I watched Whiplash and American Sniper back to back tonight.
Yeah... I'm going to need some processing time.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Socks Of Doom
I finished the socks! The socks are done!
Today was just one of those days. I slept on the couch because my grandmother was staying in my room. Twelve hours, but I probably woke up half a dozen times (awkwardly turn over, go back to sleep). I woke up feeling somewhat better than yesterday but still just... blah.
I'm taking Vitamin C supplements that are gummies shaped like orange slices. Marketed for adults. They're basically like candy for sick people. It's so great.
In English I got up and started to leave when the professor was readying to hand back essays. It's the last thing he does in class and I hadn't turned one in on Tuesday, so I figured there was no reason for me to stay. I got to the door before I realized he was staring at me, so the entire class was staring at me. I paused with my hand on the doorknob, turned toward him, and shrugged. "You don't have one of mine, remember?" He unfroze and I knew he'd forgotten. "Ah. Yes. If you didn't hand an essay in to me on Tuesday, you can leave now." I realized on the stairs I should've said, "Oh, did my fairy godmother turn in an essay I didn't know about?" Same result, but with added laughter.
Government was pretty much a repeat class from last semester, talking about good sources versus questionable, bad, and worse-than-nothing sources. Did you know that watching cable news networks is scientifically proven to be worse at informing the public about political issues than not watching any news at all? It's pretty sad really. Also one of the students asked, "What about TMZ?" and half the class started snorting. The professor actually giggled.
Anyway, I bet you want to hear about the socks.
Today was just one of those days. I slept on the couch because my grandmother was staying in my room. Twelve hours, but I probably woke up half a dozen times (awkwardly turn over, go back to sleep). I woke up feeling somewhat better than yesterday but still just... blah.
I'm taking Vitamin C supplements that are gummies shaped like orange slices. Marketed for adults. They're basically like candy for sick people. It's so great.
In English I got up and started to leave when the professor was readying to hand back essays. It's the last thing he does in class and I hadn't turned one in on Tuesday, so I figured there was no reason for me to stay. I got to the door before I realized he was staring at me, so the entire class was staring at me. I paused with my hand on the doorknob, turned toward him, and shrugged. "You don't have one of mine, remember?" He unfroze and I knew he'd forgotten. "Ah. Yes. If you didn't hand an essay in to me on Tuesday, you can leave now." I realized on the stairs I should've said, "Oh, did my fairy godmother turn in an essay I didn't know about?" Same result, but with added laughter.
Government was pretty much a repeat class from last semester, talking about good sources versus questionable, bad, and worse-than-nothing sources. Did you know that watching cable news networks is scientifically proven to be worse at informing the public about political issues than not watching any news at all? It's pretty sad really. Also one of the students asked, "What about TMZ?" and half the class started snorting. The professor actually giggled.
Anyway, I bet you want to hear about the socks.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Homework Crunch
Today was a fun day.
I had my first round of babysitting for this family today. The door was open when I arrived because there were workers installing a fireplace (or rather the stone around one) and only the middle daughter was findable. She remembered my name and seemed delighted to see me, which was encouraging. I got her to explain her LEGO house to me, and we repaired all the damage her baby sister had done to it.
Everyone else was upstairs. The oldest daughter made an appearance first, and she was obviously a little more wary of me. She's a lot less of an attention-seeker and it's clear that she neither minds nor desires my presence. I like her. Eventually the mother came downstairs, when the baby was finally asleep. She made tea -- in an actual teapot, which was apparently the first thing she unpacked -- and spent the rest of my stay moving between the garage and the house as she unpacked and sorted. The girls "unpacked" some things as well, which stressed her out more. Oops.
On the way home I stopped at the local Trader Joe's to pick up shelf-stable Indian food. I also grabbed a box of couscous, which I used for lunch, and a bag of Inner Peas which will probably be gone by Sunday because they are so delicious.
I had a homework crunch tonight:
I had my first round of babysitting for this family today. The door was open when I arrived because there were workers installing a fireplace (or rather the stone around one) and only the middle daughter was findable. She remembered my name and seemed delighted to see me, which was encouraging. I got her to explain her LEGO house to me, and we repaired all the damage her baby sister had done to it.
Everyone else was upstairs. The oldest daughter made an appearance first, and she was obviously a little more wary of me. She's a lot less of an attention-seeker and it's clear that she neither minds nor desires my presence. I like her. Eventually the mother came downstairs, when the baby was finally asleep. She made tea -- in an actual teapot, which was apparently the first thing she unpacked -- and spent the rest of my stay moving between the garage and the house as she unpacked and sorted. The girls "unpacked" some things as well, which stressed her out more. Oops.
On the way home I stopped at the local Trader Joe's to pick up shelf-stable Indian food. I also grabbed a box of couscous, which I used for lunch, and a bag of Inner Peas which will probably be gone by Sunday because they are so delicious.
I had a homework crunch tonight:
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Tavern Wench
My family went to Medieval Times tonight, which is this elaborate dinner and tournament show. Most of my family dressed up. I brought my spindle and refused to wear a paper crown in an attempt to be "part of the show". I gathered a little crowd of enchanted tiny kids and was mistaken for an employee at one point, which basically made my day.
My costume was a Halloween pirate dress my aunt bought a few years ago. We had to belt it so it would fit, and it still draped rather than hugged, but wearing the "corset" I bought for prom two years ago at least made it look like I had some curves.
Notice my adorable half-curtsey that looks as natural as breathing. Curtseys have been my default "you exist and I am acknowledging you" gesture while in a skirt for years now, so it's semi-automatic at this point. I was bobbing curtseys to knights, royalty, and little girls all evening. (The little girls were the greatest because they would stare in wonder and then bob awkward little curtseys back!) I discovered upon returning home that I actually have the balance required to make those deep, elaborate curtseys that require you to go almost to your knee with your back totally straight while spreading your skirts out, and rising back up without wobbling. It's quite a feat, and one I'm maybe too proud of.
Oh also, our knight won the tournament and defeated the bad guy. It was a good night.
Let's take a peek at my February Resolution progress, shall we?
My costume was a Halloween pirate dress my aunt bought a few years ago. We had to belt it so it would fit, and it still draped rather than hugged, but wearing the "corset" I bought for prom two years ago at least made it look like I had some curves.
Notice my adorable half-curtsey that looks as natural as breathing. Curtseys have been my default "you exist and I am acknowledging you" gesture while in a skirt for years now, so it's semi-automatic at this point. I was bobbing curtseys to knights, royalty, and little girls all evening. (The little girls were the greatest because they would stare in wonder and then bob awkward little curtseys back!) I discovered upon returning home that I actually have the balance required to make those deep, elaborate curtseys that require you to go almost to your knee with your back totally straight while spreading your skirts out, and rising back up without wobbling. It's quite a feat, and one I'm maybe too proud of.
Oh also, our knight won the tournament and defeated the bad guy. It was a good night.
Let's take a peek at my February Resolution progress, shall we?
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Missed One, And Friday Victories
And I missed my first blog post of the year yesterday. Sad face. I just totally fell asleep before I remembered to post it.
Oh well. It's not a big deal, obviously, and I will be fine. I also missed a day of exercise on Wednesday. February is starting off shaky.
I guess it's time for some Friday Victories, since I again don't have Adulting Blanket pictures off my camera. Shame on me. We'll try to be better organized next week.
Oh well. It's not a big deal, obviously, and I will be fine. I also missed a day of exercise on Wednesday. February is starting off shaky.
I guess it's time for some Friday Victories, since I again don't have Adulting Blanket pictures off my camera. Shame on me. We'll try to be better organized next week.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
My Favorite Blanket
Short update on the socks before we go into my weird showcase for the day. I turned the heels! I'm still somewhat suspicious of this whole Fleegle heel thing, since I ended up only doing 20 rounds of gusset increases rather than 30 and that meant increasing to 32 stitches rather than decreasing after the actual turn. But they fit okay as far as I can tell, and I am somewhat more cheerful now that it looks like I may actually reach the end of the ball at some point.
The front of the sock is three cable panels, and the back of the leg adds in the outer two cables while leaving the center in stockinette, which I think is pretty neat. Because I'd like them to be aligned with the cables on the front of the foot I actually started them on round 3 rather than round 1, but I'm probably going to just ignore those first two rounds and pretend I have them. My plan is to shoot for two full repeats of these cables, so 24 rounds (minus the two at the beginning, but that's fine) so I have more knitting to do before I start getting impatient. If I feel like I'll probably run out of yarn before that, I can switch to the ribbing. Otherwise, that's the goal. Twenty-four rows (I've already completed six, so eighteen to go), and then I can either add another few rows or go straight to the ribbing.
So I did not adequately prepare for Showcase today either. I am a bad blogger, obviously. I shall try to have something for you next week, but for today I'm going to quietly show off my favorite blanket ever.
The front of the sock is three cable panels, and the back of the leg adds in the outer two cables while leaving the center in stockinette, which I think is pretty neat. Because I'd like them to be aligned with the cables on the front of the foot I actually started them on round 3 rather than round 1, but I'm probably going to just ignore those first two rounds and pretend I have them. My plan is to shoot for two full repeats of these cables, so 24 rounds (minus the two at the beginning, but that's fine) so I have more knitting to do before I start getting impatient. If I feel like I'll probably run out of yarn before that, I can switch to the ribbing. Otherwise, that's the goal. Twenty-four rows (I've already completed six, so eighteen to go), and then I can either add another few rows or go straight to the ribbing.
So I did not adequately prepare for Showcase today either. I am a bad blogger, obviously. I shall try to have something for you next week, but for today I'm going to quietly show off my favorite blanket ever.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Basics Of Sock-ing
We're still talking about the socks.
Arg, the socks. The Kick Off The New Year Socks. The cables that I have to remember to mirror, the toes that are too long, the gauge that isn't tight enough. Oh, the socks.
I'm halfway through the gusset increases and I'm ready to -- quoting Ian -- punch a llama. I am so tired of these socks being un-sock-like. We are having a rocky relationship and the end is not in sight. I am skeptical of this whole Fleegle heel thing. What kind of a name is Fleegle, anyway? Not one that sounds very trustworthy, that's for sure.
I don't know what I'm doing for February's socks. I kind of want to make heart socks out of hot pink yarn, but I don't want them to take forever. It might end up being basic toe-up socks I knit tiny reverse-stockinette hearts into everywhere. That sounds cute, right? But first I have to finish the stupid New Year socks. ARG.
Okay. That's enough WIP Whining for today. Let's talk about something else sock-related, shall we?
Arg, the socks. The Kick Off The New Year Socks. The cables that I have to remember to mirror, the toes that are too long, the gauge that isn't tight enough. Oh, the socks.
I'm halfway through the gusset increases and I'm ready to -- quoting Ian -- punch a llama. I am so tired of these socks being un-sock-like. We are having a rocky relationship and the end is not in sight. I am skeptical of this whole Fleegle heel thing. What kind of a name is Fleegle, anyway? Not one that sounds very trustworthy, that's for sure.
I don't know what I'm doing for February's socks. I kind of want to make heart socks out of hot pink yarn, but I don't want them to take forever. It might end up being basic toe-up socks I knit tiny reverse-stockinette hearts into everywhere. That sounds cute, right? But first I have to finish the stupid New Year socks. ARG.
Okay. That's enough WIP Whining for today. Let's talk about something else sock-related, shall we?
Bad Planning, Good Day
So... today was a long day. Told you this one would be late.
I slept for less than two hours and really only got up on time because I told a friend I needed to be up by then and had incentive to let him know I was. I managed to forget to bring my water bottle and a pillowcase in which to stealthily hide a quilt (more on that later), but nothing of importance was left behind.
There were practically no people on the road. It was awesome. It was 3:00 in the morning.
I got an agenda when I got there and my heart sank because it didn't look like there was going to be enough free time to do anything, and we were leaving at four in the afternoon. This felt stupid all day long. I had to text Ian and let him know that I couldn't go to dinner with him and the friend he'll be living with next school year, seriously disappointing all of us.
When I got on the bus I went straight to the back and ended up in the "multicultural cheer" section, somehow. Black, Hispanic, Arabic, and me the white girl. It was pretty cool. On the way back the Hispanic boy and I had our seats stolen by a couple of Asian girls, so the aggregate diversity went down in an amusing way. There are a lot of different people at my school, and I find this to be really awesome. Anyway, we chatted or slept for a few hours as the bus left at 4:00 AM and we stopped for breakfast at 6:20 AM. At some early time of the morning Ian called, and it's weird that my phone has no idea of either this call or the next call but it has the third one. Anyway, we figured out a plan for when he could come pick me up that would work as long as my professor didn't require that I stay on the capitol grounds (which he didn't, because he knows both of us and is a pretty chill guy).
Rallies are boring. Cheer cheer speech speech speech introduction cheer speech speech introduction cheer cheer speech speech speech cheer. Basically. It was really boring, and it was sprinkling, and my feet were unhappy from standing in my new shoes. When Ian arrived we were waiting in the school picture line, and he thoughtfully snapped one for me.
It's not very good, but that's the school group I went with. I'm a tiny red set of pixels on the right side middle row. Ian's standing pretty far out of the way holding my umbrella, and I wish I had a picture of this because he's a 6-foot ginger boy in a suit jacket holding a black umbrella with purple and blue flowery patterns on it. So adorable.
He lives within walking distance of the capital and doesn't have his car in the city anyway, so we had to walk. It was so painful I eventually took off the shoes and just carried them and walked in my tights (I need to wash them now). Not my favorite thing. His apartment is tiny and funny-shaped, but apparently bigger than most 4-person apartments (all I have to say is: yikes). I was cold the entire time I was there, which concerned him because the air was on as warm as it would go.
We grabbed lunch at the cafeteria, which is I think where this picture is from:
I slept for less than two hours and really only got up on time because I told a friend I needed to be up by then and had incentive to let him know I was. I managed to forget to bring my water bottle and a pillowcase in which to stealthily hide a quilt (more on that later), but nothing of importance was left behind.
There were practically no people on the road. It was awesome. It was 3:00 in the morning.
I got an agenda when I got there and my heart sank because it didn't look like there was going to be enough free time to do anything, and we were leaving at four in the afternoon. This felt stupid all day long. I had to text Ian and let him know that I couldn't go to dinner with him and the friend he'll be living with next school year, seriously disappointing all of us.
When I got on the bus I went straight to the back and ended up in the "multicultural cheer" section, somehow. Black, Hispanic, Arabic, and me the white girl. It was pretty cool. On the way back the Hispanic boy and I had our seats stolen by a couple of Asian girls, so the aggregate diversity went down in an amusing way. There are a lot of different people at my school, and I find this to be really awesome. Anyway, we chatted or slept for a few hours as the bus left at 4:00 AM and we stopped for breakfast at 6:20 AM. At some early time of the morning Ian called, and it's weird that my phone has no idea of either this call or the next call but it has the third one. Anyway, we figured out a plan for when he could come pick me up that would work as long as my professor didn't require that I stay on the capitol grounds (which he didn't, because he knows both of us and is a pretty chill guy).
Rallies are boring. Cheer cheer speech speech speech introduction cheer speech speech introduction cheer cheer speech speech speech cheer. Basically. It was really boring, and it was sprinkling, and my feet were unhappy from standing in my new shoes. When Ian arrived we were waiting in the school picture line, and he thoughtfully snapped one for me.
It's not very good, but that's the school group I went with. I'm a tiny red set of pixels on the right side middle row. Ian's standing pretty far out of the way holding my umbrella, and I wish I had a picture of this because he's a 6-foot ginger boy in a suit jacket holding a black umbrella with purple and blue flowery patterns on it. So adorable.
He lives within walking distance of the capital and doesn't have his car in the city anyway, so we had to walk. It was so painful I eventually took off the shoes and just carried them and walked in my tights (I need to wash them now). Not my favorite thing. His apartment is tiny and funny-shaped, but apparently bigger than most 4-person apartments (all I have to say is: yikes). I was cold the entire time I was there, which concerned him because the air was on as warm as it would go.
We grabbed lunch at the cafeteria, which is I think where this picture is from:
Monday, February 2, 2015
What A Day, and 3GT
Today has been long.
I wrote a 400-word response paper for my English teacher, which took way longer than it should have because all my English-class-writing skills are rusty. Then I stopped at Payless to buy grownup shoes because I need to dress professionally tomorrow (though... I am wearing bright red tights as socks...) only they didn't have them in the right size so I had to go to a different Payless to find them.
When I got home I had to do English class with my youngest brother. Then it was review-the-terms time for my psychology of sexuality class because we had a quiz on female anatomy. On my way home I picked up bright red tights at Target and lipstick at Walmart, only to discover that someone with a sense of humor decided to smash the lipstick so now I have to try to return it -- not likely! Great fun for me.
I have to get up in three hours to get on a bus for Austin, so if there is a post tomorrow it will either be automated or come in after midnight. Probably the latter. Apologies in advance.
Because I don't have too much more time to talk, let's hit 3 Good Things real quick before I head to bed.
I wrote a 400-word response paper for my English teacher, which took way longer than it should have because all my English-class-writing skills are rusty. Then I stopped at Payless to buy grownup shoes because I need to dress professionally tomorrow (though... I am wearing bright red tights as socks...) only they didn't have them in the right size so I had to go to a different Payless to find them.
When I got home I had to do English class with my youngest brother. Then it was review-the-terms time for my psychology of sexuality class because we had a quiz on female anatomy. On my way home I picked up bright red tights at Target and lipstick at Walmart, only to discover that someone with a sense of humor decided to smash the lipstick so now I have to try to return it -- not likely! Great fun for me.
I have to get up in three hours to get on a bus for Austin, so if there is a post tomorrow it will either be automated or come in after midnight. Probably the latter. Apologies in advance.
Because I don't have too much more time to talk, let's hit 3 Good Things real quick before I head to bed.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
2015 Resolutions Update, And February
Want some good news? We all survived the first month of 2015! Go us!
Here's some more good news: A lot of us did a lot of things! There was a lot of productivity in this first month of 2015, even with a few major setbacks for some people. Hopefully we all keep up this great momentum all year.
Let's start with a bit of a review of how I'm doing with my 2015 Resolutions, and then we'll start the February Resolutions.
1) Keep up with 3 Good Things all year
I'm doing really well with this one! I'm a few days behind writing things down (I think I need to write down Friday and Saturday), but I am taking time to think about them every night. I just don't always have the mental energy to write them down!
2) Exercise for at least 10 minutes each day
This is working out as well (pun unintended). A lot of my exercise has just been ten to fifteen minutes of basic yoga, but it's definitely making a difference for me already. This month I'm going to start trying to get some more serious exercise in.
a) Bonus points for actually completing C25K this year
I have not started this yet because I don't feel that I'm in shape enough to do even that. Plus, it
was January, and that means it was cold. This is a resolution for spring/summer months, not
January.
3) Put up one blog post a day
This has been happening as well, as long as you consider "day" to be "before I go to bed". Some of them have been very late, past midnight, but I'm going to work on getting them in earlier as I get more used to my schedule. Having some weekly elements is going to help that a lot, I think.
4) Complete my Year Of Adulting Blanket and accompanying journal
This is sort of working... and sort of not. There are 32 squares, which means I'm right on top of things as far as squares go, but I'm a week behind in the journaling. Hopefully I can catch up this week, and then I'll be right on target again. That's the goal here!
5) Read all 24 of my MERaT books
I got off to a good start by reading both of my January books. They were really short though, so that wasn't very challenging. I'll have to plan a little bit better to do as well with February's books. More on that in a bit.
6) Knit 12 pairs of socks
I'm so disappointed that I couldn't finish my "January" socks in January. It just didn't happen this time. But, I'm confident in my ability to catch up and finish them within a few weeks. More on this in a minute as well.
7) Make sure more yarn is going out of the house than into it
I'm really not sure how I did on this. I haven't calculated my yarn usage for January yet. I'll get back to you.
Looks like I'm making some good progress on the 2015 goals. Ready to see February's?
Here's some more good news: A lot of us did a lot of things! There was a lot of productivity in this first month of 2015, even with a few major setbacks for some people. Hopefully we all keep up this great momentum all year.
Let's start with a bit of a review of how I'm doing with my 2015 Resolutions, and then we'll start the February Resolutions.
1) Keep up with 3 Good Things all year
I'm doing really well with this one! I'm a few days behind writing things down (I think I need to write down Friday and Saturday), but I am taking time to think about them every night. I just don't always have the mental energy to write them down!
2) Exercise for at least 10 minutes each day
This is working out as well (pun unintended). A lot of my exercise has just been ten to fifteen minutes of basic yoga, but it's definitely making a difference for me already. This month I'm going to start trying to get some more serious exercise in.
a) Bonus points for actually completing C25K this year
I have not started this yet because I don't feel that I'm in shape enough to do even that. Plus, it
was January, and that means it was cold. This is a resolution for spring/summer months, not
January.
3) Put up one blog post a day
This has been happening as well, as long as you consider "day" to be "before I go to bed". Some of them have been very late, past midnight, but I'm going to work on getting them in earlier as I get more used to my schedule. Having some weekly elements is going to help that a lot, I think.
4) Complete my Year Of Adulting Blanket and accompanying journal
This is sort of working... and sort of not. There are 32 squares, which means I'm right on top of things as far as squares go, but I'm a week behind in the journaling. Hopefully I can catch up this week, and then I'll be right on target again. That's the goal here!
5) Read all 24 of my MERaT books
I got off to a good start by reading both of my January books. They were really short though, so that wasn't very challenging. I'll have to plan a little bit better to do as well with February's books. More on that in a bit.
6) Knit 12 pairs of socks
I'm so disappointed that I couldn't finish my "January" socks in January. It just didn't happen this time. But, I'm confident in my ability to catch up and finish them within a few weeks. More on this in a minute as well.
7) Make sure more yarn is going out of the house than into it
I'm really not sure how I did on this. I haven't calculated my yarn usage for January yet. I'll get back to you.
Looks like I'm making some good progress on the 2015 goals. Ready to see February's?
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