in the pink

    It's just a little warm in the house today, but not so warm that I want to close the windows and turn on the A/C. So, as my hands tend to be the warmest part of my body, it's been less pleasant to knit today.     The project I have been working on for the last week or so has involved a good bit of Tubular cast-off, i.e, grafting, i.e., Kitchener Stitch -- due to having to rework some ending ribbing several times. (Removing grafting is a pain, isn't it??) So, before doing the last bit on this project, I decided this morning to graft the Sidewinder hat I finished before we went to Saint Augustine for our anniversary.     It is slow going. I'm reading blogs as I work it. My hands get sweaty, and I put it down. NOW, I have just realized that although the edge is stockinette (first six stitches) the rest is garter, and I've been grafting on the wrong side to boot! So, the fuzzy yarn I have used, which has been a pain every time I have had to tink'r & r'knit™ and while I was doing the short-rows, is now a blessing in disguise.     The hat is for me, the grafting row will be to the inside, and looks fine right-side out.... that's the rational part of me it trying to control the compulsive part of me that wants to tink'r & r'knit™ it by telling me, "One more stitch, keep stitching. One more stitch, keep stitching."     Doing this grafting, I have found a way to check my place. To make it more like the Tubular Cast-off which I have been doing for DAYS, I put all the live stitches for the seam onto one needle rather than two. So, if the second stitch on the left needle is from the "back needle" stitches, I know that I am in the purl-purl portion of the sequence. If the second stitch on the left needle is a "front needle" stitch, I know that I am in the knit-knit part of the sequence. If my sequence doesn't match up with the stitch placement, I know I made a mistake somewhere a few stitches back. This has been helpful working with this fuzzy, and flimsy yarn as the "back" stitch sometimes seems to disappear and I have actually worked the second and third stitches on the needle together by mistake.     Nice day, considering I've stayed in all day. Hubby is switching between the NASCAR race and XM radio on the dish, old country/western stuff. Windows are open, birds and critters making noise, cats are happy.    ETA: Seam is finished: (I hate the way I look in hats.)     I know the "sidewinder" pattern is lost in the fluff, and the novelty yarn I used in it too, but I had it, I wanted a pink hat, and viola!

going pink

    Well, it's not a total conversion. In fact, it looks pretty sorry -- I'm not so good at deciphering CSS -- but I'm making an effort to go Pink for October. I tried to keep the pink moderate, so as not to make anyone ill looking at a Pepto-Bismol blog for 24 more days!     It was my intention to post a month's worth of little goodies, like I did in this post, but being in Florida for the first couple days of the month gave me a late start and I decided I would just "post pink" each Saturday. How fortuitous that I should stumble across Matthew's site, mentioned above, tonight!     Here's one even I can enjoy, at least a little:
Crunch for the Cure     I love the Garden Salsa variety -- and a one-ounce portion is just perfect for a tuna & salad lunch. Satisfies my carb/fat craving at a small cost. Sasha loves to lick the seasoning off your fingers:
Our Sugar & Spice Princess.

Saint Augustine Photos

I've put some of the photos I took with the digital in an album here. I don't know how to change the order, and they uploaded in the reverse order that I intended for them to be. I'll add more when we get DH's film developed. Here's the welcome sign, coming into Mississippi, that we saw on the way home: Part of me wonders about the person who came up with the slogan, another about the people who approved it. Cynthia

tag, I'm it

5 Weird Things About Me

Rissa said, "That leaves me to tag someone, so I will tag those poor souls who know me in real life; Cynthia, Lisa, and Karin. I know you girls are reading this…so now you are tagged! I figure that if they are friends with me, you know they have to be a little off center." (Emphasis mine.)

Hmmm. I think that's a compliment. Not sure these are so very weird, but...

1. I have a bridge phobia which probably stems from recurring nightmares I had as a child of going off the end of a drawbridge in a car.

2. When I find an author I like, I want to read EVERYTHING they have written and order of publication.

3. I am too lazy to cook, but I collect cookbooks. This goes hand-in-hand with watching the Food Channel. Oddly, I also hate to clean house, but I don't collect books about that!

4. I love to buy gifts, but I hate to package them up to mail off. I have Christmas presents in my dining room from last year for relatives in MD.

5. I don't like long phone conversations any more. Used to talk for hours with friends and relatives. Now they probably all think I hate them cause I never call people unless I really need to talk to them about something. On the other hand, I can waste all day chatting online.

My blog-buddies have all been tagged except one, but if anyone reading this wants to play along, consider yourself tagged! Let me know in the comments, please. Cynthia

once a beadaholic

always a beadaholic.     There were three listings for bead shops in the Saint Augustine yellow pages, only one of them still in business, Yo Ho Ho Beads, right in the Old Spanish Quarter. Really nice woman. I was sorely tempted by some of her finished pieces. But, only succumbed to the purchase pictured above. These treasures came from a shop by the center of town, Cool Beads. The shop was not listed in the yellow pages, but had ads in the tourist brochures. Poor man. The city is tearing up the street in front of his shop and his business was suffering already. They had only been working on the street for a week, but it will be at least three more weeks before the road is open again. Beadaholics will still search him out, but his curious foot traffic and impulse buyers has dried up for now. At least it is the slow, off-season -- then again, that actually makes it worse.     I believe most of the above are stone, not glass. The wavy purple and shell-shaped green are definitely glass. I usually buy odd numbers of beads, and only buy two of something when I am planning earrings, or end embellishment. The two silver items on the far left are end/bead caps. And the strand of turquoise is for a neckpiece to go with a pendant I bought in Mexico this summer.     If I could ever get myself organized, I could get some beading done! So many passions, so little time. Cynthia

25 & 5

    Yesterday was our 25th wedding anniversary. Today we returned home from a quick celebratory trip to one of our favorite places, Saint Augustine, FL.     It was supposed to be a surprise for my husband. We had talked several months ago about going, then dropped it. Last Thursday, I checked reservations again, and rooms were still available. I really wanted to suprise DH... but a series of interruptions (albeit pleasant) and delays on Friday kept me from getting everything done that needed to be done. So, later that evening, I had to tell him the plan. We finished packing, went to bed early and were on our way east by 8am on Saturday.     I am notorious for falling asleep on long drives, but I actually managed to stay awake for the trip. I knitted almost the entire way. We arrived early in the evening, before sunset. When it was time to leave this morning, we were both considering staying another day -- so we got on the road quickly! On the ride home, I slept more than knitted.     We had good food and good weather. We wandered through the historical district and drove along the ocean. We met wonderful peeople, both locals and visitors. We did a bit of sightseeing and some shopping, though not as much as we'd have liked as many of the stores and restaurants were closed on Monday. It is the "off" season, but there were still too many people around on Saturday night and Sunday morning to suit us!     The hotel where we stayed has been bought by the people who also own the Hilton just a block away, so we may not be able to afford to stay there next time. They are planning major renovations. We love it because it is right on the bay and very reasonably priced. A simple place, but convenient.     I'm a bit of a rare bird: a Florida native. My family moved to Maryland when I was 14, but part of me has always hoped to live there again. When I was a little girl, we sang this song in school: I want to wake up in the morning where the orange blossoms grow. Where the sun comes creepin' through my window peepin, and the songbirds sing "Hello!" I want to wander through the orange groves... (forget this line) so I'll make my home in Florida, where the orange blossoms grow.     The "&5" in the title? I gained five pounds. Oh, well. Back to work. Speaking of work. There's another library job posted. Won't get it, but I applied anyway. Cyn

lessons

    It was great fun to spend the past two weekends with our friends in Jackson. Sometimes I really wish we lived nearer to them. And then we have days here when we really love living in a small town. I guess it all comes down to people.     Hubby worked most of Saturday and had one more yard to do on Sunday, but the day began with an early storm, so he suggested we go do our shopping (which had been on the schedule for after he finished). I learned two lessons:         1) NEVER go to Wal-Mart or Sam's after Sunday morning church services end;         2) Original plans are often best.     I have a tendency toward panic attacks in some crowded situations. Not all. For example, I could be on a crowded bus in Mexico, no problem. Perhaps it is just when there is movement around me, or when *I* need to be moving and can't?? I don't know. I just know it happens most frequently in WM when there are lots of people shopping.     Sweet hubby doesn't understand, but is sympathetic, as usual. And honestly, he was right when he observed that it didn't really seem that crowded to him. So, I don't know what was going on yesterday, I just got the groceries as fast as possible, did my best to avoid congested aisles and got the heck out of there. In Sam's, where we actually went first, I saw a continual flow of people coming into the store as I waited at the entrance while hubby to parked the truck. I told him I didn't want to shop, just get the water and leave. Fortunately it is at the front of the store AND near the bathrooms, ironically. So I guess I was already 'primed' when we went next door to WM.     Which brings me to lesson 2. If we hadn't changed our plan -- and in fact, he probably could have done the mowing in the morning -- we would not only have missed the church crowd (violating their "Sabbath"*), but we would have eaten at the Chinese buffet instead of having Sunday brunch at O'Charley's. What I ordered did not agree with me, and I had to order something else. Of course, hubby remarked he would have eaten too much at the buffet, so for him it worked out well even though his eggs were burned. Okay, not burned, but way overdone!     This morning I finally got 'on the mat' and learned another lesson: my arms are too short for my body. More importantly, yoga is very hard on my wrists.     Two weeks ago I started weekly yoga lessons at the community college across the street (missed the first class because I went on the wrong day). I have also been recording Namaste Yoga off the FitTV channel, though I haven't watched but one of them thoroughly. I will copy them to VHS, removing the commercial breaks, and then, I think, to DVD. On Sunday, I picked up two DVDs at Ross Dress for Less: Crunch - The Perfect Yoga Workout: The Joy of Yoga & Fat-Burning Yoga with Sara Ivanhoe and Baron Baptiste's Journey into Power: Power Vinyasa Yoga, Level 1     I have watched them both and really like the presentors and the routines. They sure do make it look easy! However, when I tried to work along today, I discovered it all looks much easier than it is. Like I said, my arms are too short for some of the hand placements. My leg muscles are way too tight for my heels to reach the floor in, for example, Downward Facing Dog. BUT, even though I couldn't do the whole thing -- once my hands gave out, I fast-forwarded to the poses that didn't involved placing weight on the hands -- I did feel good when I was done.     Now I'm taping off the Namaste episodes (and wearing my HandEze gloves). Some of the routine have NO poses placing weight on the hands! I will try one of those tomorrow. I also draggged out my mid-eastern dance videos. I thought I only had one, Goddess Workout with Dolphina, but I also have her Introduction to Belly Dance. I'm thinking that doing a yoga routine three mornings a week (only two until my class ends in three more weeks though) and dance two days a week will make up for not getting the exercise I used to walking around on campus and at work in the library.     I've joined both the Swallowtail KAls, but haven't yet gotten back to my own knitting of it. The short toe socks are still distracting me (as is catching up on reading the list of blogs in my Favorites folder). The Yellow-Pink-Orange ball of Sockotta I am using now is self-striping, where the blue-purple-green colorway just pooled. When I started the second sock with the YPO, I didn't move to the correct place in the color sequence. So, of course, now I have to make another two socks, each matching the color sequence of the two already completed. Being gone so long yesterday, and reading blogs so much, I only finished one of them. I'm about ready to cast on for the fourth sock in the YPO colorway as soon as I finish this post. Then perhaps later today I will get to the Swallowtail... I heard from the seller yesterday by email, and my Misti Alpaca is on it's way. Maybe I can finish this shawl and be ready to start another when it arrives. Cyn *I know true Sabbath is Saturday, and that Christians don't observe it like Jews, but many Christians DO erroneously call Sunday the Sabbath, and most believe at least to some extent that it is wrong to work on Sunday. To my mind, there is something just a little inconsistent and contradictory if you are shopping (or eating out) on Sunday and you believe it is sinful work on Sunday. YMMV

my 1st KAL

    I was wasting time tonight, clicking through an old folder of blog links (and finding about half of them gone) when I found, on Bronx Girl Knits, a link to a knit-a-long for the shawl I began last week. Actually there are two KALs -- I read through all the posts for each, but not all the comments.     I doubled-checked my own blog and discovered I had not mentioned beginning this project. Sorry.     It's the Swallowtail shawl in the current issue (Fall 2006) of IKnits by Evelyn A. Clark. While I await the arrival of the called-for yarn, Misti Alpaca, I started one with some lace-weight natural wool on a cone which I bought a couple years ago. The knitting, like anything that grows by eight stitches every two rows, goes fast at first. Now it is 200+ and going a bit slower.     It's funny that yarn isn't here yet. I bought the Regia Stretch from the same lady, and the alpaca should have been on its way a couple days later. Perhaps my email didn't go through.     A few days ago I set the shawl aside to work on the short toe socks. (Also, I had finished the small amount of yarn on one cone and begun working from the much larger full cone.) Working on the third pair today. I'll finish the one I started on the way to supper tonight, then work some more on the shawl again tomorrow. Oh! And I mistakenly stated that Sockotta was cotton. Well, it is, partly. It is a 40% cotton, 45% wool, 15% nylon blend.     Thesis? What thesis?? Cyn

let red be the color of warmth

    Several years ago an online friend of mine told me how for one month every year she dedicates herself to charity knitting. It's not that she doesn't do charity knitting any other time of the year, but for one month everything she knits is for charity. (I believe she did this in January.)     What got me thinking about this was my blog reading yesterday. One of the links in my blogroll is to "Knitting for Change." Another is sweet Mary Anne's "Miss Woolly Knits." On these two blogs I found entries about and links to the Red Scarf Project. Thinking it had to do with either the American Heart Association's Go Red or the National Health Institute's Red Dress initiatives, I checked it out. But it isn't about that kind of heart disease.     This is an outreach project of the Orphan Foundation of America for college students who have "aged out" of foster care. Specifically these scarves are to be included in care packages for the students at Valentine's. If you are a Lily Chin fan, you'll find she is part of this project and has created this pattern. (A Google search for red scarf project patterns turns up more patterns.)     Stopping by Mossy Cottage Knits yesterday as well, I discovered that the Dulann Project 2007 has just launched. This one is close to my heart, as it goes hand-in-hand with my own effort, KniTibet -- soon to be relaunched.     You'll see that the sidebar has been updated to include buttons for these two worthy projects. Cyn

tgif

    For two reasons:     1) Took the GRE today, so that is finally done and off my mind. I didn't do great, but I didn't do so badly either. Verbal: 610 and Quantitative: 670.     2) Through the grapevine I discovered both jobs at the library have been filled (from within). So, it's back to watching the job postings. At least I won't worry about "time off" for Seminar.     I finished another pair of short toe socks while I was waiting for Son#2 to get out of class. These work up very fast and I should soon have the number of pairs I want for Christmas gifts.     Our cool weather got warmer yesterday and today. About noon yesterday I had to close the windows and turn on the A/C again. Maybe the first day of Autumn will bring back the cooler temps.     more later, probably, Cyn

blessings

    It was nearly dusk when I arrived home from yoga class this evening. The sunlight was warm and as I got out of the truck, I saw again the spider lilies my sweet hubby had pointed out to me last night. I grabbed the digital camera and took some pictures. On my way back into the house, I noticed the white ginger was also blooming. Then looking around to see if there were any other flowers blooming, I caught sight of one of my favorites, Rose of Sharon (or Althea). So, here are a few beauties of nature, in keeping with my mood following a strenuous class.


Namaste, Cyn

triple play

    I've always been a big fan of Half.com. I buy most of my textbooks and often other books through it. In August I purchased four textbooks and two other non-fiction books, all from different sellers. Only ONE book ever arrived. The no-ship sellers never responded to email inquiries. Today I logged on to file claims and learned two distressing facts:     1) Only one claim may be filed per month, and only three total by any buyer -- forever (unless there are some kinds of special circumstances, upon which they don't elaborate). Oh, and of course, you only have 60 days from purchase to file said claim, and you can't file a claim until 30 days after purchase. "You do the math."     2) Three of the four sellers (the fourth purchase is only $6 but these three are for textbooks and total over $200) and no longer registered members of eBay/Half.com! That tells me there's probably nothing they will be able to do for me anyway.     This is really the first time I recall being burned by a half.com seller in all the years I have shopped there. And now four times in a single month!     So, first I emailed Half.com customer service. But I don't really expect to receive any help. Then I called the bank to ask how to file a dispute. They said once the dispute is filed, they will "temporarily" credit the amount back to me, but depending up on the investigation, that amount could be debited again. Oh joy.     Happy Thursday! Cyn (who is taking the GRE tomorrow morning at 8:30CDT)

finally! knitting content & photos

    One of the things I like best about living in the South is wearing sandals and flip-flops for much more of the year than when I lived in Maryland. I don't know if I was always like this or if it is the material flip-flops are made from now, but often they hurt my feet. They rub the skin between my toes and under the straps. So, when Rissa showed me these (it's a PDF so give it a moment to download), I knew I had to make them.     This first attempt is not with the recommended yarn, but with Sockotta. The called-for yarn is Regia Stretch, a wool blend; Sockotta is cotton.     I will probably undo the bind off row of the toes and do it a little tighter. It sort of flairs out. Next pair I will make the big toe part a couple of rows longer.     In the meantime, I ordered some Regia Stretch... but now that I have it I am not sure I will use it for these! It is such a yummy yarn, I want it for regular socks. Cyn

yoplait & lean cuisine for komen

    I picked up a little magazine today in Wal-Mart which I'd never seen before, called All You. Curiously there was a big section on diabetes (which wasn't noted on the cover). Also, inside was this ad:     I've never been able to develop a taste for yogurt (except for the frozen kind), but I do like to support breast cancer research. The fine print of the ad is probably difficult to read, so just click on the photo to go to the webpage with the details. This collection effort runs until December 31st, and the pink lid containers were supposed to start showing up in stores on September 1st.     Lean Cuisine is also doing a donation-per-package-sold promotion. (Again, just click on the photo for details.) Cyn

TOO early for all this!

A little housekeeping first. About the LC's Current Reads in my sidebar. Have removed Missing Mary and the Kirkegaard Anthology because I dropped the classes for which they were required. Malinche, however, I stopped reading. I may be wrong, but it seems her timeline is all screwed up and I just can't get past it. I *know* it is fiction, but when you claim things to be well-researched and factually-based and they are obviously messed up . . . uh . . . hm . . . that's the argument critics take with DaVinci Code, isn't it? Hm. Perhaps I'll reconsider. Just as well, I only have two new ones to add anyway: a book I bought at MS Pagan Pride day last Saturday, by Rama Berch, Yoga in Every Moment: Contemplations of a Yogi in the Midst of Life, and Mood Cure by Julia Ross. Dr. Ross also wrote Diet Cure, which my sister gave me a few years ago. Both are excellent resources for looking at how manipulating brain chemistry through nutritional supplements can affect our behavior and physiology.     As of last night, I had a whopping 73 participants in my sleep study! That's about 25 more in the last day. I'll be logging those and churning out the emails for the second phase all morning -- should have done it last night instead of reading blogs and knitting! But as my husband was about, oh, 5 hours later coming home from work than I expected him, my mind was just a little preoccupied with other matters. Like being aggravated. And hungry. But mostly worried as I knew they were working in Chalmette.     At least Brickle comes to sit by me when the Big Guy is not home at night. The knitting? Well, I'm doing the last round on the knitting tote; then I'll seam the bottom and add the handles to finish. I also added another section on a Sidewinder hat of pink Kiss and NoBo novelty yarns -- that's AFTER I pulled out the best part of a (if not the whole) 12-row section because I lost my place and can't "read" the knitting because of the fluffy Kiss yarn! I am making this one a bit bigger than the others I have made for KniTibet. This one is for me as it is all acrylic (we need wool for KniTibet hats, scarves and gloves).     Speaking of Tibet, I read a wonderful column from the Syndey Morning Herald earlier today. But I can't find a link on the newspaper website, so the only way I could share it would be to cut-and-paste it into my blog. Not a good idea. I'll keep trying to find it online. I would like to share it.     Time to run hubby to work, Cyn

new hope?

    Late this evening, I checked the job postings at the university. I usually do this a couple times a week, and almost always on Mondays. I'm guessing that the last day I looked was last Wednesday, because tonight there are two new postings for positions at the library. One was listed last Thursday and the other was posted today. I immediately applied for both, wrote my former supervisor to find out who the supervisors are (and hopefully she will provide other juicy details), and now... well, now I'm in anticipation mode.     So, cross your fingers or say a prayer -- not so much for getting the job as for IF I get the job being able to have off the week of Seminar for which I have already paid, and for the trip to Tibet next May for which I paid TODAY my non-refundable deposit! Cyn

strays

    Every once in a while these odd thoughts come to me: I wish there was an option on blogs to invert the order of the posts. You go to a new blog, you scroll to the bottom and then work your way up. Not a big deal, but an invert option would be nice. Cyn

prattle

    Didn't go with Son#2 on Friday. However, Monday or Tuesday I will have to go to campus to collect my letters of recommendation for TWU, and be sure the ones for USM are forwarded on time.     I pulled a real "old woman's" trick: showed up on Friday at 4:30 for my first yoga class, which was actually on Thursday!     Came to Jackson for EGA by myself this month. Roofers are supposed to come this week, and hubby wants to get the prickly bushes trimmed back and the yard mowed, and all the other yards mowed that he is behind on (because he didn't do them last weekend or yesterday). Regardless, it was a nice drive. I have been a bit blue the latter part of this week. I am going to have to be very careful about light and activity to keep from getting depressed. On the way to Jackson, I seemed to revive a bit, even getting a couple of ideas for needlework projects.     So, here I am, relaxing with friends. Same friends as a year ago, but, thankfully in a very different situation. Interestingly, gas prices have dropped to just about what it was pre-Katrina. Cyn

not all play

    Tonight I worked out the last of the details and got all the links setup to unveil my little sleep study. My advisor let me know yesterday that he had received final approval from the IRB. So, I made the final updates to the survey, to the listing and to the website and clicked that "display" option to add my survey to the schedule. Now we'll see how long and how many students are willing to participate.     Earlier today I ran errands, including getting a LOT of blood drawn for some medical tests. I thought just A1C and lipids, but I was wrong. There was a whole slew of them, including thyroid. So, I should know next week whether he will keep me on the Glucophage. Tonight, I have done some knitting on the tote bag; I will be at the half-way point before I go to bed (shortly). Tomorrow, I have a set of DVD's ("Lost Civilizations") to watch that are overdue to the library. Friday is Son#2's short day, so I think I will ride with him to the university, return my overdues, and check with my other 'recommenders' to see if their letters are ready for me to pick up.     And, in case anyone is wondering, no, I did not prepare supper tonight. Unless tearing open a package of tuna and mixing in some mayo counts! Cyn P.S.   Any one who wants the following hair dye, drop me an email--trading for wool yarn for KniTibet would be nice. I tried a lighter shade this last time I colored and am happier with it, so I have these left from bargain shopping: L'oreal Superior Preference 4A Dark Ash Brown - Cooler L'oreal Superior Preference 5AM Medium Amber Brown Revlon ColorSilk 41 Medium Brown (I have two of these) Clairol Nice & Easy Root Touch-up #4 Dark Brown Clairol Loving Care Color Creme 82 Dark Warm Brown The first four are "Level 3, Permanent Haircolor" and the last is "Level 1, Lasts 6-12 Shampoos."

the deed is done

    For better or worse, I made major changes in my current life today. I dropped all my classes except for the one hour for my honors thesis. I had to jump through a couple of hoops to make it happen, but (at this point) it is all settled.     About a week ago I discovered I would need to do about five substitutions/corrections to meet the degree requirements for the second major. I discussed it briefly with my 'mentor' and advisor at the university on Tuesday. While talking with him, he returned my sandalwood Buddhist rosary, which he had carried with him to Tibet where it was blessed in the Jokang Temple in Lhasa. When I took hold of it from him--I know this is going to sound so hokey--I got this odd feeling. A feeling of change, of needing to re-evalute, and I remember thinking this, but not really knowing to what the feeling to change would apply. It was a very calming feeling though.     Over the next couple days, several things happened... I don't remember exactly what happened on what day. I pulled out all the paperwork to apply for the changes to meet the new degree plan. I realized it would be weeks before I would know if the substitutions were accepted, and by then, it could be too late to drop the classes. Even more important, I realized on Friday that academic penalty for dropping was NOT the most important consideration at the moment: financial penalty WAS. According to the catalog, the deadline was 10 days following the beginning of the semester. That is tomorrow!     I began to question myself seriously as to how I was going to manage to accomplish all I would need to do over the next few months, and I also forced myself to ask why I wanted the second major. And other than the love I have for the subject matter, and how compelling I find the study of it, there really is NO reason for me to pursue the second major. It would benefit me little if any, and if I failed to make an A in each class, it could be actually cost me GPA points, and my latin designation at graduation.     I emailed two of my most trusted friends for advice. After detailing everything, I basically asked them whether they could find a reason for me NOT to drop, if they could discover something in my reasoning that I had overlooked. Neither did. By the time I heard from them both, I felt my decision was made and I felt very calm and confident it was the right thing to do... and today I did it.     The only really bad/sad part is that because I am no longer a full-time student, I can not work at the library. It was difficult to tell my supervisors, but they were both very understanding and supportive.     So, I'm sort of a home-body again. I will most likely have to go to campus once a week for a meeting with my thesis advisor, but otherwise, I'm cut loose until December. I expect to have some "post-partum" effects, and have already warned family to be patient... I feel a little lost over holidays from class as it is. (Or rather, has been.) Oh! One set of letters of recommendation for gradschool, sealed and delivered to me today... three more to go. And I will be taking the GRE in early October.
Just cause I wanted to post a picture.     In other news, I tried again this afternoon, unsuccessfully, to find Theresa's new shop. I will just have to email her for specific directions. I picked up the blue #5 pearl cotton (and a fresh skein of the same shade of cotton floss) for my seminar piece at Hobby Lobby. They didn't have #8 in DMC415 and I don't know if what I have will be enough. I'll look for it in Jackson. Or maybe email the teacher to see if a full ball is required.     I think I'll knit a bit tonight, and maybe start on the outlining for the seminar piece. Gosh, I haven't really worked on canvas for years!     Supper for me tonight will probably be tuna, cheese, and crackers. Hubby had a "big sandwich" late in the day because he thought he was going to have to work late. That's something else that will be changing: being home, I will feel like I should prepare supper. Oh joy. But then, "feel like" doesn't mean "will." Lordy, I am SO lazy! Cyn [who seems to be stuck for the present at 154 lbs, for those who might be curious]

after 371 days

Today did not exactly end as I expected . . .     We had not yet seen Pirates of the Caribbean (2) and when I checked the listings while at work yesterday, it was no longer showing during the afternoons in H'burg, but it was in G'port. So we made a plan to go down there today. Son#1 came along. Great, fun flick. Then we went to Applebee's. Not sure about hubby & son, but my supper was really good and it was the fastest I have ever been served in an Applebee's!     The unexpected happened when we left the restaurant. Hubby turned not left, toward home, but right, heading toward the beach. My heart sank. He did ask me if I wanted him to turn around, but I said it was okay. He wanted to see for himself. He's been over south of New Orleans (Hopedale), where there is nothing left, he's been in Chalmette, where there is nothing left... he wanted to drive by Beach Road over to Bay Saint Louis. (Well, you can't get to BSL any more from Beach Road, duh. I think we knew that, but had forgotten.)     As so many others have noted, it is almost impossible to know where you are, to know even where things *used* to be. When we got to the USMMGCC, I was truly shocked at the amount of missing buildings. To see empty lot after empty lot, where the grandest and the simplest of beach homes used to stand, and only a very few with even a FEMA trailer sitting upon either sandy ground or bare slab, even fewer rebuilt or even signs of rebuilding...     There is no way to express the sadness and regret, most of all for the lost memories. It's the same feeling I had in 1989, when I came to MS to visit my parents and see the new house they were building where my grandparents home had stood. I was very happy for them, and the new house was great, but at one point I had to excuse myself. I walked around the end of the fence, hidden from everyone and cried my eyes out. What I felt, however, is infinitesimal to what the people of the Gulf Coast have had to endure.     To write about something else now seems thoughtless. Cyn

oh what a beautiful morning

    For the first time (that I recall) since I returned from Mexico, the warm sunshine has been accompanied by not hot air and wind, but cool. It actually felt a bit refreshing this morning at 7am when I left for work/school. And even during the heat of the day the breeze was cool. Tonight the temperature has dropped to the low 70s. I am so ready for the beautiful fall southern weather to arrive!     This morning I submitted my application to the School of Library & Information Science at USM for the masters program. I have one more section of the online application to submit to the Grad Studies office and I will have that finished. The requests for letters of submission were delivered today as well. As soon as the envelopes are ready for me to pick up, I'll be sending off the application to TWU. That online application is already finished but needs to be officially submitted. Then all that is left to do is take the GRE.     However, the paperwork to resolve the degree requirement issues for my RELBA is just beginning. I have about 5 or 6 weeks to determine whether I can drop classes or will be able to finish for the second major.     Needless to say, I am a little bummed. I seem to recall a post back in the spring about waiting for the other shoe to drop... at the moment, no enthusiasm for classwork, stitching or much else either. But, "this too shall pass." Cyn

reclaiming identity

"Cynclair" is an online identity which I had for a good many years in the '90s. It is a reference to My Captain, Jeffery Sinclair of Babylon 5. I don't remember how I lost it, but an "Old Friend" lamented the change at the time. B5 was over & I felt I had moved on, but now I am missing the nick, so the first step to reclaim it is re-establishing my blog under http://cynclair.blogspot.com . I think I will try to get my other IDs back to it as well. Cyn

grrrroan

Sigh.     My dear advisor doesn't come to campus on Tuesday. I must wait one more day to find out if I can even begin to resolve the issues with the RELBA. S'okay. I'm trying not to worry. The good news today is that three of the four people I have asked (haven't asked the fourth yet) to write letters of recommendation for grad school for me have said yes... and very enthusiastically so.     I do hope that a research carrel becomes available soon. I didn't realize I would have so much free time on campus this semester or I would have applied earlier. I think I am third on the wait list.     The question of the day is... do I embarass myself by writing to the program director of our Spanish in Mexico program to inquire as to how my grade was determined? That B brought down my GPA a bit, and what I really want to know is why the quiz portion of my grade in one class is 13/30! The email address I have for our teacher in Mexico bounces, so my only way to contact her is through the PD.... I just don't know if I should bother. One the one hand, I'm happy to have survived the course and gotten a B. BUT, on the other hand, if the quiz grade is only half what it should be, I probably actually have an A. AND, what if I only make B's this semester in my Philosophy (Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Freud, Marx, Tolsoy, Dostoyevsky, OH MY!) and Judaism classes? If my GPS falls below 3.5 I won't graduate with high honors and all my thesis work will be for naught. GAWD! I sound like I'm 20 years old. Why the heck does it matter so much to me??     I think I need to knit a bit tonight.... and that's something else I need/want to do: set up some knit sessions on campus for KniTibet. I should probably go to the Amnesty International meeting Thursday. I'm hoping to get one or two one campus organizations to sponsor the drive for caps & scarves & mittens. LC

disappointments loom

#1 trouble meeting requirements for the religion major.     Well, I thought I had checked and double-checked, but it turns out I am a couple courses short of the core requirements for College of Arts & Letters. Now if I'm very lucky, I can wrangle the substitutions, but there's a REAL good chance that I'll come up two courses short. #2 false advertising.     Ever since my friend, Laura (in DC), wrote that she is buying a Toyota Prius and I then saw the MPG, I've been toying with the idea of checking them out. Then yesterday, driving home from Sunday dinner, hubby says, "Maybe what I should do is buy you that car and I'll drive the truck." Well, what he was talking about is a cute little blue convertible PT Cruiser at the local Chrysler dealership. But I told him if he was really serious about buying a car, we ought to look at something with better gas mileage. Of course the PT is about $5K less than the Prius.     So, last night I got online and found the local Toyota dealers and checked for Prius in stock. Bunches came up, so today I drove over to the lot on my break and lo, and behold -- NOT ONE Prius!     First, the salesman acts like no, there aren't any listings online. Then he says they are what are coming in to dealerships all over the area. THEN he says that those are all sold. BY.NOW.I'M.GETTING.PISSED.     Which is it? Available or sold?? I do not like to be given the run-around. I do not being treated like I am stupid. And I do not being lied to. "Guess you aren't going to sell a car, then." As I was getting in the car to leave, he asked, almost as an afterthought, if I wanted him to find out when one was due in. "No, if you can't be any more honest than that on the website, I'll just buy something else."     Then, my son was admonishing me for "yelling" at the salesman -- which I wasn't-- for blaming the salesman for something that wasn't his fault -- which I wasn't... it is Toyota's fault, but at that moment he was the representative of the company and that's part of the job to take the flack for what the company does. AND beside, I was very nice.     You have to wonder if it (buying a vehicle to save on gas) is really fiscally sound anyway: car payment (AND interest), insurance, tag registration,(and in MS) ad valorum tax. There goes your savings at the gas pumps for how many weeks? Years??? So, Laura, good luck with your purchase. I think TPTB are telling me it's not the right vehicle or not the right time. LC p.s. To be fair, I went back to the website () just now. The (only four now) Prius are marked as "available," and the footnote indicates that "A status of 'Available' means the vehicle is available to the dealership from a virtual pool of vehicles, but is not on the lot. Please contact the dealership to confirm vehicle availability." So WHY didn't the salesman know that??

sunday nights

    Ah... Sunday night before a new week of classes. For some people it is despressing, for me, at least tonight, it's a calm feeling. Weekend has been busy. I finally have the survey for my thesis study uploaded and ready for the student participant. I only await the IRB approval to release it.     Most people who know me, know that my two favorite types of food are Mexican and Italian. Unfortunately, Friday night, the meatballs and spaghetti did NOT agree with me. By 6am, I was hugging the toilet. So, I doubt I'll have a taste for Italian for a good while.     Seems I spent the weekend well, but can't make much of a tally to show for it. Most importantly, the list of To-Do's for tomorrow. I can't believe this is the LAST episode of Deadwood. LC

gonna love these no-class fridays

    I can hardly hold my eyes open, but I've had a very productive day and evening. I wrote a page for the MSNA newsletter, updated both my resume and my personal statement/essay for grad school applications, and... ta-dah... got my sleep study survey uploaded to the internet! It is ready to go as soon as I get the final okay from IRB.     Unfortunately no stitching or knitting of any kind, but I did get side-tracked in my Needle Arts magazines for a while this afternoon. With all the years of beading and knitting, I forget sometimes how much I love embroidery. So many things to take pleasure in, so little time. G'nite, LC

won't do. won't do!

    Thursday is my short day; home by one o'clock. Even though I was in bed before ten last night, I was extremely drowsy driving home and went directly to the couch to nap. It is now half past five, and I am just waking up! This will NOT do at all.     Neither will spending too much time on the computer, so.... "later, tater!" LC

remember the magic mirror?

    Today was the first day of the new semester, and even though I did not have classes, #2Son did, and I had errands to take care of on campus so I drove him. It was a good choice, as my errands each took longer than expected, i.e., there wouldn't be enough time to do them on a day when I do have classes. But the best thing was seeing people I know. I felt a little like Miss Nancy from Romper Room: "I see Susan, and Paula, and JohnL,
and Diana, and Jeremiah, and Dan, and Cody,
and Halima, and Cathy, and Patrick, and Walter."     The errands were all concerning graduation and grad school. I've changed my primary major from psychology to religion, so I can "walk" for the religion degree. As for grad school, I think my heart wants to go to TWU, but I'll probably end up at USM. According to the information I received today in the mail from TWU, you have to have already been accepted at TWU before submitting for financial aid (not that it makes much sense... I'm hoping it only means they won't award it until then).     I have exactly 72 days to complete (the final draft) my thesis! I am afraid this semester is going to pass much too quickly. LC

learn-a-bit, knit-a-bit

    School is about to begin, and along with all the other things running willy-nilly in my feeble little brain is KniTibet. I need to review everything I wrote last year about the project, confirm it all and get the website updated. I am hoping to get some sponsorship from one or two of the student organizations, and to start a "lessons for contribution" program on or just-off campus.     So, along that vein, last night I cast-on for a prototype hooded scarf. During lunch Tuesday, a friend mentioned a very simple style hooded scarf that she crochets. I got to thinking that perhaps this would be a good idea for the children. Only one item to keep up with, but which serves multiple purposes, not the least of which would be as a teaching tool.     I'm not a big fan of seamed up hats (just a personal preference... silly me; I'd rather wrangle with double-points). My idea is to start off with the simplest of cast-ons and garter stitch (on straight needles), then add some patterning with purl stitches. That would teach not just the purl stitch, but practice at "reading" one's knitting and perhaps using markers. If the hood needs to be (and I think it will) a bit wider that the scarf, viola, increasing. Then they can either learn decreasing and continue in the pattern and then the garter border to the end, or perhaps set that piece aside, make a second just like it and learn to kitchner. I have been making tapes of the Knitty Gritty shows, so I could cue up some of those demonstrations if we met in the media library.     I have some Debbie Bliss Merino Aran that I bought on sale at San Antonio several years ago. But, with our limited access to (reasonably priced) wool around here, they may end up with Lion Brand's Fisherman wool. The white will be pretty bland, but it could always be dyed later for another learning experience.     Well, just some ponderings when, of course, I should have my mind on other matters.     Oh! And to anyone who has written to me through the KniTibet address, my sincerest apologies. I just today stumbled across the password and regained access to the account. Between Hurricane Katrina and the cancellation of our planned 2006 trip to Tibet, I certainly dropped the needles and the stitches on this one. But I am confident it will be successful in the end. LC

baby's got 'em

    What's the best thing about losing weight? My doctor, of course, would say my improved (current and future) health, but we all KNOW that it's B U Y I N G     N E W     C L O T H E S ! ! !     Except.... when the your new skirts (purchased just two weeks ago and not even worn because you didn't shaved your legs) are now too big? Don't throw out those 12s, Rissa -- I may fit into them yet!     So, what's a girl to do?? Buy new shoes, of course! ¿Estamos bailando todavía?     I need a fancy pair of shoes for the EGA banquets, and I think these will do nicely. When I was trying them on for the second time, this sweet young girl told me they looked very pretty on my feet... bless her little heart! I just *had* to buy them after that. I do already have a red dress, but I'd really like to find something a bit fancier. Or maybe just fancy-up the one I have. Still a good many weeks to figure out that one. It's a good-news-bad-news kind of situation as far as wanting to keep losing weight and wanting to fit the clothes I have recently bought!     Good news from the doctor today. Glucose was 81, BP was 127/81. He wants to do a fasting blood test for cholesterol to see if treating the diabetes has lowered it. At the same time he will check the AC1 for the past three months. I'll do that one day next week -- he said there was no reason to "stick" me twice.     So much for my day. Now I want to knit just a bit and then go to bed. Gotta start getting some more sleep. Those 8am workdays are going to be starting much too soon. LC

150 things, done and undone

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink -- there were only two of us though. 02. Swam with wild dolphins -- before it was "In" and not in an artificial environment. 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 -- many times! 14. Seen the Northern Lights << this one's on my do before I die list 15. Gone to a huge sports game -- Superbowl II - Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders with my dad. 16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa 17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables -- hubby grew; I ate. 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 could 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 -- many times! 39. Had two hard drives for your computer 40. Visited all 50 states << only 39, so far 41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced 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. Gone white water rafting 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/both of your parents 93. Been on a cruise ship 94. Spoken more than one language fluently 95. Performed in Rocky Horror 96. Raised children. -- should be "raising children" cause it never ends. 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 accident 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

katrina on my mind

    As the one-year anniversary of Katrina approaches, I find myself thinking about it a lot. Perhaps most people around here are doing the same, I don't know. Although I have not yet been able to bring myself to return to the Coast, I spent two days last week at the APA convention in downtown New Orleans.     There is an eerie (not scarey, eerie) atmosphere there, which is really difficult to explain. Very few people are on the streets, even fewer working and hardly any vehicles. We left downtown at 6pm on Friday night and did not hit a bit of traffice until we were east of Chalmette! Many places downtown are still closed -- as is nearly everything east of New Orleans. Some businesses are gone entirely (like Nawlin's Cookery), but we drove out Dauphine on our way out of town Friday and it was good to see some familar places open, and in the same places (like Mulates, The Central Grocery and Cafe du Monde -- although we personally don't care for the beignets at the latter). There are also new and unfamiliar shops and restaurants. There are also lots of dumpsters for the debris as clean-up and remodeling continues.     On Thursday evening we drove out toward the lake (Pontchartrain) to see how badly Joe's Crab Shack had been hit. Nothing appears to have been done yet towards reopening the restaurant. The road along the shore is damaged in several places. The high water marks are still quite visible on most of the houses along the boulevard. FEMA trailers and dumpsters sit on many properties. It is sad to see, but at least they have something to rebuild from... the MS Gulf Coast is not so fortunate. I have heard more than one person say that it doesn't look as if anything has been done at all on the Coast, as if Katrina hit just recently and not almost 12 months ago.     Wednesday night I saw a "coffee-table" book of Katrina pictures that I really want to buy. One of the reason is that there are many more photos of the MS coast in this one and not just NOLA like most of the ones I have seen previously.     And for those who might have missed the news, the Beau Rivage resort has chosen the anniversary as their reopening. Whenever the Coast is rebuilt it will have an even more different face than the new New Orleans seems to be getting... I imagine only hotels and casinos in their future, not houses. LC

more feline weirdness

from my cats... Nero likes to chew on the little flip-flops they put on your feet after you get a pedicure. Last week I bought a pair of regular flip-flops at Walgreens, but they were make of the same kind of foam as the pedicure flippies. I accidentally left them in the living room on Thursday night. Then I didn't notice when I put them on Friday morning, but he had chewed the heels of one and the toes of the other overnight. Looked really charming at the APA convention that day! Sasha is a true female: she loves sweets and especially chocolate. Now,I know that you aren't supposed to give cats and dogs chocolate, but every time someone has any kind of sugary treat she comes running. She knows the sound of a Hershey kiss being unwrapped, or any other candy wrapper. And, as I mentioned before, she loves to play with the ball of foil. She will drag candy wrappers out of the trash basket in the living room to play with, and she especially likes the shiny mylar kind. We love to watch her 'dance' with her toy. Their water bowl used to be in the kitchen, beside the food bowls -- of which there has to be two so they don't fight. However, it was moved to the laundry room because they kept spilling it onto the kitchen. Before we moved it though, we had gotten in the habit of putting ice cubes in it whenever we got ice out of the fridge (that's not what started the playing/spilling of the water though). As funny as it was to see them play with the ice cube, it is even funnuier now when they come running to the kitchen whenever someone gets ice out of the fridge. Poor babies. LC

toys: how cats and kids are alike

    We have three (indoor) cats -- only one of which we would consider psychologically normal -- and each one has a favorite toy. Not a store-bought toy, however, or even a lovely handmade one like the felted ball someone sweet made for them. No, they like best a few things that most anyone would have around the house.     Sasha likes balls of paper, in particular, balls of foil candy wrappers. Brickle like string, especially shoe strings. For Nero is has been straws, but now we have discovered something that he just goes nuts over: red laser light.     We discovered this a few months ago, but recently #1Son bought some kind of flashlight with a laser. Shine it on the floor, furniture or wall, and Nero is chasing it with the energy of a manic kitten. #1Son lets him play with the laser every night when he gets home from work, and now Nero also turns with anticipation whenever #1Son comes into the living room from anywhere else in the house at practically any time of the day or night. Tonight we even caught him sitting looking at the flashlight on the end table. I've got to try to get at least a few seconds of video of these antics.     So just like with children, we have often spent money on toys, but they (our cats at least) alway seem to have more fun playing with the packaging! LC, asleep at the keyboard

prodigal one returns

    Today I returned to work in the library. Unfortunately not as a full-time employee, but in my former position as a student assistant. It was a long day (longer than I used to work at one stretch), but it was nice to be back. There are fewer patrons over intersission/break, of course, so I can ease back into the routine. There have been a lot of changes in the last 5 months with regard to what is in our area, so I have things to learn -- most everything is the same though. My supervisor(s) are such wonderful ladies. I really missed them.     I want to knit, but I have so many things to do... It is already 9:00pm, though, and I am very tired. So, perhaps just a few rows while I wind down and ponder what items on my never-ending to-do list have the highest priority for tomorrow. And Deadwood has just begun, so I'll be up at least an hour. LC

more matters of size

ooo! ooo! ooo!     Now tonight I am really excited.     We went down the road to Home Depot tonight (did I ever mention how much I despise HD??) to get carpet padding. They didn't have any carpet padding and the carpet wasn't where the greeter at the door even said it was and the woman sitting in the 'design' area ignored us while, as per usual, all the HD employees deftly disappeared. I hate HD like most people hate WM.     Needless to say we left, intending to go all 25 miles back up the interstate to home, plus the 50 more north to the Lowe's (did I ever mention that I live one-half to one-full hour from any decent shopping??). However, I suggested that we could go to Lowe's tomorrow night and hit Hudson's tonight while we were close. No one EVER has to twist hubby's arm to go to Hudson's! Boy, am I glad we chose the latter!     There were very few women's clothes, but what was there worked out wonderfully for me. Most people seem to leave the silks and wools, and I love to snatch them up off the 75-80% racks. Tonight I scored a pair of beautiful red silk "grasscloth" (with silk lining) slacks... size 12s... no elastic waistband... no stretch fabric... that fit perfectly!! Two 3/4-length sleeve cardigans and two silk tops completed my clothing purchases.     As for hubby's cache, well, Rissa... neither Ben or Rodger can "go to Hudson's any more."     Now, to go try on those slacks for hubby's approval. >>wink-wink<< LC

changing course

A few days after I visited Teotihuacan I put up as my desktop this photograph which I took that afternoon: But, with my Spanish classes completed, my thoughts are turning to the next study-abroad trip I hope to take. Tonight I changed my desktop photo back to one of my favorite photographs of Tibet. The greens are so soothing: I hope it will not be too long before I can once again set in motion the KniTibet project. LC

breaktime

    Summer classes are over, and I have one whole week (!) to relax and piddle around the house before I go to back to work at the library over the break. Yesterday and today I managed to get a little housework done. And organized my old class notes and papers now that the semesters are over. Getting ready for the new one. And some knitting. And, hm... well, just odds and ends I guess.     Like tracking down the which hotel in Saint Augustine we stayed the last time we were there. Unfortuately, it took all afternoon. But, now I know the name.     As for the knitting, I've been working on a hat for the premature baby of an acquaintance. The first one was too small, but the second one is good, I think. And today I started a third, just because I wanted to try a little fuzzy thread with what I'd been using. Which is LB's Microspun. I pulled it out of my stash because I knew it would be very soft to the skin of the baby, and easy to care for by the mom.    Am still (slowly) losing weight, so I hope that my sugar is good when I get back to the doctor. I have an appointment soon. The size 14 capris I bought before I went to Mexico are loose, so I went to buy 12s -- they really didn't seem that much smaller, so I tried on the 10s. I like the way they fit, so I bought a couple pair. Admittedly, these are stretch capris, so I can't be that excited. Especially since I also bought two size 16 skirts that weren't stretch or elastic.     I picked up an underbed storage box for the tops and slacks that are too big, so that's a project for tomorrow. Late in the week, the plan is to get all the furniture out of the bedroom and finish painting it (don't ask), so over the weekend we can put down the new carpet.     Laundry calls. Had to rewash hubby's clean clothes that the cats pissed all over while they were sitting in the laundry room waiting to be folded. Cats are crazy.... LC

katrina +320

    After nearly 11 months, we have the living room back to normal at last. My father replaced all the carpet in his house back in the spring and gave us what they took up. Only one room in his house had been damaged during the storm, so the rest of the carpet was in fairly good shape. About two weeks ago, hubby and the two sons were finally all home (& well) at the same time so they went to Dad's to pick up it up. Yesterday, again, everyone was home (& awake) so we got the biggest piece put down in the living room and all the furniture back where it belongs. The best piece will probably go in our bedroom. I'd love to replace what is in the hallways, too, but I don't know if the sizing will match.     The cats were so funny inspecting the changes. The new/old furniture arrangement was like some kind of obstacle course for the first couple hours. But what was really amusing was how the female immediately seemed to command ownership of the carpet, lying in the middle like royalty while the males remained at the edges on the bare floor -- carpet doesn't quite cover the whole floor. After a couple of hours though, all three were enjoying the comfort of the carpet.     During the afternoon and again today, I have been slowly returning books, CDs, videos, etc., to their proper places. I hope to be able to spend many of the coming vacation (from classes) days cleaning and organzing my house. The clutter has gotten beyond even my tolerance level -- which is saying A LOT. For the rest of today, however, it is back to Spanish. And a little more knitting, I hope. The tote is coming along nicely. Into the second ball (of five) yesterday.     I've received good news about my grades for the classes in Mexico. I got an A in one, and should have at least a B in the other. The A is a surprise.     Hasta, chicos! LC

¡está bien!

    Although it wasn't the firts PPT presentation I have created, it was the first one I got to truly present in the format. During spring semester I prepared one for my capstone course, but I wasn't able to get the equipement in the classroom to present it. It was all text anyway, so the handouts and oral was all I presented. However, the classroom in which we are having our Spanish class is fully equipped for multimedia presentations. Considering that it was impossible to practice in the environment I had to present versus on my own computer, I think it went pretty well.     Of course, something I suspected would happen did. The sound files were only linked from their location on my hard drive to the presentation file, so when I used a flash drive with the .ppt file on it in the classroom system, the sound wasn't linked any more. Fortunately, I had my computer with me, and played the song clips through it. Tonight I found out how to save it with the files embedded, now it is all together. She asked me to bring it back tomorrow, so now the music soundtrack will play as it should.     The best thing was that she told me it was the first time she had put "Música Indígena" on her list of presentation topics, and that she had learned a lot. And, she loved my handout: I made an activity sheet very much like she has been giving us on the topics she presents. One would think I was a teacher candidate! I plan to do an English translation of the presentation for my sister (who *is* a teacher), in case she would want to use it in her classes. She's an art teacher who seems to end up teaching more non-fine art but still artistic, enrichment-type classes.     I took a nice nap when I got home. Lord, the heat was oppressive today! But, I feel like I can relax just a little tonight. Reading the last few stories in the Legends of Mexico book for a report due on Friday, and hope to do a little knitting on the purple tote later tonight. LC

birthday weekend

    My birthday was Friday, and along with a beautiful handmade stained-glass dragonfly pin from my sweet husband, I have received many special surprises from my friends. These included Facebook messages from new friends in and from Mexico, which led me to photo albums and pictures of people and places I missed taking while there. Phone calls from family and friends. Special gifts from friends including special silvercloth bags for the sterling silver jewelry I bought in Taxco, MX, a book on European Ayurveda (which should go nicely with Mediterranean Diet), and some beautiful bead stitch markers! Upon my father's gift I type this message: a refurbished (but seeming brand new) Averatec laptop I bought to go to Mexico, which weights only 4 pounds and is now also great to carry to class. I had dinner with hubby and #2Son on Friday night, then with Rissa & Ben, and Lisa & Mark last night in Jackson. Friday night I was good, but last night I indulged in a small amount of pan-fried potatoes, the top of a garlic roll, and a portion of chocolate cake.     During the EGA meeting yesterday afternoon I tried to knit; only Lisa had remembered to bring her drawnwork project, so there wasn't a lot of teaching done. On the way home I manged not to make any more mistakes and got back to and beyond where I had been before I ripped on Wednesday night. Coming through H'burg, we stopped at Michael's and I found some size 8 circulars -- so with my new stitch markers placed at even intervals I should be able to just as easily keep track of the count to help avoid adding stitches and at the same time not be dropping them off the end of the DPs.     Today, however, it is back to the Spanish. My PowerPoint must be ready to present tomorrow morning, so... hasta luega, mis amigos! LC

foolishness

    Well, the library job listing had been removed by the time I double-checked on it this afternoon. At least I didn't look foolish going to ask the woman about it. Nothing else interesting posted today.     I did do something foolish last night. Got to the end of round ten on the Berroco Knitting Tote and had three extra stitches. After counting and recounting several times (it was late), I started frogging. Two rows back I found where I had failed to psso. That accounted for one extra stitch. I just KNEW in my heart that the other two stitches were on the cast-on row. Couldn't, however, convince my brain and fingers. It was ONLY two little stitches that would not have mattered one little bit in the end product. It would NOT affect the patterning; there wasn't even any reason to decrease. But stubborn idiot that I am, I kept taking it back and back and back. Then, of course, I dropped one of the cast-on stitches. So today, I started all over again. Am now halfway through round four and going to bed... after I play some HexicHD on #2Son's Xbox.     Did I mention I have a Spanish quiz tomorrow?? At least class isn't until 3pm. LC

catch 22 and all

    I find myself in a bit of a quandry lately, brought even more to mind with an email I received yesterday morning.     I am 11 hours shy of fulfilling my degree plan, and scheduled to take 12 hours in the fall semester which will complete my double major and minor hours. While the courses won't be terribly difficult, they are upper level courses, and will require a large time commitment. (Translation: read books, write papers,read books, write papers, read books, write papers.)     At the same time, my honors thesis will be due about mid-semester. I submitted approval papers for my study prior to leaving for Mexico and still have not received any further information. So, I have lost the opportunity to use the summer students for my project (which requires at least five weeks of participation).     Now, all this could be resolved nicely, if I pushed graduation til May... and the best possible way to do this would be to get hired into a full-time position at the university. [The reason why not just any full-time job would be as good a solution is the benefits available as a university employee.] While I was in Mexico, I checked the current job listing, and amazingly, there was an opening (a good one) at the library. Perfect. I applied, and also emailed my former supervisor to check on the situation. Then, my son let me know that I had been called for an interview the following Monday. Oops. Calls were made, messages left emails sent and received, but the short of it is that the person doing the hiring wanted to do so by the 21st, and I didn't return until the 26th.     So, once back in MS, I checked the listings again and found another position annouced for in the Honors College office -- unfortunately, the above mentioned email informed me that I am ineligible because I am enrolled the Honors College.     Now here's what keeps going round in my head: one of the primary reasons for considering a full-time job is to extend the time available for me to complete my thesis as a student of the Honors College. If I dropped out of Honors College, thereby being eligible to apply for the job, I would no longer need to extend the time to complete a thesis.     Now the weird part is that the library job is still in the listings. Yes, I will go make myself look foolish tomorrow morning by asking about it. Alert! Knitting content follows!     While in Mexico, I finished LB's Open-Mesh Market Bag -- I only wish I had a photograph of how it looked full of (first) all the fragile items I packed in it to carry onto the airplane, and (second) all the things Continental made me take out of my suitcase because it was over 50 pounds but then allowed me to carry onto the airplane. I swear, if it had been red instead of yellow, all the little kids would have thought I had Santa's pack!     A couple days ago, I finally cast-on for the Berroco Suede Knitting Tote (materials for which I carried all the way to Mexico and back, along with supplies for about four pairs of socks -- what was I thinking??) At 210 stitches per round, I'm going pretty slowly. It would be faster if I had size 8 circulars.... think I'll go check eBay. LC

you know you've been to a Spanish in Mexico immersion course when you

1. place your order in Spanish to the Popeye's cashier in the Houston airport simply because she was speaking Spanish to the patron before you. 2. the first thing you watch on television is "La Fea Mas Bella" -- but it's not nearly as much fun without your Mexican hijas to watch with you. 3. find you have to stop yourself from saying "gracias," "hola," and "salud," instead of "thank you," "hello," and "God bless you." 4. can't block out all the nearby conversations because for the first time in over a month you understand everything people around you are saying. 5. open the sports page of the local paper and are disappointed at the lack of World Cup coverage. 6. still throw toilet paper in the trash. to be continued... LC

interruption

    Interrupting my Mexico trip to note a sad discovery.     In the spring semester of 2005, I took a world geography class from a really compelling and funny professor who, during our study of Asia, showed the film Genghis Blues. This documentary followed the adventure of an American songwriter, Paul Pena (perhaps best know for writing Jet Airliner, made popular by Steve Miller Band in 1977) as he performed in a throat-singing competition in Tuva. In the summer, I rented the DVD so my husband could watch. Not only was the type of singing fascinating, but the scenery was spectacular.     So, the other day, I was playing the soundtrack and one particularly melancholy tune touched me. I thought it was French, but it is of Cape Verdian (islands off the coast of west Africa) and from Porteguese. Tonight I found the lyrics and the translation, but searching with Google revealed that Paul passed away on October 1st of 2005 from complications of his diabetes and pancreatitis.     Upon my discovery of the loss of this sensitive and talented man, I hope that someone will discovery not only his music, but the country of Tuva and its proud heritage. Here are some more links to help with the latter: Friends of Tuva, Wikipedia's entry on Tuva, and here's one more page of Tuva information. LC, raising a glass in honor

down-sizing

    What a strange 'eating' day I had today. Had my normal(school day) breakfast of scrambled eggs (2) and skim milk, adding a banana today, but then after my nine o'clock class I needed something to drink, and eneded up eating an early--and large--lunch of Chicken Asiago Salad and Fruit Salad (of which I only ate the grapes and brought the rest home to Rodger). Bought apple juice, but never drank it. It was a "big salad" and I was a little miserable in my next class.     Rodger and I had made plans this morning that we would go to Ryan's for a good supper tonight, since he now gets off from work much earlier. I worried after my large lunch that I wouldn't be hungry. I was wrong; well, it was more than five hours between the two meals with no snack! Had a short nap after John and I got home (with my feline sweetheart, Brickly, curled up beside me), and when Rodger got home he woke me and away we went.     It was a good meal, but I basicallly ate the same thing I always eat there (now): steak, vegetables and water. I didn't have more salad, and only a few grapes and a sugar-free cookie for dessert. Afterward, however, I felt unsatisfied. Much of the joy we used to have in eating out seems gone. Eating is now a chore most of the time. And I was feeling fairly frumped when we left.     We decided to drop by Hudson's so Rodger could get some more of the juice he bought last week. They didn't have any, but I strolled through the clothes looking for cotton fabric (rather than knit) tops for Mexico. I didn't find any tops, but they did have the stretch Capri pants that I've looked at but not yet bought. I grabbed several pair and tried them on... they were T O O B I G ! ! !     I had to go down a size and boy, did that ever surprise me. I had no idea that I'd lost enough weight to make that kind of differece. I did know that I was abel to wear some pants that a friend gave me last year that I hadn't been able to wear before, but this totally caught me off-guard. Needless to say, my frump disappeared.     There's more I wanted to write, but I've got to go to bed. LC

hot momma (or "hot, momma!")

The A/C is broken. It's rather hot for mid-April in Mississippi, in my opinion. And it's dry.dry.dry.dry. Someone (stupid) is setting brush fires along the interstate. "They" say it has not been this dry in 70 years. Don't know how "They" know that, but regardless, we could sure use some rain. The A/C is broken. It's too hot to knit. Which really frustrates me because I had to rip out all that I did during the day yesterday (starting another pair of socks for sister) before I went to bed. Which was very early this morning, actually. Neither John or I was awake enough to make classes today. Such bad children we are. The A/C is broken. I'm too tired to read. My eyes, that is. Are too tired. They are really squirrely the last week. The distance portion of my glasses is totally useless. I pulled out all my old glasses to see if any of them would help (they didn't). I have to tilt my head a bit to have sharp(er) vision. I'm getting a crick in my neck. Just found my FosterGrant magnifiers though, so now I can see to read (and knit) better. The A/C is broken. I did get some knitting done today, though I just got hotter and hotter through the afternoon. I discovered the A/C is broken when I tried to turn down the thermostat -- a result of wondering why the A/C wasn't coming on since it was getting hot in the house. But it always does get hotter in the afternoon, so I didn't really think too much about it. And I was sitting under a halogen lamp knitting and finding mistakes and ripping and reknitting, just generally frustrated. The A/C is broken. I was actually going to cook tonight, but it's too hot. Rodger arrived home from work to find me napping in the recliner. I told him the A/C was broken. We hope that it is just the thermostat. Obviously, I wanted to go out to eat. I've been having just a little bit of carb 'treat' every day. Only at one meal. I want to see if they'll check my glucose at the health clinic on Friday afternoon. I am not drinking soda, sweetened tea, or even fruit juices; no cookies, candy or anything like that. I do want to know how a small amount of carb 'treat' will affect me. So, we had Mexican tonight: grilled chicken breast, beans, a very small amount of rice (I like to stir the salsa into it), only 3 chips with cheese dip and some wonderful guacamole. I know it might seem high on the fat side, but he's letting me do that for now. Still not fatty enough to upset my stomach, so that's good. No weight gain since Monday, at least by my scales. I weighed before I went to the doctors, so I have a pretty good idea how to compare the two scales. The A/C is broken. Fortunately, the air outside is cooling off and so is the living room. Maybe I can get the foot of this sock done tonight afterall. Oh, I am itching to buy some more small size DPs. I love the Susan Bates Quicksilver style. So slick and easy to use. Wish they came in the short length though; so much nicer for knitting socks. I'm thinking about some pairs of circulars too, to try knitting two socks at once. Been 'window-shopping' online for sock yarns, too. I want some Opal Petticoat, but seems like only the overseas sellers on eBay are listing it. There's another one... Dancing, I think it is called. My paypal balance is burning a hole in my pocket! Enough of this rambling for tonight. Did I mention the A/C is broken? And that it is hot? And that I have only had 3 hours sleep since yesterday morning at 6am?? If it's not one thing, it's your mother! (Love ya, Momma!!) LC

& the winning number is...

~ 95 ~     My doctor was flabbergasted! Frankly, so was I. I was simply hoping to be under 200. He said that it was not due to the glucophage, but to my diet. He was honestly shocked that I had actually cut out all my 'whites' -- he seemed to start to say that most people don't follow his instructions. Which to me seems really stupid. You don't fool around with diabetes! Anyway, he said I am obviously "diet sensitive." I had lost 3 pounds, and my blood pressure was a little higher than last Monday (not suprising with doing taxes, and paying bills, and school papers and reading and Spanish to re-learn -- and of course, the GRE is the elephant in the corner that I just don't want to think about). Now, I get three weeks on my own to see what happens. Maybe I can check my blood glucose at the university clinic in the meantime.     Yes, I indulged just a teeney bit at supper: I ate the skin and bit of meat off of (less than) half a small baked potatoe. And a small sugar-free cookie.     Today was the first day of classes after "spring break" -- what a joke. We have three weeks of classes until finals. I have two major papers and two smaller ones, and one final -- which, thankfully, is a take-home, 'short answer' type.     AND... I finally finished (except for the bind-off) the pair of socks I started on the way home from Natchez last weekend! All in all, not a bad Monday, Garfield.... LC

heels and toes, no pasta bows

    The excitement of attending the Lily Chin workshop in Natchez last weekend was unfortunately overshadowed by my health situation, but I did have a great time and learned a lot about short-row technique. So much so that on the ride home, I began toe-up socks using short-rows for the toe. I'd done the short-row heel ("hour-glass" it is sometimes called) on my Old Shale anklets, but wasn't really happy with the result. I felt it could be neater. I knew it could be neater because I'd used short rows on my hemp top last summer following instructions at knitty.com. But when I tried wrapping the stitches like that, I could not see them; I miscounted, and mis-stitcned like crazy, and finally gave up and did it like in the Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook.     Because I only made ankle-length sock with the ball of Sockotta, I had lots left, but I wasn't sure just how much. Thus, toe-up socks. I alternated between each sock, judging my yarn (using the Jaywalker pattern from MagKnits), and got up to the heels by Wednesday night. My goal Thursday was to finish the heels so I could do my taxes on Friday. I didn't really get started until late afternoon (first I slept in, then I had to eat, then run errands... and eat... and think about what to eat... and eat... and think about what to eat). Looking back though, I still can't believe how much trouble I had and how long it took me to knit the heels. "Best laid plans of mice and men"     The saga: First I followed these instructions from Wendy Johnson. Turned out fine, but the wrapping was a little different than what Lily had taught us. I did it her way on the second heel. I liked it better, so I went to bed (6am) determined to re-knit the other heel on Friday.     Yes, I was a good girl and did my taxes first. It was actually after 5pm when I got back to knitting. I do not know what my problem was, but although the first half of the heel went find, I bet I re-knit the second half three or four times. First I ended up with unequal number of wrapped stitches as I knitted the short-rows together. Then I did the wrong part of the pattern at the wrong place on the second half of the heel. Next (and at least twice) I managed to drop stitches or was unable to correctly un-knit the wrapped stitches. Finally, I was just too confused about what was what and pulled the whole heel back to the start! It was about 12am when I finally got finished.     I guess I now know at least one reason why few people continue pattern down the heel! It can be difficult to keep track of the pattern and the compensation for pattern. But for wearing with open-backed shoes, I like to see the pattern continue down the heel.     Now I plan to just knit in pattern until I run out of yarn. For the moment, though, I need a shower. But first, I have to eat something!! LC

cures?

    Driving home from the doctor's office this afternoon, where I was given the delightful news that I am diabetic, I began to wonder, just what is the last big disease modern medicine actually 'cured.'     There's no profit in cures for disease only in treatments, whether it's cancer or diabetes. LC

"flat-out A"

Professor said he only gave one on the mid-term papers and I got it!     I told a classmate the day we turned them in that I thought it was the best paper I'd ever written for this professor -- and there have been, hmmmm.... at least seven others. I think I am as pleased with him being pleased as I am with the grade! LOL     In my psych class I'm less than 150 points from an A for the course, so I'll need to get most of the available points for the research paper and presentation (which I really don't think will be a problem).     That leaves Islam class. I'm guessing he'll have our second (of three) papers graded by class tomorrow night. I told him when I turned it in that I had no idea whether I did what he wanted or not. I hope so. The paper seemed to write itself, but took longer to complete than I expected.     Now, to get the paperwork done to run my sleep study for my thesis and get all that material created and uploaded to the experiment site... and... and.... and.....     Somewhere between four to five weeks to get the remaining papers/presentations prepared, then two weeks more to get the study in order before M E X I C O ! ! !     I finished one sock (last week sometime?) and began the second one (on Friday?). I finished the heel last night and got the foot started so I could have some pickup knitting for waiting around at school, or taking a short break from the books. Which reminds me, I have 'homework' for the workshop this weekend! Yeah. I know. Pictures. Soon. I. Promise. LC

if that mockingbird won't sing

    We've lived in our house for over six years now, and from the very beginning there have been mockingbirds who sit and sing outside the bedroom window. Rather than disturbing, I have always rather enjoyed them. What always amazes me is how early in the morning they begin -- or rather how late at night??     Anyway, this morning the singing was quite different. Apparently this particular bird spends a lot of time where someone is playing video games. ALL the twitters had a definitely electronic nature. I wish I'd had my recorder in the bedroom; I was too sleepy to get out of bed to get it. But I will have it tonight and perhaps will catch it. It really is funny.     Little 'monkey-see-monkey-do' that I am, I just had to get some Socatta when I saw Rissa's great socks. It arrived on Friday, but I was still working on a hat for KniTibet. But, Tuesday night I gave in to temptation and began a sock with the fushia/yellow/orange colorway. I wanted to make them like the Old Shale sock in Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook. Somehow I managed to miss that the pattern was on the next page after the picture of the sock... so I spent a little time looking at Old Shale/Feather&Fan patterns I had and converting those 18-stitch patterns to the 11-stitch pattern the book says the sock used. Long-story-short: I started the sock making the pattern row every other row instead of every fourth row. It is a pretty pattern, but not really what I wanted.     I presented my problem to Rissa, who kindly pointed out the pattern on the next page of the book. I actually fought my desire to rip, grabbed a different ball of Socatta last night and started another sock using the pattern on the page. Turns out the pattern in the book does NOT create the same as is pictured. To get the same look as the picture Round 2 of the pattern, the purl row, must be:

p2, k7, {p4, k7} 5 times, p2

As soon as I can find my digital camera, I'll get some pictures posted.     Oh! Oh! We are going to a Lily Chin workshop in Natchez in two weeks! LC

ides, irish, italian

    Saw my former supervisor at the library yesterday; she said I was missed. Last week, one of the other workers asked me if I missed working. I do miss it, because I enjoyed working there. But I also treasure the additional time I now have. My stress level has definitely decreased.     Last night I finished another Spiral Rib hat for KniTibet and began a new one. I'm using the wool Rissa and I dyed in November. I've knitted up the golden brown, the aqua, and am now using the purple. When is it finished, there is one more hank of an olivey-green. I found some wool blend novelty yarn (No Boundaries brand) at Wal-Mart this week and am working that into the main body of the hat. Because I am carrying that thread across four stitches and working four stitches around each row, it is very soft on the inside.     Hubby was home when I finally got out of bed this morning. It had begun to rain just as he started to work at a friend's house, so they had to quit. He asked if I wanted to "do" something today.... now that the day is over, I remember that there was an Irish-Italian festival at one of the Catholic churches near campus today (celebrating St. Patrick's and St. Joseph's Days). Oh, well. I sure could eat some good Italian food. LC

adieu

I wanted to post this last night, but it was late when I got home and I went straight to bed....

"Tonight I worked my last shift in the library. Part of me is relieved not to have to work any more, to just go to class and study. But I also really enjoyed my job and I will miss the people. Not the lazy students who want you to do their research for them, but the ones whose faces light up when they realize the information they need is readily available to them either in our library or online. If I am lucky, there will be room for me during the summer or next fall. I've been told I'd be welcomed back."

LC

monkey-see-monkey-do

    Here are my Johari and the Nohari windows, following in Rissa's blog-steps.     Saw two good movies this weekend. One was "The Interpreter" with Nicole Kidmann and Sean Penn. The other was better, though. It was "{Proof}" with Gwenyth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins.     Finished three hats for KniTibet with the wool I bought a couple weeks ago at the Hudson's in Jackson. Honestly, it was too much knitting; my hand is hurting a lot. Friday morning is was tingly-numb when I woke up.     Tomorrow and Tuesday are Mardi Gras holidays for the university, but I offered to work for a couple of the girls so they could have a long weekend. I am hoping to have lots of quiet time to study for an exam. LC

meanwhile

    I feel terribly guilty about not posting for so many weeks. I mentioned to Rissa this weekend that I've written several in my head on the morning drive to campus, but never get them actually typed out.     Life is rolling along, I'm trying not to stress over the amount of reading I need to be doing, and vascillating between wanting to quit and keep my library job. I have small chunks of time between classes when I don't seem to get much done, and once I'm home... well, I'm not as diligent as I should be.     I knitted up a large skein of Rowan chunky cotton chennille into three nice facecloths; two were a little large, the last one a bit smaller. They were to be gifts for my father, then I realized the yarn was black and not navy and he doesn't like black. So, the two larger ones are going to a dear friend instead. I will give him the third one, but doubt he will really like it.     I tore out all the rayon/funfur scarf. The longer it got the more the 'lace' closed up. Not sure what I'll do with it now, but I did discover that I had several other balls of rayon chenille in my stash, too.     So, in the very infrequent moments when I knit instead of read (and take notes), I am back to the green alpaca/silk. On Sunday, I finished the third skein. Now I think I will work the sleeves and figure out how to finish it, adapting the pattern to include the sleeves.     I picked up four balls of some high percentage wool blend at Hudson's while I was in Jackson this weekend. It's not great colorway, but it was 75% off retail and impossible to pass up. I should be able to get somewhere between 4 and 8 children's hats for KniTibet. I plan on knitting higher gauge than recommended to have a more dense fabric.     Seems I never posted a photo of the fine wool yarn that Rissa helped me dye in November, so here it is (click on the photo to go to the original post). On my screen it is much more orange than in real life; it is actually quite peachy. LC