In Defense of Geekery

Sketch #16

2011-02-13T22:32:00.000-06:00

I finally got out of town this last week and I was able to get some art supplies. A brand spankin new set of water colors was among them. Today was a chance to play. I haven't sat down and seriously painted in years and taking the opportunity to do so today was like a breath of fresh air for my soul.

This was done while I was listening to the album Rules by The Whitest Boy Alive. The scanner kind of washed some of the colors out a bit. They have much more depth to them in real life.

Here's the song 1517 from the album I mentioned above.

Also, I feel like I should mention this song, since I've been listening to it a lot this past weekend.

Ben Folds is one of my all time favorite artists. Combine him with Jack and Nataly of Pomplamoose and Nick Hornby and you get pure awesome. The album that Ben Folds and Nick Hornby collaborated on is awesomesauce. This song is on it. Enjoy. :)

Sketch #15

2011-02-07T22:40:00.002-06:00

Sketch #14

2011-02-05T23:15:00.002-06:00

I am officially one of the cool kids...

2011-02-03T22:42:00.000-06:00

...because now I have these.

It's a crappy picture and the matching carpet is completely unintentional, but this is my first pair of Chucks!!! I'm so excited I could spit rainbows and I've been wearing them everywhere. Every once in awhile I look down and think to myself "yeah, that's right, I have cool shoes."

Sketch #13

2011-02-03T22:38:00.000-06:00

Lotus Blossom with flame, sort of a detail from Sketch #4.

Sketch #'s 11 &12

2011-02-01T22:49:00.000-06:00

Well, the printer and I sat down and had a come to Jesus meeting and it is now functioning properly.

So now, I'm trying to get caught back up.

Sketch #11 is a really quick sketch that I of and idea for a painting (I can assure you I'm MUCH better at blending and texture with paints than I am with colored pencils.) It's inspired by a quote from Albert Einstein...

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

Sketch #12 is based on the silhouette of part of my head. I wear my hair in a pixie cut and sometimes it can look a little unruly...especially this time of night. The goings-on in my head can get a little unruly as well...

The sketching is on hold...

2011-01-26T22:32:00.002-06:00

Or at least the posting of the sketches is on hold for the time being. My printer/scanner died today and along with it, my ability to scan my sketches into the computer. I haven't had the chance to see if I can resurrect it yet, but I'm hoping that I can get it to work again because I really can't afford another one right now. I might try to photograph some of my sketches, but my digital camera isn't all that great either.
So for tonight, I'll leave you with this haiku ode to my printer...

You had worked so well
Then you went and took a crap
And now I am screwed

:p

Sketch #10

2011-01-25T23:10:00.000-06:00

I've fallen behind a bit. I've been having a lot of stress lately (who hasn't) and when I get stressed my natural response is to sleep, so I haven't really felt like staying up late and sketching at night. I missed a night...and then another...and before I knew it, nearly a week had gone by and I found myself thinking "maybe I should just quit". So I asked myself why and I got a bunch of answers back like "really it doesn't matter it's just another stupid thing you're doing", "you don't have enough time", "this is silly", "your sketches really aren't that good", "everybody probably thinks you suck", and so on. None of the answers were good reasons to quit. I had to remind myself that I'm not doing this for anybody else and it doesn't really matter if people think that I suck...maybe they do and maybe they don't. The point of this exercise (for me anyway)is that nobody ever improved in anything without practice and creativity breeds more creativity. So yeah, I'm a little behind at this point, but I'm not quitting.

I also think got a little bored with just graphite. I think in color. I dream in color. My life is all about color and sometimes it's hard for me to translate my ideas into just graphite and paper. So, I went through my art box this weekend and I found all of my paints and pastels and crayons. Seeing them again gave me that warm fuzzy feeling. I missed them.

Here's sketch #10.

Sketch #9

2011-01-18T23:10:00.000-06:00

"To Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave my Deluminator, a device of my own making, in the hope that when things seem most dark, it will show him the light."

- Rufus Scrimgeour, The Deathly Hallows, Part 1

Sketch #8

2011-01-17T22:51:00.000-06:00

I felt like drawing angel wings...so I did.

Sketch #7

2011-01-16T22:58:00.000-06:00

I've made it a week. Woot! Here is today's sketch. The inspiration for it flashed before my eyes today just as I was getting out of the shower. I see it more as a painting than a sketch. There should be more texture and the values don't quite do the color dynamic that's in my head justice. But for a sketch, it'll have to do.

Sketch #'s 5 & 6

2011-01-16T22:52:00.000-06:00

Friday was sort of an exhausting day. So was Saturday. So I fell behind in posting, but I didn't fall behind in sketching.

Here's Friday's sketch...

It was an image that flashed in front of my eyes just before I went to bed on Thursday night.

Here's Saturday's sketch...

It's just a sketch.

Sketch #4

2011-01-14T00:05:00.001-06:00

This morning while I was in that gray area between awake and sleep, I had sort of a vision. It was of this vine-like plant in what I'm assuming was a forest. It had the most beautiful brightly colored flowers that were shaped sort of like lotus blossoms. The blooms gave off a beautiful faint glow, as if a little tongue of flame was dwelling at the center of each one. The vine itself was somewhat delicate, yet not fragile looking and it had smallish leaves spread throughout. It brought light into the darkness.

When I became fully awake, I knew that this was going to be the subject of my 4th sketch. This one is not as detailed as I would have liked, but it has been a long day and my body is wanting sleep.

Sketch #3

2011-01-12T23:56:00.003-06:00

I think what I miss most during the winter seasons is the sunshine. It's not like I live far enough north that I have to endure complete days of darkness. I am, however, far enough north to notice a difference in how I feel from the diminished hours of daylight.
I have to apologize for the crappy scanning. It's been a long day and I'm just to tired to fix it tonight.

I should add that this sketch was partially inspired by this song...
(From the Alasdair Frasier and Natalie Haas album "In The Moment"...the album version is much better and without the extraneous bagpipes in the background. :S)

Sketch #2

2011-01-11T21:25:00.001-06:00

It's supposed to get to -11F here tonight. Everybody gird yer loins.

This one is sort of a rough draft of a painting that I've had in my head for awhile. It's inspired by two musical compositions, "The Multiples of One" and "Blue Windows" by Joseph Curiale. Both are from his CD Awakening.

Sketch #1

2011-01-10T21:59:00.000-06:00

Last week I heard a quote from Vincent Van Gogh...

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint', then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced".

Since then it's become my favorite quote.
(Next to the quote from Alan Alda - "When people are laughing, they're generally not killing one another".)

The more I thought about the quote, the more I thought about all of the stuff I've told myself that I couldn't do over the years. I began to wonder what words I could replace "paint" with.

I've never considered myself much of a sketcher. In fact, growing up, I didn't really consider myself much of an artist. Sure, I loved to make things and be creative, but the school "art" lessons that I had as a kid suggested that I wasn't really much of an artist and I definitely couldn't draw. So I grew up believing that...until I got to college. Among the many things that I took away from my college education was that I could draw and I could even paint...quite well as a matter of fact. I also discovered that I have an aptitude for color, detail and basic design concepts. Despite all of this, the little voice in my head persisted...rather, I allowed it to persist. For whatever reason, I haven't a clue.

Last week when I found out about this challenge, I thought to myself "there's no way that I could do that, I'm not good at sketching". And then, as if someone was trying to tell me something, I came across that quote.

So here I am, silencing that little voice in my head once and for all.

I wonder if I could list "Laundry" in the "Special Skills" section of my resume...

2011-01-10T20:18:00.003-06:00

Whenever someone asks me whether or not they should entertain their desire to become a massage therapist, I ask them 2 questions:

Do you like doing laundry?
and
Do you like making your bed?

Most people answer "no" in some form or another to both questions, many expressing utter contempt for doing laundry. And many are surprised to find out that I usually 3 to 5 loads per day and sometimes more just for the business (that's with two therapists working full time and not including any of my personal laundry).

Due to the healthy dumping of snow over the weekend, our road was mostly impassible by this morning. Thanks to the pickup, I made it into town for work, but anyone trying to get to/from our place without 4WD was going to be screwed. This meant calling all of my clients to make sure they had the means to get here and rescheduling the ones who didn't...which turned out to be all of them.

After I had finished rescheduling my clients for the day I decided to spend some time catching up with some stuff that I had gotten a little behind on, including the laundry. So, I walked around the corner into my massage room and discovered that the Matterhorn had been moved onto my table.

We normally don't let the laundry get that backed up but with the holidays and family obligations and illness, it just did. Fortunately, if the past six years of being a massage therapist has taught me anything, it's how to fold laundry. So thanks to my awesome ninja-like laundry skills I was able to make short work of it.

And that's what I did with my day...well, one thing I did with my day.
(And for those interested, here's what it looked outside today after it had stopped snowing.)

Over the weekend I did a lot of housekeeping on my computer. I went to defrag it and apparently only 2% of the hard drive was available. Defrag needs 15% to function properly, so I went through and deleted a ton of stuff and got rid of a couple of programs that I no longer use and moved a bunch of stuff onto flash drives. In the end I managed to free up roughly 5% of space. The Pavilion is pushing 5 years now, so I guess it's time to upgrade.

Last night I found myself going through my iTunes library and listening to a bunch of songs that I hadn't heard in awhile. Most of them are more low-key and others are edgier than what I've been listening to lately, but I found them oddly inspiring, which is perfect because I'm in desperate need of inspiration these days. I ended up compiling an awesome play list of this great music and I've been enjoying it all day. Maybe I'll even share it later.

In regards to needing inspiration, today starts the 100 days of sketching. I'll make another post later when I get the sketch finished. I definitely think the first sketch deserves its own post.

Until then, here's one from the play list...

In Which I Crawl Out From Under My Rock...

2011-01-07T19:43:00.005-06:00

The rest of 2010 finished in a blur. I turned 29, there was the 60th anniversary of the drive-in, I became a Laughter Yoga leader and met a lot of great folks in the process, my iTunes library expanded, I discovered Daft Punk and Phoenix and Justice and a bunch of other really awesome music/bands/groups/musicians/whathaveyou, ate a fair amount of sushi, tried Vietnamese food for the first time, had some amazing authentic chai, danced in the aisles of a Trader Joes, laughed as much if not more than I cried, watched a lot of movies, discovered Just Dance 2, re-discovered the joys of reading, knitted...a lot...real good, and started breaking in my first pair of Vibrams.

There were trips to Los Angeles and Albuquerque. There were important milestones reached and funerals and births. There was a really long tram ride, a really sad goodbye, a good amount of really funny cards, Avenue Q, Eclipse (which really wasn't all that great, but I still saw 4 times...mostly because we showed it at the drive-in), and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (which really was that great, in my humble opinion). There was a Jackson Browne concert with my dad, something that is/will always be one of my favorite memories of spending time with him. Drinks were drank (though not as many of them as you might think), goals were accomplished...some of them anyway, and we lost a very dear furry member of the family.

Now onto 2011...

It seems like business as usual. Really, 2010 seemed like business as usual, but now that I look back on it, maybe it wasn't so much that way. Or perhaps the highlights just become lost in the noise of the daily grind.

Goals for the year:
*Organization. I'm forever working on organization. I blame it on the ADD and Dyslexia, but placing blame doesn't fix anything. Good news, I am making progress.
*Exercise.
*Bolster the Finances.
*Finish as many existing knitting projects as possible. Several of these just need to be frogged or finished (sewn together, ends woven in, etc.). This year I shall make finishing projects my bitch.
*Avoiding insanity. Sometimes this one seems easier said than done.

Projects for the year (thus far):
*LSG11ty - In which 11 knitting/crochet/spinning projects are finished by December 31st, 2011. I've finished one and a half so far. (Pics later as they're both gifts.)
*Pay it Forward - Sending 5 hand-made items to 5 people who agree to also send 5 hand-made items to 5 other people. I know it sounds like a chain letter...but I prefer to think of it as an organized random act of kindness.
*100 Sketches in 100 Days - Pretty self-explanatory, I think. I don't think they have to be all sketches, just something created each day. I was a little nervous about this at first, but now I'm kinda excited. I'll be posting my creations on the blog each day. (If this doesn't get me in the blogging habit, then I don't know what will.)
*Project Origami - In which I endeavor to master the art of paper folding. My goal is to be able to successfully create kusudamas. Flowers and other items are on my list too. I'm doing this completely on my own.

Trips this year are TBD. However, ABQ and the west coast are yet again on my list.

Right, so I'm on my way...

Here's some Phoenix. Enjoy.

In which our heroine finds herself defeating the laziness and finally getting a post published...

2010-06-30T18:52:00.000-05:00

I was going through some computer files today and ran across 10 or so note pad files with various tiles that all had the word "blog" in it. Good intentions don't get posts published.

So here I am, determined to publish something...anything...really.

Right, so...how are you? Good? Good.

Yup...

Alright enough of the awkward silence. I have things to post, that will most definitely get posted, er...soon. One of which is my first published knitting pattern...woot! (I'm assuming publishing it to my blog counts as "publishing".)

All of this falls into the category of "get your sh*t together". And by that I mean organization, tying up lose ends and doing various activities...such as cleaning...that improve my space and my life in a manner that allows the creative juices to flow more readily and allows me to functionally be more of an "adult". (It also will supposedly make daily tasks such as sleeping and book work more efficient and enjoyable.) I'm all for that.

So yeah...

Stay tuned for next week's episode where we find our heroine learning about imaging software, CSS and how not to lose her car keys.

The Master List

2010-01-07T19:49:00.000-06:00

When I worked in the costume shop at SDSU, we had something called the master list...it was a list of every single little bleeping thing that needed to be done in order to finish getting the show up from a costuming point of view. It included everything from making garments to sewing on buttons to trimming threads to purchasing pantyhose and other necessities to doing laundry...ironing...transporting...cleaning...etc...ad nauseum. The list literally had everything little thing, no matter how tiny, that needed to be done.

Each one of the departments had their own list. Ours was usually in a notebook or on a legal pad in the middle of the main table...or on several sheets of paper taped to the wall. When we got closer to production time, we would all go into work and just get as much done from the list as we possibly could. Some of it was ongoing...some of it took literally seconds to accomplish...some of the list items would take days to complete...and to top it all off, the list never stopped growing. Every day, as things would get crossed off, inevitably, a bunch of new stuff would get added. The list itself would sometimes be completely re-written several times before it was all over with.

Eventually, it would start to get smaller...little by little it would begin to shrink. It was a sign that we were almost there...almost done...that soon the madness would be over and we'd all be able to relax a little...and perhaps sleep a little too.

The great thing about the list is that stuff got done. It was right there in front of us. It was all priority and we all knew it. It streamlined management around the costume shop and helped us to work more cohesively with (relatively) little bitching and only a few things thrown at each other from across the room.

I'm a big fan of lists.

I'm not big on New Year's resolutions. I think they're actually kinda dumb. It's a socially accepted convention whereupon one picks an item or two (or three or so) from a list of highly generalized, predetermined things that one is supposed to do to make one better. (Lose 10lbs, stop smoking, exercise more, etc.).

So this year, I made myself a list.

Rather, I should say, I'm making myself a list.

Well, both.

I've identified about 4 different "major" things I would like to accomplish this year...they're specific.

And now I've started making myself a big fat old master list of things I need/want to get done.

And it truly is a big fat list. Within about 20 minutes, I've been able to fill a notebook page front and back. Some of the list is on going...stuff that I will never truly get "finished" (eg, "practice yoga", "blog", "meditate", etc.), some of it is stuff that I've been meaning to do for awhile and have been avoiding it...or just haven't gotten around to it...probably the first of the two. Some of it is stuff that I can get done with a flick of my wrist...or magic wand...if I can ever find the stupid thing. (Yes, "clean my room" is on the list.) The more important/time sensitive items are marked with an asterisk...meaning either "do these items first" or "get this done now!". (Just like with the master list in the costume shop, there are several things on there that I'd rather do first...but aren't necessarily the most important items on the list.)

Either way, the point is to give organization to the chaos and therefore provide some direction. I've found myself sitting at my computer in the evenings, knowing I have about a billion things to do. Many times I just sit there and stare at facebook or look stuff up on the internet. I hate that. It's wasting time. But it's because I literally don't know what to do next.

Haha! Guess what...now there's a list!

2009 is not going to go down in my history book as my favorite year. Probably, it will go down as my most challenging year. It will also go down as a year whose events changed me...perhaps changed me the most.

I'm a different person from it all...like it or not.

Either way, I'm the only person who can do something about it. I'm the only person who can change my life and change me for the better.

So, I've decided that 2010 is going to be my best year yet. 2009 is over...all of that crap is over. Now we're in a new year with new possibilities and opportunities and it's going to be great. It already is great and it just keeps getting better and better!

...And now I've got a list to prove it...so take that! :)

Eat Crayons, Poop Rainbows....

2009-12-13T17:21:00.007-06:00

I heard about this fabulous thing yesterday. Apparently, if you purchase a specially marked pack of Crayola Crayons, inside the pack there's a code. If you go to the crayola website and enter the code, you can upload your own photos and turn them into coloring book pages and then print them out. This feature is only available though if you have a code.

I thought this sounded pretty cool, so I went to one of the local dollar stores and bought myself a new 64ct pack of crayons. (I was actually pretty excited about this because this is the first new box of crayons that I've purchased in a very long time.)

Anyway, so I get the box home and open up the lid and enter the code. According to the website, the code is not available. I tried again. Still not available. I tried it in all lower case...still not available. I substituted what appeared to be "B's" for "8's". Still not available. I sighed and tried it again....and again...and again. Grrrrrr!

So, I sent an e-mail outlining my disappointment to the Crayola company. We'll see what happens if/when they get back to me. I may or may not have had some plans with what I was going to make on that site. Ugh.

So Christmas is drawing closer and I'm still knitting on several projects. I can't say what for now...but they're all going to be pretty sweet...IF I can get them all done on time. The hard part has been doing all of the knitting on the sly. I happen to live in the same house as one or more of the people that I'm knitting for. So, mostly this is meaning some really late nights and a lot of sneakery.

I'm going to New Moon tonight for the 3rd time. Part of this is that I'm fascinated by it. It's like cinematic crack...the whole Twilight series is. The cinematography is beautiful, the storyline is decent, the acting is horrible (for the most part)...but there's still something about it that sucks you in. Maybe it's the idea of unrequited love...or maybe it's more thrilling than that.

I think the roller coaster or horror movie theory applies here...you go on a roller coaster or see a horror movie for the thrill of it. (Unless you're wacko and enjoy watching people get mauled, tortured, gutted and dismembered...yuck!). Anyway, it's simulated danger/terror...it causes the came chemical reactions in the body that real danger/terror would. Thus the "rush" that everyone talks about after experiencing one or both.

I've never been able to stomach roller coasters and I absolutely can't stand most horror movies. But, I think that the Twilight Saga provides something similar, only in a different sort of way. It's emotional angst and torment. It plays on that desire that we all have to be loved. It plays on the notion of soul mates and true love forever. Not to mention having two gorgeous guys that both have issues of their own who are madly in love with the main character. Also, there's life-altering choices to be made, danger, action, and sparkle. I suppose there's still an angsty teenager living somewhere inside all of us...and this film appeals to that part.

Anyway. I'm off for some popcorn and some angst.

Here's "Monsters" by the Hurricane Bells from the New Moon soundtrack.

New Diggs or "Honey, We're Packing the Kids and Moving to the Hampton!"

2009-09-18T01:13:00.002-05:00

I like staying in hotels.

I'm not sure if it's the change of scenery, the chintzy decor, the privacy or that staying in a hotel usually means something fun or exciting is happening. When I think of the different places I've been and the things I've done, the places I've stayed along the way always stick out in my mind.

I get a feeling like I'm in neutral territory. The room is mine for the night or weekend or however long I'm staying, but I have no ownership or responsibility towards it (well...other than making sure I don't trash the place...but for me that's really not too difficult).

I especially like nice hotel rooms.

I have no problems with forking over extra cash for a better room. If I have my choice of a 2-star room for $50 and a 4-star room for $100...if it's in my budget, I'll take the 4 star room. A softer bed, a few more amenities, less chance of seeing a really creepy looking bug crawl across your bathroom floor...totally worth it.

On the other end of the scale, I've never stayed at a truly upscale hotel. The fanciest place I've stayed up until this point is the Green Valley Ranch just outside of Las Vegas. I loved it and would totally go back there again if I had the opportunity, but what I'm really talking about are places like the Waldorf Astoria and so on. Places that cost more per night than my car is worth. If I had the opportunity and the money, I would totally stay at a place like that. I'm not sure how much I'd truly enjoy it though...I have a hard time relaxing at a place where things look like they cost more than what I have readily available in my checking account. Then again, if I was staying at a place like that, I probably would have a lot more in my bank account than I do right now.

Anyway, my absolute favorite place to stay is the Hampton Inn. I especially like how the new ones are decorated. I love the black and white photos and the elegant simplicity of the rooms. They have the best breakfasts, by far and the most comfortable beds that I've found in any hotel.

Either way, I do my best writing and my best thinking in hotels. Sometimes I get the best sleep in a hotel. (Depending on how the bed is). I can't speak from experience, but I think I could live in a hotel room.

Hmm...maybe I should become a travel writer or a hotel inspector....or just become independantly wealthy and move in.

:)

Something New

2009-09-14T17:23:00.000-05:00

My attempts at keeping a fairly regular blog have failed yet again. Or at least they were failing...I'm posting now, so technically not they're not failing at the moment.

Life is weird. Life is tough sometimes...things go one way and then they go the other.

I've been actually meaning to post sooner than later. I lost the piece of paper that I had my password written down on somewhere in the moving process. I've been doing a half-assed job of looking for it, but it's still nowhere to be found. I was previously too lazy to re-set things, but I really felt the urge to write something for some reason today, so I did the password recovery thing and re-set it. The double advantage is that now I don't have a reason to be frantically clawing my way through boxes to find what I was originally looking for. I've been home since the beginning of summer and I've only unpacked the necessities so far.

Right now is a time of reshuffling the deck. It's about picking up the pieces and putting everything back in order. Some of you know what's been going on in my life. Some of you don't. I'm not going to explain myself here because if I haven't told you anything, it's probably none of your business (no offense). It's time for new beginnings and something new. Not really sure what though.

I sort of have this feeling that the powers that be aren't really letting me go anywhere right now until I get a few things sorted out. My room would probably be a good starting place for that. I've been seeing the numbers 123 a lot. I looked it up in a book about messages that certain numbers may have if they start showing up a lot. My original thoughts were "123...maybe that means things should be/are going to be easy right now or from here on out". Actually, the meaning in the book essentially said that "now is the time to simplify your life". I suppose the vernacular of that would be "get rid of all of the shit you don't need and get the shit that you do need organized in some sort of a coherent manner" (my vernacular uses the word "shit" a lot).

Ugh, I hate cleaning.

I hate throwing things away...I never know if I'll need them again or not. More than once, I've thrown something away that I've ended up needing down the road. I never know what's safe to get rid of and what you need to keep. Old bank statements? Receipts? Cards? Letters? Concert tickets? Journals/notebooks? Socks? Sometimes it's a little more than "Will I need this?"...sometimes it's more like "Will I miss this?"

I've gotten rid of several items of clothing so far and quite a few papers from years back. I'm donating a lot of my craft supplies that I don't foresee needing in the near future (popsicle sticks, glitter, etc.) to the local pre-school. It still seems like it's a never-ending pile.

This is all complicated by the fact that all I really want to do right now is sleep. I get that way when I'm stressed or upset though.

Recently I decided to make an effort to do at least 15 min a day of cleaning/organizing/tossing...more if I can manage it. A little bit of progress has been made so far...I can see about 10% more floor (which desperately needs to be vacuumed). I'll keep you updated as to how this all goes.

I find that I've been narrating my life a lot lately...that's another reason I finally broke down and did a password retrieval on my account. I guess I figured that it was time I wrote some of this down and got it out of my head instead of letting it all collect and fester up there. Some of the narration is, in my opinion, quite good. Then again, things always seem to sound better in my head than they do coming out of my mouth...or out of my fingertips as it were.

I made a comment about being antisocial on Facebook today...that's a little out of character for me. I'm not really an introverted person...I've just been feeling that way a lot lately. I don't really know what that's all about.

On another note, I connected with a good friend last night that I hadn't talked to in several months. That was refreshing. It was good to hear her thoughts and perspective on the events in my life...she has a wonderful gift for being able to put a positive spin on anything. I've been doing my best to keep positive...but hearing what she had to say really helped. She's had some wonderfully exciting things going on in her life, so it was great to hear about all of those things as well.

On the needles right now is a cardigan. I call it my "Cookie Monster cardigan" because it's pretty much the same color as Cookie Monster. I'm using Malabrigo worsted weight in the colour way "Tuareg". It's very soft. My camera battery is currently charging, but I'll post pictures at some point.

I leave you with "Something New" by the Black Ghosts

Letter to Santa...

2008-11-09T20:06:00.000-06:00

I had nothing better to do today, so I decided to walk through the local Pamida. Actually, I needed painkillers...so I wasn't just going there to aimlessly wander around...although that's been known to happen.

I walked in and instantly noticed that it appeared as if Christmas had exploded all over the place. It's funny how stores go right from Halloween season (which starts in early September) to Christmas...which, last I checked...was just over 45 days away. (http://www.emailsanta.com/clock.html). Still, no time like the present to get a jump on the holiday shopping...or so all the major retailers are telling us.

(Btw, yes, I did send Santa an e-mail...it went something like this: (The bold portions are items that I filled in.)

"Dear Santa Claus,

I am a girl and I am already 27 years old!!! I live in the great city of Winner in the state of South Dakota. Of course, that's in United States, but I bet you already knew that!!!
This year I have been so good that I should be an angel on top of the tree!.

Santa, some things that I might like for Christmas this year are a quilting frame, a Xbox 360, and a boyfriend.

P.S. Santa Claus, I almost forgot to add these comments!!

I really don't care so much about the Xbox 360, but the quiliting frame and the boyfriend would both really come in handy. Oh and none of those crappy asshole boyfriends either...I want a good one! ...and peace on Earth would be a nice touch as well. Thanks!

Love,

Lindsey Nordsiden"

...and I enclosed some raindeer food for good measure. Oh, and before I submitted it, I changed the words "crappy" and "asshole" to "stupid" and "idiot"....I definitely don't need to lose points with Santa for dirty language!

...and I got a reply back! Here it is:

"Merrrryyyy Christmas Lindsey Nordsiden!!

Thank you for sending me your email all the way from Winner! The Net sure is wonderful because now I can get emails from Winner and around the world in the blink of an eye. Even Rudolph gets emails... from pets! Why, here's Rudolph right now! HO!! Ho!! ho!! He just asked me to say 'Hi!' to you!

Well bless my whiskers, Lindsey Nordsiden! Are you fibbing to ol' Santa Claus?!? You can't possibly be 27 years old already! Why it seems like only yesterday that I was leaving presents for a certain little girl and here you are now, practically one of Santa's elves! (*grin*)

Sorry the presents the last little while probably haven't been quite as exciting as they were when you were a little girl but, well, you know how these things go (*wink*). Anyway, Santa's glad to see some of the 'older kids' (not to mention anyone in particular!) still take the time to write. I also hear you've been a REALLY REALLY good girl. (Of course, you won't mind if I do a little checking, will you? HO!! Ho!! ho!!).

Let's see what you put in your letter for Christmas wishes: 1. quilting frame; 2. xbox 360 and; 3. boyfriend. Can I tell you a little secret? I love playing games on my xBox -- reindeer games that is! HO!! Ho!! ho!! They are a lot of fun aren't they! I guess that's why so many good little boys and girls asked for the same thing as you! I just wish there was room in my sleigh to give everyone one. HO!! Ho!! ho!! Well that *would* be quite a present if I brought you a boyfriend for Christmas! But, as you know, that's one present the elves can't make -- and anyway the last time I stuck a new boyfriend in my toy sack to deliver Christmas Eve they weren't too happy with me by the time I dropped them down the chimney! (Besides, I know you're going to find a very nice boyfriend all on your own without any help from me.)

Oh yes, before I forget Lindsey Nordsiden, the elves really want you to visit my new blog! It is called Santa Claus' Christmas Blog. My blog is all about Christmas, life at the North Pole, and me, Santa Claus ! You can even write messages to me and see what others have written. I can hardly wait to see what you write!

Oh no! Rudolph just sneezed and now there's Nose Wax everywhere. I'll see you soon but now I have to go clean off my computer because it's glowing like Rudolph's nose! Take care Lindsey Nordsiden and don't forget to come back and visit me here at EmailSanta.com on Christmas Eve!! And remember... only 46 more sleeps until Christmas!!

Lots of Love,

Santa Claus

P.S. The reindeer say "Thank You!" for the nice treats! I hope you don't mind, but I had a bit of carrot and celery too. After all, even Santa eats his veggies!

P.P.S. I've attached a special postmarked copy of your email below so you can print it off and show it to all your friends or put it on your fridge."

Wow.)

Anyway, back to Pamida....

After a quick trip to the drug store section I wandered over to electronics. The one thing I have to say about big box stores is that sometimes you can find good deals on dvds and games and what not. Speaking of games...I happened to see a copy of "Beautiful Katamari"...the 3rd installment in the Katamari series on the shelves. Unfortunately, while the other 2 editions are for PS2, this one is for Xbox 360...thus the request in the e-mail to Santa.

One of the many great things about the Katamari games are their awesome soundtracks. I did some snooping on Youtube as well as an internet search or two...and found out that most of the songs are from 80's J-pop stars (Japanese Pop)...which I find intriguing and cool at the same time. One song in particular, "Harvest of Love" has itself firmly lodged in my ear...it appears the soundtrack to the 3rd game is just as catchy as the 1st two...now, to find somewhere reputable online to purchase it...hopefully for less than $50. If you're interested, look up "Beautiful Katamari" on Youtube...and after a bit of perusing, you should find the soundtrack listings.

Also, I found this awesome video on Youtube of the 2005 Paradigm Winter Guard. The song to their routine is the live version of The Dave Matthews Band's "Typical Situation."
Enjoy.

2008-11-02T09:07:00.000-06:00

Okay, this was originally a knitting blog...now it's general blog.

I had to shelve the knitting for awhile...my hands just were not taking it so well. I've been working on a few projects here and there...and I have a couple of projects to get done by Christmas...but other than that, my knitting time has been severely cut down.

Suffice it to say, I've found plenty of other ways to occupy my time.

One of them is my new Air Blade. (I should have a picture to post here...but I don't...instead, check it out for yourself here: www.bandshoppe.com ). It's pretty sweet.

For those of you wondering, the Air Blade is the new color guard "weapon" that Band Shoppe released earlier this year. It's sort of an interesting cross between a rifle and a saber...all of which, along with flags and other props, are used in color guard routines that are choreographed to marching band shows. (The blog isn't called "In Defense of Geekery" for nothing.)

At $30 it's cheaper than most traditional guard weapons and it's unique curvature as well as ample places for hand holds make it very versatile. Due to it's construction, each one is also perfectly balanced and weighs the same. ...Plus, it's made out of the same material as Legos are...so that sends the geek factor through the roof.

I was able to enjoy it for a couple of weeks after its arrival, but sadly, it's been sitting in the corner tempting me the past couple of days while it's been snowing and blowing outside.

Instead, I've been filling out college forms and I've started the packing process.

My dad has warned me this time that he's not moving me unless I take only the bare essentials with...bed, clothes, kitchen...and that's about it. Apparently those 3 years of living on the 4th floor of Pierson Hall (and moving in and out) still haunt him to this day. So I've been doing a lot of sorting.

It's been rather therapeutic. I haven't gone through and gotten rid of stuff for awhile now. My space is feeling less cluttered and my mind is much clearer.

Well, I'm off to get a tea and to catch up on this weeks Private Practice and The Office. Later.

Stop looking and start doing already!!!

2008-07-24T21:45:00.001-05:00

I have a bad habit when it comes to knitting...I really like to look at knitting patterns.

I actually think it's the pictures that I like the most. I am a very visual person...I like bright, shiny things...as do most people from my generation that have been labeled "ADD"...I like to think of myself as more "Hyper-Imaginative" or "Uber Creative". Either way, I like color and I like interesting shapes and designs. They bring a sort of calm satisfaction on me that's hard to explain.

So really, it makes sense that I like to look at knitting patterns and at pictures of knitted items.

Here's the bad habit part of the whole thing...I could spend hours browsing around on Ravelry, or Etsy or other places on the internet doing this. Call it "yarn prOn" or whatever you want...but I've discovered that this has seriously cut into my knitting time lately.

I used to get on the computer to the basics....check e-mail, chat with friends, download music, etc. Now, first thing in the morning, I'm on Ravelry with morning coffee in hand perusing through patterns and pictures of FO's and yarn stashes, queueing things like they're going out of style and justifying them all..."I'll knit that for so and so for Christmas" or "I could really use another scarf and that one would look fabulous with my black felt pea coat"...and so on and so forth. (Personally, I think one can never have too many scarves....but I've got at least 2 in progress with several balls of yarn set aside for several others.)

Let's face it, my eyes can knit faster than my hands. I'm sure this is a common conundrum among the knitting community. But I think it's gotten a bit ridiculous on my end. Especially since I do have so many WIPs lying around, begging to be finished (including 3 pairs of mittens from Christmas, gifts to my mom, sister and grandma, that have yet to have thumbs put on them and ends put in).

The good news is that I've been slowly, but steadily making progress on it all. I could make more progress though if I'd cut back on the virtual knitting and spend that time on the real knitting.

I think 10 minutes or so of looking each day is healthy though. It inspires me and gives me ideas and sort of takes the edge off of the day. Speaking of which...

So this is what 6am looks like...

2008-07-05T06:24:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I last posted...it's also been awhile since I last saw 6am. I have this weird thing where if I know that I have to wake up in the morning I have a heck of a time doing it, but if I don't have to be up at any certain time, I have no problem waking up much earlier than I actually want to. (Especially when I'm sick...ugh). Sounds like some twisted form of reverse psychology to me....anyway...

I rediscovered my flute the other day. I hadn't played it in a few weeks...mostly due to the drive-in being open and there not being enough hours in the day to balance work, house work, family work and drive-in work. It was a blessing though...I got a phone call from a student that needed a solo for music camp on very short notice and was wondering if I had anything for her. It was like a fire had been lit inside me. I hadn't taught a lesson in a very long time...much less had a good reason to get out my flute and play...other than just to play. I suddenly had an excuse to dig through my repertoire and come up with something on her level (which was a bit challenging since most of the stuff I have is advanced high school/college level material). I picked out 3 pieces that I thought she could handle and compiled a cd for her with examples of each piece (to help her learn them more quickly...whichever one she choose) and offered to give her a lesson before she left. Though it took some time out of my day and it was something I wasn't getting paid for...I really enjoyed it. The next day we had a lesson and though the stuff I had found was a little too advanced for her, I was able to find something in her method book that was perfect. In short...it was fun...a lot of fun. It sort of made me regret quitting my music major.

I think a lot about when I was a music major. I struggled a lot. I was very far behind on my instrument...I struggled to adapt to college life...I had a huge inferiority complex...etc. It clearly wasn't what I needed to be doing at the time...but I learned a lot from the 2 years I was in the program. I think I've come to realize that I was so immature and unsure of myself that I pretty much set myself up to fail. I look back and see that I never really gave myself the chance. But that was where I was at that point in my life...nothing will change that. I have matured and grown since then. I've realized that there are certain things in my life that I do have control over and that I am just as talented as anybody else that was in that program...I just needed to dig deep and work hard for it, instead of giving up before even trying. I've also realized that I don't think I would've been happy as a music teacher in a public school system. I enjoy teaching and working with kids...but I think I'd rather be a studio teacher than a band teacher.
So maybe going back to school to finish my music degree is a viable option...though I think I'd probably go someplace else other than SDSU...and I'd probably pursue another aspect, such as Music Industry or Therapy or something else. It certainly sounds better than all of the other things I've thought about going back to school for. We'll see...

As of my last post, I was trying to stick to a few knitting projects to whittle away at my heaping pile of yarn and things to do...
That really hasn't worked out as planned. While I have been making progress on my Hufflepuff scarf...I've still been jumping around...not really sticking with one project for very long. That's okay though...I hear it's good to vary techniques and needle sizes...supposedly it's better for your hands. I do need to get crackin' on my dad's socks...they were supposed to be a father's day gift for him (oops).
I'm still working on projects that I need to finish though...one of these days I might actually get one done!
I did start a new one...a shawl for the hospital shawl program. That I think is justified as it's something for a good cause (and it gave me an excuse to buy a new pair of circular needles).
:) I'm about half way through as of now...it's knitting up very quickly. (I'll post images of it soon).

In other news...I figured out how my drop spindle works. That's probably the main reason why I haven't been progressing very far on my knitting projects. I was able to procure about 3lbs of wool roving and have been spinning a lot ever since.
I'm saving up for a wheel right now but I've discovered that I really like the drop spindle. Maybe I don't really need a wheel...though I've heard wonderful things about them.
I guess there's a fiber festival in Watertown towards the end of Sept. Maybe I'll see if I can try a wheel out there...hopefully that will help determine whether or not I should invest in one.
In the meantime...I'm doing the best I can to spin what I have and hopefully I'll make something out of it at some point soon!

That's about all for now...I think I'm going to crawl back into bed and see if I can get a little morning nap in.

Chao!

New Beginnings

2008-05-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

So I got bored one day and decided to start a blog. I always thought blogging was cool...and I still think it's cool...which, I guess is a pretty good testament as to how geeky I really am. ;)

So, shortly after that, a whole bunch of stuff happened. I won't go into details, but I became uber busy. So I let the blog fall by the wayside. But things have finally settled down and I'm feeling the blogging urge so here we go again...

I've started and put aside a bazillion projects and managed to actually finish a few since my last posting. From what I understand, this is pretty typical among knitters. So I have projects strewn about my room...some in tote bags, some in the baskets designated for yarn storage/ongoing projects, some in plastic tubs under my bed. At last count I think there were 20 some unfinished works, ranging from garter stitch scarves that I've gotten bored with to afghans that I've been working on for years. There are even a few barely started projects that had to be set aside for various reasons.

So, I've decided to clean up my act, so to speak, and devote some energy to finishing some of these things...which may be easier said than done, especially considering that I have 3 gorgeous hanks of Malabrigo lace weight begging to be played with.

(Aren't they gorgeous?!?)

So anyway, I've formulated a plan to limit myself to 2 or 3 current projects. That way if I get bored with one, I can switch back and forth and I'm not allowing myself anything new until I get a few old ones finished.

The plan seems to be working thus far.

Right now I'm working on finishing an afghan for my cousin's high school graduation...that happened 2 years ago.

The original plan was to make an afghan for her of my own original design. I decided to do a crocheted mitered square design that was cool in theory but as I began working the squares problems soon arose.

I decided on Red Heart yarn because of it's low cost, availability and color options. The main problem was that the different shades of yarn actually crocheted up in different gauges, so some squares were significantly smaller than others. I did a lot of playing around with different hooks and what not and finally just had to give up on it for a little bit.

Finally I decided to try knitting it instead of crocheting it...I didn't want to knit it at first because I thought it'd take too long...ha! So I found a mitered square pattern on the internet and viola, I've actually been making headway on it.

Since this pic was taken, I've nearly finished the dark blue row. Huzzah!

I'm also working on a cardigan right now.

I felt the sudden urge one day to work with some cotton yarn. I suppose that might have something to do with the seasons changing, or that I like the almost cool hand that it has....or maybe I was just craving a change from wool and acrylic.

Anway, I live in the middle of nowhere, so the only thing readily available as far as cotton is concerned is Sugar 'n Cream. It's not idea, but it's not bad and it's affordable. So the 2nd project on the needles right now is a striped cardigan. Granted, this isn't something I've had in the basket for awhile now, it's something new that I started about 3 weeks ago. I have the back completed and am about to start working on the sides.

Right now, what I'm trying to figure out is whether I should knit the sides at the same time, just like you usually knit the sleeves at the same time. I'm thinking it sounds like a good idea, except that I'm working with straight needles instead of circulars, so that might make the whole thing a little awkward. Oh well.

So those are the 2 main projects right now...we'll see how soon I get bored with either one of them and if so, what I replace them with.

That's about all for now.
Until next time...happy knitting!

:)

Let the Christmas Knitting Begin!

2007-09-13T19:37:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit the yarn store...which is a huge event for me seeing as how it's a 3 hour jaunt away. I kinda live in the middle of nowhere and that means the limited Red Heart selection at the local Pamida store (yup, we have a Pamida) doesn't really do it for me anymore.
I like to crochet afghans out of Red Heart because I find it's a durable and cost effective yarn. However, last January, as a treat, I purchased a ball of wool and to make my first pair of socks from...and now I'm hooked on natural fibers. I can't stand to knit with acrylic yarn anymore...my stitches don't turn out as even and acrylics just don't have the same hand as natural fibers do. Even the softer acrylics just don't cut it for me anymore.
Anyway, back to the yarn store....Whenever I'm there, I have a hard time restraining myself because I only get there maybe 6 times a year and I happened to have some extra cash on me (in case of an emergency) so I made a rash decision and decide to purchase enough wool to knit something for every person in my family for Christmas.
I must confess, I also seem to have delusions of grandeur...I had been mulling over the plans to make sweaters for everyone this year...thank goodness my finances didn't allow for it!
My knitting time is fairly limited at the moment...and with so many great things to knit (I think I have 6 or 7 projects in the works at the moment...and a huge stack of patterns in cue) I've been lucky to get 1 sock done in the past week.
Now I'm starting to panic a little. I did the math in my head and I need to pick up the pace a bit if I want to get everything done by Christmas.
I also think I might be a sock knitter at heart...
But Grey's Anatomy is starting...so more on the sock knitter thing later.

Here we go!

2007-08-31T18:06:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my first blog. Well first post of this blog anyway. My name is Norsie and I am a knitter (everyone in the room says "Hi Norsie".)....and well you get the general Idea.

Really I'm quite proud of the fact that I knit, crochet and do various other crafty things. Mostly it's all for the sake of satiating my overwhelming desire to be creative while trying to figure out my life's purpose. I knit to keep myself from becoming bored and unproductive. I knit because it calms me. I knit for the sense of accomplishment. I knit because it's a great way to start a conversation with a stranger. Mostly I knit because I had a burning desire to learn to do so since I was young but only recently taught myself to do so...and I haven't been able to put the needles down since.

I think a lot of other knitters can relate.

Anyway, so I created this blog because I was working on a project the other day and a dialogue started in my head about what I was doing and what was happening at the time in my life. So, I thought it'd be a good thing to write it down and share it with other people. Simple as that. Plus I hope this opens up the door to meeting other knitters from across the web (as I mentioned above, I think knitting is a great way to start conversations with strangers).

I'm looking forward to meeting new people and sharing ideas and opinions.

Enjoy!

Norsie :)