Can we actually do this now?

So I've been trying to post to my blog since Wednesday. That's when the internet problems began. So I'm finally posting, but I admit I'm kinda phoning this one in. I feel bad, but I promised Aunt Judy a picture of a baby and by Jove she's gonna get a picture of a baby. Even if it's late. Hooyah.

Gator and I didn't do any traveling over the holidays. This is nominally because we needed new tires on the pickup, but it was mostly just because we don't like to travel over the holidays. The weather's usually bad, the roads are full of idiots, etc., but I digress. The result of this is that I had not seen my sister or nieces for months and months and I had a new great-niece that I had never met. Also, there were presents for the great nieces and nephews that had not yet been received.

About a week and a half ago, we finally got the new tires for the pickup. So I messaged my sis and nieces on Facebook that I would daytrip to Kansas City, meet up with as many of them as could come, deliver presents, meet a new baby, and a wonderful time would be had by all. This went over very well and fabulous plans were made, including a visit to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. Yay! Super fun!

So the day comes, I get around, the weather's crappy but that's not to stop me! I get to my niece Liz's house in KC and finally get to meet the newest of my greats -- Miss Eleanor!


She didn't want to look at the camera too badly, but that's okay because she was sweet and charming and let me hold her for an hour and didn't fuss once. (Here she is being held by my other niece, Becca, who is not Ellie's mother -- just to avoid confusion.)

So we're going over the line-up for the day and Liz gets to the part where the kids will open their presents... and my heart drops. In all the truck-ready-crappy-weather-getting-ready that morning, I forgot the presents. 'Cause I'm a moron dorkwad. So we had to explain to children who had been super excited to come get presents that they weren't getting presents. Oh, but they were still going to a Museum!!!! That went over great.


So I'm going back to KC soon, to meet up with my sister and nieces and great nieces and nephews and redeem myself as the cool great aunt. Which is important to me. Because "the cool great aunt" is not a term you hear every day.

Unless you're my Aunt Judy, and then you are the cool great great aunt. Which is just cool. Happy Bday, Jude. Love you. :)

Heat wave

Wow, we went from -12 to 50 F in, like, a week. Freaky deaky. I tend to not complain about nice weather, but I have two new yummy accessories and I'm not going to get to wear them if it stays this warm. And, remember, it's really all about me. ;)

On Christmas Eve, SpikeTV broadcast the original Star Wars trilogy. Of course, I have four copies of these movies (two VHS versions and two DVD versions), but whenever I come across them on TV I have to watch them. And they've become holiday standbys, which I lurve. Especially since Darth Vader speaks to me every time I turn on my Christmas tree. Which I also lurve. Hee!

So it was all Christmassy and Star Warsy and it was cold out and I was cozy and so I made a hat! It's very warm and cute and it has a huge flower and I love it! But now it's warm again and I'm wishing for just a little bit more cold so I can wear this more.

Beanie Brim Cap by Hannah Levine
Lion Brad Jiffy in Charcoal
Size USJ hook

One of my favorite go-to wool yarns is Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool. Almost three years ago I used it to make a cabled scarf and two years ago I used it to make a cabled hat. That left a desperate need for cabled mittens to go with. Had to fix that, right?? So I spent the first two days of 2010 filling the cable void in my accessory wardrobe.

Very Cabley Mittens by Kelly Porpiglia
Lion Brand Fisherman's Yarn
Size US6 needles

I think knitters and skiers are the only people who wish for more winter. We're so crazy that way!
_____

I'll take "Things That Came in the Mail Today" for $200, Alex

So, hi, howya been? Cold enough for you? Yeah. Me too.

::looks around::

Yeah, we're just going to pretend those last nine months of silence didn't happen. Moving on!!

Here's some pretty things I made! Observe! Allow me to distract you with photos because my new camera cord came today!!

In August I moved away from the town that I love more than any town I've ever lived in. I left awesome friends that I adore. I came back to Missouri, which I don't adore. I got a new place with Gator, the love of my life, whom I adore more than anyone ever. Which is very, very good. I just fail to see why I can't have both Gator AND Milwaukee and will feel this way for ever and ever Amen.

So I left MKE in August and I didn't have time to make awesome going away presents for all my dear friends, most notably the Smart Girls (tm), because I was busy doing fanciful things like writing a thesis and having a lot of fun with said Smart Girls (tm). But I did make my thesis advisor a yummy silk and viscose scarf (zomg, that yarn is to DIE for!!!).

Breast Cancer Awareness Scarf by Heather Bagni
Rowan RYC Natural Silk Aran Yarn
Size US6 and US8 needles

I also made a little something for my neighbor and friend Ron, who helped me out a lot and showed me a ton of great things in SE Wisconsin and was generally a great guy. He sails on tallships twice a year in different exotic locations like Spain, Fiji, Rio de Janeiro, etc. I know, must be rough, eh? So I made him this:


It's pretty darned straightforward stitching, but the frame was a total find (love you, Michael's!) and makes it look much more awesome.

So then I moved back to Columbia. Into a duplex. A duplex previously inhabited by three undergrad guys. That was not cleaned before we moved in. Or, most probably, before they had moved in. Or the people before them. After crying, screaming, calling the landlord, and going into what Gator calls Completely Polite But Completely Terrifying mode, we did get the landlord to deal with the inch of moldy slime in the bottom of the refrigerator. And the oven was "cleaned" (but it was much better).

So began the systematic scrubbing of the duplex. Honestly, I'm still not done. But there's only so long I can stay in that mode before I just have to start vegging out again. Oh, and we got a Wii, which totally cuts in to the cleaning time. And I started knitting and crocheting again after a brief hiatus.

My friend Tricia's SO Tommy really liked the bear I made for Gator last year. So I finally made one for Tommy, too. Here Tommy's orange bear sits beside his purple brother, Bearsly, who actually sleeps in our bed every night. Aren't they the cutest things?

Animal Pillows by Jennifer Down Under
Red Heart Super Saver Yarn
Size I US hook

I only made one handcrafted Christmas gift this year, which is kind of weird, actually. My niece is a total Twilight fangirl, so I made her the scarf that Bella wears during the baseball game in the first movie.

Bella Swan's Baseball Scarf by Nancy Fry
Caron Simply Soft Yarn
Size US8 needles

I think it was a big hit. :)

So that's a little of what I've been up to. Stay tuned for more and, before you know it, you'll be all caught up with me!

And they say all people who blog are Narcissistic. Pshaw.

She knows.

She knows she hasn't posted for freaking ever. She knows her graphics all went away (because they were hosted at Geocities). She knows.

She wrote a thesis, she graduated, she moved back to Missouri and her hubby, she started a new job. She got a Wii. She's still unpacking (yes, still). She's still cleaning grime from the nooks and crannies of her new place (omg, it was soooo gross when we moved in!).

She lost her camera cord. She has been knitting and crocheting, and taking photos of the FO's. Said pictures are trapped on the camera. She has ordered a new cord. It has not yet arrived. She is cheap and only gets the slow kind of shipping.

She feels like so much has happened that she doesn't know where to start. She will probably just show you some things she made instead.

But not until the cord arrives.

And then she will stop referring to herself in the third person.

But it was awfully artsy, wasn't it?

My new favorite thing ever

Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent

I'm gonna eat your head!

It's Sunday again, a wonderful time when I realize that all my high expectations of productivity for the weekend are going to fall considerably short again and so I just give up and have fun and rest and say screw it. So I'm going yarn shopping with V this afternoon and then we're going to watch the Marquette - Mizzou game, which I have bad, bad feelings about. But Gator is pulling for Mizzou (his MLS alma mater and current employer), so either way somebody in my marriage is going to be happy about the outcome, which I guess is something.

Gator is also quite happy with his more-than-a-month-late Valentine's present, which he received this week, just as it was getting too warm to warrant such an item. Of course. He really likes it, or at least he says very supportive things to me with great enthusiasm. Hee! I sometimes thing he's pulling my leg because I'm not sure any man can honestly be as freakin' awesome as he is. I wish I had pictures of him modeling it, but these shots are just going to have to do.

Yes, it's the wildly popular Fish Hat (Dead or Alive?) from the winter issue of Knitty! It's just Red Heart from stash, but since I had a bunch of purple and other manly colors, I think it came out quite well. Since Gator is a gamer from way back, I thought it apropos to make the stripes according to random rolls of a pair of six-sided dice. Fun, no? Here's the mini-gallery:

Fish Hat (Dead or Alive?) by Thelma Egberts
Red Heart Super Saver
Size US8 dpns

Now I'm off to burn another afternoon with fun rather than work. Sigh. I fear the day I'm no longer going to get away with this crap...

Oh, look! Shiny and wonderful ways to procrastinate!

So, I did something stupid. But fun! But something that captured my fancy and has the potential to derail my recent good job at staying focused on my research and spin me off into the lovely, comforting world of handwork, handwork, handwork! I played a game on Facebook where I promised to make handmade gifts for five people. And while the rules state that I can make a mix CD, or bake something, or glue together bits of whatever, I am and always will be two things: a) a handworker, and b) a perfectionist. So, you see how this could potentially tip the delicate balance of my life. But so fun! How could I refuse? I love making things for people, and I love an excuse to make something for someone I would not otherwise have a reason to shower with little bits of love. They will necessarily be small things, but still! Fun!

The first project is a hat, but it will be a silly, fun hat (the rules said the gifts could be weird) that I don't know if the recipient will actually wear, but I like to think that my bizarre sense of fun is contagious and will soon take over the world. So I don't worry about it too much. The basic hat is finished and I hope to embellish it and bring it to life this evening (even if I ought to work on a presentation tonight instead. ::sigh::):


It's a very basic hat pattern, but a very bright yellow. I hope the finished project is as awesome as it is in my head. Admittedly, things often aren't as cool in real life as they are in my head. But hope springs eternal and I soldier on. FO in a couple of days!

Last night, I knocked out this little coffee cozy. I had some Soy Wool Stripes left over from the bag I made last fall and this project was perfect for it. So simple, so basic, so completely useful! I love projects like this.


So, that's almost two projects down. I have the next one planned, but I may not start it right away. I do really have to put together that presentation and get a bunch of research done so I can make a poster for a conference next month. You know, little things like that...

Hope you had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day! I didn't do much (except make the coffee cozy) but that was okay because I went to the Milwaukee St. Pat's parade on Saturday. It was a lot of fun and I felt like that was my St. Pat's celebration. Even if I did go to Mader's for a late lunch. Maybe not very Irish, but very Milwaukee! (Mader's is a German restaurant and a Milwaukee institution.)
Yesterday was a gorgeous day, however, so it was a wonderful holiday and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Off to do more of that research stuff! Ta!

Break? What break?

Today is a lull in the stream of recent days of real or imagined meaning -- Friday was Friday the 13th, Saturday was Pi Day, yesterday was the Ides of March, and tomorrow will be St. Patrick's Day. But today, as far as I know, is nothing special. Except that it's the first day back from Spring Break at Marquette. Of course, as a grad student, I didn't have a break per se, just a break from TAing so I could do another big overnight experiment which I've just about recovered from. Boy, those just wear me out.

I haven't done a whole lot of knitting lately, but I did finish a fun project that I can't quite show you yet. I'm sending it off to Gator today, so in the next few days I'll be able to post about it. Since it's his Valentine's present, you get the idea of just how behind I am.

There has been some other knitting going on -- but I'm not overly excited about it at the moment. I've plugged away at the Breast Cancer Awareness scarf:


I've finished one half and finished the first chart of the second half. When the second half is done, the two halves get grafted together. It's a cool pattern, but it's going to have to be aggressively blocked when it's done. We'll see how this yummy yarn blocks up.

Yesterday, after I finished Gator's gift, I immediately cast on a new hat. It's just a basic watch cap, but will have some fun embellishments when it's done. I'll leave that as a surprise.



I'm still tired and preoccupied, so I'm not very witty or bloggie these days. Hopefully I will get my mojo back soon.

Have a great day!

18

In keeping with the number titles, I give you the number of years I have been married as of today. Happy Anniversary to my Sweetie! It sucks being apart on special days like this (who am I kidding, it sucks to be apart every day!), but we are taking heart in the fact that this is the last time. I will be done with school this July and we will be together again, no matter where we end up. Anywhere. Just together. I'm psyched.

So, as a good wife, I finished Gator's anniversary socks and got them mailed off earlier this week. I'll save the picture of the FO for when he has received them. He knows they're socks, he knows they're blue and striped, he saw a pic of their beginnings earlier, but I want to save the final pic for after he's opened his present. :)

Finishing the socks left me with no knitting on the needles. (Yes, Sis, the tablecloth languishes. It's a problem. It's also crochet, not knitting, so my earlier statement is correct. ::grin::) I have going-away presents lined up for some of my professors and friends, so I leaped into a project that allows me to finally use some yummy clearance yarn I've been stroking longingly for over a year since I bought it. It's viscose, linen, and silk and it feels very posh. It's a little nubby, but still totally delicious. I'm using the Breast Cancer Awareness scarf pattern, but I admit it's just because I think it's pretty and not because I am trying to crusade with it. Not that I wouldn't do that, it's just not my goal with this particular item. So far, I am very pleased with the results.


I modded it a bit by leaving off the bobbles (not really a fan) and adding a repeat of the first part of the chart, which I think really adds something. I like.

So now I'm off for another day of discovery (or something) and preparations for another long weekend of staying up all night with my cells. The fun never stops around here.

But thinking about how lucky I am to have the most awesome, supportive, and interesting husband in the world sure helps.

___

63

SUPPOSEDLY if you’ve seen over 85 of these films, you have no life. (I can totally find other ways of not having a life. Trust me.)

There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste this. Then, put x’s next to the films you’ve seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom. Have fun.

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
( ) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
( ) Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
Total: 4

(x) The Princess Bride
( ) Anchorman
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
( ) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
( ) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
( ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 8

(x) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
( ) American Pie
( ) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 9

( ) Harry Potter 1
( ) Harry Potter 2
( ) Harry Potter 3
( ) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
( ) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 10

(x) Finding Nemo
( ) Finding Neverland
( ) Signs
( ) The Grinch
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
( ) 13 Going on 30
( ) I, Robot
( ) Robots
Total so far: 12

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
( ) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
( ) Deep Impact
(x) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
( ) Meet the Fockers
( )Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
( ) KING KONG (The Original)
Total so far: 16

( ) A Cinderella Story
( ) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
( ) Flubber [the original]
Total so far: 18

(x) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
( ) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
(x) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 22

( ) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child’s Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
( ) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
( ) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
total so far: 26

( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Slevin
( ) Ocean’s Eleven
( ) Ocean’s Twelve
( ) Bourne Identity
( ) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
( ) Predator
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
Total so far: 27

(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
( ) Maid in Manhattan
( ) War of the Worlds
( ) Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 29

( ) Best Bet
( ) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
( ) She’s All That
( ) Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
( ) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 36

( ) X-Men
( ) X-2
( ) X-3
( ) Spider-Man
( ) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
( ) Catch Me If You Can
( ) The Little Mermaid
( ) Freaky Friday (the original)
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
( ) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
( ) Shrek 2
Total so far: 37

( ) Swimfan
( ) Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
( ) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf’s Tribe
( ) A Walk to Remember
(x) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 41

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
( ) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
( ) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 45

(x) Baseketball
( ) Hostel
(x) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
(x) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
( ) Three
Total so Far: 50

( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung *** Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
( ) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willa74
Total so far: 52

( ) High Tension (Haute Tension)
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
(x) Dawn Of the Dead
( ) Hook
( ) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
( ) 28 days later
(x) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
( ) Waterworld
Total so far: 54

( ) Kill Bill vol 1
( ) Kill Bill vol 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 54

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
(x) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 61

( ) The Matrix
( ) The Matrix Reloaded
( ) The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
( ) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
(x) Hannibal
Total: 63

Wow. Those that know me well will be amazed that I've even seen that many. Now, if I had to count how many times I've seen the original trilogy of Star Wars movies...

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