Sarah's Amiables

What Teachers Make

2010-09-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

I just watched this video of Taylor Mali's poem, What Teachers Make.

I think it's fantastic. Must share.

Woolhead Works

2010-09-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

OK, I've decided: I'm going to do it. I'm going to transition my Etsy shop from Sarah's Amiables to Woolhead Works. I know it's kind of a big deal, but I want to do it.

Why? A couple reasons.
1. I really like the name Woolhead Works (see figure below). "Sarah's Amiables" sounds kind of lame an unmemorable. I want a shop name I love and feel proud of.
2. Revitalization. Sarah's Amiables was getting stale and disorganized. Woolhead Works will be fresh, and (hopefully) much more organized and cohesive.
3. It makes kind of a neat parallel with how I've changed my own name.
To maintain cohesion between my blog and my shop, I'm going to transfer my blog to woolhead.blogspot.com.

As for twitter, I'm changing my username to SarahWoolhead. I've found my twitter usage has become more personal than business-related, so I think I'll continue that.

I think I'll let facebook fizzle. It was a cool idea, but I don't have the internet energy to maintain it properly. I'll try to focus more on my blog.

So there it is.

Color-Texture

2010-09-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

Personality quizzes are fun, but crafterality quizzes are funner. Especially when they confirm something you thought already.

http://www.weavingtoday.com/blogs/madelyn/archive/2010/09/07/weaver-s-personality-survey.aspx

I am more color-texture driven than structure-pattern driven. It's true.

Free Poverty II

2010-08-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

Check it out! I've gotten much better at the whole world geography thing!

Free Poverty

2010-08-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

This is a fun game. You can donate water to people living in poverty by taking a geography quiz. It really reveals how little I know of world geography...

"Done Just Right"

2010-06-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of an art quilt that will be featured in the 2011 Quilting Arts Calendar. I Love It. So vivid, so warm, so unique... and such happy memories.

little updates

2010-06-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sore. Last Thursday we got a call asking if we would take pre-possession of the house we're buying, and immediately we learned we would close this Wednesday, so we opted for pre-possession, and have been moving all weekend. Lots of heavy lifting of mattresses and box springs and solid wood dressers and tables up the stairs, just Evan and me. Phew. I may not need to exercise for the rest of the summer.

Wedding is done, and it was awesome. Maybe tonight I'll post pics from my family on facebook. There are about 300 so far. Still waiting for the disc from the professional photographer.

I'm trying to get my head back into science mode so I can maybe graduate someday. I know I've got years left in my program, but it's all about getting the work done. I just had a meeting with one of my advisors, and I've got a LOT to do: write a grant, grab some more data and write a paper, learn about establishing and maintaining mouse breeders and colonies for our special genetically modified lines, iron out the best possible experimental design for an upcoming study (include behavioral measures? reduce mouse numbers?), learn a few new lab techniques, use said techniques to finish a study currently underway, begin another study to parallel the current (very large!) study in terms of experimental conditions but with a different means of analysis, and consider adding a study for potential therapeutic application of a new antioxidant agent one of my advisor's contacts has developed, while advising an undergrad and keeping him busy.

I want to huddle in a cozy corner somewhere and knit.

Super cool: grass sculptures

2010-06-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

I just came across this link today, and it makes me smile pretty hard. Take a minute and go visit!

13 Most Amazing Grass Sculptures

name changing

2010-05-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

I'm getting married in two weeks. (Yikes.) And I'm changing my name to his.

I've also been thinking about changing the name of my shop. I had originally decided on SarahsAmiables to include my identity and to keep my options open as far as what I could sell -- knits, jewelry, handbound books, whatever I felt like making. Still, I find I'm pretty much exclusively selling fiber-related items. And I find I'm still not particularly fond of the name SarahsAmiables. Yes, it's charming and friendly, but it's not descriptive, nor is it super memorable. So I'm thinking of shutting down that name and getting a new one.

My favorite idea right now is WoolheadWorks. I've been listening to an audiobook in which the characters keep calling this one guy "woolheaded," and I can't help thinking that it doesn't sound so bad, being woolheaded. It's funny and playful, and a little pun-ish, given that wool is my most common fiber selection. But just "Woolhead" sounds a little bare, not to mention that there's already a shop by that name. So Woolhead-something. "Designs" and "Studios" sound too lofty for me, but "Crafts" doesn't quite fit. I think I like "Works" for the alliteration, as well as its pragmatic sound; and it still keeps my product options open, moreso than "Knits" would.

So. What do y'all think? Stay with SarahsAmiables? Switch to WoolheadWorks? Something else entirely?

Baby Sweater

2010-05-23T10:26:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest listing on Etsy:

A baby sweater I knit, commissioned by my mother, for the daughter of my cousin. (Is there a name for that kind of familial relationship? The daughter of my cousin?)

I used Cascade 220 superwash wool. I bought two skeins, which was clever of me because the sweater took approximately 1.09 skeins. So, grr, I don't have enough in this color for a second sweater. This one was a lot of fun to make. I used Elizabeth Zimmerman's pattern from the Knitter's Almanac. I'm thinking about altering the pattern a bit, maybe changing the lace pattern, to see what happens. :)

I've also got a scarf in the works for the RNEST monthly challenge. It's blocking now, so it's almost ready!

wedding dreading

2010-05-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

Words becoming synonymous with "wedding:"

work
obstacle
expense
headache
trial/tribulation
time suck
money suck
distraction
complication
inconvenience
affliction
burden

even: deterrent

Evan told me yesterday that he looks forward to the day he could call me his wife. I thought for a moment and replied that I looked forward to the day after I could call him my husband.

Feline Favorites

2010-05-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

I have made my first treasury on Etsy! I call it: Feline Favorites.

Speaking of felines, Jude has developed a new endearing but not convenient habit. At some point in the very early morning, generally between 3 and 6 am, he leaps onto the bed, climbs over Evan's head, purring loudly, and paces on my pillow until I wake up. He then settles in the little space between me and the edge of the bed, so I have to spoon him hang on to him lest he fall. Of course I have to pat him, too. Very sweet, but I think I would more fully appreciate the sweetitude 12 hours later.

prayer shawl

2010-05-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I finally finished the prayer shawl I started way back at the end of December. I brought it home to Cheshire last weekend, and my mom will see that it reaches the proper authorities.

Mom has also asked that I start knitting mittens instead of prayer shawls. Most anyone can knit a prayer shawl, but the church knitters are afraid of mittens, and Mom has noticed that the homeless people she encounters when she does Midnight Run frequently lack and want mittens. I am happy to oblige, because prayer shawls bore me half to tears, and mittens are much more interesting (and quick!).

Recent Spinning

2010-04-28T07:04:00.000-07:00

I cracked out my Kromski Symphony after several months a couple nights ago, and presto chango, I have 4 more ounces of spun up yarn! I got the fiber from Maine Woods Yarn in the colorway "Erin."

I'm spinning it up as a sort of worsted-weight singles, though the resulting yarn is distinctly woolen. No, I really can't tell you what my spinning technique is. It's whatever I developed when I started on a drop spindle -- a sort of lazy short backward draw.

I'm so proud of myself! I let the yarn sit on the bobbins for a couple nights to de-energize, and last night I washed the yarn and hung it up to dry and set the twist. (I felt especially clever, propping metal rods over the top of the shower between the wall and the curtain rod, to hang the skeins from there, so they don't drip over the floor.)

What should I make?

Wedding Progress

2010-04-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

Tier 1
groom: √

Tier 2
wedding date: √
wedding location: √
reception location: √

Tier 3
Dress: √
Dress fitting: scheduled
shoes: ballet slippers obtained, but not completed
organist: √
service music selected: not so much
minister: √
service order: more or less
bridesmaids: √
groomsmen: √
DJ: √
music selected: working on it
menu selected: √
cake: not yet
rings: working on it
photographer: sorta

Tier 4a
Guest list: √
Addresses obtained: √√ (bonus check for hunting and pestering)
Save the Date cards: √
designed invitations: √
paper, envelopes, stamps for invitations: √
hand-addressed envelopes: √√√√√√√√√
sealed and stamped envelopes: √
mailed invitations: √ (almost all of 'em)

Tier 4b
Bridesmaids' dresses: √
tuxedos: silly lazy groom. no check.
Website: √
Registries: √
Local hotel info: √
Driving directions: √
Rehearsal dinner: in progress
Flowers: ... I don't really want real flowers because they die and cost more than the frigging dress... maybe I'll knit/crochet them.
Color-coded multi-sheet formulated Excel spreadsheet for RSVPs: √

Tier 5
Favors: got some ideas
Table naming scheme: again, some ideas
Centerpieces: 70%√
Card box: I have an idea. Just need time.
Guest book: ideas
Pen for guest book: √
Holder for pen for guest book: ideas
Cake topper: do I need this?
Gift log: √

Tier 6
honeymoon: If I make it through this, whatever happens after the wedding will count as a honeymoon by comparison.

RNEST April

2010-04-21T11:00:00.001-07:00

RNEST has had another monthly challenge, themed "Earth Day / Eco Friendly." I made this nest, shown above, as my dedicated entry.

Then, on a whim, I threw in this cowl, since I made it with environmentally friendly yarn, and I think it looks awesome.

Keep an eye on the RNEST blog and vote for my entries if you like them!
*Edited to add: the RNEST April Challenge entries post is up here.

A Couple Things I Love

2010-04-07T07:20:00.000-07:00

A quote:
Esther: First and foremost, there has to be passion. The world is full of stuff that nobody needs, dead stuff. When the passion is there, others will be able to see it too, and what you make will sell.
From the Etsy Quit Your Day Job article for Star of the East

This other Quit Your Day Job article about Dolan Geiman. He just seems like a groovy dude.

This project: turning the bottoms of soda or water bottles into a desk organizer. I'm working on it right now. I can always use more organization.

PhD Comics! I've recently re-rediscovered them.

The greatest non-action action figure

2010-04-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

Sant Fe II: Convention Center

2010-03-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

I really like the convention center in Santa Fe, much more than the one in San Diego, which was essentially a huge-beyond-all-reason hollowed- out cement block.

Here's one of the entrances. Adobe!

This is one of the halls. On the right are the doors to the room for the poster session and some of the rooms for the symposia and other presentation. On the left is a table with a constant supply of coffee, water, and soda.

In the main lobby there was a fireplace. I loved that fireplace! We weren't always sure that the heat was on in this place, so after a 2-hour long symposium, many of us would flock to the fireplace to warm our hands.

Santa Fe I: Around Town

2010-03-14T12:29:00.001-07:00

Two Fridays ago I flew out of Rochester to Santa Fe (well, Atlanta, then Albuquerque, then took a shuttle to Santa Fe) for the American Society of Neurochemistry meeting (sounds pretty dorky, huh). All the science kept me pretty absent from the blog, and twitter, and most things internet. But here's the first part of an account of my time there. (I'm breaking it into several parts because I find blogger cumbersome when there are too many pictures.)

Part I: Around Town

This is the first thing I saw on Saturday morning as I stepped out of my hotel room. What gives? I thought Santa Fe was in the southwest, in the desert! Aren't the southwest and desert supposed to be warm and sunny? As it turned out, Santa Fe was mostly overcast -- I only used my carefully packed sunglasses for about 15 minutes -- and we got a couple inches of snow.

I walked by this wall on my 1-mile commute to the conference center every day. Yes, there was a shuttle, but it only ran at the very beginning and very end of the day, and I thought 2 miles a day would be good for me. I love this wall. I saw something new in it every time I passed it.

This is the plaza near the conference center. I was surprised at how pedestrian-oriented Santa Fe is. I had expected something like New York or Boston, or maybe San Diego, with tall buildings and nasty traffic. Actually, Santa Fe reminded me more of small-town Oberlin than any city I've ever known.
This plaza was cool. On Saturday there were vendors out on the sidewalks, and at night, they lit up Christmas lights in the tree branches.

This is a cute little cafe where I got my first fend-for-myself lunch on Sunday. I was lured in by a sign outside promising sandwiches. The cafe was burried in the depths of a building filled with cool artsy shops. Walking past them was difficult.

Here is the Cowgirl Barbeque, where I got dinner on Monday night when I had no specific plans. Cool place. There's always music playing when you walk by, and all the waitresses wear cowgirl hats.

carzoocritters giant list

2010-02-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen this yet, go see it:
http://carzoocritters.blogspot.com/2010/01/giant-list-of-blog-topics.html

As advertised, it is a giant list of blog topics. Like, tons. I plan on using it.

For now, I'm posting it here, partly to share it with y'all, and partly (mostly) so I know where to find it when I need it.

While I'm sharing... this poor little robot couldn't handle the pressure.

Has anyone got a favorite lace yarn that they would recommend? I'm planning my knitting for my trip to Santa Fe, and I know I'll need knitting. I've read that lace is best for travel because it takes up no room and a ton of time. I'm not quite decided on a pattern, yet, either. Maybe two patterns: one brainless and one interesting.

Also, I'm proud of these:
I think that's a pretty good picture. *puffs chest in pride*

Motorcycle Parking

2010-02-23T06:36:00.000-08:00

I took this picture a while back, during that huge snowstorm that everyone seemed to get.

Where I have been

2010-02-21T11:38:00.000-08:00

Where o where have I been? A sort of forced break from blogging for purposes of part II of my qualifying exam. On Friday 2/19/10 I presented my thesis proposal and had my oral exam. I passed, and have earned my masters degree in neurobiology and anatomy. Friggin' phew!

Now that that's finished, I should have more time for blogging! Yay!

Simple Sewn Sachet

2010-02-02T18:26:00.000-08:00

Lab has been rough, lately. Yesterday was a 15 hour day, and the recent past and near future are filled with unsavory tasks. So I've been desperately craving the opportunity to make, to create. And I really wanted a project with a high payoff-to-time-invested ratio. So I decided: scented sachets. Very easy, very quick, useful, and using materials I had on hand.

Then I thought maybe I'd share how I made these sachets. So I went ahead and wrote a little tutorial. My first one. :) If you could give it a try, I would love to know if the technical aspects of posting the tutorial actually worked. I would also like to know if the directions make sense, or if my little annotations are too much.

I'm thrilled with the response to my giveaway! 106 comments! Wow! The winner will be announced tomorrow, and then I'll be mailing the scarf. Thank you so much to everyone who participated!

Big ol' Saturday

2010-01-30T13:04:00.000-08:00

This is turning into a big Saturday. Got up, watched Land of the Blind (a whacked-out movie. I can't tell whether I liked it or not), walked across the street to buy laundry detergent and deodorant, started laundry, cleaned like crazy, made and ate lunch, and now I'm sitting on the couch, listening to the president's meeting with a bunch of republicans. Interesting. Later, my brother and his girlfriend are coming over to make personal pizzas for us, and then all four of us (Jonny, Anna, Evan, and I) are going to the Rochester Philharmonic concert tonight to have a "grand old time," as Jonny said. I guess it's good to have productive Saturdays.

Last night I came across a new very cool blog, offering a free PDF for this project. I had to go to Joann Fabrics immediately to buy heavy weight fusible interfacing.

Not the best picture ever, especially color-wise, but you get the idea. Useful thingy. But I was reminded that I am definitely not a sewing person. My seams started out even and pretty, but by the end I started rushing, and the seams were considerably less even and pretty. Still functional, though.

On Thursday night I sang with Schola in Harmony for Haiti. The weather was atrocious, so the turnout was smaller than I had expected, but I think the concert was a success. I feel like a good person.

Giveaway!

2010-01-27T09:04:00.000-08:00

I'm having my first giveaway, and I am excited!

The item: a handwoven scarf.

Made with Araucania yarn (75% wool, 25% polyamide).

8.5" wide and 60" long, plus 4.5" of fringe on each end.

The color palette features soft pinks and purples with gentle streaks of white and occasional dashes of grey and gold. Good Valentine's Day colors.

To enter, go here.
http://rochesternystreetteam.blogspot.com/2010/01/wednesday-wellspring-sarahs-amiables.html

words for my niche

2010-01-20T13:38:00.000-08:00

I've been reading a bit about finding/making your own niche, which is both important and tricky in the world of Etsy, where there is a lot of very talented, very cool competition.

What is my niche? Or what might it be?

I thought a fun brainstorming game would be to pick out words that appeal to me for one reason or another, and that I would like to somehow highlight in my niche.

Some words that make me smile: wool, yarn, knit, fiber. Really good stuff of substance and potential.

I'm big on pragmatism, so useful should go in the list.

Aesthetic pleasure is important, too... beautiful, pretty, lovely, etc.

Simplicity really appeals to me, but not to the point of being spare.

Crafting etc is really fun for me, and I want that to come across in my niche.

I want my niche to be a pleasant, friendly place to be, to come hang out, have a cup of tea, and enjoy the crafts.

I think that's a good start.

The harder, longer-term bit will be actually defining my style. Or maybe just defining a part of my style. Is it color-oriented? Structure-oriented? Fiber-oriented? or something else. And how should I best express my style? Should it extend to the background I use for my pictures, for example? Probably. The challenge is that I like to try new things a lot, and many of the projects I return to are quite simple, because I enjoy the simplicity, I guess. The other problem is that I don't have enough time (never enough time!) to really focus on this issue and iron it out. I've got this pesky graduate school business to deal with!

What's in your niche?

knitted science

2010-01-19T17:53:00.000-08:00

I feel that it would simply be wrong for me not to post this link:

http://discovermagazine.com/photos/03-the-bizarre-and-brilliant-world-of-knitted-science

best craft room ever

2010-01-19T07:09:00.000-08:00

I am endlessly jealous of this craft room. It looks organized, and yet fun! I so want it!

http://lostmittenblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-and-improved-craft-room.html

zing

2010-01-14T06:27:00.000-08:00

Me: That would be an awesome super power, to get songs stuck in other people's heads and annoy the crap out of them.
Danny: Welcome to Britney Spears's world.

.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.

I've been trying my hand at making ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), since I suggested that we have an ATC exchange at the RNEST meeting on Monday night. These things are fun! As I said, they're like twitter for art!

.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.

I am pleased to report that I finished Evan's birthday present in time! With hours to spare! And he loves it. His dad loves it, too, and wants one of his own.

It is a reversible hat, with USC colors on one side, and U of R colors on the other side. It's basically two hats, so it's super warm.

.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.

Good things come to those who... enter a Halloween giveaway, realize 2 months later that they won, and sheepishly contact the giveaway hosts to see if they can maybe please still have the prize.

I received these sweet Halloween notepads recently from the Trans Canada Etsy Team. Those guys are pretty awesome.

doctors/knitters without borders

2010-01-13T10:17:00.001-08:00

I'm not often moved to give to charity, since I'm a fairly poor graduate student. But today, with the crisis in Haiti, I was. This post from the Yarn Harlot finally pushed me over the edge, and I gave to Doctors without Borders.

I encourage you to go read the post and do the same.

featured!

2010-01-11T13:47:00.000-08:00

Today my shop was featured at http://giftsbyartists.blogspot.com/, a blog for interviewing and promoting handcrafters and artists. You should go check it out. I got an interview. :)

Knitting Priorities

2010-01-07T08:12:00.000-08:00

Priority projects:
1. The colorful, wooly scarf. I'm so close!
2. Evan's birthday present. I have 5 days. That's pretty close.
3. Katherine's hat. Haven't even started this one. I decided I had to make her something when (surprise!) she gave me a Christmas present. Damn, outfoxed! But I have the yarn, and I have an idea of the sort of hat I want to make. Just need to get projects No.s 1 and 2 out of the way.

Meanwhile projects:
more fingerless mitts for my shop
bookmarks, for quick satisfaction projects, and for my shop

Not quite forgotten projects:
- the wedding afghan for Izzie and Thatcher. I need to find that pattern packet...
- improv lace scarf. Shetland wool, and an improv pattern with diamonds, started last summer.
- lacy scarf for Jen, who helped Evan pick out my engagement ring, and who will most likely make our wedding rings. (Darn, I need to get on that, too.)

old news

2010-01-05T19:14:00.000-08:00

I was sitting here, thinking, "I should write in my blog. But what should I write about?" Then I recalled: "I took a bunch of pictures a while ago! I'll look through those and write about them!" Then there was the problem of picking which pictures to write about...

I'll go with some old news. A year and a bit ago I knit a sweater for my brother. (My fiancé wants a handknit sweater, too, but I'm superstitious, so he's not getting anything more than a hat before we're married.) Jonny loves this sweater and actually wears it without my prodding! Here are some pictures of him on Christmas morning. (Well, Dec 26. We had to postpone Christmas in Cheshire by a day because I had to play the Christmas Eve midnight mass in Rochester.)

Appreciate the sleeve cables:

Some new year's knitting recap

2010-01-03T14:44:00.000-08:00

There has been much knitting lately!

I am pleased to report that I sold three items from my shop, and accordingly bought three skeins of yarn for a prayer shawl. I got started on it in Cheshire, CT.

I also got started on a scarf from my handspun. The stitch is "mistake rib," which makes for a neat ripple effect.

I've moved on to the next ball of this yarn, and the colors shift at a slower rate, which I like better. I must have predrafted it differently.

it's too late to blog

2009-12-29T20:18:00.000-08:00

I keep telling myself I'm going to blog during the day. But then I'm knitting or weaving or napping or something, and then it's 11:00 at night, and I think "it's too late to blog now. I'll blog during the day tomorrow. That will be better." Today I was even going to blog, but I couldn't find the cord to connect my camera to my computer, so I couldn't share any fun pictures here. Boring.

Now I have found the camera cord, and loaded some pictures, but it's too darn late, and my sister's dogs are waiting for me to come to bed. So here's one fun picture.

This was a week ago. I criticized Evan's choice of socks. He just replied: "It's Christmas."

MKFD

2009-12-23T11:21:00.001-08:00

For my blog entry today, I'm writing about a cool shop: http://mkfd.etsy.com.

Lilly makes a wide variety of jewelry items, as well as some adorable 3-dimensional beaded animals. (You'll see one below). I appreciate that her work is affordably priced.

Here are some of my favorite pieces from her shop.

Goldstone Wire Wrap neclace

I am a big fan of the Goldstone Wire Wrap neclace. The pendant is glass infused with flecks of copper that sparkle. The chain isn't simple, either, but is adorned with smaller beads. This piece looks simultaneously elegant and rustic.

Sushi earrings

Now these earrings are fun. Made with clay, they would be a cute accent to make people look again and say "oh, you really do have sushi in your ears." I love sushi.

Blue Abyss Neclace

This is an elegant charm on a variable length chain. It also strikes me as being distinctly feminine. And it looks flexible -- you could wear this with casual attire, or use it to dress up for a formal event.

Swarovski Crystal Penguin

I could not review this shop without including this penguin! He's a very cleverly constructed little fella. At about one-and-a-half inches tall (cute!), you can wear him as a pendant, hang him as an ornament, or let him stand on his own.

So there ya go. If you're in the market for Swarovski Crystal Earrings and Unique 3D Gifts, click the link. :)

switcheree

2009-12-22T09:39:00.001-08:00

This momentous occasion marks a dramatic shift in my blogging activity. I am leaving my old blog to come hang out here, and the scenery is pretty nice, especially since I copied all my old blogging content. :)

Also, since it's the 22nd, it's another month anniversary for Evan and me. Let's see, counting... 12 + 10 = 22 months! Ha, 22 months on the 22nd! Does that make this our golden anniversary?

I'm too punchy to post. I should stop typing before I embarrass myself (further).

end of the marathon

2009-12-21T11:06:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to report that I finished and mailed off the marathon sweater! I'm very proud of my work on this one. It is really quite soft, especially after the second blocking. It took me about 80 hours, I think, not counting the three times I frogged and re-knit the left sleeve, or the frogging and re-knitting of the collar, which came out too tight the first time. I find it promising that Evan loved the sweater, too. He said that he would be thrilled if I made him a sweater half as good.

I've also been spinning a bunch of awesome looking fiber I got from the Village Yarn and Fiber Shop in East Rochester. I meant to go there on my birthday, but there was a nasty snowstorm, so my trip got postponed until the following Tuesday. I think the roving is a blend something from the Fingerlakes region, but it's not labeled, so I forgot. (Edited to add: The website says the fiber comes from Spinners Hill and their fiber is Corriedale, Finn, Rambouillet Cross.)

I love the colors! So visually stimulating! As I'm plying, I'm trying to maximize contrast. And the yarn is quite soft, too. But I'm having trouble deciding what to make with it. Any ideas? Scarf? Hat? Mittens? Something not wearable? Something that has never been made before?

Seriously, I have a grand total of ZERO comments right now. I would love it if someone would pipe up and cast a vote for the fate of this yarn. Or anything else. :)

purchases for prayer shawls

2009-12-15T08:40:00.000-08:00

I recently heard that the church in what I still consider my home town has run out of prayer shawls! I want to help, but I need a push to actually get down to the store and buy the yarn so I can start knitting.

So: For every item I sell between now and January 1, 2010, I will purchase one skein of yarn for a prayer shawl. (Each prayer shawl generally consumes 3 skeins.)

I invite you to visit my shop and consider supporting the prayer shawl ministry which brings warmth and comfort to those who need it.

Birthday Recap

2009-12-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

All right, Rochester, you win. I said "I like snow," and you buried me in it.

My birthday went slightly differently from what I'd planned. Evan and I had a late dinner instead of an early dinner, with him driving his jeep in the narsty weather and the even narstier traffic. He gave me nice presents, wrapped furoshiki-style, per my request. I've decided I will wrap all my presents this way, because the wrapping is reusable, and totally gorgeous, I think.

I did not get to visit the yarn shop, and I canceled dessert with my brother, because the weather was so oppressive. But I did get a bunch of crafting done. My birthday marks the transition into Christmas, in my mind. I know Advent began a while back, but until my birthday has passed, I can't get into it.

To facilitate getting into it, I made my own version of AddieBugs seasonal fabric banners. They look so festive. Here's mine:

It's my birthday!

2009-12-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

Yay, it's my birthday. I'm 26. I'm not old enough to hate birthdays, yet, so I still like 'em.

And it's snowing! This is why I love Rochester: it actually snows on my birthday (a wish I've long had.) Last year was the first time I saw it. I was taking Human Structure and Function at the time, and we had a long dissection that day in the anatomy labs, and my lab had lots of windows, so I got a great view of the falling snow.
For today, the snow had already fallen when I woke up. And we've got a 50% chance of more snow later this afternoon. Score.

Looking forward to a pleasant evening. First: Evan's taking me out to dinner at a fun restaurant. Second: Mom got me a gift certificate at a local yarn shop, which happens to have knitalongs on Thursday nights, so I'll go there for some fibery bliss. Third: When Jonny gets out of his drum lesson tonight, he'll take me to a fancy dessert, and bring his girlfriend along, so I'll get the chance to get to know her better.

Things are looking pretty nice. :)

high altitude hat

2009-12-09T09:59:00.000-08:00

This is a hat I knit way back when. And this is my brother wearing that long-lost hat at 14,000 feet on Mt. Yale in Colorado. How awesome is that?

Thanksgiving recap

2009-12-03T12:36:00.000-08:00

I did something completely out of my comfort zone this Thanksgiving. Well, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Mom offered to sign us up for ziplining. I bit my lip and said "sure."

Here are Jonny, Dad, and Evan in their harnesses.

Here we are on one of the platforms. Check out how the trees are swaying! Of course our platform was swaying, too.

There were suspension bridges, too. Here are views from up high and down low to give you perspective:

I went down the last zipline with camera in hand:

mystery socks!

2009-11-30T13:06:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of myself -- I finished the mystery socks in time to submit them on the Ravelry thread to possibly win a prize!

knitting encounter in the cashier's office

2009-11-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

I stopped in at the cashier's office this afternoon to get reimbursed for some paint brushes I bought for the lab last March. (We use really thin paint brushes for mounting 30-micron-thin slices of tissue on slides.) Stupid bureaucracy. I was ready with my knitting, just in case I had a long wait, but I did not, which I guess was nice, though it meant I didn't get any extra knitting done. Still, the woman at the counter noticed my knitting and commented "that's a new one." We launched into happy fiber-related conversation (she had tried crocheting, but could only work in one direction), and even to the woman standing at the window to my right chimed in (she took up knitting as a means to stop smoking. So cool.). And at the end, I walked away with my long-lost $9.96 in my pocket.

Swine Flu?

2009-11-17T07:18:00.000-08:00

I had Something last week, and it was a doozie. It came on over the entire course of Sunday the 8th, starting as a sore throat. For several hours I dismissed it as nothing significant: just a dumb sore throat from taking an overnight train. In the late afternoon, however, this pesky sore throat blossomed, knocked me out around 6:00 pm, and kept me in bed for a Full Three Days! Yowch. I'm finally feeling pretty much like myself, now, except that I have a semi-productive cough that acts up when I'm out in the cold, or going up stairs. I was hoping to go to KardioFusion tonight, but I don't think I can, for the coughing. Maybe I'll just use one of the eliptical machines, and burn my calories more gently tonight.

So, mysterious diagnosis:
1. This bug took a whole day to come on. Hence: a cold, not the flu.
2. This bug laid me out flat for 72 hours. Hence: the flu, not a cold.
I am dumbstruck.

The really sad part about the bug was that I was too sick even to knit. I could be awake for maybe half an hour at a time before plunging back into unconsciousness, and while I was awake, my hands felt too weak to manipulate the needles. It was a truly desperate and tragic situation.

But now I'm better, and I'm zipping along with the knitting. First priority still goes to that marathon of a sweater. I'm 9 inches into the right sleeve, and I really want to finish it by this weekend, so I can work the left sleeve, seam the sleeves, pick up and knit the collar, and finally call this thing finished. At some point I'm going to actually calculate how many stitches are in this thing. It will be a very large number.

I am one of those ADD knitters with several projects going at once, though, and I finished and mailed off the gray hat for Laurie (I really hope her project works out!), and cast on for the baby sweater my mom requested. The difference between the baby sweater and the marathon sweater is nearly laughable. Marathon sweater: size 3 needles, fingering weight yarn, 6.5 stitches to the inch, men's size large. Baby sweater: size 8 needles, worsted weight yarn, 4 stitches to the inch, 6-month-old size. The baby sweater is zooming, which is wildly satisfying.

For myself, I really want to knit a coif, because I sometimes wear my hair in a bun, which makes a standard hat not fit, and my ears get really cold outside in this maturing Rochester autumn. The coif should also zoom, since it is a small thingy and uses size 9 needles! 3 stitches to the inch, baby!

I even bough yarn specifically for the coif this weekend during the Rochester Yarn Crawl, which was awesome. At my first stop, my LYS of choice the Yarn Boutique, I bought my first skein of Malabrigo yarn. Chunky. Colorful. Soft. And presumably warm. From there I proceded to the other three yarn shops in Rochester, which I had never visited. I find I really like the Village Yarn and Fiber Shop. I was especially impressed with their book selection, which even included a book on spinning and knitting dog hair! I thought about getting it, but refrained, and instead purchased Knitter's Gift and America Knits. I've actually been looking for a book like America Knits for a long time: something not just technique- and pattern-based, but something, well, inspirational. About knitters and designers and fiber artists and their lives and ideas. With gorgeous pictures. America Knits totally caters to that.

Another bit of reading I've especially enjoyed is this series about working on a sheep farm all year-round. I love the specific, vivid, and humorously related anecdotes, supplemented with beautiful photographs. Barbara Parry's writing really encourages me to luxuriate in my fantasy of having a fiber farm. I kind of want to be her. Especially when I'm sick and tired of counting microglia in the substantia nigra, and there are no windows in my lab, and I just want to get home and knit and read books about knitting and spinning and really work with my hands to create something soft and beautiful and useful.

Then again, today I do have a sense of accomplishment, because one of my advisors approved my abstract, so I can submit it today for the 1st D-CFAR World AIDS Day Scientific Symposium on December 1. Then I need to make the poster... blech, formatting data.

Dead Dog Parable

2009-11-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was reminded of one of my favorite stories of all time, and I felt compelled to share it here.

Once upon a time there was a girl. We'll call her Samantha, because I honestly don't remember her real name. The family nextdoor was going on an extended vacation and asked Samantha to babysit their dog. Naturally, Samantha accepted. This dog was very old, however, and passed away during the family's vacation. Samantha called the family with the sad news, and the family requested that she bring the dog's body to the vet for disposal. So then there was the problem of transportation. Samantha didn't want to be seen struggling with the carcass of a sizable dog, and decided to put the body in a suitcase. As she eased the suitcase down the steps of the porch, a man walked by and offered to carry it for her. "Jeez," said the man, "What do you have in here?" Samantha didn't want to admit the true contents of the suitcase, and answered "Computer stuff." The man then took the suitcase and ran away.
The End.

Karma in action.

covet

2009-11-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

This looks like one of the coolest dorky things I've seen in a long time:

Star Wars Lightsaber Laser Pointer! I covet this, but cannot yet bring myself to actually spend money on it. I love thinkgeek.com for creating things like this. I actually subscribe to their newsletter for entertainment value.

Knucks are done! Only problem is that the ends of the finger bits roll over. I think this happens because I cast on too loosely, and the more generous length around the edge allows enough leeway to give in to the tendency of the stockinette stitch, which is to curl. My counter strategy is to weave a length of matching thread (not yarn: too bulky) through the edge stitches to cinch them a bit and prevent their expansion and hopefully combat the rolling.

cat's in the bag

2009-10-28T06:54:00.000-07:00

Jude really likes to get into things. One of his favorites is the wicker laundry basket when it's empty. The other day he spent 10 minutes in the recycling bin, just chillin'. Last night he sort of fell off the bed into a large paper bag. And he stayed in there, quite content.

A week from Saturday my family, Evan, and I are taking the train out to South Bend, IN for my sister's birthday and the Notre Dame football game. Mom tells me the games last a long time, and are outside, and are very cold.
Long game = I must knit.
Cold = I must have fingerless gloves to knit.
So I've been working on making knucks just as fast as I can.

The going was a bit chaotic at first, as you can see, because knucks are worked from the top down, to abolish anxiety over long cuffs (similar to toe-up socks). But I've joined the thumb now, and it's starting to look functional.

just have to laugh

2009-10-22T07:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things just seem to go perfectly wrong. The preparation is great, the lead-in is promising, but something critical falls through, and all is for naught.

This morning: I made myself the most perfect large cup of coffee to offset my 8:00 am biostatistics class. I even added extra cream to make it taste super-luxurious. I was stopped at the red light where I usually crave my first sip of caffeinated beverage. There was a moment of disorientation as I found nothing in the cup holder, supplanted by utter dismay as I realized I had left my red Fiber Fest '09 mug standing conveniently on the table about 6 inches from the door knob so I could not possibly leave it behind. This was the moment of truth. I was half-way through some particularly stirring profanity when I decided this would be a funny story. I would tell someone, she would commiserate and laugh, and I would just slog though class and spoil myself with something extravagant later. (Nevermind how this sounds like rewarding stupidity with an expensive treat.)
Somehow I made it through 75 minutes of hypothesis testing, Z tests, and t tests, staggered up to my lab, dropped all my stuff, and went straight to the coffee kiosk down in the atrium where I spent $4 on a pumpkin spiced latte to alleviate my morning's failure, and rescue me from violent yawning.

midterm: check

2009-10-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

I so way-over-prepared for my midterm in biostatistics this morning. I had time to basically take the exam twice, and still leave 40 minutes early. Somehow, though there's kind of a victory in this, I also feel frustrated. Where was my promised challenge? I enjoy that little burst of adrenaline when you read the next question and think "I have no idea how to answer this," but then comes the Eureka moment and the pride and satisfaction of defeating the nasty exam question.

I took some time this afternoon to sketch out a design for the save-the-date postcards. I'm rather a fan. It looks fairly standard, I guess, until you notice the border of neurons. Anyway, I think I'll try to carve the design into a stamp and use that to mass-produce my cards.

And I've started making Christmas goodies. Here's a picture of a mini knit hat. There will be a pompom on top, made of the purple yarn. The purple is my handspun (I had only a little left after knitting the Soft Midnight hat for my Etsy shop, and this is using it up nicely), and the pink is recycled yarn from a Goodwill sweater.

And now it's my turn to use the microscope.

packaged

2009-10-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

Shame on me for my heinous delay in posting.

Here are some pictures to make it better.

I shipped off an Etsy order recently. I'm trying to improve my packaging, and this is my latest effort.

I've also been working furiously on my sweater commission. It's taking sort of forever because the yarn works out at about 6.5 stitches to the inch. I finished the back section, and I've already passed the hem ribbing on the front. I hope it stays fun at least through the sleeves.

And I've had a design inspiration. It has been coming on for a while, now, but today during biostatistics class I actually drew up a schematic and some rough directions. I have some chunky yarn and a couple hours tonight, so maybe I can give this thing a whirl. What the heck am I talking about? Not telling. Hopefully I'll have pictures soon. Really hopefully I might even get gutsy enough to submit it to Knitty.com!

106 years

2009-10-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

I just saw and read this story about a 106-year-old woman who still knits blankets for hospitalized children. I would love to be that woman someday. The story gives me good feelings all over.

I've been commissioned to make a sweater. Many knitters will shudder when they read that the sweater is to be a men's V-neck pullover in stockinette stitch, made with fingering weight yarn on size 3 needles at 6.5 stitches to the inch in charcoal grey. But I'm enjoying myself. The yarn is a delicious 50/50 alpaca/wool blend. Super soft! And the basic stitch means I can multitask. I took the project to the art gallery with me last weekend. That was rather fun, strolling around, admiring art, and keeping my hands pleasantly occupied with super soft knitting. I'm nearing the end of the first skein, and I'm 8.25 inches up the back.

I was totally sick in bed with something flu-like for the last two days. Evan was wonderful to me the whole time, offering back rubs and soup and tea, even though his first exam for Human Structure and Function is looming on Monday. He gets major fiancé points. I'm about 90% healthy today. Still a little stuffy and a little sleepy, but the sore throat, achiness, and extreme fatigue have gone (I must have slept 17 hours on Tuesday), and the swollen glands have mostly subsided. I always take for granted how I feel when I'm healthy: that I'm-alert-and-aware-and-happy-to-be-here feeling. It's so refreshing when it comes back after leaving for a while.

Jude is getting more determined about getting out. He's not allowed to be out, according to the rules of our apartment lease. He recognizes the sound of the key in the lock, and dashes over to the door, and slinks there, crouched low with his nose pressed against the door crack. So now when I enter the apartment, I make sure to shoo Jude away from the door with my foot before opening it enough for me to enter. Evan has not yet accepted this practice, and so Jude has a better escape record when Evan's opening the door. At least there's a hallway outside our door, rather than our door opening straight to the outside, and at least Jude doesn't spaz and run away when we scoop him up to return him to his rightful place.

favoritest toy

2009-09-25T13:53:00.000-07:00

My cat has a favorite toy. There are several things he loves to play with (including my hair, which can be simultaneously funny and perilous), but clearly one stands above all the rest. It's not the laser pointer, which he will chase and chase and chase until the sun comes up, even though he appears to have figured out where it comes from. Jude's favorite toy is this:

It is a strip of cardboard, the bit that you yank off to open a package sent by priority mail. This strip of cardboard is about a month old, and has somehow been split lengthwise into two pieces that travel mysteriously around our apartment. The most mysterious part to me, though, is how one of these twin strips has ended up in my bed -- literally in the bed, under the covers and all -- and not once, but twice.

I take this to mean that Jude loves his cardboard strip as a child loves a teddy bear, and carries it to bed with him. Either that, or Evan has developed a cardboard fetish.

#8 love

2009-09-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

Man, I gotta say, I just love the feel of US 8 needles in my hands, cruising along with some worsted weight wool (working on the wedding afghan for Thatcher and Izzy, or maybe Izzie). It feels so fast! So substantial! And I especially like this new pair of 8s I got at the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival last weekend. They're a little shorter than most needles I have, so they feel less cumbersome, and more nimble. Ahh, sweet pleasure.

Last night I unpinned my improv lace shawl from its position blocking on the floor in the second bedroom. (As Evan reminded me to do, by saying, "That's a nice rug in the other room." I nearly punched him.) Picture-taking ensued.

The pictures above have kind of lame light, so I draped the shawl on the couch, for another photo op:

Luscious.

So, thank you, Myra Wood, for teaching me the technique of improvisational (crazy) lace knitting at the Knit and Crochet Show in Buffalo, NY. I heart it.

PS - bonus points to anyone who can tell me where my yarn scale is. It hasn't resurfaced since we moved, and I miss it.

Mostly fiber stuff

2009-09-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

This luscious fiber arrived a couple days ago from Chimera. Definitely looking forward to spinning it.

And here is some yarn I spun with fiber I got from SarahWood3587. I just finished plying it this evening. I had to re-wind one of the bobbins into a ball before plying to get the color contrast I wanted. I love how soft the yarn is. I don't think there's enough for a scarf, but definitely enough for a hat.

And I finally finished my improv lace shawl! I cast off last night. I've got pictures with and without Jude. The shawl is currently blocking on the floor in the second bedroom. It seems pretty dry, but I'll still wait to unpin it until tomorrow.

Jude nap

2009-09-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

Knitting news: I'm still plugging along on the improv lace circular shawl. The end is in sight. I'm on the third rep of the feather and fan border, and I think I'll go for 5 reps, or maybe 7 to balance out the size of the shawl. The crazy part is: I still love working on this project! How many tens of hours have I spent on it? And it's still pretty much my favorite project to pick up! I don't understand it. I do look forward to wearing it, though.

I've been somewhat succumbing to startitis lately. Luckily my supply of needles is limited, else I would have three more hats in "progress" right now. I did start the Litla Dimun shawl from Folk Shawls, because it's a moderate size, simple-looking, and the kind of thing I can finish. As much as I would love to have the Irish Diamond Shawl, I don't think I've quite reached that maturity level, as a person. The KnitPicks podcast on charity knitting from 9/9/09, and especially the Sticks and String podcast from 9/6/09 inspired me to cast on for a baby hat to send off to Afghanistan, where many babies die just because their heads get too cold. I even have the perfect yarn for it. But I'm going to let that wait until I finish a few more projects. And then there are various promised presents I need to make this year. And stocking my Etsy shop. And Christmas...

I just discovered a new blog today: AndreaKnits Fiber Arts Blog. I'm going to just eat that up. Her work is gorgeous, and her pictures are plentiful and lovely. And it's fun to read.

In other news, Jude is outrageously cute. Jonny came over to pick up his mini fridge, which Evan and I had been storing for him over the summer. Jude was as friendly as ever, and lay down as Jonny and I were chatting in the living room. Jude fell asleep. Nothing strange there, except for his position:

I couldn't help taking many, many pictures. Jude didn't move through the whole thing. Sleepy, sleepy, sleepy.

Oh, my gosh, I love my cat!

April

2009-09-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Evan and I had to euthanize his pet rat, April. April had had a very long and happy life, though in the last several months she had been developing tumors. Evan operated on her three times to remove these tumors, which were superficial, but the tumors spawned and grew faster with time, and though she recovered quickly from the surgeries, they were still hard on April, especially as she got older and the cancer took its toll. These past weeks April hasn't been eating or drinking. She couldn't make it up the ramp to the upper floors of her cage, and couldn't even navigate around the lowest floor. So Evan made the tough call, and we took care of it. As he says, it was harder than he expected. This afternoon he went to his parents' house to bury April in the back yard.

Here's a picture of Evan's rats, Lily and April. April's probably the one on top.

There's still Lily, who is remarkably healthy, feisty, and cancer-free. We wonder whether she will notice that April's gone, or if she will care. More banana chips for her, I guess.

Crows

2009-09-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

So apparently crows can recognize human faces. However, humans are hopeless at telling one crow from another. Interesting. NPR told me.

Weddings suck

2009-08-31T12:09:00.000-07:00

After having dealt with barely the tip of the catastrophic iceberg of wedding planning, I have determined that weddings are impossible. Mom says tradition dictates that the wedding should be all about the bride (me). Evan insists that he (groom) is part of the wedding, too, and that his preferences should be taken into consideration. So we must find a way to be married in both Connecticut and New York simultaneously so all parties are appeased. Meanwhile, it turns out that there is no time when we actually can get married. Evan's two-week winter vacation is clogged with holidays and impossibilities, spring break is too short, and then we're into summer already. I don't want to be one of the multitude of summer weddings. Besides, I dislike summer.

To quote myself: Every five minutes I revert to thinking we should just go do the legal paperwork at the town hall, have a nice lunch, and call it done.

Engaged!

2009-08-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Evan and I went to look at an abandoned cat at the vet where his parents take their pets. We absolutely loved this cat -- friendliest, chillest cat there ever was, loves to be held, playful, and with beautiful markings, to boot! He didn't even make Evan sneeze. So off we went to get cat stuff (food, litter, etc), and returned to the vet to pick up the cat, whom we named Jude. I was thinking maybe Jasper, because I was getting a "J" vibe from him. Evan suggested Jude, since the song Hey Jude has significance to us.

When we were getting our Petco card for discounts and stuff, the application asked Jude's birthday. We counted back 6 months, and decided that he was born on February 22nd, which is our anniversary.

In the car on the way home, Evan said we should probably wait until we got a house to get a second cat, and this ruined his proposal plans. He had been planning to surprise me on some Saturday morning with a new cat with a ring attached to the collar, but that plan was out. I said he could still surprise me with the ring. He complained that the cat didn't have a collar. I said he could tie a piece of string around the cat's neck, and that would be fine with me.

At home, Jude quickly warmed up to us. He slunk around the apartment for a bit, and then chilled under the dining table, but he came out before long and was very affectionate (and I made sure to introduce him to the litter box).

Then Evan shut himself and Jude in the bedroom and wouldn't let me in. I assumed he was trying to get kitty bonding time behind my back, while I cleaned up in the kitchen. After a minute, Evan came out, holding Jude with a red piece of yarn tied around his neck. I thought maybe he was just being cute, since we had already discussed that whole proposal plan and thereby disqualified it. But, sure enough, there was a super-sparkly ring under Jude's chin. "Sarah, will you marry me?" asked Evan. I answered something to the effect of "yes!"

There followed the usual phone calls and such, but otherwise, things remained quite casual. Evan did his reading for class. I cleaned up the second bedroom for Jonny's arrival and played with Jude. The whole engagement thing hasn't quite sunk in, yet. But I am loving this ring!

Cold, ick

2009-08-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

I seem to have been the victim of a hit-and-run cold. I felt hunky-dory yesterday morning, but as the day progressed I developed a major sniffle, along with aches, swollen glands, and what I think was a low-grade fever. I left lab early and slept most of the afternoon. Evan was an angel and made me chicken noodle soup. Granted, it was canned, but he still made it for me. :)

Today I'm still somewhat achy, and moderately sniffly, but much more functional, which is good, because I need to generate an experimental design for discussion with my advisors tomorrow. I think I have it pretty much done, but I'll re-visit it later today. And I should finish taking pictures on the microscope. Only four more slides to go. Then I can start getting into the higher magnifications.

Tomorrow afternoon I'm driving to CT for a friend's wedding. I'm looking forward to it. This friend is an organist, so I have high expectations for the service music. On Sunday my mom is paying me to serve as organist at the church she's preaching at. They have one of those ridiculous organs that plays music off a CD, so having an in-person organist will be new for them. The church won't pay me, but Mom feels that it will be worth it. So, cool.

Oh, and I'm very proud of myself. My examination committee has unanimously decided that I passed part I of my qualifying exam with honors.

White Coat

2009-08-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

Evan (my love) had his white coat ceremony last Friday morning.

I've been knitting like crazy on my new circular improvisational lace shawl. I'm not sure why I'm so addicted to this project. Maybe the size 6 needles feel just right? or the 4% cashmere content is heavenly? or the low stress of not having to stick to someone else's chart? or the fact that I've just recently finished blocking my circular wedding shawl/veil and think it's awesome? or I can't wait to finish this project so I can start another one? or it's still small enough to be portable? Probably all of the above.

To get a cat, or not to get a cat? I definitely want a cat. A rescue cat. Problem: money. The cat itself will cost a fair amount, and the apartment wants a $120 deposit plus another $50 a month. Damn. The temptation is that a friend of my mom's has a new very friendly stray black cat hanging around her house. She cannot adopt this cat because they already own a very aggressive dog. And I'm going home this weekend for my friend's wedding. Such temptation.

Also: to take another job, or not to take another job? The organist position I was vying for last spring has opened up for next year. It's at a catholic church, which is not my specialty, but, my goodness, they have a terrific organ. I also know and like their choir director, and the choir is also quite good. I guess I'll ask for more details about the salary and the regular liturgy, but I'm thinking I might go for it. Then I could afford a cat! :)

Health Care: my two cents

2009-08-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

[I don't mean for my blog to be political, but I've gotta vent on this one.]

I am infuriated by how the health care debates are going. The shameful lies and violent argument tactics employed by those who oppose reform are completely counter-productive, preventing intelligent discourse and transmission of information.

Where does one even begin with such a mess?

I believe that health care reform is needed. Insurance companies are greedy and have been screwing patients over by denying them coverage for pre-existing conditions, or dropping their coverage in case of serious illness. Am I the only one who thinks that these are precisely the situations in which health insurance providers should step up and give support? It appears that health insurance companies are happy to collect people's premiums and promise health care as long as it's unneeded, but the instant people really, really do need medical care, the insurance companies split. How does that make any kind of sense?

I think that Obama's plan is a good one, targeting these and other loopholes insurance companies have abused to dupe the public. Americans will get affordable, reliable health care, especially when they need it, without discrimination or irresponsible price gouging. The really beautiful thing is that this plan is going to kill two birds with one stone. American health care will be improved. And since the current health care system is so expensive and dysfunctional that it's dragging down the entire economy, removing this dead weight will vastly improve the fiscal side of things.

Basically, everyone wins with this plan, except for the insurance companies and people who receive financial support from them. And, my God, these people are making a fuss! How selfish of them. They're perfectly content to live their luxurious lives, even if it means the entire country suffers for their bliss. Further, these gluttons audaciously attempt to convince Americans that maintaining the defective status quo is in their best interest. The most shocking, unfair, and insulting part is that they're succeeding.

The blatant lies these people have spread are appalling. No wonder the administration waited so long before attending to the fallacious statements: they must have felt, as I do, that such ridiculous propaganda could never take hold in the minds of intelligent individuals. Apparently we were wrong. I want to know who started the rumor that the new plan will encourage, nay, require euthanasia for the old and infirm. This plan is supported by AARP. I am quite certain they have read the plan, know what it says, and would never support anything that threatened their population. Then there are the statements that the new plan will bankrupt the country, when it's the current system that is hurting the economy, a situation that reform will remedy. Here's one of the few times I will ever quote Sarah Palin in earnest: "Quit makin' stuff up!" The whole discussion has become a matter of telling truth from fiction, with one side saying "X will happen, and Y will not!" while the other side disagrees: "X will not happen, and Y will!" People will probably agree with speakers they are more familiar with, or whom they find more entertaining, regardless of their reliability. No wonder people are confused. At this point, it seems that in order to get any unbiased facts, people have to go to the primary source, the bill itself, and read the damn thing, which I'm sure is no easy task.

Here I see a failure of the media. I believe that one of their duties is to simplify the complex workings of the government and truthfully and without bias present this information to the public. Major failure in that.

Finally, I am disappointed in the behavior of the American people. A willingness to be sheep, to unthinkingly adhere to the ideology and follow the commands of overtly biased icons, does not become us, especially when this behavior leads to disruptive yelling and violence at meetings that were intended to clarify the matter at hand by simply presenting information and having civil discussion.

Sure, gossip and controversy and hype are fun, but let's leave those things to Hollywood, where the fate of a country does not hang in the balance.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/

New Hampshire, hats and bookmarks, moving

2009-08-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

Phew, I'm finally settling back into lab. Last week I was in Squam Lake, New Hampshire with my family and boyfriend, which was a welcome break after my qualifying exam the week before. I suppose my exam went well, though none of my committee members has given me definitive feedback on my answers. Meh. As long as I don't have to do it again, I'm happy.

I suppose a couple pictures are in order.

This is Evan on top of Mt. Rattlesnake on Sunday morning:
As my dad says, Rattlesnake really is the best in terms of the view you get for the amount of climbing you do.

Here is the view from the boat coming back from the Loon Island picnic last Tuesday:

And here's a short video of Jonny (my brother), Nathan (my cousin), and Brooke (a girl who also goes to Squam Lake the same week we do) in the wacky canoe races, demonstrating a rather successful switch:

I've resumed crocheting a bit recently, mostly (well, exclusively) making lacy book marks that I suppose I'll have to try to sell, because there are quite a lot of them. And they're pretty! In my knitting, I've been mostly working on hats. I've come to a bit of a standstill on the pi shawl, now that I'm pretty much at the edge. I know I want to include beads and some sort of a pretty border, but choosing which one is difficult.

I'm also trying to psyche myself up for a big push on Etsy. I've been making hats and scarves for months now, waiting to get a little closer to the cooler weather and the holidays before posting them. And I think I'm about there. I also want to publicize a bit, probably by (1) buying one of Etsy's promotion spots for a day, (2) posting fliers, and (3) maybe making promotional bookmarks, which I read about in an article from Etsy. I think that's a great idea, but I'm blanking on a design. I'm thinking card stock rectangles with stamps and a ribbon or tassel. Somehow I want to get information about my shop on there... maybe I'll print up little info blurbs separately and glue them onto the card stock... Yeah, I'm still at the drawing board on this one.

I'm delaying the Etsy push, however, until I'm at least mostly moved in to my new apartment. Well, I should say, Evan's and my apartment. Yes, we're moving in together. Exciting. Over the last couple days I've been coming to the unpleasant realization that I really do have entirely too much stuff. I'm not filtering as I pack, but I plan to keep a Good Will box handy as I unpack. Evan has been an angel, generously using his dwindling vacation time to haul my stuff from my current apartment. I owe him a tremendous back rub at the end of this week.

Oh, and this weekend is the Knit and Crochet Show in Buffalo! Can't wait! I'm taking classes on creative knit/crochet (stash bust!) and improvisational lace knitting, both offered by Myra Wood (what a beautiful name). The problem is that my car needs an oil change, which I would like to get done before I drive back and forth to Buffalo, but that only leaves a couple days.

Five Day Weekend

2009-06-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

Most important: Evan has been accepted to the University of Rochester Medical Center. The is the best thing ever. But now we have to (quick!) look for a place to live, and move there, which means packing up my obscene amount of crap. I was actually really stressing about it the other night and had to do breathing exercises to go to sleep. TMI? Still, it's kind of fun. We're planning a bike ride this evening around the "white coat ghetto" to look for places available for rent or sale, while sneakily getting exercise.

I actually have been working on the Serenity/Knights of Cydonia music video. I think it's awesome. Not done yet, but close. I'm shocked at how much time it takes! Importing the movie, converting the files, cropping the files, then finally starting to put stuff together... oioioi.

I've just subscribed to the Stuff You Should Know podcast, from howstuffworks.com. I love it. You will, too. The podcast led me to the Five Day Weekend movement. I'm not sure if this is a terrific idea or not. I love the idea of a shorter work week and longer weekend. As they say, work expands to fit the time allotted to it. I could be so totally productive if I knew I only had to keep it up for two or maybe three or four days, rather than a grueling five, with only two days to recoup and go at it again -- especially when those two days get sucked up by cleaning, errands, laundry, and general maintenance. Where's the fun time?

I started a puzzle last night, and I really want to get home to finish it! It's one of those mystery puzzles. One side is a crime scene (cartoon version). You assemble it, look around it and collect clues about the criminal. Then you flip the puzzle over and pick the perp out of a line of suspects. I love seeing a puzzle come together. It's so satisfying! I suppose it also helps that I'm really good at 'em. :)

AMV inspiration

2009-06-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, do you know what would be the coolest thing in the world? An AMV of Serenity set to Knights of Cydonia by Muse. I must learn how to make those.

Stony Brook

2009-06-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

PS ...

EVAN GOT ACCEPTED TO STONY BROOK MEDICAL SCHOOL

I'm a proud, proud girlfriend.

microtome haiku

2009-06-04T13:53:00.000-07:00

sharpest blade ever
slicing tissue whisper thin
magic microtome

love these colorways

2009-05-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

http://spirit-trail.net/laceyarns.htm

If I were rich, I would buy and knit all of these lace weight colorways. They all rock my world. The pricing isn't too harsh, but still a bit out of my league. Besides, the Shepherds Wool Market is tomorrow! I'll splurge there.

Knitting for Little Ones

2009-05-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

I just listened to the knitpicks podcast, episode #96, Knitting for Little Ones. And I've once again been hit/bit by the knitting bug. Need To Knit! Can't possibly knit enough! But this one's really bad, because I want to knit tons of stuff all at once -- bonnets and socks and toddler sweaters and especially leggings! I get like this about books, too: I feel like it would be just great not only to read several different books, but to have read them, to know that I am a better person with deeper and better developed character because of all the new sequences of words I've exposed my mind to. But there is no time. And I have no attention for reading heady books. Doesn't necessarily stop me from buying them, though.

Maybe I can start a pair of baby socks tonight. With a soft worsted or maybe DK weight yarn. Something quick and satisfying that won't drag me from my other 15 projects.

New project urges are tricksome. Like devious siren mermaids. They beckon and seduce, and drag you along merrily for quite a ways, until you're deep enough into the pattern that you can't possibly turn back. Then the muse leaves you. Like, poof, gone. Or you think the muse was never there in the first place, and how the hell did you get so far into a project that now amounts to work, on par with doing the dishes that have been piling up for a fortnight?

So the trick that I'm using here is selecting a pattern that doesn't go deep. A pattern that will breeze by so quickly and be so satisfying that my muse won't have the chance to escape. Or if she does, there will only be a tiny amount of knitting work left at the end, through which I can bribe myself with chocolate or wine. Or Sam Adams Summer Ale. I love that stuff.

My new favorite people

2009-05-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

I love old men on bikes. I rode to the library yesterday and passed three old men on bikes. And I saw another one this morning on my way to the church I subbed at today. All of them smiled, said "hi," and seemed really friendly, courteous, and generally pleased with life. I love 'em.

2009-05-21T10:51:00.000-07:00

Also, my new favorite word: embiggen. Found on Yarn Harlot's blog in the entry for today (5/21/09).

5/21 update

2009-05-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

Phew. I've finally gotten through all the knitting for baby Ayla, who was born earlier this month. I mailed off the blanket on Monday. It's relieving to be done with that. It took me more than 40 hours to knit it!

And so now I'm torn about what to do next. Start new projects to celebrate my freedom? Or finish all those WIPs I put on hold for the baby knitting? I'm sort of compromising, I guess. I started a pair of baby socks last night, for a new project with minimal commitment, and I've finished the main body of the stadium blanket for Leah and Dan (originally meant to be a wedding gift last December... maybe it can be an anniversary gift?), and I'm nearing the end of the green shawl. I look forward to wearing that one!

And I'm nearing the end of The Knitting Circle. Finally things are starting to look up for the protagonist.

Tomorrow is the annual Neuroscience Retreat. Last year it was rather boring -- several really dry presentations, except for one about Brahms, of all things, and a rather nice lunch. At least it's all free, and it's at the museum. If all else fails, I'll knit. Heck, I'll knit if all goes swimmingly. :)

On Sunday I'm substituting again at the Presbyterian church across the street. I love that church. Lovely congregation, and a sweet organ! I need to pick out the prelude, postlude, and offertory tonight, and maybe practice tomorrow, because I'm thinking about going to the Springside Farm Annual Shearing Festival on Saturday.

Hmm, tomorrow's the 22nd, huh. Another 22nd. I love 22nds. It's another month anniversary for Evan and me. Insignificant, now that we've passed a year, but still. Nice to think about.

Computer Repairs

2009-05-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

Some years ago, when I was a super-senior (5th year) at Oberlin, I had a cat, Arthur. I adopted him, a dumpster kitten, from certain death by fleas, worms, starvation, and an upper respiratory tract infection. It was perfect -- we took care of each other. I was still recovering from a particularly nasty breakup, so Arthur was massively therapeutic for me. Thing was, Arthur was also mischievous and clumsy. I was working at my computer one night, cup of hot chocolate by my side, when Arthur decided it was an excellent time to leap up on my desk and keep me company. He spilled my full cup of cocoa directly into my disc drive.

For a while after that incident, my computer had trouble ejecting discs, presumably because of the chocolate gumming up the works. So I would swab the tip of something sharp -- a needle, a pen, scissors, whatever came to hand -- with a bit of water on it around the opening to dissolve the sugary impedance; and sometimes the computer could only eject a disc part-way, so I'd have to quickly snatch it out the rest of the way before my computer sucked it back in and started playing it. Sometimes I just let the computer "rest" for a bit. Repeated eject attempts seemed to tire it out, and after a good night's sleep, it was able to redouble its efforts and spit out a disc.

Last Sunday, however, my computer finally failed. Evan and I watched Clerks (which is very funny, even if the actors do speak much too quickly). Perhaps my computer liked Clerks, and didn't want us to send it back to Netflix. Whatever the case, the disc Would Not Come Out. The computer seemed to accept the command to eject -- it flashed the "eject" symbol on the screen, and made the funny mechanical noises a MacBook makes when ejecting a disk, but no disc appeared, the ejecting noises stifled and morphed into the inserting noises, and the computer was happy to announce the presumed reinsertion of the disc. Of course I tried this multiple times, after rebooting, tilting the laptop, and with the water trick. Stymied.

On Monday I took the computer to the IT store. The brilliant person at the counter confirmed that there was, in fact, a mechanical problem. I very maturely agreed to send off the computer for repairs right then and there, not even asking to use it for one more afternoon or to say goodbye. There really is no such thing as a convenient time to not have a computer.

On Thursday I got a call with the estimate for the cost of replacing the drive. It's a bunch. But I need this thing to work. I am grinning and bearing it.

So I've been trying to think of this time as my computer-free retreat. A time for reading, for knitting, for cleaning, for exercising, for taking long baths and burning incense. Besides, I can check my email and do other computery things in the lab. And when Evan comes over, he brings his laptop, which I can use to do things like write long-overdue blog posts.

--
In other news:

The Lilac Festival started today. I can't wait to go tomorrow!

Jonny is leaving tomorrow, driving back to CT. He's bringing home the work of my hands: a comfort shawl I knit for Carolyn, a baby blanket and socks for Zoe's baby, to be born at the end of the month, and Mom's extra-soft micro-something-or-other neck pillow, re-stuffed and sealed and scented with lavender essential oil. As great as this bounty is, it's not everything I've been assigned to make/fix. I'm still working on this baby blanket (I really should have gone with larger needles to speed things up, but too late, much too late, now). And Mom brought over a large bag of things (skirts, sheets) that need new elastics sewn into them. I've never really learned how to sew in elastic, so that's probably why I haven't done it yet, but I'm the most fiber-inclined individual in the family, so I should rise to the challenge.

The Knitting Circle

2009-05-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

Mom sent me a bunch of knitting novels! She sent them up with Jonny (younger brother, just turned 20 --weird). Silly Jonny didn't deliver them until the 28th, his birthday, when I took him out to dinner. (Mom had also sent clementines for me, but Jonny ate them.)

Anyway, I've been reading The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood. The beginning is quite a downer, and considering that I'm only 23 pages in, I've been very downed by the book. The poor protagonist is lamenting the death of her daughter. But I'm ready for Knitting to leap in at any moment and save this woman's sanity. This book makes for fairly quick reading, and it is, as the critique pages say, "rich in sensory detail," which I enjoy quite a lot.

What does it take to get a bike? A cheap but functional bike? Craigslist has so far not served me very well. My first try was no longer available. My second had a bent back rim. And now on my third attempt, the seller isn't responding to my messages. Bugger. The weather is starting to get nice up here, and I would love to bike places, like the gym and the library, instead of driving my car, as environmentally friendly as my dear Prius is.

All right.

2009-05-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

All right, you know what? I should write. It's been forever. Shame and more shame on me.

What's going on... Classes have just ended for the semester, which is nice. I know this wasn't a particularly strenuous semester for me, especially in light of what I did Fall semester, but it's still nice. We had huge final projects to submit for the Graduate Experience in Science Education class -- we designed a lesson, complete with powerpoint, hand outs, and whatever else it required, wrote a report on the lesson, and gave a 10-minute presentation about the lesson. I designed a lesson about Bach and the Fugue, which I actually wouldn't mind teaching. I think it's awesome, but then again, I'm biased.

Then there was the final journal club. That one was actually kind of fun. Rather than strictly paralleling the authors methods and results, we discussed the strengths and weaknesses and related them to the field, which I think is more useful than just rehashing what we all read. And we laughed a lot, too, which surprised me.

I've been trying to think of what to make for my Etsy shop. I'm thinking cards. I've made several: cards with pictures from old calendars; cards with scraps from sewing and knitting arrayed artfully on the front; now I'm considering making cards with sketches on them. Ideally, I would make a sketch, scan it, print it several times, and then paste that onto cards. Then the cards could be way less time-consuming, but still neat. I have access to a scanner, and a nice color printer, but I feel bad taking advantage of those. Maybe I'll use them just to try the first batch, see if it takes. If it's a success, I'll take my fancy color printing to a store somewhere and print legitimately. Another challenge: envelopes. I should include envelopes, but they're a pain to make. Well, not really a pain. Just time-consuming and not as artistically satisfying. They're an all right task while I'm listening to an audio book or something, maybe catching up on NPR when I get home.

I sing with a neat a cappella group, now. It's called On Call, made up of mostly medical students, with two graduate students (myself included). Lots of fun. We're meeting in 20 minutes to sing for pediatric patients. That should be great.

Speaking of which, I should go!

Yarn sources to remember

2009-03-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

Bear Farm Yarns
Ridiculously good prices on wool yarn. I'm psyched. As soon as I let myself off my yarn diet, I'm raiding their store. I don't see offers for tours or anything, though the farm is only about 2 hours away.

Bendigo Woollen Mills
More variety in the fibers offered at Bendigo. They're in Australia, so shipping would take a while. But I did a calculation, and found that even with shipping, the price of the yarn, when converted to USD, turns out to be a real deal! Also, they're endorsed by the Sticks & String podcast.

Etsy!

2009-02-20T13:53:00.000-08:00

I've got a shop in Etsy. It's called SarahsAmiables.

Summer Summary

2008-09-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

I played 8 Sundays at the Penfield United Methodist Church.

I've started teaching piano lessons. I have two students.

Leah and Dan got engaged and married, though they still want to have a blessing and reception in December. I made a bazillion save-the-date cards for them.

I've officially joined Lisa Opanashuk and Kerry O'Banion's labs, working on the methamphetamine project.

Evan and I celebrated our six month anniversary. Go us!

Schola has started rehearsing, though Compline doesn't start until October.

I should write

2008-05-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

I really should write something. But what?

Leah graduated from UNH cum laude last weekend. I need to send her a card or something.

Evan is sick with a cold. Poor Evan. So I'm taking all kinds of preemptive meds. Maybe he's feeling better today.

Mom is back to working full-time as a minister to cover for her friend's sabbatical at the congregational church. She had a cold last weekend, too. Her birthday is next weekend.

Jonny has been drafted into playing drums for Choate's musical, which is No No Nannette or something. Poor Mr. Tines really wants to do the racy stuff, but I think he keeps getting into trouble. Two Gentlemen of Verona and Chicago, then The Sound of Music and The King and I... another racy one, then a tame classic. Tines is going to transfer to some arts school in the South, I think.

My rotation is almost finished. I just have through the 31st. Then I have two weeks to write a report, but I don't think I have anything to report. I tried cloning a bunch of stuff, and much of it seems to have worked, but I have no data. No numbers. No graphs. No figures. I could include scans of gels, but that's really it. I pity the person who will have to read what I write.

I'm going to play church most of the Sundays in summer, which is cool by me. And Michael says I can practice at his church, the Presbyterian one across the street.

Back to maxipreps.

Done

2008-05-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

I just handed in the last exam of the year. Whew. I don't always feel it, but this time I do: the weight lifted from my shoulders, ya know. The relief. The easy, careless joy of impending summer vacation. Yes, I still need to work in lab. But it will be easier now that I'm not balancing it against classes and such.

Lution

2008-03-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

Put the gel into solution.
Make it the right dilution.
Rapid revolution
for good resolution.
And finish it all with elution.

blargh

2008-03-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

Tonight: first year graduate student party
Tomorrow: superbad with jonny
Sunday: easter. sing? Evan's Mom's birthday
March 28: rotation report due
March 30: substitute
April 4: systems/integrative neuroscience exam
April 5: Dad's birthday
April 11: seminar presentation
April 17: neuroinflammation literature review due
April 22: neuroinflammation presentation
April 28: systems/integrative neuroscience exam and jonny's birthday

Drabble

2008-03-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

I have a story to tell you. It is the epitome of an epic, replete with mystery, adventure, tragedy, and romance. My story will inspire poets to tearful song and cynics to serene meditation. My story will rock your mind out of its comfortable niche and into the elevated realm of nirvana. There you will dwell in the monumental harmony of all existence, a deity assured of the completeness and rightness of things, in a constant state of euphoric epiphany, and you will begin your own story.

Once upon a time, ...

It’s a shame I’ve run out of words.

311

2008-03-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

Heh, today is 3/11. I like 311. I should listen to some. As should you. If my brother were in town, we would party.

Deep

2008-03-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine commented the other night (in the context of giving me driving directions): "We are approaching -- what we are headed toward." When I corrected his grammar, he remarked: "Yeah, I'm not very good at this English-- whatever."

Shame

2008-03-07T08:19:00.000-08:00

Shame on me for not writing in so long!

I'm:
- burned out, because I had a takehome exam due on Tuesday and another exam on Wednesday, plus regular reading for classes, and now I have the beginning of That Cold.
- psyched, because my first swap is beginning.
- annoyed, because the light in my dining room keeps flickering.
- relieved, because the week is almost over, and next week is spring break, though it likely won't be much of a vacation, since I'll be in lab all the time, finishing my rotation and making up for all the time I didn't spend in there this week.

I've found a way to make a catastrophically stuffed nose clear up within one minute: 60 jumping jacks. Granted, the relief doesn't last long, but gosh, it's nice to breathe.

!

2008-02-22T19:38:00.000-08:00

he likes me

blushing

2008-02-21T18:28:00.000-08:00

Ahh, I like having someone to like, especially when that someone presumably likes me back. Katie said she called him when she couldn't find me and got worried, and that he got worried in turn. Granted, I'm sorry to make him worry, but I'm flattered that he cares enough to be concerned. Katie said he even offered to come over to my place, to see if I had just fallen asleep.

I can't wait for class tomorrow, when I get to sit next to him for a couple hours.

My First Drabble

2008-02-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

What's a drabble? It's a short piece of writing of exactly 100 words. Here's my first shot at it:

My desk lamp is looking at me sideways. My chair judges my weight behind my back. My computer takes quiet note of the words as I type them.

My socks cling to my feet, hugging all the improbable curves. My pants are less intimate, hanging indifferently from my hips.

My pencils lie in wait in the drawer, ready, ever ready, and waiting.

My speakers stand guard against silence, merciless sentinels that they are.

My mouse lounges by my hand. Maybe it’s asleep. I bet if I listen carefully, I can hear snoring.

But the damn lamp keeps looking at me.

I'm not done, yet

2008-02-20T19:06:00.000-08:00

I miss the days when I used to write. My journal entries used to be long and thoughtful, and eloquent, if I do say so myself. But then I became a Scientist. Now writing is dry, consise and to the point, space-saving, time-saving, devoid of personality and finesse.

Yet one of my good friends fawned over my writing, and used a phrase I'd not heard before: that I was nerve and bone a writer, or something to that effect. I was touched. Still am.

I do not want to lose my writing chops. My precious mad skillz. But who has the time? And what a lame excuse that is.

Fine, I can find the time. Like now. I should be reading two articles for discussion tomorrow morning, but instead I'm here. But what can I write about? Pipetting? Perpetual statistical insignificance? It seems that nothing noteworthy happens, or not much, or not enough. And what authority do I have to write about things everyone knows?

What do I know that you don't know? What can I tell you?

Conundrum

2008-02-20T13:02:00.000-08:00

My sister has her senior recital on Sunday. But the guy I like has invited me to a movie.

Penguin Haiku

2008-02-20T07:17:00.000-08:00

penguins really fly
they just don't want you to know
they surprise their prey

I can't take credit for this one, but I thought I'd share it anyway.

Note to my future self

2008-02-19T14:48:00.000-08:00

Assuming that I become a professor:

When writing exam questions: be clear what you mean to ask in each question. Do not penalize if students fail to read your mind.

Wish List

2008-02-19T11:02:00.000-08:00

Here's the wishlist for the swap I'm joining and am so psyched for:

Are you a knitter or crocheter? Primarily a knitter, though I crochet, as well.

I love to make..... soft, colorful, useful things.

I really want to make...... a luxurious blanket, with environmentally friendly fiber.

My favorite yarns are..... soft and natural, especially ones I've spun myself. Or colorful. Or novelty (assuming I have an idea for how to use it.)

My wish pattern is...... Something with an interesting texture, but not so complicated I can't knit it during a movie. Something useful and beautiful. Something I can show off.

My favorite hooks or needles are..... I love Lantern Moon needles, but I also like shorter needles so I can knit in class without disturbing my neighbors. Rosewood > birch > bamboo > metal >>> plastic (yuck).

I really wish I had..... a more extensive collection of circular knitting needles. I never seem to have the right size/length.

My favorite colors are... anything that doesn't look like puke. Bright colors are fun. Earch tones are profound. Pale colors can be nice, too.

My hobbies... knitting, spinning, crocheting, cross stitch, embroidery. Occasional sketching. Music.

My kitchen theme and colors.. I just recently moved into graduate student housing apartment, so the kitchen isn't particularly inspiring. The cabinets are a dark brown. Walls are white. Floor is kind of beige tile.

My bathroom theme and colors... Same problem as above. The floor is tiled in pale blue/green/grey. Everything else is white. Blah.

My dislikes.... Scratchy yarn. Inaccurate sizing. Blocking. Waste.

My crafts..what I like.... knitting, spinning, crocheting, cross stitch, embroidery, small quilts.

My allergies... sulfa drugs and ceclor. :P

My favorite pets... cats, all the way.

My favorite scents... Vary by season. In winter, I like warm scents: cinnamon, nutmeg, pomander type stuff. Lilac is nice. Coconut. Vanilla. Orchid.

My favorite novels or magazines... Terry Pratchet is my hero. I also enjoy Stephen King and Harry Potter. Decorating and crafting magazines are fun. And I occasionally indulge in an issue of Cosmopolitan.

Other stuff about me... I'm a first-year graduate student pursuing my PhD in neuroscience. I have a BA in neuroscience and a BMus in organ performance. Originally I'm from Connecticut.

Cheshirite

2008-02-19T10:44:00.000-08:00

Voila.

My first post here.

Go me.