This, of course, means nothing

I'm really surprised it didn't say, "Wow, we can't believe you noticed another person long enough to seduce them!"

As you can see, somewhere along the line I decided that "finish all UFOs before starting anything new" actually meant "start a bunch of new crap and ignore the UFOs". As long as we're all on the same page here. Thus, "What I did on my Thanksgiving Vacation".

As I said last time, I got a new Christmas tree. This, of course, means that I need a new tree skirt. Obviously. So I've started one. Hopefully it won't take too long to finish. The base of my new tree is so nekkid.



Just over a week ago, I finally made it to my Local Yarn Store, Kro-Sha. Cute place, and on Wednesday nights they have open stitching. I may have to work that into my schedule. While there I got some aran wool so I could make a warmer scarf for myself and try a more intricate cable pattern. So far it's pretty fun and looks pretty decent.



So I guess the UFOs will have to wait. Again.

Now to update you on the cool stuff around the 'nets! I know you've just been dying for this stuff!!

• Last week, Missa (who desperately needs update her freakin' blog) made me a coolio bday present. It rocks my face off!!! Hope you don't get sued, baby!!
  
• Now, we all know I love the Denver Broncos. Well, now I love the Boise State Broncos, too. Or, at least, I love their star running back Ian Johnson! You see, our boy crochets! What a doll! I highly recommend this ESPN story about him. I just read that he was injured in a game a couple of weeks ago and has been hospitalized for a collapsed lung. Get well soon, Ian!
  
• For some people, this is probably blasphemous. Well, it is to me, too, but for entirely different reasons. Dude. You're giving the Farmboy waaaay too much credit. Doesn't keep it from being my new wallpaper, though.
  
• In a similar vein, think I should knit this?
  
• Still same vein -- Kevin Smith hosted a Dinner For Five. Watch part 1, part 2, and part 3. Awesome.
  
• I know that this is pretty old by now and those of you will TV's may find it to be old hat. But I thought it was quite the tirade. Agree or not, I haven't seen an editorial with this level of passion and eloquence for a long time.
  

Don't you feel so much closer to me now? Heh. Yeah. It's been nice knowin' you. ;)

If a plan died in my apartment, would it make a sound?

I have had this vision for several years now. And I've decided it's never coming to fruition. It probably wouldn't work, anyway, or someone would have done it by now.

Back when we sold the house and moved out west, I gave away the Christmas tree. It had been Mother's; it was the tree we'd had the whole time I was growing up. It leaned horribly and I couldn't figure out how to right it without, like, tethering it to the wall or something. Also, at the time, I was not really into Christmas that much, beyond gathering with family and friends and sharing a good meal. So I got rid of it. I don't regret it or anything, the thing was ragged. But, the point is, I've never replaced it. And I didn't want to. I wanted to Not Have A Tree.

But, you see, my mother and I also collected ornaments. Hallmark Frosty Friends ornaments, to be exact. Every year we got the new one and put it front and center on the tree, surrounded by the Friends of years past. It's a very successful series for the Hallmark company -- this year is the 28th in the series. I have every single one of them. I've carried on the collection since Mama died. And I have many other ornaments besides these -- Star Wars ornaments, ones that I made when I was younger, some of the ones that Mama would bring home to me when she went on her yearly excursion to Crown Center with the bridge club.

So, the point is, I have tons of ornaments. But I didn't want a tree. You see, I had a Plan. The plan was, get lots of green garland, drape it artfully along the tops of the walls, and hang the ornaments from the garland all around the room. In my mind's eye this is fabulous. It's been seven years since I gave away the tree and I have never tried the Plan. And you know what? I never will. I've given up.

Today I needed some lip balm. I'm addicted to lip balm. I'm one of those people who keeps a tube in her backpack, in the desk, in the nightstand, in the bathroom, in every coat pocket, in each purse, etc., etc. My favorite lip balm of all time is Caswell Massey Natural Therapy Lip Balm With Vitamin E. But, alas, they have been back ordered for six months with no end in sight. So I'm running out left and right. I went to Walgreens today to get some original Chapstick to tide me over until I can order more Caswell Massey or I figure out what to love instead.

Okay, that was off topic, but it brings me to Walgreens. Just inside the door they had a big sign proclaiming their one-day-only half-price sale of 6' pre-lighted Christmas trees. $20. I totally caved. I knew the Plan wasn't going to work, especially not in my apartment with the threats about too many holes in the walls and the windows on almost every wall up to the ceiling. So I got a really cheap tree. And as you can guess, the really cheap tree was not the most elegant thing ever put together out of a cardboard box:



But here's the thing about Christmas trees -- even really sad trees, once you get them all decorated and lit are beautiful and festive:



There are still ornaments that didn't even make it onto the tree and it is packed. So festive!

Since I don't have a fireplace, I don't have a mantel, so I hung my stocking near the heat vent, which is, coincidentally, where I have some action figures, so Santa will know for sure it's me he's dealing with when he comes.



Add in that tissue box cover and few other tchotchkes and it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas up in here.

And I didn't hear a thing.

Because mo' festive is mo' betta

Some things are tacky. Some things are just awful and should never be made, let alone lovingly handcrafted when maybe someone should maybe be working on a research proposal instead. But sometimes, tacky can transcend. Sometimes, sometimes, in the context of a holiday that is full of childhood memories and decades-worth of decorations that have run the gamut from tasteful to grotesque, we find that, given time and perspective, the tasteful is actually grotesque and the grotesque has become fun and kitschy. Or something.

This is all, of course, just ridiculous narrative attempting to elevate my blog entry from, "Look what I made!!" to something with some sort of societal effect. At least on the ever-important home decor front. But I'm failing. So, "Hey! Look what I made!"



Previously, I had been among the ranks of those who would rally against the existence of crocheted tissue box covers. But, because of the fabulous Gingerbread House Tissue Box Cover, I have been rehabilitated! I love this freakin' thing beyond all reason. It makes me happy. It is festive and cute and, really, these can only be good things.

I'm sure there's a way this could bring about world peace.

Nixon is the reason I'm alive

Now, you don't hear that very often, now do you?

In 1968, my mother was a 38-year-old divorced mother of two working at JC Penney and hating every minute of it. Her good friend, Ann, was also friends with Pauline, who had a 47-year-old bachelor brother who owned a fire salvage business in town. One day during the first week of November, my mother was going back to work after having lunch with Ann at the corner drugstore and they came upon Pauline's brother walking down the sidewalk. Ann introduced my mother to him. One of his most memorable features was that he wore pants that were too short with yellow socks. He wore these things because they had been stock at the store that no one would buy, so he wore them. He always did things like that.

On Wednesday of the following week, the day after the 1968 presidential election, my mother looked up from her counter at Penney's to see him coming towards her. He smiled and approached the counter.

"Did your candidate win?" he asked.

"Yes, yes he did," my mother replied.

His smile broadened and he asked her if he could take her to the drugstore's soda fountain on her break that afternoon. She said yes and the rest, as they say, is history.

They married a few months later and thirty-seven years ago today, just a little more than a year after they met, I was born.

You go, Tricky Dick.

Okay, I lied -- the end is totally in sight

First, here is my Saturday Sky -- kinda dreary, but a nifty pink tinge earlier.



And now, probably my last hat for a while. Not that I'm off hats or anything, but I do have to get into Christmas mode, and I have a nifty little project I'm starting to that end.

But here is my Crusher Hat, the pattern for which I purchased from Annie's Attic. I think it's pretty cool.



Now you're all wondering what I'm making next -- but I shan't tell you! Oh, no! You shall wait and see! Oh, yes! Bwahahahahaha!

Hat-ztravaganza continues - no end in sight

So, I love making hats. For right now. I'm sure the day will come when I never want to make another, but for now we'll just go with it, hmmm?

This hat employs the greatest technique ever!!! Joining colors is a pain in the neck because of all the loose end weaving and tension keeping. But no more!!! I've found a method of weaving in the ends as you go! It's da bomb!

This is an early graduation gift for Jon, another undergraduate in the lab. I'm so generous with the young people. Especially when they ooh and ahh and shizz.



Yes, it's a redux of the Quaker Ribbed Hat I made earlier. What can I say, he liked it when he saw mine!

Off to a movie and potluck! Ta!

I must be in a hat phase

I found some time to knit!! Woot! This is a good thing, because I need to gift a couple of folks who have been particularly helpful and kind over the last few weeks.

The cables of the Cabled Headband were so successful that I wanted to expand into full hat-dom with the Cable Knit Cap. This was slightly less successful, but I kind of like it anyway. I sure hope Lisa does, because that's who's gettin' it.



See what I mean about the cables? Okay, not the cables at all, but the places between the cables. It's all loose and long and the single knit stitch of the rib is all wide and weird looking. And it's not only this way when it's on a head. I tried to block it, but let's face it, I have no clue how to block a knit hat (I can shape a fur felt hat, but this is completely different).

I hate feeling this way about something that's a gift. I suppose I should not give it to her and make something that looks better, but I'm also trying to convince myself that it's not so bad as I think it is and no one else will be so critical.

And then I think, "It's a hat, Sus. If you were that concerned you would have made it out of something other than Red Heart SS. Get the heck over it."

It. Finally. Happened.

Hi! No, I'm not dead! Just really busy. But! I come to you with useful knowledge! Did you know that pipetting 1uL of solution fifty bazillion times uses forearm muscles not needed for any other daily activities, ever, in your whole life? Well, it does! Science is full of learning! (Owie. Hurts.)

Okay, on to more important things. Does the Thing That Finally Happened have to do with science and learning? Why, no! It's much more important than that! I have been waiting for this day, and I know a few of you have been as well. Yes, kids, it's true:

I ran out of tampons.

Sorry, fellas. I promise this isn't going to get graphic, but will only delve into the discussion of consumer products that you are already aware of and that, I assure you, are not useful for plugging up leaks in boats.

Do you remember the Spongeworthy episode of Seinfeld? The Today contraceptive sponge was taken off the market, so Elaine bought every one she could find, amassing quite an impressive stockpile? Well, the same thing happened to me, only with tampons.

Man, here's where I wish I could remember the date. The truth is, I don't know exactly when this happened, but I know it was not later than 1998. The powers that be decided to discontinue o.b. tampons. I had used my beloved o.b.'s since high school. They don't have applicators, which some people think make them icky, but I personally think that applicators are just as icky as well as wasteful and, in some instances, a little painful. So, I lurves me some o.b.'s.

But they were discontinued! Oh no! I was living in Maryville at the time, so I went around to every store that might have some in hopes of stocking up. No place had any left except the warehouse grocery store, Food 4 Less. They were marked down 60% and I bought every one they had. One and a half cases. And they're small little boxes, so a case holds a lot. Just a few months later, they came back on the market, but there was no way of knowing that at the time. So, for almost ten years I've been carting around jillions of tampons as I moved around the country and, except for the one box I had to get one time I was away from home and ill-prepared, I have not had to buys tampons that entire time. We always wondered how long it would take to use them up. Now we know. A long time.

Now, it's convenient to not have to buy tampons and to know that you're not going to run out in the middle of a month. But there was one thing about my stockpile that I hated. By the time I got to the store to buy them out, they only had regular absorbency left. Mostly, this is okay, but, you know. Sometimes it's not. But I simply couldn't justify buying different tampons when I had a case and a half sitting in the linen closet. So, I haven't. But now I can! Woot!!

I'm breakin' into the awesome gift my former co-worker Ann gave me when I left Boyce & Bynum -- Super absorbancy o.b.'s!! It's a great day to have a period!

Well, okay, that's compete bullshizz.

Busy sky

Sorry I've been so quiet, but exams and finishing up my first lab rotation have kept me from even thinking about le blog.

It's overcast and cold today, but there was a cool cloud formation near the sun when I went roofside to snap a pic:



Now I'm off to the lab again in hopes of getting some actual data. Oh yeah, it's been a long rotation.