Archive for January, 2005
January 30, 2005 at 4:06 pm · Filed under knit/crochet
Finally finished the scarf last night, while watching SNL. This was my first time doing fringe… fringe is fun! Now I’m starting Fuzzy Feet for Peter and Sis #1. (His will be first, because his feet are smaller.) Then I’ll be doing a foofy scarf for my mom, and then socks. I can’t wait to learn to make socks.
In other news, Pete’s new computer (Mac G5) arrived and is being set up. We bought an Airport card for it yesterday, and he also has a mess of sound equipment to hook up. I wish I could say it’s going perfectly smoothly, but there have been a few snafus. We’re also still waiting for our basement window to be replaced, which means we can continue putting off tackling the pile o’ crap in the back for a little while longer.
January 26, 2005 at 2:06 pm · Filed under spiritual
A neighbor boy – from a family we don’t know well – took his own life on Tuesday. Peter was over at his friend’s house, and they saw an ambulance come to the neighbor’s house. But it wasn’t there for the boy, but for a family member who had just heard the news.
The boy was just 15. He had taken the family car to the highway, and apparently parked at the side of the road. The police found the seemingly abandoned car, and then found him.
It’s so sad, and so unsettling. The TV news focused on “signs of teen depression” — which made me wonder, how might that make the family feel? As if they could have prevented this? Could they have? Would it have been possible?
I don’t have any answers.
January 24, 2005 at 12:03 am · Filed under family
As the snow piled up on Saturday, necessitating not one, but two visits from the snowplows (gotta love ‘em!), I baked a batch of spritz cookies and continued my knitting. Pete and Peter went to our psychic friend for angel readings in the afternoon (Moon and I came along for the ride). There’s nothing quite like hearing about your children’s past lives.
Today was Nephew #2b’s baptism, and we had a rollicking good time with the extended family at the Homestead. Pete had instructed everyone to bring their snow gear, as the hill in the backyard is perfect for sledding. The snow was deep enough that some of the children had to be carried, lest we lose them in a snowdrift. Peter had a great time rolling around, but Moon fell asleep on the sofa, curled up under an afghan. (She had slept over at Nicole’s last night, except that the sleeping didn’t actually take place until 7 this morning.)
I finished Moon’s other armwarmer this evening, and the alien scarf has a second face now. Four more to go.
January 22, 2005 at 12:54 am · Filed under knit/crochet
Between the toilet overflowing (we got to use the auger again!) and various activities in preparation for tonight’s snowstorm, I finished one section of my alien scarf and one of Moon’s armwarmers.
The kids were off school early, so Peter and I went to the video rental place, Borders and Starbucks’ drive-through. Pete did the grocery shopping this evening (before the toilet debacle) and nearly got stuck in a snowdrift trying to get up our driveway. But at least we have plenty of snacks for the weekend. I may even bake cookies.
January 21, 2005 at 8:49 pm · Filed under blather
Nichole said it best…
The inauguration coverage made it sound like the class jock’s been elected, and the rest of us will want to spend the next 4 years playing D&D in our basements.
We’ll be in the Forgotten Realm of Everfair, where the peace-loving Moderate Folk dwell.
January 20, 2005 at 10:22 am · Filed under spiritual
The “War President” mosaic is an image of Bush’s face made up entirely of pictures of fallen soldiers. It was created by American Leftist in 2004; story behind its creation available here. Faces of the Fallen provides information about each solider who has died in Iraq.
(via Gidget Casts On)
Powerful stuff.
January 18, 2005 at 10:15 pm · Filed under knit/crochet
Yep, another finished project. This is for Nephew #2b, who is being baptized this weekend. I’m definitely improving – especially with the whole double-pointed needle thing – but my hands do get a little sore when I’m working with smaller stitches.
Luckily, I’ve had the pleasure of getting a massage at least once a week so far in 2005. Today the student therapist worked on my hands and shoulders. Gotta be able to get my knit on.
January 16, 2005 at 10:58 pm · Filed under knit/crochet
I finished my Fuzzy Feet, but they are slow to felt. This is what they look like after being run through the washer twice. I may try again later on, but for now I just want to wear them.
Of course, Peter wants me to make him a pair. Not pink ones, though.
Pete and I decided to make samosas and pie this evening. (No, I didn’t make it to the gym today.)
January 16, 2005 at 12:38 pm · Filed under friends
We had an incredible time last night visiting Nichole and JM last night. We played a fun game (with JM acting as game master or emcee or whatever, because apparently he has competitiveness issues — not that the rest of us don’t) and enjoyed a classic episode of MST3000.
Last week, Pete went to the dentist, and the staff was discussing our family Christmas newsletter. The dental assistant told him that they had decided that if they had to go live with one of their client families, it would be us. (Apparently fixing up basements sounds like awesome fun.)
Well, we’re all ready to move in with Nichole and JM. Not only do they have an incredible MST3000 collection, they have a lot of cool artwork and an abundance of interesting stuff. I really should have brought my camera. Or Nichole needs to get over to Flickr and start posting random pictures — because didn’t I read something on her blog about a digital camera?
January 15, 2005 at 10:11 am · Filed under mememe!
From PoppyMom:
Grooming Products
Shampoo: Cripes, I’m too lazy to go upstairs and look. It has red stuff in it to help me keep my color. (Okay, I lied – I’m not that lazy. The brand is Goldwell.)
Moisturizer: When I remember, I have some Origins stuff that I bought a year ago.
Cologne: Aveda personal scents, or Bath & Body Works Raspberry Vanilla (but I don’t usually wear it because it’s pretty much forbidden at work).
Razor : Venus – the leg sander sucked, and I brought it back!
Toothpaste: Tom’s of Maine
Electronics
Cell phone : Nokia – the lowest-end model they had (free).
Computer : Mac G4 with OSX Jaguar; Mac G3 laptop (clamshell) with OSX Panther
Television: Handed down from the in-laws – it must be about 25 years old. It’s a Zenith System 3, if that helps.
Stereo: Fabulous system that was our first big-ticket purchase as a married couple. Mostly Akai and Denon.
Home
Sheets: Organic cotton flannel. Ahhhhh.
Coffee-maker: Starbucks model Bodum French press.
Car: 2002 Toyota Prius, aqua with dog-fur accents in the interior.
Stationery: I’m pretty much an emailer now.
Beverages
Bottled water: I don’t buy it unless it’s mineral water, and then I usually get Klarbrunn.
Coffee: Alterra! Or Vienna Perk or Starbucks, although I just bought a pound and a half of Victor Allen’s.
Vodka: ewwwww
Beer: I’d rather get my belly from eating chocolate, thank you.
Clothes
Jeans: Lee, Eddie Bauer or Old Navy.
T-shirt: Sloppy ones come from fitness events. Nice ones come from Lands’ End or Gap. Techno ones come from REI.
Briefcase or tote: My awesome Boblbee purse. I’m planning to make a Booga bag.
Sneakers: Avia.
Watch: Momentum Himalaya – the face turns blue at certain angles, and it’s cool.
Favorite Places
Madison.
Niagara Falls.
Canada.
The corner of my sofa, where I curl up and knit.
My bed.
Necessary Extravagance
Good coffee.
Quality yarn.
Nice stuff for my Blythes.
January 15, 2005 at 9:35 am · Filed under mememe!
From Chun:
You Are 25 Years Old
25
Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view – and you look at the world with awe.
13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.
20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what’s to come… love, work, and new experiences.
30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You’ve had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!
40+: You are a mature adult. You’ve been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.
January 13, 2005 at 10:22 pm · Filed under blather
This guy made me feel better about the whole auger thing.
January 13, 2005 at 10:12 pm · Filed under knit/crochet
The kids and I watched the final two episodes of BtVS as I finished knitting this slipper. With this project, I learned about short rows, picking up stitches, ssk, and double-pointed needles. I also got to do a three-needle bind-off for the second time.
It’ll be funny to see if slipper #2 turns out a whole lot better than slipper #1. The great thing about felting is that it hides mistakes so well. I can’t wait to wear these – assuming they fit.
January 12, 2005 at 10:49 pm · Filed under blather
Let’s see. The rain we’ve been expecting all week is here, meaning that the streets and sidewalks were quite flooded when I was driving home from work. We were treated to the odd sound of January thunder this afternoon. Thunder! Although it’s been around 40 degrees today, the windchill is supposed to dip to -20 on Friday. Wacky.
This evening, while Angelica and I were at choir practice (yes, I brought Angelica! she was much admired, and joined the alto section for the evening), the toilet became clogged. Pete was quite flustered when I arrived home, because he had been alternately plunging and doing internet research on what to use to unclog the darned thing. He had already gone to Menard’s and purchased an auger, which the guy working there assured him was the right thing to purchase. However, upon opening the package he was greeted by a warning in capital letters: NOT FOR USE IN TOILET.
So I saved the day by calling Home Depot (aren’t we lucky to live in shopping land, with so many stores at our fingertips?) and locating a toilet auger. A toilet auger is much larger than a regular auger. Who knew? We certainly didn’t. I had never even heard the word “auger” before this evening. Anyway, we used that puppy on our toilet, several times over.
And it’s still not quite right. Too late to add another bathroom, ha ha! (Have you seen our basement pictures lately?)
UPDATE: Obviously, our household angels were working overtime last night, because this morning the clog had disappeared.
January 11, 2005 at 8:29 am · Filed under knit/crochet
Okay, I wasn’t going to post another knitting picture so soon, but I can’t help myself. I’ve actually started yet another new project, and working with wool on size 10.5 needles is sooo much nicer than acrylic on size 0 needles. Not that I won’t be making more doll stuff, because I will.
I’m happy to report that the snow is still here. No rain yet. On Sunday, we went frolicking as a family to the neighborhood park, where we chuckled at Foxxi’s antics and watched Peter roll around on the ground.
Oh, and the basement isn’t quite done. We decided to hold off on bringing out all the electronic stuff because there’s still a bit of wood trim that needs trimming. I’m not unhappy about this, because I’m still in denial about the clutter that awaits us.
January 8, 2005 at 10:13 am · Filed under blather
I’m enjoying the snow while I can, because it’s supposed to be 40 degrees and rainy next week.
Latest news:
- I’m knitting like crazy, and I started my first Blythe sweater. Woo!
- Carrie and I had lunch yesterday and did massive amounts of catching up. She has a swanky new job, which she starts next Wednesday. *Hi Tobie!*
- Guy is here today finishing up the basement floor. Rumor has it that after he leaves, we’ll be able to start moving stuff back into the room. I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep without tall pieces of recording equipment hovering over me in the bedroom. (kidding)
- Moon handed in her report yesterday, but didn’t present. But the kid who did his report on Jim Morrison? No problem. (Am I missing something? Or does the teacher just prefer the Doors to Nirvana?)
- Foxxi acts like a puppy when she’s tummy-deep in snow.
- I haven’t worked out since Sunday, but I plan to remedy that this weekend.
- My hair lately kind of reminds me of Groovy Groove.
That is all.
January 6, 2005 at 9:55 am · Filed under peter
Finally, it look like Wisconsin around here. Moon had been trying to manifest a snow day, but it didn’t happen…the buses were running on schedule, etc. etc. Peter announced that he was Not Going to School Without Boots, because he would be forced to stay in for recess and would not be able to bear it, for snow is made for frolic.
(Why was he bootless? you ask. Because his feet have grown about a size and a half since last year. And we kind of overlooked the need for new footwear, because it’s often such an ordeal to find what he wants.)
I saved the day when I suggested shopping. Why not? Wal-Mart is always open, and just a few blocks away. I didn’t need to be at work until 9. The store was virtually devoid of customers, which was surreal after the whole Christmas experience. We found boots and snowpants, which I insisted Peter put on as I was paying for them.
“Who’s the best mom in the world?” I prompted him, lest he forget my awesomeness. “You are,” he answered, before shutting the car door and trudging up to the school building.
Later, I got stuck trying to get into the Campus parking lot, but that’s another story. Winter is here.
January 5, 2005 at 8:07 am · Filed under blather
And the snowplows came out! Il neige! Il neige!
January 4, 2005 at 11:03 pm · Filed under moon (rachel)
Moon has been working on a biographical report for her language arts class. Although she’s doing a marvelous job on it, she won’t be surprised if she gets an F. See, when her teacher explained the assignment, she said, “…and of course, some people would be inappropriate choices as subject matter for this.” When a student asked, “Like who?” the teacher answered, “Well, like Kurt Cobain.”
Moon was stunned, because she had actually been thinking about doing her report on him. During Christmas break, she looked at various other possibilities but kept coming back to him. Her teacher hadn’t mentioned anyone else by name, and hadn’t explained her reasoning.
Anyway, Moon decided to go ahead and do her research. She felt her teacher was being unfair, and Pete and I told her we would support her as long as she does the work. Well, Moon talked with her teacher, and the decision was that Moon could study Cobain but not present her material to the class. She’d be marked down for not presenting. But today, her teacher approached her and said that she had changed her mind. I decided to email her…
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