I Don't Think You're Ready...

Cute Kitten

2009-07-28T15:11:00.001-04:00

I don't have much to report, but Vera's being very cute today...

-Ali

Vera

2009-06-27T18:06:00.002-04:00

Today, we got a new kitten from the APL. After much deliberation, we've decided to call her Vera. For those who have seen Firefly, think of Jayne's gun. Anyway, here's her debut!

She's super cute, playful and kind of attached to me. In other words, she's perfect! Plus, her back legs are very long and her feet kind of point inward, so she's really awkward and goofy. I love it.

-Ali

Filbert

2009-06-10T22:39:00.002-04:00

For those who haven't heard, Filbert was put to sleep yesterday morning. He was 13 and had an abdominal tumor and just wasn't doing well at all, so we decided it was time.

I could write a novel about how much I adored this cat and how much he meant to me, but I'll refrain. I'll just say that he was, in my opinion, the best cat there ever was. Seriously. I will miss him terribly, but I am glad that he will never have to be in pain again.

I could leave you with a classy headshot of Filbert looking all distinguished, but that's not my style. I will instead leave you with a picture that always puts a smile on my face and I hope that it will put a smile on yours as well.

-Ali

Hot Hair

2009-05-15T21:03:00.001-04:00

This morning I woke up with the hottest hair ever. I felt compelled to take a picture of it. You don't quite get the sense of how hot this hair was, but you get an idea...

P.S. I swear I'm not that pale! It's just the sunlight.

Lawn Mower Assembly

2009-05-10T23:59:00.001-04:00

I'm mostly posting right now so I don't see "Gay Porn?" every time I look at my knitting blog. It's highly distracting. My hopes get all high for a moment and then I am sorely disappointed... You know how it is.

Friday, Jenny and I went to Home Depot to purchase a lawn mower. I had it picked out from reviews I'd read online, so I didn't actually have to shop or anything. That was nice. It took a while to figure out how to actually get the mower (big, heavy box... small carts... no employees around... chivalry fails, etc). When we got it home, I wanted to put it together immediately so I could mow before the imminent rain. It was more confusing than I had foreseen, so I gave up for the night.

Yesterday, I actually put the thing together. To be fair "putting the thing together" didn't involve much. But I had to search for a tool to loosen a nut (hehe), which took forever. Then, I had to line up the handle part just right while I re-screwed the bolt thingies, which meant that I was crouched, with the handle on my shoulder, trying to stabilize it with the side of my head, screwing this thing back in. If it doesn't sound difficult, I assure you it was. I also had to put on the mulch bag thing, but that really couldn't have been easier.

The point is... I put together a lawn mower. I can do anything!

-Ali

Gay Porn?

2009-05-04T16:52:00.003-04:00

So, I paused an episode of Buffy today while I left the room. When I came back, this is what I saw on the TV:

Does this not look dirty?

-Alison

Hair

2009-04-22T23:02:00.002-04:00

I dyed my hair today. I think I'll go ahead and pay professionals to do it from now on. I didn't totally mess it up or anything, but it's a serious pain in the patoot and I know I missed a bunch of hair in the back. Luckily, I was just dying it a shade darker (you know, to cover up the gray and random blonde strands) so I'm sure it's not noticeable. I think there's a bit of a red tint to it, though, which I'm not a fan of.

Now I just need a haircut. And I'm thinking about going a little crazy and going an inch or so shorter than usual. Who knows. It's seriously shaggy now, so anything would help.

Ali

Yeah...

2009-04-20T05:23:00.002-04:00

Dude. Time moves slow and fast at the same time. It's blowing my mind. Here's what I've been up to...

-I've been getting more hours at work. This makes me sleepy sometimes, but I sure do like money.
-Filbert is rapidly losing weight and he has to go to the vet. This worries me.
-All jokes aside, I'm beginning to think yarn is like my crack. Seriously. I want it.
-I've officially turned into a cranky old man. I wish teenagers would shut the fuck up and I hate how everyone drives. Plus, I use the word "hooligans" far too often.
-I finished the Harry Potter re-read and I'm sad now.
-Jenny's wedding is ripping our family apart and making me die inside.

And how have you been?

Ali

Cupcakes!

2009-04-02T22:03:00.005-04:00

Today, I made cupcakes for knitting night because we had two birthdays in the group this week, Pam and Tammy. Unfortunately, Tammy didn't show, but we celebrated Pam's birthday nonetheless! I made two varieties of cupcakes: vanilla with vanilla bean frosting and chocolate with chocolate mousse frosting. This is how my day went...

Around midday, I decided on the recipes I wanted to make. I made up a shopping list, which was pretty extensive since our baking ingredients were low (flour, sugar, etc.). The only tricky ingredient I had to find was a vanilla bean. I knew the local Sparkle wouldn't have it and I doubted Wal-Mart would, so I set off for Trader Joe's.

The drive was fantastic - I love to drive on a nice day with the windows down and the music cranked up. Good stuff.

At Trader Joe's, I was sorely tempted. They have so much cool food, and at reasonable prices, too! Unfortunately, they didn't have a lot of my ingredients, including the ever so elusive vanilla bean. I thought about it and, as I was pulling away from Trader Joe's, I realized... Heinens. They have some of the more hard-to-find foods. So, I journeyed to Avon and found my vanilla beans and the rest of my ingredients at Heinens! Yay!

The baking went surprisingly well. Nothing went horribly wrong, nothing caught fire. My only issue... When the recipe says something along the lines of "until a toothpick comes out clean", that's such bull. My toothpick came out clean and my cupcakes looked like this when cut open...

So, I stuck them back in for a few more minutes.

The frosting had me a little concerned, especially the chocolate mousse frosting. I was very worried it wouldn't set up because it seemed pretty runny before I refrigerated it. Plus, my egg whites never quite got "stiff". But, in the end, it set up pretty decently! Hooray! The vanilla bean frosting was very simple. So much so that I thought it couldn't be that good if it was that easy, but it turned out delicious! The vanilla bean was a MUST - totally added to the flavor.

And this was my finished product...

The vanilla cupcakes were the favorite, I think. I must say this about them: The vanilla cupcakes are VERY vanilla-y and the chocolate cupcakes are VERY chocolate-y (and very rich!). You have been warned.

Here come the recipes...

Vanilla Cupcakes

*I halved this recipe, which made about 12 cupcakes*

-1 3/4 cups cake flour
-1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
-2 cups sugar
-1 tbsp baking powder
-3/4 tsp salt
-1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
-4 large eggs
-1 cup milk
-1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.
2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.
4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Vanilla Bean Frosting

-1/2 cup softened unsalted butter (one stick)
-1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
-3 3/4 cups confectioners sugar
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-pinch of salt
-Seeds from one vanilla bean

In a small bowl, combine butter and whipping cream. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the butter. Beat until smooth. Beat in sugar 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Finally, beat in vanilla extract. If frosting is too soft to work with, refrigerate 10 minutes.

Chocolate Cupcakes

-1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
-1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 cup sugar
-3 large eggs
-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
-1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1/8 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard cupcake pan with liners.

In a large heat resistant bowl, combine the chocolate and butter over a pot of simmering water, without letting the bottom touch the water. Stir gently until melted and well combined. You may use a microwave, if preferable.

Remove chocolate from heat and stir in the vanilla. Add the sugar. Beat with a handheld electric mixture until smooth and combined, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing for 20 seconds between each egg to incorporate.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well blended.

Using ladle or small measuring cup, fill the cupcake cups 2/3 of the way full. Bake until the cupcakes are firm to the touch about 20 minutes.

Chocolate Mousse Frosting

-16 oz semisweet chocolate *I used 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips and 4 oz milk chocolate chips - that's all I had!*
-1/2 cup unsalted butter
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-8 egg yolks
-8 egg whites
-4 tablespoons white sugar

Melt 16 ounces chocolate and 1/2 cup butter over double boiler, stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons vanilla, whisk in yolks. In a separate bowl, beat whites until foamy, gradually add sugar, and continue beating until stiff. Fold into chocolate mixture. Whip the 1 1/2 cup cream in a separate bowl and fold into chocolate mixture.

*The chocolate cupcakes came out kind of sunken-in. I made a little hole in the middle of them and filled it in with the frosting and then filled up to the edge. The frosting is pretty runny until you refrigerate it for about 15 minutes, so it's kind of messy.*

The cupcake recipes both made about 12 cupcakes - the chocolate probably would have made about 16 if stretched. The frosting recipes, however... I made the full amount for both recipes and I probably could have frosted my house with all the frosting that made. Especially the chocolate mousse frosting... Oh my goodness. Here's a picture of the leftover frosting (mind you, this is after lots of "tasting" and me saying "screw it, we have way too much anyway" and throwing out what was left in the bowl).

Unless you're frosting a giant wedding cake, cut that recipe in half! At least! I probably used about 1/4 of it for 12 cupcakes. If that.

Sorry this post is so long... Geez. I can ramble.

Ali

Public Apology

2009-03-19T15:15:00.002-04:00

Okay, I have to get this off my chest...

Last night, while driving home, I forgot to turn my brights off while passing another car. I didn't realize it until a minute later and I felt so guilty. I still feel guilty because I always gripe about people who don't turn their brights off (and people who don't turn their lights on in the rain and people who don't use their turn signals and people who just in general don't drive well). So, when I do those things, I feel horrible!

So, if you were driving down Russia Road last night a little after 11 and some asshole didn't turn their brights off... I apologize and I assure you that I'm not usually an asshole driver.

Ali

Job Improvements

2009-03-16T20:11:00.002-04:00

Job update: I e-mailed my team leader to inform her of the incorrect scheduling and she replied saying she didn't so the scheduling. Interesting. I don't really know why I gave her my availability then, but hey. Why not? So, she said I needed to contact another lady. I figured I'd wait and see if it happened again before trying to find a phone number or e-mail address for her. But, this morning, she was there and said she got my e-mail... my team leader must have forwarded it to her. And the lady was very nice about it and said that my availability was wrong in the computer and she'd change it.

So, I have hope. It was a rocky start, but people have been friendlier since then. And I did better today than last time. You're supposed to scan a certain number of pieces per hour and I'm still not there, but there's definite improvement.

That said, I'm still looking. I'm not seeing an increase in hours at this job yet, so yeah. Still looking.

Ali

Hate

2009-03-10T11:40:00.002-04:00

Question. Do you hate anyone?

I hope most people would answer no. Someone has to be pretty downright despicable to deserve to be hated. And I hope that most people don't know anyone that bad.

I hate someone. Really. I'm not just talking about anger... I am thoroughly disgusted with this person and I wish they had never entered my life, even for the short while they did. I don't like the feeling. I'm sure the hate will fade and eventually I just won't give a shit about them, but right now... hate.

Sorry. I'm a downer today.

Ali

Job Whining.

2009-03-05T23:21:00.002-05:00

What is it with new jobs?!

When I applied, I wrote out my availability on their little form. Then, I had to confirm this with my team leader over the phone a couple weeks later. I said mornings during the week and whenever on the weekends. (Apparently they don't have a lot of Saturday morning stores, so they pretty much forced me to be available at night on weekends.

I got my new schedule today... I have 2 stores. Monday at 5 AM and Monday at 10 PM. Same day. I really don't mind this- the approximate time for each store is about 4 hours, so it's not a big deal. But I said mornings during the week! Why do they go through the trouble of asking and confirming if they're going to ignore it?!

I'm losing faith in this job, but I have no choice but to stick with it and hope it gets better. It's very frustrating because I would like the actual job, if only the people were nicer and more on top of things. Urgh.

Ali

Working Gal

2009-03-04T01:07:00.003-05:00

I had my first day of work on Sunday. The actual work wasn't so bad... I actually kind of liked it. But, it was still kind of a crappy first day. And here's why...

-Not a single person introduced themselves or asked me what my name was.
-There was about a month between my day of training and my first day.
-My superior (still don't know who she was) was not terribly eager to help me when I needed it.
-I forgot my belt thingy and a pen and had to borrow these things.
-3 hours of sleep.

But the good news is that I like the work, so once I get the hang of it, everything should be just dandy. Other good news: I only had to work about 3 hours because we got done early.

Non-knitters, you can stop reading now.

I'm almost done with my first not-shit baby sweater! I believe it will be done in time to take it to knitting Thursday. It is adorable. Not perfect by any means, but still adorable.

And now I'm ready to tackle a full sized sweater. I have picked out a pattern (Wicked) and a yarn (Cascade 220) and I will begin as soon as I get some money. I'm expecting money from 3 different sources (tax refund, Wii, person who owes me money) and when the first arrives, I shall treat myself to the yarn and pattern. I think it'll only cost about $40. Not bad, eh?

Ali

Boys!

2009-02-20T11:46:00.003-05:00

I have a crush on a boy I haven't seen in 5 years. He is apparently married now. Oh well.

I am so affected by my dreams. I have one dream about some guy and I suddenly have a crush on him.

Ali

Traveling & A Lesson In Gauge

2009-02-19T22:38:00.003-05:00

Jenny had a workshop in Columbus (Upper Arlington) today, so we drove down last night, spent the night at Nicole's, then Jenny had this workshop from 9:30-3:30 today. So,I had all that time to do whatever. This is how my day went...
-Took Jenny's directions to find Grandview and, instead, saw the OSU campus. And lots and lots of students.
-Went to Caribou for coffee.
-Drove through Grandview to see what that was all about.
-Drove back to Upper Arlington and went to Half Price Books. Bought some books and $1 calendars after browsing for an hour.
-Drove back to Grandview. Had lunch at Aladdin's. Yum.
-Went to Jeni's Ice Cream down the street. Had the Honey Pistachio which was heavenly.
-Drove back to Upper Arlington. Went back to the same Caribou for more coffee and internet usage.
-Waited in the parking lot for Jenny to finish for 1 1/2 hours. Nearly froze to death. (We had not confirmed when the workshop was supposed to end, but I thought I remember 2:30. It was, in fact, 3:30 and she got out 15 minutes later than that.)

We then drove home, which took 4 hours due to snow and taking a weird route to avoid highways and secluded country roads that wouldn't be plowed or salted.

On this trip, I brought several things to amuse myself, including my knitting. I brought two projects: My second Monkey sock and a green alpaca hat. The story of the green alpaca hat is this...
I bought two skeins of Alpaca about two years ago, when I first showed a real interest in knitting. One in a lighter green, one in a darker green. I also bought an Addi circular needle for this hat. I got about halfway done with the hat when it disappeared. Two years later, I assumed it was gone forever when it popped up while I was cleaning out a closet. So, I started knitting the hat again today. After a few rows, I looked down and realized that the recent knitting was much tighter, making a sort of scrunched band.
Lesson learned: Your gauge may change after a couple of years. Either rip back and reknit more loosely or hope the blocking goes well.

Then I whipped out me Monkey. I was knitting along when I thought I should check how many repeats I had to go before starting the toe. I knew it wasn't close because it was much shorter than the finished sock, but it's good to know ahead of time. So, I counted the repeats on the finished sock and then on the in-progress sock. According to my counting, I was ready to started the toe. I recounted for the hell of it, just in case I had forgotten how to count to 10. I hadn't. I swear to you, this sock (without the toe) is 4 or 5 inches shorter than the finished one... Subtract 2 inches for the toe and I've got a sock that's 2 or 3 inches shorter. And much narrower. It looks nicer than the first, but it will be far too short. I think I'll try it on, see how bad it is, then decide what to do from there. I will be so sad if I have to frog it/them.
Lesson learned: Cast on the second sock immediately! Your gauge doesn't always take 2 years to change... it can change within 2 months.

Ali

Quick Update

2009-02-16T12:09:00.002-05:00

Valentine's Day kicked my ass. What an awful holiday. Skip cooked us a lovely dinner... Steak and fries and wine and strawberries and chocolate. Very kind of him. I just wish my romantic Valentine's dinner hadn't been made for me by my sister's fiance.

I've actually been practicing my guitar playing lately. My new favorite song is "Where I Stood" by Missy Higgins and I've been trying to learn it. I'm trying to actually learn new chords instead of playing the same 6 over and over. It's just difficult with short fingers. Until now I've avoided anything with a F or B in it.

I can't wait for knitting tomorrow night. It is the highlight of my week.

Ali

Multi-Knitting

2009-02-04T22:37:00.002-05:00

Last night, Jenny and I went to our knitting group. I finished the socks that I was working on a couple of hours before we left, so I had nothing to knit but blanket squares for a baby blanket. I was complaining about how bored I was knitting them and how I wished I had another project to work on.

That was one day ago and now I have 3 projects going now (not including the blanket squares). Well, two are going and one is on deck.

I started some fingerless mitts (pattern: Endpaper Mitts) to practice fair isle, which I've never done. So far, it's going pretty well. Then, Jenny found my yarn for my second Monkey sock, so I immediately cast that on. Plus, I have to make a hat for my great aunt and I need to do that soon. She said she liked my Meret (mystery beret), so I should probably just make her one of those... Right? Yeah, I should.

What a busy life I lead.

Ali

Super Bowl Thoughts

2009-02-01T11:06:00.002-05:00

1. Go Arizona! Tear that shit up!

2. Go Jennifer Hudson! Sing it, girl!

3. Go home, Bruce Springsteen! Bring back Justin Timberlake!

I think that's it.

I'm tired.

2009-01-30T01:18:00.003-05:00

I think everyone's getting married. That's my theory. If you are my age or older, you are married or getting married. It's seriously annoying. And it's not even that I want to get married now, even if I do say that. It's just that, when I do decide I want to get married, I would like for there to be a single guy or two left.

Knitting is surprisingly exhausting. I think I get so tired from staring at the tiny stitches as I knit them. Sort of like staring at a computer screen for too long, but different. Plus, my hands get wicked sore from the stupid arthritis that I shouldn't have yet.

Oh! I have a picture to share! I remember saying something a while ago about trying to post a picture with each blog update... That never happened. But I think today's picture makes up for all of those past pictureless posts!

Cabled Wristwarmers Pattern

2009-01-24T16:40:00.005-05:00

Some notes on this pattern: These are designed to fit quite snugly. Make sure your gauge isn't too tight - if it is, use bigger needles! Also, I want to assure you that this is a very simple and quick project. Don't be fooled by the wordiness.

MATERIALS
*1 skein KnitPicks Gloss in Dusk (or any similar weight yarn)
4 Size US 2 DPNs
Cable needle (or extra DPN)
Stitch Markers
Waste yarn
Tapestry needle

*I haven't weighed what's left of the skein, but it looks like I used about half of it.

GAUGE
6.5 sts=1 inch (26 sts=4 inches)

ABBREVIATIONS
CO - Cast on
K - Knit
P - Purl
C2F - Slip 1 stitch to cable needle, move to front, knit 1, knit stitch from cable needle.
C2B - Slip 1 stitch to cable needle, move to back, knit 1, knit stitch from cable needle.
C4F - Slip 2 stitches to cable needle, move to front, knit 2, knit stitches from cable needle.
PM - Place marker
M1 - Make 1 stitch
SM - Slip marker

PATTERN
Row 1: K2, C2F, C2B, P2, K4, P2, C2F, C2B, K2
Row 2: K3, C2F, K1, P2, K4, P2, K1, C2B, K3
Row 3: K2, C2B, C2F, P2, K4, P2, C2B, C2F, K2
Row 4: K6, P2, K4, P2, K6
Row 5: K2, C2F, C2B, P2, K4, P2, C2F, C2B, K2
Row 6: K3, C2F, K1, P2, C4F, P2, K1, C2B, K3
Row 7: K2, C2B, C2F, P2, K4, P2, C2B, C2F, K2
Row 8: K6, P2, K4, P2, K6

DIRECTIONS

Right Wristwarmer:
CO 48 sts and distribute over 3 needles (14-20-14). Join in the round.

*K1, P1, repeat from * to end of row. Continue ribbing until you are pleased with the length. I did 6 rows of ribbing.

Start pattern. Needles 1and 3 will be stockinette. The pattern is only for needle 2!
Repeat pattern twice, then repeat rows 1-5 of the pattern. (You may do more repeats for a longer sleeve, just make sure you end on row 5.)

Thumb Gusset:
Gusset Row 1: K17, C2F, K1, P2, C4F, P2, K1, C2B, K8, PM, M1, K1, M1, PM, K8
Gusset Row 2: K16, C2B, C2F, P2, K4, P2, C2B, C2F, K7, SM, K3, SM, K7
Gusset Row 3: K20, P2, K4, P2, K11, SM, M1, K3, M1, SM, K8

Continue working pattern (at this point you're back to repeating row 1 of pattern) until you get to the thumb gusset stitches. When you reach the first marker:
For even rows: SM, M1, knit to the second marker, M1, SM, K to end of row
For odd rows: SM, knit to second marker, SM, K to end of row

Continue this until there are 15 stitches between the markers.

Next rows:
K16, C2B, C2F, P2, K4, P2, C2B, C2F, K7, SM, K15, SM, K8
K20, P2, K4, P2, K11, slip gusset stitches onto waste yarn, CO 5 sts over gap*, K8

Repeat pattern rows 5-8 (knit 4 extra stitches at end of each row)
Repeat rows 1-8
Repeat rows 1-2

*K1, P1, repeat from * to end of row. Again, continue ribbing until you're pleased.

BO all sts

Thumb:
Attach yarn inconspicuously so that you can begin knitting.
Move gusset sts from waste yarn onto 2 DPNs. Pick up 8 sts above thumb gap.
Knit 6 rows (23 sts)
BO all sts

FINISHING

Weave in all ends

Left Wristwarmer:
Work the same as with the right wristwarmer until you get to the first row of the thumb gusset.

Thumb Gusset:
Gusset Row 1: K7, PM, M1, K1, M1, PM, K9, C2F, K1, P2, C4F, P2, K1, C2B, K17

Work the same as the right wristwarmer (making sts on even rows and knitting across gusset on odd rows).
When you have finished the gusset (15 sts between markers) and have moved gusset sts onto waste yarn and cast on sts over the gap, continue working left wristwarmer the same as the right. Extra stitches will be at the beginning of the row instead of the end.

And you finish just like with the right wristwarmer.

Hopefully these instructions aren't painfully confusing, although I see how they could be. If you find errors, please let me know. I can be reached through comment here, email at alisonwilliams24@hotmail.com, or through PM on Ravelry (alison24). Thanks!

Going Commando

2009-01-17T23:30:00.001-05:00

... For it or against it?

I don't like it. Not one bit.

-Ali

Sad Music

2009-01-14T00:53:00.002-05:00

Tonight I was feeling a bit sad. Quite sad, in fact. So, I decided to sit myself down with some knitting and listen to slow, sad music because sometimes you just have to be sad, you know? But, as it turns out my Ipod is slightly lacking in the slow song department. I have a few, but my Ipod is mostly filled with music that I can dance around the house to. Also, most of the slow songs are freaking love songs. That's really not what I was going for. So, now, I'm listening to the same few songs over and over. I really need to get my Ipod organized and create some playlists so I don't have to keep searching for the slow songs.

Breakups are hard. Note to self: In future, when going through a breakup, remove "your song" from Ipod. When you stumble upon it later, you will not be happy. In fact, it will be quite painful. Remember that, self.

Ali

What to knit?!

2009-01-12T12:46:00.002-05:00

I'm so frustrated. I have too much yarn. I mean, no, I don't have too much yarn but the variety of yarn I have is making it impossible to start a new project. I have several different yarns that I'm so excited about knitting, but I can't choose between them. And then, deciding what to knit with them... It's just so hard. Like, I want to make a cowl. But the cowl patterns I see that I really like are for worsted or heavier weight yarns. All of my fabulous yarns that I'm excited about are fingering-ish weight.

And back to the Ravelry pattern search I go...

-Ali

In which I have another excuse to hibernate.

2009-01-08T08:57:00.002-05:00

I just want to say that I probably won't be seeing you all for awhile and I really appreciate the time we've had together. You're all great and I won't forget you.

You see, Skip got me carders and a spinning wheel for Christmas and now it's my duty to stay close to them until I've produced some yarn. (I intended for a smooth, creamy worsted alpaca, but now we've moved on to bulky novelty alpaca.) It's very engrossing and I'm not sure how long it will take to get the hang of it. Maybe I'll see you in the spring. But maybe not.

-Jenny

Feeling Old

2008-12-27T00:13:00.003-05:00

I am 23 years old. Actually, 23 and a half. When did I get so old? My God. Everyone knows that 21 is the last exciting birthday, but what they don't tell you is that after 21, there are certain expectations. Marriage, babies, grown-up jobs. I feel like I'm back to 18. Unemployed (AGAIN!), living with mom... I feel a new year's resolution coming on. Maybe a few of them. As cheesy as it may sound, I think I just need to do a little more living. You know, grab life by the balls. I'll work on that.

My Christmas was nice. It sucked being sick on Christmas, but it didn't ruin the day. I feel bad for not sending out cards, but life got in the way. We sent out our family cards, but I didn't get to the personal ones. Shucks.

Does anyone want to go ice skating?

Ali

I'm back!

2008-12-22T23:49:00.003-05:00

I'm back living with my mom and I am so tired of moving. I'm not doing it anymore. Anyway, there some advantages and disadvantages to being back...

Advantages:
-Obviously, family and friends.
-Lu's Pizza!
-More jobs

Disadvantages:
-Nothing is open 24 hours in town! I have to drive 10 minutes if I want to buy anything after midnight. I'll have to get back on a normal schedule.

There are, of course, more advantages and disadvantages, but those are the ones that really matter.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take some cold medicine and have a beer.

We've Moved.

2008-12-02T14:19:00.002-05:00

Sunday was our very last day in our old apartment. We are officially moved. I don't have much to say about it except that I am very tired and sore and I do not look forward to sorting through the large assortment of boxes and bags in our new living room.

Anna is gone. She went to live on a farm. (Seriously, she's living with Pat's manager out in the country. Not "live on a farm" as in the farm in heaven.) It's strange and I know Pat and Ethan are upset about it, which I completely understand, but I can't help but be excited about the lack of dog hair and smell in the new place. After cleaning the old apartment Sunday, I have decided that I never want a dog again. I might consider a bald dog. Maybe.

Work is going well. It's weird to see my checking account stay relatively even instead of continuing on a downward slope. It's nice.

-Ali

2008-11-13T21:31:00.005-05:00

I've been in gung-ho knit mode lately (I wonder what causes these changes in the level of obsession.) and had a big photo shoot the other night. The funny thing is that a lot of these projects feel very new and it's hard to remember what I was knitting before. I guess the blue sock, but I feel like I put that down ages ago. And there were booties and two baby hats (which I did not get pictures of before gifting them – ugh!). I guess the MS4 started (and ended) earlier than I thought it did. I vaguely remember ceremoniously putting that one away when I was invited to two baby showers on the same day.

I think now we're at a point where any knitting until Dec 25th will be for other people, which means blue socks and MS4 stay on hold.

Ali's fingerless gloves are finished! Check!

Skip's sweater is still coming along. Good TV knitting. (How did I never notice that Skip is a giant, giant person?

Next up are Grandpa's socks. I've decided he needs some alpaca socks to get him through the cold winter. He's a giant, giant person, too, but I'm holding on to the hope that I can get these done by Christmas. I just need these socks and Skip's sweater.

And maybe a cape for Grandma…

Just a small one…

-Jenny

28 Days

2008-11-11T14:11:00.003-05:00

I got the movie 28 Days from the library and watched it this morning. I saw it a long time ago and remembered liking it a lot. What I forgot was how horrifyingly depressing it was. Yes, there are cute funny parts, but overall it's pretty much a bummer.

And, to make it worse, it's very triggering to someone who recently quit smoking. They smoke constantly! And I think it just proves that smoking is not that bad for you. They're trying to get these people off drugs and alcohol, but they don't seem to frown upon smoking.

I should have put a patch on today. Now I'll just have to snack on chocolate all night. Gosh darn it.

Alison

Oh, that's real butter!

2008-11-06T18:05:00.004-05:00

I have a job at Meijer and I haven't been smoking for a week and a half. Go me. I also have a cold, but that's less of a 'go me' situation.

How've you been?

(The title to this post is a line from a Strangers with Candy and it's one of my favorite parts. I think the delivery is the funny part though.)

-Ali

Hooray for me!

2008-10-23T18:11:00.004-04:00

Things are awesome. I had an interview yesterday and I have another one tomorrow. Yesterday was Walmart for a third shift job in the electronics dept. Tomorrow is for a job in the photo lab at Meijer. So, no, not dream jobs, but I really don't care. I want very much to be working again and very soon I will be! There's even a chance I could do both, but I'd prefer Meijer. I don't know how I feel about the third shift.

Plus, we're looking for a new place, which is fun. And I'm looking into classes for January. All in all, I'm feeling very productive. Well, kind of. I should really finish the dishes. That's the less fun kind of productive, though.

And now, to spice up the ol' life updates, I've decided to add a picture to each of my posts. I'm going to try to take more pictures from now on. They may not pertain to the subject matter of my ramblings, but pictures are fun.

(Ethan swimming at our aunt and uncle's house.)

What I did on my autumn vacation.

2008-10-09T20:49:00.010-04:00

This past weekend Skip and I went to Detroit to celebrate his birthday. Celebrations included:

Beers with Joe C

A puppy

A Pegasus

Whatever the hell this is

Thai food

Wild creatures at the zoo

Less wild creatures at the zoo

And a very classy hotel room.

Twas a good weekend.
-Jenny

Willies!

2008-10-06T01:40:00.003-04:00

I've been looking into knitting patterns for willy warmers. I think it would be funny to make one for... oh, I don't know... a special fella in my life. I have no doubt that I would be scoffed at and that special fella would never try it on, much less use it. But I could try. I just have some rhetorical questions about willy warmers.

1. Are there actually men who use them?
2. Do the willies really get chilly? Like your fingers and toes do?
3. When knitting a willy warmer for someone, do you do any measuring?

Again, these are rhetorical questions since I doubt anyone who would read this would have any answers for me. Except for maybe number 2. Gents, feel free to offer expertise.

Next week, we'll discuss male thongs. Stay tuned.

Ali

My life, a summary.

2008-09-25T20:48:00.005-04:00

Still no job. I've been up for a job for about a month but there have been complications and delays like whoa, so I have no hopes up. I've put in more applications... It's hard to even make an effort anymore. But, since I kind of have to, I'll keep on trying. Pat always suggests I try Fantasy Land in Tiffin. I could do some dancing...

I made a trip up to the yarn store in Perrysburg Tuesday night. They have a knit night on Tuesdays and I figured I'd go check it out. Well, I got up there about an hour after I left (did you know you're supposed to look up directions before you leave and not call your sister from the road, asking her to look them up for you?) and when I arrived, I found what looked to be about 30 ladies crammed onto the porch of the place. I was terrified. After several panicked calls to Jenny, I made my way up. I didn't stay to knit, just shopped. But I had to walk through the sea of knitting women to get in, so I'm proud. The store was awesome and I bought some very nice yarn. And I plan to go back for the knit night. But not this Tuesday. Guess why. No, guess.

Anniversary! Yay! (I'm allowed to get excited - it's a wonder we haven't smacked each other to death.)

-Ali

Bored. And stuff.

2008-09-07T00:33:00.002-04:00

The job situation is looking up. I have one prospect (I interviewed, they ran a background check and they're now checking references) and an interview somewhere else Tuesday. It kind of stinks because I would totally want the second job except that it's part time. It's a cashier in the Bursar's Office at Owens Community College. It would be cool and I would probably meet more people in my age group, but if I get offered the full time job (at Checksmart), I'll have to take it. I gotta get paid.

I'm going kind of crazy with the knitting. I need to start scrapbooking again to balance it out and to keep me from... well, from going more crazy. I have these wonderful fantasies of having my own yarn shop. But it would be a cool yarn shop. Like a cafe/yarn shop. Or yarn and chocolate. Yarn, chocolate and coffee (and tea for the gentler souls). That would be heaven. Oh! And there could be cats!

Not to sound mean, but I hate living with a dog. It's not so much that I hate the dog, because I really don't. It's just that I'm not a dog person. I am a cat person. So, living with a dog and without a cat is absolute crap. Tonight, Anna got sick and threw up several times. The piles of throw up were bigger than a cat. Now why would anyone put themselves into a situation where they have to deal with that?

.......

I'm bored...

-Ali

Ali's Headband Pattern

2008-09-02T00:26:00.005-04:00

I have designed my first (super simple) pattern. It's a starting point anyway.

MATERIALS:
Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, color Snow
(Or any comparable weight yarn.)

US 6 Straight needles
Cable needle
Yarn needle

(I personally don't see gauge being an issue on this project...)

DIRECTIONS:
Cast on 14 sts

Row 1: K1, P1, K1, P2, K4, P2, K1, P1, K1
Row 2: K1, P1, K1, K2, P4, K2, K1, P1, K1
Row 3: K1, P1, K1, P2, K4, P2, K1, P1, K1
Row 4: K1, P1, K1, K2, P4, K2, K1, P1, K1
Row 5: K1, P1, K1, P2, K4, P2, K1, P1, K1
Row 6: K1, P1, K1, K2, P4, K2, K1, P1, K1
Row 7: K1, P1, K1, P2, C4F, P2, K1, P1, K1

Repeat rows 1-7 sixteen times or until it fits your head. End with rows 1-6.

FINISHING:
BO and leave a length of yarn to sew together ends with yarn needle.

(If you don't want a slip-over-your-head headband, you could add a buttonhole toward the bottom and sew on a button.)

Knitting update

2008-08-18T11:11:00.003-04:00

I finished my Browns socks. They're baggy and don't fit perfectly and are already starting to pill after 2 wearings and one washing, but I finished a pair of socks and none of that can bring me down, damn it!

I have also started a baby sweater. I wanted to knit a sweater, but didn't want to commit to an actual adult sweater. I have a baby in mind to gift it unto should it turn out wearable. I have the front and back done and am almost done with one sleeve. Oh, and I totally don't trust the pattern. There are a couple of places where it makes NO sense. Like, it tells me to finish the sleeve at 6". But, that makes it like half the length of the sweater. It looks ridiculous. So, I'm making it longer. Sleeves are roll-upable. I don't want to give a boy baby a 3/4 sleeve sweater. That's mean.

Lastly, I bought the most beautiful yarn in Dublin a couple of weeks ago and I need to figure out what to do with it. It's variegated with bold shades of green and purple. I'm not in a rush because it has to be perfect, but I do peek in at it daily and sigh. I want to knit it. I want to see what it turns into.

-Ali

Big Ol' Bummer

2008-07-20T18:01:00.003-04:00

Since my last post, the knitting has taken a turn for the worse. I got stuck on a few things and had to call Jenny for help a couple of times. The pattern is frustratingly vague (or it seems like it to me). Anyway, I had a few issues and while most of them were worked out without serious problems, I do have a small hole on one side of the heel, which always seems to happen when I try to knit socks. There's also some looseness on that side, which I hope will go away with blocking and wearing. Anyway, I'm back on track and will post pictures when I find Pat's camera.

I've been a little down lately because of money and not finding a job and not knowing anyone out here. And now I have to realize that I may not get to go to school this semester and that's making me quite sad. I did have that interview Friday and that went pretty well, but my hopes are not high. I have a long list of places to apply this week, so I guess it's good that I have some prospects. I should start praying more. That's probably what's going wrong.

Ali

Proselytizing

2008-07-18T16:24:00.003-04:00

I am almost positive you need to see this. How do you know if the 'you' mean is actually you? If you like Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Neil Patrick Harris, Violet the Potential Slayer, random musical outbursts, supervillains, homeless people, science, evil horses or frozen yogurt, then you'll definitely like this.

And the rest of you probably will.

-Jenny

Since Monday...

2008-07-16T13:31:00.002-04:00

Monday I started two things.

I started knitting the Browns socks that I've been wanting to knit for awhile (like a couple of years...), although I decided to knit them for myself instead of a gentleman. They're a little bigger than I had expected (apparently my gauge is too big or some shit) so I may have to hand them over anyway, but I doubt it. They're not quite that big. Just a bit baggy. Anyway! The point is that I started them on Monday and I'm just about ready to start the heel. (May I point out that this is sock yarn and these are size 1 needles, so I think that's pretty darn fast.)

I also started reading Garden Spells, which Jenny recommended. I am about 3/4 finished with it. It's a quick read, but I'm still impressed at how speedily I am doing things this week. (I'll leave out the part about me not doing dishes because the sink is leaky and how I've only done a couple of loads of laundry and how I haven't really cleaned except for picking up a few things that were in the middle of the floor.)

My other news is that I have a job interview on Friday. I'm not entirely hopeful because I don't even know what the job is, but I apparently applied for it, so maybe it'll be good. I'm going to wait and see and keep looking in the meantime.

Now I'm going to stop procrastinating and go to the grocery store. Or knit some more...

-Ali

Cooking!

2008-07-11T18:45:00.002-04:00

I need to invest in some sunscreen. In the past couple of weeks I've burned my face at least 3 times. I'm going to get the cancer if I don't wise up.

Today, Pat and I went golfing (I did better today, but I was miserable from the frickin heat) and for dinner I made something from Every Day with Rachel Ray. It was grilled marinated steak with "deconstructed guacamole". Basically, the steak with big chunks of grilled avocado and onion with tomatoes and cilantro. I don't know that Pat loved it, but I did. It was amazingly delicious. Ironically, the cilantro was my favorite part. I need to grow some.

Ali

Golfing and Bitching

2008-07-09T10:33:00.002-04:00

I am officially a golfing fool. Pat got me to try it and it's now my favorite hobby. I'm still pretty horrible, but it's fun. Unfortunately, I tend to get a little frustrated when I don't do well (which is most of the time) but it's still fun. And it's my favorite way to get exercise and a tan. Pat and I are supposed to go golfing this afternoon, so hopefully we can.

I have a bit of a beef with the Fafsa folks. I filled out the stupid form and I'm not eligible for assistance, but that's not what irritates me. Half of the form is dedicated to questions about my mom's financial situation but I was never asked if I live with her. Or off of her. I think that's messed up.

-Alison

My life in snippets:

2008-07-05T20:14:00.002-04:00

-Still engaged. It's already stressful and I haven't done anything but think yet. In fact, I'd prefer not to think about it at all until some other areas of life sort themselves out, but the matriarchy wants answers and doesn't like that they aren't forthcoming.

-I still can't find my camera. It's pink! How can someone lose a bright pink camera?!

-I got my WiiFit a few weeks ago and I love it! I'm kicking some ass at the Hula Hooping but I'm tired of the snide comments about my balance. I know I have bad balance! That's why I bought you, you stupid machine! Ironically, I'm not bad at yoga poses. Apparently my balance is fine if I don't have to move.

-How am I supposed to go to Portland if gas prices continue to be this crappy?

-Jenny

Cedar Point

2008-07-04T16:48:00.003-04:00

Pat and I went to Cedar Point Wednesday with our friends Dustin and Casey. At the time, I was slightly upset because we had absolutely no game plan and I generally like to plan things ahead of time. But, in the end, I'm actually glad we were so unorganized. We walked back and forth across the park so many times that I got a great workout. It probably would have been better if the sun wasn't beating down and we had plenty of water, but still.

We rode the Maverick first and I have to say it was really good. I wasn't expecting it to be very thrilling because it doesn't have any huge drops or anything, but it was surprisingly exciting. I also rode Maxair for the first time and that was probably the scariest ride of the day. That or Power Tower, which still scares the crap out of me.

The longest line we encountered was Maverick which was about 2 hours, then after that, everything was under 1/2 hour. It was strange.

It was a nice trip. Oh! And Pat won me a stuffed bear holding a heart! I feel like I'm in high school, but it made me happy. (Yeah, I'm sappy like that.)

-Ali

Time flies...

2008-06-27T22:16:00.005-04:00

...when you're getting engaged.

ENGAGED! Wee-haw!

This is my engaged hand:

This is us being seriously engaged:

And this is, in my aunt's words, a serious engagement:

We have no plans yet, so I can't really answer any questions. However, I'm open to most suggestions. (But nothing involving circus animals or adult swim cartoons or slip 'n' sliding in a white dress.)
-Jenny

Sexy Songs

2008-05-27T23:47:00.003-04:00

I'm trying to compile a list of sexy songs. By this, I mean good songs to have sex to. I'm not picky about slow or fast, romantic or dirty, as long as it makes you want to get it on.

I've been looking up lists of the sexiest songs online and it's pissing me off. There are a few songs that are undoubtedly going to be toward the top of these lists; "Closer" by NIN, "Crash Into Me" by DMB, "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak, etc. But some of these "sexy" songs are so not sexy. Do you really want to have sex to "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" by Rod Stewart? Really?

A lot of my problems with these lists has to do with personal preference, I know. I do not want to have sex to (let alone listen to) "Let's Get It On". Or anything similar.

And I have a little problem. I think one of the sexiest SOUNDING songs is "This Woman's Work" by Maxwell. And it's about pregnancy/birth. That's not so sexy. It's very unfortunate.

Ali

Scary

2008-05-25T20:02:00.002-04:00

I was driving to work the other morning and turned the corner to see this coming at me.

Doesn't anyone understand how scary these things are for some of us?

-Jenny

Fuck It

2008-05-21T20:57:00.002-04:00

I think I've made a decision. If I don't get this job that I just interviewed for, I'm saying fuck it. Fuck having a real job. I shall find a rich guy who will support me. And I'll be bored for the rest of my life.

I just hate interviews. And job searching. But I also hate not having an income. Or anything to do, like ever. And I hate that I haven't quit smoking yet. (Still wearing the patches, hoping I'll just stop smoking...)

But there are some good things going on. I love my new therapist. Therapy is the shit. It's the one hour a week when I can be completely self-involved and not feel guilty about it. And there's a cat there that rubs up against me, which is always enjoyable.

I'm tired now. Not doing anything is exhausting.

Ali

Hectic Day

2008-05-20T13:29:00.002-04:00

I have a new love. Podcasts! I bought an Ipod about a week ago and just discovered these things called podcasts. I've only heard a little bit of one so far but I'm hopeful that they're as cool as I think they'll be. I subscribed to a bunch of comedy ones as well as a few others. Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee should totally have one. Maybe she does and I didn't see it. Hmmm.

I have an interview in Bowling Green this afternoon and am completely unprepared for it as I got the call this morning. I hope she's forgiving due to the lack of notice. I had to take Ethan with me to the mall to buy an outfit and then we went to the library so I could print off my resume, but it didn't work. So, I don't have a resume, my outfit kind of sucks and I have weird hair because my straighteners are in Grafton. AND I'll be cutting it close time-wise because I'm watching Ethan until Pat gets home and he'll be a little late today. Oh well. I'm just happy that I got an interview.

-Ali

No Jobs!!!

2008-05-07T13:09:00.004-04:00

There are no jobs within an hour of Findlay. I feel like there have to be a few, but I can't find them! Unless, of course, I go to work at McDonalds, which would probably pay as well as anything I could get but would make me want to kill myself and/or someone else.

I get that there are very few jobs in Findlay and that none of them are anything I'd want to do. It's not a big city. I would think there would be something, but I still get it. But Toledo is a reasonably large city. There should be more jobs available there! I don't want to give up my hope of finding a decent job that I won't hate (not retail, food service or factory work).

Well, I'm not giving up yet. I believe something will pop up and it will be fabulous. Maybe I should do volunteer work until then. That is, if there are any volunteer positions in the Northwest corner of the state. Probably not.

Maybe this is all a sign that I'm not supposed to get a job until I take a trip to Paris. I should probably do that soon then.

Ali

I should take up yoga.

2008-04-23T19:29:00.002-04:00

Life is complicated. And hard. But we all know that. And I'm coming to accept that. I'll never get everything I want and that's okay because there's good stuff in life that makes it all worth it. There will be bad days and there will be good days and in the end it will all be worth it.

That's my feeling today. Undoubtedly tomorrow I'll have changed my mind and hate everything again. But then I'll come back to this thinking the next day, so it's all good.

-Ali

Car Issues

2008-04-18T11:33:00.002-04:00

I'm sitting in Government, my second class of the day when a security officer comes in. He asks if there's an Alison in the class. When I go into the hall with him, he tells me that there's been an accident involving my car.

It turns out a girl (who's in my accounting class) hit my car when she was parking. There's a decent dent in the rear driver's side door and the panel behind it. God willing, when it gets fixed up it'll be good as new.

The ironic part is that I just cleaned it out yesterday and was planning to go vacuum and wash it today after class. I'm so sad.

-Ali

Hair

2008-04-17T19:48:00.005-04:00

I just got my hair cut and while I like it, I can't quite get over the curly hair kick I've been on. I'm worried that the style I want can't be done with a perm or something and that I'll actually have to style my hair daily. These are some examples of what I want... (I'm too lazy to find out how to post pictures)...

http://www.tru-davies.de/images/alyson/alyson-hannigan-02.jpg

http://www.solarnavigator.net/films_movies_actors/actors_films_images/reese_witherspoon_just_like_heaven.jpg

Also, I want to dye my hair a little darker. Well, I do when I get a little bit of sun.

-Ali

More Apartments

2008-04-08T08:56:00.003-04:00

I changed my mind. I want to live at Bridgeview Apartments. They have exposed brick! Ugh. I need to get rich quickly. And convince Jenny to live downtown with me. Hmmm. I'll think of something.

-Ali

Dreams and Goals for the Future

2008-04-05T12:38:00.002-04:00

I think have found my ideal apartment. Water Street Apartments in Cleveland. (I'd have to see them before officially labeling them ideal, but they seem perfect.) I see myself with a fancy accounting job downtown and a fancy apartment and my two cats (Filbert and the kitten I will be getting). And I can entertain! And these apartments are very close to the Browns stadium so when everyone goes to the games and gets trashed, you can crash in my fancy apartment!

I do realize that it may be a while before this dream is possible and that by the time it's possible I may have a new dream, but I still believe it's nice to have a dream.

My current goal is to get a decent job that is somewhat related to the accounting field and get an apartment with Jenny (probably closer to Cleveland since that's where most of the jobs are). I also have to figure in school... Oh well. It'll all come together in time.

-Ali

Reading Material

2008-04-02T21:18:00.002-04:00

Today I went out looking for tarot cards. My search was not successful, but I did get to see the Stately Raven (bookstore in Findlay voted best bookstore in Ohio) which was neat. I have to say, I do think that the Book Loft in Columbus is better, but it was still cool. I bought a book there called "Learned Optimism (How to Change Your Mind and Your Life)". I haven't learned much from it yet, but I'm hoping to do so as I read into it. I also almost bought a book about unsolved crimes. That would have been an odd combination.

I need to read something that's fiction and not Harry Potter. I'm thinking my best bet is to go back to the Stephanie Plum books. I enjoyed those while I read them. I just need to figure out where I left off.

-Alison

The Crap Of Life

2008-04-01T21:02:00.002-04:00

Pat has broken up with me. Apparently he did it a while ago but never actually said that we were breaking up, so yeah. Now I'm caught up.

I definitely need a kitten. Or two hundred. Or a month long nap.

In other news, I saw a kid I went to high school with at Wal Mart here in Findlay. It blew my mind.

-Alison

Kittens and Knitting! Yay!

2008-03-31T11:46:00.002-04:00

Jenny and I went to Landmark to buy seeds for her gardening and they had baby ducks. Baby ducks! For sale! I pined terribly and considered buying one right then and there, but I really think my mother would disown me. Anyway, I've gotten over the baby ducks. Impractical. So, what's practical? A kitten! I'm entirely convinced that getting a kitten is the right choice. I just have to talk our mom into it. I think I can.

Lately, I've found a need for a hobby and also a way of relaxing. So, I thought I would take another stab at knitting. I knew I wanted to make leg warmers but I didn't know how to go about it. So I did what I always do. I just cast on a bunch of stitches and started knitting. I figured if it wasn't the right size it would make a lovely scarf. I'm using one strand each of dark grey alpaca and Shimmer from knitpicks. (They don't seem to have the same color now, but it's the preview picture on the main yarn page. It's varying shades of purple and minty green.) It's turning out really pretty and I measured it and it should fit my ankle, but I'll have to increase for the calf. I'm worried I'll ruin it all if I try. So... lovely scarf or possible unsalvageable mess? Decisions, decisions...

P.S. Thank you, God, for the not freezing weather... I like sun, too.

-Alison

Happy List

2008-03-25T22:03:00.002-04:00

Jenny gave me the idea to make a happy list. I did so and am sharing it. This is my attempt at sincere optimism (unlike the sarcastic optimism showcased in my last post).

1. Filbert. (He gets to go first because he's here.)
2. My family. (In general, I like them a lot.)
3. I finally know what I want to do. (Career-wise.)
4. I am American. (I'm not the super patriotic type, but I am very lucky to have been born here. I am thankful.)
5. I have lots of entertaining DVDs. (Fiction is beautiful.)
6. I have a new car. (It does not stall when I stop at lights and you can't hear it from 4 blocks away.)

And that's my list. It'll do for now.

-Alison

Optimist

2008-03-11T12:36:00.002-04:00

I hate being sick. I really do. Drugs help quite a bit, but it still sucks. My lips are all chapped, my throat is all dry and itchy, my nose is bright red constantly dripping. I'm out of tissues. The dog keeps dragging used tissues out of the trash. Ethan, while not being bad, still requires constant attention. I missed school yesterday which means I'll be lost in accounting. I have school tomorrow morning and a job interview in the afternoon. The house is a mess.

Luckily, I have a good attitude about it.

-Ali

Deep Thoughts

2008-02-29T12:22:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I text Skip. And then I wonder if I made sure it was, in fact, him I texted. If my finger slipped, it was SCO or Stef. That's not so bad if it was something like "You're hot" or "I like you". Both of them are also hot and likeable. But there are other things I would only like to communicate to Skip. And I wonder if they ever end up with someone else...

-Jenny

Poet's Corner

2008-02-29T12:18:00.003-05:00

February! It's time to go!
March is under all this snow.

And when we find it, it will bring
only one more month till spring.

Then I'll go without my shoes
and maybe lay off on the booze.

-Jenny

State hunting.

2008-02-18T10:41:00.001-05:00

create your own visited states map

I need another one of these grey ones by May 24th. Which'll it be?
-Jenny

Is it May yet?

2008-02-07T17:32:00.000-05:00

Here's a question for discussion:
What are some things about your job/classes/life that you really didn't expect? Not big stuff necessarily, but little details for which you really weren't prepared.

I'll go first. When I started working at a library I really didn't expect to think a certain phrase nearly every day. And that phrase is "Oh God, I hope this isn't semen."

-Jennifer

Thoughts:

2008-01-19T16:02:00.000-05:00

-27 Dresses is a really good movie. Well, if you are a woman (or womanly). Men (and the manly) probably won't get all the wedding fuss and how much fun it is to dance on bars.

-If you learn to use the library catalog, you won't have to talk to anyone. What could be better than that? Also, if you are in a hurry, knowing your alphabet helps. And if you have gray hair, it's time to learn it no matter what.

-Why won't my boyfriend take a picture of his hat and send it to me? Why?

-Jenny

I'd like to share a little something I wrote today..

2008-01-15T19:32:00.000-05:00

It's January. The snows come down.
Or sideways. Or upways. Or all around.

The rainfalls freeze. The sky is gray.
But still I go to work each day.

I check each book. I shelve each tome.
I long to chuck it and go home.

My lashes droop. My eyelids sting.
I'm mad at every frigging thing.

I want some cocoa and my bed.
I want to rest my weary head.

Or curl up with my yarns & yawns
and watch Top Model marathons.

It's winter! Time to hibernate!
Of course each morning I am late!

This is no time for jobs or chores
outside our insulated doors.

Why won't the world just think like me
and, until spring, just leave me be?

-Jenny

First Impressions

2008-01-15T12:45:00.000-05:00

As I previously stated, I am taking classes. Here are my observations, thoughts and predictions for my classes...

Introduction to Financial Accounting: Love the teacher. She's teaching the course under the assumption that we don't know a thing about accounting, so that's good for me. I think I will do well with this class.

American Government: The teacher is... interesting. Not in a bad way. Just different. He's from Canada. I think this class will be a bit of a challenge because I'm having a hard time remembering anything about government. And most of these kids just took government so it's fresh in their minds. And there's a kid in there that's 15 and is horribly obnoxious. Comments on everything. It's very distracting.

Sociology: I just took my first class last night. First of all, it's a 3 hour class (once a week) so it's kind of tedious. And there's a ton of homework. We have to write at least 1 paper a week. Also, classes are Monday nights and the work is due Friday night (by e-mail), so there's not a lot of time. And I suck at writing papers. But, given all of that, the teacher is hilarious and I really like him, so hopefully it won't be as bad as I think.

So, basically... Wish me luck.

-Ali

I have a case of the Mondays

2008-01-14T18:01:00.000-05:00

Arrgh! I really, really cannot stand my job anymore. Let me fix that: The job is fine. I hate all the patrons and most of my coworkers. And I will quit just as soon as I have another plan.

Anyone want to help me come up with another plan? I enjoy reading, being alone, watching Top Model and tickling Skip until he squeals. Anything in there a job description?

-Jenny

School

2008-01-07T10:16:00.000-05:00

I'm going back to school! Yeah!

I signed up for classes at Owens Community College. Accounting, American Government and Sociology. I start this Friday. Who's excited? I am!

-Ali

Year In Review

2007-12-28T13:52:00.000-05:00

I am currently without internet at my residence so I have not updated in a long time. Hopefully we'll get us some internet soon, but some people think having a couch is more important.

So, this will be my end of the year post. Reflections, memories, hopes for the new years. Stuff like that.

It's been possibly the weirdest year of my life so far. A lot of changes. I quit my job, lost a parent, got a new car, moved in with my boyfriend (and his son and dog). And those are pretty big changes in my opinion. And I've noticed that I'm not the only one with big changes going on. Steph and Bryan got the new house, Laura got married, Jenny's all in a serious relationship and crap. I don't even know what's going on with Nicole. (I hear people talk about how they don't talk to their high school friends anymore... I wonder if they're counting they're sister's friends...)

I am curious about the coming year and what it will bring. I'm really hoping it's easier. I hope to find a job (very soon). I hope to host a party. I hope to not be involved in a break up. I hope nobody dies or gets seriously ill. Seriously guys, try really hard to not get sick or injured. I have faith.

In conclusion, while 2007 was a year full of great memories and crap, let's try for less bad memories next year. Go team!

-Ali

More stuff

2007-12-21T22:33:00.000-05:00

Other stuff I want:
-Music! All those folky people: Hem, Ingrid Michaelson, Madeleine Peyroux
-A book called "The Victorian Lady". The copy is by my cousin, Janna Walkup, and it's very girly,
-Something that smells good. Soap or oils or something. Good smells are lavender, rosemary, sage, jasmine, anything planty. Not foody.

I'm feeling very greedy this week.

-Jenny

Wow, am I behind...

2007-12-20T09:52:00.000-05:00

...but I'd argue that I was supposed to have help with this thing. (Alison!)

So, listen: Does anyone want to go to a bridal show with me?

I know what you're thinking, I'm not engaged and neither is Nicole quite yet and even if you were, all the stuff at a bridal show is probably stuff you wouldn't actually want to pay for/take home.

But people go to dog shows without intending to buy dogs. And boys go to car shows all the time and still drive around in their boring little Hondas. And Grandpa loves steam engine shows, but I have yet to see one of those puffing away in his backyard.

So, who wants to go with me? Does it matter if all of us are either not engaged or already married? No! This is about entertainment, about spectacle! And about talking myself out of renting swans for Nicole's wedding.

In other news, I keep finding things that I want on my Christmas list and it's killing me. Usually I can forget about them, but I keep looking at ads and now I want:

-a digital camera (for knitting pictures)
-a knitting machine (on sale at Jo Ann!)
-an elliptical (Christmas is a season of dreams)
-cross country skis (why must you buy all the boot/strapping stuff?)
-a model train set (Something to start me, so I can model a landscape myself)
-a car (And I want an indigo one! Color is the only thing that separates one car from another! )

Capitalism. Yum.

-Jenny

In which I steal a stolen idea

2007-12-01T14:46:00.000-05:00

1. I saw this on Stepho’s blog. I had no pronounced excitement or disappointment, but I did see an idea to steal.
2. I have needed to seriously clean my room for about a year, but I’ve convinced myself that I’m moving out soon and I should just wait until I pack.
4. I have a recurring nightmare. I know exactly what it means. But I don’t know how to make it stop.
5. I don’t know that I have a favorite author, but if I did it might be James Thurber. (Ohio and proud!)
6. Holy crap, I have a yarn closet, too. When did that happen? Didn’t it used to just be a box in a closet?
7. I’m down to one cat. It doesn’t sleep on me and it barely let’s me touch it. Am I a failure as a cat lady?
8. I’m afraid of needing glasses. I’ve left my bra in how many places and you think I can keep track of glasses? Also, I’m afraid of needing fillings. I know that’s not really related, but it’s a big fear.
9. When I think about my real age I get really tired, and I’m pretty sure that’s a symptom of depression.
10. I hate most breakfast fast foods. And it’s not always easy to find other breakfast foods I enjoy. In general, I find there’s no incentive for me to get up before noon.
11. You know who's hot? Bill Nighy, that's who!
12. I like soup. But it’s so salty. Someone should invent non-salty, still-tasty soup.
13. I guess I’m a “sweet”. Although, if we’re basing our personalities on the food we like, I am “easy”.
14. I love whining about someone to a third party. I’m very judgmental and if I keep it all in, it will explode in a messy scene at some point. But I do think whining is best if prefaced by “I know this isn’t a big deal, but it just bothered me.” There’s a difference between whining about your pet peeves and seriously believing that people should change to suit your fancy.
15. I need to figure out how to get people at work to stop assuming I can knit them something in a few nights. Or that I want to. Or that I have lots of extra yarn and needles I am dying to pass out to the general public.
16. My trunk is still packed with stuff from my last move - which was December of 2005, if anyone is curious.

No Pictures

2007-11-24T21:54:00.000-05:00

I always feel like my posts should include pictures. I suppose that's because I find my own words pretty boring. And by 'words', I mean 'life'.

On Thankgiving, I got a lot of 'What's new with you?'s and it's really hard to answer. I do the same thing every damn day and any variations usually take place in Skip's bedroom.

Or I could complain about an aspect of my life. Does anyone want to hear about how I hate where the library phone is located? Or how frustrated I am with the church Christmas pageant?

No? Really? Imagine that.

-Jenny

Case of the Mondays

2007-11-12T19:04:00.000-05:00

Today I got on the treadmill and walked. I even managed to make it half an hour before I got bored. After that it was a struggle to stay on and I didn't last much longer.

My new goal is to shave my legs.

It's important to set reasonable goals.

-Jenny

Real trees suck.

2007-11-02T15:37:00.000-04:00

Will I ever really be happy with my job?

I hope he's wrong.

-Jenny

Bored.

2007-11-01T15:35:00.001-04:00

So, now Pat's sick. I'm pretty sure he's just trying to steal my thunder.

I got to drag out my scrapbooking crap yesterday to make a card for the girls in the apartment upstairs. A little while ago they made little bags with cider and candy for everyone in the building and I thought it was freaking darling, so I made them a Happy Halloween card. I really want to make more cards but I can't think of any upcoming events that are cardworthy. Maybe I'll start on the Christmas ones...

Speaking of Christmas, Pat says we're going to get a tree. Like, a real one. I'm very excited about this. First of all, that we'll have a tree. Second of all, that it will be real! I've never had one of those. I hope it smells good.

I think I'm going to take a nap now. My life is just so stressful.

-Ali

Pat and Ali's Blog Of Sickness

2007-10-30T10:17:00.001-04:00

So, I'm sick. Some sort of cold I'm sure. Pat says everyone gets sick this time of year, which makes me feel like I can't whine and complain about it. Someone needs to tell him that when you're sick you're allowed to whine and complain. And be served tea and medicine. And get foot rubs.

(Ali just went to the bathroom, Pat has taken over)

Blog blog blog, bloggy blog blog. As for the tea, medicine, and foot rubs thing, she made a pot of coffee as soon as she woke up (less then an hour ago), I offered her medicine last night as well as 5 minutes after she woke up (she just now took some on her own), and foot rubs are for the evening. Shes just a little upset because I tried to get her to look on the bright side of her being ill. I told her that its better to get sick at the beginning of the week so you feel better for the weekend.

Well, thank you for your time people of Al Gore's internet. I'd love to stay and blog, but PBS kids looks mighty tempting...

(Back to Ali.)

Jackass. You know, whenever I got sick back home Jenny would cater to me. I miss her. And my toenails are getting long. I'll be home this weekend. Maybe I can convince her to do them then. And also take off the nail polish that's been on them since St. Thomas and is now looking frightful.

On the subject of careers and such, there is no news to report except that I really think I need to get a job shopping. I like to shop. I would be good at it. Unless I had to shop at Wal Mart on a weekend. Scary.

-Ali

In which the pants wear me (out)

2007-10-25T22:49:00.000-04:00

Why do I feel like we've used that one before? Anyway, it's on topic.

Today I tried to buy clothes. In some repects, I was successful. I have sweaters now, none of which are grey. (You know how hard that is for me.) I have two pair of cords, which do not need to be ironed yet can be worn to work. And I have four new long sleeve t-shirts from Target and it turned out they were on sale.

What I do not have is any clear indication of what my size is. During the sweater phase of the day I tried on larges where I could clearly see the outline of my nipples and smalls where it was impossible to tell I had breasts at all. The cords I ended up buying are a size smaller than my usual and two sizes smaller than I was just a few years ago. And when I tried on jeans I took a 4 into the dressing room for shits and giggles, pulled them up, zipped and buttoned them.

Buttoned!

Granted, they were so tight if I had bent over ass cheek would have sprung out through the back seams and yelled "Ta da!" Still, buttoned is buttoned.

The thing is, I am not any smaller than I used to be. In fact, I weigh more. I try on my old clothes and they haven't gotten any looser. So my old problem with shopping was that nothing fit right and it all came in weird colors. Now I get to play a horrible guessing game where everytime I look away, all the pants get larger and larger until the size 0s will fit around a Volvo.

I pray to God the unders I grabbed even stay up. And I don't know what girls smaller than me are doing. I guess they'll have to shop in the kids department. Is this what happened in Japan? Is this why 30 year old Japanese women wear Hello Kitty backpacks?

So, that is my shopping rant. Hopefully, I won't have to go again for a long time. Probably, by then I'll have to get pants in negative sizes. Or maybe there won't be any pants. Maybe we'll all wrap ourselves in sheets and walk around like that.

Oh God. They got to Ancient Greece, too.

-Jenny

Goals and Such

2007-10-17T19:09:00.001-04:00

Today's goals:
-Clean like a beast. (Have started but not gotten far.)
-Some light grocery shopping. (Check, but also went to Kohls and bought clothes and candles. Not so good.)
-Make Shepherd's Pie. (Will be done later. Fingers are crossed.)
-Get prescription filled. (I am a lazy whore and have put this off for way too long. Too late now, but it goes on tomorrow's list.)

As I was going through my clothes today, I realized just how much crap I have. I am seriously not buying another piece of clothing for the next 6 months. Exceptions: Bras and a winter coat. I actually need those.

Halloween is approaching. Some friends of mine want to go out, but what do twenty-somethings do on Halloween? Just hope someone has a party? Anyone want to host a party? Jenny, this is why you need to buy a house.

-Ali

Dreams

2007-10-16T19:47:00.000-04:00

I am sick of dreaming. Why can't I have (or remember) pleasant dreams about rainbows and kittens and crap? I need to read that dream book I have and find out how to make it stop. Seriously.

-Ali

Dum dum de dum

2007-10-11T21:29:00.000-04:00

(That's the first bar to 'Hail to the Chief' by the way)

-Jenny

Stole Ali's camera.

2007-10-10T16:42:00.000-04:00

I know, I know. Where have I been? What have I been doing?
The short answer: I can't remember either.
But I know that some knitting was involved because I finished these:

And this:

This is still coming along:

And so is my travel knitting:

And I feel better about all of it, because you feel like a moron knitting a heavy wool sweater in 80 degree weather.

-Jenny

Babysitting

2007-10-01T16:49:00.000-04:00

Babysitting is not easy. My sympathies to those who do it every day. And also, to those who invent toys that make noise... I despise you.

-Ali

P.S. When did it become October? Dude. What happened to September?

Complaints of a Twenty-Something Girl

2007-09-25T19:44:00.000-04:00

Allergies suck! My throat has been sore for two days and I'm all stuffy. Not cool, man.

Also, I will never again cut my hair this short. It keeps flipping out on the bottom and making me look all... happy. Bleh. Doesn't my hair know that my soul is all dark and crap and I can't have happy hair? I want long, curly hair. I know it would never work the way I'd want it to, but I can dream.

-Ali

Hooray For Me!

2007-09-24T14:49:00.000-04:00

I am terribly proud of myself today. By 1 pm I had accomplished the following...

- I went to the DMV and got myself some plates for my car. It was way easier than I had expected. And they're nice and shiny!
- I returned half of the crap I bought yesterday at Target and Sears. I feel much better about my bank account now, but still kind of bummed about my wardrobe. Oh well. It will grow slowly.
- I went to Wal Mart for a few things and ended up buying groceries and one sweater.
- Talked to Stacey. (It's been a long time, I was excited.)

Now, still on my list of things to do today...

- Make chili. Yay!
- Fill out the stupid tax form that I keep forgetting about. I am least looking forward to this.

Maybe I should leave that last one until tomorrow... You know, I might get bored with nothing to do...

-Alison

Post Vacation

2007-09-16T04:35:00.000-04:00

Vacation was great. St. Thomas is gorgeous. Jen and I got some mean sunburns. Somehow I burned the shit out of the backs of my knees/thighs, so walking has been tricky lately. I need to learn that I am a sensitive girl and sunblock is my friend. Pictures will go up soon (of general vacation stuff, not burnt legs).

Now that I'm back from vacation, I have to actively look for a job. Ugh. It's been so nice being a slacker.

-Ali

Vacation Preparation

2007-09-10T20:46:00.000-04:00

So, we leave tomorrow morning for vacation. (When I say "tomorrow morning" I mean the middle of the damn night - 4:30 am.) I am completely wiped out and I'm looking forward to sleeping the whole way down there. Of course, now I probably won't be able to sleep at all because nothing can go quite right, can it?

Today, while driving to the North Ridgeville library to pick up some books for Jen, I got stuck behind an idiot who felt the need to turn left at an intersection at about negative 3 mph. So, I did what any sensible woman would do. I burst into tears. These things have to be done, after all.

Pat restrung my guitar last night and it really sounds much better. Almost incentive to actually practice. Too bad we're leaving tomorrow.

Now I'm going to go look at a map and figure out exactly where the Virgin Islands are. I know they're south-ish. Yay for sun! Goodbye, pale ghostly woman! Hello, hot tan lady! (Well, bright red flaky lady.)

-Alison

Edit: I just looked at the weather forecast and it's supposed to rain pretty much every day. Maybe not so tan.

Pictures

2007-09-09T00:08:00.001-04:00

Following Jenny's lead...

This is my current favorite picture. That is Lewis freaking out in my lap. My second favorite...

Lewis getting fresh.

-Ali

Yay for a night in!

2007-09-08T21:59:00.000-04:00

Ever go through your old photo files and find lovely things you'd forgotten or didn't know you had? Like this hotness:

Good stuff, huh? And look, in this one I'm so hot Skip is panting.

But I think this is the best. Mostly because I found in my personal folder, not in the group digital camera folder. I have no idea how it got there. I think I blame Ali, but I gotta say, that blame covers a lot of fronts...

-Jenny

Titles are gay.

2007-09-07T22:28:00.001-04:00

Today, I went to the mall and was reminded of how much I hate people. I was there for all of a half hour and I was on the verge of punching someone. I do not like to be crowded when shopping. I do not like to be crowded at all, actually. Unless I'm being crowded by an attractive guy, but that's entirely different.

Went to see Superbad tonight. It was very funny, I must say. I'm not always into that kind of humor. (You know what I'm talking about. That kind of cheap humor. You know, boy humor.) But when the term "vag" is used repeatedly, I'm won over.

In other news, I hate being a girl. Seriously. I think too much and it hurts my head. I'm pretty sure boys don't think this much. At least they don't show it.

-Alison

No pictures = sad face

2007-09-06T08:25:00.000-04:00

So we got a package in the mail and it was the best thing in the whole world. Yarn! Stepho sent me yarn! It's tiny, tiny laceweight mohair so it looks like thread with a blue halo. The blue is pretty arresting. Like staring straight into the Arizona sky. Or Gonzo. (It is pretty cute and fuzzy.) Hmm. What to make? I mean which stitch pattern of course, because this is obviously meant to make a deliciously complicated and lacy shawl/wrap. Thank you Stepho! Fun note: package arrived same day as our tea o' the month arrived. Yarn and tea. Hot.

I wish I had time to take some pictures of the ol' knitting. My mystery stole is coming along swimmingly, I think. Also, maybe if I had a camera I'd have the motivation to get those damn baby booties done. Of course, I don't have an address to send them to yet so it may not matter.

I figure once I get this clue done in the stole (and sew together the DBBs) I can finish the last sleeve on my Perfect Sweater in time for the first of the crisp fall days. (Delicious) And then I can finish the last sleeve on the super heavy red sweater and wait for it to get colder than fuck. Or I can start some new projects and ignore the red sweater until January so I don't have to chide myself for gauge mistakes until I chuck it all and become a sheep farmer in Wyoming. Again.

-Jenny

Blah.

2007-09-05T22:32:00.000-04:00

I feel bad for my sock. And I blame Jenny for my lack of progress on it. Why? Because my idle time is now filled with reading the Stephanie Plum books instead of knitting. I really should find a balance between the two, but the books are damn interesting. Maybe when I finish book 4 I'll finish the sock before moving onto book 5.

Life right now is sort of an emotional roller coaster. It's really pretty draining, but the highs are much higher than usual, so I can't complain too much. Sigh.

-Alison

Kittens and a Vacation

2007-08-31T15:47:00.000-04:00

I've decided that Bits must be named after the bits of dead animals he brings up to the house. It's really quite disgusting and I don't think he and I can be friends anymore. Also, he tried to molest me. Not cool, Bits. Not cool.

The kittens are lovely. Lewis won't shut up, but I only love him more for it. I heard Grace's meow for the first time today and it's much louder than I'd expected. (By the way, Jenny and I have renamed Scaredy-Cat. Her new name is Grace Kelly.)

I got my car washed yesterday and Peepers walked all over it, effectively ending my friendship with him. Don't mess with the car, man.

We booked a vacation today. Mom, Jenny and I are going to the Virgin Islands September 11-15 to a resort. Should be much fun. I hate to be a downer, but I'm already dreading the flights. Each way is pretty much an all day affair. I will seriously consider getting some patches in an attempt to maintain my relationships with my family.

-Alison

Jealous?

2007-08-27T19:36:00.000-04:00

-Ali

I'm back

2007-08-23T14:13:00.000-04:00

What to say about my life? I can't tell the difference between days anymore and I really don't remember what was going on the last time I posted. Did I talk about VBS? I taught VBS, it went well, next year I want to plan more in advance. Now I'm being asked to teach Sunday school and I really don't want to because I have a boyfriend and I'd like to spend some time sleeping in with him. But how do you say that in church?

I work full-time now. I really hope that what I think I'm going to be making isn't what I really end up making. I can't live on that. Plus, when they take out for insurance, I'll be completely behind. Average library wage, my ass.

I need a vacation. I can tell I do. But I don't want to go through all the trouble of planning a vacation and making sure I don't schedule anything in Ohio that weekend or week or whatever. Plus, Mom keeps coming up with ideas where we go do stuff and I really just want to go somewhere and catch up on sleep. And I really don't know what I can afford because of the previous paragraph.

So I actually feel a little crappy. All my careful planning in high school and college and I'm going to end up a cranky librarian, living off of Skip and not living up to any of my potential. Woo.

Other: I've finished the bodies of the two baby booties. I may have to redo one. I also finished two pairs of wings. Still to go: two sets of scales and two sets of bronze spikes. Then we'll have some very cute Norbert booties.

-Jenny

Full Time Knitter

2007-08-22T23:30:00.000-04:00

Still knitting! I am totally on a roll. I seriously don't want to go back to work for fear that I'll never knit again. I'm getting to that dangerous stage of the project where I'm thinking of other things I want to knit. Luckily, I have will power and will NOT start another project until these are done. Hopefully. But, just for shits and giggles, here is my list of potential projects...

-Christmas presents. I have a couple of ideas, but I'll have to really think about what I want to make for everyone. Mind you, if you don't get a hand-knitted present, do not be sad. I LOVE Christmas shopping and I cannot be deprived of this joy. Plus, I really can't knit something for everyone by Christmas. I am slow.

-Football gear! I'm very excited for football season and I think I need some scarlet and grey things. Perhaps a jazzy hat? Or mittens! (I still think that brown and orange are unattractive, especially with my complexion. Eh. I'll think about it.)

-Remember that mystery project for a mystery friend? Yeah, I didn't like it, but I want to restart with another yarn and maybe another pattern.

-Call me crazy, but I really want to knit a bracelet. I'm thinking of doing the drop stitch look. I'll play around with it.

So, as you see, I obviously do not have time for a job.

I'm also painting/redecorating my bedroom. There will be pictures when it's finished.

-Alison

Will Work For Cigarettes

2007-08-18T15:27:00.000-04:00

I am officially unemployed. My last day was yesterday. It's definitely bizarre, but in a good way. With unlimited time at my disposal, I am planning all sorts of projects. First is cleaning and painting my bedroom. This is a thoroughly exciting prospect. A clean and pretty bedroom? Whaaaat?

Last night I went to a bachelorette party for a girl I don't really know well, but she's a friend of a friend. As with most bachelorette parties, it was less of a "party" and more of a "go out to clubs and get fucked up". It was a super fun time. We went to the Velvet Dog and the Blind Pig downtown. We were entertained by a group of men who called themselves the United Nations as they had a Mexican guy, a French guy, and a Canadian guy. The French guy (Phillipe) and I spoke French for a bit. Well, he did most of the speaking. I tried, but it was loud and I was uncomfortable attempting to speak French to someone who actually spoke the language.

I also have a plan to find some sort of charity and force everyone to participate. Not a donating money thing, but an activity thing. Perhaps a walk? An outing of some sort? I'll look into it. I feel that it would be a good use of our time.

EDIT: Just a thought... Arthritis Walk

-Ali

Yet Another New Project

2007-08-14T22:59:00.000-04:00

Pretty! And look how much I've done! I win!

Very drastic topic change...

Does anyone need any condoms? I apparently have 100 all to myself and I really don't get that much. Let me know.

-Ali