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. :)