Okay, so I really did do more on the cruise than just hang out on the Lido deck, but I don't feel like blogging about it right now.
I found this weekly Friday survey on another blog I read so I figured I would go ahead and post that. It's still Friday somewhere, right? Well, maybe not...but I'm posting it anyway.
1. I remember going to the beach with my cousins and drowning. I swear I did drown...even though nobody believed me.___
2. Dear Container Store Phil (or was it Paul?) I want you to know that I'm still pretty PO'd about that whole "we-won't-ship-your-plastic-shoe-boxes" thing.
3. Is that my sink full of dishes?(I don't really understand this question)
4. I'm trying to resist the temptation of eating all of the cookies I bake
5. I'm saving a cookie just for you! (That was such a natural segue, I couldn't resist!)
6. If I made a birthday list,(and it just so happens that I do...or at least a Christmas list that doubles as a birthday list) the movie Enchanted would definitely be on it.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm going to (answering for Friday)browse Etsy and watch How I Met Your Mother season 3, tomorrow my plans include (this is today) baking cookies, watching Gossip Girl and more HIMYM, and Sunday I want to go with my friend Jessica to a "friend-making-picnic" on base.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Lido Girl
My favorite daytime place on the Carnival Freedom was the Lido Deck.
I am so happy that I opted to SLEEP on the Lido Deck. Well, I slept in my cabin stateroom which was located on level 9, which happened to be the location of the Lido Deck. It made for very convenient access to the sun, the pool, the buffet, and the soft-serve ice cream machine.
I was ready to hit the (Lido) deck immediately upon getting on board. I had read at a cruise message board that it would take a while to be reunited with our luggage, so I wore my bathing suit as we waited in line to board and tossed my book and sunscreen in a carry-on tote. Made the world's quickest stop in the room just to pick up my towel and headed off in search of a pool chair. I was not the first one to claim a chair, but there weren't too many people out yet.
David WAS the first person to go down the water slide:
(I'm posting that picture twice to see if there is something going on with using Picasa to import photos to my blog or if there's just some weird thing about my blog and pictures right now.)
(do either or both of those work?)
I was pretty mad when I had to get off the boat on the first full day of the cruise. I told David that next time we cruise, I want to go to the same ports so I can just stay on the Lido Deck and not bother with seeing the sights on shore. I also wish there wouldn't be so many interesting activities on the boat. They really cut into my time in the sun. I also know that for my next cruise, I am selecting the late sitting for dinner. I was so bummed to have to leave Lido shortly after 5 each day to get ready for dinner! One night (Formal Night, I think) I changed into another bathing suit and went and laid out after dinner. Then the sun went down and High School Musical 3 played on the big screen. I started to get chilly so I wrapped up in my towel and took a really long and wonderful nap.
Although the Lido Deck was mostly a warm, sunny, happy place, there was almost a minor altercation there on the first sea day. The Capers newsletter said that you're not supposed to leave a pool chair empty for more than 1/2 hour. You can't save them for your friends for a super-long time. I would normally go to the deck, find a chair with lots of other chairs nearby, and if they were all taken by the time David came (he claimed his complexion couldn't handle too much time in the sun, so needed to spend more time in the casino, etc.) we'd try to move to another pair of chairs. This particular day, though, being a sea day there were NO chairs anywhere. Except for the one sitting next to me which had been "reserved" by a book and a magazine for over an hour. I was talking to this sweet cute girl next to me and David joined us. I told him probably he could just go ahead and move that book and magazine and sit there, and that if the person came back, he'd just get up and either he'd go in to get out of the sun or we would both try to move somewhere else. I thought it was perfectly reasonable and not at all mean or nasty.
So this lady comes up a few minutes later and says, "Was there a book and a magazine on that chair?" David says, "Yes, I can get up so you can have the chair. I just wanted to sit here until someone got back." Lady says, "No, that's alright. I just want the book and magazine." So we give it to her. And she proceeds to walk to HER lounge chair about 4-6 chairs down from where we are.
Then a man comes up. He is one of those little bulldog men, the kind who is a little shorter than average so likes to walk around with his chest puffed out and talking his tough-guy talk. So he comes us and says to David, "Hey man, was there a book and a magazine on that chair?" David says, "Yes, a lady just came to get it though. I already gave it to her." Puffy-Man says, "I don't care about the book and magazine. This is our chair." (Meanwhile, I am trying my super-hardest to refrain from something like "really? is your name on it?") David says, "I offered to give her the chair," but Puffy-Man can't hear him because he's too busy getting loud and saying, "You just can't go around moving stuff off of people's chairs" (geesh, it's not like we moved their towel and iPod...it was a book and a magazine!) So I pipe in and say, "Well, the chair had been empty for over an hour, so he just was going to sit here until someone came back for it" and then that mean and puffy bulldog man may have raised his voice at me! I do not do well with being yelled at and I'm pretty sure I almost cried a little. He said (very loudly), "Yeah well half of these chairs out here have been empty for blah blah blah" and so I said, "SIR, he tried to offer the chair to your wife." and David said, "I told her I would get up and she could have the chair." And Bulldog said, "I'm going to have my lunch. And when I come back, I'm GOING to take my chair."
And stomped off like a pouty little beeyotch.
And then, like a conniving little beeyotch, I looked at David and said, "Why save this guy's chair? You wanna go get lunch too?"
And we did.
We saw the man later and decided to be snotty and ask him if he got his chair. He said no it was taken when he got done with lunch, but admitted that he overreacted, claimed that his wife didn't mention the fact that we offered her the chair back, and said we're all here to be on vacation and have fun and need to not sweat the small stuff. This part may be just my imagination, but I'm also almost certain that he shook David's hand. Apparently Puffy-Man took his meds with lunch.
On the last day of the cruise, our original dinner-mates Joe and Nikki saved us pool chairs. Yep, after all that, we had someone save us pool chairs! :) We had a great day hanging out with them on the Lido Deck, we played Movie Trivia together on the big screen, went in the pool, ate lunch, etc. Such a fun last day!
Songs that will forever make me think of the Carnival Freedom Lido Deck:
I've Had the Time of My Life (or rather, the "I Have the Times of My Life" version)
Hotel California (is this an anthem on all cruises or did
That Dido song that goes, "I just want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life". But if you are singing on the Lido Deck, you have to sing "I just want to tank you".
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Our Ship Came In!
We spent one day in Fort Lauderdale...it wasn't quite as long as my travel day, but it still was a long, hot day.
We rode the water taxi, went to a museum, had lunch, went shopping and rode the water taxi some more. Both of us were sweating, and I was dreaming about being in the pool. I was tempted to just cancel the cruise and just hang out for a week by the Hilton's pool.
We were fairly exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel to "change for dinner" so we decided to get pizza delivery instead!
The next day I woke up and looked out on the balcony:
It was our ride! So neat to see our big ship sitting there waiting for us! (We could see it better in real life... it's the one over my shoulder with the "whale tail" sticking up. And, I have no idea why I look so strangely shaped in this photo.
David woke up and looked in the pizza box. Cold pizza for breakfast might hit the spot.
I don't know if this part of the story is true, but I didn't care to check it out... he said there was a giant Okinawa-style cockroach in our pizza box!!!!
I was completely disgusted. David tried to comfort me by saying "but I'm sure it didn't come with the pizza. It must've already been in the room somewhere."
Suddenly, any inkling I had of just staying in Fort Lauderdale instead of cruising was gone!
We walked to Walgreens, stopped for a quick, roach-free brunch at Einstein Brothers Bagels (David had a Ruben, I had a toasted bagel w/honey butter and a yummy strawberry creme drink)
After a super-quick cab ride, here we were:
We rode the water taxi, went to a museum, had lunch, went shopping and rode the water taxi some more. Both of us were sweating, and I was dreaming about being in the pool. I was tempted to just cancel the cruise and just hang out for a week by the Hilton's pool.
We were fairly exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel to "change for dinner" so we decided to get pizza delivery instead!
The next day I woke up and looked out on the balcony:
It was our ride! So neat to see our big ship sitting there waiting for us! (We could see it better in real life... it's the one over my shoulder with the "whale tail" sticking up. And, I have no idea why I look so strangely shaped in this photo.
David woke up and looked in the pizza box. Cold pizza for breakfast might hit the spot.
I don't know if this part of the story is true, but I didn't care to check it out... he said there was a giant Okinawa-style cockroach in our pizza box!!!!
I was completely disgusted. David tried to comfort me by saying "but I'm sure it didn't come with the pizza. It must've already been in the room somewhere."
Suddenly, any inkling I had of just staying in Fort Lauderdale instead of cruising was gone!
We walked to Walgreens, stopped for a quick, roach-free brunch at Einstein Brothers Bagels (David had a Ruben, I had a toasted bagel w/honey butter and a yummy strawberry creme drink)
After a super-quick cab ride, here we were:
Starting off on the right foot
I'm taking a break from my busy schedule of playing Mario Party 8 on the Wii I have finally been reunited with, eating chocolate cookies, and catching up on "Tivo'd" episodes of Ugly Betty, True Blood & Don't Forget the Lyrics to share some photos & stories from our cruise.
So I set out on my journey at shortly after 4 am on July 9. I had to make it to base by 5:15 to catch the bus to the airport. There's a later shuttle, but I didn't want to take a chance on traffic or some other strange occurrence that might make me miss my flight. So I slept on the bus and hunkered down for about 5 hours in the airport. I had breakfast and talked to my friend Jessica on the phone, because that is our morning routine. I did a little knitting and read part of The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares. (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants author)
I got on the plane (aisle seat!) and was ready to sleep some more, but there were so many movies I felt like watching, so I ended up not getting much sleep. I regretted that decision later. I don't remember all the movies I watched (except I know I watched 17 Again and Ferris Bueller's Day Off), but I do remember how tired I was in the Newark Airport.
When I booked my tickets, I chose a later flight out of Newark, just in case there was some sort of delay with my flight from London. We ended up landing in Newark a little early, so I had even more than the 5 hours I was expecting to wait. I thought about seeing if I could get switched to the 4:30 flight instead, but figured that my luggage was already checked through for the 8:30 flight and either I'd have to wait for it to arrive, they'd remove it from the plane, or it might get lost in the shuffle of changes. So, I decided I'd just stick it out and wait until 8:30.
The Newark Airport was actually not too bad. There were LOTS of shops to go in and out of, so that kept me busy for a while. I ate some yummy Auntie Annie's pretzel sticks, read the back of a lot of books at Borders, and smelled every flavor of lotion at The Body Shop. But still I was growing bored and wanted desperately to make friends with someone who had one of those fancy cell phones that can access the internet.
When it was close to boarding time, I sat by my gate. When it was really close to boarding time, I was still sitting by my gate. When it was boarding time, I continued to sit by my gate. About 10-15 minutes after boarding time, I began to really wonder why I was still sitting by my gate. That's when the first of many announcements was made... our plane had arrived at the airport, but it was sitting at another gate. And the piece of equipment that was needed to tow the plane was broken, so we'd have a slight delay while they tried to fix it. I couldn't help but wonder if it wouldn't have been faster for them to try to move US instead of the plane.
Finally, the plane arrives, we all get on and I'm happy... we're leaving! About 40 minutes late, but that's not too bad I guess. David will be waiting for me at the Fort Lauderdale airport and in just a few hours, my looooong day of travel would be over.
I buckled my seatbelt and started to nod off. I woke up to the sound of the captain's voice, thinking he's making that, "We've reached our cruising altitude" announcement. But we weren't actually moving yet. Captain says that the jetway is stuck on our plane...so basically we couldn't take off without taking off the wall of the airport I guess. So it would be 5-10 minutes until they resolved the issue, just sit tight.
About 5-10 minutes later, the captain announces that they're having a little more trouble than they thought, so anyone who wants to stretch their legs can go ahead and "deboard the aircraft" for a little while.
By now, it's after 10 and most of the shops are closed, so I just walked around the concourse a few times.
We were rescheduled for takeoff at 11:00. Just 2 and a half hours after our scheduled departure time. And what do you know, just 57 minutes before our originally scheduled arrival. Trying to stay positive... trying to stay awake until I get back onto the plane...and trying not to kick myself for not trying for the 4:30 flight after all. By this point, I would have gladly sacrificed my luggage.
Back on the plane, we begin to taxi. Taxi, taxi, taxi. I begin to think that this is the longest taxi EVER. Seriously. In the history of taxiing, this has GOT to be the longest. But there's a good reason for that... we taxied out, then taxied right back in to where we started.
You see, there was a passenger on the plane who had to be removed.
Imagine, a disgruntled passenger at this point. (It wasn't me)
I didn't even get to see or hear any of the ruckus, so I don't know what was going on. The annoying man across the aisle from me tried to pump the flight attendant for information but she wasn't giving any. She was obviously getting a little tired and cranky herself.
The passenger is removed, but still, we can't leave. Because now we have used up a whole bunch of gas and need to wait for the fuel truck to come top us off.
Lovely.
I decide to just give up hope that we're ever leaving Newark. I'm not even sure I believe it when our wheels finally go up at about 20 minutes past 12.
Hahahahaha, and then our pilot...that funny, funny guy...makes his "we've now reached cruising altitude" speech and adds, "It looks like we've got a good tailwind and clear airspace, so we should be landing at our destination a few minutes ahead of schedule." Either the man has a very strange sense of humor, can not tell time, or was referring to our "revised" schedule.
We landed at about quarter past 2 (I think... It was getting too depressing to look at my watch by this point) and I hustled to the baggage claim where David was waiting for me!! I was SO happy to see him! Not only because I hadn't seen the man in nearly 5 months, but also because 1-it meant I didn't have to get on another plane for a whole entire week! and 2-it meant that I wouldn't have to sleep in the airport. I had begun to worry during one of the nearly 4 hours of our delay that David might not realize that I didn't know what hotel we were going to and he might not be waiting at the airport, thinking I'd just cab-it to the hotel on my own. It would've been pretty out-of-character for him to do that, but still...I was slightly nervous. He did leave the airport, showered at the hotel (but knew he'd better not lay down or he'd fall asleep!) and then came back to get me.
I asked him if he'd seen which baggage carousel my flight was going to be on, and he said, "Your bag is already here. I saw it when I was here earlier."
What!?!?!??!
My bag had inadvertently made it on the 4:30 flight! I didn't even have the energy at the time to be irritated by the irony of this. I was just thrilled that we could immediately get out of the airport, into a cab, and to the hotel!
It took just under 28 hours to get from London to Florida. That's even longer than the trips home from Okinawa!!!
So I set out on my journey at shortly after 4 am on July 9. I had to make it to base by 5:15 to catch the bus to the airport. There's a later shuttle, but I didn't want to take a chance on traffic or some other strange occurrence that might make me miss my flight. So I slept on the bus and hunkered down for about 5 hours in the airport. I had breakfast and talked to my friend Jessica on the phone, because that is our morning routine. I did a little knitting and read part of The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares. (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants author)
I got on the plane (aisle seat!) and was ready to sleep some more, but there were so many movies I felt like watching, so I ended up not getting much sleep. I regretted that decision later. I don't remember all the movies I watched (except I know I watched 17 Again and Ferris Bueller's Day Off), but I do remember how tired I was in the Newark Airport.
When I booked my tickets, I chose a later flight out of Newark, just in case there was some sort of delay with my flight from London. We ended up landing in Newark a little early, so I had even more than the 5 hours I was expecting to wait. I thought about seeing if I could get switched to the 4:30 flight instead, but figured that my luggage was already checked through for the 8:30 flight and either I'd have to wait for it to arrive, they'd remove it from the plane, or it might get lost in the shuffle of changes. So, I decided I'd just stick it out and wait until 8:30.
The Newark Airport was actually not too bad. There were LOTS of shops to go in and out of, so that kept me busy for a while. I ate some yummy Auntie Annie's pretzel sticks, read the back of a lot of books at Borders, and smelled every flavor of lotion at The Body Shop. But still I was growing bored and wanted desperately to make friends with someone who had one of those fancy cell phones that can access the internet.
When it was close to boarding time, I sat by my gate. When it was really close to boarding time, I was still sitting by my gate. When it was boarding time, I continued to sit by my gate. About 10-15 minutes after boarding time, I began to really wonder why I was still sitting by my gate. That's when the first of many announcements was made... our plane had arrived at the airport, but it was sitting at another gate. And the piece of equipment that was needed to tow the plane was broken, so we'd have a slight delay while they tried to fix it. I couldn't help but wonder if it wouldn't have been faster for them to try to move US instead of the plane.
Finally, the plane arrives, we all get on and I'm happy... we're leaving! About 40 minutes late, but that's not too bad I guess. David will be waiting for me at the Fort Lauderdale airport and in just a few hours, my looooong day of travel would be over.
I buckled my seatbelt and started to nod off. I woke up to the sound of the captain's voice, thinking he's making that, "We've reached our cruising altitude" announcement. But we weren't actually moving yet. Captain says that the jetway is stuck on our plane...so basically we couldn't take off without taking off the wall of the airport I guess. So it would be 5-10 minutes until they resolved the issue, just sit tight.
About 5-10 minutes later, the captain announces that they're having a little more trouble than they thought, so anyone who wants to stretch their legs can go ahead and "deboard the aircraft" for a little while.
By now, it's after 10 and most of the shops are closed, so I just walked around the concourse a few times.
We were rescheduled for takeoff at 11:00. Just 2 and a half hours after our scheduled departure time. And what do you know, just 57 minutes before our originally scheduled arrival. Trying to stay positive... trying to stay awake until I get back onto the plane...and trying not to kick myself for not trying for the 4:30 flight after all. By this point, I would have gladly sacrificed my luggage.
Back on the plane, we begin to taxi. Taxi, taxi, taxi. I begin to think that this is the longest taxi EVER. Seriously. In the history of taxiing, this has GOT to be the longest. But there's a good reason for that... we taxied out, then taxied right back in to where we started.
You see, there was a passenger on the plane who had to be removed.
Imagine, a disgruntled passenger at this point. (It wasn't me)
I didn't even get to see or hear any of the ruckus, so I don't know what was going on. The annoying man across the aisle from me tried to pump the flight attendant for information but she wasn't giving any. She was obviously getting a little tired and cranky herself.
The passenger is removed, but still, we can't leave. Because now we have used up a whole bunch of gas and need to wait for the fuel truck to come top us off.
Lovely.
I decide to just give up hope that we're ever leaving Newark. I'm not even sure I believe it when our wheels finally go up at about 20 minutes past 12.
Hahahahaha, and then our pilot...that funny, funny guy...makes his "we've now reached cruising altitude" speech and adds, "It looks like we've got a good tailwind and clear airspace, so we should be landing at our destination a few minutes ahead of schedule." Either the man has a very strange sense of humor, can not tell time, or was referring to our "revised" schedule.
We landed at about quarter past 2 (I think... It was getting too depressing to look at my watch by this point) and I hustled to the baggage claim where David was waiting for me!! I was SO happy to see him! Not only because I hadn't seen the man in nearly 5 months, but also because 1-it meant I didn't have to get on another plane for a whole entire week! and 2-it meant that I wouldn't have to sleep in the airport. I had begun to worry during one of the nearly 4 hours of our delay that David might not realize that I didn't know what hotel we were going to and he might not be waiting at the airport, thinking I'd just cab-it to the hotel on my own. It would've been pretty out-of-character for him to do that, but still...I was slightly nervous. He did leave the airport, showered at the hotel (but knew he'd better not lay down or he'd fall asleep!) and then came back to get me.
I asked him if he'd seen which baggage carousel my flight was going to be on, and he said, "Your bag is already here. I saw it when I was here earlier."
What!?!?!??!
My bag had inadvertently made it on the 4:30 flight! I didn't even have the energy at the time to be irritated by the irony of this. I was just thrilled that we could immediately get out of the airport, into a cab, and to the hotel!
It took just under 28 hours to get from London to Florida. That's even longer than the trips home from Okinawa!!!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Step One: Check!
Why is it that when I actually have something *moderately* exciting, or at least interesting, to blog about, I can't do it!?!
I didn't want to post about my cruise without any photos, but I couldn't post any photos without my USB cord! My USB cord is stuck in my friend Jessica's house while she is away on vacation. Rather than breaking-and-entering, I decided to find another extra one in the box with all the other computer-related cords in it. And what do you know? I did find one!
So now my photos are on my computer and I can share my cruise experience in excruciating detail.
But, I've been sitting here at the computer for SO long, loading, saving and naming my pictures that I just can't sit here any longer.
A longer, prettier blog entry will just have to wait until tomorrow. AFTER I go to the commissary, ATM & library. I have no food, no money (and I owe my friend 20 pounds...but another friend owes me 20 pounds, I just remembered), and overdue books. So, I am determined not to have any bloggy-fun until I'm done with my chores!
I didn't want to post about my cruise without any photos, but I couldn't post any photos without my USB cord! My USB cord is stuck in my friend Jessica's house while she is away on vacation. Rather than breaking-and-entering, I decided to find another extra one in the box with all the other computer-related cords in it. And what do you know? I did find one!
So now my photos are on my computer and I can share my cruise experience in excruciating detail.
But, I've been sitting here at the computer for SO long, loading, saving and naming my pictures that I just can't sit here any longer.
A longer, prettier blog entry will just have to wait until tomorrow. AFTER I go to the commissary, ATM & library. I have no food, no money (and I owe my friend 20 pounds...but another friend owes me 20 pounds, I just remembered), and overdue books. So, I am determined not to have any bloggy-fun until I'm done with my chores!
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Stateside Shopping
Making this list here because I'll be more likely to "find" it than if I wrote it on a post-it or something!
Pre-cruise (David thinks we will see a movie the day we are in Ft. Laud. Hahahaha...he can see the movie while I shop if the theater is in the mall!):
black flats
sarong/cover-up/board shorts
new Salomons (I just knew I'd regret tossing them when I left Oki!)
sunglasses
some kind of bag with a zipper that I can take to the pool or out to the ports. Something that a book, sunscreen, etc. will fit in.
and I wouldn't be sad if a really cute sundress or two hopped into my shopping bag.
Post-cruise:
Vera Bradley coin purse. I love using my clip-zip ID case for my id & cards and maybe a 20 dollar bill, but I don't like having coins and more bills stuffed in there. I have a coin purse, but it would be too irritating to use the same one for pounds and dollars.
New books- I'm taking 2 for the plane/cruise (if they both fit!), but I'll probably be ready for more. I'm hoping to find the Sookie Stackhouse novels (by Charlaine Harris) in paperback. Starting with Dead Until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead and Dead to the World. There are 5 other books in the series, but at least that would be a good start.
Yarn and lots of it: (I figure I have plenty of time to knit right now, I might as well make a stock-pile of gifties for showers and the like) If you're not a knitter (and even if you are) this will probably bore you...it's mostly for my information, so I don't have to keep track of a piece of notebook paper. If you are a knitter and decide to keep reading, let me know if you've made any of the projects and recommend or un-recommend one of the yarns I have listed! And I'm not actually buying yarn for all of these projects! But it will be good to have a list so if I'm inspired by a color combo or in the mood for a certain project, I'll know what I need, without having to do more research on Ravelry...after all, I am making good use of the time I should be using to pack for my trip right now by doing my research on Rav.
(# of skeins x # of colors)
For dishcloths- Lion Cotton, Lily Sugar & Cream, Bernat Bamboo, Bernat CottonTots, Peaches & Cream, Bernat Organic Cotton
For baby blankies--I think all of these patterns are crochet! I loved how fast the blankie I made for a friend's shower this spring worked up!
(Tiramisu) TLC Cotton Plus 5x1 + 1x1/Lion Brand Cotton Ease 5x1/Caron Simply Soft 3x1 or 2x1 + 1x1
(Ripple) Bernat CottonTots 3x3
(Wool Eater) Caron Simply Soft 5xWhite + 1x7
(Vintage Vertical Stripe) Vanna's Choice 2x2 + 4x2
(Round Ripple) Caron Simply Soft 1x7 or 2x2 or 1x5/Bernat Softee Baby 2x2
(Sweet Pea) Vanna's Choice Baby 2x3
(Beth's Little Star Afghan...this is the one I made for my friend. Think it could be SO MUCH cuter in different color combos!!) Caron Simply Soft 1x4 + 2x2 or 1x3 + 2x1/TLC Baby Amore 1x8/Vanna's Choice 2x3 or 2x4 or 2x1+3x1
For baby hats:
(general) Bernat Softee Baby/Lion Brand Cotton Ease/Caron Simply Soft/Bernat CottonTots 1x1
(Inca Snowflake) Noro Kureyon 1x1
(Little Pumpkin/Apple Hat) Vanna's Choice/RedHeart Soft yarn 1x3 (red or orange, brown, green)
(Cherry-O) Rowan Handknit DK Cotton 1x3
For soakers (two of my friends are having babies this summer and cloth diapering):
Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool/Cascade 220/Paton's Classic Wool Merino 1x1 or 1x2
For misc. baby gifties:
(Saartje's Booties) Bernat Softee Baby/Lion Brand Cotton Ease 1x1 or 1x2
(Ribbed Baby Jacket) Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (for a special baby!) 3-4x1/Vanna's Choice 2x1
(Legwarmies) Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino/Berocco Comfort DK 1xeach stripe color
For mittens:
(Bella's Mittens) Lion Brand Jiffy 2x1
(Evangeline) Lion Brand Wool Ease/Cascade 220/Patons Classic Wool Merino 1x1
For legwarmers:
(Mosey) Paton's Classic Wool Merino 3x1
(Some Cloudy Day) Paton's Classic Wool Merino 2x1
(Winter Legs) Vanna's Choice 1x2
(Cabled Legwarmers) Vanna's Choice 2x1
For a treat for myself:
(Rusted Root) Lion Brand Cotton Ease 3x1
And, if I happen upon a super-sale:
(Simply Marilyn) Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Super Chunky 10x1
(Noro Striped Scarf) Noro Silk Garden 1x2 + 2x1
Pre-cruise (David thinks we will see a movie the day we are in Ft. Laud. Hahahaha...he can see the movie while I shop if the theater is in the mall!):
black flats
sarong/cover-up/board shorts
new Salomons (I just knew I'd regret tossing them when I left Oki!)
sunglasses
some kind of bag with a zipper that I can take to the pool or out to the ports. Something that a book, sunscreen, etc. will fit in.
and I wouldn't be sad if a really cute sundress or two hopped into my shopping bag.
Post-cruise:
Vera Bradley coin purse. I love using my clip-zip ID case for my id & cards and maybe a 20 dollar bill, but I don't like having coins and more bills stuffed in there. I have a coin purse, but it would be too irritating to use the same one for pounds and dollars.
New books- I'm taking 2 for the plane/cruise (if they both fit!), but I'll probably be ready for more. I'm hoping to find the Sookie Stackhouse novels (by Charlaine Harris) in paperback. Starting with Dead Until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead and Dead to the World. There are 5 other books in the series, but at least that would be a good start.
Yarn and lots of it: (I figure I have plenty of time to knit right now, I might as well make a stock-pile of gifties for showers and the like) If you're not a knitter (and even if you are) this will probably bore you...it's mostly for my information, so I don't have to keep track of a piece of notebook paper. If you are a knitter and decide to keep reading, let me know if you've made any of the projects and recommend or un-recommend one of the yarns I have listed! And I'm not actually buying yarn for all of these projects! But it will be good to have a list so if I'm inspired by a color combo or in the mood for a certain project, I'll know what I need, without having to do more research on Ravelry...after all, I am making good use of the time I should be using to pack for my trip right now by doing my research on Rav.
(# of skeins x # of colors)
For dishcloths- Lion Cotton, Lily Sugar & Cream, Bernat Bamboo, Bernat CottonTots, Peaches & Cream, Bernat Organic Cotton
For baby blankies--I think all of these patterns are crochet! I loved how fast the blankie I made for a friend's shower this spring worked up!
(Tiramisu) TLC Cotton Plus 5x1 + 1x1/Lion Brand Cotton Ease 5x1/Caron Simply Soft 3x1 or 2x1 + 1x1
(Ripple) Bernat CottonTots 3x3
(Wool Eater) Caron Simply Soft 5xWhite + 1x7
(Vintage Vertical Stripe) Vanna's Choice 2x2 + 4x2
(Round Ripple) Caron Simply Soft 1x7 or 2x2 or 1x5/Bernat Softee Baby 2x2
(Sweet Pea) Vanna's Choice Baby 2x3
(Beth's Little Star Afghan...this is the one I made for my friend. Think it could be SO MUCH cuter in different color combos!!) Caron Simply Soft 1x4 + 2x2 or 1x3 + 2x1/TLC Baby Amore 1x8/Vanna's Choice 2x3 or 2x4 or 2x1+3x1
For baby hats:
(general) Bernat Softee Baby/Lion Brand Cotton Ease/Caron Simply Soft/Bernat CottonTots 1x1
(Inca Snowflake) Noro Kureyon 1x1
(Little Pumpkin/Apple Hat) Vanna's Choice/RedHeart Soft yarn 1x3 (red or orange, brown, green)
(Cherry-O) Rowan Handknit DK Cotton 1x3
For soakers (two of my friends are having babies this summer and cloth diapering):
Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool/Cascade 220/Paton's Classic Wool Merino 1x1 or 1x2
For misc. baby gifties:
(Saartje's Booties) Bernat Softee Baby/Lion Brand Cotton Ease 1x1 or 1x2
(Ribbed Baby Jacket) Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (for a special baby!) 3-4x1/Vanna's Choice 2x1
(Legwarmies) Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino/Berocco Comfort DK 1xeach stripe color
For mittens:
(Bella's Mittens) Lion Brand Jiffy 2x1
(Evangeline) Lion Brand Wool Ease/Cascade 220/Patons Classic Wool Merino 1x1
For legwarmers:
(Mosey) Paton's Classic Wool Merino 3x1
(Some Cloudy Day) Paton's Classic Wool Merino 2x1
(Winter Legs) Vanna's Choice 1x2
(Cabled Legwarmers) Vanna's Choice 2x1
For a treat for myself:
(Rusted Root) Lion Brand Cotton Ease 3x1
And, if I happen upon a super-sale:
(Simply Marilyn) Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Super Chunky 10x1
(Noro Striped Scarf) Noro Silk Garden 1x2 + 2x1
Crossing the Pond
Heading back to the USA tomorrow, only to leave it on Sunday.
I have to leave sooooooooo early in the morning to catch the base shuttle to the airport @ 5:15. Aiming to leave the house at 4:00, that way I'll be sure to leave by 4:30. Gosh that's early. That should get me to the airport by 7:30...my flight is at noon, but the next shuttle doesn't arrive until 10, and that's if traffic is good and I hear there's construction. I'd rather busy myself with knitting (wanted to finish a cardigan to wear on my trip anyway) or reading at the airport for a few hours than freak out that I might miss my flight...and my subsequent flight.
David should be waiting for me @ the airport in Fort Lauderdale when I get there at midnight. We have one day to spend on dry land before we hop on the cruise ship. I'm beginning to wish that we would've just gone with the all-inclusive resort. I'm sure the cruise will be awesome and fun, but packing for it is a real pain! I'm trying to take the same tiny suitcase that I took to Cabo (and I'm pretty sure I was there longer than the cruise) and it's not working!
Also... when I was in Cabo, everyday was HOT and sunny. Checked the weather for my trip and what do you know... the day we're in Ft. Lauderdale, rain. The day we're in Key West, rain. The day we're in Ocho Rios, rain. Pretty sad when I'd have a better chance at a sunny vacation if I just stayed here!!
I have to leave sooooooooo early in the morning to catch the base shuttle to the airport @ 5:15. Aiming to leave the house at 4:00, that way I'll be sure to leave by 4:30. Gosh that's early. That should get me to the airport by 7:30...my flight is at noon, but the next shuttle doesn't arrive until 10, and that's if traffic is good and I hear there's construction. I'd rather busy myself with knitting (wanted to finish a cardigan to wear on my trip anyway) or reading at the airport for a few hours than freak out that I might miss my flight...and my subsequent flight.
David should be waiting for me @ the airport in Fort Lauderdale when I get there at midnight. We have one day to spend on dry land before we hop on the cruise ship. I'm beginning to wish that we would've just gone with the all-inclusive resort. I'm sure the cruise will be awesome and fun, but packing for it is a real pain! I'm trying to take the same tiny suitcase that I took to Cabo (and I'm pretty sure I was there longer than the cruise) and it's not working!
Also... when I was in Cabo, everyday was HOT and sunny. Checked the weather for my trip and what do you know... the day we're in Ft. Lauderdale, rain. The day we're in Key West, rain. The day we're in Ocho Rios, rain. Pretty sad when I'd have a better chance at a sunny vacation if I just stayed here!!
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Since I don't want to clear my table...
I've been spending some time digi-scrapping. I love it! A-I love being on the computer. B-I love that I don't have to clean up after myself before (or after) (or leave the mess out for three weeks) C-You can change things over and over again and never have "cutters remorse" or busy yourself trying to pull up something you already stuck down and changed your mind about. D-You can collect lots of supplies for FREE! I love free! E-You can buy even more supplies on-line and get them right that very minute! No waiting for shipping or driving 25 minutes to the mailbox! F-I can e-mail them right to my friends that are in the pictures and they feel special. G-You can "tag" your digi supplies (I'm using Picasa and LOVE it!) and the computer keeps them way more organized than you could ever dream of keeping your real supplies. H-(this goes along with g)-If you're looking for a yellow flower, you just type "yellow flower" and the search engine pulls a bunch of them out of your file in like .011 seconds, rather than finding your box of flowers, digging through to find a yellow one (maybe), forgetting where you were even planning to put the yellow flower, and then having to put it all away (or leave it out). I-Digi-LOs make an excellent computer screensaver!
But don't worry... I still love my paper-scrapping too and I'm not giving it up!
But don't worry... I still love my paper-scrapping too and I'm not giving it up!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Random Answers
I don't feel like thinking of my own content today, so here's a survey I saw on another blog I visit...
1. Someone knocks at your door. You answer it. It's a kid from the local school selling candy bars for a fundraiser. Do you buy one? If he has Snicker's bars, I buy 2!
2. The end of the world is tomorrow and you are out of milk - do you go buy some? I just bought milk last night. Today isn't the end of the world, is it?
3. Have you ever picked up the phone and called someone that you hadn't talked to in years? I have, and I need to again (maybe even the same person)
4. Whats on your computer desktop background? Hmm, I don't even know what's on this new computer. On my old computer it was a picture of Wentworth Miller.
5. What was the very first movie you saw in a movie theater? Ask my mom.
6. If you had to take a 10th grade science test, do you think you would pass? I might...as long as it's not physics!
7. Describe heaven. A place where you get to see all the people you've been missing. And it's always sunny, unless you love rain, then it rains too. And, despite what somebody told me that somebody told them, there are dogs there. You can walk around to visit your friends if you want to, but you might prefer to ride on a cloud. I know I would.
8. Has a place that you lived ever been infested with some sort of insect or rodent? Oh yes. Okinawa was crawling with roaches. Still gives me the heebie-jeebies thinking about it!
9. When you were a youngin', did you hide in the clothes racks at department stores? Probably not.
10. Is there anything in your vehicle that is broken? I hope not! Actually, I take that back, I hope my temperature gauge thingy is broken and that my car really doesn't run as hot as it says it does.
11. What is something in your house that people would be surprise to find? a formal dress
12. Do you agree with the death penalty? Depends on my mood...on the one hand, it kind of seems like people get off easy when they don't have to live with what they've done, but on the other hand, we're all footing the bill while they spend life in prison.
13. Whats your favorite type of bear? How many types are there? Teddy bears are the only type I'd like to cuddle with.
14. Where was the last place you went? The gas station, and, thankfully, home. I got really lost on my way home.
15. What if that person knocking at your door earlier was an adult selling candy bars... would you buy one? Maybe if it was for a good cause, and if it was a Snicker's bar.
1. Someone knocks at your door. You answer it. It's a kid from the local school selling candy bars for a fundraiser. Do you buy one? If he has Snicker's bars, I buy 2!
2. The end of the world is tomorrow and you are out of milk - do you go buy some? I just bought milk last night. Today isn't the end of the world, is it?
3. Have you ever picked up the phone and called someone that you hadn't talked to in years? I have, and I need to again (maybe even the same person)
4. Whats on your computer desktop background? Hmm, I don't even know what's on this new computer. On my old computer it was a picture of Wentworth Miller.
5. What was the very first movie you saw in a movie theater? Ask my mom.
6. If you had to take a 10th grade science test, do you think you would pass? I might...as long as it's not physics!
7. Describe heaven. A place where you get to see all the people you've been missing. And it's always sunny, unless you love rain, then it rains too. And, despite what somebody told me that somebody told them, there are dogs there. You can walk around to visit your friends if you want to, but you might prefer to ride on a cloud. I know I would.
8. Has a place that you lived ever been infested with some sort of insect or rodent? Oh yes. Okinawa was crawling with roaches. Still gives me the heebie-jeebies thinking about it!
9. When you were a youngin', did you hide in the clothes racks at department stores? Probably not.
10. Is there anything in your vehicle that is broken? I hope not! Actually, I take that back, I hope my temperature gauge thingy is broken and that my car really doesn't run as hot as it says it does.
11. What is something in your house that people would be surprise to find? a formal dress
12. Do you agree with the death penalty? Depends on my mood...on the one hand, it kind of seems like people get off easy when they don't have to live with what they've done, but on the other hand, we're all footing the bill while they spend life in prison.
13. Whats your favorite type of bear? How many types are there? Teddy bears are the only type I'd like to cuddle with.
14. Where was the last place you went? The gas station, and, thankfully, home. I got really lost on my way home.
15. What if that person knocking at your door earlier was an adult selling candy bars... would you buy one? Maybe if it was for a good cause, and if it was a Snicker's bar.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
What I'm Doing
Saw this on a couple of blogs in GoogleReader today, and figured it would make an easy blog post.
June 23, 2009
Outside my window... the vent-hose thingy for my dryer. Need to sign off the internet, flip off the transformer and finish drying my clothes.
I am thinking... of what to pack for my cruise!
I am thankful for... many things, not the least of which is the ability to stay in my pajamas until dinner time. And then go to sleep in them.
From the kitchen... peanut butter cookies
I am wearing... some of my favorite jammies
I am creating... "Sunkist"- a cropped cardigan
I am going... nowhere until tomorrow
I am reading... Dragon's Keep
I am hoping... to solve the Rubik's Cube today
I am hearing... Poison (I've been in a big 80s hair band/glam rock mood the past few days)
Around the house... a lot of unfinished business!
One of my favorite things... iGoogle ETA another recent favorite thing the European hem for jeans. SO easy and no need to rethread the sewing machine!
A few plans for the rest of the week... cleaning the house tomorrow, curry & a pint tomorrow, running with a friend on Thursday, possibly a movie on Thursday, scrapbooking with a friend on Friday, helping a friend at work on Saturday...wow, I'll be busy! Good thing I spent today doing nothing!
June 23, 2009
Outside my window... the vent-hose thingy for my dryer. Need to sign off the internet, flip off the transformer and finish drying my clothes.
I am thinking... of what to pack for my cruise!
I am thankful for... many things, not the least of which is the ability to stay in my pajamas until dinner time. And then go to sleep in them.
From the kitchen... peanut butter cookies
I am wearing... some of my favorite jammies
I am creating... "Sunkist"- a cropped cardigan
I am going... nowhere until tomorrow
I am reading... Dragon's Keep
I am hoping... to solve the Rubik's Cube today
I am hearing... Poison (I've been in a big 80s hair band/glam rock mood the past few days)
Around the house... a lot of unfinished business!
One of my favorite things... iGoogle ETA another recent favorite thing the European hem for jeans. SO easy and no need to rethread the sewing machine!
A few plans for the rest of the week... cleaning the house tomorrow, curry & a pint tomorrow, running with a friend on Thursday, possibly a movie on Thursday, scrapbooking with a friend on Friday, helping a friend at work on Saturday...wow, I'll be busy! Good thing I spent today doing nothing!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
A Rainy Day in Camden Town
On Saturday, my friend Jessica and I ventured to London to meet up with our friend Zach and his "buddies" who were visiting from FL.
After much, much debate on Friday (about 2 hours in person in the afternoon and then at least 3 phone calls in the evening), we decided that we would head to the tube station in the afternoon, meet up with Zach & his friends for dinner and nightlife, and stay in a hotel.
We ended up meeting up with two other people & following them to the tube station, and somehow I ended up being the organizer of everyone. I was totally nervous that we'd never find Zach, either due to a "too many cooks in the kitchen" type issue, or due to Zach's characteristic cell phone issues. Luckily, he answered his phone enough times to tell us which tube stop to get off at (Earl's Court) and he and his buddies were sitting right outside having coffee.
I've been freezing since I got here, but it turns out, all I needed to do was hop on the tube. It was a sweat-fest in there.
Jess & I and the other couple (well, Jessica and I aren't a couple, but the other people are a couple, so I'm calling them "the other couple") got checked into the hotel and we were off, back onto the sweaty tube to get to Camden Town.
I was kind of hoping for sightseeing stuff, but I went into the weekend with the understanding that we were just kind of tagging along with what Zach's visiting friends wanted to do, so I wasn't too disappointed. I can always go back for sightseeing later.
There were some pretty, uh, interesting sights to see in Camden Town. I really really wanted to get some Kanye West "sunglasses" (I don't know if they're called sunglasses, because a)I don't think they actually shade from the sun and b) I don't even think you can see through them), but I don't know if everyone thought I was just kidding or what, because we didn't stop to buy any.
We went to a Cuban restaurant (after all, these people are from Miami and had been on a EuroTrip for 10 days or something by this point so probably could've used a taste of home) and had Mojitos. Which are, of course, my favorito. But for 7 pounds a pop, it was only my favorito for one round.
I watched everyone do a shot (I refused, even though the round-buyer had bought one for me) and seemed to amuse them with phrases like "I don't smoke drugs" and "I'm actually afraid of beer bottles in crowded places". Apparently they had never encountered anyone quite as strange as me before. I ate a really tasty grilled chicken salad, which made me think of David because he almost always orders a grilled chicken salad.
We left to go to another bar (because I think that's what you are supposed to do in Camden Town) and much to my dismay, all the shops & vendors were closed...I couldn't get my Kanye shades! At the next bar, I saw someone with a Magner's glass and I really wanted to try the Magner's Pear Cider (I saw it on tv, and one of my Wednesday night friends orders it sometimes). Oh my goodness was that stuff delicious! It was so good that I didn't even mind that the only place for us "in" that bar was outside and it was raining!
We left there and went to probably 3 other places. At the last place we went to, "Dublin Close" or something like that, Jess and I thought that a band was playing and we were pretty excited. Until we got up to the stage and saw that there was no band! Probably the guy standing there looking like the band's bodyguard had us fooled, but it turns out, he wasn't even a bodyguard. And, even if he were, there was no band that needed guarding.
We went to the bathroom and said 2 words to a girl who said to her friend, "Oooh, look, they're Americans! I love Americans!" That was funny. She asked me where I was from and I told her near Chicago and silly me, asked her if she knew what that was. She said of course, she doesn't live under a rock. All this while, I was trying to dry my pants under the hand dryer because I sat in a puddle outside. I really did. When my pants finally dried, we went back out to sit down with our group, then the other couple were getting irritated with each other, so we all had to call it a night. We cabbed it back to the hotel, grabbed our coats and headed off in search of food. I was so excited to have my first kebab! I thought it would've come on a stick, but it didn't. I also learned that I LOVE salt and vinegar chips (and by chips, I mean fries). I gobbled up my fries, but couldn't finish my kebab. It was huge!
Jessica and I were both wide awake at 8 because it was burning up hot in our hotel room. Plus it smelled like kebab, which doesn't lead to the best sleep atmosphere. We headed out to walk around and look at nothing in particular, had breakfast at Maccers (which I decided that since McDonald's is called Maccers in Australia and fries are called chips in Australia, McDonald's should be called Maccers in England as well, but I haven't actually heard it called that here.), and then about 2 hours later, Zach and his friends were up and about too, so we went to breakfast again with them (but just had smoothies), said goodbye to the "buddies" who were heading to the airport for the next leg of their journey, and hopped the hot sweaty tube back to Epping, so we could get in the car and come home. We both smelled awful because we didn't want to be bothered with luggage, so we just had shorts in our purses and came home in the same outfits we left in. The rest of Sunday was pretty lazy for me...and in fact, the rest of the week has followed suit!
After much, much debate on Friday (about 2 hours in person in the afternoon and then at least 3 phone calls in the evening), we decided that we would head to the tube station in the afternoon, meet up with Zach & his friends for dinner and nightlife, and stay in a hotel.
We ended up meeting up with two other people & following them to the tube station, and somehow I ended up being the organizer of everyone. I was totally nervous that we'd never find Zach, either due to a "too many cooks in the kitchen" type issue, or due to Zach's characteristic cell phone issues. Luckily, he answered his phone enough times to tell us which tube stop to get off at (Earl's Court) and he and his buddies were sitting right outside having coffee.
I've been freezing since I got here, but it turns out, all I needed to do was hop on the tube. It was a sweat-fest in there.
Jess & I and the other couple (well, Jessica and I aren't a couple, but the other people are a couple, so I'm calling them "the other couple") got checked into the hotel and we were off, back onto the sweaty tube to get to Camden Town.
I was kind of hoping for sightseeing stuff, but I went into the weekend with the understanding that we were just kind of tagging along with what Zach's visiting friends wanted to do, so I wasn't too disappointed. I can always go back for sightseeing later.
There were some pretty, uh, interesting sights to see in Camden Town. I really really wanted to get some Kanye West "sunglasses" (I don't know if they're called sunglasses, because a)I don't think they actually shade from the sun and b) I don't even think you can see through them), but I don't know if everyone thought I was just kidding or what, because we didn't stop to buy any.
We went to a Cuban restaurant (after all, these people are from Miami and had been on a EuroTrip for 10 days or something by this point so probably could've used a taste of home) and had Mojitos. Which are, of course, my favorito. But for 7 pounds a pop, it was only my favorito for one round.
I watched everyone do a shot (I refused, even though the round-buyer had bought one for me) and seemed to amuse them with phrases like "I don't smoke drugs" and "I'm actually afraid of beer bottles in crowded places". Apparently they had never encountered anyone quite as strange as me before. I ate a really tasty grilled chicken salad, which made me think of David because he almost always orders a grilled chicken salad.
We left to go to another bar (because I think that's what you are supposed to do in Camden Town) and much to my dismay, all the shops & vendors were closed...I couldn't get my Kanye shades! At the next bar, I saw someone with a Magner's glass and I really wanted to try the Magner's Pear Cider (I saw it on tv, and one of my Wednesday night friends orders it sometimes). Oh my goodness was that stuff delicious! It was so good that I didn't even mind that the only place for us "in" that bar was outside and it was raining!
We left there and went to probably 3 other places. At the last place we went to, "Dublin Close" or something like that, Jess and I thought that a band was playing and we were pretty excited. Until we got up to the stage and saw that there was no band! Probably the guy standing there looking like the band's bodyguard had us fooled, but it turns out, he wasn't even a bodyguard. And, even if he were, there was no band that needed guarding.
We went to the bathroom and said 2 words to a girl who said to her friend, "Oooh, look, they're Americans! I love Americans!" That was funny. She asked me where I was from and I told her near Chicago and silly me, asked her if she knew what that was. She said of course, she doesn't live under a rock. All this while, I was trying to dry my pants under the hand dryer because I sat in a puddle outside. I really did. When my pants finally dried, we went back out to sit down with our group, then the other couple were getting irritated with each other, so we all had to call it a night. We cabbed it back to the hotel, grabbed our coats and headed off in search of food. I was so excited to have my first kebab! I thought it would've come on a stick, but it didn't. I also learned that I LOVE salt and vinegar chips (and by chips, I mean fries). I gobbled up my fries, but couldn't finish my kebab. It was huge!
Jessica and I were both wide awake at 8 because it was burning up hot in our hotel room. Plus it smelled like kebab, which doesn't lead to the best sleep atmosphere. We headed out to walk around and look at nothing in particular, had breakfast at Maccers (which I decided that since McDonald's is called Maccers in Australia and fries are called chips in Australia, McDonald's should be called Maccers in England as well, but I haven't actually heard it called that here.), and then about 2 hours later, Zach and his friends were up and about too, so we went to breakfast again with them (but just had smoothies), said goodbye to the "buddies" who were heading to the airport for the next leg of their journey, and hopped the hot sweaty tube back to Epping, so we could get in the car and come home. We both smelled awful because we didn't want to be bothered with luggage, so we just had shorts in our purses and came home in the same outfits we left in. The rest of Sunday was pretty lazy for me...and in fact, the rest of the week has followed suit!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Off the Hook (and Needles)
I don't think anything is ever going to change the fact that I find knitting patterns and buy yarn much at a much faster rate than my hands can move those needles. But I actually finished several small projects last month:
The slippers (two pairs) were completed in 1-2 days each.
The mittens, about 2-3 days.
The Clapotis scarf...well, a little longer.
Since the scarf & mittens were finished in May, you may think I haven't had much opportunity to wear them. Well, then you're not in England. It's chilly here! I hear it's even unseasonably cool in Okinawa right now, but I'm not convinced it's scarf/mitten weather there.
I'm working on a pair of socks now that just aren't holding my attention, and my Big Snugs, which I want to love, but unfortunately I made some kind of mistake in picking up stitches and now my needle is completely stuck in the super-tight stitches. I've tried lots of ideas to free my needle, but I fear I'm going to have to use scissors!?!??! And then I have no idea what that would do to my Snug. So I don't know...maybe it's time to find a new project?
The slippers (two pairs) were completed in 1-2 days each.
The mittens, about 2-3 days.
The Clapotis scarf...well, a little longer.
Since the scarf & mittens were finished in May, you may think I haven't had much opportunity to wear them. Well, then you're not in England. It's chilly here! I hear it's even unseasonably cool in Okinawa right now, but I'm not convinced it's scarf/mitten weather there.
I'm working on a pair of socks now that just aren't holding my attention, and my Big Snugs, which I want to love, but unfortunately I made some kind of mistake in picking up stitches and now my needle is completely stuck in the super-tight stitches. I've tried lots of ideas to free my needle, but I fear I'm going to have to use scissors!?!??! And then I have no idea what that would do to my Snug. So I don't know...maybe it's time to find a new project?
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Happiness is...
...having a techie-geek husband who wouldn't dream of having me go without a functioning computer for too long.
My laptop arrived today!
Back to e-mailing.
Back to facebooking.
Back to hearing podcasts.
Back to changing music on my iPod.
Back to blogging.
Back to reading blogs.
Back to online shopping. (uh-oh!)
Back to digi-scrapbooking.
Back to the 21st century!
My laptop arrived today!
Back to e-mailing.
Back to facebooking.
Back to hearing podcasts.
Back to changing music on my iPod.
Back to blogging.
Back to reading blogs.
Back to online shopping. (uh-oh!)
Back to digi-scrapbooking.
Back to the 21st century!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Marley & Me
One of the books I read this weekend was Marley & Me.
If you haven't read the book or seen the movie (or heard the ending), stop reading now! Spoilers will follow...
Oh my goodness...I don't know why I read this book! I saw the movie and I was prepared for what would happen at the end. Before we went to see it, David said, "Baby, you know the dog might die, right?" and I thought, now why in the world would they make the dog die? Movies are supposed to make you feel good! And I said, "How could you say such a thing? The dog is NOT going to die!" and he said, "I just want you to be prepared, just in case..." Then my friend in my running group who had seen the movie the day before said, "Take tissues" and I knew that David was right. But that didn't make it any easier. I cried through the end of the movie. I cried on the way out of the theater. I cried all the way home and didn't stop until I fell asleep. I swear I cried for 3 days after that movie.
And yet for some reason, I still wanted to read the book, which was EVEN SADDER than the movie! So sad, in fact, that I am willing to abandon proper grammatical structure. The first time I cried in the book was on page 48. There were 288 pages. Probably around page 170 the tears just came in an endless stream. I was lounging on the "floor bed"--the bed that I didn't think the frame/headboard (which I didn't like anyway) would fit in the house so it's just a mattress on the floor. I like to read there because I like reading on the floor, but this is more comfortable, plus there's a nice sunny window in the room. I kept walking to my bedroom to get more and more Kleenex. I thought, "I could just bring the box in here", but I decided that walking to get new Kleenex was a good way to give myself a break from reading this sad, sad book (and clear my nasal passages).
David didn't cry during the movie. I couldn't believe he wasn't crying, and he said that, in addition to being naturally more hyper-sensitive than he, it probably had something to do with the fact that I had gone through this with my own treasured pets. While reading the end of the book, I realized that I was sitting and crying on the same bed that I sat and cried on when my mom called to tell me that my cat Dusky had died. And that just made me cry even harder. Then I started thinking about other people losing their pets... Ami's Mandy and how sad she was when I got to her house right after I heard, Ms. Kobe's Rocky-dog and how hard it was for her to make the decision to let him have a peaceful good-bye instead of a difficult ending, my first boyfriend's Casey and how he cried on the bench outside of the dorm when his parents came to tell him...and I lost it even more.
Until we watched Marley & Me, I had been begging for a puppy. But when we came home, I had a lot of second thoughts. Not because of all the hard work it would be to train a dog, care for a dog, and make whatever repairs would be needed after the dog ransacked the house, but because of how hard it would be to say goodbye to a dog. If you're a pet person, you know...
If you haven't read the book or seen the movie (or heard the ending), stop reading now! Spoilers will follow...
Oh my goodness...I don't know why I read this book! I saw the movie and I was prepared for what would happen at the end. Before we went to see it, David said, "Baby, you know the dog might die, right?" and I thought, now why in the world would they make the dog die? Movies are supposed to make you feel good! And I said, "How could you say such a thing? The dog is NOT going to die!" and he said, "I just want you to be prepared, just in case..." Then my friend in my running group who had seen the movie the day before said, "Take tissues" and I knew that David was right. But that didn't make it any easier. I cried through the end of the movie. I cried on the way out of the theater. I cried all the way home and didn't stop until I fell asleep. I swear I cried for 3 days after that movie.
And yet for some reason, I still wanted to read the book, which was EVEN SADDER than the movie! So sad, in fact, that I am willing to abandon proper grammatical structure. The first time I cried in the book was on page 48. There were 288 pages. Probably around page 170 the tears just came in an endless stream. I was lounging on the "floor bed"--the bed that I didn't think the frame/headboard (which I didn't like anyway) would fit in the house so it's just a mattress on the floor. I like to read there because I like reading on the floor, but this is more comfortable, plus there's a nice sunny window in the room. I kept walking to my bedroom to get more and more Kleenex. I thought, "I could just bring the box in here", but I decided that walking to get new Kleenex was a good way to give myself a break from reading this sad, sad book (and clear my nasal passages).
David didn't cry during the movie. I couldn't believe he wasn't crying, and he said that, in addition to being naturally more hyper-sensitive than he, it probably had something to do with the fact that I had gone through this with my own treasured pets. While reading the end of the book, I realized that I was sitting and crying on the same bed that I sat and cried on when my mom called to tell me that my cat Dusky had died. And that just made me cry even harder. Then I started thinking about other people losing their pets... Ami's Mandy and how sad she was when I got to her house right after I heard, Ms. Kobe's Rocky-dog and how hard it was for her to make the decision to let him have a peaceful good-bye instead of a difficult ending, my first boyfriend's Casey and how he cried on the bench outside of the dorm when his parents came to tell him...and I lost it even more.
Until we watched Marley & Me, I had been begging for a puppy. But when we came home, I had a lot of second thoughts. Not because of all the hard work it would be to train a dog, care for a dog, and make whatever repairs would be needed after the dog ransacked the house, but because of how hard it would be to say goodbye to a dog. If you're a pet person, you know...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
