phew

I'm starting to get a little hysterical about the next nine days. We'll be moving into the house completely in nine days and there is still so much to do. Tonight there's dinner, tomorrow work and school (and a midterm), then Laura in the afternoon, and then packing for Houston Saturday, Sunday, and part of Monday, then work Tuesday and Wednesday and then installation of services on Thursday and then work on Friday and then it's here. I can barely keep it all straight. I just close my eyes at night when I'm trying to fall asleep and think about how nice it will be to live in a house again. No shared walls, no loud upstairs neighbors constantly moving their furniture around, no doormat theives, a yard for the dog! I keep packing in all of my spare time, hoping I can get everything done. I packed all of my shoes, save the pair I am wearing, last night, along with my purses and most of my knitting paraphernalia. The knitting stuff was the scariest to pack... I left a sock out to work on, and hopefully that should tide me over. I really don't have money right now if I run out of things to knit.

Silly me, like I have time to knit!...

.667

I am 2/3 way done with a lot of things right now, so I figured I would take a break from them to write.

I have a government midterm tomorrow, and I feel pretty confident about the material. It's actually almost review so far, from macroeconomics in high school. Well, except I don't have to draw all of those little graphs and charts. (phew) I finished the reading I was supposed to do in Douglas A. Irwin's "Free Trade Under Fire" (which I had nicknamed "Insomnia Under Fire", until things picked up in the book). I was thinking about this, and while he does make a really good case for free trade, it just seems silly to buy into it without any real opposition to his ideas. It's like reading Marx and thinking, "yeah, communism could really work", but in reality, you know it never would. It's very easy to get surrounded and brainwashed by the ideas of something without considering the other sides at all.

I am working on the foot of a pair of jaywalkers right now. I've been afraid to mention this project, because it seems like every sock project that I mention gets destroyed by Topper pretty much instantly. I finished my project for my secret pal, and I am mailing off her package tomorrow. Once she gets the package and knows who I am, I will post a picture to show off the scarflet I made her. It's sooo soft though, it's hard to let go! At least things are finally starting to get sunnier and warmer around here. If we have another cold blast, I'm about ready to fall asleep until spring is really here.

I might not write too much after this post this week, because after my exam monday, I have a 2-page topic proposal due for my 1970's class on Wednesday, an (easy) midterm in social stats on Friday, and a midterm in Psychology on Friday as well. Eeesh. I can't wait for this week to be over, so all of this stress is gone, and so we are another week closer to getting out of this apartment and into our house.

Aha!!

After much googling and poking around, I found out who my secret pal is! She gave me two sets of hints in recent emails, and I found someone who matched them... and what do you know? My secret pal is Emily, of Vegan Knitting

Yay!

oh man

Things are starting to really pick up in every facet of my life right now.

School is still going well, but I have a lot of government reading to do this weekend. I'm not looking forward to it, and I'm trying to work it down and break it up over this week. I just finished most of my statistics homework, and I can do the rest over the next few days when I'm tired of dry government reading. I can't imagine being a government major. I'd die of boredom.

I decided I am done with the law firm at the end of this semester, and that is both exciting and nerve wracking. Hopefully, a situation may materialize in which I would be very very happy. I know what this situation would be, I just don't want to jinx it. I've had so much good luck lately, especially with the house, that I'm so afraid it will run out.

Knitting is going a little better. I am about 2/3 done with the project I am making for my secret pal. When I'm done, I'll post a picture, and when she gets the package, I'll let everyone know who she is. I feel bad it has taken me this long to send her second package. I meant to do three, but things got hectic, and now it'll just be a big second package.

Michael's 21st birthday is Wednesday (yes, Valentine's day), and we're celebrating by going to dinner and then the Parlor to play pool. Hopefully a lot of his friends will come to wish him a happy birthday.

good things

Two things are making me not-frustrated and happy right now:

1. My new phone.
Thank you, LG. Thank you.

2. I broke 150!! My weight is down to 149, which is a huge symbolic step to me. 11 pounds down, 14 to go.

frustration

I am so utterly frustrated right now. I am suffering from what has to be the worst case of knitter's block ever, and it is driving me insane... quickly. Nothing is coming out right, things keep getting messed up, and I can't find a basic, simple pattern that I want to do right now (though I'd probably mess up the simplest thing right now...)

I just feel like pulling my hair out.

looking up

School started, and I am very dedicated this semester, despite the fact that my psychology professor seems hellbent on putting the class to sleep, and the love affair that my government professor seems to be involved in with himself. But, my grades and work this semester, though delegated by them, are not dependent on them, and I think I will still do good.
I'm also getting back out there socially and it feels nice. I know I can seem boring or quiet to my friends, like when I start a game of solitaire at a party, but I can also have and be a lot of fun. I'm enjoying myself right now though, so that's what matters.
I have been making slow progress in knitting. I lost my printouts for the letters H-J, and that's where I am right now on the blanket, so I need to make more printouts. I'll go on and do that now. I haven't worked on the blanket in over a week because of that, and I'm worried about finishing in time. I've made slow progress on Michael's socks, and started a pair of garter rib socks out of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sock that Rock in Puck's Mischief. I like the yarn okay, but I think I prefer Cherry Tree Hill for some reason, at least in the way the yarn is plied. I wish CTH had better colors though!
Oh! And I can finally share my exciting news that we didn't want to jinx... Michael and I are moving into a house in March! We are getting an amazing deal, and it's going to be so wonderful and such an improvement for us. I really can't wait for March to get here.

cold

I'm sitting here, killing time, waiting for five to roll around so we can order some chinese food. It's too cold and potentially icy for me to drive, but if some delivery guy wants to bring me some food, I'm all for it. It's been raining pretty much constantly for the past two days, and last night it finally dipped below freezing, but it's not getting "bad" until tonight and tomorrow.
Last night, Topper was laying on my half of the bed when it came time to go to sleep, so I tried putting pillows on him to make him uncomfortable. Yes, the logic of that plan still doesn't make sense to me. But it proved entertaining, and he's so good at taking pictures...

He's such an amazing dog. When I think about what he went through before he was even two months old, it breaks my heart. I'm so happy we have him, and I can't believe he's only 8 months old. He brings so much laughter into our apartment, and I can't wait to give him a backyard when we move.

Second Secret Pal Package

Finally, my long last camera to computer cord has been found. So, without further ado, I bring you the second package my secret pal sent me!


Okay, starting with the awesome pink socks in the middle, and going clockwise, she sent me...
A really sweet card
Note pads with bird designs that are actually just my style
Soak Woolwash in Citrus (I've seen this at my LYS so many times and now I can finally try it!!)
Skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton - soooo soft, and already mostly used, as you can see. I couldn't wait to use it, so I made a hat for Eleanor for her christmas gift.
Hot pink page holder-upper. Very handy!
Hand salve, which is really helping in this cold weather we are having.
Stickers! Crafty stickers! They're really cute and funny - my favorite is obviously the knitting one ("Your gauge or mine?") haha. I'm way too excited about the stickers.

Thank you secret pal! You really wowed me with this one! Everything is just perfect! I have no idea who you are though - ahhhh suspense!!!

Now I really need to get on the ball and mail my second package!

Progress

Things are progressing well on all fronts for me right now. I have some super exciting news that I can hopefully share soon, but I don't really want to jinx anything right now.
Weightwise, I've lost five pounds so far (2 weeks), so that's good. I just have to keep going and going with it.
Knittingwise, I've finished (and seamed!) the first strip of Eleanor's blanket. One down, six to go! I started on the second last night. While seaming that strip together, I thought of not one, but two ways I could have done this differently to make it easier. I could have knit the strips as five big pieces and just had four seams to sew, or hey!, I could have used intarsia and done one big piece. Oh well.

2k6

1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before? knit socks, got drunk, found out that making socks while drunk doesn't work

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't think I made any for 2006, but I am for 2007.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Eleanor was born, but that's not family or anything.

4. Did anyone close to you die? no

5. What countries did you visit? Americkuh

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? endless yarn, a yard for Topper, and a horizontal drivers license.

7. What date(s) from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? July 13, the day we got Topper, August 17th, the day I got Audrey, March 23, the mad rush from one apartment to another.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? getting over my anxiety disorder

9. What was your biggest failure? classics

10. Did you suffer any illness or injury? nothing serious

11. What was the best thing you bought? a puppy and a kitten

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Frannie, for kicking her meth problems.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Britney Spears

14. Where did most of your money go? bills and yarn

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? babysitting

16. What song will always remind you of 2006? something goofy like Fergalicious probably

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier
ii. thinner or fatter? chubasaurus, but working on it big time
iii. richer or poorer? same

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? more friends, more meeting new people

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? crying

20. How will you be spending Christmas? I spent it with my mom and then Michael's fanily.

22. Did you fall in love in 2006? Over and over.

23. How many one-night stands? zero, but one 28-month stand is ongoing

24. What was your favorite TV program? HOUSSSSE omg

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I'm not big on hate, but there is one person that makes me violently ill to think about.

26. What was the best book you read? I think I read the Virgin Suicides last year, but that was so good I can't really consider anything since then "reading".

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Sean Lennon

28. What did you want and get? yarn, knitting time, a puppy and a kitten

29. What did you want and not get? a yard, but that's coming soon

30. What was your favorite film of this year? totally Little Miss Sunshine

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 20 and went to dinner with my parents and Michael

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? a million dollars

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? skinny jeans, long t-shirts with silly patterns, flats

34. What kept you sane? my mommy.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Ed Norton, Nicole Richie (odd combo)

36. What political issue stirred you the most? midterm elections

37. Who did you miss? Laura, the dynamic between me, Kevin and Casey senior year.

38. Who was the best new person you met? Patricia, totally.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006: People will believe what they want to believe, despite all logic and facts pointing the other way. Friendships that died did so for a reason, and they don't need to be tried again.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: "she comes home late with another screw loose, she swears to have had just a pineapple juice, falls asleep fully clothed in her bed, with her makeup remover by her head, she might not be all there, but her dream's all vanity fair"

Eeeek!

Michael and I are horrible at waiting until Christmas to exchange gifts when we have already purchased and wrapped them. So we exchanged; I gave him the lesser of his two games (hahaha he's going to like the second sooo much better), and he gave me my present. It's so beautiful. Boy knows how to pick some jewelry out. He got me the rose link bracelet from James Avery, and it's so wonderful. I can't stop smiling.

In other package news, I got my second package from my secret pal, and it blew me away. I am getting batteries for my camera tomorrow, but I am sooo excited to use the yarn and the stickers and the stationary and the wool wash! Thank you so much secret pal! I wish I had some idea who you were, but I'll find out sooner or later - probably when you tell me, hehe!

on a lighter note

Could this man be any hotter?

(The answer is no.)

eff

I am at a loss for words. I have never been so upset with myself and so disgusted with my actions. I push everything by doing nothing and then I find myself on the edge of things and it doesn't even hit me until it's too late. I have to seriously get my shit together with school and start taking things seriously. I feel like such a failure right now. I don't want to think or talk about it and I just act so nonchalant when people bring up school, but I just want to tell them I fucked up and now I have to teach myself how to actually be a student all over again, without blaming it on my shitty high school or freshman year. It's just laziness, and it's fucking stupid.

I have to get help next semester and I should have this semester.

I keep feeling so upset because I let down my parents, even though I can't bring myself to tell them, and then I know that I have to do this for me, not them, and I get even more mad at myself because I dissapointed myself more than anything.

reflections

Reflections on my night:

1. I am allergic to everclear. Oops. My back stopped hurting a little while ago though.

2. I am so giddy and happy about winter break for the following reasons:
a. Knitting carefree without doing so while not studying for something
b. Seeing Laura
c. Raking in the big bucks whilst house-sitting

3. I am also sooo glad this semester is over.

Busy busy busy

This last week has been pretty hectic, but not unbearable by any means.

This coming week may be another story. I have a final in classics on Friday, and in history on Saturday. I just keep telling myself it will all be over in less than a week, and then I am done with school for a month. It is weird to think that I am 1/3 done with college. That might not seem like a lot to other people, but it is for me. I should be halfway done by this time next year, or at the end of this summer at the earliest.

Knittingwise, things are going well. I have put Eleanor's blanket on the backburner until after the new year, because I am planning to gift it for her first birthday in March. I've had a random and sudden burst of energy for Christmas knitting, but I'm not going too crazy. I think I'll still be doing the half and half, and mostly the guys will be left over for next year's gifts (which is easier anyway!).
I have an awesome pair of socks that I am working on, and a zig-zag garter stitch scarf for Michael's mom. Both are of my own design/calculations/ideas, and both are currently working, so I have a confidence boost in the designing department right now.

That's about it until after finals I guess.

blanket

To celebrate my first babysitting adventure this Saturday, and to keep myself occupied while said baby sleeps, I am making her (yet another) baby blanket. This one will be greater than the other two and fun to make.
I'm doing a square for each letter of the alphabet, based on alphabet dishcloth patterns, and then seaming them all together for a blanket. I am using Bernat Cotton Tots in five colors, and I can't decide which color design I like best... Pattern or chaos?

I'm leaning towards the pattern...

Thanksgiving

Since Michael and I will be at the lake for Thanksgiving, I will go ahead and make my annual list of things I am thankful for now.
In no particular order:
1. Michael. Best boy ever. I love him so much, and I think we've grown a lot this last year.
2. My parents, for being my best friends that I don't want to get rid of.
3. Emo, for our five year anniversary, and for being the best cat I could ever have.
4. Topper, for being so cute that we instantly fell in love, and for making me smile and laugh on a daily basis.
5. Audrey, for getting along with Emo and being Emo the Sequel.
6. Knitting, for keeping me sane through everything.
7. Yarn of all kinds for giving me inspiration and a reason to save money.
8. Not having a baby of my own like so many people I went to high school with, but for having a cute one to babysit every now and then.
9. 7-11, for Big Gulps and chocolate milk and tabloids late at night.
10. Laura, my sister/cousin all in one. 29 days!!

newsflash

I can apparently take care of a reeeeally, almost painfully cute 8 month old baby girl for money now. This blows my mind and I am soooo excited.

Secret Pal Package!

I got my first secret pal package in the mail yesterday, and everything is sooo wonderful! I'll start out with the money shot and then show you my absolute favorite:

She (I'm guessing it's a lady :) ) sent me a sweet card (I love the knitting design on the front), some very nice chocolate I haven't dared to touch yet, a wonderul body wash (grapefruit and mint - mmmmm), the softest lip balm I have ever used (and I needed it today!), and best of all, a pair of hand-knit fetching, from knitty's summer issue - in hot pink! It's the most amazing match to Thelma, my car, and I can't wait to put these to good use tomorrow. I can't do the pink justice by photographing it, but I'll try again in the sunshine tomorrow.
Look how even and beautiful the stitches are!


Thank you Secret Pal! You rock!