new hair!

Thanks to Dyan & Sandy over at Shag:



I hate the picture, but it was the best I could do on my own. Maybe I'll try to get Dan to take a few more later on. But you get the idea.

I love it; I hope it fares well as it gets older, too.

I hate this rain. Last year on Halloween weekend it poured, too! Ugh.

I still don't know what I'm going to be, yet....

Any ideas for me? :) xo

does anyone else feel this way?

I'm not expecting sympathy or having a pity party for myself, but things have been really hard for me recently, in terms of my social life. I don't know what in the world I've been so busy with, but whatever it is, I feel simultaneously that I am almost never at home (okay, aside from spending my work hours there, which don't really count), that I don't see my friends in the Boston area enough, that I don't keep in touch with those out of town nearly enough, and that I'm not devoting as much as I should be to groups like CodePink. And the worst part, I feel like I never see Dan, and I miss him. :( So, what on earth am I spending all my time doing? I have no idea. At least one of these things must be a misconception, but I've no idea which in my overwhelmed little brain. Sigh. There aren't enough hours in a day, or days in a week. I sometimes wish everything was as schedulable & reliable as work hours. "Joe, I'll have coffee with you every 2nd Tuesday of the month from 12-1, and Susie, I'll have breakfast with you Mondays from 7-8." Right? How weird that would be...but maybe how much easier....

I keep wanting to "take some time off" from everything and just become a temporary recluse in my apartment. But that never quite seems to happen. I haven't even gotten a chance to sleep in for ages.

I think I need to reassess things, but I don't know when to...! Heh.

For now, the nose must get back to the ol' grindstone, though. xoxo

Currently Reading:
	TITLE: Bitchfest AUTHOR: Lisa Jervis & Andi Zeisler
	TITLE: Effroyables Jardins AUTHOR: Michel Quint

another baby blanket

I've been meaning & meaning & meaning to post some pictures of this; I finished it sometime maybe early this month or late last month? At this point, I have no idea. In any case, it's just another baby blanket for the same charity I've been knitting for (the name escapes me right now, damnit) via Boston Cares. Nothing special, but I wanted to post it anyway. It's green, blue, and pink, and made from some of the free yarn that Dan's grandmother passed on to me:






I can't quite remember where I found the pattern, but when I do, I'll be sure to post it up here! xo

good thing...

...that I love Jimmy Stewart. Because this sounds like such a lame movie to "be". I mean, it's pretty staid as far as movies go. A bit of stirred-up politics is all. At least Stewart is just adorable in it. Plus, I do love the word "fillibuster." (Thanks for helping me out there, Dan.)

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

This morning was Elvis Day at the WLP, thanks to Gina having watched a documentary on the singer & then wanting an excuse to serve fried peanut butter & banana sandwiches! Hahaha. All I can say is, I'm sad I couldn't stick around for lunch!

At least right now I'm eating a fresh-baked bagel with pumpkin cream cheese on it, thanks to Brueggers, yum. And speaking of good food, yesterday JB made me some amazing crepes for dinner when I stopped to visit him at work! I love the Paris Creperie at Coolidge Corner.

I was at CC because Cait & I went to see this great panel called "No, But I Saw the Movie..." on children's books being turned into films, and the issues inherent in all that. It was so interesting, and we got to see Lois Lowry, Natalie Babbitt, and Phyllis Naylor (beloved children's book authors) -- as well as a clip from the upcoming Charlotte's Web. I cried watching it, because it was the scene where Charlotte says goodbye to Wilbur. So sad. (But, very well done in film! I look forward to seeing the whole thing.)

Okay, definitely time for me to get back to work. Enjoy the beautiful weather today! xoxo

Currently Reading:
	TITLE: Bitchfest AUTHOR: Lisa Jervis & Andi Zeisler
	TITLE: Effroyables Jardins AUTHOR: Michel Quint

i am everyday people

Yesterday was surprisingly awesome; I went to meet Caitlin to spend a few hours at the Head of the Charles with her (which in itself would normally be pretty cool). I wasn't even going to go this year, but Cait called me at the last minute on Saturday to see if I wanted to wander around with her, and I agreed, thinking we'd stop in & get some food & then head home. But while we were chatting & wandering around, checking out all the booths & freebies (and at times, watching the regatta, haha), I opened the schedule to check out what bands were playing on the nearby stage, and saw Arrested Development listed!! I was thrilled & immediately texted Dan to tell him; he biked over to join us & we all watched the show together, which was so fantastic. AD has so much energy, and I just loved watching both the women in the group dancing. They played all these songs from "3 Years 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life of", which was the tape (yes, cassette tape) I used to own (and listen to on constant repeat) of theirs. Unfortunately I have no idea where that tape is anymore (most of my tapes didn't survive past high school, since they were so bulky & didn't move well), but I still love it -- I'm thinking of purchasing it again secondhand from somewhere. But in CD form, probably. :) Anyway, it was such an energetic show -- and, to make it perfect, they played their rendition (by far my favorite) of "Redemption Song". I was gloriously happy to hear that.


I hear they have a new album out as of this September; they hadn't done anything as a group since 1992. I'll have to check it out!

On the way home from the show, Dan got hit by a car (entirely their fault) as he was biking back (I was taking the train back in from Cambridge, so luckily I didn't have to see him fly over the hood!). He is fortunately alive & okay, but I am still so shaky about his close call. I don't know what I would do without him around. I don't even want to imagine it. He's getting checked out by a doctor within the next few days, which I'm happy about because who knows what could have happened. I'm trying not to dwell too much on all of this, but I do feel more lucky than ever to have him with me today....

Lastly, I also finished reading The Time Traveler's Wife this morning, and wept throughout most of the last few chapters. Like Erin & Amy (I think), I now count it as one of my favorite books. How incredible that story was. I won't go into too much detail, but I will say that I would recommend it without fail to anyone who likes to read fiction. It's beautiful. I hope someday I can write a book with that much depth & breadth of emotion, personality, originality, everything.

I have to get back to work for now, though. xoxo

Currently Reading:
	TITLE: Bitchfest AUTHOR: Lisa Jervis & Andi Zeisler

the beach

Oddly appropriately (that sounds wrong, but it works, considering the knitting project that this post was originally going to be about), I was actually on the beach, for the first time in maybe years, this past weekend. I (and Boston CodePINK) participated in Arlington East bright & early on Saturday morning (and by "bright & early" I mean I woke up at 3:30am in order to be ready to be picked up an hour later) at the Coast Guard Beach in Cape Cod. We set up 2,700 crosses to indicate the soldiers killed in the war, and 200 gravestones in memory of the many Iraqi children who are counted as casualties.



Photos taken by Veteran for Peace Ken, who coordinated the effort.
It was an amazing & sadly beautiful experience, and one I hope I never have to experience again (meaning, let's get peace happening soon).

On a much brighter note, I've been having a lot of fun knitting up Seaside from MagKnits. I decided to go with a beautiful rose color instead of the pattern's blue, and so far I'm really happy with that choice -- they are very soft & delicate gloves, so the pink seems to fit just right.




Here are some "in progress" shots of the work -- you can see that so far I've knitted the arm & the pinky. Next up is the pointer finger, which means that when I am done I can make the "devil horns" hand sign & have two very toasty extended digits! :)

Currently Reading:
	TITLE: Bitchfest AUTHOR: Lisa Jervis & Andi Zeisler
	TITLE: The Time Traveler's Wife AUTHOR: Audrey Niffenegger

another silly meme

I did this on July 21 but never posted it, and just now stumbled across it in my drafts...I don't even know why I liked it so much, but I did, so I felt like sharing. Enjoy!

I was just wandering around in blogland, and I came across this meme in GamecockDoc:

(Bold is what I've done.)

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life

I...feel like there are so many things to explain, but I guess that's not part of it. Take this all as you will (or won't).... xoxo

3 washcloths for your viewing pleasure

As part of a really really really late birthday present for my friend, last week I knitted up several of the washcloth patterns from the Monthly Dishcloth KAL archives. (Yes, she does like purple, why do you ask?)

Here's one:


And here's another:

These 2 are totally unblocked, but I think the pictures came out pretty well, anyway!

Then there's this:

This one is blocked, but it came out kind of uneven, oh well. They're just for dish- or face-washing, they don't have to be perfect! I hope. :)

Other projects I've been working on will be posted soon, if all goes according to plan (which it never does).

In other news, I have decided to cut down significantly on my volunteering projects & hours for the time being -- not only was I spreading myself too thin, but Saturday night & this morning I also ended up at 2 rather ridiculously bad events (well, bad in terms of me being at all useful as a volunteer, due to poor planning on the parts of the coordinators). So, I've decided to try to be a lot more selective regarding where I do give of my time & energy. I am going to stick with the WLP, obvy, which includes the upcoming spaghetti dinner fundraiser (word is that the major may make another appearance there). But I don't yet know what else I want to stay with. I am going to give this all a lot of thought & get back to you.

Outside of volunteering, my book clubs & knitting group & CodePink keep me pretty busy as well, so I think I'm going to just stick with all that (I couldn't choose between them if I had to!) for now. Hopefully backing off slightly on my volunteering hours'll make everything else easier to juggle, too....

Oh, and yeah, work. Of course I've got that, too. Lunchtime is over, so I ought to get back to it now! :) xoxo

Currently Reading:
	TITLE: Bitchfest AUTHOR: Lisa Jervis & Andi Zeisler
	TITLE: The Time Traveler's Wife AUTHOR: Audrey Niffenegger