Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Last Weekend...A Marriage Proposal

So this past weekend was ok. I did something completely out of character for me that I've never done before:


I went and hung out at a bar.


Allene was going to meet with a friend she hadn't seen in many, many years and I went along as a designated driver. Scott thought it would be funny if I took my wedding ring off and flirted with boys.

I took my ring off and later regretted it.


But that's getting ahead of the story.


So Allene and I got ready. I even put makeup, jewelry, and a nice shirt on. I wore LIPSTICK. It's been years since I've worn lipstick. Don't believe me? Check this out:
Yes, no tee-shirt and jeans for me!


Anyway, we got all hottie-fied and went to Maverik (we have a problem, maybe some day I'll tell you about how addicted to Maverik we are) and got some drinks. On our way out this guy totally hit on us and asked us why we were dressed up and asked to come with us. He was cute. too!


So we drove up to Ogden. The bar is called Teazers...sounds like a strip club, don't you think? Well it wasn't.


We walked around the bar, checking out what was where and seeing what was going on. Apparently 9:30 is early for these people...boy do I feel like a grandma sometimes. So there wasn't a whole lot going on, so we went to look for Allene's friend. He was scheduled to bartend the outside bar on the patio, so we spent most of our night out there. They were talking about old friends and memories and having a really good time, and I was feeling a little awkward because I had never been to a bar before and I didn't know anyone there except Allene and all the other girls were skinnier and hotter than I was.


Every Friday night this bar has an amateur pole-dancing competition. Okay, fine, whatever. We were bored so we decided to go watch. Nobody was any good except the girl who won. Most of the entrants were really old or fat women who were very very VERY drunk (because if you aren't drunk, chances are you aren't going to pole dance in front of total strangers...unless it's your job, of course...) so it was kinda amusing. When it was over we headed back outside to talk to Allene's friend again.


So at this point we've been there for a few hours and people around us are starting to get pretty tipsy. So here I am, at a bar for the first time ever, and what do you know, a bar fight breaks out! Out on the patio there were several pavilions (you know, the portable kind that aren't tethered down or anything) and while these guys were brawling they knocked one of them over, and fortunately the people inside it had seen them coming and gotten out before it tipped over. It was amusing how fast security was on those guys, and they were both escorted in opposite directions, one of them outside the patio fence, and he kept trying to come back in and was swearing and slurring and flipping everyone off...really immature, but funny.


Things calmed down and we were back to the talking and this random guy came up to me and Allene and offered to buy us shots. I said no because I was driving and he was too drunk to understand and tried to buy me one anyway, and when I said no again he got a confused look on his face and said "Oh, you don't drink?" and I tried again to explain to him that I don't drink if I'm going to drive, and then after the third explanation he got the message. So Allene drank the shot and thanked him, and then he walked over to me and started talking to me. He was drunk AND soft-spoken so I couldn't hear a word he was saying over the loud music (by the way the DJ was really really annoying). So I just smiled and nodded and pretended I heard him and then he asked me to dance. I said no, I don't dance well, and he grabbed my arm and hauled me off to the dance floor. I was like, ok, well, this is weird...then he started dancing. It was a sort of drunk, rocking back and forth, off the rhythm weird monkey dance he was doing, and I was just sort of playing along because frankly at this point I was amused at how drunk people act.


After a minute I thanked him for the dance and walked back to where Allene was and started talking to her again, trying to get this guy to leave. He got the message (or maybe something shiny flew by and his attention wandered, I don't really know) and left and I was a little relieved because this guy was a little strange. Probably because he was drunk.


So this whole time Allene is drinking rum and coke and she has had like five and also two shots and she's feeling really relaxed and happy and she was getting a little goofy. That was also entertaining.


Apparently if you have seven drinks you will need to use the facilities more often than usual. It was on one of her trips, the one during which I decided to just stay and wait for her instead of coming with her, that the guy came back and ambushed me. He started talking to me...


Him: "My name is Michael."


Me: "Nice to meet you, Michael."


Him: "You have really nice teeth."


Me: "Um, thank you..."


Him: "Can I have your number?"


Me: "Actually, I'm married."


Him: "Then where's your ring?" (This is where I regretted taking off my ring. It was all in good fun but yeah.)


Me: "Oh, I...um...dropped it off to the cleaner's."


Him: "It's at the cleaner's?"


Me: "Yes."


Him: "Haha, so is my drink!" *stumbles a little and giggles drunkenly*


At this point Allene came back. The guy went over to her and had a little conversation (I found out later that he was asking her if I was really married and saying he didn't believe me and telling her I was really pretty and it goes on and on...drunk people talk a lot. Anyway, she convinced him that I was, in fact, married).


Then he came back over to me.


Him: "You're kinda shy."


Me: "Sometimes. I just don't know anyone, and I've never been to a bar before, so this is a little weird for me."


Him: "If you're so shy how did you get a husband?"


Me: "I met him on the internet."


Him: "Oh, so you're married?"


Me: "Yes..." (um, DUDE, we've been over this already)


Him: "Hm...will you marry me?"


Me: "Um, I'm already married."


Him: "Oh. Ok."


And he walked off.


Okay. Amusing. Apparently I'm getting married to this weird drunk guy who dances like a monkey on acid.


Later on, just a few minutes before we decided to come home, the guy CAME BACK. He said he was about to leave with his friends and he wanted to come say goodbye to the lovely ladies, and then he kept hugging us (that's the other thing, drunk people like hugs) and saying goodbye, then hugging us again...and again...finally he went away! Permanently! Although we did see him on the way out and kinda ducked to avoid him...


Anyway, while all this was going on the owner or manager or something of the bar came over and started talking to Allene. Allene was smoking, and the manager was asking her if she smoked. Um, yes, obviously. Then she asked me if I smoked, and I said no, and she looked at me like I was so uncool and put her hand in my face and turned back to Allene. Then, she started to lecture Allene on how bad smoking is for you and telling her she should quit. So apparently, I'm not cool but smoking can kill you. Whatever. Then she started giving us hugs as well.


Anyway. This was an interesting trip for me.


The ironic thing? I didn't drink a thing, and Allene had like seven drinks, and in the morning, I was the one with the headache.


How does that work?

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Slither

I FINALLY finished Em's birthday present. It only took me 3 months...or was it 4? They were more or less done for the longest time. All they needed were the ends woven in and the buttons sewn on. And it took me all of an hour to do, it was just so annoying, which was why I was dreading it and putting it off for so long. I was going down this past weekend to see my family though, so I needed to get them finished because who knows how long it will be before I go down there again?

Anyway. So here they are, in all their glory:

On the beautiful Em:
They fit well on the hands and arms, but above the elbow they turned out to be too baggy. I am hating myself for this, but they're done and already gifted and there's nothing I can do about it. I need to accept that some things are in the past and beyond my control. Still, my eye twitches when I look at this picture.

Close up of the super awesome buttons I found on eBay:
On my hand/arm:
Laid out:
They really were fun to knit, once I figured out the right instructions.

And now, looking at that picture up there, I realize that Buster has bones and toys all over the floor and it makes the house look messy when it isn't. Just so you know.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Stickers

This past weekend was eventful, but I don't feel like writing about it right now. I will later, no worries.

The other day some Disney stickers came in the mail, and since none of us have any use for such things we put them on Buster. He was NOT amused. But we were...hehehe.

"I hate you."
"I'm not even going to look at you."
"Why would you do this to me?"
"I don't even like Disney!"

Thursday, September 24, 2009

I Made Up My Own!

Ok, so I had a really clever idea today for a meme, so I'm starting it here and hopefully other people will want to do it too because I think it's clever and if you don't think so you can go away.


So here it is:


The Guilty Pleasures Meme


Under each category list something that you let yourself indulge in that you're slightly embarrassed about and/or people make fun of you for. It's actually funny.

1. Music
I listen to Britney. Scott makes fun of me, and if anyone else knew they would make fun of me. Oh, look, now the internet knows. I can't help it, people, it's CATCHY.


2. Movie
The Master Of Disguise. It's a horrible movie. Bad acting, stupid jokes, but let me tell you, it's so incredibly quotable if you're with Mim.

3. TV Show
I LOVE to watch those shows where it's eyewitness accounts of ghost stories and hauntings and poltergeists and exorcisms. I don't know why. I shouldn't watch them because they give me creepy crawlies and then I need a nightlight for a week, but it's like a freaking train wreck, I can't look away. Scott also mocks me for this, so I don't watch them when he's home anymore.

4. Book
I am a sucker for children's books. Not, The Pokey Little Puppy children's books, like books that were meant for children but have a large adult following as well. Harry Potter, Leven Thumps (Scottie just bought me the fourth one, gotta love him), Lord of the Rings, the Chronicles of Narnia, etc. all make me happy. Someday, if I do decide to have ONE kid, I will read to it all the time.


5. Food
I dip my pizza in ranch dressing. Disgusting, I know, but YUM.

6. Store
Wal-Mart. You know you saw it coming.


7. Chain Restaurant
I feel guilty about loving McDonald's so much. Those fries are like salty cardboard but Oh. My. do I love them. And McGriddles? Don't even get me started.


I'm more than halfway done with the second sock, but I've had to stay late at work several times lately so knitting just isn't happening as much as I would like.
I'm not sure if I like it, but it's hella comfy.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Sick Again

So I woke up in the middle of the night last night and my throat was all swollen and there was phlegm EVERYWHERE (you know you wanted to know). My alarm went off at 6:10 as usual. I seriously spent an hour debating calling in sick...I won and stayed home today.


Last Wednesday I also stayed home from work. I was feeling sick and I had a fever so I figured I shouldn't go in and spread the love to all my coworkers. The next day I woke up feeling mostly better but that day all through yesterday I pretty much felt...blah. You know the feeling. Not really bad, but just a little down and a little tired and sort of like you don't want to do anything because doing anything might actually make you feel actually sick...yeah. Fun. But I went to work anyway, because feeling blah isn't really an excuse to stay home.


But having your throat swell up and not being able to breathe through your nose because of the snot and body aches and head aches and stuffy ears are definitely an excuse to stay home.


I called Mim this morning and she could tell right away, and asked "Do you feel sick or just sick of it?" which was incredibly astute of her because yes, I did feel like crap but emotionally I was feeling crappy as well. I was feeling off this weekend so I was forgetting my meds all over the place and then today it REALLY caught up with me. I hate being depressed for no reason, it sucks big time.


But I have been battling this cold for over a week now. I was planning on going down to visit my family this past weekend but I decided not to go because Em and Mim were both sick and I didn't want to get sick (irony). So I stayed home, which did me ZERO good because Chris was sick and so everyone else in the house got sick too, so I should have just gone down to be sick with my family. At least I would have seen everyone. So, the visit has been put off until this coming weekend, assuming we all aren't dead.


So yesterday I was so good. I ate healthy all day and I even walked on the treadmill, although I had to stop because I pretty much almost passed out (because of the whole being sick thing). But at least I tried!


Then today I was feeling crappy so I ate crappy because that's what I do to make myself feel better, which of course made me feel worse. You'd think I would remember this before I eat a cheeseburger, but noooo, I'm an idiot sometimes.
So, Allene and Scott came home and we decided we all need to be healthier and stop eating out so much, so we went grocery shopping and got lots of fruits and veggies and stuff to make actual meals and stuff to make lunches so we aren't spending so much money. Hopefully we will all lose some weight and feel healthier. Either way, our wallets will be fatter.


So poor Em, all three of her bunnies died recently. It was a freakish coincidence. She takes amazingly good care of them, but first one of them broke her leg, then was ok, albeit in a cast, for a few days.
Then she got really really sick and Mim and Em had to stay up all night feeding her yogurt and gatorade and then she was better. For a few weeks. Then randomly she was dead one day.
Then, one of the other ones had a random intestinal rupture and died.
She just went downstairs one day and the other one was just dead for no apparent reason.
So now Em has mourned and gotten two new bunnies named Vincent and Yuki.
They were supposed to be both boys but OOPS there is a girl and a boy and so they will have baby bunnies.


At the store today I stubbed my toe (again, this is a trend) and it was bleeding all over. Yay me.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Thursday, September 17, 2009

36!

So today started off as a pretty nice, normal day. I woke up and hit snooze as usual. I didn't want to go to work as usual (not because I hate my job, but because FREAKING SIX IN THE MORNING), I got to work very leisurely today because there were only 6 samples (and how I stretched that into 7 hours of work I have no idea)(oh yeah, I read half a book). The furnace gave me crap as usual, we had our Thursday treat as usual (David ordered pizza today, and it was so good so of course I ate too much), and I was just about to do mercury testing as usual when I heard a beep.

My cell phone said I had a message. This isn't weird or anything. I get almost no cell reception where I work so sometimes my phone doesn't ring and then ten minutes later I have a message.

So I checked my message and it was Scott. He sounded SO HAPPY and said there was AMAZING AWESOME news and to call him NOW.

Cool. I called him and he gave me the awesome news.

However first you need some background information:
When we moved in to this house we signed a rent-to-own agreement. We agreed that at the end of one year we would buy the house for $XXX,000, and every month $400.00 would go toward the down payment on the home. If for some reason we didn't buy the house for $XXX,000, we would lose that $400.00 a month and also the $1000 deposit we made on the house when we started renting it.
Cool.
So for the last year, we have been saving and preparing ourselves to take out a $XXX,000 mortgage.

Now here's the cool news:
We got the house appraised the other day. The appraisal came back saying the house was actually worth $30,000 less than the $XXX,000 we originally planned for. This wasn't terrible surprising, since the housing market has been so insane this past year and we really didn't know how much the house would appraise for. I'm sure that before the market crashed this past year the house actually WAS worth $XXX,000, but not now.
So we called our landlord, the guy who is selling us the house, and told him. We were expecting him to be really disappointed. After all, he would be getting much less for the house than he hoped. BUT.
Not only was he totally cool about selling it to us for the appraised price, he also said we could keep our original deal and still have the money we put toward equity all year!
So, we saved $30,000 from the house appraising lower than we expected.
We saved $1000 for the security deposit that he's putting toward the payment on the house.
We saved $4,800 for the money that went toward equity each month that he's also putting toward the payment on the house.
So, about $36,000.

So, Scott and I went around all day practically walking on air and saying "We saved 36 grand today!" every five minutes. And then I was listing all the things I could buy for 36 grand. I could buy $36,000 worth of yarn. I could buy a mid-life crisis car. The list goes on.

So happy day!

This means our bank account won't be as empty as we thought. We'll still have to scrimp a little for a few months, but we're going to be totally fine.

Too bad we'll be zillions of dollars in debt.

Oh well. We've already started making plans for the renovations we want to do on the house. So exciting!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Oriental Chicken Wrap Mmmmmmmm

Of course, the night that it's lovely and cool outside so we decide to open all the windows is the night the air force base decides to scramble the jets. And, since we live about two blocks from the base, it's FREAKING LOUD.

Make it stop!

I was lucky to be able to have dinner with Kwiddens tonight. We went to Applebee's, which I love, but I never get to go there because Scott doesn't like it. Oh well. It's so nice to have made up with her. She and I are both kind of on the same page now about so many things and so where before I only had Scott and Mim to be totally open and honest with, now I have her back in my life and she doesn't mind if I swear like a sailor while we talk about anything and everything. Today it was embarrassing bathroom stories. Crude, maybe, but hilarious.

We were also thinking back to the good times, back when we were in high school and things hadn't exploded yet. We were remembering how ridiculous some of Dad's rules were, and remembering the ridiculous amount of shoes Kwiddens had (I was so jealous), and the house we had that finally felt like a home (we moved a lot, so it took living in Sioux Falls for years and years and years before we finally felt settled). We were looking back at high school and remembering our friends and activities and I hadn't realized how long ago that was. And I'm not even that old yet.

I often have a long list in my head of things I would like to blog about and by the time I sit down with my lappie I have forgotten most of them. I should buy more post-it notes and write them all down. But then I would probably lose the notes and then I would be in the same place.

I love when the yarn catalog comes in the mail.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me A Match!

Let me start off by telling you how ridiculously clumsy I am. I have a terrible sense of balance. When I am on my treadmill I have to be facing forward. I can't even turn to look at something without grabbing onto the handrails because I WILL tip over. You'd think I would know this by now. Apparently not. This is what happens when you tip over on a treadmill:
Yay, the belt skinned me! Yay! My ankle hurts...and I just looked at it, and it looks way worse now. Scabby.

So now I will tell you the wonderful story about work this week. Everything freaking breaks, but this isn't news. So here's how it went down: This week was a short week since we had Labor Day off, and that was just awesome. However, it seemed LONGER than all the normal weeks because I stayed late almost every day because of the ginormous amount of stuff from another lab we sontract with (fortunately, when you're crazy busy time seems to go by much more quickly, so it wasn't so bad except my feet hurt).


Well, Wednesday I was doing the mercury testing, and BOY did I have a ton of it, when on my last few samples the computer started acting screwy. I would start a sample, then the computer would go all blue and tell me it couldn't record data onto the hard drive, Please Press Any Key, so I did and the screen went away and then it let me do the next sample. So, I just did this several times and finished up all my samples before worrying about figuring out what was wrong with the computer. So fortunately, Wednesday's samples were done. So I decided that I should reboot the computer and see if it did it again after it had a chance to reset itself (or whatever computers do when they reboot). So I rebooted, and then I waited...and waited...and finally I just left the room to do something else, and I came back later and it was still stuck. Sad.


I called our IT guy and he was going to be able to come in the morning, and since I had finished testing and wouldn't need to test more on that instrument until the next afternoon, this was fine by me. So Thursday morning Tim came in and it took him all of five minutes to determine that the hard drive was D.E.A.D. dead. Which is never good. So he went to see what he could dig up as a replacement computer, and when he came back he essentially said he could make a temporary fix but he would have to come back the next day and do it all over again on a new machine, so we all decided to just have him come back the next day with the new machine and save him the hassle. It isn't the end of the month or anything so people can go without results on something for one more day and the world won't end.


So Friday Tim came (earlier than he said he was going to, AWESOME, that never happens) and he installed the new computer and the software and it took ten minutes and then I was able to finish all the samples and go home early.


NOT.


He brought in the new computer. He brought the software. Now here's the thing: the old computer was running Windows 98 (ancient, I know) because the instrument is so old and the software that goes with the instrument is so old and so it only functioned on 98. However, there are no longer computers with 98 on them, so then Tim had to search and call the software company and reinstall with a patch (that it took an hour to get) and then once we got the patch installed, we had it up and running on a brand new XP system that has a three year warranty. Awesome.


Next came the time to go into the program and set it up for the specific instrument we have. I had an SOP (standard operating procedure) that outlined all the settings that should be in the program, but it didn't specify which version of the software we should use (there were two) and it didn't specify the configuration settings, and so we spent another hour trying different combinations to see which one would work, and finally, after about the tenth time seeing "Error: software not communicating with spectrometer" we decided to call the company we use to fix the instrument when it's broken. So that took a while, and each time we thought we had it we had to call them back and clarify things again, and it was a long and annoying process and finally we got it working
after almost four hours, by which time I would normally be going home. BUT, people needed their results! So I did our samples from Thursday and Friday as quickly as I possibly could and decided to skip a large batch of another lab's samples until Monday, and finally I got to go home and I was so tired that I ate a ton of ice cream and then felt horrible about eating ice cream because I was going to be healthy (don't ask me how that's working out, I hate that I have health and weight and eating problems).


So basically, on Monday, here are the samples I get to run:
And these:

Oh, and these:

Also these:

And we can't forget the monthly water testing:

So Monday will be a long day. Because Richard is also coming in to do a preventative maintenance thingy on the furnace.

OH! I almost forgot. To add to the drama, Friday morning my furnace autosampler wouldn't autosample. I tried everything I could think of before calling Richard to ask for help, and (poor thing, it was his day off and I didn't know) he walked me through a ton of stuff over the phone but it's hard to describe the specific tube and knob and whatever to check over the phone so finally he just came over and helped me fix it. I learned something new, as usual, so if it ever happens again, I won't have to call him.

Now, since this has been a post about crazy depressing things, here's a picture of a crazy UNdepressing thing:
Buster in a kerchief. He did not like it. Now, I have the matchmaker song from Fiddler on the Roof stuck in my head.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Lame.

Also, blogger sucks and won't let me format the way I want. Stupid blogger, sheesh.

I'm Loved!

PCL just tagged me for a blog award, which I think is super sweet because AWESOME SOMEONE READS MY BLOG!

There were several awards to choose from since she did a kind of general purpose tag, so I'll just say YAY and put twenty things like she did.

So, for your reading enjoyment:


1. Favorite bottled water: I know it's totally cheating but I LOVE the calorie-free fruity soda water from Wal-Mart

2. Favorite lip balm: I'm a Burt's Bees lady through and through


3. Favorite book: I LOVE books, so let me just list a few: Harry Potters (duh), MAUS by Art Spiegelman, Pride and Prejudice, Crime and Punishment

4. Favorite author: I love Agatha Christie and J. K. Rowling, of course


5. Favorite magazine: I totally love the magazines that dish out all the dirt on celebs. I also like Reminisce

6. Favorite video game: Tetris is the only game I'm good at. Unless you count solitaire and minesweeper...


7. Favorite pizza toppings: pepperoni and black olives

8. Favorite show to watch while falling asleep: I can't have TV while I'm trying to sleep, which is bad because Scott HAS to have TV to fall asleep, so he has his laptop on all night, and he alternates between Futurama and Red Dwarf


9. Favorite show to quote: Absolutely Stargate!

10. Favorite fictional sassy old lady: Can I pick an old man? Hercule Poirot?


11. Favorite smell: French vanilla cappuccino

12. Favorite memory: Lots to choose from...my wedding day definitely ranks up there


13. Favorite breakfast food: I love Just Bunches with skim milk but Scott makes the most amazing, perfect, crisp french toast EVER on weekends

14. Favorite comebacks: "Your mom goes to college"...and whenever anyone says that to me I say "Yep, she does!"


15. Favorite season: Autumn, especially October

16. Favorite writing utensil: Purple sparkly gel ink (I know, it's so high school...)


17. Favorite Ice Cream: Earnestly Chocolate from the BYU Creamery: there are teeny little Rolos in chocolate ice cream with caramel and marshmallow swirls. AMAZING.

18. Favorite Movie to Quote: With Mim, The Master of Disguise (best movie to watch when you're tired and caffeinated and on a sugar high and it's the middle of the night and everything is hilarious already), and with Scott, there are too many to count


19. Favorite Coffee Accoutrements: I only like the french vanilla cappuccino mix they have at gas stations and I add in a ton of french vanilla creamer and it's like heaven rained in my mouth

20. Favorite Day: Friday 3:00 p.m. until Sunday 8:00 p.m. is like an entire magical day. Yarny things and TV watching get accomplished. Right now Allene and I are watching all the Gilmore Girls again.


Also, I finished a sock.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Another List

1. Scott put change on Buster's back and he actually stood still. He's worth about 10 cents now.2. Scott and I sleep with separate blankets. If we share one I hog it. I also hog the bed, which is why we are going to buy a king after this whole mortgage thing gets done and we have money again.
I am currently sleeping with a blanket I have had since 8th grade. Mim wanted me and Kwiddens to like our room so we painted the walls and got rugs and candles and such and we got these matching sheet/blanket sets. It's wavy blue and green and teal and purple stripes. They're all but threadbare but I still use them. Scott is currently sleeping with the yellow quilt my Nana made me when I was in 3rd grade. Surprisingly, it's in better shape than the one I'm sleeping with.

3. Here I am, working on my cross stitch. Allene is also working on hers. We look like old ladies.
I finished all the stitching on it and I just have to clean it and frame it and then I'm giving it to Mim. It's hideous, and that is why she will like it so much!

4. Another lab we sontract with gets to move into a new building, so while they are moving I get to do ALL of their heavy metal testing. I also have monthly water testing tomorrow. I will be staying late, probably all week.

5. I feel like a big fat failure because after losing all that weight I've gained some of it back. I'm still way smaller than I was in January (YAY) but I still feel dumb...I've been eating out a lot, and you know those portions aren't exactly small. Plus there's the ice cream addiction and I eat a lot of Pop-Tarts (speaking of, Scott had never in his entire life tried a Pop-Tart until this weekend. It made him sick. He will never eat one again. I don't understand this.)
BUT, I have my new treadmill and I actually exercised today, and I drank Slim-Fast instead of getting one of those amazing greasy breakfast rolls from the gas station on the corner. The taste left something to be desired, but I felt better, both physically and emotionally.
Someday I will be thinner.
I wish ice cream had no calories.
Life just sucks sometimes.

6. I actually put away some laundry today. Yay me!

7. I went to the beauty school on Saturday and got a haircut and color. I like the haircut very much. The color turned out to be a little too brassy, I think. It looks ok though, except for when it's wet, and then it looks orange for some strange reason.

8. Something is not working out. I haven't missed any meds and I still feel like I'm spiraling downward into a depressive phase. I was a little manic a few weeks ago, so it's about time, but usually the meds make it so I can't really tell when my moods are changing. This scares me a little. It's a scary thing, being lost inside your own mind.

9. I am so amused by the new fish gadget on my sidebar. If you click on it it puts food in the water and they come eat it. They also follow your cursor around. I thought grass would be a funnier background than water.

That's all I can think of. I'm really enjoying blogging, can you tell? There's just something about getting it all on paper (or hard drives, whatever). Maybe eventually I'll be able to talk more about my feelings. Maybe.

Monday, September 7, 2009

It's Buster Time (and a quesadilla)

Scott made me a heart-shaped quesadilla. I have the best husband in the universe. It's true. And tasty!
And, since we can never get enough of Buster:
Sleeping on my legs on the couch:
And this is a total role reversal. Usually it's Buster doing the prodding:

Friday, September 4, 2009

It's What's In My Head

1. I started the socks over again with the new technique I learned and also with thinner stripes and I stretched them out to see if there were gaps and there weren't, so I freaking win.

2. Scott loves me the best because I went to the store and bought oodles of junk food for his LAN. He also loves me the best because I let him have a LAN whenever he wants. I don't understand wives who won't let their husbands do the stuff they like to do. Seriously, how would I feel if Scott wouldn't let me watch TV and knit?

3. I have not folded my laundry for weeks. It sits on the windowsill and Scott (angel) keeps washing more and putting it on the pile and he almost never complains that I leave it there.

4. I was reading an article about health insurance the other day and it got me thinking and when I get thinking I start thinking about bad things that could happen and I thought about what would happen if we didn't have health insurance and I panicked because what if that happens some day? Do you know how many meds I'm on?

5. I got baby hungry for a few days there. But then I started thinking about a little blob being completely dependent on me for cleaning up its bodily fluids, and that was the end of that. Buster is as close to children as I'm ever gonna get. Unless there is a lobotomy involved.

6. I left work early every day this week. I work too quickly.

7. If you mix a generous portion of grenadine with the strawberry flavored soda water it tastes like strawberry Nerds. YUM.

8. Wayco steals Buster's food so we have to keep his food in our room with the door closed so Buster eats at night. The problem is, it's in the MIDDLE of the night. Last night it was 11:00. Which isn't that late, until you consider I usually head to bed around eight and am asleep by nine. Except this week. Maybe that's why I'm so tired...INSIGHT!

9. I am wearing hand-knit socks. It's like a hug on my feet.

10. I want to take a hot bath but the plug in the tub broke. It still goes in, but you have to use a wrench to get it out, and you have to have superhuman strength to do it. I bet Scott would pull it out for me. Isn't he charming? He's my superhero.



So there are ten things.

Also, I get really happy when people comment. I feel like I am making new internet friends! I'm a dork! You know you like it!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

All of my Projects!

I apologize in advance...this post will be super long and has LOTS of pictures.

I thought it would be fun to go through all my crafting stuff everywhere in my house and see what unfinished projects I have lying around.

Here we go!

So several years ago I bought a book (the first of about 20) with patterns to crochet lace snowflakes. I thought I would make lots of them and give them to Mim as Christmas ornaments. I had such a blast making them (and she loved them, by the way) that I decided to make some for me! When I moved into my first apartment in college someone had left a Christmas tree in the closet, so I have a tree (crappy, but free!) and after I made enough snowflakes to cover it I started making other things, like garlands and icicles and angels and even a tree skirt. Here are just a few of the hundreds of ornaments and notions that have gone into this project:
And I still pull it all out now and then and make a thing or two before I put it away again. I have been toying with the thought of making more of this and starting an Etsy shop. Maybe I could make a few dollars doing something I love. Who knows?

And here's another one:
One of I think 5 squares I've made so far that I started a year ago to put together to make a centerpiece for Naomi as a thank you for helping us with money (we were so freaking poor the first year we were married...it was like, "Honey, don't spend any money, we only have ten dollars left!" SAD.) and I was chugging on, making a square every week and then something shiny flew by and my attention was pulled elsewhere...oops. Maybe I'll finish this someday. But I'm not in the mood now.

Here is a throw I am working on for Li:
I started this this past winter and the goal was to finish it before she left for Taiwan, but that wasn't going to happen because, you know, life happened instead, so the goal now is to finish it by the time she gets back from Taiwan, which should be...next September. SWEET, I have another year! (It's really almost done, I just need to get my rear in gear and make a few more squares and then put them all together and make a border, really only a week's worth of work...LAZY LAZY ME)

And then I was feeling REALLY ambitious and started making a bedspread to go with Mim's comforter set for her CALIFORNIA KING I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING I AM THAT INSANE:
Filet crochet with size ten crochet cotton. Yes. It's about eight inches wide so far. Yeah. I was tempted to frog it when I realized how HUGE this project was in REALITY (where I clearly wasn't), but Scott convinced me to hold on to it because, hey, you never know. There may come a day when someone will say, "Hey, I'll give you a zillion dollars if you'll make me a bedspread for a Cal King!" And then won't I be glad I already have eight inches done.

A peek inside the basket with the sock:
Notice it has been pulled off the needles again. I was online today at work (surprise, surprise) and found a method I haven't tried for making smoother joins in colorwork, so I may be able to make these stripey yet!

I just can't believe I still have this:
It's a counted cross stitch I started when I was ten or so. A 13-year-old UFO! Sad. I pulled it out the other day and actually worked on it and it was fun! I like the sentiment, "Families Are Forever", which is ironic since my family was forever ripped apart recently. Fun times.

I want to learn to tat. So far I have bought the stuff. Nothing since then.

Here is a counted cross stitch I ordered online. I intend to finish it eventually and give it to Scott's mom as a present for a birthday or Christmas or something, but with all the stuff I am up to (see the list??? It's growing!) it will be her birthday present in ten to fifteen years:

Here is another pair of socks I'm {not} working on:
The pattern I intend to use is Outside In. I think they will be super cute. Some day.

And of course, the finished back piece of the new blue sweater:
It's going to be so cool. I started the front the other day.

Here is the birthday present for Em that is now overdue:
Elbow length fingerless mittens with a striped underbelly! And the buttons have skulls on them. All I need to do at this point is tack the sides down and add the buttons and they will be done. The other weekend I had her try them on and they fit perfectly, thanks to the frogging and reknitting and frogging and reknitting...yeah.

Now, I bought more yarn, because I really needed more. Here are two mohair blends:
They have the prettiest halo of fuzz around them. The one on the right looks gray, but it's really a mixture of blacks, whites, and grays.

Beautiful soft sock yarn with some nylon in it for added durability:

And this stuff is way fun! I couldn't get a good picture because I pretty much suck at photography and also because I have a camera that I bought on sale at Wal-Mart (Still MAD at Wal-Mart). But it's a really fun spring green cotton with a colored viscose thread going through it that turns pink, purple, and orange. It sounds garish, but it's actually very festive, and I'm sure I will find some fun use for it eventually.

So, there you have it. I have too many things I am trying to do. I am so glad all this calms me down because anything else in this volume would stress me out and I would spend days hiding in my room on Klonapin.

I have to post a picture of Buster, it's the law:
Eating a bone he stole from Wayco (Allene's dog). Good boy, Buster (I don't like Wayco...)!

In other news, I found a "used" treadmill on KSL (I say "used" because it's only been used like two times and it's nearly new) and I went down Farmington to take a look at it, and it's perfect! And less that $200! It wouldn't fit in my car so we have a friend with a truck and he will help us pick it up tomorrow after work.

So back to getting in shape.

I actually had a lady tell me I was tiny today and it felt SO GOOD.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

It Covers His Eyes

So I started over on the sock. I got about ten rows in and went, yeah, screw it.

And I went back to working on the scarf I started in Vegas (I had to have something to work on in the car, that was a LONG drive!). However, I only bought one skein of the yarn and I ran out and decided it was too short and so I frogged it and started over, making it skinnier.

I've decided that I'm more of a process knitter/crocheter than a product knitter/crocheter. I love making things, don't get me wrong, and I always make sure they are nice and have some use, but most of the time I end up giving things away because I just like to constantly have something to do with my hands. So while it's momentarily frustrating to frog something, it just means I have more work ahead of me, and that actually makes me happy. After I get done being mad at myself for being stupid and doing it wrong in the first place. Yep.

So work today wasn't too bad. I actually got done really early, but I left really early yesterday so I couldn't really leave super early today, so I worked on a long-term project I have going. I organized two whole months' worth of samples and then I still had time so I surfed the internet, looking for patterns to crochet in bedspread weight cotton. I miss working with it. I like the tiny stitches and the beautiful lacy patterns I can make. Anyway, I didn't find anything really good, so I just went home early anyway. Maybe I will stay later tomorrow to make up for it. This really isn't good...by Friday I will have to stay an extra four hours to make up for it...oops.

Buster's hair is getting long and he can barely see. If it were me I would be terribly annoyed, and maybe he is, who knows, but it's so cute I refuse to get him a haircut. Come on, can you even resist this?