Brrr

It's cold here this morning.


Ok, maybe not that cold. No snow *yet*, but I did get my wish to wear hand knit socks one more time this year. I also have on fingerless gloves and am wrapped up in a quilt my Nana made me, but I refuse to close the window in my kitchen. It's almost May, and I want to enjoy Spring before I spend a swampy summer in DC.

Listing Making Is Better than Real Work

Another list is up on the sidebar- everything that I need to do before I go to DC in three weeks. Actually, it doesn't look that bad when it is written like that. That's because it doesn't take into consideration that I haven't even started most of those tasks, or that it represents over 50 pages of research and writing. Maybe I should include some fun things too, to make it not seem so bad, such as Slope Day on Friday.

The End of the Knitting Bag

I started to sew up my knitting bag today, and I realized I hate it. It's a weird size, the yarn color isn't consistent, the yarn is just yucky, I really should line it, etc. So I decided to throw it away. Sure it was probably $15-20 worth of yarn and hours of knitting, but I'm never going to use it. I'd rather expend my knitting energies on something I actually like.

Edited: On a positive knitting note, the cursed purple lace scarf is finally growing. It's 41' long now (unblocked). I'm hoping to finish it before I leave for DC.

I Got an Internship!

Life is good again. I am so excited- this is perfect for what I want to do for my thesis and after I get out of school. Check it out: Hudson Institute's Center for Global Prosperity

Better Today

That shawl and I are no longer on speaking terms (385 stitches a row is a whole lot), but overall today was much better. Among a few other things I can hopefully talk about soon, the wife of one of my classmates had a baby this morning, and I'm so happy for both of them. Paula and I went shopping after class and I bought some cute skirts. Of course we had to rest after our big shopping trip with margaritas.

Cheering Myself Up

I've been having a tough week, so I decided to challenge myself to come up with 10 things that have made me happy in the last 24 hours or so, just to prove to myself that things are better than they seem. Here is my list:

1. Dandelions
   
2. "Round table" discussions
3. Fenway wanting to be held and snuggled constantly (I think he's trying to comfort me)
4. The smell of newly cut grass and fresh flowers
5. Purity ice cream
6. Friends who let me bitch about what is going on and even make me laugh
7. People watching
8. The shawl I'm knitting
9. Daydreaming about what I would do if I had free time (hint: it actually involves research and writing)
10. Girl Talk
    

Happy Spring

I'm loving that the weather is finally warm. I think it has even been sunny for four or five days in a row, which has to be an Ithaca record.

I also am loving this picture right now. Fenway keeps jumping on me as if to tell me that it is spring and there are lots of birds outside he would like to eat, er, watch from the windowsill.

TGIF!

I wasn't quite sure I would make it this far. Granted, I still have 4.5 hours worth of work, one more appointment, and some very important emails to send today, but at least it is Friday afternoon. I've been so busy this week that I used all the lines in my agenda each day and had to start putting essential tasks onto other lists. After only sleeping 3-4 hours last night, I plan to try to go to bed early tonight.

As a bonus to it being Friday, it is absolutely beautiful out today. I even got a little sunburn working outside for a half hour.

David Ortiz Shows Bunt

Those are words I don't hear everyday.

I know it might be hard to believe, but I actually was about to write an intellectual post.

No, seriously.

I wanted to talk about the open source community, wikipedia, and game theory. But then I heard Jerry Remy say that David Ortiz showed bunt, and I was intrigued. I guess the "smart" post will have to wait until later.

Ortiz apparently does bunt once in awhile:
But how often?

According to Baseball Almanac and BaseballReference.com, David Ortiz only has one lifetime sacrifice hit, in 2001 with the Twins. No wonder I was so surprised to see him bunt. What I'd really like to know is how many times he's successfully bunted at all. No one was on base when he showed bunt today. Not something you'd expect from a slugger. In the end, his single was off a hit, not a bunt, anyway. If anyone knows how I can get bunt stats, please let me know.

Maybe My Psychology Degree is Useful

Because otherwise I think I would need to go into therapy for an identity crisis. Yesterday as I was watching the excruciatingly long Red Sox/Yankees game (yay Sox!), I was thinking about the types of commercials I see on the very few tv shows that I watch. I am obviously not the target audience. The majority of the commercials are for:

• ED
• Cars (I'll never be able to afford one)
• Retirement (ditto)
• Investment plans (same)
• Lots and lots of beer

Not really applicable, no? If they want me to buy things, the commercials should be for:

• M&Ms
• Loan forgiveness
• Coffee
  
• Yarn
• Low fat/low calorie convenience food
• Anything that gives me more time to sleep

The moral of the story is that I'm watching TV shows for older, rich, but not necessarily classy men.

Does My Phone Not Work?

Because it seriously SUCKS to find out that a third family member in a year has cancer through a BLOG. Come on people. There are types of news that are appropriate for the internet, and types of news that are only appropriate to give in person, or over the phone if absolutely necessary. (Sorry Jon if this is the first you are hearing about this.)

Baseball is Back

It is the first Yankees series of the season. Not very exciting yet, although there has definitely been some good pitching. I should be reading for Politics of Inequality, but I'm watching baseball and knitting instead. The Sox game has a rain delay right now, so I had to suffer through the end of the 10-3 Diamondbacks/Rockies game. I do not know who the announcers are for this game, but they are the most boring announcers I have ever heard. Some voice inflection when someone scores would be nice. Rain, rain, go away so I can listen to someone who doesn't bore me to death!

I Will Triumph Over the Cursed Scarf

In the most recent Cast On Podcast, Brenda was talking about how it took her a trip to get back into the groove with a project that had been languishing for a long time. As I was listening to that, I was working on the cursed purple lace scarf for the first time in months. I remember working on it while I was waiting for my Harry Potter book to arrive, but I think I gave up on it soon after I got to school. I guess it took a head cold that has kept me in bed for the last four days to finally get so bored that I'm ready to tackle the scarf again. And you know what? I don't know what my problem with the scarf was. Sure it's lace weight yarn and tiny needles which makes for very little progress, but it is actually a breeze to knit. It's a nice break from socks for a (very) little while.

Pulsation Socks

Details:
Started- March 27, 2008
Completed- April 5, 2008
Pattern- Pulsation Socks by Amy King
Yarn- Colinette Jitterbug, lagoon (138)
Needles- size 3 DPN, 7 stitches per inch

First Toothpick Socks

I finished these awhile ago, but kept forgetting to post. Maybe the needles aren't exactly toothpicks, but to the first time small needle knitter, 2.75mm do feel that way.

Details:
Started- February 2008
Completed- March 2008
Pattern- Basic pattern from Learn to Knit Socks
Yarn- Knit Picks Essential Solid, 75% Wool, 25% Nylon, Coral color, 2 50g balls, machine washable
Needles- size 3 DPN, 8 stitches per inch

Whoo Hoo!!!

I got my ravelry invite!!! I'm DolyDimple (duh, as though I'd be anything else). Go check me out :)

Another Post Today

Obviously I have a little free time on my hands today...

I'm #677 on the Ravelry waiting list. I really really hope I get my invite today or tomorrow. I can't wait to play around with it.

Blue Sky

The sky is blue right now for one of the requisite 10 minute breaks between clouds, and it reminded me of these pictures of Aruba. It is so beautiful there.



And our hotel:

UFOs and Q2 Goals

I have way too many UFOs. No, I'm not chasing space ships. UFOs are unfinished objects (in knitting). They are starting to stress me out and take up way too much room in my teeny-tiny living room. I've decided on a new system. I am only going to have 3 projects going at once: two socks, one lace project, and one other project. My goal is to whittle down my UFOs to this level by the end of April.

I also want to set some goals for Q2. They are:

Socks (4 pairs) - at least two of which will be Pulsations socks (one done, cast on the second) and Holly Socks (two down to the heal turn). I'm also thinking about the Simply Ginny and Lacy Mock Cable Socks, although that might change depending on what other patterns I find.

Lace (2) - Julia Shawl and purple lace scarf

Other (3) - Definitely my bag and the afghan, and then maybe fingerless gloves.