Archive for July, 2005
July 30, 2005 at 10:43 pm · Filed under blather
Geez, the week certainly got away from me. I didn’t even get a chance to write about taking Moon to see the shaman, or getting my Soleil finished, or my trip to Lakeside Fibers to spend my birthday gift certificate. Lord knows I haven’t posted many photos lately. At least I managed to get caught up at work.
I’m hoping to post lots of photos in the week to come, because we’re heading to San Diego for a fun-filled vacation. That is, if we survive the plane ride, yada yada. We’ll be staying at the Sheraton Suites downtown, and we’re planning two activities besides frolicking in the ocean and soaking up sunshine: Sea World and a La Jolla kayak tour.
Foxxi and the other critters will be well cared for during our absence, because we have someone staying at our house. The choir director at my church has been housesitting the rectory and caring for the priest’s two dogs for the past month, and she (the priest) returns the day we leave. Very convenient! We’ve been cleaning and trying to get things ready for him. Thus the frantically running around.
Besides mowing the grass, cleaning rodent cages, doing laundry and making last-minute trips to various stores, we managed to attend the annual corn boil at Vermont Valley Farm. I’m having a hard time sitting still. I may end up not sleeping until we’re on the plane. Okay, back to running in circles.
July 29, 2005 at 10:06 pm · Filed under knit/crochet
Of course I knitted an iPod cozy. Are you kidding? After I finished, the openings seemed to call out for a bit more oomph, so I tried out my new single crochet skillz.
The cool thing is that it cost next to nothing. I used up some Kureyon left over from my Hurry Up Spring Armwarmers.
I’ve been buying toys for the Huskie, too. This and this. I think we’re ready for tunes on vacation now. And lots of photo storage.
July 27, 2005 at 2:46 pm · Filed under mememe!
Huh. Interesting.
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Your brain: 120% interpersonal, 160% visual, 20% verbal, and 100% mathematical!
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| Congratulations on being 400% smart! Actually, on my test, everyone is. The above score breaks down what kind of thinking you most enjoy doing. A score above 100% means you use that kind of thinking more than average, and a score below 100% means you use it less. It says nothing about how good you are at any one, just how interested you are in each, relatively. A substantial difference in scores between two people means, conclusively, that they are different kinds of thinkers.
Matching Summary: Each of us has different tastes. Still, I offer the following advice, which I think is obvious:
- Don’t date someone if your interpersonal percentages differ by more than 80%.
- Don’t be friends with someone if your verbal percentages differ by more than 100%.
- Don’t have sex with someone if their math percentage is over 200%.
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My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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You scored higher than 82% on interpersonal |
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You scored higher than 87% on visual |
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You scored higher than 10% on verbal |
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You scored higher than 45% on mathematical |
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July 19, 2005 at 9:54 pm · Filed under family
During the celebration of July birthdays at the Homestead, I had quite a surprise. When I unwrapped my gift, I found a series of numbered envelopes. The first contained this intriguing rhyme. (Click on the photo to see a larger version.)
The next few clues were a little confusing. I would have concluded I was getting a digital camera, if I hadn’t already had one. The “hot hot hot” thing didn’t seem to make sense, though.
Hmmm. After reading the last clue, I was still scratching my head. What in the heck was a “meHusk”? As I headed out of the room to find my surprise, I finally made the connection….
Aha! Yes, it’s an iPod. And not just any iPod… an iPod Photo. Woo hoo! I’ve been obsessed with it ever since I first laid my greedy little hands on its colorful box. Isn’t it cute?
After all, it gives me handy images. And it’s full of hot hot hot (music, music, music… in Russian). It has a whopping 30 GB (or 3% terabyte) of storage. Don’t you think meHusk would have been a much catchier name?
The mastermind behind this presentation was none other than Sister #1. Bravo! And thank you, thank you, thank you for the hot hot hot.
July 17, 2005 at 10:12 pm · Filed under books
Moon finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince this morning, so now I get to read it. I’m on page 384. She’s anxious for me to get done so we can talk about it in detail. Kind of like our own little book group.
Today, on the hottest day (so far) of the year, at the hottest time of day, the power for our entire neighborhood went out. Peter asked if we had remembered to pay the electrical bill. I, like many of the neighbors, went outside to see if anyone else was having trouble.
Fortunately we were headed out to the in-laws’, so we sat in air-conditioned driving comfort instead of a hot and muggy house. The power was out for about two hours. We converged upon the house to celebrate the July birthdays, of which mine is one. I was given a spectacular present — you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to hear about it, but I promise you, it rocks!
July 16, 2005 at 9:54 pm · Filed under books, knit/crochet
To the relief of everyone in the house, the new Harry Potter book came in today’s mail delivery. (My shipping confirmation email had indicated an arrival date of July 19, so Moon was a bit worried.) But there was something else in the mailbox as well: a package for me, me, me!
Several weeks ago, I received a mysterious postcard from someone in England. I suspected a RAOK (random act of kindness) on the part of a Knitty forum member. Today’s package was the follow-up. How fun!
Inside was an assortment of Wallace and Gromit characters. (Did you know we own the boxed video set? We do.) Also note the ball of DK wool, which looks perfect for a dying experiment. I also found a silver gel pen in the package after I took this photo. You know, it’s such a rush to get real mail.
In other news, Moon is probably going to finish the Harry Potter book tomorrow, if not tonight. She keeps making little noises and expressions, lamenting that she can’t talk about what she’s reading. I’ll be grabbing the book as soon as she finishes, so she won’t have to be silent for long. Peter picked up Moon’s copy of Order of the Phoenix and is busy reading, too. It’s odd to have such a quiet house on Saturday night.
Here’s another look at one of my favorite knitting icons. Cute, cute, cute.
July 15, 2005 at 10:33 pm · Filed under movies
…. is so, so, so goooooood!
The kids and I saw it today on the Ultrascreen at our neighborhood theater. I figured I’d probably like it, but I didn’t have any idea how amazing and entertaining it would be. I sat there and smiled through almost the whole flick.
Stop reading, and go see it. Right now.
July 13, 2005 at 9:52 am · Filed under fitness
I’ve got one of those nasty summer colds, the kind that makes your head feel like it’s stuffed with balsa wood. I’m still working, but my trash contains an impressive mountain of used Kleenex.
Why am I sick? Maybe because I haven’t had any significant exercise in the past week or so. I’m afraid I’m turning into a lump. But check out this horoscope from
Free Will Astrology:
CANCER (June 21-July 22): During my years in college, I enjoyed watching the evolution of Richard, a shy geek in my creative writing classes. Long before he penned a single good poem, he was a bohemian art poseur. On his backpack there was a button with the image of rock poet Patti Smith. He often wore a t-shirt bearing a quote from poetry icon Allen Ginsberg, and he was never without his book of Rimbaud poems. Everywhere I went I saw him scribbling ostentatiously in his journal as he chain-smoked clove cigarettes. To my surprise, Richard’s work gradually began to match his persona. By sophomore year he’d spawned some evocative poems, and soon after he graduated, he published a fine chapbook. In his development I witnessed a perfect example of the saying, “You become what you pretend to be.” That’s an excellent theme for you to meditate on right now, Cancerian.
I need to get back to doing what I do best: fake it ’till I make it.
July 8, 2005 at 10:18 am · Filed under moon (rachel)
This little munchkin arrived and changed our lives forever. Although it would have been a lot easier if we’d have been able to communicate right from the start, it was interesting and rewarding getting to know her and figuring out her special ways.
She’s still as opinionated as she was back then. (And trust me, babies can be opinionated. Even when they are 2 hours old, like she was in this picture.)
Sometimes it floors me how quickly the time has gone. Back when I was a new mom, I would ask other parents to please tell me again that thing about how babies grow up so fast. Maybe I just figured that once Moon was talking, she could give me some pointers or something. When she started forming words at about 8 months or so, I extracted every bit of meaning that I could.
Can I even begin to say how amazing it’s been getting to hang with this kid for the past 14 years?
Even if I weren’t her mom, I’d be compelled to point out how beautiful, intelligent, funny, talented and kind she is. Being 14 and all, she has a hard time seeing all of that in herself, but it’s there.
Happy birthday, Moon. I’m so glad that you joined us here on earth.
July 7, 2005 at 6:02 pm · Filed under career
Today my boss and I switched offices. From a feng shui standpoint, it made a lot of sense. I was in the middle office, and he was in the front – the hot seat, so to speak. The action center. He’s busy enough without the flow of energy careening into his space.
Me, I’ve been a little bored. I could put that flow to good use.
So this morning we traded. The fun part, if you like that sort of thing, was seeing how disgusting the carpet was underneath the bookcases and other furniture, and then vacuuming the mess up and making it habitable again. Wiping the layer of dust off everything wasn’t so fun, but it was rewarding.
It’s cool to rearrange one’s surroundings from time to time. The best part was how many people came in to talk to me after I was finished moving. I think I’m going to like my new digs.
July 4, 2005 at 5:10 pm · Filed under animals, family, knit/crochet, shopping
- Dragging Pete and the kids to War of the Worlds (despite it not being a Pete-friendly movie). Overlooking my current distaste for Tom Cruise enough to enjoy the kickbutt alien tripods.
- Being sung to by restaurant employees and hoarding my free birthday mug.
- Unwrapping the book I wanted
and a gift certificate to Lakeside Fibers.
- Accompanying Patti (with Peter) to Petsmart to look at the shelter kitties there. Falling in love with a cat named Morty, who is going to come home with Patti in two weeks (yay!).
- Driving around trying to find a good spot to watch Rhythm & Booms. Pulling over and putting the hazard lights on next to James Madison Park. (We weren’t the only ones.)
- Taking my parents to Hubbard Avenue Diner and Olbrich Gardens.
- Trying yet another spectacularly good flavor of Michael’s Frozen Custard (PB Crisp).
- Starting a new knitting project. Ripping a huge chunk after losing my place and creating an inadvertent jog in the lace border.
- Getting the nerve to wash my recently completed T3 sweater, after looking at it nicely folded on the sofa for several days.
- Working on web stuff but obviously not updating my own site.
- Deciding that a lame list will have to do.
July 1, 2005 at 8:24 am · Filed under mememe!
There are exciting things happening now and yet you are a bit cautious about just jumping in. You know what’s to be gained by going out into the world and acting with confidence, but you see better reasons to stay in the office or at home, letting others step into the spotlight. Go out and take a risk. Push yourself beyond your normal limits. This won’t last long and you’ll surely have fun once you are in the swing of it.
Right after rolling out of bed, I went on a walk with Pete and Foxxi. It’s breezy and beautiful today — a big change from the past few weeks of sauna-like weather. I’m planning to knit, eat cake, see a movie, and shirk responsibility. Ahh, birthdays.
