Friday, October 24, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Fall, Fall, Fall...
I LOVE Fall. The crispness in the air, the colors, the fact that I can finally pull my favorite clothes out of storage, being able to cook and bake without feeling like I'm dying in my mini-kitchen - it's all good with me.
To kick off the Fall in proper fashion (yes, I know it started a month ago, but the weather is finally here), we had our second annual pumpkin picking trip to Demarest Farms where the boys got to run around, go to a pumpkin patch, and we all got to enjoy copious baked goods. Pictures are coming after this post. We got there earlier, calendar- and clock-wise, than we did last year so the crowd wasn't nearly as bad this time around and we had a better choice of pumpkins, bringing home two very nice, plump ones that will add to our Halloween-y home.
On our way back from the Farm, I discovered Yarn Diva, which now rivals Skein Attraction for my favorite LYS (local yarn store) in Jersey. The staff were so friendly; I never once felt like I was intruding (believe me, a lot of yarn stores make you feel like you're a potential perp just for walking in the door) and was allowed to just wander freely. I ended up getting two balls of soy silk sock yarn and some DK weight yarn, plus a set of double-pointed needles for my latest sock project. I'll be going back there often.
Last night, I attempted to figure out some more of Second Life. After 20 minutes, my brain hurt and I logged off. Sure enough, though, there is a Second Life forum on Ravelry, so I've joined it and friended one of the knitters there - so maybe she'll take me on a tour. That, and I've bookmarked a Wiki on Second Life.
Less than a month to go before registration at SJSU!! I'm in excited countdown mode.
I LOVE Fall. The crispness in the air, the colors, the fact that I can finally pull my favorite clothes out of storage, being able to cook and bake without feeling like I'm dying in my mini-kitchen - it's all good with me.
To kick off the Fall in proper fashion (yes, I know it started a month ago, but the weather is finally here), we had our second annual pumpkin picking trip to Demarest Farms where the boys got to run around, go to a pumpkin patch, and we all got to enjoy copious baked goods. Pictures are coming after this post. We got there earlier, calendar- and clock-wise, than we did last year so the crowd wasn't nearly as bad this time around and we had a better choice of pumpkins, bringing home two very nice, plump ones that will add to our Halloween-y home.
On our way back from the Farm, I discovered Yarn Diva, which now rivals Skein Attraction for my favorite LYS (local yarn store) in Jersey. The staff were so friendly; I never once felt like I was intruding (believe me, a lot of yarn stores make you feel like you're a potential perp just for walking in the door) and was allowed to just wander freely. I ended up getting two balls of soy silk sock yarn and some DK weight yarn, plus a set of double-pointed needles for my latest sock project. I'll be going back there often.
Last night, I attempted to figure out some more of Second Life. After 20 minutes, my brain hurt and I logged off. Sure enough, though, there is a Second Life forum on Ravelry, so I've joined it and friended one of the knitters there - so maybe she'll take me on a tour. That, and I've bookmarked a Wiki on Second Life.
Less than a month to go before registration at SJSU!! I'm in excited countdown mode.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Halloween is Coming! Halloween is Coming!!
In terms of holidays, Halloween comes second only to Christmas for me. Since I was a kid, I have loved everything about it - the decorations, the scary stories, the trick or treating. And becoming a parent makes it even cooler, because now I have two kidlings to enjoy the holiday with. Because it really is a kids' holiday; enjoying it as much as I do just assures that at least sometimes, I still get to retain that childlike sense of joy and wonder that can sadly go missing once we head into the 'real world', which is nowhere near as much fun most of the time.
The decorating process has begun - big glow in the dark skull on the front door? Check. Hanging spooky artwork done by the kids? In place. This weekend, we'll be getting the rest of the Halloween decorations out and putting them up. The egg carton spiders will once again decorate my ceiling, driving the cat insane. And the jack-o-lanterns, both real and electric, will be in full force. I can't wait. The costumes? Purchased.
Many of you know my heartbreaking story of the pirate costume. For those who don't, it's a sad, sad tale. When Heartbreaker was born, the Disney store released a costume - the cutest Captain Hook costume you've ever seen in your life. Complete with hook and wig. Seriously, what is cuter than a kid dressed as a pirate? There were no infant sizes, so I waited. And waited. And when Heartbreaker was old enough to fit a size... he didn't want to be Captain Hook. Ever. Every blasted year.
Cutie Pie was born, and my hope renewed afresh. But yes, you got it - he ain't into it either. When Pirates of the Caribbean hit the movies, they released costumes. I figured, sold! They LOVE Pirates of the Caribbean! Heartbreaker wants to BE Johnny Depp when he grows up - at last, I can dress them like pirates!
No.
It's become a running joke every Halloween. We wander by the Disney store, only to have both Heartbreaker and Cutie Pie laugh and mock, "Look, Mom! Pirate Costumes! Ahahahahahahaha..." I swear, I'm going to ground them.
This year, Cutie Pie has decided to be a ninja - the archnemesis of the pirate. And Heartbreaker? At least he's going to be a zombie.
In terms of holidays, Halloween comes second only to Christmas for me. Since I was a kid, I have loved everything about it - the decorations, the scary stories, the trick or treating. And becoming a parent makes it even cooler, because now I have two kidlings to enjoy the holiday with. Because it really is a kids' holiday; enjoying it as much as I do just assures that at least sometimes, I still get to retain that childlike sense of joy and wonder that can sadly go missing once we head into the 'real world', which is nowhere near as much fun most of the time.
The decorating process has begun - big glow in the dark skull on the front door? Check. Hanging spooky artwork done by the kids? In place. This weekend, we'll be getting the rest of the Halloween decorations out and putting them up. The egg carton spiders will once again decorate my ceiling, driving the cat insane. And the jack-o-lanterns, both real and electric, will be in full force. I can't wait. The costumes? Purchased.
Many of you know my heartbreaking story of the pirate costume. For those who don't, it's a sad, sad tale. When Heartbreaker was born, the Disney store released a costume - the cutest Captain Hook costume you've ever seen in your life. Complete with hook and wig. Seriously, what is cuter than a kid dressed as a pirate? There were no infant sizes, so I waited. And waited. And when Heartbreaker was old enough to fit a size... he didn't want to be Captain Hook. Ever. Every blasted year.
Cutie Pie was born, and my hope renewed afresh. But yes, you got it - he ain't into it either. When Pirates of the Caribbean hit the movies, they released costumes. I figured, sold! They LOVE Pirates of the Caribbean! Heartbreaker wants to BE Johnny Depp when he grows up - at last, I can dress them like pirates!
No.
It's become a running joke every Halloween. We wander by the Disney store, only to have both Heartbreaker and Cutie Pie laugh and mock, "Look, Mom! Pirate Costumes! Ahahahahahahaha..." I swear, I'm going to ground them.
This year, Cutie Pie has decided to be a ninja - the archnemesis of the pirate. And Heartbreaker? At least he's going to be a zombie.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tagged!
Bronxgrrl had this meme up on her blog, so I considered myself tagged.
37 Things about me
1. Do you like blue cheese? Nope.
2. Have you ever smoked cigarettes? Yes, a long time ago.
3. Do you own a gun? There are all manner of water guns, Star Wars blasters and even a Star Trek phaser or two at home. Other than that, no.
4. What flavor Kool Aid was your favorite? Cherry and the blue one.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Sometimes.
6. What do you think of hotdogs? Yuck.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story, hands-down.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Coffee!
9. Can you do push ups? I can do the modified one, where you bend your knees.
10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? Wedding ring. And the 'real diamond earrings' Will got me at the Mom and Pop Sale at his school two years ago. :)
11. Favorite hobby? It's pretty equally split between reading and knitting.
12. Do you have A.D.D.? I think I do sometimes.
13. Do you wear glasses/contacts? Not yet, but that may change soon.
14. Middle name? Louise
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment?
a - Crabby.
b - Sleepy.
c- Don't want to be here.
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Water, coffee, seltzer
17. Current worry? Job security - anywhere.
18. Current hate right now? Economy
19. Favorite place to be? Anywhere my boys are.
20. How did you bring in the New Year? Laughing and hanging out with the same group of friends we've spent the past 9 New Year's Eves with.
21. Where would you like to go? Back to Stockholm.
22. Name three people who will complete this. Anyone who wants to.
23. Do you own slippers? Yes, they're somewhere buried in my closet.
24. What shirt are you wearing? Blue button-down under a black sweater.
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I'm a cotton jersey girl.
26. Can you whistle? Not that well.
Favorite color? Blue
28. Would you be a pirate? In a heartbeat.
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? Not much lately.
30. Favorite Girl’s Name? Victoria
31. Favorite boy’s name? William and Alexander. :)
32. What’s in your pocket right now? No pockets.
33. Last thing that made you laugh? Alex goofing off.
34. What vehicle do you drive? I'm the passenger of a minivan.
35. Worst injury you’ve ever had? Reconstructed ankle.
36. Do you love where you live? Meh.
37. How many TVs do you have in your house? 3
Bronxgrrl had this meme up on her blog, so I considered myself tagged.
37 Things about me
1. Do you like blue cheese? Nope.
2. Have you ever smoked cigarettes? Yes, a long time ago.
3. Do you own a gun? There are all manner of water guns, Star Wars blasters and even a Star Trek phaser or two at home. Other than that, no.
4. What flavor Kool Aid was your favorite? Cherry and the blue one.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Sometimes.
6. What do you think of hotdogs? Yuck.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story, hands-down.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Coffee!
9. Can you do push ups? I can do the modified one, where you bend your knees.
10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? Wedding ring. And the 'real diamond earrings' Will got me at the Mom and Pop Sale at his school two years ago. :)
11. Favorite hobby? It's pretty equally split between reading and knitting.
12. Do you have A.D.D.? I think I do sometimes.
13. Do you wear glasses/contacts? Not yet, but that may change soon.
14. Middle name? Louise
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment?
a - Crabby.
b - Sleepy.
c- Don't want to be here.
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Water, coffee, seltzer
17. Current worry? Job security - anywhere.
18. Current hate right now? Economy
19. Favorite place to be? Anywhere my boys are.
20. How did you bring in the New Year? Laughing and hanging out with the same group of friends we've spent the past 9 New Year's Eves with.
21. Where would you like to go? Back to Stockholm.
22. Name three people who will complete this. Anyone who wants to.
23. Do you own slippers? Yes, they're somewhere buried in my closet.
24. What shirt are you wearing? Blue button-down under a black sweater.
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I'm a cotton jersey girl.
26. Can you whistle? Not that well.
Favorite color? Blue
28. Would you be a pirate? In a heartbeat.
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? Not much lately.
30. Favorite Girl’s Name? Victoria
31. Favorite boy’s name? William and Alexander. :)
32. What’s in your pocket right now? No pockets.
33. Last thing that made you laugh? Alex goofing off.
34. What vehicle do you drive? I'm the passenger of a minivan.
35. Worst injury you’ve ever had? Reconstructed ankle.
36. Do you love where you live? Meh.
37. How many TVs do you have in your house? 3
Monday, October 13, 2008
Drive-By Blogging
It's a quick 'n dirty post tonight, but I've finally done it.
I've cleaned my apartment. Yes, Mike and the boys were conscripted into helping, but it is clean. I think I need to get an .avi file of Zelda Rubenstein announcing that "This house is clean" and just play it over and over again.
What the hell am I going to do in two weeks when it looks like the 'before' picture?
Off to knit and watch Dexter...
It's a quick 'n dirty post tonight, but I've finally done it.
I've cleaned my apartment. Yes, Mike and the boys were conscripted into helping, but it is clean. I think I need to get an .avi file of Zelda Rubenstein announcing that "This house is clean" and just play it over and over again.
What the hell am I going to do in two weeks when it looks like the 'before' picture?
Off to knit and watch Dexter...
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Casting On, Tuning Out...
I've been irritable again (sigh... a-gain) about the state of my apartment. Chalk it up to living with three men, two of whom are under the age of 10, chalk it up to being aggravated at pretty much every area of my life at the moment, chalk it up to looking at one too many issues of Real Simple or watching too many episodes of Top Design, but there you have it. I've been knitting myself into a fury in an attempt to escape the growing aggravation every time I look up.
We did some clearing out in the living room today; I'm hoping that at some point, they'll all understand that the less crap I see cluttering every flat surface, the more I'll actually be motivated to clean and make things look even nicer. Which will fall on deaf ears (blind eyes?). But it'll make me less crabby to live with, so hopefully that will be an attractive bonus.
Hubs surprised me by getting me some gorgeous bamboo sock yarn for me on eBay - who knew he even remembered me mentioning I liked bamboo's feel and wanted to knit with it? Good husband points aplenty there.
I've been nominated for an I Love Your Blog award! My Ravelry/Plurk/blogging bud Nancy over at Bronx Girl Knits nominated me, citing my superior taste in hobbies and science fiction... to quote her, and at the same time espouse the phrase that many of my geek gals and I have shared over the years, "We geek girls gotta stick together." So here's the deal:
1. Please put the award on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. You must nominate at least 4 fellow bloggers for this award.
4. Add links to the recipients.
5. Leave a comment so the recipients know they have received an award.
I’ve read the rules, and I promise to comply, so here it is - my shiny new ribbon!
I've been irritable again (sigh... a-gain) about the state of my apartment. Chalk it up to living with three men, two of whom are under the age of 10, chalk it up to being aggravated at pretty much every area of my life at the moment, chalk it up to looking at one too many issues of Real Simple or watching too many episodes of Top Design, but there you have it. I've been knitting myself into a fury in an attempt to escape the growing aggravation every time I look up.
We did some clearing out in the living room today; I'm hoping that at some point, they'll all understand that the less crap I see cluttering every flat surface, the more I'll actually be motivated to clean and make things look even nicer. Which will fall on deaf ears (blind eyes?). But it'll make me less crabby to live with, so hopefully that will be an attractive bonus.
Hubs surprised me by getting me some gorgeous bamboo sock yarn for me on eBay - who knew he even remembered me mentioning I liked bamboo's feel and wanted to knit with it? Good husband points aplenty there.
I've been nominated for an I Love Your Blog award! My Ravelry/Plurk/blogging bud Nancy over at Bronx Girl Knits nominated me, citing my superior taste in hobbies and science fiction... to quote her, and at the same time espouse the phrase that many of my geek gals and I have shared over the years, "We geek girls gotta stick together." So here's the deal:
1. Please put the award on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. You must nominate at least 4 fellow bloggers for this award.
4. Add links to the recipients.
5. Leave a comment so the recipients know they have received an award.
I’ve read the rules, and I promise to comply, so here it is - my shiny new ribbon!
And my nominees are... (drumroll, please!)
1. Stacey - the whole reason I started this blog, not to mention the best bad influence one could want in a craft store. Geek sisters of the world, unite and bow.
2. Linda - pull up a chair, have some coffee and danish at the ready, and read about freelancing, raising a teenager, and enjoy some fabulous commentary on music, movies and more.
3. (Not-So) Cynical Gal - Another knitting friend I've made in cyberspace, (Not-So) Cynical Gal's blog has the best of all worlds - she has beautiful pictures of her garden, her pets (including the most adorable golden retriever EVER), her knitting, and her sweet little niece.
4. Bronx Girl, aka Nancy - Gotta throw it back to the bud that nominated me; no apple-polishing here, just a real appreciation of the blog and the blogger. Anyone who subtitles their blog, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Knitting," is a blogger I need to know. Geek gal, sci-fi fan, and she likes Duran Duran? C'mon.
In other news, Hubs took Heartbreaker to a wrestling show yesterday - not a taping of one of the WWE shows, more like a autograph convention where some old school and even more recent wrestlers get together and sign pictures for fans. Heartbreaker was in his glory, especially when he got to hang out with the Blue World Order. The guys were very cool with him, as you can see.
Freaking awesome.
I'm now watching a commercial for the Clone Trooper helmet voice changer. I think I need one.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Is it me...
...or does this picture of Obama from an article on CNN.com look like it was inspired by Michael Jackson's Dirty Diana video?
...or does this picture of Obama from an article on CNN.com look like it was inspired by Michael Jackson's Dirty Diana video?
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Of Geek Sisters and Baby Showers
Stacey has started a blog for us girl geeks at http://thegeeksisterhood.blogspot.com/. Go now and geek freely.
I had a baby shower this past weekend, so SIL Bonnie and I went on a road trip to the arse-end of New York, otherwise known as Stony Brook. Again, Mapquest failed miserably and we ended up lost in Suffolk County for the better part of an hour, leading to all sorts of hilarity and possibly a suicide pact a la Thelma and Louise ("before Angelina sullied him"). With tattoos.
Finally, after several phone calls to the establishment, promises of tattoos and real estate via Sotheby's, we found the place, only to discover that there was but one parking spot available, and it was reserved. "Reserved - FOR ME!" Bon declared, and by this time we were so giddy and punch drunk that I collapsed into giggles. She pulls in, we get our baby loot together, and she scrawls "Come in and FIND ME" on a sheet of paper, thrusting it onto the dash like a permit to park any freaking where she pleases.
The picture may not look like much to you; I guess it may be one of those "you had to be there" moments, but I still chuckle every time I look at it.
Stacey has started a blog for us girl geeks at http://thegeeksisterhood.blogspot.com/. Go now and geek freely.
I had a baby shower this past weekend, so SIL Bonnie and I went on a road trip to the arse-end of New York, otherwise known as Stony Brook. Again, Mapquest failed miserably and we ended up lost in Suffolk County for the better part of an hour, leading to all sorts of hilarity and possibly a suicide pact a la Thelma and Louise ("before Angelina sullied him"). With tattoos.
Finally, after several phone calls to the establishment, promises of tattoos and real estate via Sotheby's, we found the place, only to discover that there was but one parking spot available, and it was reserved. "Reserved - FOR ME!" Bon declared, and by this time we were so giddy and punch drunk that I collapsed into giggles. She pulls in, we get our baby loot together, and she scrawls "Come in and FIND ME" on a sheet of paper, thrusting it onto the dash like a permit to park any freaking where she pleases.
The picture may not look like much to you; I guess it may be one of those "you had to be there" moments, but I still chuckle every time I look at it.
Other than that, the baby shower was pretty sedate. Apparently, many people had been failed by Mapquest, so we were not the minority. Jen, Mike's cousin, received beautiful baby shower gifts, and the sight of so many cute pink and flowery things always gets the biological clock screaming in my ears. Blissfully, Bonnie was not towed and we made it back to Queens without incident. More pictures to come; my knitting was happily received. Whew.
Other than that, work's been brutal, but I'm hanging in - some days, by my fingernails, but I'm still hanging in. Excited to see my friend Setsuko, who will be visiting from Japan very soon. Excited to register for grad school in a few weeks.
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