It all started with a miniature rose; the kind that are sold inexpensively and are essentially disposable once they finish flowering. That one didn't make it, for reasons that are probably my fault, but I did try. And it set the idea of pretty green things indoors in my head.
Which meant that I failed to resist a pretty little pot when I was at the hardware store for unrelated items. An empty pot lead to a trip to a local garden center. Which lead to a pair of plants and a bag of cactus & succulent potting soil far larger than necessary, but the smallest size sold. And a trip back to the hardware store for a matching pot.
All of which is to say, I now have a pair of plants in the south window in the bedroom, and I intend to keep them alive. Hopefully.Current Mood:  peaceful |
National Zoo. Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my. Giant pandas. Cloud leopard. Monkey sex. Orangutans overhead. Least ugly vulture I've ever seen.
Lebanese restaurant. Sampler platter. Careful not to burn your fingers hot-from-the-oven bread. A bottle of Guinness.
Cherry blossoms at sunset. MLK Jr. memorial. Dusk, and a cool breeze. Venus and Jupiter in the west. Mars in the east.
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I was eventually victorious over the hat.
Job search: completely overwhelming. I'm "overqualified" for positions I think I'd enjoy, and yet intimidated by and unprepared for the things I "should" be applying for.
Other: Tatooine is next up in Old Republic. I'm almost done with Persona, except for the fact that I apparently need to do tons of grinding. A paper that's been in variou stages of review for nearly a year was accepted - and not even that was enough to lift me out of my funk.
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Actually, it's not so much the knitting I fail at, as the 'following directions' part. I think I'll have knit this hat five times over by the time I get the finished product I set out for.
Let's start at the beginning, shall we? I needed to make a hat for my sister for Christmas. I found a pattern and quickly cast on without swatching, figuring increased needle size and yarn weight would save me from my usual tight gauge problems. Half way through the hat, it became undeniable that the brim was too tight. I set the whole thing aside, and started over with even larger needles, a fresh ball of yarn, a few extra stitches, and a resolution to knit more loosely. This went smoothly. By the cast off, I was happy with the hat, although it was just a little loose. I said to myself, I can snug it up with a few minutes in the dryer once it is washed.
Which is how, on Christmas Eve, I found myself in parents' basement laundry room, swearing at a hat that rather than shrinking had grown by at least 30%. I spent much of the rest of the day trying to get it completely felted and down to a reasonable size. This was ultimately successful, although it completely obscured the cable pattern. The gift was presented wrapped in a towel, since it remained damp on Christmas morning.
It seemed at that point that the too-small half-finished hat would be perfect if I just finished and washed it. It set out to do just that, but ran out of yarn with 60 stitches left on the needles at the crown. The big hat had taken more than one ball, so I had less than a complete ball for the smaller one. I did the math, figured that I needed to skip 5 rows at the widest part of the hat, and ripped, ripped, ripped. I started to decrease again, and knit the whole crown of the hat, and got to the end with just a few grams left. At which point I said to myself the shape of the crown doesn't seem right...
Should I say at this point that I had done all this, from the first time I started the decreases, without checking the pattern? I apparently completely forgot the part about where I was supposed to switch from decreasing every other row to every row. And here's the kicker: I had enough yarn in the first place, if I'd only paid attention.
This hat will not beat me. Time to rip back and do it AGAIN.Current Mood:  frustrated |
In my work, we sometime talk about the coming "data tsunami". I think it's hit me: 520G for my next project - and that's a compressed, binary format.
Playing around a bit with The Old Republic early access. Dennis will definitely be playing; I'm not 100% decided so far. Kaas City server, Republic faction if anyone's interested.
Have I shared the saga of the Bayerische Socks of Death? Started these nearly two years ago. I am currently contemplating ripping back most of the foot for sock 2. Which is really more like sock 3, at this point. Would I really do it? Not while I have last minute Christmas knitting, at least.
Let me say that although I am not a 100% selfish knitter, I am not compelled toward knitted wooly gifts like J00. I knit typically 1-3 gifts a year, and not all of them at Christmas. I only had one knit gift planned this time, and finished it weeks ago, so I thought I was all set. But I hadn't picked a gift for my sister yet, and then she specifically requested a warm winter hat, so last minute Christmas knitting it is.
Bonus tip for today: if you buy loose tea from the bulk section at the grocery store, don't store it long term in the plastic bags you bring it home in. Yes, this is completely obvious in retrospect. Blech.
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| » Maritime |
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On a cool, clear, and windy day in early November, you may find yourself drawn by the very faint tang of salt in the air, down to the harbor, down to the beach, down to the sea, to dip your toes in the waves of nostalgia.
Nov. 9th, 2011 @ 07:37 pm
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| » Win some, lose some. |
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Although one of the papers I was working on getting published was rejected, the other one was accepted the same week. This only highlights the differences in writing process and standards between my old and new boss, although I probably shouldn't read too much in to it since they were very different projects.
As promised, a finished sweater.
Sep. 26th, 2011 @ 06:07 pm
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| » Coping mechanisms |
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One of my papers got rejected today, boo hiss.
Left work early, did some shopping, and then went to drown my sorrows in sushi.
Sep. 19th, 2011 @ 07:37 pm
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| » (No Subject) |
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It's past halfway through September already? Where has this year gone?
Games: Recently finished Dragon Quest V (DS), which was excellent - simple (in a good way), old school, and charming. Currently, and to the surprise of everyone including myself, I'm playing Borderlands, and burninating the countryside. Past level 30 at this point, so I guess I've got the hang of it? Need to pick a new commute game, as most of my active portable titles are a little too action-based to be practical on the subway. Something turn-based - Tactics Ogre is an obvious candidate, but my concern is whether I'd be able to set it down!
Knitting: It took three tries, but I've got a design that works well with the yarn for my current pair of socks. This year's sweater is finished except for final wash and block. Hopefully I'll have pictures soon, on both counts. A little while ago, I looked at my yarn pages on Rav, and felt guilty to see 48 stashed, only 13 used. The current goal is to get that down to 40:21 before I add more. Part of the problem is my reluctance to mark yarn used up if there's half a ball left, so I'm going to make a conscious effort to use up odds and ends.
The Great Unknown Future: I'm spending a lot of time thinking about where I want to go in my career, given that I expect to be on the job market in the next six months. Actually, had an interview last week, but I don't expect much to come of that at this point. I haven't come to any firm conclusions, but the biotech industry has the lead by a fair margin. We'll see...
Sep. 19th, 2011 @ 01:26 pm
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| » Earthquake damage |
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Oh the horror! My swift was on top of the bookcase; it fell and cracked the (empty) cover for my sewing machine.
Aug. 26th, 2011 @ 12:03 pm
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