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January 29, 2006
Bevy of Badass Babes in Brooklyn
First off - thanks to all of you for your comments to my last post! You guys are wonderful :) I love getting positive feedback to a positive post. Watch out! I think it's contagious...
Mary and I drove down to Marie and E's place in Brooklyn Saturday to join the Spiders crew in some dyeing fun! Marie, you see, is the dyeing queen and offered to share her fantastic dyes and extensive knowledge with all of us! (As well as her amazing apartment for the day!)
On a sidenote... if anyone wants to see my mean streak, take me into the city and make me drive around for twenty minutes looking for a parking spot. You'll hear every combination of swear words known to man. Fucking fuckity fuck! If I ever live anywhere urban, I won't be a driver...
Once we landed a spot, we headed in and got to see the gals and I was happy to get caugt up with everyone. Kaitlyn's bump has turned into a belly fulla baby! Joy is heading out to sunny Hawaii in just over a week! Sandra is as witty and fantastic as ever! I got to meet up with a lot of other lovely ladies whose blogs I enjoy thoroughly - it was a great day. :)
Here's Marie showing us the ropes.
Lots of yummy fiber gettiing ready to be dyed! We had all this yarn and roving soaking in the bathroom. The very same bathroom, as it happens that poor Amanda was soon to be trapped in. The door got stuck and a rescue operation was soon under way!
As you can see, we all rushed to grab our cameras. Here's Joy and Lisa getting in on the soon to be blog legend of the attempted rescue via window.
But it was Steph who saved the day! What can ya say? When you're good, you're good.
After Amanda was freed, it was straight back to business! Here's Mary working on her roving.
And what's a party without a group shot? Here's most of the crew in one spot. Pictured here (clockwise please!): Amanda, Kaitlyn, the top of Katies's head, Jess, Sandra, Carrie, Mary, someone's foot (is that you, Lisa?), the back of Sarah's head, and Steph!
Not yet mentioned, but wonderful to meet were Veronique, Iraida, Abby and Julia. Phew! Who knew you could fit this many knitters in an apartment?
Thanks again to Marie and E for being such fabulous hostesses! It was great to see the gang again :) Pics of my finished roving and some of it spun up are soon to come!
Posted by Sarah at 4:55 PM | Comments (4)
January 24, 2006
Ask and Ye Shall Receive
Ok, so my trial download for Paint Shop Pro is up for the umpteenth time and they are not letting me use it anymore. So, while I try to figure out how to tell my digicam to take smaller pictures (eww... reading the owner's manual), I am sans photography... I'd love to show you my progress on the Somewhat Cowl and the mega progress I've made on organizing my office slash craft room... but apparently that will have to wait.
So, I must ask myself... What shall I write about that does not require photographic evidence? I know! I'll tell you how I've discovered that 2006 is a kick ass year fer sure.
Once the clock struck Midnight on the last evening of the Hell that was 2005, I straight away decided that this little scissorina was no longer going to be down in the dumps. I'm all about efficiency and spending even one more minute punishing myself for something I didn't do suddenly seemed like the biggest waste of my time... EVER.
So. I started to focus on what I really dig about my life. I started to think about things I wanted to happen for me. And I started to feel better. (I hear a collective "duh!" out there. You're allowed.) Most importantly, I started to recall this memory that I used to firmly believe that your entire existence is only what you create. Be it chaotic, dramatic, exuberant, comfortable, exciting... it is what you make it. Somewhere along my way these past three years, I lost track of that. (Especially in the last year... my focus was never my own life. I was pretty much always concerned with someone else's happiness.)
SO, armed with this newfound/rekindled sense of control over my own destiny, I noticed that really good things started to happen all of the sudden.
In the past 24 days:
~My manager realized that my workload was horrendous. And while she commended me for doing a top notch job - so much so that she didn't realize how crazy things had gotten - she is doing some rebalancing and I'll now be supporting only one person and I can actually focus on what's going on! Less overtime, less stress and a better feeling at the end of the day. I can dig into the work I'm doing and stop being such a robot. This breeds a sense of accomplishment, folks! Woo!
~My manager then gave me a great yearly review. It really made me feel good that she pointed out that she knew I had a hard year (she wasn't aware of my personal situation - I like to keep my own insanity on the d.l.). When my friend Sharon passed away last year, I was chosen to take her position. Talk about big shoes to fill... But, it was really nice to hear someone I worked for tell me that she thought I handled a difficult situation with grace. Sometimes people in the corporate world don't like to talk about things like that - it meant something to me that she was willing to do so. (And that sweet review means I have a good chance of getting a good bonus when the time comes - YEAH!)
~I hung out with the ex's Mom, his niece (who over the course of 3 years, kinda became my niece) and her Mom. I was kind of nervous - I didn't know if it would make me sad or not. But it was AWESOME! The doodle came running up the stairs to my apartment saying "Aunt Sarah!!" and greeted me with a big hug and kiss. We all hung out and talked about life in general... They didn't bring him up even once. It made my day. It made me feel amazing that they really were there to see me. :) We had a great time - as did the doodle... She spent most of the time trying to teach Flane tricks and giggle as Kyra kissed the bejeezus out of her.
~I discovered - by accident! - that my most favoritest person that I spent time with when I was at college now works at the same company I do! We weren't so good at keeping in touch after I left (okay... I wasn't so good at keeping in touch after I left. I was a total jerk. I suck at keeping friends... I tend to drift. But, I'm improving!), so we hadn't spoken in 4 or 5 years. I sent him an email and we've been talking since. The last semester I was in school, I was pretty much losing my shit. All my other friends were taking the "just suck it up and stick it out" approach - none of them would listen. He was the only one who kinda got it. It helped immensely. Just talking to him the past couple of weeks has sparked this memory of that badass girl who didn't let anyone get her down. She did what she wanted, when she wanted. On her terms. And she was a good time, to boot. Weird timing, right? Just when I'm feeling good again and starting to remember what I'm all the fuck about in the first place? Bam! Another reminder! Not to mention, he was a great friend, and I'm very happy to have him around again.
~Last Tuesday at the Scissor Squad, Christine hands me a flaming red Gameboy Advance SP. I'm SERIOUS. I had mentioned at an earlier date that the ex had stolen some shit around my house - and of course I didn't notice until I moved. More than all the money he stole, the GBA hurt the most. I had to save my pennies like crazy to get one (cuz, umm, I had been spending all my $ on someone's rent and someone's bills.... I hear a collective moan... You're allowed.) and ran out at 6am the first day it was on sale and drove 45 minutes to get it. It was a silly little thing, but it meant a lot to me. She said her kids all had one and that they never used them, so she brought it for me. Can you stand it? She, like me, believes in karma - she said she had the means to do something nice for someone so she did it. Amazing.
~That night we got into a discussion about karma and making good things happen for yourself and I was telling them how great I was feeling since I decided to feel great... I got home later, didn't feel sleepy so I turned on the TV - what's on? What the bleep do we Know? Haven't seen it? Neither had I. Ridiculously cool - and all about exactly what I was talking about all night, but with a healthy dose of physics added to the mix. (I'm a closet science geek, remember.) Go rent it/netflix it/buy it whatever - just SEE it. It was trippy that it was there waiting for me that night....
~My stomachaches that have been plaguing me for 5 months have disappeared.
~I've gotten more than 6 hours sleep three nights in a row.
~My dog is happier. A mama can just tell.
~I'm overall more energetic, cheerful, full of beans (in a good way) and productive than I have been in well over a year.
Basically, life is hella good. And life is going to continue to be hella good.
Why?
Because I'm Sarah and I say so, goddamnit!
Posted by Sarah at 9:07 PM | Comments (12)
January 19, 2006
I'm it. Again!
Christine got me for this one!
4 jobs you have had in your life
Inventory specialist on a trans-oceanic cable ship.
Manager/Chef of a vegetarian restaurant
Personal assistant to a Master Herbalist
Secretary for some corporate big wigs (the current yet the most boring... hmmm)
4 movies you could watch over and over
Yojimbo
The Empire Strikes Back
The Matrix Reloaded
The Muppet Movie
4 Places you have lived
Eddington, Maine
Yonkers, New York
Bethel, Connecticut
My VW Bus
4 TV shows you love to watch
Lost
Battlestar Galactica
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Farscape
4 places you have been on vacation
France
Roadtrip from Seattle to San Diego
Roadtrip to Graceland
Amsterdam
4 websites you visit daily
Go Fug Yourself
Craftster
CNN
Weather Underground
4 of your favorite foods
Hummus
My Veggie Chili
My Black Bean Soup
A BIG salad with feta and red wine vinegar - hold the cucumbers
4 places you would rather be right now
Portland, OR
Holden, ME
Hawaii (any part will do)
Paris
4 people you are tagging
Posted by Sarah at 11:31 PM | Comments (2)
January 16, 2006
Somewhat Productive
So I ran out on Saturday to use a gift certicate to a yarn shop in nearby Bethel to discover that they were having a giganto sale! Between the gift certificate (Mary's boyfriend Scott's family gave it to me! They are soooo nice!!!) and the sale, I walked outta there with the Blue Sky Alpaca Silk I've been drooling over and immediately cast on for Wendy's Somewhat Cowl.
I chose this sexy little shade o' red. I am hoping to make an appointment with my friend Lauren soon to get a haircut so I can get rid of what's left of the blonde in my tresses and return to my sultry natural chestnut (I've been missing Ms. Brunette lately - I think it's time!). Once a true brunette again, with no dead ends to boot!, I think this red will be rockin... Everyone needs to knit themselves a hot little sweater every now and then, no?
Posted by Sarah at 8:46 PM | Comments (7)
January 12, 2006
Me Me Me Me Me Me MEEEEE!
Heidi tagged me! And while I think I did the "original" version of this meme, a new flare has been added so how could I resist?
Instructions: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot.
watching me grow
citymama
making (nee stitch marker)
step into my thimble
Then select five people to tag:
Heather / The Perspicacity of H.
Amy / Happy Things (go welcome her to blogland - she just started hers a couple days ago!)
Sylvie / Pelotes
Steph / Gleek
Marie / Brooklyn Handspun
I’m not sure if this is Larissa’s instruction or if it has been included in earlier versions, but I’m keeping it.
Now change the meme! I know that’s not what’s supposed to happen, but I just have to. I’m that kind of gal. The new people I tag will get a slightly different set of questions.
What were you doing 9 years ago?
I was thinking about leaving college.... having a minor meltdown on accounta all the frigging boundaries.... I was drinking A LOT. And still had an excellent GPA... That was part of my problem with the whole college thing, I think. These feelings soon led me to quit school. Despite all my girlfirends telling me it was the worst decision I'd ever make, I ended up spending the next two years travelling and becoming a much better human being. Way more than I could have done at college, methinks...
What were you doing 6 years ago?
Working my office job. Moved in with a boy I definitely should not have. (Okay, so not all my decisions are winners....) Living in the middle of NOWHERE and hadn't discovered knitting yet. Ouch! On the bright side, I was out of my parents' house for good which helped me save my relationships with Mom and Pop. :)
What were you doing one hour ago?
Pouring myself a glass of Shiraz and gabbing on the phone with my sister, Mary, telling her how I had discovered that one of my favorite people I knew in college now works at the same company I do and that is pretty damn neat.
Name 3 movies you can't turn off if you stumble across them on television.
~Hellboy (it is on HBO all the time and I can't stop watching it!)
~Any of the Matrix movies (even though I own them on DVD... duh!)
~Ghostbusters II
Name 3 things you want to improve upon this year.
~Now that I got super skinnified by all that stress, I figure I should work out like a madwoman and get bufff! Yowza!
~I want to get back into my old positive mindset. The world is my goddamn oyster.
~Self Expression. I want to design some patterns, I want to take a dance class again, and I'd really love to play piano...
Name 3 things you can't live without.
~Samurai movies.
~My dog.
~Veggies.
Name 3 things you could....
~This insane amount of debt I have racked up...
~Inconsiderate people.
~Lion Brand Homespun yarn. (I get the shivers just thinking about it)
Name 3 things you really like about yourself.
~My feet. They're damn cute if I do say so myself.
~I am a terrible liar.
~I would punch someone in the face if I really felt it was necessary. (Sounds like a bad thing, but it's not.)
Now, go forth!
Posted by Sarah at 7:28 PM | Comments (2)
January 9, 2006
RIP J. Crew Slippers
Well, my feet are certainly getting lots of attention these days.
Today, I bid farewell to my little grey wooly slippers purchased at J. Crew an eon ago.... It's time they be allowed to rest - I've worked them to death. :(
And I say hello to my new saucy purple slippers! (They'll take some getting used to!)
I applied some rug glue to the bottoms to prevent any hysterical, but deadly, accidents.
Am I on a roll, or what?
Felted Clog Slippers - Pattern from Fiber Trends
Yarn: A big hank of purple mystery wool gifted upon me far too long ago!
Needles: US13, Clover bamboo circulars
Comments: A big fat breeze these were. They were done for almost a week before I got down to Mary's washer for a felting party. And then they had to dry. And then I applied rug glue to the bottoms. And that had to dry. Then it needed a second coat - which... come on, guess! - had to dry. This took a lot of patience from me and my tired old slippers who just want to be put out to pasture already! The sole is composed of two soles which make these sinfully smooshy and comfortable.
Posted by Sarah at 6:04 PM | Comments (5)
January 8, 2006
Leafy Feet are a Treat
A word about socks.
It's funny that I have come to love knitting socks - as well as come to love wearing them. Through high school my Mom would chase after me begging and pleading for me to put a pair on when it was cold. I just hated them! I wore all my winter shoes sans socks and half the time had a pair of birkenstocks on with bare tootsies. Can't explain it... Something about socks just really irritated me. Eventually after a few years of refusing foot covers, I put a pair on one day and VA VA VOOM! I fell in love. :) So comfy! So warm! What the hell had I been thinking?!?!
Learning to knit them has rekindled the sock love all over again. I give you the Embossed Leaves Socks official photo shoot....
Full frontal. (I'm sure to get some good Google searches off of that phrase, no?)
"Ain't we some sexy bitches?" - Embossed Leaves Socks, The Scissor Kitchen, January '06
And what's a photo shoot without my little cronies? Here's one butting in now...
And a nice shot of my entire audience. Gotta love that whenever you move, at least two thirds of the household follows at your nicely dressed heels. (Incidentally, this pic shows the colors of the yarn to their truest.)
Embossed Leaves by Mona Schmidt, IWK Winter 2005
Yarn: Trekking XXL in Autumn Stripes
Needles: US2, Crystal Palace circulars
Comments: Well, I knit these suckers fast! 8 days - I think that's a record for me with socks. No second sock syndrome this time, folks! I really liked this pattern - the lace pattern wasn't too hard but still kept my interest. (Well, duh. If I knit them in a week flat, I guess I never got bored.) The only modification I made was one less lace repeat on the foot to keep them from being humongous.
Posted by Sarah at 10:07 PM | Comments (8)
January 4, 2006
List 2006
You knew it was coming. How could I resist putting together a list of some goals for 2006? If it involves making a list, I'm there! I thought long and hard about these - I really wanted to make an honest list of things I'd been missing and/or things I'd been holding back on. It's the New Year... what better time to do a little self evaluation?
And awaaaaay we go!
Scissor Related
Make at least 2 quilts ~ Already on my way! Still picking out fabrics, but the Bee is up and running! I've picked out my first pattern and need to do some more shopping this weekend. Why, oh why?, does Joann Fabric suck so bad? I want cute fabric people! And I'm not finding it! I'll be scouring the quilt shops this weekend for sure!
Sew: Curtains for my bedroom, skirt (have the pattern and the fabric!), pair of pants ~ After sewing Cait's Husband Bag, I remembered what got me started on all my crafty hobbies in the first place. How I heart sewing! The cutting, the pinning, the need for attention to detail! I adore it and need to get back into it on a regular basis!
Design and knit a fitted black turtleneck sweater ~ I had one that I really loved. It made me feel like a 60's fashion icon every time I put it on. It's long since gone, but it's time it be resurrected! I have the yarn... just need to bite the bullet and pull out that graph paper!
And oh yeah - Get a HAIRCUT!
Sarah Related
Get some outdoor exercise at least once a week - no matter the weather ~ I need to come up with some outdoor Winter and Spring activities! I used to be outside 24/7 and lately I've been feeling totally cooped up in this apartment! I love my couch and all... but it's time this scissorina got her ass outdoors. I feel a weekend trip to Maine for some snowshoeing coming soon...
Finish organizing my home ~ I've put it off for far too long! The first floor is amazing - a total reflection of my style. The upstairs? I don't allow guests up there... Basically two empty rooms sans some boxes, a computer and my bed. I need to seal the deal. I think it will do wonders for my emotional state. :)
Take a Vacation ~ My Dad helped me get off my ass on this one! He gave Mary and I each a roundtrip domestic airfare with some of his frequent flyer miles. No excuses now! I want to go somewhere that will wake me up! Somewhere ridiculously beautiful. So much so that I'll cry at the sight of it. I haven't taken a trip like that in far too long... I think I need something like that every now and then to remind me of who's in here! Possibilities? Utah. Northern California. Washington State.... We'll see!
Take Back My Frigging Life ~ Yeah. I know. It's a bit of a heavy goal - but we're going for honesty here, friends! I still feel like I'm walking around in a fog that just won't lift! I know everyone says that wounds like these just take a lot of time to heal, but I've always believed that one must take an active role in one's own happiness. I need to start walking the walk again. It's not going to be a picnic, but just by writing it down I feel I might have turned a corner.
Phew! That took it out of me! Oh how I hope to look back on this puppy a year from now and see each of these goals (and then some) accomplished! What could feel better? :)
Posted by Sarah at 9:56 PM | Comments (5)