The Inconsistent Mixer

RavelRaiser '08

2008-04-08T21:04:00.001-05:00

I can haz Fiddlehead
Originally uploaded by tdgirl

Let's all do our part to get the beloved Ravelry out of debt... all our fun has been financed by Jess & Casey up until now, so lets do our part and get Rav Back in the Black!

If you are on ravlery, check out this thread to see all the wonderful prizes and use the magical RavelRaiser '08 donation button. $10 lousy bucks will get you in the drawing, and if you're lucky, I'll win the Fiddlehead Mitten Kit. Or maybe that's if I'm lucky. Well, either way, I ♥ Ravelry.

Cats with Socks

2008-03-30T22:50:00.001-05:00

IMG_0561
Originally uploaded by fumblerette1

I sent Nichole a package (it started out as sending some tea that wasn't to my taste...) and included some catnip socks that I made around Christmas time. I'm glad that her kitties are enjoying them.

We are the Ones

2008-03-01T22:16:00.001-06:00

I am becoming more of an Obama girl every time I hear him speak, and this video seems like a good one to pass on. Yay for Adrienne Palicki being in it.

Daffodils, Day 1

2008-02-26T19:42:00.001-06:00

Day 1 Blooms
Originally uploaded by tdgirl

Yesterday, as yet another winter storm rolled in, I bought $8 worth of daffodils at the grocery store. I'm going to try to take pictures of them every day, since I bought almost entirely closed buds. I love watching them open, why wouldn't you?

I have places in my apartment that are prettier to photograph than the kitchen, but the state of our lighting means that the only place to get a decent photo is on the table in the kitchen. I need to get some more bulbs for the dining room track lighting.

Sarah Louise visits the Bean...

2008-02-16T18:59:00.001-06:00

Sarah Louise visits the Bean
Originally uploaded by tdgirl

and other points in the city of Chicago! She brought beautiful, relatively warm weather with :gasp: sunshine and clear, blue skies. We've had a lovely time so far, and I've worn her out (with the help of her cold).

The Mean Kitty Song

2008-01-20T10:21:00.001-06:00

So, I know that I'm not a big fan of internet videos, but the Saira over at Ravelry posted this link with the message, "Heres a rather cute kitty, and the bloke is quite cute too!" I entirely agree with her and you should go and watch the cute kitty and cute bloke. Who can resist a kitten?

Open Letters

2008-01-19T12:24:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted since Christmas, apparently. But we're ignoring that here at the Inconsistent Mixer and just moving on.

Dear People Behind Me In Line at Jewel Yesterday,

I realize that we were in the Express Line. I had only 4 items, and it is not my fault that the store-brand deep dish plastic containers did not scan. Nor that the person called to find the price was unable to locate the ENTIRE DISPLAY of Glad-Ware, ZipLoc Boxes and the Store Brand stuff, right next to the plastic bags. I realize that we all waited what seemed like an eternity for the price and then I just abandoned them and went on my way with butter and eggs and peanut butter cookie mix. Thank you for not yelling and screaming and freaking out. That is why I like going to the fancy-pants suburban-style grocery store that is still in the city. Thanks again for your patience. I hope that the rest of your weekend was better than that line.

Sincerely,
the girl who held up the line for a really long time

********************

Dear Price Finder who FAILED,

You suck. I don't know how you missed the huge display of plastic boxes with lids.

You're Fired,
The girl who held up the line for a really long time and still doesn't have boxes the right size for the ice cream made by the ice cream maker

********************

Dear Lorna's Laces,

Why do you have to have such nice new yarn in your Green Line? And with lovely semi-solid colors at that. I was totally ready to not pay for my WCKG membership this year, skip the studio tour/mill-ends sale and save myself from buying yarn that I didn't need. But now, you come out with such beautiful new yarn that will probably have mill-ends and screw ups from the figuring-it-out process, and I want it. Also, I am excited to hear about the new line's dying process, which will surely change up the tour. Darn you.

Love,
The WoolPig

********************

Dear Babies,

Please be more exciting next week. I promise not to be so grumpy.

Love,
Your Nanny

Quick Netflix Update

2007-12-25T23:38:00.000-06:00

I have completed the Netflix race. Quick conclusion: It doesn't matter where I mail it from, they all process at pretty much the same time.

More To Come.

A Chicago Post Office Test

2007-12-16T22:25:00.000-06:00

I happen to have finished all three discs from Netflix this weekend, and I'm going to send them on a race back to Netflix through the USPS.

Disc #1
Title: Smallville Season 3, Disc #2
Zip Code Sent from: 60640
Outgoing Location: Corner mailbox at Carmen and Broadway (Aon Building)
Mailed on: Sunday night (approximately 11pm)
Netflix "arrival" confirmation email date/time: TBD
Netflix "sending a new disc" confirmation email date/time: TBD

Disc #2
Title: Smallville Season 3, Disc #3
Zip Code Sent from: 60625
Outgoing Location: either Pytel's residential mailbox via the mailman or corner mailbox at Spaulding and Lawrence. If that corner mailbox only has one pick-up per day, I will drop at the 60625 post office before 5pm.
Mailed on: Monday late afternoon
Netflix "arrival" confirmation email date/time: TBD
Netflix "sending a new disc" confirmation email date/time: TBD

Disc #3
Title: Friday Night Lights, Season 1, Disc 2
Zip Code Sent from: 60601
Outgoing Location: Eve's work office building's mailbox
Mailed on: Monday morning
Netflix "arrival" confirmation email date/time: TBD
Netflix "sending a new disc" confirmation email date/time: TBD

My Predictions:
Logic says that the discs should arrive #1, #3 then #2. Disc #1 will be on the first mailbox emptying pick-up of the day tomorrow (and is a mailbox fairly close to the actual post office), and then will be sorted and sent to the Netflix facility at 60680-4117, theoretically arriving in the first batch Monday morning. Disc #3 will be in the mail before the first mail pick-up of the day, and has less distance to travel because it will already be downtown. Disc #2 should theoretically not be logged in at Netflix until Tuesday because it won't be picked up
until later in the afternoon by the individual mail carrier or will get into a blue mailbox to be picked up in the 5pm or later pick-up.

My experience tells me that the discs will actually log in #2, #3 then #1. Disc #2, if it goes with the mail carrier, is in a more efficient post office (60625) than Disc #1 (60640) by my experience mailing discs. Also, with the mail carrier, I think that the discs are hand sorted immediately into the bin to go to Netflix, so that it gets there quicker. The morning/first run discs will be buried at Netflix receiving on account of all the end-of-weekend (exacerbated by the snowy weather) disc watching and returning, slowing down their check-in. The late afternoon disc, on the other hand, will hit Netflix in a smaller batch, theoretically helping it to be processed faster.

All of my disc mailing experience has been wholly unscientific, and this isn't much better, except that I am going to document the experience, mostly to figure out which is the best way to send back my discs, since all three options are viable in my regular routine. All discs will be packed into the mailing envelopes with the disc sleeve barcode visible in the little cut-out window in the mailing envelope, in case that helps with processing time. My queue is plenty full of available discs, so everything being returned should be able to trigger a new disc to mail immediately.

I will edit this post with updates as discs make their way through the system.

Yes, these are the sorts of things that I think about now that my job doesn't involve major problem solving. I am enjoying the break, but if anyone needs a problem solver on the side, I am clearly available.

Ten Gifts for Knitters

2007-12-05T23:12:00.001-06:00

I am a knitter, I like knitting, I think about knitting a lot, and Clara Parkes has written up this year's list of 10 great gifts for knitters. As though I didn't put enough choices on my Christmas List already.

Oh, you know what else is super? I donated to Heifer International, and today I got address labels and holiday gift tags with livestock on them, including sheep. I was very excited, especially because my MSF/DWB ones are almost used up. I recently gave them money too, though, so I should eventually get a re-stock on their address labels.

All Done!

2007-11-27T17:38:00.000-06:00

I took lousy pictures (that are up on flikr! if you care) of my sockapalooza 4 sock pal socks, so I'm not torturing you with any here. Instead, go on over to Lindsey's blog and check them out here.

And now, back to the baby pants that I'm test knitting.

A Wardrobe Change?

2007-11-21T00:02:00.000-06:00

I think that it is time for a wardrobe update, and the only things that I found at Marshall's recently that I found acceptable were a pair of brown corduroy pants and a made-in-China fair isle-style cardigan sweater. What I really want to be wearing is a wintry update to my new-to-me summer style.

What do I want to find? I want to be wearing jumper-style dresses (pinafores across the pond, apparently) over long sleeve t-shirts with cardigan sweaters over top, with thick warm tights and chunky mary janes. I've got the t-shirts. And some black Keen mary janes. But the dresses? And tights? I'm at a loss. Send links! Or hand-me-down clothes would be fine too.

In knitting news, my long-past-due Sockapalooza 4 socks are complete. The box will be going out in the mail later on today (its just past midnight here, so its technically the same day). I am so glad to have this monkey off my back. Next up on the queue? Test knitting some baby pants for Shelly Kang. I should go and pack those up for the trip to MSP tomorrow. I expect to be waiting out craptastic weather for a long time at MDW late tomorrow evening, but at least I'm checked in, and seated in row 9 instead of 17, and not in a middle seat. It'll be fine. As its the last flight to MSP on NWA tomorrow, I'm pretty sure that it will go, but probably not on-time. I've got knitting and reading, so I'll be fine and dandy as long as we get there.

53 balls of wool on the bed, 53 balls of wool

2007-11-18T21:54:00.001-06:00

Dalegarn Baby Ull 002
Originally uploaded by tdgirl

Take one down, pass it around, now give it back, its my wool on the bed!

This is all the Dale of Norway/Dalegarn Baby Ull that was hanging out in the stash cubes in the corner of my room. All of this yarn, except for the frog kit, was apparently hiding in half a cube. It was like unloading a clown car to catalog it all on the bed. No, I don't have any idea how I'm going to get it all back in.

A word problem about knitting

2007-11-15T19:31:00.001-06:00

I may be in a funk, and generally cranky, but I've decided to knit the Sweet Baby Hat (Ravelry) for a small, related child. The question is, which size to knit that will give me the best chance of a hat that fits someone at Thanksgiving.

I have babies of cousins who are 19 months, 5 months and in utero. if my hat size choices are 6months, 1 year and 2 year, and i have no idea, nor do I particularly care about my gauge (there is hope of hitting it, so I'll be in the size ballpark), which size should I make to maximize the possibility that it will fit a small child at Thanksgiving?

I currently think that the 1 year size is where I'm going to head.

Christmas List

2007-11-13T21:37:00.000-06:00

Edited 11-15-07 and 11-23-07

Mom has asked what I want for Christmas, so here's a link list. Yes, I know that its huge and extravagant, but it wouldn't be a surprise if gift-givers didn't have lots of choices.

I would like someone to plan and cook healthy, yummy meals for me. There is no link for that. Sorry. If I knew where to get it, I already would have taken care of it.

A new laptop battery. It would be really exciting to really be unplugged for more than 20 minutes. Also, I haven't found a pocket or purse-sized WiFi internet device that I desire, so improving the current laptop would be a better move.

Danskos? New Clarks? Good sneakers? I need some new shoes.

A seltzer water maker

Knitting Camp for 2008

Yarn School for 2008 (no info yet online... maybe I should ask for my birthday?)

Schoolhouse Press has nice things. So does Levenger.

A Craft Zine Subscription

Books to read! I am lousy at choosing, but mysteries, feminist sci-fi, regular SF/F, good adventures are all good. If its marketed as chick lit, please put it in someone else's stocking or package.

I'd like a teapot. Travel abroad has spoiled me for a tea bag hanging out in my mug.

If you wanted to get me yarn, and were somehow unable to find some clever self-striping sock yarn or something generally pleasant, smooth and made of wool, here is a specific hint: sock-weight yarn with silver in it. Any number of skeins will do, I think that it would make a heavenly Clapotis with many skeins (4), or a pair of socks, hat or small neckwarmer with one.

Etsy Shops I like:
The Interimaginational Institute
Piddleloop Sewing Team
Entrelac Stitch Markers
Shelly Kang's shop
Laurenn McCubbin

The little things, like for my stocking? Chapstick, Cadbury's Drinking Chocolate, Walker's Shortbreads, 3 Musketeers Reindeer, hand cream (I really like the little blue Nivea tins from Walgreens for a dollar)

Some wishlists:

The Loopy Ewe

Things I love, in no particular order

2007-11-03T00:26:00.000-05:00

cream cheese on toasted ciabatta bread
TV shows streaming online
peanut butter fudge ice cream from Archer Farms
bank branches in the grocery store
risotto (who would have ever thought I would say that?)
sheepskin slippers
pajamas
chapstick
Belle and Sebastian's The Life Pursuit

I still think that they are cute

2007-10-08T18:46:00.000-05:00

I started a new, full-time job today. I am now a nanny for a pair of fraternal, boy-girl infant twins. They are cute and keep me busy and even in my first day, with both parents still around, I have learned a lot. Oh, and I didn't break the baby and plan to stick with it, so I think that the first nine hours were pretty darn successful.

A list of ten things about today:

Babies smell very similar to the way cheese does when you are making it.
Cloth diapers (with a service) are easy and nice when you have the little plastic-elastic-velcro wrappers for them. With twins the service is even less expensive than disposable. And where are you supposed to put all those used, disposable diapers?
Apparently, baby formula can be any temperature between (but excluding) so-cold-the-baby-rejects-it and hotter-than-human-body-temperature. There is no particular scientific reason for a warm bottle.
It only takes one mistake to reinforce the need to put the lid on the bottle before you shake it up.
You'd have to be a masochistic idiot to wake a sleeping baby.
The baby carrier will be saving my arms.
Its way too hot for October.
Baby bottles have come a long way in the last 15 years.
It's hard to wait the full five minutes to see if a soothing method will work.
The bird swing is magic. Its creepy how well it works, but definitely magic.

I also got into reading my newest issue of The Economist and got some knitting done on a swatch/potholder. I'll definitely be back tomorrow!

No longer lost!

2007-10-03T07:15:00.000-05:00

The keys have been found! There is a little shelf unit by the door that holds the record bowl tray where keys go, and apparently, they escaped over the edge and onto the floor. This morning, when grabbing the keys I've been using, something else flipped over the edge, and when I pulled back the shelf to pick it up, there were my keys! (amongst a pair of shoes and a lot of dust balls) I didn't figure out what it was the actually fell, but I'll deal with that tonight. =)

I'll figure out who had the suggestion (here and/or on Ravelry) that would have led to this location, if I wasn't just generally clumsy in the morning, to arrange the yarn. Thanks for all your help!

Help Wanted - there is a prize

2007-09-28T09:28:00.000-05:00

I have lost my keys in my apartment. They have been missing for a few days now, since Tuesday morning maybe? I am currently using the spares, and relying on my roommate to check the mail. But this is annoying. I got into my apartment, with the mail, so they are in there somewhere.

Leave me any and all suggestions in the comments. I have looked "everywhere" but obviously not, because the keys are still missing. There is a prize equal to 100g of sock yarn from my stash when I find my keys. The basis of who wins will be, the suggestion that leads to finding the keys wins. If you don't knit, or don't like sock yarn, I promise that we will work something out.

Help!

P.S. tell your friends, and feel free to suggest more than one spot.

Sheep Race!

2007-09-27T20:43:00.001-05:00

Sheep in Spandex
Originally uploaded by jodiwilldare

Thanks to Adrian of Hello Yarn on the Ravelry Forums for leading me to this hilarious picture of newly shorn sheep. While they are really just wearing these little outfits to stay warm, I prefer to think that the MN State Fair has added a sheep running race to the Great Minnesota Get Together.

"...never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her..."

2007-09-24T23:02:00.001-05:00

So, today I was in my LYS, sitting at the table, knitting on my sock. A woman who I've seen around there and had conversations with previously came in to buy a crochet hook. After announcing what she needs, she turns to me, and says, "Oh! I didn't know that you were pregnant. I always thought you were so young, 16 or so. But on Saturday, you were behind the counter, and you had that belly."

There was nothing that I could really say to that to express my confusion at the situation. I said to her, "its physically impossible for me to be pregnant right now."

My blank stare of confusion must have communicated something to her, because she said, "I'm socially awkward."

To which I responded, "So am I. That's why I knit socks."

I was baffled, though after she left, I did comment that apparently, its time for me to actually sign up for Weight Watchers.

Many thoughts have come to mind since this conversation.

How does being 16 prevent pregnancy?
Who says this sort of thing out of the blue?
Do I really look 16? I'm quite certain that I look more grown-up than 16.
Um, yeah, who says that sort of thing? And anyone got any tips on Weight Watchers or something else that worked for them?

and now, your PSA for the day. Think before you speak.

*Quote from Dave Barry

Need an Assistant?

2007-09-16T22:17:00.000-05:00

Second in an occasional series

Last week, I posted about my qualifications for being a nanny. Tonight, I am writing up my qualifications to be an assistant. Administrative Assistant, Executive Assistant, Secretary, Office Clerk... I'm not sure what all the shades of distinction are there, but there are many titles for the same general job; helping someone who is more in charge get their work done, by making it your work, and not screwing it up so that their life is even more harried and difficult.

Here goes, my qualifications to be an assistant:

I find it to be humorous that job posters feel it necessary to put "greet guests and visitors courteously" and "answer phones politely" in the job descriptions. Last time I checked, in a business/work environment, it is generally important to always be polite and courteous to whoever one encounters. Golden rule and all. I'd hate to meet the assistants who caused those descriptors to be added to the listing.
I type well. Its a side effect of using instant messenger-type programs since I was 14 or 15. I believe that I type around 50-60 wpm, and I don't suck at 10-key data entry either, provided that I don't have to switch between a keypad and a phone frequently. Does anyone know why calculators and computer keyboards are reversed from touch-tone phones in the order of the numbers? I misdial frequently when working on a job bid because I'm switching back and forth a lot.
I have good math skills. I haven't studied past Calc 1 in 1999, but if I can break a problem down to an algebra, geometry or trig equation, then I'm golden. Apparently, I learned something in school.
I take good phone messages, as my parents trained me well at an early age.
If you, the boss, would like me to, I will keep track of your calendar. I attempted to do that for a previous boss, and it turned out that he didn't keep a calendar at all, and didn't want to start. I just kept an eye on him, and he told me when I needed to remind him about things.
I read people well. I can tell who is slimy and who is for real.
My PDF making skills are pretty darn good for someone without any formal training. Your tear sheets will never have catalog prices going to the client.
I am skilled with Excel and Word.
My proofreading skills are good. You won't send out any notices about "costumer service" unless the dressers and stitchers are going to be receiving massages.
I travel a lot, and know my way around travel arrangements. I can get you fancy digs, refundable, first-class tickets and a car service to pick you up, or I'll get the cheapest plane ticket, a bed at the Red Roof Inn and a compact rental car. Tell me what you need, and I'll find it, book it, and give you a neatly typed up list of all the details you'll need to have smooth sailing through the trip.
I know how to use ACT! I do not do it willingly because in my experience it is cumbersome and slows down the whole computer, but I know what it does and how to get around in it.
I am good on the phone with screening calls, and promise to actually find out what the caller wants before passing them on to you.
I have experience with ordering food for large groups of people, having taken that on in high school during shows with matinées. You won't have to eat the same old sandwich tray everyday if you don't want to, and I'll make sure to find out (and write down for future reference!) what the clients' likes, dislikes and restrictions are.
Having seen the wide variety of holiday gifts and cards sent out to clients and vendors, I can help you avoid the duds and get the most bang for your buck.

And now, of course, the down-sides of me as your assistant:

I have successfully avoided Power Point almost entirely for a decade because I've never seen it used well except as a server of images for a theatrical production. However, its just another MS Office product, and I'm pretty sure that if you know what you want in your presentation, I can make it work and not be so boring it puts the clients to sleep.
My experience with QuickBooks is solely in the Sign*A*Rama custom install, but I've read the manual and it sure doesn't seem like rocket science or brain surgery.
I hate slimy sales people with a passion, but enjoy developing relationships with vendors who are genuine. Please don't make me order mini-blinds, but I'll get you a great price and service on flooring!
If there isn't a certain amount of math and hands-on production of stuff (even well-made presentation packets work for me) I will become bored and irritable. Especially if you are working to bring about the downfall of society.
I need to eat every 4 hours or I will edge towards a melt-down. Conveniently, I tend to come with snacks just-in-case.

This time around, the list is a bit more balanced between pros and cons, but I think that is because I have less knowledge of what assistants do, besides anticipate the boss' needs and try to work independently.

More to come in the future.

Need a Nanny?

2007-09-12T15:04:00.000-05:00

I am looking for a job, and am coming to realize that I'm not terribly inclined to return immediately to the commercial scenery business. I would do it for some money, but I'm not begging anyone to give me a job doing what I did before. As I consider what I am qualified to do, I have decided to start writing a series of blog posts describing my qualifications for various sorts of jobs, looking for feedback, leads, and just putting it out there to remind myself that I'm not totally useless (even if I am unemployed and rapidly draining my savings).

First in an occasional series

Here are my qualifications to tend to your children on an on-going basis:

15 years babysitting experience (Red Cross Certified Babysitter at age 10/grade 5)
I love babies
I enjoy elementary age children
I am amused by toddlers and pre-schoolers
I understand pre-teens, even if I totally understand why we put them all in a place called middle school to wait out early puberty
I will confidently mentor your teens through the rocky years of high school
I can help with homework at any school level
I will encourage reading and discourage television dependency
I am fluent in my native language, English
Legal to work in the United States (so you can run for political office someday!)
Your parenting philosophies will be my parenting philosophies, and if you are new to it (first baby) and still unsure, we will work together to raise a happy, healthy, resilient child
I am a trained Red Cross lifeguard, having completed the full training and testing twice (high school and college), so you can feel confident sending me to the pool, lake or seaside with your children
I like animals and can deal with pets
I have experience caring for children with special needs including diabetes, asthma, Down's Syndrome, mental and physical retardation, high-functioning autism, and other special situations.
I also excel at caring for happy, well-adjusted, pleasant children!
I understand that I am bigger and in-charge. It is unlikely that your children will wear me down to give in to their demands to eat sprinkles for dinner, color on the walls with the new crayons or let them watch cartoons when its supposed to be bedtime. In fact, none of those things have ever happened when I've been left with children in my care.
I am a good driver, having had my license continuously for 9 years
I have a valid passport and would be happy to accompany you on family vacations
I can do laundry, dishes and generally keep the house tidy
I'm not a big fan of juice for children (as it is essentially liquid sugar), but I will feed them whatever diet you would like.

As everyone has some faults, negatives or downsides, here are some qualifications to the above:

I cannot handle more than 4 children at a time on my own. I have learned that a family with four children is my upper limit.
I cook well enough to feed kids and myself, but am not exactly a gourmet. However, I learn quickly if mentored in this department. I'll try to fix whatever your children want to eat.
I have very little experience driving boats.
I suck at sports. I will try, but you've been warned.

Lacis Order anyone?

2007-09-08T11:57:00.000-05:00

I am going to be ordering two weaving needles from Lacis in the next week or so. They have free shipping, but a flat $4.50 handling fee, which is still a fair bit of cost for two needles (even if they are 14" long).

While their website is horrid, Lacis is the source for all sorts notions, both knitting and other needlework (have you ever wanted to try bobbin lace?), and I am more than willing to handle the administrative logistics of a group order if other people want to order with me. I do ask that you be willing to split that handling fee evenly by however many people are ordering, pay me back with cash, check or balance-funded Paypal, and arrange to hand off the goodies at either a Guild meeting (Knitting or Spinning), some other mutually agreeable location, or pay the postage for me to mail you your stuff.

Leave a reply here, feel free to tell your friends. I'll be cross-posting this to a few places.

in 25 days....

2007-09-04T23:35:00.001-05:00

It will soon be my blogoversary for this here page, back in 2004 when I was getting geared up for The Duchess of Malfi, my last school show, and making sure that I had all of the requirements figured out so that I would finish school in December with a degree. Which, thankfully (and quite possibly due to Mr. TANBI's academic wrangling) worked out ok in the end, because I have the giant C-sheet diploma, and the smaller wallet-sized version, that announces to anyone hanging out behind my bookcase (where I keep the darn thing in its big folder inside the big mailer) that I got by BFA in Drama.

So, I want to have a contest of some sort. The trouble is, should it be an entertainment industry sort of contest, a knitting sort of contest, a get-Katy-a-new-job contest? I liked doing the photo scavenger hunt from Erin's blog, but I also think it would be fun to have a contest where the winner was whoever made me laugh or just a random number generator, so I could get lots of comments.

Then, there are prizes. Not everyone (or even most folks) who have stopped by over here are knitters, so I'm not certain that yarn is a good prize. But maybe yarn for knitters and knitted potholders for non-knitters?

I know that I don't post much, but that's the beauty of the aggregator feeds, you can still leave me on the list, no muss, no fuss. So, for the first round here at the Mixer, for the first 4 days, until the counter says that it is 20 days until the blogoversary (so, midnight Saturday, in whatever time zone I decide I'm living in) I am taking suggestions for a blogoversary contest. The prizes (up to 3) will be based on discussion with the winners. Winners will be determined either by their idea being chosen (in whole or in part) or random number generator. If you get other people to stop on by with an idea and say that you sent them, you get an extra chance towards winning. Points for zaniness, unfeasible schemes, creativity and ease of administration. Also, if any suggestion has the distinct flavor of a J. Milo Train-generated idea, that person will probably win.

Thanks and take care!

Launched

2007-08-13T22:54:00.000-05:00

I actually put stuff up in the Etsy shop tonight, and added some Etsymini code to the sidebar of this here blog. I have more record bowls to put up over the next few days, as well as a shop banner to scan, notebooks and flowers to photograph and an application to contribute to the Sampler to put in.

Go, look, heart and give me feedback!

Scalzi is hilarious, Florida is weird... more obvious statements coming up soon

2007-08-10T22:07:00.000-05:00

When Stupid People Do Stupid Things, And Then Do Even Stupider Things (Whatever)

Go read this, laugh, shake your head and click the RSS feed button in your browser if you don't already subscribe to Whatever.

Screw, Marry, Kill, err... Tried, Love, Hate?... Always, Sometimes, Maybe, Never?

2007-08-05T13:40:00.000-05:00

From Bella Knitting, via Karen via Grumperina:

4. Love it! This is my thing.
knitting, spinning (wheel and spindle), teaching knitting and spinning (but still learning!)

3. I do or have dabbled in it.
baking, book binding, candle making, collage, crochet, drawing, dyeing, etching, embroidery and cross-stitch, felting, flower arranging, gift wrapping, graphic design (blogging, basic web design, image processing), needlepoint, origami, painting, paper making, papier-mache, photography, sewing, weaving, welding

2. I'll give it a try.
applique, basket weaving, beading, blacksmithing, calligraphy, card making, decorating, designing/pattern writing, doll house making, gardening, glass bead making, glass blowing, inventing, iron forging, knife making, lace making (needle lace, cutwork, Hardanger), macrame, millinery, mosaics, pattern editing, pysanky (Ukranian eggs), quilting, stuffed toy making, tatting, video/filmmaking, wood burning, wood carving, writing

1. I have absolutely no interest.
acting, balloon animal making, cartooning, cooking, doll making, jewelry making, lucet, poetry, pottery, rug hooking, scrapbooking, soap making, shibori, stamping, storytelling

0. What the hell is that? Maybe I'd like it.
quilling, straw marquetry, string art

Tragedy

2007-08-01T22:41:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know that all of my family and other folks in the Twin Cities are accounted for and were not involved in the bridge collapse. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone up there as they work forward from this tragedy.

P.S. Its not terrorism (duh), there was no seismic activity recorded and the bridge has been inspected on schedule and passed with no concerns

Beach Blanket Burlesque - July 28, 2007

2007-07-23T21:24:00.001-05:00

Beach Blanket Burlesque - July 28, 2007
Originally uploaded by Dr. Sketchy's Chicago

Click on through for all the details on Dr. Sketchy's Chicago for July, this Saturday, July 28th. Its what happens when cabaret meets art school!

News and Upcoming

2007-07-20T13:09:00.000-05:00

Most of you do not know this, but its time to put the word out. I no longer work at CSSI. Therefore, I am searching for new employment, though first I have to decide what I want that employment to be. If you have any ideas, leave a comment or send an email. Thanks!

Now, onto the fun stuff.

I have had an Etsy account and an empty shop for years now (since November 2005, right after they started), and have decided to really try my hand at crafting for sale. The product line, at this point, will include record bowls, woven flowers, coasters/mug rugs and spiral notebooks. The notebooks are the things that I am most excited about, as I have some great ideas for them and a coil binding machine (manual punch, electric roller insertion) on its way from Canada, and supplies on order from a US vendor. As much as eBay is annoying, you can get good deals there with a lot of effort (and the help of eSnipe).

You can help me out in a number of ways, some of them right now, and others in the future (watch this space!).

Go to my etsy shop here: Bee-Ewe-Tee-Full Creations and "heart" me to put me on your favorite shops list.
I have a logo of sorts that I have used in the past for tagging items under this name. If you are able to help, I need some graphic design help, once I scan in the sketch that I do. I've got that covered at a friend's house.
If you have any sort of interesting stuff you think I should use as notebook covers, old vinyl records or unused paper (blank, lined, gridded, colored, etc...), let me know and I probably will make it into stuff.
When the binding machine gets here, I will be more than happy to beat Kinko's price and make your books for you! The thing needs to earn its keep, even if it is making workbooks and marketing material, or securing your knitting pattern booklets.
There will be some naming contests coming up on this here blog! With prizes!

I think that 5 ways to help are enough for now. Tell your friends, and keep an eye out on my pages.

It's Monday! Threadless strikes again...

2007-07-16T16:12:00.000-05:00

This week my favorite tee released is this one:

I know more than one person who should have this shirt.

This is my second favorite of the new selections:

Tartot me!

2007-07-16T16:04:00.000-05:00

You are The Star

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Star is one of the great cards of faith, dreams realised

The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench your thirst, with a guiding light to the future. They might say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

A contest!

2007-07-16T00:37:00.000-05:00

Shelly Kang of "let's bury her house in yarn!" and the modular sock yarn blankie fame, is having a contest. The winner gets a copy of Victorian Lace Today and a skein of beautiful white laceweight yarn. She will even dye the yarn if the winner wishes.

So why am I telling you? Because if you go over there, and enter (just leave your email address in the comment) and tell her that I sent you (I suspect that Katy is good enough, but its not like my full name is much of a secret), then I get another entry in the hat.

I know that many of you are not knitters. That does not matter. Go over there, enter, tell her I sent you, and if you happen to win, have her send the prize to me, and I will send you a prize of some sort (TBD depending on who the winner is and what they would consider a good prize) for helping me win.

Go, now, yes, you! Enter the contest, and help me win a book and yarn! Why? Because you love me, and I'm a wool pig.

Be my friend?

2007-07-12T09:06:00.000-05:00

Come be my friend on Netflix so that we can see each other's movies. I'm a dork, but I like the linking thing. Click on the title of this post to connect!

When Knitting Attacks

2007-07-08T22:03:00.001-05:00

via blackbird

One Word Meme

2007-06-23T08:53:00.000-05:00

As seen on Behind the Stove and Say La Vee... thanks ladies

1. Where is your mobile phone? Dresser.
2. Relationship? Working.
3. Your hair? Long.
4. Work? Ridiculous.
5. Your sister(s)? Wonderful.
6. Your favourite thing? Wool.
7. Your dream last night? Mystery.
8. Your favourite drink? Sparkling.
9. Your dream car? Teleporter.
10. The room you're in? Bed.
11. Your shoes? Closed-Toe.
12. Your fears? People.
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? Strong.
14. Who did you hang out with this weekend? Friends.
15. What are you not good at? Sharing.
16. Muffin? BananaChocolateChip.
17. Wish list item? Romance.
18. Where you grew up? Suburbs.
19. The last thing you did? Sleep.
20. What are you wearing? Jammies
21. What are you not wearing? Mittens.
22. Your pet? Shared.
23. Your computer? Stealth.
24. Your life? Lucky.
25. Your mood? Mixed.
26. Missing? Tote.
27. What are you thinking about? Questions.
28. Your car? Messy.
29. Your kitchen? Disorganized
30. Your summer? Magic.
31. Your favourite colour? Blue.
32. Last time you laughed? Dinner.
33. Last time you cried? Don't.
34. School? Fini.
35. Love? Hopeful.

For Natalie

2007-06-20T22:35:00.000-05:00

FULL SPEED AHEAD

Its got your two favorite things in the same picture. Even better than Magic on the beanbag.

Scavenger Hunt

2007-05-26T15:07:00.001-05:00

Erin is having a blog contest for yarn, and to be entered, you have to find items on a list, make a blog post and comment on her post with the link.

I decided to do it all with pictures that were already in my flickr account before the contest was announced, and as many as possible are from my travels. Enjoy!

A Knitter, knitting in public:

From Arcadia's 7th birthday party

An ~~ice cream~~ cheese truck:

Wednesday Market, Odense, Denmark

A sock:

This pair of socks is in a museum!

A library card:
This is the only one I didn't find a picture for that already existed in my Flickr! account, so I am leaving it blank. If my Australia pictures were more organized and up, I probably have one of my temporary membership cards for either the Bowling Club or Beach Lifesaving Club where we ate dinner.

A ball of green yarn:

Wednesday Market in Odense, Denmark, April 4, 2007 (there was lots of yarn shopping on my birthday!)

A bicyclist:

in Malmo, Sweden, Sunday, April 1, 2007

A street sign:

A Swedish street sign

A flower:

Orchid in Maui

A public work of art:

Go to the description page here or click through to the Flickr page for a bit more description.

A gargoyle in Arhus, Denmark, either on the corner of the theater or cathedral

Your reflection in an unexpected place:

Arhus, Denmark, Good Friday 2007. My reflection in the window isn't exactly unexpected, but the place itself was unexpected. We were just out wandering Arhus while everything was closed for the Easter holidays, and came upon the one yarn store I had found information about before we arrived. My wool-dar was on full blast for this trip, and it paid off. I have many wooly treasures to remember my wonderful 25th birthday travels.

Someone in a catalog pose:

for a hat catalog

I feel like I've seen this picture in a catalog, but with a family more svelte than mine.

A funny billboard or sign:

Copenhagen, Denmark, March 31, 2007
Books and Ale, now that's my kind of business establishment! The only way to improve it would be to have a drunken knitter's night, like they do in Toronto.

Clean Design, Meta Search

2007-05-22T18:07:00.000-05:00

I just found this site through an ad next to an email exchange on my gmail account, and well, I really do like it. It is Kayak.com and it searches all the travel sites. My favorite part though is how you can tweak the results on the side panel, so that it will just show you, say, the flights that are in the price range that you are actually interested in, or if you want to try adding one of the other airports nearby.

Another nice thing is that it shows you the price on Orbitz and on the airline's direct website, so that you can once and for all know that its a better deal to go direct. I think that I will be using Kayak instead of Orbitz from now on. It satisfies my inner geek more.

its amazing

2007-05-16T18:09:00.000-05:00

what a difference two columns can make in an Excel spreadsheet.

tomorrow is another day.

Calling all Knitters!

2007-05-13T22:31:00.000-05:00

This shirt is out of print at Threadless, but if enough people ask for it to be reprinted, they just might. So make a difference, make some argyle sheep!

Via Theresa

GoogleAds on the sidebar

2007-05-10T09:15:00.000-05:00

About Us: "we have the largest selection on white shirts in Eastern Idaho."

I received an email from Eddie Bauer and one of the ads on the sidebar was for missionary clothing. I couldn't help but click to see what that could be. It turns out, Mormon (LDS) missionaries all look like they buy their suits from the same place because they do.

Really, if I saw this website as a joke, I would believe it, except that if it was a joke, the non-Saint jokester would have made the company based in SLC. Instead, you know its for real because they are in Idaho.

Should've been released on 3-14

2007-05-07T11:48:00.000-05:00

How many different kinds of pie can you think of? Mr. Dobson seems to have come up with quite a few. Does anyone know what pork pie is?

Is this me?

2007-05-06T00:51:00.000-05:00

If you play with it (and someone obviously did because it changed), please leave a comment, because I'm curious about how many people will do that.

The Mother's Day Project

2007-05-05T18:11:00.000-05:00

Anne at ThreadingWater is organizing the Mother's Day Project to remember, memorialize and honor the female Coalition members who have died in the Iraq War. I'll let her say it herself, since it is more eloquent than anything I can come up with:

As another Mother’s Day nears, I started wondering how many women soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq? How many mothers, wives, lovers? How many women who would have been mothers, wives, lovers, friends?

As of today, the answer to how many female soldiers have died in Iraq since the beginning of the war is 79. I know their names.
Here is my idea for The Mother’s Day Project. You know the sort of fiber-arts work I’ve been doing lately. I would like to make a tote bag and incorporate the names of these soldiers. I want to hand-stitch the names on muslin fabric, but I’d like to have many different hands contributing to the stitching.

Today in the mail I received my swatch of muslin fabric with a name. I want you all to know this name, and as I find out more information about this young woman (all those who are sent to war are both too young and too old) I will be posting it on my blog, as well as some progress photos.

Jaime L. Campbell
born: 1980
died: January 7, 2006

I will be embroidering over the iron-on transfer to put her name in thread, as well as some other handiwork on the fabric to contribute to the tote bag.

Here are some other things I have learned about Jaime L. Campbell:

She was the student body president at Ephrata High School in Washington, class of 1998
Jaime was the Washington State Rodeo Queen in 1998, showing superior horse-handling skills.
She joined the ROTC to help pay for college.
She attended Washington State University and earned her degree in Interior Design.
Jaime stayed with the National Guard after college to pursue an aviation career.
Jaime's husband Sam was also stationed in Iraq at the time of her death and her father had recently returned from duty there.
She was piloting a Blackhawk helicopter on January 7, 2006 when it crashed in a non-hostile situation.
She attended Washington State University and earned her degree in Sales.
Mr. Sam Campbell is her widower.

Here are links for reference:
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/CampbellJaimeL
http://www.iraqwarheroes.com/campbelljl.htm
http://www.iraqwarheroes.com/jaime_campbell/index.htm
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/1464126.html
http://www.fallenheroesmemorial.com/oif/profiles/campbelljaimel.html
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/fallen/dates/2006/jan/07/jaime-l-campbell/
http://legacy.com/WashingtonPost/Soldier/Story.aspx?personid=16299924
http://www.legacy.com/GB/GuestBookView.aspx?PersonID=16299924

Must.Knit.This

2007-05-05T15:05:00.001-05:00

Ingeborg modeled, 2
Originally uploaded by bowerbirdknits.

I did the "red yarn" search on flickr! and sorted by interestingness and this beautiful piece of knitting craftsmanship and art came up, once again reminding me that I need to knit a Dale of Norway cardigan, and that Ingeborg would be a very good choice.

Found on Flickr!

2007-05-03T23:32:00.001-05:00

Close up + 10!!
Originally uploaded by Rafael Araújo.

Theoretically, this photographer has the same camera that i do, and somewhat similar taste in subject. This is a great photo and someday, maybe I'll grow up to take nice pictures too.

2007-05-02T01:04:00.000-05:00

Map of Online Communities by XKCD.com which is very amusing. Some thoughts that this map brings to mind: How are there more people on Xanga than on LiveJournal? Are there really that many teenagers in the world? Who actually uses Windows Live? I wonder what a chart that showed all the overlapping memberships would look like... SourceForge totally belongs in the SE corner of the map, right where it is, in the Focus on the Web-Focus on the Intellectual area... how big of a geek am I that I knew that WoW was World of Warcraft? (thanks to Lisa and Roger, btw)

Found on Threadless

2007-04-30T20:38:00.000-05:00

Sandra of I May Be Knitting a Ranchhouse is coveting this as a hoodie, and I don't know how I missed it in the Threadless newsletter, but, well, now I'm coveting it too. I may be a follower, but so are sheep, and I like sheep, so its ok.

This one is also quite fun (and new too!):

This is one that I might consider picking up for a sock knitting pal:

I know another sock knitter who this would be great for (but not because she knits socks):

And this shirt is pretty much showing the reason that I don't play Scrabble anymore:

Its not that I hate getting shitty tiles, its that I cheat when I get crappy tiles towards the end of the game, and that just isn't a good way to play the game.

This is one that I should get for myself:

Mr. Peoples probably said this more than once in school, but he is super with the camera. Maybe this is the shirt for him:

That is all the Threadless fun I will torture you with today.

You should know about this guy

2007-04-29T17:53:00.001-05:00

My friend Charlie told me about this guy, Mike Gravel, former senator from Alaska, who is quite the man to listen to speak. He seems to actually be speaking clearly and logically about the issues of the war and defense spending in this video, and now I'm off to read more about his other views at his website.

Wool into yarn, industrial style

2007-04-29T15:04:00.001-05:00

P1000068
Originally uploaded by Trapped Manufacturer.

This flickr! member is apparently a carpet maker in China, and he has some very neat pictures of wool turning into carpets. I love seeing how the industrial process works to make stuff, especially things that I also can make at home on a much smaller scale.

He has a few good "red yarn" pictures.

Dangerous Water

2007-04-29T14:52:00.001-05:00

Dangerous Water
Originally uploaded by pominoz68.

The best part of this photo (besides the fact that multiple people were probably involved in making/approving this sign and it still got installed) is the comments, so click through to read them.

Knitting Meme

2007-04-29T13:14:00.000-05:00

I got this from Erin at My Best Friend's a Dork who got it from Molly Knits Sweaters.

Here are the instructions:
Mark with bold the things you have ever knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

I am adding: ~~Strikethrough~~ the things that you don't see yourself ever doing again/more than once/you actively think are a bad idea. If you started, but did not finish an object, bold it but then put * next to it

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl*
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
~~Knitting with camel yarn~~
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk (blend)
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns (mosaic knitting? or am I missing something and I've done it?)
Knitting with bananafiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)*
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffitti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments (do socks count?)
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colours
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies...)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items)on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone elses handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
~~Bobbles~~
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art (knitting as art or knitted replicas *of* art? I would totally knit a replica of art, but not as art)
Knitting two socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO (if you'll start my socks, I'll be happy to graft your toes)
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with selfpatterning/selfstriping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
~~Intarsia~~
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
~~Freeform knitting~~
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting*
Knitting a gift
~~Knitting clothing for pets~~
Knitting toys/accessories for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
~~Knitting with dog/cat hair~~
~~Hair accessories~~
Knitting in public (there are people who don't do this? the mind boggles)

Copenhagen 128

2007-04-20T08:38:00.001-05:00

Copenhagen 128
Originally uploaded by tdgirl.

I just wanted to show this one. In the thumbnail, I thought it was a bowl or plate from a meal or shop or something. I clicked to see what it was, and it is the staircase of an office building that we wandered into because we thought it was a bank. It was not, but it had this cool staircase or balcony (hard to tell from the ground floor)

Found On flickr!

2007-04-12T07:59:00.001-05:00

Vital Clean Parasit
Originally uploaded by Andrew Huff.

What is this? Who buys a product with pictures of parasites on the label? Well, anyway, thanks to Andrew for taking a picture of it.

I love the silly useful-ness of this product

2007-04-11T07:47:00.000-05:00

Fling - ONELESSBAG canvas bag: Its a standard canvas tote bag with a picture of a blue plastic bag screen printed on it. The intention is to use it instead of plastic bags, and considering the mountain of plastic bags in my house, and how bad they are for the environment, I think that this spring, I will be trying to switch to reusable bags. I used to use them all the time at Trader Joe's in CT, but have somehow strayed from the strategy.

Double Geek shirts

2007-04-08T15:07:00.000-05:00

Afrayed Knot on Cafe Press has some good shirts, on dark colors, with amusing phrases, (especially if you are a computer geek as well as a knitting geek...you know who you are) and you should go and buy a shirt or two. $5 from every purchase goes to Doctors Without Borders as a part of Knitters Without Borders, so you win on so many levels.

Does anyone know how the cafe press shirts fit and hold up? I've never actually bought anything from there, and I'd like to know.

Found on flickr!

2007-04-08T13:39:00.001-05:00

Turkish #1
Originally uploaded by yecatsml.

Noricum found this on flickr! and as I just received my copy of Anatolian Knitting Designs from Schoolhouse Press, it really struck me in its amazingness.

In other news, I am back stateside, the exhaustion from travel is just hitting me this afternoon, and posts from Denmark will be forthcoming. And Happy Easter to those of you who find it to be a holiday!

Just call me Captain Cook!

2007-03-25T13:30:00.000-05:00

What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Adventurer. You are through those knitting growing pains and feeling more adventurous. You can follow a standard pattern if it's not too complicated and know where to go to get help. Maybe you've started to experiment with different fibers and you might be eyeing a book with a cool technique you've never tried. Perhaps you prefer to stick to other people's patterns but you are trying to challenge yourself more. Regardless of your preference, you are continually trying to grow as a knitter, and as well you should since your non-knitting friends are probably dropping some serious hints, these days.http://marniemaclean.com
Take this quiz!

Successfully Social

2007-03-19T00:05:00.000-05:00

This weekend, I was, in an out-of-character manner, very social. As I thought about it, I haven't really made any attempt at socialization, outside of family and visiting with Nicole in Michigan, since Steph died in July, and I think that spring in the air is helping to really push me out of my apartment.

So what did I do this weekend? Here is a list of sorts:

Friday night, I went to Loopy Yarns for the knitting night, and I actually sat with other people and made conversation. It only took an hour or two for me to sit at the table with other people.

Saturday, Jennifer came over to help finish my mom's felted bag, intended for her birthday 2005 and abandoned due to finishing roadblocks circa August 2005. Please note, it is currently March 2007. Anne also came by for a little while to look through (and buy) some of Piddleloop's headbands. She got one as a gift and two for herself. Then, her boyfriend Nat came over and we all went to Thai Pastry for dinner. It was fun, big thanks to Jennifer for finishing mom's bag, now all I have to deal with is the yarn ends from sewing up. I think that I will needle felt them into the bag itself, rather than tie knots.

Oh, but wait, I continued on with interacting with other people (normally, this would have been my limit for a weekend). I went to Justin's St. Patrick's day gathering for the "bar-weary" and met some of his friends and had a few beers and generally enjoyed myself without being a wallflower. The theorem that the world is small was proven once again when Justin's friend Helen turned out to be Lavina's friend Helen from Cherubs. And Helen is super. I like her a lot, as well as Katie and Courtney. Its always good to meet new people. At least, I keep telling myself that. =)

Today, Sunday, I was social from approximately 3:30pm to 11:00pm. That would be 7.5 hours for those of you keeping track at home. First, there was the Demons and Darlings Stitch'n'Bitch at the Urban Tea Lounge on Montrose. It was lots of fun, and I got to meet interesting people and get going on the second sock of the pair I am working on, in the hopes of having two matching socks at the end by working on both at the same time. Also, UTL had good food and beverages, including regular Coke in a can for those of us who prefer our caffeine to be cold, sweet, and fizzy instead of warm, adjustably sweet and creamy, and flat. I had the hummus plate, a coke (obviously) and a pint of Ceylon tea. Lisa and I left there around 7:30 to go and meet her friends Roger and Robert for dinner up in Edgewater.

First, we met up at Roger's, a place I had never been, to wait for Robert and drop off our knitting bags before hauling them to a restaurant for dinner. While there, I got to meet a sweet, attention-loving cat named Nicky (sp?), Roger gave me a book that he is the publisher of (I started reading it while waiting for the train home) and the Firefly TV Series DVD set to borrow and watch. Hopefully, watching it will make the Jayne hat craze comprehensible. Once Robert arrived, and I was able to greet him with, "So, I hear you are a four ball man." (in reference to the number of balls of yarn required to knit him socks, not his reproductive anatomy, silly), we headed off to The Little Mexican Cafe for dinner. I had the mahi mahi special and it was good, but I was hungrier than just that and chips and salsa, so I may still have a bowl of cereal tonight.

After dinner, we returned to Roger's place (around the corner) to retrieve the knitting bag (for me) and to fit Robert's sock that Lisa is knitting, and then we ended up just hanging around and talking about eBay business for a while before I noticed how late it was in relation to my alarm clock settings. So now I am home, finally getting sleepy, and telling you all about how social I was.

Here is the breakdown, by time:

Friday 5pm - Sunday midnight: 55 hours
Social time:

Friday knitting at Loopy: 6-10pm = 4 hours
Saturday with Jennifer, Anne and Nat: 3pm-8pm = 5 hours
Saturday at Justin's: 9pm-12midnight = 3 hours
Sunday at DnDSnB: 3:30pm-7:30pm = 4 hours
Sunday dinner etc: 7:30pm-11:30pm = 4 hours

Total Social Time: 20 hours

That is an incredible ratio of social time to awake time, if you figure that I slept for 9 hours minimum for each of two night of sleeping. I suspect that I will not want to talk to anyone in the morning at work. I think that I may be looking forward to the laundromat and my knitting tomorrow night.

LTPD - To Knit, Perchance to Dream

2007-03-17T14:19:00.000-05:00

That I would ever have the attention span to knit these socks. I think that the enchantment of a growing pattern, coupled with the excuse to buy a fun black knee-length skirt, and using either the called-for Regia Silk or Knitpicks Gloss yarn, would make it a Finished Object before too long. And the wonderful thing about sock knitting is that even for tall knee socks, using super-luxe yarn, the price is $35 for the Regia or $16 for the Gloss. Think about the monetary investment in sweaters, and the comparison with socks (and they have about the same number of stitches) and you will see why people like to knit socks.
Knitty: Spring 2007 - Clessidra Stockings

Confidential to the Inconsistent Mixer: Tab-Enter does not post a blog entry in Blogger, even though it sends an email in Gmail. Quit Trying.

Party Favors for a Knitting Party

2007-03-17T14:12:00.000-05:00

I think that if I ever have an order to place from The Loopy Ewe for more than just these, I will order a bunch of these keychains and either give them as small stocking-stuffer gifts or knit the socks and give the whole thing to a knitter. I think they would also make a good IOU for gift socks that haven't been finished in time.

Keychain Sock Blocker Sock ~ The Loopy Ewe

not dead

2007-03-15T20:24:00.000-05:00

nope, not dead. Still alive and kicking. And knitting. Just saying hi.

Cheaper than the Gap!

2007-02-24T22:12:00.000-06:00

If you like to knit socks, or use sock yarn, or wish to encourage others to knit you socks, go check out the Little Knits sock yarn sale. You can get enough sock yarn to make a pair of superwash wool socks with a clever little pattern for less than $7. Can't beat that with a stick.

I have a bunch of sock yarn, but I'm still thinking of ordering some of the more "manly" color schemes for Dad and Uncle socks for Christmas time and future knitting.

Just figured that I'd put this PSA out there for any knitters that happen on by.

I don't get it

2007-02-24T16:45:00.000-06:00

I frequently peruse the job listings on Craigslist. There are many jobs that list "Blueprint reading a plus" or "must be able to read blueprints". These are not jobs for nursing or phone answering (where the skill is not necessary, obviously), but instead, they are jobs for working on a construction site or as an estimator or a project manager. Who can't read a blueprint and still has any idea what they are making? A blueprint is a picture, to scale, with some ridiculously obvious and logical conventions, and perhaps some notes, of the thing you are trying to make.

Did you see that phrase? the thing you are trying to make. How would you even think that you could do that job if you couldn't read a drawing? And if you can read (really, that's a necessary job for pretty much every job, and how did you get to a CraigsList posting without that very basic skill?) and figure out how to make the thing, and use a measuring device, how could you not be able to read a blueprint?

I understand that sometimes you have crappy drawings to work with, or they don't all match up, and there is some skill in analyzing a drawing, but I don't really see how this is even something you would put in a job listing or on your resume. I don't write "can do math through pre-calculus" or "mastered high school algebra" on my resume, nor do I add "successfully uses a scale rule on a daily basis" or "familiar with Cartesian plane geometry". That is assumed. Kind of like how you figure that I can read and write to the level that is demonstrated with my resume and cover letter.

For those of you out there in the construction field, or who write such ads, what's up with even mentioning blueprint reading?

Well, that's common sense

2007-02-24T16:03:00.000-06:00

If you feed a 2yo lunch later than usual, she won't want to eat because it is time for her nap and she is sleepy. So she'll just eat the banana and some of the hotdogs, and then be done. I barely got her into her bed before she was asleep. Oh, but she is darn cute.

When I'm feeling blue

2007-02-21T00:17:00.000-06:00

This is my favorite flickr! search these days just for general happiness.

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A small list, instead of ellipses: (warning to the boys, I was observing stuff in the drugstore while waiting for a prescription last night)

What are "Sport" tampons and why does anyone need them? Do they wick the sweat out of your hoohah? Are they more aerodynamic? Can you jump higher and run faster?
How did the product testing work to end up with "mistable" personal lubricant?
Who cares if something is manly or not if you like it?
What would happen if you use the Anti-Poof Shampoo and Conditioner and the Anti-Flat styling creme? Would it be like you did nothing at all?
If I don't knit socks (see: too loose of gauge for everything) why am I so drawn to sock yarn?
Does Meg Swansen have an unmarried son or grandson or nephew? I want to be related to that family. (can you tell I've been re-reading EZ books this weekend?)

All in one Clearance Sale

2007-02-18T22:53:00.000-06:00

I'm not as cool as Sarah Louise, so I didn't tweak the text at all, but look, my brain is blue! I like the color blue.

Your Brain is Blue

Of all the brain types, yours is the most mellow.
You tend to be in a meditative state most of the time. You don't try to think away your troubles.
Your thoughts are realistic, fresh, and honest. You truly see things as how they are.

You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about your friends, your surroundings, and your life.

What Color Is Your Brain?

You Are a Mac

You are creative, stylish, and super trendy.
You demand the best - even if it costs an arm and a leg.

Are You a Mac or a PC?

You've Changed 48% in 10 Years

You've done a good job changing with the times, but deep down, you're still the same person.
You're clothes, job, and friends may have changed some - but it hasn't changed you.

How Much Have You Changed in 10 Years?

You Communicate With Your Body

This isn't as bad as it sounds, it just means that you're a "touchy-feely" person.
You need a lot of affection in your life. And for you, this means both giving and receiving little touches.
Warm hearted, you bond with people easily. In fact, you often feel a little sad when you're not in the company of others.
A little moody, you tend to be controlled by your emotions. But a bit hug always comforts you!

How Do You Communicate?

You Are 37% Sexy

Your Sex Appeal Is: Average

You're about as sexy as the average person on the street.
There's no secret to gaining more sex appeal - you just need to be a bit bolder!

How Much Sex Appeal Do You Have?

You Don't Hold a Grudge

You're willing to give almost anyone a second chance, even if they've really wronged you.
Incredibly forgiving and compassionate, you understand that people sometimes change for the better.

Do You Hold a Grudge?

You Are Indigo

Of all the shades of blue, you are the most funky, unique, and independent.
Expressing yourself and taking a leap of faith has always been easy for you.

What Color Blue Are You?

Your 1996 Theme Song Is: Ironic by Alanis Morisette

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought ... it figures

What's Your 1996 Theme Song?

Your Movie Buff Quotient: 48%

You are well on your way to becoming a movie buff.
You've seen many of the great films, and you have even probably developed an expertise in a few genres.

Are You a Movie Buff?

Your Preppy Name Is...

Stockton Danforth Corcoran the Third
But most people know you as Babs

What's Your Preppy Name?

Blog tool as post

2007-02-16T16:03:00.000-06:00

Muppet Heads

2007-02-16T13:37:00.000-06:00

I wrote this article for the Windy City Knitting Guild newsletter and figured that I may as well put it up here too.

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At Childrens’ Hospital Boston, which treats kids from all over the world, there is a ward of 10-16 year olds who are undergoing radiation and chemo for cancer who need hats. We’ve all heard about people needing chemo caps before, but this is different. These kids don’t just want hats. They want fun fur. Yes, FUN FUR hats. All of them, girls, boys, teens, pre-teens, want fun fur hats, to wear as their fake “hair”.

A knitter in Boston is organizing a drive for fun fur hats for these kids. The hats are due to her by February 28, 2007, and there will be prizes donated from all over (yarn, stitch markers, more yarn) to people who send in hats. The response has been overwhelming, and I myself have decided to knit at least 10 of these hats. (I bought 10 balls, and they had better not be in my house on March 1!) For more information, go to:
http://minisoup.blogspot.com/2007/01/contest-and-childrens-hospital.html

The kids also like beanie-type hats, as long as they are very soft, since everyday isn’t a Muppet day. If you want to join in the fun, but don’t want to knit with fun fur, you are still welcome.

At the February Guild meeting, I will collect any hats that you have knit and would like me to send with my own. You can also go to the Minestrone Soup blog and get the details to send in your own fun fur hats. Mini will send you some hat patterns, and her mailing address. Having read through the patterns, to figure out the basics for this yarn, here is what I am doing:

Materials: 1 ball of fun fur-type yarn
Needles: Size 9, 16” circular needle
NOTE: I am a very loose knitter, most patterns (and the ball bands) call for a US 10.5 needle or larger. Use your best judgment.
Notions/Tools: darning needle, stitch marker
Gauge: I have no idea, there is no way to measure it with the fun fur, but my hats fit my head.

The pattern:
Cast on 60 stitches loosely. Join in the round, being careful not to twist. Place marker to locate the beginning of the round. Knit around, in stockinette, for 6½”. Your knitting will not curl at the bottom due to the weight of the “fur”.

When you have knit for 6½”, decrease to your liking or as follows:
Row 1: *Knit 8, k2tog*, repeat from * to * 6 times
Row 2: knit around
Row 3: *knit 7, k2tog*, repeat from * to * 6 times
Row 4: knit around
Row 5: *knit 6, k2tog*, repeat from * to * 6 times.
Row 6: knit around
Row 7: *knit 5, k2tog*, repeat from * to * 6 times.
Row 8: knit around
Row 9: *knit 4, k2tog*, repeat from * to * 6 times.
Row 10: knit around
Row 11: *knit 3, k2tog*, repeat from * to * 6 times.
Row 12: *knit 2, k2tog*, repeat from * to * 6 times.
Row 13: *knit 1, k2tog*, repeat from * to * 6 times.
Row 14: k2tog around
Cut yarn, use darning needle to run yarn tail through all stitches twice.
Weave in both ends on the inside.

Celebrity Writings

2007-02-12T13:07:00.000-06:00

I emailed Schoolhouse Press about some books yesterday. Today, Meg Swansen, the Meg Swansen, emailed me back. She was nice, informative, and so normal. It makes me want to call and have her answer the phone, like she did for Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.

How green is your school?

2007-02-05T23:38:00.000-06:00

How green is your school? Here is how mine stack up: (warning, grades link to PDF documents)

Fall 1998-Spring 1999: University of Minnesota, B-
Fall 2000-Spring 2003, Fall 2004: Carnegie Mellon University, C+
Fall 2003-Spring 2004: Yale University, B+

The word university in each line links to the main school page, the name of the school links to the program/department that I was in. The grades are how the schools' endowments do on environmental sustainability issues, not what my GPA was.

cross

2007-01-31T23:48:00.000-06:00

You have reached The Inconsistent Mixer. She is unavailable to come to the blog today due to an inability to behave like a grownup. All of her reactions to the world around her resemble a those of an ill-behaved toddler, and therefor, her blogging privileges have been revoked, along with knitting with wool. Until this grumpy mood passes, the Inconsistent Mixer is only allowed to knit fun fur hats for teens with cancer, to remind her that there are many people in the world way worse off than she is.

When her behavior is better, Ms. Mixer will be bringing you posts about her SP9 reveal package, Playing Dress-Up with Public Art and a re-publish of an article she wrote for the Windy City Knitting Guild newsletter.

Until then, please leave a message at the sound of the tone. Press 1 for more options.

Beep!

Go read this

2007-01-30T17:03:00.000-06:00

Ms. blackbird has posted something bizarre, yet entertaining, and you must go read it:
say la vee: another Schott
That is all.

Just an update

2007-01-29T20:40:00.000-06:00

Archer Farms Salt & Pepper potato chips are good, even though they leave your mouth with that pepper-y feeling. Maybe they should be called Pepper & Salt chips. Try adding Canfield's Seltzer Water for extra mouth zing!

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I love my blue basketweave sweater from Eddie Bauer, and I would link to it or show you a picture, except that it appears to be gone from both the main website and the outlet website. Last week, they were down to only having them in cream size medium, which is not my size, otherwise I would have bought a second one. There is just one problem, it seems to shed and pill an awful lot. I hope that I am imagining it, but it seems that the underarms may even be developing holes at the seam, from fiber loss. I wore it over a white shirt today and discovered that I can't take it off because I am now wearing a white and blue fuzz shirt. I think that when it dies, I might have to use this sweater as a template for knitting myself a new, sturdier one. This sweater is 60% cotton, 20% wool, 10% nylon and 10% angora rabbit, so that is a majority of the component fibers as short-stapled, prone to pill and shed, fibers. I don't think its a very wise decision. But I bet that if I put my mind and needles to it, I can make an even better sweater (this one is just the right fit and proportion for my slouchy preferences) with something in a sturdy wool. I'm not certain that I have the patience to knit an entire sweater in what appears to be 14 sts/inch basketweave, but I will probably be able to figure something out. First, of course, I should finish some other projects. Like my fun fur hats and mom's hat and my fair isle sampler sweater.

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I am 11 pages from the end of Jeanette Winterson's Lighthousekeeping and I'm considering not finishing. I have no idea what the point of the book is, who the narrator is (or maybe there is more than one?) or why I should care. I mean, I think that the main narrator and voice of the story is the orphan girl Silver, but I'm not sure. Also, the pages are not laid out like regular pages. There is a lot of white space for a novel. This book might be over my head.

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Sarah Louise sent me a book of Psalms on Friday and it showed up today! How's that for speedy postal service. We must have a site visit going on at the 60640 post office or something. Its a fairly modern translation and I look forward to giving it a try. Also, a book of the Bible in book format is much less daunting than the freaking gigantic things I checked out of the library.

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Continental fixed my flights for the birthday trip to Denmark. So we won't be flying from Chicago to Newark, NJ by heading southwest, or Newark to Copenhagen via Antarctica and Finland. It was very prompt of them and even Lacey looked into it for me, as it was clearly a ridiculous (and possibly funny) database error.

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I had to wait at the Field Museum today in the main hall while my boss and other assorted co-workers had a meeting in the depths of the offices. (they left for the meeting while I was still measuring a room... leaving a note that they would be back to get me... and there is no way to find where they were without a guide.) While I waited, I had a lovely conversation with an old lady who worked as a guide-type person for the Sue dinosaur. We talked about interesting things on the internet, and I told her that digital cameras were really easy, even though they were much less so five years ago, so she should make the switch. We also talked about how Frango mints have changed and expanded their range in recent years. Of course, she also told me all about Sue, and explained the weird sticking out bone underneath the tail.

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Speaking of work, there is a creature living in the ceiling and maybe the wall of my office in the blockhouse. We have rats, and two cats that are living in the building, both species of which are feral and decidedly un-pet-like. Over the weekend, one type of animal or the other fell through the acoustical tile (it shifted, the animal fell) in the women's bathroom in the blockhouse. I am terrified that the creature (which will probably turn out to be an angry 15# rat) is going to fall through the ceiling in the middle of the day, when I am sitting right there, probably on the phone, and it will be followed by an army of creepy crawlies.

Ick.

I hope that Scot figures out how to get it out tomorrow. The main trouble is that above the acoustical tile, the floor of the second level (storage) is 1/4" plate steel. So whatever is in there is pretty much stuck at this point, and we can't get to it. Ewwww.

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We are finally having seasonable weather here. I should learn not to leave fizzy, canned beverages in my car trunk, in Chicago, during seasonable January weather. At least the ice doesn't get everything wet.

The Bears helmets for the Art Institute lions look really great in the shop. I hope that they look even better on the lion-backers.

Thanks for reading down this far. Sorry that there are no links or pictures, but I'm just not up for it today.

Found on Flickr!

2007-01-28T22:44:00.001-06:00

breakfast beret
Originally uploaded by yi.

Someone has knit a breakfast beret, which, while it isn't what I would want to eat for breakfast, sure makes a neat hat.

Schedule Change Notification

2007-01-28T22:25:00.000-06:00

I got this email about half an hour ago from Continental Airlines. I sure hope that its a database error and not an actual flight plan.

Guess I'll have to pack some snacks!

The Six Weird Things meme

2007-01-28T20:57:00.000-06:00

Everyone is doing it, so here I am, jumping on the bandwagon way late in the game.

6 ~~Weird~~ Quirky Things About Me:

I really like plain seltzer water. Not club soda or tonic water or flavored seltzer. Just the plain stuff. I also really like Coke. But there are no calories and no weird "diet" taste in plain seltzer.
I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime. Sleeping is not a problem for me, though sometimes I sleep too much.
I won't eat mushrooms, onions or olives. At all. Under any circumstances. You don't need to not cook with them, though I would prefer it, I'll just eat around them if its integral to the dish. The only exception to this is a risotto that a boyfriend made where the onion was the exact same size, shape and texture as the rice, so I couldn't even discern the difference. I ate that dish up happily, even though I saw him put in the onion.
My pajamas rarely match. The only day that they are guaranteed to match is Christmas Eve/Day because my mom always gets my sister and I new pjs to open on Xmas Eve.
I have TiVo but no cable or satellite tv.
I read anything and everything that I can see.

I'm not tagging anyone, but you are free to consider yourself as-such if it makes you feel better.

Dad's Christmas Dog Walking Hat

2007-01-28T02:50:00.001-06:00

Inner Hem Detail
Originally uploaded by tdgirl.

In November, I asked my dad what he wanted for Christmas, and he said that he wanted a warm hat for walking the dog, because Earl (his fur hat of the classic Russian variety) was not doing very well, and was definitely showing his age. *

During our Skype conversation, I grilled him about his hat preferences, to establish that wool was ok, patterns were ok but only if they were masculine, he wanted the brim to fold up and that a hemmed, folding brim would be even better, blue, red and black were acceptable colors, stripes were not preferred, but if I need to, I could use them, he wanted a pompom.

The Friday after Thanksgiving, we went to the yarn store in Excelsior to find yarn that was the right colors for him, soft enough, in a weight that I wanted to use, and all of those other intangible qualities of yarn. I learned that he doesn't like the handpainted yarn. And with the Malabrigo that I kept offering, he said, "That seems too soft to be a hat." and "That is very pretty yarn, but I wouldn't want to wear it on my head." The blue and white yarns are Cascade 220 (blue is a Heathers color) while the red is Berrocco Ultra Alpaca. I chose the red as the brim color because it was the softest. Also, I didn't want to take any chances with combining different yarns in the main body of stranding.

I actually started knitting this hat the week before Christmas, and it was washed and blocking on the morning of December 24th. the most difficult part was all that stockinette to knit the brim in both directions and the most fun was knitting the message into the hem. There are some caught floats showing through in the blue background of the snowflake, but I don't know how to prevent those. If I knit that chart again, I would use a Norwegian lice pattern instead of trying to put in the sorta-snowflakes. Look how even my stranding was for the X pattern!

*Apparently, long ago, there was a product marketed as "Earl the Dead Cat" or somesuch thing. My mom, at the store, when my dad bought this hat, said that it looked like he had a dead animal on his head, and the conversation led to the furry product from the 70s. And until this year, I thought that it was Irrel the Dead Cat, as a play on the word Squirrel.

Forest of studwalls

2007-01-28T02:36:00.001-06:00

Forest of studwalls
Originally uploaded by tdgirl.

This image is my current desktop wallpaper at work. Taken of real scenery in process of being built. There was no further cropping after I uploaded the picture from the camera.

Halved!

2007-01-25T23:29:00.000-06:00

I tend to compulsively save email addresses in my GMail contact list. It has clearly gotten out of control, so I just went through and deleted all of the addresses that fit any of the following criteria:

Anonymous Craigslist address from answering an ad
Old CMU address for someone that I know hasn't been affiliated with the school for quite some time
Entries with nothing that clues me in to why I would know this person or ever need the address again

With just those three criteria, I deleted 288 entries with 289 remaining. Some of the remaining entries are questionable, but I didn't want to accidentally delete something that I would need again in the future.

Resumes

2007-01-25T22:22:00.000-06:00

I've been with my current employer for almost 2 years now, and this is my first real job out of college. The last time I did a resume was when I was finishing school, with the intention of finding the job that I have now. The most current resume that I have is dated October 2004, but it was written to be current as of January 2005. Somehow, I think that I will fall behind in my resume skills, as well as how it fits in to have real, working experience on your C.V., if I don't update soon.

I am looking for *your* resume, primarily for arrangement and language and which sections you put in, to figure out what works best for *my* resume. I don't really care what your industry is, or how old the resume actually is, I just want lots of bits of inspiration. I accept almost all formats, and I'm pretty sure all of the ones that a person sends a resume in, and there is an email link in my blogger profile, or leave a comment here.

Has anyone ever applied for a job online? They frequently have boxes that you are supposed to fill in, (like sections in a resume) and I suspect that there is a trick to them. If you know what it is, let me know. How are you supposed to format it? Do you just use list-format words, or full sentences? I can't apply to work at Google if I don't know the trick to the form.

In two years of working in a real office, as the smallest fish in a big lake, I have learned things about my work habits and preferences that are not necessarily positive, but will have a bearing on whether I would be any good at a job, or if I would like it. The one that is safest to mention on the internet is that I am a lousy negotiator. It could be the best job in the world otherwise, but as soon as they put "strong negotiation skills needed" into the description, I'm out of there like a fat girl in dodgeball. I can stand firm in my position, and I can see your side of things, but I don't really have an inclination to negotiate. I do poorly shopping in third-world markets. How do you deal with that both in the search and the interview?

This may return to the drafts pile in a couple of days, depending on my confidence. I am mostly motivated by the fact that the most recent item on my old resume (a relative asked me to send it to them) is The Duchess of Malfi, which was my Senior TD crew assignment at CMU. Just a bit out of date. But it did have a neat staircase, a super-butch cantilevered platform, and a clever pneumatic fire curtain avoidance trick rig. Still, not exactly the most recent project that I've worked on.

Found on Flickr!

2007-01-25T10:24:00.001-06:00

The Colour Wheel according to Wollmeise
Originally uploaded by fanelendil.

I want all this yarn. I want to knit with it, and weave flowers with it, and show it off and keep it in my stash. Mine mine mine! but not at all.

For Sarah Louise

2007-01-25T10:16:00.001-06:00

Gold medal rose
Originally uploaded by JojoDee.

She deserves a gold medal and flowers, and here it is all in one.

How have I never heard of this guy?

2007-01-21T12:35:00.000-06:00

Beth posted here, a link to Keith Olbermann's response to the President's most recent speech about Iraq and the "new strategy". Go check it out here. I'll try to find a YouTube version to embed, but I want to get this out of the draft pile.

The Muggles have heard!

2007-01-20T00:36:00.000-06:00

Freakonomics Blog » Bank Cracks Down on Wily Yarn Merchant
This story is actually true.

some other links from within the land of yarn:
Freakin' Muggles
Blue Moon Fiber Arts
Buy a Sock Club membership... if you got a code in time! (if you want to share it with me, I have a code that I'm not planning on using due to my thinking that $210 is a lot of money to spend on yarn and patterns that will further prove my inability to get sock gauge )

Up for a swap?

2007-01-20T00:16:00.001-06:00

sock yarn (1)
Originally uploaded by tdgirl.

These sock yarns are from Lorna's Laces, and I am posting the photo here to show someone that I am trying to swap for 22 balls of Wool of the Andes. I also have some CTH yarn that is on my Flickr! photostream as well.

quick and lame

2007-01-17T23:18:00.000-06:00

But in my continued google fangirlness, I have registered a domain for the sole purpose of setting up a website using Google apps for your domain.

I am planning a knitting roundup post in the very near future (probably this weekend), and in the mean time, a short ellipses:

beer after knitting guild is a very good idea... we "go live" with the new rental software tomorrow... Mrs. TANBI has a new, full-time gig, yay for her!... its finally seasonal weather here in Chicago... The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is top notch, well, at least as much as I've read (350 of 487 pages)... I think that I should get the starter in my car replaced... how does one become a software developer??? I think that with all of my strong opinions about user interface and human-computer interaction, I need to learn how to fix the problems myself... which is why, in the end, I don't like being a manager very much... Rose Brand East is moving to NJ, no phone or email on Friday... definitely need to go grocery shopping tomorrow... Natalie leaves for Denmark on Saturday

BlogThis!

2007-01-12T23:54:00.000-06:00

The BlogThis! extension is Firefox doesn't function when using the new Blogger beta. Has anyone found a replacement dealiebob for quick blog posts? Or do you just switch back to IE or write the post from scratch? I am actually finding that the new IE7 is pretty nice to use, but maybe I need to change something in my Firefox. I hear that there is a new version that I'm sure I haven't switched to.

Also, did anyone else have a total MS Outlook meltdown yesterday morning (Thursday)? And then did you go and download and install what seemed like 10 MS Updates and then it all worked again? Or was it just at my company? You know what was the best part about it? I had my computer fixed before the IT guy could even figure out what was happening. He is a useless, salary-drawing lump as far as I can tell.

A 2007 Horoscope

2007-01-12T23:48:00.000-06:00

I just followed a link in a post of Sarah Louise's to Paula's blog, who has a sidebar link to Crazy Aunt Purl, who I have only read occasionally, but now have added to my Google Reader feeds, and this, here, is something that I wanted to share:

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ARIES (March 21- April 19)
No one has ever accused an Aries of being too Pisces, too unable to take a stand or have an opinion or make up a big ol' Aries mind. No one ever confuses Aries with Cancer, always dreaming of the future or the past and never fully present. Aries can make decisions quickly, right now! In the moment! But Aries has a bit of an impulse-control issue, too, so in 2007 your To-Don't is clear: Don't live entirely based on your impulses. Use your big Aries brain and your equally big heart to balance out your decisions. Acting on impulse may be fine at the grocery store or the shoe store, but it gets harder to justify "I just wanted to!" with family and friends and work. Your To-Do for 2007 is a good one, though: Do spend more time indulging your snooty, refined, prissy self. Aries make excellent foodies, and great wine lovers, and fabulous art critics. Aries folks can enjoy the finer parts of life like nobody's business. Make it your business!
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The bit above is about me. Go here to get your own horoscope To Dos and To Don'ts for 2007.

This one is for my mother

2007-01-11T18:43:00.000-06:00

It is National De-Lurking Week. That means that its time to comment. Just drop in, say hello, let me know you are out there.

And go read the Yarn Harlot's post today about how a bank is not taking money because it doesn't believe that the Rockin' Socks Club is real. Its unbelievable.

The Onion does it again

2007-01-09T22:09:00.000-06:00

800,000 Privileged Youths Enlist To Fight In Iraq

I can't decide how I feel about this article. While it is right on the money about who is bearing the brunt of the war in Iraq, and there is nothing so easy to make fun of as upper-middle and upper-class young adults, I can't decide if its actually funny, or just sad in its truth (or lack thereof).

Go read it and then come back here and let me know what your take on it is.

So Bush is talking on the teevee tomorrow night...

2007-01-09T21:55:00.000-06:00

And given my track record of never managing to watch the entirety of a 43 television broadcast, and the fact that I can't listen for more than about 5 minutes without having to walk away in anger/frustration/flabbergastion (yes, I know that isn't a word), a sign I saw today seemed like the perfect solution.

The Lutheran church down the street is having a Prayers for Peace service tomorrow night at 7pm. That won't make me angry, and will probably be good for my heart, mind and soul. The speech is not going to be about bringing peace, but about how we can dig in our heels for a war that was unjust and poorly planned from the get-go. Hopefully, the prayer service will be about bringing peace and reconciliation to all of the people in the world. If anyone in the Chicagoland area would like to join me, its the big church just west of Ashland on Foster.

Something to remember, folks:

Its all one God. The same God. Whatever your preferred version of worship and belief is, there is one unified God that listens to all prayers equally. Even if your faith has multiple gods, those gods are each individual aspects of the one God. So please, can we stop fighting about this? That is my plea to everyone. Pass it on. No more fighting about other things under the pretense of fighting over different versions of God. Fight over pollution or poverty or inequality or the color of the sky. But don't even think about bringing religion into it.

things that I have been unable to find in the last week...

2007-01-08T18:53:00.000-06:00

Still Missing:
-One (1) package of powdered/flake mashed potatos... I think that I last saw them in a bag near my books or the knitting stuff... or maybe in my bedroom... or did I eat them?
-Both of my Down the Line CDs... might be buried on my desk, but definitely not in any of my CD books, my disc drive, the car stereo or Joanne's boom box.
-one (1) ball of Lorna's Laces Angel yarn... I'm quite certain that I had two ready to go, but could only find one. I need to find it as my cousin needs a pair of baby booties before June.
-the receipt for the Adopt-A-Family wrapping paper that I bought with money from work

Currently Found:
-the Kristen hat kit
-my many-pack of Walker's Shortbread
-the pizza cutter
-the last book in a 12 book series
-my sneakers

just so you know...

2007-01-07T00:37:00.000-06:00

Two things:
1. I originally posted this in my other blog, and totally didn't notice. That should tell you something about the second point.

2. If you are hungry in the late evening, and have the munchies, the following is a silly snack to choose:

1 Blue Moon Beer (12 oz) poured into a glass, with a slice of orange
The rest of the orange

There really should be something that is less than 50% water in the snack.

So I added 3 Simple Shortbread cookies.

Long live mid-20s nutrition.

Fly fishing = no response

2007-01-03T11:24:00.000-06:00

Voice Of God Revealed To Be Cheney On Intercom

And this explains so much...

Trade-offs

2006-12-29T12:39:00.000-06:00

Today, lunch is from Wendy's at Division and Ashland. The fries and chicken nuggets are subpar, and quite unpleasant. But then, the sweet, thick goodness of the Frosty makes me forget all that.

They are evil. It is the Frosty that keeps me coming back and buying the icky stuff.

Freeze! Keep your hands off the Mouse... my continued love affair with the big G

2006-12-28T23:23:00.000-06:00

Because the world is a good and decent place, my friend Charlie, who I met during orientation my freshman year at CMU, is currently in town visiting. C used to live in Chicago, but now he works for Google in Mountain View. He makes servers work, I think. I'm sure that there is more to his job than that, but that's the gist of it. He moved out there a year ago, and I have missed him quite a lot, especially when I want to go out to dinner or see a movie, as he is good company for both of those activities. Tonight, I was on the schedule.

We met up, wandered around the vicinity of N. Michigan Avenue and then decided to retrieve my car from the parking lot it was in from my appointment, drove up to my place and had dinner at Thai Pastry. Afterwards, he came over to hang out, and as usually happens, showed me some new tricks that my computer can do, which, also as usual, involved seeing the clever new things that Google is up to, since I had mentioned that I couldn't figure out where they were hiding Reader, and I wanted to give it a try.

Here are the clever new things:
-Keystrokes are now enabled in my Gmail... way faster, its like using Pine or an old-school library computer card catalog system, but with a way better look and, sadly, no cheat sheet row at the bottom telling me all the choices.
-Google Reader, which is where I intend to read all bloggish things, in an attempt to increase productivity by not clicking through my entire list of things I read multiple times everyday, hoping for an update. Also, provided that I update it based on my link list at work, I won't have any more regularly read things that I can only check from one computer or the other because I don't actually know the web address.
-Personalized Google homepage is another thing that I have known existed, but never really explored in any depth, since the last time I had something like that, it was when the MyAndrew thing (is that what it was called? I just know that the SquirrelMail changed) at CMU was launched and it was a mess, so now I was wary of that sort of thing.
-Google Apps for Your Domain makes me want to go and get a domain, just so that I can use this product. In fact, I just might. Does anyone want to get in on a domain for something? I just want to try out the service and such. It comes with private label email...

Clearly, I am a Google fangirl, and there is not much that can be done about it. Someday, maybe, if I am lucky, I will find a job at Google that this theater major is qualified for and maybe I'll even get it. Suggestions? Let me know. Also, go and try out these new toys! Switch to keystrokes. Keep your hands off the mouse!

"Its like I'm eating warm, stale popcorn" -my roommate, this evening

2006-12-26T22:33:00.000-06:00

For Christmas, I received a stovetop popcorn maker from Baxter and Magic (the dog and cat), which came with cute popcorn boxes and packets of "movie theater" popcorn to make, with the oil and kernels separated. And its gross. I have made a fair bit of very very good stovetop popcorn in the last few years, which I think is way better than movie theater popcorn that you get these days, since all that stuff is pre-popped and artificially flavored (not that i don't eat it, but I'm just saying... mine is better).

As I was dumping the divided pouch into the hand-crank popcorn popper, I thought to myself, "why is that oil so yellow?". Then, I noticed that there was a yellow powder that had been in with the kernels that all sort of clumped in the pan. So, apparently, it came with its own movie theater popcorn artificial flavoring. And it tastes like movie theater popcorn. The real stuff. In all of its staleness and fakeness.

I will report back when I try the popper with regular oil and popcorn kernels. If anyone actually likes this stuff (it is compelling to eat about 2 cups of it, then you think about it and wonder why you did), I will be happy to pay the shipping to send it out to you. Just drop a line and it'll be on its way.