the interview process and this week was my first week of training. I've cut my hours at the yarn shop way back to accomodate my 40hour a week work schedule at my other job (yay!).

More details to follow, but for now I leave you with a sleepy, sleepy kitty... (he's currently sharing my lap with my computer while I type).

Can't get away from it...

Good grief.

So much for getting over Ranger Man.

Every time I turn around...


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Small squee

So, at work today, I met the photographer for Cat Bordhi's books.

He dropped by to help with a small photo shoot we were having at the store.

I was in a knitting celebrity induced *swoon*.

And now, back to my insane amount if knitting to complete before the end of the month.

Here's a shot of the miles of stockinette on my sweater. The color is off, due to using my iPhone camera in the middle of the night.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Weekly Update:

Today's weekly update will include:

Webster (of course), writing, knitting and a short segment on transitioning back into civilian life.

So, as I posted earlier, I finally turned in the first complete draft of my thesis. I'm not finished yet, but I am hopefully very close. Now, if we can just convince my advisors to read the gargantuan monstrosity... then we'll be doing even better.

Webster had a good week- we didn't do anything terribly exciting, but I was home for much of the afternoons/evenings this week so he was happy.



Here he is deciding which book to read next- surveying my bookcase making skills.

I'm almost done with my Citron, although sadly I have no pictures. I'm trying to figure out what dto do about my sweater- as there will be a mad rush to finish both this weekend.

I have my next project picked out- the Geodesic cardigan from the latest knitscene. I just happen to have two skeins of malabrigo laceweight in my stash, and the 60 degree weather we've been having lately is leaving me longing for sundresses and lightweight cardigans (I know, the el nino summer here in the PNW is not going to be conducive to that, but... a girl can dream, right?)

And on transitioning back into civilian life and civilian relationships...

I find that I am still highly sensitive to people complaining about their spouses- especially complaining about 'how hard' it is if their spouses are gone for a night or two. Ugh. Give me a break. I truly hope that this feeling never leaves, and that I am able to appreciate that people are around forever. On the other side of this coin, I have a hard time not thinking that people are about to leave all the time. It is very strange to me that ManCandy doesn't need to spend every waking moment with me... because he's still going to live ten minutes away tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. He can also take his cell phone to work with him and tell me about his job. It's totally bizaare.

Also in breaking news about the Civilian World... "stinky" does not mean the same thing. Stinky to me is when you've been in the field for three weeks with only one uniform in 100 degree weather with 100% humidity. Stinky is also the boonie cap that you wore throughout your year long desert deployment and didn't wash because it was unlucky. When you're a merchandiser and you've worn your uniform for two days in a row in 50 degree weather... that does not qualify as stinky to me. Maybe a little less than clean- but "stinky?" Not so much.

Complete draft ... Done!

Drive by post to announce:

I'm turning in the final pieces of my complete draft Right. Now.

Hooray for me!

And now: for some knitting.

Weekly update (minus serious talk!)

Weekly Update:

Since Holly wants to know about Webster, we'll start out with him today!



As you can see by him sitting on my shoulder, he is doing very well. It's been so warm here lately that the birds are coming out (there was a beautiful Blue Jay outside our window on Sunday), so he's been having a great time chasing the birds through the window.

The highlight of last week/this week was definitely taking a trip to Vancouver on Sunday to check out the Olympic festivities. It was awesome! The city was so packed and there was such amazing positive energy (we didn't see any protesters), it was so amazing. There were athletes walking about in the streets with their team clothes on, and it was so awesome to see everything.



The Olympic Flame! Hooray, there it is!

Also, here's a picture (from a ways away) of Olympic Village:



You can almost make out the infamous kangaroo flag on the Australian bloc.

I had an awesome time.

And then, there has been some knitting. Actually, there's been quite a bit of knitting, but I'll just share one picture today:

My ravelympics project/lace KAL project:



Citron in progress, and another Webster shot!

Those are all the exciting bits for now. Have a great week everyone!

The Opening Ceremonies

Warning: Completely serious post ahead with nothing to do with knitting or Webster. I'll post about knitting and Webster in a different post so those who don't want to read about Rwanda can skip this one!

Today I want to write about the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. Vancouver is quite near here, and so I think that made it especially exciting to watch, knowing that all the excitement and amazing international cooperation was happening less than an hour away.

I loved the part at the very, very beginning where the snowboarder rode in and jumped through the Olympic Rings. I also love watching the different countries and feeling that maybe it is possible to get along, about some things.

But by far, the best part of the evening came toward the end; when the Olympic flag was brought into the stadium, bore by distinguished Canadians. These were people like Donald Sutherland (I didn’t realize he was Canadian), or others that either played to peoples’ heartstrings or popular culture.

And then, there was one man who wasn’t smiling. And as soon as I saw him, I gasped and jumped to my feet. The Canadians did an amazing thing when they included Lt. General Roméo Dallaire in the procession.

Lt. Gen. Dallaire was the UN chief of mission in Rwanada. He was the man in charge of the “peacekeeping” force that had to stand by and watch the genocide unfold, pleading all the while for the international community to do something and getting turned down by the UN and the US at every turn. When someone finally did do something, the French in Operation Turquoise, it was the genocidaires that were aided, not those being raped and massacred.

If you’re up for it, I highly recommend his book, Shake Hands with the Devil: The failure of Humanity in Rwanda. It’s quite a long book, and if you’re (like me), prone to nightmares… make sure you are prepared. His story is haunting and discouraging, and does not have a happy ending.

Until perhaps last night.

The inclusion of Lt. Gen Dallaire in the opening ceremony was, I feel, notable in a few different ways.

Firstly, it was an incredibly profound way to recognize a man who tried so hard and did so much, but yet saw so little results.

Dallaire has struggled since his return from Rwanda, understandably, with PTSD and related ailments. Some of these struggles have been very public and very embarrassing to him and his family. Recognizing and embracing this man is a powerful tribute to other veterans around the world who may also be struggling with similar issues. It shows that Canada is not ashamed of this man, despite the fact that he is experiencing PTSD. It shows that Canada is, in fact, proud of this man and what he did. PTSD or no. It was a powerful statement to veterans about acceptance and love.

Finally, it shows that Rwanda, at least in Canada, has not been forgotten, it shows that the courageous nature of those that give all of themselves to stop genocides are treasured and valued in the world. That atrocities are not tolerated and there are amazing and truly awesome people in the world that will give anything and everything they can to stop awful things from happening.

Honoring this man by including him as a flag bearer showed Canada honoring all of these things- and was, for me, the best part of the ceremony.

Weekly update, Superbowl edition.

Since I still don't have the internet at my apartment, it looks like I'll be posting weekly when I go to my Dad's to mooch internet off of him.

So, here's my weekly update:

1. I started working on the sweater for the February Olympic knitting challenge with the LYS near my house. I'm about 6 inches into the body, working from the bottom up. I plan to get some knitting done today (football is good for something, I guess...), so I can cast on my Citron on Friday. I've also got an awesomely happy pair of socks on the needles right now, but they're taking a back seat to all of this other knitting goodness.

2. Mr. M. was up in my neck of the woods this week and we went out for drinks. It was nice to hang out with an old friend... but I am very glad that we broke up.

3. The guy that I *didn't* have a crush on in high school, who I am oh-so-affectionately referring to as "Man Candy," and I have been having a good time together. He's not at all like that first facebook message came across- he's actually a decent human being- so I'm sticking to my 2010 goal of staying happy and just enjoying having a boy that's actually around some of the time. It's very strange that he's not about to leave to go somewhere (like a deployment) right away- things can progress much more slowly. I think that's nice. However, if he thinks he's going to stick around for a while, he's going to have to get a lot more comfortable with my knitting. We went out to dinner this last week, and I left my knitting in the car because it was a sweater and it was a little too bulky. We had to wait, and I was lamenting that I didn't have any knitting with me (duh, right? what do non-knitters do when they have to wait anyways?), and he gave me a funny look and said "you don't do that, in *public*, do you?" You all can imagine my response to that.

4. Working at the yarn shop is going well, and so is my other job. I haven't bought any yarn yet, and I'm putting together ideas for classes. My Grandma is coming up to my Dad's today to watch the game, and I'm going to take her into the shop and show her around.

5. I love being able to wear warm knitted things. The weather here has been unseasonably warm for here, but for a girl who's been living in significantly warmer climates recently, it's still pretty cold. So I get to wear knitted socks and hats and sweaters and gloves... it is awesome.

6. The first draft of my thesis was submitted last weekend. I still have the intro and conclusion to finish, along with the rest of the front matter, but hopefully this draft will be approved with only minor changes.


Old FO of the week:



Wanida Socks. Knit with Knitpicks Gloss last November. The pattern was easy enough, but I had to use the chart for the beginnings of every row- you'd think this pattern would be intuitive enough that the chart wouldn't be necessary after a while, but it didn't work like that for me.

I really like wearing these socks. They fit amazingly and they're a neutral color so if I'm trying to tone down the sock-wearing for the day, these are my go-to socks.

Phew. How is that for an update? Weekly blog posts are hard!

Snuggles For Food

A pair of socks!




Plain Vanilla, I knit the first sock on the plane on the way to the PNW for Thanksgiving and didn't finish the second sock until Christmas. My knitting mojo seems to have disappeared. This is Hazel Knits Artisan Sock Yarn in the Autumn Bounty colorway. I love the little stripes- they make me happy!

I may have also gone out with the guy that I *didn't* have a crush on high school yesterday, and he may have turned out to be a decent guy. There is more to it than that... but I'm not telling yet!

Ranger Man is following the saga with firefighter Mr. M closely, which I think is hilarious. We have also devised a program based loosely on Webster's latest dinnertime diversion tactics whereby the UN could proved a food-for-snuggles program. He seems to think it would work (since it's so nice when Webster does it), but I think that it may violate some human trafficking provisions.

Yes- that is the kind of week that I have had. Random and at times completely insane. Expect the trend to continue!

That is all for now. But tomorrow, the epic knitting month of February 2010 will begin. Watch out, here I come!

Second job!

I finally got a second job! You are looking at (well, reading) a brand new LYS employee! It's either going to be a really good thing, or a really bad thing.

What I think is the most exciting part is that I get to design and teach knitting classes! There are currently NO (surprisingly) classes being taught at this shop at all, so I can literally start from scratch. Does anyone have any suggestions or tips for knitting classes?

It was totally awesome to go to a job interview and get to show off my FOs!

This weekend, after draft one is completed and mailed, I will be winding and swatching in preparation for February. I've even unpacked enough to know where my ball winder and swift are!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Coming up for Air

Coming up for air long enough to... well, come up for air.

I think the writing part is done, now I've got about a million footnotes that say "Cite this" that I need to find citations for. I netflixed "Julie and Julia" and think that while A and I watch the movie tomorrow night, I will be sifting through documents and notes.

My back finally feels better-enough that I'm going to attempt some yoga as soon as I'm done posting here. I've spent almost three weeks doing nothing but lay on my stomach and I think that's exacerbated the problem to a small extent, so I'm excited to try to move again. I'll make sure to keep my cell phone within an arm's reach in case something breaks again!

Finally, another Christmas FO:



My Grandma liked the first pair of socks that I knit for her so much that I made her another pair for Christmas. These are undulating waves (I think?) from "Favorite Socks" from Interweave in Lorna's Laces greeny-ish sock yarn. Yeah... no brainpower left, guys, sorry.

Oh, and my meeting with the Ambassador was rescheduled. I think he may have been busy saving Haiti last week.

I had another interview last weekend that I will hopefully be writing about soon.

In the meantime, I'm getting back to work.

Gearing up for February

I may not have been doing much knitting in the past few days, but I'm planning on making up for it next month! Hopefully by then, my draft will be submitted and sometime during February there will only be minor cosmetic changes to the text.

So here are my knitting plans for February:

The LYS near my apartment is hosting a month-long Olympic challenge, to knit an EPS sweater in the month of February. I joined that- so I'll be knitting another sweater. There's a "training session" next weekend, to help get the math under control, and then there's a cast on party on the first. I've got some robin's egg blue Cascade 220 that I'll be using. Those sweaters that do get finished in the month of February will receive a $20 gift certificate to the yarn shop- that is plenty of motivation for me!

I also joined the Adventures in Lace KAL with Kate.

I had also pledged to be on a Ravelympics team.

Good grief.

I believe that I'm going to combine the lace and the ravelympics and make a Citron, and save 'bigger' lace for after the sweater is done.

I'm so excited for knitting through the entire month of February!

I talk to The Ambassador today. I spent all day yesterday, and will spend the rest of this morning rereading his book and major report, and also my own research, in the hope that I will sound intelligent. I'm getting more and more nervous about this interview, but it should be really interesting to talk to him, whether or not he likes my ideas. And really, if he doesn't like my ideas... it's kind of too late to change them.

And to close, here's another hat I finished before I left Georgia: Ripley by Ysolda Teague.
I did two versions of this hat, out of one skein of Malabrigo- one size small slouchy version (which I think is pictured below) and one size medium not so slouch version. They were meant to be gifts, but I'm not sure I'm okay with giving them away!



Happy Weekending!

Revenge of the Nerdy Girl

So much blog-less time, there's much to catch up on!

Catching you up:

Right before I moved, I managed to completely throw my back out. As in, I couldn't walk for a couple days. My dad and my brother are heroes and moved all my boxes for me, but as my back is still sore, there is much unpacking left to do. However, I can walk now... so I am not complaining.

Because of the aforementioned back injury, I was unable to attend the hockey game with Mr. M. As I could not walk, I didn't think hockey was a good idea. I believe he has since lost interest in me- which is no skin off my back because he is boring anyways. He was kind of getting on my nerves...

In further revenge-of-the-nerdy-girl news (and added to my "I hate facebook" list), I got a friend request the other night from a guy that looked mildly familiar and was from my hometown but I had no recollection of who he actually was. I messaged him a silly "do I know you" message- to which he replied (get this!) "I guess you were more memorable to me than I was to you. I think you had a crush on me in high school."

He thinks that *I* had a crush on *him*? Seriously? Full of yourself much, sir?

Game on, buddy. This nerdy girl is so ready to show you just how much I didn't have a crush on you in high school.

Because of my back, and my looming *real* first draft deadline, there hasn't even been much knitting in the past couple weeks. I've been working on a pair of socks for my friend A- but the 3 x 1 rib seems like it is taking forever. Probably because I've spent most of the last two weeks laying on my stomach on the floor whimpering.

But the most exciting news of all? It's kind of a long story. Ranger Man's cousin-in-law's uncle (that's the long part) is quite literally an expert in my field. Well... he's a practitioner and I'm a historian, but he was a practitioner during the time period I'm writing about and he's the founder of an important institute in this field, etc. He's a former US Ambassador. Months and months after I asked Ranger Man about his possible connection to this individual (it's a unique last name), he finally followed through and I am actually in correspondence with the Ambassador now. In fact, his assistant will soon be contacting me to set up a phone call. How fancy schmancy is that? He's going to talk to me on the phone, about my research! Eek! I'm going to be spending all my spare time until then re-reading his books/studies so I don't sound like a complete dope.

To make up for my lack of knitting or moving... Here is a very sleepy Webster:

Keys!

Guess what I got today...



Keys!

Blogging will likely be light after today- until I get another job, internet is a luxury I can't afford.

The agenda for the rest of the weekend:

moving tomorrow, hockey on sunday. Hooray! Enjoy your weekends, everyone.

2 dilemmas

It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that I am extremely non-confrontational, and that my usual coping strategy is avoidance- when my parents split up, I moved to Georgia partly just to avoid having to deal with it.

Well, now, here I am- unable to avoid any longer. So, here's a quandry... In applying for my apartment, I thought I would need a cosigner, so my dad applied as well (as the cosigner). Turns out, I have enough in my savings account that I don't actually need a cosigner. I found this out because they ran a credit check and my dad's credit literally didn't make the cut. So... my biggest quandry of the day was: do I tell my dad that when my mom left him, she tanked his credit score, or do I simply tell him that I didn't end up needing a cosigner.

I opted for the latter, mostly to keep the yelling to a minimum. It was selfish, and I'm afraid that it will end up being the wrong decision- but I'd rather make the wrong decision in my own apartment (and thus, have the ability to avoid) then tell him now and not be able to get away from him. I'm totally a wimp. And now I want to see my mom even less than I did before.

Much less of a moral dillema is my more frivolous quandry. My new/old work Christmas party is this Saturday... should I go? There has been complete (I mean, 100%) office staff turnover in the almost-3 years that I've been gone, so I'll know few people there. It would be a good opportunity to make new friends, but I'll be spending the entire day moving my stuff (and not knowing where my clothes are), and don't have a date to take to offset my painful shyness around strangers. Seriously? It's not necessary to blush when someone asks you where you went to school. It's not a blush-worthy questions. I wish I could get that through to the part of my brain that controls blushing.

And, just for kicks... Here's Webster enjoying the snuggie (wtf?) we got from my mom for Christmas. He likes it. A lot. I've been using at as a blanket (i.e., without the sleeves)- and every time I bring it out, this is what he does:



must. stay. awake... fail.

Welcome to 2010

So an update on my life:

I start work at my new/old job tomorrow. It's the same company that I worked for before I left here to go to the Island, but I'll be doing something completely different- I'll find out tomorrow! I'm only working part time there, so I'm hunting for a second job.

I found an apartment, and I hopefully move in on Friday. It's within walking distance of a yarn store. Heaven. It's much smaller than our apartment in GA, but it's my own place, so I have no complaints.

Mr. M. has continued to call/text- we may be going to a hockey game next weekend? I'm not sure. It never ceases to be completely gratifying to hear from him. On the one hand, I feel like an awful person for getting this much pleasure out of this experience... but on the other hand, I totally deserve it.

I finished a sweater! Well, almost. It's seamed/hemmed, but the ends aren't woven in, and I'm waiting until we move to block it.



It's the Hourglass Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. If the yarn looks familiar... well, it should- it's been on the blog before. This sweater is much better than the original. This would be a good sweater to wear to a hockey game, no?

Welcome to 2010, it's starting out well.

Why I'm not more productive

This is what happens when I try to write:




Notice how he's helpfully sitting on top of both my drafts/notes pile *and* my computer, all at the same time.

So helpful!