Tuesday, December 23, 2008

'Tis the season

It's the time of year when I have to check to make sure I don't have pointy ears. I feel like an elf. Mom and I have been through her closet full of stuff she's forgotten about and divied it up for everyone. She has me wrap all the presents and send me out shopping for everything she thinks people want. I realized that my wrapping skills have gone to pot. It used to be important to use a variety of wrapping paper and bows. Every present was meticulously wrapped with no raw edges showing. This year...not so much. Not sure what happened, but I used one roll till it was gone and there aren't many bows. Maybe I'll tidy up the packages when right before they go under the tree. On the bright side, I haven't lost the tape or the scissors! Practically a miracle!

You'd think last year I would have learned my lesson about Christmas knitting. Alas, here I am, frantically trying to finish truly last minute knitted gifts! Take that Ms. Hoverson! Maybe I'll write my own book! (Doubt it) Better get back to knitting.
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Wednesday, December 17, 2008

So many exciting things!

I'm excited about a lot of things today! We're having a Christmas lunch for our lab group. Being in a lab full of nutrition types pays of at dinner parties. I made Aiken's cold corn and goat cheese salad. There should be a slew of really delicious foods and most will be nutritious so there's no guilt in pigging out! Another thing to be excited about, I discovered techknitting! This knitter has her act together. I was looking for instructions to line a hat with fleece and found so much more. Probably the very best thing is that she has instructions for lengthening sweaters, sleeves, etc. I knit that little red sweater this summer and it's so short I can't wear it. Annie suggested getting my belly button pierced and just wearing the sweater anyway. Um...maybe not! With the help of TechKnitting the sweater can be fixed! Talk about exciting!

Time to kick into high gear as far as Christmas presents go. I've been slacking in that department. I have a few things, but that's not really enough now is it? At least I have ideas for everyone. That's a start.

Purdue maintenance crew busted out the snow polishers. We're fortunate here because rather than salt the side walks when it snows, Purdue takes a little tracker with a giant metal brush and polishes the snow on the sidewalks into miles of a nice slick liability. Seriously, it's horrible! I nearly fell twice on my way from the garage to my building. Why don't they get a zamboni and properly ice the walk ways? It'd be faster to skate across campus anyway. Sometimes I wonder how such a big university with so many logical people can make such a stupid decision to use the snow polishers year after year after year.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Facebook amazes me...

Is anyone else amazed that people who you've barely met can find you on Facebook so fast? Granted, I have a fairly unusual first name, but still last night I was introduced to someone and that person friended me 2 hours later. I'm not creeped out, just amazed that people can friend you so fast. I don't even think to friend people unless I really know them. I bet I'm not friends on Facebook with half my real life friends. What do you do to all the people who friend you, but you're not really friends? People from high school who you never ate lunch with or even had class with? I feel like a big jerk if I don't accept people as friends, but then they just sit there in Facebook and I never read their wall or write them little notes. Maybe I'm just not up to speed on my web-based social networking skills.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Getting buff...

A few girls in my lab group had the brilliant idea for us all to run a marathon. I don't really enjoy running. It always seems like a good idea and I get all motivated and go for a run and then remember very quickly that I don't enjoy it at all. Problem is, everyone is on board for this lab group marathon team. Fortunately, most of us decided to just to a half marathon. Our professor is going to walk a 5-k and one girl will run the who marathon. I'm just smart enough to know my competitive side is going to take a blow if I don't actually train, so alas...here I am starting to train for a 13 mile race that's going to make me hurt for days and days. Actually, it's probably going to make me hurt for the next several months. 5K races are always fun. Especially when Martin runs them with me. So, last Saturday we ran the YMCA Sleigh Run. Turned out to be a great race! What's better than 200 people with bells on their shoes running in the snow? The best part is that the volunteers misdirected us and cut 1/4 mile off the course! Makes it look like I ran a 5k in less than 30 minutes, but actually I ran 2.7 miles in less than 30 minutes. I'm going to the gym a couple times a week now. Last night I "ran" on the eliptical machine and lifted weights. Definately a humbling experience. Hopefully Baxter and I can start going on runs in the mornings before I come to school a few days a week. Might have to get him some boots to protect his little paws from the cold snow and ice.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Aunt Anna May to the rescue!

A while back I saw a pattern for a hat that was lace on top and solid underneath. It was called Peek a Boo Hat or something like that. Ravelry totally let me down. I searched through hundreds of hat patterns and never found what I was looking for. Doesn't anyone other than me think it's a brilliant idea!?!?! Well, Nike does and so does SmartWool! But not the rest of the knitting world. I was looking for something in my room tonight and found a book Anna May let me borrow. I feel bad that I've kept it so long! Guess where I saw that pattern? Yup...it's in her book! The book is Lace Style by Pam Allen and Ann Budd and it's even Interweave Press. The pattern is Peek-A-Boo Cloche. I can't believe the pattern didn't come up on Ravelry. I can't believe no one else is knitting this hat! Especially since there are similar commercially made hats by expensive brands like Nike and SmartWool! Come on people! Jump on the band wagon! Mine is going to be black on the outside and gold on the inside. Boiler up! I want to have a little school spirit next time I end up at a Purdue basketball game.

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