Graduate School Application Freak-Out

I'm not an idiot. I'm generally described as driven, motivated, and professional. I'm good at problem-solving and reading comprehension. I am, however, excellent at procrastinating.

I am also somewhat lacking in the realm of decision-making. For example, when I decided that I wanted to be a pharmacist when I was a senior in high school, I decided that the safest and most responsible decision was to apply to a college with a pre-pharmacy and a professional pharmacy program.

A College. As in one. As in I only applied to one college when I was a senior in high school and hoped for the best.

I am incredibly lucky. I got into that school, and have been attending that college for five years because halfway through I had a minor identity crisis (which revolved around the sudden realization that not only was pharmacy a shit job, but that I also didn't have a high enough GPA to get into that program and, as my advisor so kindly said, I never would) after which I changed over to a similarly challenging but infinitely more forgiving P/Tox major.

P/Tox is basically pharmacy school without all the stupid professional practice crap. I know all the cool sciency shit without having to know a single fucking thing about practical application of the sciency stuff. I totally know how all those cool drugs work, but could I dose them? Nope. Would I catch interactions? Nope. I can, however, calculate how long it'll take for a drug to drop from toxic to therapeutic levels in the case of an overdose. This, obviously, is a useful life skill.

With a Bachelors in P/Tox, I would be able to hold a pipette and do boring science things for people who have had more schooling than me. I want to be one of those people with more schooling who therefore get to make the cool sciency decisions and figure out cool shit and possibly win a Nobel Prize for my cool sciency shit, so I decided last summer that I wanted to go to grad school.

And, fortunately, the professor that I work with was all like, "Dude, I'll totally write you a letter of recommendation! Where do you want to go to school?"

*crickets*

Me: "Um...here?"

Him: "If you wanted an assistantship, I'd totally like to have you be a TA and work in my lab some more. Because you've been totally fucking rad so far."

Me: "That would be rad. Let's do that."

Okay. So that's not what he actually said. He sounded much smarter and more professional than that. I'm paraphrasing because I can't remember how that actually went, but that was the gist of it.

So I checked out the grad school application. It wasn't due until Jan 1st. I, in my infinite wisdom, thought, "I have tons of time to finish this!"

Lies. I've almost completed the application, and it's 11:11 PM on December 31st. I'm currently wondering if a deadline of Jan 1st means Jan 1st at 12:01 AM or 11:59 PM. As in do I have a little more than 24 hours to finish this thing OR do I have less than an hour?

I have not found an answer to that question anywhere. However, I am only waiting on one letter of recommendation (the acquisition of which is akin to pulling a femur out of a still-living marathoner on speed) so all should be fine.

Unless, of course, the College of Pharmacy takes personal offense to my using two English professors at two different universities to write two of my three letters of recommendation, the third coming from my mentor and research coordinator. I am currently praying with all my might that neither of those English profs chose to write letters about why I should not get into grad school and should instead devote my time to writing the next great American novel and knitting them scarves and cute little hats because in reality that's what I'm actually good at: writing and knitting things.

I can make quilts and crochet too, but that's beside the point.

So provided that I don't end up not getting into grad school because the committee of people who let people into grad school and give them money to be a professor's own personal bitch decide that they want to read the next Great American Novel which I would then be forced to pen on torn scraps of paper because I would be an impoverished alcoholic because only impoverished alcoholics seem to write anything really, really profound...I should be in grad school next year, and getting paid to do it, and that would be really rad.

Because in grad school I'd have money and a direction in life. And if I don't get it, I'll be forced to complete an English major in addition to my P/Tox major and then be hopelessly confused and pulled in too many different directions for the rest of my life until I get into grad school (second try).

I'm double nervous because it took me two fucking tries to get into the program that I'm in now, and like fuck am I going to apply to grad school twice.

Well, I totally would, but I really hope that it's unnecessary.

Christmas Projects Continued

Today, I must finish my Mom's scarf (July is for Jag pattern on Ravelry), the Mongoose's scarf (a basic basket-weave scarf in a brown wool/alpaca blend) and my sister's hula hoop.

I finally crocheted the edging on Dad's hat. The gift Thorpe is languishing in my house (200 miles away from where I am right now) as is Amanda's fingerless gloves. The cripple's blanket is on hold because I'm busy finishing the pressing projects.

I also have on the agenda for today: helping make buckeyes, making bath salts (to be added to Christmas presents for friends at school), and ransacking my parent's house for things to make soup mix out of for the Boyfriend's family. Also, knitting his Mom's hat.

So, we're going to break this down into stuff that I'm going to do before I knit my mittens and stuff I'm going to do after I knit my mittens. Because I want my fucking mittens before the snow goes away and at the rate I'm going, I'm going to get around to making my own winter-appropriate knitted goods in May. Which is thoroughly pointless and quite a bit frustrating.

Next year, everyone is getting gifts from Amazon because next year I will have money because next year I will be a grad student who will hopefully have a stipend. Booyah.

Before mittens:
*finish Mom's scarf
*hula hoop
*Mongoose scarf
*start BF Mom hat

After Mittens:
*cute little owls
*finish BF Mom hat
*soup mixes for BF Family
*Amanda's fingerless gloves
*cripple blanket
*slipper socks for Em and Lauren

It's not like I'm going to see the people that those are for until well after Christmas anyway.

I should probably bake cookies for the people who wrote me letters of recommendation. That would be a good choice. Cookies...will be baked once I'm back at school. Sometime in January.

Classes start the 10th. I'm trudging through the reading lists for my English Lit classes. So. Much. Literature.

Why am I trying to do this much crap during this break? Shouldn't I be sleeping in and watching movies and reading blogs on the internet?

Nope. I'm not that cool.

Somedays I Make Things

Today has been an awesome making stuff day. I started out this morning making a dress out of a Men's XL dress shirt - which is incomplete because I predictably became frustrated (because mornings after poor nights of sleep are not awesome for thinking) and my bobbin suddenly ran out and I decided to abandon the project for the moment. Plus there were more important things to be doing today.

Like finishing my Secret Santa present. Which, by the way, isn't complete yet. The hippo part is done. I need to knit up some antlers. Then I need to fabricate a muumuu out of the lovely (and by lovely I mean absolutely butt ugly) orange paisley flannel that I found at Walmart. Then I need to work up some hot pink fishnet fingerless gloves. Then I'm done, damnit.

I finished the hippo around three today, then I promptly became distracted. When I become distracted, it's always by the most ridiculous things. I was stumbling over the internet while eating lunch and came across a youtube video of some bitchin' hula hooping skillz.

Problem: I have never in my life been able to operate a hula hoop. Ever. As in I have had a dozen people try to teach me, and I fail. Miserably. Repeatedly.

I put it on the list of things that my brain can't learn. Along with Medicinal Chemistry II. But that's a different story entirely.

When I say that I can't hula hoop, I mean that I can't keep a hula hoop going around my waist. I can do really cool things with my arms and I can keep it going around my neck and throw them and catch them while keeping them spinning. I had to compensate for my grade school recess hooping failures somehow.

So, I'm watching this video and I realize that I've learned how to do a lot of things from the internet that I never thought I'd be able to learn.

Problem. I don't own a hoop.

On a lark, I googled how to make one, and wouldn't you know that there are free instructions online. They seemed easy, so I went out to the Home Depot and did some shopping and came home and set to work.

Here's where I got the instructions: http://www.hooping.org/archives/000359.html

I used 180 psi 3/4" polyethylene tubing and a suitable connector. Getting the tube into a loop was the hardest part. The hairdryer mentioned in the tutorial did not work nearly fast enough to suit me, so I poured some boiling water over the tubing and man-handled it together.

I wrapped it first with black electrical tape to cover the numbers and letters printed on the tube. Then I wrapped it closely with purple then topped with a looser wrap of green. I love purple and green together, and my hoop came out looking pretty.

So I picked the thing up, stood in the middle of my kitchen, and gave it one final shot.

And wouldn't you fucking know, I finally figured it out. I was so stunned when it didn't fall to the ground that I forgot what I was doing and dropped the damn thing anyway. I don't know what planets aligned for that to work, but it totally did and I'm kind of excited about it.

Lee can't make fun of me for not being able to hula hoop now. :)

Some Things

Remember that green sundress that I was working on last summer? Well, I finally figured out how to make my sewing machine do button holes (which was more a matter of overcoming laziness than any increase in intelligence on my part) so I finished that sundress completely last week. I also fixed the awkward bunching that happened on the bodice. It's a cute sundress. I can't wait to make more of these with the other patterns I have hidden away in my closet.

I'm knitting presents at the moment. I have a hippopotamoose in the works for my Secret Satan for Mor'sereg. I'm working on a commissioned hat for a friend of mine that he's planning to give to his girlfriend for Christmas. I'm still halfway through the Picot and Lace Armwarmers. I still need to do the crochet edging on my Dad's Thorpe.

Yesterday I acquired some lovely gold fabric that I'm going to turn into a pair of pantaloons and a tunic (the same pattern as the wool suiting one in black).

I bought a book called Itty-Bitty Toys by Susan B. Anderson. I am absolutely in love with this book. I especially want to make the felted bouncy balls. I know so many people who would love them.

I received my GRE scores. I'm proud to say that I earned a 5.0 on the essay, which is right around where I expected to be.

I have the foam that I need for my shield in the garage as we speak. It is simply too cold to worry about foamsmithing right now.

I've pulled the garb items that I had problems with during the dag season for refurbishment. During the off-season, I'm planning to convert/salvage them. In particular, there is a pair of wrap pants made out of gold fabric with purple detailing that I made to match a purple mandarin-collar tunic which I never wear. I'm going to convert them into pantaloons (since I know for a fact that I will wear the shit out of some pantaloons).

Also, this upcoming week is my last week of class this semester. I'm starting to prep for finals, which draws me away from my fun projects.

I've also started to piece a quilt. So busy!

Quilt and NaNoWriMo

I began piecing a quilt today. The blocks are finished, they just need to be sewn together then I'm moving on to batting and backing and all that fun stuff. Oh, and I won NaNoWriMo.

Just sayin'. I'm a superhero.

Goodwill Finds

My dear Mor'sereg friends and I went to Goodwill yesterday, and it was the first time in forever that I've seen many of them and we had a most excellent time. I found some feastware for next summer in the form of wooden bowls (which I'm planning to polyurethane to make them easier to clean) and two lace shawls (one white, the other black) for night garb. I also found a larger wooden bowl - impractical for food and not remotely water-retentive - that I'm using to hold the skeins of yarn of knitting projects so they quit picking up the hair that I shed pretty much everywhere. A big bag of silverware for a dollar completed my purchases - I will never worry about losing silverware at Ragnarok again.

Christmas knitting continues. I started Thorpe for Dad. Knitting, crafting, and doing the things that I generally enjoy is on hold until next Wednesday because I have two exams and the GRE on Monday and Tuesday next week and desperately need to study for them.

Christmas Knitting

I have been deeply sunk into making Christmas presents and keeping up with schoolwork. Thus far, I have completed several new knitting projects which are being stored safely away in a closet. I've completed presents for Val, Aunt Suzanne, and Brittany (my AZO little). On the needles right now are presents for Jon, Carl, Tori (my sister), Lauren, Amanda, and my Dad. Most of them are a close to being finished, but as usual time is not on my side.

Friday, I have a drug design exam. Monday I have an Immunology exam and Tuesday I have a Pharmacology exam and the GRE.

I'm hopefully going to be activated for APO on Sunday. Saturday, I have the season closer and AZO activation to attend.

This weekend, I'm going to be holed up studying.

Tomorrow around three a couple of pledges are going to help me rake leaves. I love raking leaves, it's one of my favorite yard chores. Tomorrow I'm baking cookies as well for pledges who are going to have to paint the rock tomorrow afternoon due to an unfortunate run-in with the Pikes. Cookies should make breaking a long-held tradition better.

Age of Brass and Steam - Lakeside

I've now tried to start my Mom's birthday present three times. First, the shawl that I chose was going far too slow (the weight of the yarn was wrong, so I set it aside). Second time around, I managed to choose an appropriate pattern and a yarn that was in the perfect colorway, but unfortunately it contained 50% wool (a fiber she can't wear). So I've started again, using the same pattern (The Age of Brass and Steam pattern) and a 100% acrylic yarn in a deep, midnight blue. I'm midway through the second repeat of the stockinette stitch pattern. Pictures to follow.

Victories

I'm more than half-way through the TTL Mystery Sock pattern. I've down-sized the Cigar pattern to a glove that will fit my tiny little girl hand. That project is halfway done. I'm going (come hell or high water) to finish the gray stockinette stitch socks tonight.

And I earned a perfect score on my last Pharmacology exam, a first for me in the professional division. I can't believe that it's real. :D

I also successfully taught my boyfriend how to drive a standard transmission in a single evening. He drove his new car (a Chevy Cavalier) to work today.

Michigan, Fall Break 2010

I'm currently in Pt. Sanilac, Michigan for fall break. Mom and I went to look at vacation homes up here today. I'm thoroughly exhausted.

I have one repeat of the Little Trowels chart of the TTL Mystery Sock 2010 (sock #1, haven't even cast on the second one yet...that's for tomorrow). I'll be caught up by Friday, hopefully. I should probably learn how to do Kitchener stitch at some point.

I'm knitting yet another Felicity hat, because I currently have three socks in progress and I need something simple and straightforward. The yarn I'm using is Red Heart Boutique Eclipse, a worsted weight yarn (65% acrylic, 25% wool, 10% nylon) in colorway Tidal Wave. I'm up to the decreases on it, so it's nearly finished.

While I have enjoyed break, I can't wait to go home and have some time to myself. I've been surrounded by people 24/7 since I arrived at 3 AM on Friday night. All I want right now is to curl up on my couch with a cup of tea, my knitting and a movie.

Lee was supposed to come up earlier today, but his aunt came to visit from New York and he stayed behind to visit with her. I haven't seen him in a week. His friends hate me because he spends all of his time with me. What's the point?

I am very, very tired of this crap.

Making...a post of two days

So here's the post I apparently started writing yesterday:

So, today is turning out to be a pretty epic day for making things. For starters, I made an owl following this tutorial: http://moonstitches.typepad.com/photos/tutowlrial/index.html. I'm really pleased by this little dude, even though he lacks eyes (because I lack buttons). I picked up some gorgeous fabric to make a skirt out of, and I have several other little garb projects that I'm working on diligently.

I'm knitting Amanda a hat following the Shroom pattern from Knitty.com. It's a quick knit, and a hat that I particularly like so I figured that she would enjoy it as well. It's nearly done.

I'm going to be ordering some essential oils and other goodies from Atlantic Spice with my mom soon. On the agenda for Christmas presents: lip balm, lotion, bath oil and bath salts.

I bought some cotton dishcloth yarn today to knit dishcloths for Christmas presents. I'm thinking about knitting up little soap pouches for the soap that I've already purchased for presents. Also on the agenda: painting and decorating candles.

Random to-do item: crochet ties for the living room curtains. I get excellent sunlight for most of the day and could do without having the overhead light on all the time but the damn curtains won't stay open. I'm going to fix this.

Laundry.

And here's the stuff for today:
I declared my minors and filled out my application for graduation. Also emailed DW about my project for this fall. All and all, I'm getting a lot done today. I need to study some pharmacology.

Also, I need to do some toxicokinetics homework. :P

Also, I finished Amanda's hat yesterday. It's really cute. I'm well pleased.

Also, I made an owl yesterday. I need to make another one to accompany Amanda's hat and something else.

Lee is sick. I hope that I don't catch whatever he has.

I need to keep up with the online portion of my flash fiction class. Blarg.

Gift Knitting

I've been making lists of things that I'll need to start making if I'm going to have everything done for Christmas. As it stands, though, I have two belated birthday presents to get out before I become a thoroughly bad daughter/friend. Mom's shawl is about 2/3rds of the way done. I just cast on a hat for Amanda. The hat will only take me perhaps a day to complete (I have class and an APO meeting later tonight).

Oh, by the way, I'm currently a pledge of APO. It's a co-ed service fraternity. I'm very excited to be involved with this organization, though it is eating up a decent amount of my free time now.

I have not yet cast on my TTL Mystery Socks (2010 edition). I've cast on the second gray stockinette stitch socks that I've been working on (the completed mate to this sock is the first sock that I have successfully finished and I sat around yesterday for hours wearing just the one finished sock - because I'm awesome like that).

My boots are about ready to give out. I desperately need a new pair. I'm open to suggestions.

I absolutely have to get some work done before I have to go back to school for Flash Fiction. Pictures will be taken soon.

This has been an excellent few days for creating things. This past weekend I finished my Endpaper Mitts (not photographed yet), my Shroom hat (also not pictured yet) and my emerald Bombshell Betty hat (pictured below).






I also started a cranberry red fleece jacket. The body and hood are completed, but I need to find some fasteners and finish the sleeves, then figure out how i'm going to go about hemming/edging everything. Fleece doesn't lend itself to hemming in the traditional manner, so I was planning on zig-zag stitching along the edges to finish. I need to do some interfacing on the inside to keep the fleece from losing its shape and I'm also throwing around the idea of edging with bias tape. Interfacing naturally means that I'm going to have to find my interfacing collection.

I've finally been granted a sort of respite from the rigors of college for the time being. I have an Immunology exam coming up later this week, but that is all that I have to worry about.

I've frogged the TTL socks and have started a simpler pattern. Socktoberfest is coming up very soon and I recently ordered some Knit Picks Firecracker heather Stroll to knit the TTL mystery socks for this October. Since I've knocked out some of the WIPs that were sitting around, I can focus on the garter rib socks that I'm currently working on and will hopefully have them done by the time Socktoberfest rolls around.

As it stands, a trip to the library is in order. After that, a relaxing evening at home and hopefully some quality time with my boyfriend.

Things

Tomorrow morning at 945 AM I have the first pharmacology exam of the semester. Wednesday is my birthday. I'm turbo stressed about all of it. And I already took an exam today and had a piece of flash fiction workshopped today. My sympathetic nervous system is all ramped up. Time to go study some more.

FML.

At long last...Pictures!

Garb - Wool tunic and quilter's cotton pantaloons


Susie's Reading Mitts in Berroco Vintage, colorway: Gingham


Lavalette (TTL) - Some kind of superwash wool sock yarn from Mary Maxim (lost the yarn band)




Endpaper Mitts (Eunny Jang)



TTL Mystery Socks '09

On the To-Do list for today:
*Study Immunology
*Study Pharmacology
*Make other tunic out of leftover wool
*Work on Endpaper mitts

I love Sundays.

WIPs for September

Still working on Mom's shawl. Also in the basket are the following: Reading Mitts, Endpaper Mitts, TTL Mystery Socks '09, Ruffled Scarf, Yoga Socks, My So-Called Scarf, and the Sandman Scarf. I'm forbidden to start any new projects until I finish these. Ugh. It would really help if I was close to finishing...any of them. I have one Reading Mitt and one Endpaper mitt done. I'm roughly a third of the way through my Ruffled Scarf and My So-Called scarf. I have two or so repeats of the lace pattern of the Sandman Scarf done and a little bit more than the cuffs done on the yoga socks and ttl mystery socks.

In other news, I went running tonight and went much further than I thought I was going to. Some hooligans hooted at me from their passing Honda, which was both an ego boost and kind of disconcerting. I've never had that happen when I've gone running on the streets where I live before and frankly I'm quite shocked. My neighborhood consists of families and retired couples. We don't have a lot of teenagers running around (being hooligans). It was an absolutely beautiful night while I was out - cool, clean air...peaceful weather - and I found myself feeling sad about the changing seasons. I love the summer and will miss it dearly. With the Fall comes opportunities to curl up under blankets, indulge in slippers and woolly socks and shawls and scarves. I'm finally going to get to wear the fingerless gloves that I've been making this summer.

I'm going to be far more inclined to settle down and stay in and work on the projects that I have piled up from summer. It's already down to 69 degrees in my house and the sun has only been down for two hours. I think it's time to change out of work out clothes and put on some warm, cuddly pajamas and get a cup of tea and relax for a bit before I go to bed.

Labor Day Weekend Wreckage

My house is a mess. I have projects to finish up and homework to do. Projects to finish include Reading Mitts and Mom's birthday shawl. Homework: Flash Fiction online stuff, reading Immunology, reviewing and starting to study for Immunology and Pharmacology, and two Toxicokinetics homework assignments (metabolism and elimination). Laundry needs to be done. Grocery shopping needs to happen. General straightening and cleaning needs to be accomplished. Various spiders need to meet their demise.

It looks like today is going to be me versus my house while being read The Birth of Venus (because it's due back at the library tomorrow).

Later tonight, date night with Lee. :D

My Thanksgiving

I am so thankful this night, before any other night, that I have the good friends, the colleagues, the structures around me, the love that I send out and receive on a moment's notice, the academics that keep me going, the security and stability of my present situation, the respect I have earned for my hard work and creativity.

I need to have the courage to stand on my own again, though I never wanted to be this pendulum woman. A year is our mile marker and we've past it.

I don't want to live a lie anymore. I don't want to be Atlas with his world on my shoulders.

I am too much for this. But, then again, any woman is.

Some Good News

This week has been a shit show. I'm sick of the PharmD's and their pompous attitudes. I'm sick of the freshmen and their cluelessness. I'm sick of sophomore commuter students who forget which side of the road they're supposed to drive on. I'm also sick of the work already (that sure didn't take long). I'm frustrated with the people around me being fairly insensitive.

I finally received some good news today, which is really the first good news of the week. I finally spoke to my advisor and am officially starting the application process for graduate school. I'm going to be pursuing a Masters in Pharmacology then going on to PhD studies in either Biopharmaceutical Engineering or Experimental Drug Therapy, both of which are PhD programs that will come into being in the next two years. I'll be among the first students to pursue either of those PhD programs and I'm excited about it.

He also said that I had a good chance of getting an assistantship which will pay for my tuition and give me a stipend. This is another thing that I had been hoping for.

It is an immense relief to have those parts of my future nailed down. This is my last year in the Bachelors program and I was beginning to worry about what I was supposed to do after I finish this. I had some vague ideas about graduate school and I'm glad that I have a course to follow and an ultimate goal that has been defined.

School

I'm not taking a particularly heavy course load this semester, but I'm already feeling the stress. Flash fiction pieces to write, texts to read, notes to review and homework is piling up at rate that is downright overwhelming.

After I finish this post, I'm going to go outside and cut the grass. It has gotten offensively long in the past few weeks and I don't want my neighbors to freak out. Plus it's cooling off which makes it a little more pleasant to be outside (and the bees and wasps less likely to be out - wandering around and pissed off).

Then I have several chapters of text to read and some writing to do. I have no idea at the moment where I'm going to go with the piece I need to write for next week. It's going to be written today, one way or another.

I'm still working on Lavalette, TTL MS 09, and another One Day Beret (with the Marlin KP Comfy sport). I made a pair of pants yesterday but I don't have any pictures yet.

Grass. Yuck. Did I mention that I'm allergic?

Busy

School officially started today, bringing my summer of gleeful freedom to an end. I like school, but I find it utterly exhausting sometimes. It helps that I'm finally pursuing something that I care about, regardless of what other people think of it. Though I am rapidly growing tired of people hating on my major.

I'm never going to be a pharmacist. And I'm more than okay with that. I'm ecstatic. I'm thrilled. The moment I cast off the mantle of that potential future, I felt so light that only my toes touched the ground.

I also felt like writing for the first time in a long time today. That's what I love about being in a class that KM teaches. I feel so inspired, so challenged, so assured of my own talent.

It's cool enough tonight to open the windows of my house and let the breeze blow through. The crickets are singing and life is good. There's an empty beer bottle on the table with the last traces of sweat on the glass. The air smells like gin and I'm really bloody happy.

Mom's Shawl

Current candidates for Mom's Birthday Shawl:
Lavalette
Boneyard (with yo increases)
Age of Brass and Steam (with two additional repeats)
Yvaine (the only one on this list that I haven't already knit once before)

I like the lavalette because it drapes beautifully. I like the Boneyard shawl because it knits up quickly and has a simple, mindless pattern. I like the age of brass and steam shawl because the eyelet rows are bordered by purl rows which I think look fabulous. Yvaine made the list because it's named for a character in my Mom's favorite movie, Stardust.

Now I just have to decide which one I want to do.

Ball Winder and Pima Cotton Yarn

I was unexpectedly gifted two 50g balls of Knitpicks Comfy Sport yarn in colorway Marlin. It's 75% pima cotton and 25% nylon and it feels absolutely delightful. I also received my Knitpicks ball winder, which has provided thus far several skeins of enjoyment. My mom even convinced me to rewind some yarn she frogged from a sweater.

Now I'm trying to decide what to do with the new yarn. I saw it and immediately wanted to knit a hat out of it. It's so deliciously soft that I want it close to my skin, but there isn't enough for a scarf. Which leaves hats, armwarmers, and cowls as options.

Either way, I can't wait to cast on. I'm a Knitpicks convert. :)

Sinking

That familiar sinking feeling has taken up residence in the region of my stomach. School is starting soon. Goodbye to the lazy summer days, the simple world of labwork, and the long evenings of knitting and hanging out with friends.

I received my textbooks in the mail today. Pharmacology and The Immune System. I glanced through them and felt the rusty cogs in my brain starting to turn. It is not going to be easy to get back into that groove.

I checked out The Birth of Venus from the library. Next time I'm planning to check out Middlesex (which I've read before and loved).

I'm still working on (and loving) the Lavalette shawl. My third socially acceptable blanket of the year. I may reach ten shawls in 2010.

I'm also still working on my TTL Mystery Sock '09. It's slow going because I want them to be done properly so I'm really focusing while I work on them. When I want mindless knitting I turn back to Lavalette.

My other projects are hibernating until I finish those two projects. I can't wait to be the proud owner of my very first pair of hand-knit wool socks.

I also reorganized my office today. I really need to acquire a work table so that I can permanently move my sewing machine off of my desk. I also set up my printer for the first time since I moved into the house. I've been making do with the printers at the resource room and the lab, but the new resource room doesn't have printers set up yet and my lab's printer isn't hooked up to the computers yet. Everything is drastically behind schedule.

I'm thinking about making a casserole type meal for dinner. The problem is that the recipe I want to use will make a TON of food. I suppose I could send leftovers home with Lee.

Never mind. I'll just get out some chicken and we'll bread it and fry it for dinner. Maybe I'll run to Monnette's and pick up some fresh veggies.

Lavalette, Lazy Vivie, and TTL Mystery Socks

I cast on three new projects today. Insane, I know, but I'm feeling particularly ADD today and took the day off from the lab (as a weekend from my weekend).
Here's the Lazy Vivie, which is a mod of the Lazy Susan beret pattern on ravelry.


Raveled

Here's some pictures of FOs:



Green Wisp



Lazy Susan Beret



Gray One Day Beret

And here's some WIPs:



Lavalette from TTL




Paton's Yoga Socks

And I've also CO the TTL Mystery Socks pattern from 2009. I don't have any pictures of that one yet because I'm not sure how long I'm going to stick with it. I have a mental block against socks, but once I finish ONE pair I'm sure that I'll be over it. That's the way it was with shawls anyway.

I'm totally in love with the Lavalette pattern right now. I'm almost finished with the second repeat of the stockinette stitch section, which I've been working on while watching Pawn Stars and American Pickers. I love antiques, knitting and the superwash wool I'm working with right now. It's been an excellent Sunday-like Monday.

Tomorrow, I have the ribbon cutting ceremony and the open house at the new campus, which means I'll need to be professionally attired and professionally mannered and babysit the lab for a few hours.

I'm going to be going home to visit the family either this week or next week. Sometime before school starts. I miss the whole family and being at home and such.

Mary Maxim Tent Sale

I've acquired enough yarn to work up all the patterns I have queued for Christmas presents now. Sock yarn for $1.97/50g ball? Yes please! Also noteworthy: Angora/wool blend light worsted weight yarn $3.47/50g ball in deep blue, which I'm going to use to knit Lee's Mom a hat.

I CO a new beret today in some lovely green-blue-pink-purple variegated yarn. They sound like they'd be a little bit intense together, but it's actually quite pretty and I'm pleased with the amount of progress that I've made thus far.

Also, my Mom ordered me a ball winder today. I'm really excited about that.

On the agenda for today: making salsa from home-grown vegetable goodness and whipping up a double batch of Crispix Mix (the one snack food that I never get tired of). I might go so far as to bake cookies later tonight. And working on my beret.

I finished the One-Day Beret. It's going to be splendid for this winter. I'm beginning to think in terms of mittens again. Or fingerless gloves. Or something.

More Finished Projects

I finally finished Wisp, and a few minutes ago I finished Crankshaft and set it up to block. I'll be able to give it to Dad this weekend if he comes up to visit with Mom. I'll take pictures tomorrow because it is simply too hot to spend too long outside and my house is far too messy to photograph.

I'm thinking about casting on the One Day Beret from TTL. It looks cute and I have a skein of gray wool worsted-weight yarn laying around waiting to be used. In fact, it's sitting on the table next to me, staring at me ominously. I think I'll make the beret. I know I'll wear it. I'm a sucker for hats.

I just had a cool idea. So the One Day Beret alternates rows of knit and rows of increases. What if instead of a knit row I did a yo, k2tog eyelet row? Hmmm....maybe on the next hat. I want to work through the pattern once before I start changing things.

Gathering of the Damned and a CO

The Gathering of the Damned, Mor'sereg's first day event, was yesterday and it went extraordinarily well. 113 people showed up, feast was a success, and the battle scenarios were excellent. We had a fabulous time.

I showed up around 9:45 AM, ran some errands for the unit leaders, helped with weapons check, set up the city battle with the help of Pan, Dracius and Koru. Fought in the city battle, went and helped with feast, was a res point with a water gun for the final pick-up battles, then walked the field and helped clean up. I was a busy, busy girl and now I'm exhausted and choosing to laze the day away.

I cast on the Paton's yoga sock pattern a few days ago while waiting for DW to show up at the lab. I don't know how I feel about the stitch pattern that the pattern uses, but I want to work it through and see how it looks finished and so that I can understand how the pattern is supposed to work. I'm planning to participate in Socktober so I'm easing myself into sock knitting.

Plus, I think the yoga socks are cute, and my house is cold during the winter.

I'm also still actively working on my ruffled scarf and Wisp. I'm about ready for Wisp to be done, but I keep putting it down periodically to work on other things. I'm probably around a third of the way through it. I'll work my way through it today. After all, I'm not doing anything else.

An aside: I'm watching the History Channel while I'm writing this. They are talking about how humans might have been genetically engineered by aliens. That the angels of the Judeo-Christian tradition are actually aliens. That God is just an alien. That we were created "in the image" of aliens.

While I, as a scientist, am intellectually entertained by this concept, I'm a little put off by it simply because it makes Earth look like a science experiment by some superior race on another planet. I wonder if they (whoever they are, if they exist) have the same allocation-of-funds problems that research here on Earth has. ;)

Official Endings and Official Beginnings

First, the endings:

I am officially free of Campus Village Apartments. I moved out early in March due to safety and maintenance issues including my car being broken into, the belligerent fights outside of my apartment at all hours of the night, and the inability to get anything fixed (even the things that were broken when we moved in). I have been forking over 375/month for the privilege of NOT living there ever since that date after I received a very nasty reply email from the manager in response to my letter regarding safety as my primary reason for leaving. Including March (I only lived there for a week of that month), I've paid them $1,875 to not live there until my lease was up. I don't suggest that anyone ever live in that particular apartment complex. It's a foul, disgusting rat hole full of delinquents and crime. In particular, I remember having to go to a local coffee shop to study and do homework on the weekends because my neighbors loved sports and would blare them as loud as their TV would let them, and despite filing numerous noise complaints nothing ever changed.

In summary, goodbye and good riddance you bastards.

I also cashed my very last paychecks from Rite Aid today, signifying the very, very end of that whole fiasco as well. I worked at that store for nearly three years, and the only reason I quit (aside from my boss being a passive aggressive slut) was because I wasn't getting hours anymore (because my passive aggressive slut boss was giving my hours to her brand new, shiny interns).

In summary, goodbye and good riddance you stupid slut.

And as for beginnings, all of the boxes have been safely transported to the new campus and now the laborious task of unpacking begins. Today I unpacked and set up the student office area and the ordering computer in the lab. DW never showed up while I was there and I had too many things to take care of this afternoon to go back, so the actual lab equipment has yet to be freed from their boxes. Not that that is terribly important. Our fish are still on Main Campus, so we're on hiatus until that part of the move is complete.

I also finished the herald's tabbards today (finally). I promised myself I wouldn't put them off until the night before the event...and it isn't dark out yet, right? :)

I also CO the Paton's Yoga Socks. I've really gotten back into yoga lately, as well as running and hiking. Today, I started out my day with yoga, then took a 3.3 mile hike at one of the metroparks. All and all today has been a very satisfying day.

Now, I desperately need a shower, then some friends are coming over to hang out. I'm excited. :)

New Lab Space & Pictures

Green Wisp
Corrected

Felicity #3
Berocco Vintage

Cursed Ruffled
Lionbrand Thick and Quick (rejected Maeo's Scarf yarn)

Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief
Caron Simply Soft in Plum Heather

We officially moved to the new campus today. I've been busy all day directing movers and starting the laborious task of unpacking. It took me a month to pack everything, so I can only imagine how long it's going to take to unpack. Less than a month, certainly. Probably around two weeks, depending on how much help I get.

I'm going to be sewing the herald's tabbards (finally, I know I've been saying that I'm going to do it for a month now) tonight. After I am finished at the lab today. I need to dig the example out of the Eryndor weapon's check box (which is currently in residence in my garage).

The Mor'sereg day event is this weekend and I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a very fun event from what I've observed. I'm probably going to end up heralding for a good portion of the day, but I'm hoping to get to fight in the city battle. I haven't been fighting particularly well lately. I've barely fought since Ragnarok and the last practice I went to I blatantly sucked. I have a hard time staying focused on Dagorhir when I have so many other things going on.

For example: laundry needs to be done. Boxes need to be unpacked. Tabbards need to be made. Writing needs to be...written.

And let's not forget that the school year is going to start soon. So on top of everything else there will be school things.

I know I'm not actually that busy. Or that I don't sound that busy. But bear in mind that I go to the lab at 8 AM, come home for lunch sometime between noon and two, go back sometime between three and four, and stay there until six or seven. Then I come home, cook something for dinner, and before I know it it's ten at night and I'm exhausted and no longer feel like doing anything.

Oh, and I'm way behind on yard work. I need to cut the grass and spray poison again. There are still branches that need to be taken back to the burn pile.

Ugh. Time to go accomplish things.

Writing Endeavors and New Projects

I've been working on revising a poem for potential publication. Unfortunately, I won't be posting it here and will have to take down the draft that I posted earlier. Suffice it to say, I'm trying to channel more energy towards my writing and less towards other silly things (like the Food Network).

I CO the Grownup Booties pattern. I'm about halfway through the first one. I'm taking it with me shopping today since other people want to stop in stores I don't care about and I'll probably have some spare moments.

Speaking of shopping: Girl's Evening Out shopping excursion today. Amanda wants new professional attire clothes and invited a bunch of us to go with her since none of us have been to the mall lately.

I want a new pair of boots. My last favorite pair is now being held together with grip tape and have finally been resigned to yard work only.

I also want some DK yarn, but the Mary Maxim tent sale is coming up in only a couple of weeks so I'm holding out until then. I hope. It's so hard to stay out of Uptown Fibers.

Anyhow, gotta go. Shopping!!

Raindrops and Sleepless Nights

I had a hard time sleeping last night, so I woke up early and practiced yoga in the spare room (which is delightfully empty and will remain so until I locate a roommate that I'm willing to live with).

I just picked up a copy of the Fall Knitscene yesterday while I was out shopping and I immediately fell in love with this hat: gwynedd hat on Ravelry. I love the subtle lacework and the little bow on the side of it. However, I don't like hats that fit that tightly, so I'm probably going to go up a needle size or so and probably use a heavier weight yarn (simply because I don't have any yarn that weight in stash right now).

I finished my Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief yesterday. It's blocked and looking lovely, though it is too small to give my mom for Christmas. Looks like I'm back to knitting her a Boneyard shawl with yo increases to give it an airier feel.

I'm making progress on Wisp again. It's coming along quickly now that I've switched to circs instead of straight needles.

I CO a scarf yesterday (I know, I can't help myself). It's black and uses short rows for a ruffled effect. It's kind of slow going (due to the bulky yarn and the short rows...I just can't work as quickly with heavy yarn and big, chunky needles).

I plan to go running this evening once it cools off, provided that it isn't raining. Because it certainly looks like rain outside right now. It's gray and ugly. :( However, we desperately need the rain. And by 'we' I mean my vegetables and herbs.

I have to be in the lab today because they are transporting our chemicals to the HSC today. It's the first official day of our move over there, and I'm both excited and sad. I've loved working in the lab I have right now, and in the process of packing it up I have learned the stories of the many, many people who have stood where I have, worked as I have, and it makes me sad to eradicate them.

I have a double-helix keychain from a grad student in 1994 on my key ring and bones from an old anatomy display in my office. Pieces of outdated microscopes and old fashioned glass hypodermics, old glass bottles with frosted stoppers and metal spatulas. All these old things, all these old stories of objects abandoned in spaces that people considered at the time to be very personal, but which were all too public. I feel like an archeologist, peering into the lives of past generations.

Oh, and our burn rescue kit expired the year I was born. That's comforting. Our First Aid kit expired in 1997. I'm quietly suggesting that they be replaced.

I'm hoping that today is better than yesterday. I was in a foul mood yesterday. At the very least, I'm going to see Inception tonight with friends after a date night with Lee. So at least I have that to look forward to.

FO's and CO's

I finished my new Felicity hat - which is made from the Berroco Vintage in a gunmetal blue shade. It turned out much better than my first attempt (in red). I'm going to use the rest of this yarn to make a coordinating scarf - which will probably be striped or something...maybe I'll use coordinating leftover yarns from my other projects so the scarf will match with other pieces that I've made. I haven't decided yet. I used between 2/3 and 3/4 of a skein to make it.

I CO the Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief today, in some leftover Plum Heather yarn (Caron Simply Soft) that I had from my Sampler Scarf (last Fall - no pictures) and Maeo's Hat (his Christmas present). I have probably 1.75 skeins to play with. I'm willing to let this be a smaller shawl if I run out of yarn. If I run out, I'll make another one from the Caron Simply Soft Heather in Deep Teal that I have three skeins of. Mom will be happy with either color.

My Mom and sister came up to see me this weekend. We move the last of the things from my apartment to the house, and she took me shopping for more kitchen goodies. Like a cooling rack and a hand mixer, which will greatly enhance my cookie-making productivity. She also bought me a lovely sleeveless drapey sweater wrap thing at the Gap which is rapidly becoming my favorite garment.

My fridge is full of leftovers and I'm quite content to sit and knit and listen to a book on iPod after all of the hustle and bustle of the past day and a half.

I gave Marathos his hat on Friday and he loved it. I am well pleased. I just hope he didn't lose it at the bar.

Also, I finally replaced my broken iHome yesterday. It's so nice to not have to fight it every time I want to listen to a book. :)

Pictures of FOs

Mari's Hat - Loops and Threads worsted weight 100% acrylic yarn




Reverse Rice Stitch Cowl - Rustic Wool in pinks and Caron Simply Soft in black




Cabled Armwarmers - Rustic Wool in pinks.

This is my yummy knitted goodies for winter basket. I'm putting it by the door so I can grab warm things to wear as I head out the door.


Guess I haven't done any sewing in awhile, huh?


New yarn. This is currently being made into a modified Felicity for me. I love that pattern. It's great for watching the Food Network. :)

Psycho Researchers, Buses, and Chicken Taquitos

Today I learned that DW (the professor in charge of my lab) also believes that one of the girls who occasionally pops into the lab is completely crazy. This makes me happy because she's gone all bipolar on me more than once, shocking the ever-loving hell out of me. Silly me, I assumed that people who work together should be pleasant to one another. My mistake.

I was supposed to pick up my portfolio from Glenn today. That didn't happen. So everyone else got cookies except for him.

I still love riding the UT transit system. Especially if one of my dear friends, Amanda, is driving. The Art Museum route takes you through some pretty interesting areas. I forgot how many homeless people there are around Toledo.

I have discovered a love of frozen chicken taquitos. I had five of them for lunch today. Yes, I love food and eating.

I found two dogs in my back yard this morning. They wandered around and played for a little while, then left. I took a couple of pictures that will be uploaded eventually.

I finished my cowl and started Mari's hat yesterday. His hat is more than half done. I should definitely be finishing it today. Then I need to start Mom's shawl. And finish Maeo's scarf. Ugh. I just want to knit slippers for myself!

I need to return The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman. It was kind of disappointing. And I need to check out a new audiobook so I can finish some projects today.

In fact, I need to get a move on because if I don't leave soon to go to the library, I won't make it.

Mood: Contented

I baked some delicious Snickerdoodles today. Soft on the inside, crunchy around the edges. Perfect.

I also finished my cabled armwarmers today. I love finishing projects. Such a sense of accomplishment.

Just started a cowl with the leftover pink yarn and some black yarn I had in stash. It's a reverse rice stitch pattern and it will be my first attempt at a picot edge.

I found the Nanny on TV. I have a pot of blackberry sage tea on my coffee table and a lightly cerebral knitting project (those ptbl are not something I'm used to). I'm hoping that Lee doesn't show up at my house at 4 AM again tonight (or tomorrow morning, for that matter).

I was dead asleep. Then I woke up. And I didn't know what woke me up. So I glanced at the clock to calculate how many hours I had left to sleep. At that moment, I heard something. Now, I sleep with a fan on and the AC had just kicked on (which is what I assumed had awakened me, even though it never has before...not even when I first got it) so I had a hard time hearing whatever it was...Then I heard my bedroom doorknob rattle.

I silently wished that I had a baseball bat. Or my throwing knife (which I'm not good at throwing, but which is still pretty big and mean-looking). I heard a muffled voice outside my room. I stayed in bed, terrified to move, grateful that I had remembered to lock the door to my bedroom. My next thought was of my cell phone. Which was in my bag. Which was on the floor of my bedroom somewhere.

Finally, I got out of bed and crept to the door and listened carefully. I heard shuffling still, but it was somewhat familiar shuffling...so, in a low voice, I said, "Baby...?"

"Yeah?" Lee said.

God bless that man. I was so bloody happy that it was him that I didn't care about being rudely awakened at 4 AM because one of his roommates was being loud and angry and he didn't want to be around that house anymore.

Let's just say that if that doesn't happen again tonight, I will be so happy. But I'm going to do a couple of things differently. For one, I'm making sure that I have my usual collection of weapons in my bedroom before I go to bed. For another, I'm going to make sure that my cell is in a more convenient location. For example, plugged into the outlet within reach of the bed. These seem like good ideas.

Also, I should probably come up with dinner. Haven't had that yet...just tea and cookie dough. :)

Baked Brie and Cabled Mitts

So I started mitt number two today. I'll have it somewhat done before I go to sleep tonight. Lee and I cooked steaks on the grill and had baked Brie with pesto as an appetizer. It was utterly fabulous.

Unfortunately, in the last few days before the move, I had to help euthanize about ten fish from our remaining system. The remainder of the fish (six 10-gallon tanks containing between 6 and 10 fish each) will move to the health science campus sometime this week.

Today was spent boxing books and preparing chemicals to euthanize fish. I have an early day tomorrow so I should probably head to bed soon.

Dad's scarf is coming along fairly well. I need to start Mom's wrap for her birthday (Sept. 3rd), and I want to start knitting a sweater for myself. The closest I've come to completing a sweater for myself was the Rose Shrug, which hardly counts (and was only a dubious success).

So, after I finish these mitts and Dad's scarf, I'm going to start those two large projects. I know I can work up Mom's birthday present in a week, if I push.

And my next few little projects are these: mittens (for running in the cold, which it turns out that I like a whole lot better than running in the heat) and slippers (because we still haven't insulated the house properly and because I can never get the kitchen floor clean enough to suit me).

I don't typically wear gloves or mittens during the winter because I desperately need my fingers to be free even when I'm outside. I'm constantly fiddling with things that need traction. My car is a stick for God's sake and I hate-hate-hate when my fingers slip when I'm shifting gears. I also don't typically wear slippers but since my house was so cold last winter and because my kitchen isn't carpeted...I think I'm going to start.

I also need to buckle down and sew herald tabbards for the day event early in August. I have the material and thread...I'm just tremendously lazy and distracted lately. I have recently taken a great interest in things which can be completed quickly and offer a sense of instant gratification. Small knitting projects, relatively small and easy sewing projects, packing up boxes of small things...I like being able to mark things off my To-Do list with speed.

Also, I finally got a library card today. And I love the little library that is closest to my house. It's on the way to and from school, actually. It has a fountain in the foyer and little green arm chairs and a delightful din of voices in the background. Silent places make me nervous when I'm reading for pleasure.

Oh, right. I was going to knit and go to bed. Time to go do that.

Saturday Afternoon

First goal for today has been accomplished: sleep in. This was a near-fail because I woke up for the first time around 7 AM. But in either case, I stubbornly continued to sleep until 10.

Further goals for today: cleaning everything in this house. I'm going to reorganize the kitchen, vacuum the living room and hallway, potentially my bedroom too. Definitely the office (so many pesky pins on the floor...I've taken to leaving my slippers outside the door. I'm going to sweep the kitchen after it has been reorganized and vacuum (not dustpan - sorry to make that a verb) up the cremains of my meal-making.

Meals have been especially good lately. With air conditioning, I can justify cooking because it doesn't heat the house up too badly. Last night it was homemade focaccia crust pizza topped with mozzarella and feta cheeses and jalapenos from my garden. The sauce was some kind of green-pepper containing sauce that I would never have been allowed to use at home (my mother loathes green peppers and will not allow them or any products containing them into her house...I, on the other hand, and ever other member of the family loves them).

The night before last it was four-cheese risotto with fresh minced garlic. Risotto is one of those things that isn't particularly hard to make. It's just time consuming and a little labor intensive because you have to stand there and stir the rice constantly while slowly adding the chicken broth.

I don't measure things, but here's the approximates: 2 cups sushi rice, 4 cups chicken broth, two minced garlic cloves, one large handful of shredded Italian four-cheese blend (Mom buys me the containers of cheese at Sam's every time I come home. I use it in everything that I can). I think the four cheese are Parmesan, Asiago, Romano, and Provolone. I could be wrong though.

I am also currently hoarding a wheel of Brie that I'm going to wrap up in pastry and bake with pesto at some point, but since I can't eat the entire thing on my own I've been waiting for someone to come over and help me eat it. Preferably Lee. I know how much he loves pesto. I haven't seen much of him lately, and it's making me a little sad.

I started a pair of cabled armwarmers the other night, but they (and all my other knitting projects) are on hold until the blister I developed on Stackhouse day heals. It's huge and right at the junction of my right forefinger and palm. I tried knitting but (1) it hurts and (2) my tension is off. So I'll just wait and try again later.

I think it is time to get some breakfast then get on with the work.

Stackhousing and Knitting

Today will be devoted to laying out in the sunshine with one of my dear friends, smoking hookah, drinking wine and knitting. Though, I just went through my notebook on Ravelry and discovered that all four of my in-progress projects are scarves. This immediately made me want to work on another project, so I'm thinking I'm going to make some slippers today or something along those lines. Something that's small and full of instant gratification.

The four scarves in progress are: Crankshaft (for Dad), My So-Called Scarf (for someone), Lace Oriel Scarf (for Maeo) and Wisp (for me).

I'm putting Maeo's scarf off until last because I need to have a book open and read a chart in order to work on it, and I hate that. I can memorize just about anything less complicated than lace patterns.

Another option is starting my sweater so that I can have that done for Fall as well. Mary Maxim had what I call "sweater bags" of yarn on sale for $10/each when I was last there. Each bag contains ten 50g skeins of yarn - enough to make a sweater. I've never knit a sweater before, so my mom picked out a simple sweater pattern for me to try out to get my feet wet with large projects. I've knit literally dozens of scarves in the more-than-a-decade that I've been knitting, but the largest single project I've ever completed was the Boneyard Shawl that I completed a few days ago.

I've been lusting over my paint set for days now too. Unfortunately, I still haven't made it to Michael's to get a new bristol board pad and more of my basic color palette. I want to paint on fabric, but I don't want to invest in canvases when I'm so out of practice. My middle ground thus far has been to stretch fabric that I already have over a piece of particle board and staple it in place and paint on that. Hardly as satisfying.

I did, however, pick up a sketchbook yesterday and discovered that my drawing pencils have also disappeared during the move. So I need to pick some of those up too.

Fortunately, I have money in the bank and I still have two paychecks to cash from the job I no longer have. I have a day completely open to do whatever I want with whomever I want and that is most delightful. I feel like today is truly the first day of summer vacation (sad, I know) because it's the first day that I haven't felt riddled with worry about something or other. I'm perpetually running from one task to another, but not today. Today is for fun things and making myself happy. :D

Completed Projects, etc.

Brick Red Boneyard


Felicity for Tori

Outside, in the garden:

Basil


Cilantro


Cantaloupe


Roma Tomatoes


Jalapenos






Pretty Flowers


New patio furniture.

July, July

Today has been an interesting day. It started out bad, cycled to good, and has leveled out to the level of introspective.

The day started with a passive aggressive semi-confrontation with the Blonde One in the lab this morning. She's a decidedly unpleasant human being who likes to take credit for work she hasn't done, which irks me to no end. To the list of things that still need to be packed, add this: mystery object that she claims that she's going to pack, but won't. Frustration.

I spent the good part of the day with my boyfriend, which was excellent because we don't get to spend large chunks of time together that often. I'm always running to the lab and he's always running to work or other things.

I used my grill for the first time, and ate most of my meals today out on my back patio. It was lovely out - cool, slight breeze, scattered cloud cover.

Lee just left for the night, and I checked my email. I generally try not to play with my laptop when Lee is here. In my inbox was the reply to an email that I had sent earlier today to my creative writing professor from this past Spring. I had asked him if he still had my portfolio and if I could have it back anytime soon.

He replied to apologize for not getting it back to me sooner and to tell me that his life partner died. I can't explain how much my heart goes out to him. During the class, a member of his family died. This has been an incredibly stressful half-year for him.

He is an immensely tough person and was an incredible teacher for the semester that I had him and will do amazing work in the future - both on paper and with his students. He took zero crap from the problem students and helped the students who wanted to learn to succeed...and all the while didn't let the bastards get him down. And in academia, there are so many bastards and so few good students. I am honored to call him a colleague.

Home for the Weekend

I finished the Boneyard shawl. It's blocking out on the deck as I speak. I'll take pictures here in a little while. I also finished my sister's Felicity hat and she loves it. There'll be pictures of that later too. I have to visit the grandparents before I leave today, so I'm anticipating a late departure (in any case, later than I would like to be leaving because I'd need to leave now to make it to dag practice). Dad is changing the oil in Beulah, so I'm waiting on that too.

I was reading Cloth, Paper, Scissors yesterday and I really want to hand-bind a book again. I used to do that all the time, but i've really tapered off in recent years. I want to take up painting again too. And drawing. And pastels. I dug up all my old brushes, paints and pastels yesterday and have packed them up in boxes to take them to Toledo. Cannot for the life of me find my bristol board tablet. So that, and the primary acrylic colors need to be replaced. I found a whole bunch of my grandmother's old oil paints. I have no idea if they're still good or not, but I'm going to play with them anyway. I found some old canvases downstairs too. They just became mine. :)

Mom is probably going to take me shopping today as a consolation prize for missing dag practice again. I haven't played dag since Ragnarok. I'm really starting to miss it. In any case, I hope that my consolation prize today is outdoor furniture in the form of a pair of chaise lounges. That would rock my day. My back patio desperately needs a little help (first I need to get rid of those pesky anthills though).

I can't wait to set up the gardens in the back. I can't wait to plan myrtle and day lilies around the patio. I can't wait to lay out my vegetable and herb beds. Mostly, I can't wait to eat home grown veggies.

I need to go check on that shawl. It's really hot and humid out, and while it was mostly dry when i put it out there, I worry about it and want to bring it in as soon as possible. The sun gets pretty harsh out there. I don't want it to get bleached or anything silly like that.

Oh, and I made this:

Cinnamon Rolls and Herald Tabbards

I made cinnamon rolls out of a can for breakfast today as a kind of special treat. I'm currently between eating those tasty little nuggets of goodness and hopping in the shower. Today is going to have a later start than usual.

On the To-Do list for today: Goodwill to try to find a bag that I can mod, Jo-Ann's for yellow tabbard fabric and thread, locating at either store a black shawl pin of some sort, and collecting various hardware for modding. I want the bag to end up looking something like this:
I'm poor and can't afford the gorgeous ones on Etsy. However, I'm very crafty and clever and will probably be able to whip something like it together eventually.

I've been really inspired by the steampunk style lately. Not to an absurd amount; I'm not walking around in bustles and tiny little top hats and fish nets. I love the accessories though: the refashioning of old objects into pieces of art.

I think it's about time for me to get going with my day. I have so much packing to do before I take my lunch break, and I won't get to go about it at a leisurely pace today. *sad face*

Officially Freaked

So...I'm a very, very meticulous and methodical person. I do things in a very specific way for very, very specific reasons. These reasons are always logical and well-thought out, though rarely apparent at face value. I get a lot of, "Why the hell are you doing that that way? Isn't it harder that way?" then I explain and get the, "Oooooohhhh, I get it now."

And I am the principal person in charge of packing up my lab for the move to the health-science campus. Now, in comparison to some of the organic synthesis labs, my lab doesn't have a whole lot of "stuff" to pack up. We're a biology-obsessed lab with very minimal attention paid to traditional chemistry.

I left the lab last night fairly late, around 5:30 or 6 o'clock. I had been packing up glassware and between the moving materials and such, there was not a lot of free space in the lab, so I put the unfinished boxes against one wall, and the packing materials on a cart in front of the back window. Completed boxes went into the other half of the lab, leaving room to open drawers if needs be (though I can't imagine why, they were all empty and marked with red tape to indicate that).

I am the last, or nearly last, person to leave the lab. In a fit of helpfulness, I don't lock up the lab so that the guys can get into it in the morning if they beat me there. Aside from that, only three people that I know of have keys to the lab: the cleaning crew (who are incredibly absentee), DW and myself.

And to the best of my knowledge, the cleaning crew had absolutely not business moving the things that were moved, and do NOT have a history of moving things in the past. I've been in this lab for more than a year. I know it's rhythms and tempos better than most.

I was the first person to arrive at the lab this morning. The door was locked. I let myself in and immediately put on my lab coat and went to get a petri dish for fish-egg collection.

The cart was in front of the sink. The boxes on the window sill were on the ground. The empty, not-yet-assembled boxes had been moved behind a defunct incubator. Both partially packed boxes of glassware had been moved: one to a counter and the other to the other side of the lab. Two chairs had been moved. The biohazard bins were moved. The trash can had been moved. A box of packed syringes and glassware had been moved.

To the best of my knowledge, nothing is missing. And I have a pretty firm grasp of what is supposed to be there and what is not. What confuses me is that there is no practical reason to move the boxes from in front of the window. Unless someone was trying to look out, but even then, it doesn't make sense. What point is there in looking out that window? It faces the soon-to-be defunct boiler building and, at a distance, Carlson Library and the Student Union. There is virtually nothing to see there. Also, why the hell would the cleaning crew move those? Why would they move any of those things?

I briefly entertained the notion that they were trying to clean the floors...but that's highly improbable since they put more things on the floor. The arrangement indicated that perhaps someone was looking for something, though I can't imagine what. My lab notebook and the lab notebooks of the guys were sitting out on the lab benches. They were not disturbed. The cabinets were all closed, and for all I could see undisturbed.

Moreover, the placement of the items in the lab as of yesterday evening was one that expedited movement into the areas of the lab which are frequently high-traffic. The two incubators which were in use were easily accessible, as were the cabinets and drawers which we used on a regular basis.

Only one box was moved from the floor to a counter. There was nothing in the biohazard bins that shouldn't be there. The trash cans were empty.

I have run out of theories as to the reasons behind the strange rearrangement. My best guess is that it has become in vogue for drunk students to wander around wolfe hall at night. It is summer after all and the building is open to any student with an ID card.

The interesting thing is that, of the people I have spoken to in the pharmacology department about this incident, no one has witnessed similar activity in their own labs.

I'm thoroughly tempted to set up a camera of some sort to take pictures every few minutes during the night. Though my digital camera doesn't have those capabilities and even so, i wouldn't want to leave it in the lab while persons unknown are bumbling around it at night.

My two leading theories are random exploration by someone who is considering moving into our lab space after we move or some crazy animal rights activist trying to collect information about our alleged "abuse" of animals. More likely it's the former. My university doesn't have a huge problem with animal rights activists. They exist the way all student organizations exist: perfunctorily, and half-assedly. Besides, they're far too interested in improving vegetarian food options at the student union than trying to stop the three rampant fish-researchers in the pharmacology department. It's not like fish are cuddly and cute.

In other news, my copy of Start Spinning arrived today. Now I'm just waiting on my spindle and fiber. I really want to learn how to do this. It looks so interesting and entertaining. I love mindless, practiced tasks because they help me to empty my mind (which is usually so cluttered with projects and ideas and plans).

It is storming outside at the moment, so I'm going to put off finishing the grass for awhile longer. My garden can handle itself for the time being, and I still have to obtain a new oregano plant. For now, I'm cleaning my living room and kitchen because I'm going to be hosting a meeting tonight for event planning. I'm looking forward to seeing my friends and hammering out the details for our upcoming event (I say 'our' even though I am not officially a part of that unit for simplicity's sake).

And one final thing. I'm so happy that I don't work in a retail pharmacy anymore. I am blissfully relaxed and perfectly content, and I can feel my belief in the human race beginning to patch itself up. I was reading an angry pharmacist blog today and I felt so sorry for the pharmacy staff instead of feeling exuberantly angry with the pharmacy staff. I'm already beginning to feel like I am on the outside of that profession, and I'm happy about it. Maybe I won't end up with an ulcer by the time I'm 25 after all. :)

House work

It turns out that there are ground hornets in my front yard. Poor Lee discovered them while he was cutting my grass (as a surprise, I was going to do it later that day after I finished working at the lab). We can't quite figure out where they are, so my yard is sitting half-mowed until I can get rid of them.

I've got about six repeats of the 12-row pattern on the Boneyard Shawl completed. I frogged the striped scarf and am trying to decide between a 1x1 or a 2x2 rib (if i do the 2x2 rib, I was planning to do a left-twist on the knit stitches).

Almost finished with the first Charlaine Harris book on tape (tape here meaning .mp3 on my iPod). I'm loving it. Such delightful brain candy.

Renewed The Garden of Eden at Carlson Library today. I love books so much.

I've been trying to find a cheap pair of outdoor chaise lounges. I would love to be able to sit outside and knit and sunbathe in my back yard. Or read.

But, on the bright side, the interior cleaning has been finished. I packed two more cabinets of glassware at the lab and set up two tanks for breeding tomorrow morning. The guys cleaned some tanks on the system today so I didn't have to, which was amazing. The breeders that are healthy are getting nice and fat.

We've been having some trouble with the animal research facility that is supposed to be in charge of caring for the animals. They're supposed to feed the fish twice a day and keep the tanks clean. Thus far, they haven't been doing anything that they're supposed to be doing. I'm appalled that the administrative body that is supposed to be protecting the dignity and health of these animals forgets to feed them and lets them swim around in filthy water which will only result in their getting sick and dying. We've lost half of the new fish that were in isolation for the first part of the summer (that's how new they are) to parasites that would have been prevented if they cleaned the tanks more than once every two weeks. Breeding group 5, our best breeding group, consisted of three fish: two females (inky and dinky) and one male (dot). Thanks to the animal research facility, inky died. And dinky is looking sick. And I'm so pissed that I could spit.

It's not that I'm an animal rights activist. I'm not. I am, in general, completely in favor of using animals for drug research because in my mind the benefits outweigh the costs. These animals would not exist were it not for the need for research, and they're treated better than their wild counterparts for a huge majority of their lives. DLAR is, in many ways, better than my first apartment. It's climate-controlled, there's an abundance of food (at least for the cute, furry animals) and comfy, generous cages. There's protection from predators. (Yup, it's the opposite from my first apartment in just about every way).

The hypocrisy pisses me off the most. When I was being trained, they treated me as if I was going to beat and starve the little fishies and abuse them in any way I could think of. Or rather, that I already had and that they were reprimanding me. In the fifteen months since I was trained, I've stewed every day when I walk into the fish lab and find that the stupid technician that is supposed to feed the damn fish has decided that it isn't important.

It's not that hard to understand that fish are different from cute, furry mammals. It's not like you can leave a dish of food in an aquarium. Feeding is not hard. Turn off the system, feed the fish, wait about 8 minutes, if they're still hungry, feed them some more, rinse and repeat until they aren't hungry anymore then turn the system back on. And it's easy to tell if they're hungry, because they swim around the top of the tanks and fight each other for the little bits floating around.

The retard that they hired turns off the pumps, squirts less than the recommended amount of brine shrimp into the tanks, then flips the system back on. The dumb broad never feeds them the tetra flakes (which supplies the NUTRIENTS that they need, since the brine shrimp only supply protein). She never lets them eat. She turns the system back on immediately, which doesn't give them time to eat and sucks the food up into the filters. Which further dirties the tanks. Which they don't clean. Bastards.

the ultimate irony is that when animal rights activists get all in a tizzy about animal research, they get angry at us. Us meaning the people doing research using the animals. They side with DLAR, whose mission statement says that they protect animals. Such a lie. Such idiocy. I'm sick of being the bad guy, especially when I'm not. I have never in my life hurt any of the fish in the fish lab. My experiments are run on fish eggs, which the fish would eat themselves if I didn't collect them (and I'm not kidding, even fish find fish eggs delicious). It's a thin point, I know, but it's an important point on my moral compass.

I know that I can't do research on mammals. I've injected mice with drugs before, and I hated it. Fish are an entirely different animal (excuse the pun). No injections (at least, I don't do them), no force-feeding, none of the nasty stuff. Just dissolve the chemical in question in egg water and put the fish eggs in it.

I've tangented. I'm going to go back to knitting and listening to my book. :)

Pt. Sanilac, Michigan 7/1-7/9

So while I was in Michigan, I visited my favorite yarn store and purchased even more yarn to use in projects this summer and fall. I made a couple of things while I was on vacation, including these:

Twisted Sister Armwarmers

The Felicity Hat
(I'm making one of these for my sister for her birthday in a gorgeous shade of sky blue)

I started this striped scarf:

But I'm going to frog it and start over because the curling edges irritates the crap out of me.

I also purchased two skeins of pink variegated yarn from the Piece of Ewe yarn store in Bay City, Michigan. I was going to knit a pair of slippers out of them but I don't have enough yarn. :(

All patterns (except the striped scarf pattern, which is retardedly simple anyway) are available on Ravelry.com. Friend me: VivecaAsima.

In other news, I now own a grill and can't wait to start grilling delicious veggies and steaks on it. My garage finally looks like a garage now that all the boxes from the move have been broken down and recycled. My tomato plants are heavy with fruit and the jalapenos love their sunny corner of my garden. My oregano died, but there's a local greenhouse running a sale on plants and I'm going to go pick up a new plant sometime this upcoming week. My lavender, basil, chamomile, and especially the cilantro are doing very well. I can't wait to make homemade salsa from the goodies in my garden. I'm reading Wuthering Heights and The Garden of Eden (by Hemingway) and listening to Charlaine Harris's Dead Until Dark while I work and drive.

I'm currently doing laundry, which is a much-needed enterprise considering that I had already accumulated enough laundry to justify washing before I went on vacation. The front yard needs mowed. My living room needs vacuumed. the kitchen and laundry room floor need swept (because the men who installed my AC last weekend tracked dirt everywhere and left little bits of wire and plastic everywhere). And it's Sunday, so many of these things need to be completed before I go to bed tonight.

I am currently working on the Boneyard shawl in a lovely shade of deep brick red. I've completed 4 1/2 repeats of the twelve-row pattern. I can't wait to complete this shawl and block it. I have visions of myself wearing this with those nifty circle-and-pin shawl pins once it gets cool out. I absolutely love the color of this yarn, which is a 75%/25% Acrylic/Wool blend. I'm tentatively planning to make my Mom one of these for Christmas.

Next big project is going to be a sweater. I'm liking this pattern a lot: http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall07/PATTcherieamour.html. I'm sure that I have some bulky weight yarn laying around here somewhere, waiting to be used. Not going to lie, I would wear that sweater all the time.

Time to go switch loads. :)

Productivity

So, instead of writing or sewing or knitting anything, I've decided to give my blog an overhaul and to download a bunch of open-source writing goodies from the internet. I'm now the proud mama of Gimp 2, yWriter5, FreeMind, Scribus, and StorYBook. They're fabulous. I'm seriously starving for a new story idea so I can play with them.

I have officially quit my retail pharmacy job after much thought. There was nothing quite as liberating as telling my boss, "I quit." I've dealt with her antics for far too long, and it's silly to stay in pharmacy when my career path is leading me elsewhere. Double silly when the amount of stress and distraction it caused is considered.

I'll also be going on a little vacation very soon and hopefully will have some new material when I get back. Or at the very least, I will have fodder for new material.

pf&bl.