This will be another week filled with Business Process meetings. {{sigh}} I will likely not post much, if at all. And will, in fact, be lucky if I am able to drag myself all the way into bed each night rather than sleep wherever I drop on the floor. Maybe I exaggerate a bit. But it is exhausting stuff, these all-day meetings.
Saturday involved more adventures in Downtown DC. Including a visit to Eastern Market, and the lovely Stitch DC (a website is listed for them, but seems to be down). I took a few pictures, but completely spaced putting them on the server before I raced out the door. Doh!
And on Sunday, I watched The Station Agent. Great movie! Thanks again, Ann! It had a wonderfully light-handed sense of humor, and remarkable characters. It is well worth checking out.
At Stitch DC: I oohed and aahed over all of the big beautiful bundles of Manos, unabashedly fondled the Noro Daria and Gedifra Byzanz, picked up then put down then picked up and put back down some dreamy Blue Sky Alpaca & Silk... And finally settled on two skeins of Elsabeth Lavold's Silky Wool in a lovely sage green. It is already on its way to being an Opera Scarf. I completely and totally forgot I even owned a camera in the face of all that fibery goodness. It is a small shop, and their quantity of yarns is not yet staggering, but they have quite a bit of room to grow and a fabulous little outdoor knitting area. If I had been with a fellow knitter, the rest of the morning would have been spent right at that little bistro table.
At Eastern Market: In and around the South Hall, I ate a squillion peach and nectarine samples and came home with some of each (and also some super tasty blackberries and raspberries). There were very dear crocheted lacey tanks and shawls at several of the booths, and one vendor on the flea market side had some cute needle felted bags. I was too shy to take pictures of these, which in retrospect seems silly, but at the time seemed respectful. Next time I will try to remember to think of posterity and manners be damned!
On Capitol Hill: I did take a few pictures here. Because of the Code Orange status, there were police in cruisers, with dogs, check-pointing all cars driving by... all over. Very surreal, to be sure. There was quite a bit of construction going on around the Capitol building itself, and I swear, it looks exactly like they are digging a moat around it.
The walk was nowhere near as strenuous or as hot as last weekend. An incredible cool front blew through and the highs were just under eighty. How awesome is that? I mean, I wanted to hike like crazy. I wanted to pack up and go camping, or climb a mountain, or go horseback riding... Ah, but sometimes living so near the city (and stubbornly refusing to get over the terror of driving) has its own inconveniences.
On Knitting: Well, the boredom won out. Not only did I work a couple of inches with the Silky Wool, but I got much of Grandma's shawl/wrap done. I will snap that one for tomorrow, too. I will recommit to the Eyelet Cardi soon, I am certain of it.
In the meantime, if you are reading, please tell me your favorite thing to do to unwind from a stressful day (at the office or otherwise).
Monday, August 09, 2004
Friday, August 06, 2004
Fridays are for IDEAS
(We'll see if I can remember this all the way to next Friday...)
In the Gifts for Secret Pals dept.:
Check out Galison/Mudpuppy Press. They have beautiful (and affordable) notecards/journals for children and adults. Here are a couple of my favorites:
In the Gifts for Secret Pals dept.:
Check out Galison/Mudpuppy Press. They have beautiful (and affordable) notecards/journals for children and adults. Here are a couple of my favorites:
- Travel Journal for Kids - How cool lookin' is this? Games and plenty of space for note-taking. (There is also a "Camp" version, and one for older kids.)
- Organizers - I just got one of these from a friend, and love it already. They have a little accordian 6-pocket folder inside the front cover, and space for notes. Looks like it would be great for yarn or fabric snippets, and it's small enough to toss in a purse or knitting bag!
- Recipe Notecards - Each note card features a recipe! (The Chocolate on the Brain set includes easy brownies, mousse, cupcakes, and Parisian Hot Cocoa - MMM!)
- Specialty Journals - Know a birder? A wino (I mean oenophile)? Dreamer? New Mom? Help them record their most important moments with one of these gorgeous journals. (I love the Naughty Naughty Pets cover ~ It's almost worth getting a cat just so I can document her in one of these!)
In the New (to me) Knitting Mag dept.:
In a desparate attempt to feed my knit mag habit (my Rowan membership is supposedly en route—I placed the order on July 16th, I mean hurry UP!) I picked up a copy of the British magazine: Knitting. I can't find any online info about it (how organized can they be with no website?!)
Many of the patterns were eye-watering designs (thanks, Jen!), but there was a great bag pattern made out of separate fan motifs that were sewn together into a small (but long, for needles) project bag. If you like to read 'em for the articles, there was a bit about Debbie Bliss that looked interesting.
In the Fun Facts to Know and Tell© dept.:
Check out all the Generic People at Fact Monster.
How about those wily clergy? (Note: this is a news story, courtesy of BBC.com about explicit behaviour- if such things offend you, don't click it.)
Wondering how to make little copyright symbols or type your blog entry in GrΣΣk? How about adding in some snazzy little dingbats, like ♥? The folks at WebDesignGroup are here to help. They have a lot of great links to bulletin boards, tutorials, and code standards the next time you need help or a sleeping aid.
Thursday, August 05, 2004
eCards!...and Eyes!...and Jazz!...and Toons!
Cardi's got eyes!
I am getting so bored knitting this thing that I actually packed two not-yet-started projects in my bag to take to the little knitting group this evening. I mean the eyelet rows were fun, but they were over too quick! Now my ADD is really flaring... First up is Grandma's Shawl, which I have even put up on the progress list to remind me that it is next. I also brought my Schaefer Esperanza because I could probably knock out my loop/hood thing this weekend if I really applied myself. Not that I am gonna but in case I do, I mean, I probably could.
I ask you: How much orange cotton string can one person take without beginning to covet fluffy pink mohair and chunky creamy white wool [she asks, plaintively]? About 78% of a sweater's worth, apparently [she grumbles]. But I am SO close! {{sigh}}
In the meantime, if you have not seen this cartoon, rush right out and put it on the top of your Netflix list!
and it's on sale, too!
I was so impressed with this cartoon, I can hardly stand it. Amazing Jazz score, beautiful, hand-drawn animation, hilarious slapstick (think Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin), a bit of satire (the Americans are universally hugely fat and the French Tour-de-Francers are all stick thin but for their freakish thighs and calves), and fantastic sound effects... I mean GREAT! There are only a couple of lines of dialogue, but you don't miss it! And, as if the music and the humor and the beauty of the drawings weren't tempting enough—the Grandmother knits! (Are you still here? Go rent this flick!)
...Oh, and Ann? Thanks so much for the Netflix recommendation! It was our first watch on our trial membership... I am already so overwhelmed by the convenience! (I added the Station Agent to my list, too)
Oh how I love Secret Pals!
My Secret Pal sent me a very cute eCard, thank you SP! She says has been reading up on me (which, as long as she is not Eff*Bee*Eye, is FINE BY ME) so in the interest of being even more helpful, here are some of the things I love: Did I mention Books last time? I LURVE books, and have an Amazon wishlist (under chelsea f-b). While I try not to buy the books from Amazon much ($$!), it sure is a handy way to keep a list... I am not always the greatest letter-writer, but I really like having interesting stationery on hand when the mood strikes me. I really like lavender, woodsy, and citrus scents. I am not so hot on heavy or fussy smells (like Freesia or Lily), unless they are musky/spicy (like Frankinscence or Sandalwood). Things on my wishlist: windchime for my porch, vase-like something to keep my pretty needles and hooks on display, sachets or soaps to put in my new dresser drawers (they are a little "wood stain" smelling). Please, no blank journals—I have about a million! There are so many cool designs, that I always want them, but then never fill them up!
[in a sing-song voice] ...I have also shipped off something to my secret pal... I hope she likes it!
I am getting so bored knitting this thing that I actually packed two not-yet-started projects in my bag to take to the little knitting group this evening. I mean the eyelet rows were fun, but they were over too quick! Now my ADD is really flaring... First up is Grandma's Shawl, which I have even put up on the progress list to remind me that it is next. I also brought my Schaefer Esperanza because I could probably knock out my loop/hood thing this weekend if I really applied myself. Not that I am gonna but in case I do, I mean, I probably could.
I ask you: How much orange cotton string can one person take without beginning to covet fluffy pink mohair and chunky creamy white wool [she asks, plaintively]? About 78% of a sweater's worth, apparently [she grumbles]. But I am SO close! {{sigh}}
In the meantime, if you have not seen this cartoon, rush right out and put it on the top of your Netflix list!
and it's on sale, too!I was so impressed with this cartoon, I can hardly stand it. Amazing Jazz score, beautiful, hand-drawn animation, hilarious slapstick (think Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin), a bit of satire (the Americans are universally hugely fat and the French Tour-de-Francers are all stick thin but for their freakish thighs and calves), and fantastic sound effects... I mean GREAT! There are only a couple of lines of dialogue, but you don't miss it! And, as if the music and the humor and the beauty of the drawings weren't tempting enough—the Grandmother knits! (Are you still here? Go rent this flick!)
...Oh, and Ann? Thanks so much for the Netflix recommendation! It was our first watch on our trial membership... I am already so overwhelmed by the convenience! (I added the Station Agent to my list, too)
Oh how I love Secret Pals!
My Secret Pal sent me a very cute eCard, thank you SP! She says has been reading up on me (which, as long as she is not Eff*Bee*Eye, is FINE BY ME) so in the interest of being even more helpful, here are some of the things I love: Did I mention Books last time? I LURVE books, and have an Amazon wishlist (under chelsea f-b). While I try not to buy the books from Amazon much ($$!), it sure is a handy way to keep a list... I am not always the greatest letter-writer, but I really like having interesting stationery on hand when the mood strikes me. I really like lavender, woodsy, and citrus scents. I am not so hot on heavy or fussy smells (like Freesia or Lily), unless they are musky/spicy (like Frankinscence or Sandalwood). Things on my wishlist: windchime for my porch, vase-like something to keep my pretty needles and hooks on display, sachets or soaps to put in my new dresser drawers (they are a little "wood stain" smelling). Please, no blank journals—I have about a million! There are so many cool designs, that I always want them, but then never fill them up!
[in a sing-song voice] ...I have also shipped off something to my secret pal... I hope she likes it!
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
B44!
I took a looksee at the latest knitterly meme (thanks, JenLa, Ann, Sondra, et al). Geek sheep, indeed!
You are a - Geek Sheep!
you're one l33t g33¦< 5¦-¦33p! No one understands a word you're saying, but you don't care. Bespectacled geek by day, fearsome DND warrior by night! Geek power ;)
Which flock do you follow?
this quiz was made by alanna
I find it very interesting that the geek graphic is the slowest loading —There must be a lot of us....
I will post some knitting stuff tomorrow. In the meantime:
Today's meditation:
w00t!
You are a - Geek Sheep!
you're one l33t g33¦< 5¦-¦33p! No one understands a word you're saying, but you don't care. Bespectacled geek by day, fearsome DND warrior by night! Geek power ;)
Which flock do you follow?
this quiz was made by alanna
I find it very interesting that the geek graphic is the slowest loading —There must be a lot of us....
I will post some knitting stuff tomorrow. In the meantime:
Today's meditation:
grep '' /dev/null
w00t!
Monday, August 02, 2004
Let's Knitting.
I always feel sad when the weekend ends, like "hey! we were just getting started!"
I did some good stuff the last couple of days and I guess I would like another couple of days of fun rather than of "cube." But this week holds possible fun, too. So, no whining here.
Urban Trekking
I met a woman, Elaine, who walks all over downtown for exercise. She knows all kinds of great urban trails, and on Saturday we walked from the Friendship Heights metro to the National Cathedral and back (5 miles! in the HEAT! and I didn't wuss out!!) I took pictures, but to save you the load time, I am only posting this small one:
Click the picture for another shot of the towers.
More photos:
Of course, I visited the gift shop, and got a little something for my Secret Pal!
The heat wasn't too bad on the way down, and there was even a nice breeze when we got to the Cathedral grounds. We sat in the garden for a bit and I worked a couple of rows on the Shell-I-Have-Not-Started-Yet (it was the lightest project I had). But the way back was quite a bit hotter and muggier. The stop at the corner farmer's market was VERY welcome. I got some of the best peaches and nectarines for me and some tart apples and hot peppers for my Sweet Baboo.
By the time we got back to the Metro, I was such a sweaty mess that the train ride home was actually cooling! But it was totally worth it. Elaine knows of some other trails in Bethesda as well as along the river. She is out every Saturday morning, so as often as I can I plan on joining her.
Personal Training
On Sunday I had a meeting with a personal trainer (my gym gives me a few freebies to suck me in to the exorbitantly priced service). Her name is Sara and she is very nice. This belies her obvious delight in kicking my ass via various free weights and torture machines. (I feel it today, and surely will be nearly paralyzed tomorrow... but it feels good to whittle away this buddha belly, even if by small degrees.) She has asked me how I can incorporate my favorite activities into ... well, more activity. When I told her that I what I lately love best is to sit and knit, she suggested maybe bringing some knitting to work on on the recumbent bike! Now tell me, if I could concentrate enough to knit, would I be getting much of a workout? AND what in the world would I want to work on in a sweaty ole' gym?!
Original graphics by "FAM" ~ It's ladies works!
Old Time mp3s
I also worked on another of her suggestions. I hate being stuck on those boring cardio machines for more than 30 minutes, and she has said I must do 45 minutes minimum, so to keep me interested, she recommended Books on CD—which for me is Books on mp3 (my little Rio is smaller than any CD player and holds much more music). I checked out Little Altars Everywhere, by Rebecca Wells from the library and ripped it to mp3 on Sunday afternoon. This morning on the Elliptical and Treadmill I listened to most of the first CD. Finally, I can catch up on my reading! I haven't yet learned to knit and read, so my must-read list is very long and getting dusty.
When I can't find a good book, I found a great resource for wonderful audio online: OTRCAT. They sell Old Time Radio shows on CD in mp3 or standard audio format, and many of the shows have a free downloadable episode. It is very hard to get bored while listening to vintage Abbot and Costello, or Burns and Allen. Plus, I beat Gypsy Rose Lee in guessing whodunit while listening to The Adventures of Ellery Queen. (I didn't know G.R. Lee was a detective either, but apparently she was a woman of many amazing talents.)
The site designers at OTRCAT include great historical tidbits on many of the shows, and the prices are incredibly reasonable for mp3 format disks (all 174 episodes of Burns and Allen will run you $20, while the relatively short run of Ellery Queen is $5). Regular audio disks cost a dollar less a piece, but hold about a tenth of the material (many new CD players can handle mp3 format).
I will make sure the next picture is more legible.
Tonight is the Arlington SnB. I am hoping to get several more decreases done there, if the good conversation, amazing knitterly sights (including Linda's new FOs!), and tasty coffee treats afford me the time!
Also, a special note to my Secret Pal: rest assured, I like everything. I love books, and will buy them new only if I must. Like Norma, I love good used book finds. Like Greta, I take great comfort in rocks, especially if they come from a Special Place. I also hoard small-precious-things-of-a-wide-assortment, especially trinkets with stories attached to them or knick knacks that are thought-provoking. My favorite colors? Cool tones, from Blue and Green to Grey and Black, and warm Deep Reds, Rusts, and Ochres. I tend to avoid Pinks, Teals, and Lemony Yellows (but even those colors make good gifts for people in my life). See? You can't go wrong!
I did some good stuff the last couple of days and I guess I would like another couple of days of fun rather than of "cube." But this week holds possible fun, too. So, no whining here.
Urban Trekking
I met a woman, Elaine, who walks all over downtown for exercise. She knows all kinds of great urban trails, and on Saturday we walked from the Friendship Heights metro to the National Cathedral and back (5 miles! in the HEAT! and I didn't wuss out!!) I took pictures, but to save you the load time, I am only posting this small one:
Click the picture for another shot of the towers.
More photos:
Of course, I visited the gift shop, and got a little something for my Secret Pal!
The heat wasn't too bad on the way down, and there was even a nice breeze when we got to the Cathedral grounds. We sat in the garden for a bit and I worked a couple of rows on the Shell-I-Have-Not-Started-Yet (it was the lightest project I had). But the way back was quite a bit hotter and muggier. The stop at the corner farmer's market was VERY welcome. I got some of the best peaches and nectarines for me and some tart apples and hot peppers for my Sweet Baboo.
By the time we got back to the Metro, I was such a sweaty mess that the train ride home was actually cooling! But it was totally worth it. Elaine knows of some other trails in Bethesda as well as along the river. She is out every Saturday morning, so as often as I can I plan on joining her.
Personal Training
On Sunday I had a meeting with a personal trainer (my gym gives me a few freebies to suck me in to the exorbitantly priced service). Her name is Sara and she is very nice. This belies her obvious delight in kicking my ass via various free weights and torture machines. (I feel it today, and surely will be nearly paralyzed tomorrow... but it feels good to whittle away this buddha belly, even if by small degrees.) She has asked me how I can incorporate my favorite activities into ... well, more activity. When I told her that I what I lately love best is to sit and knit, she suggested maybe bringing some knitting to work on on the recumbent bike! Now tell me, if I could concentrate enough to knit, would I be getting much of a workout? AND what in the world would I want to work on in a sweaty ole' gym?!
Original graphics by "FAM" ~ It's ladies works!
Old Time mp3s
I also worked on another of her suggestions. I hate being stuck on those boring cardio machines for more than 30 minutes, and she has said I must do 45 minutes minimum, so to keep me interested, she recommended Books on CD—which for me is Books on mp3 (my little Rio is smaller than any CD player and holds much more music). I checked out Little Altars Everywhere, by Rebecca Wells from the library and ripped it to mp3 on Sunday afternoon. This morning on the Elliptical and Treadmill I listened to most of the first CD. Finally, I can catch up on my reading! I haven't yet learned to knit and read, so my must-read list is very long and getting dusty.
When I can't find a good book, I found a great resource for wonderful audio online: OTRCAT. They sell Old Time Radio shows on CD in mp3 or standard audio format, and many of the shows have a free downloadable episode. It is very hard to get bored while listening to vintage Abbot and Costello, or Burns and Allen. Plus, I beat Gypsy Rose Lee in guessing whodunit while listening to The Adventures of Ellery Queen. (I didn't know G.R. Lee was a detective either, but apparently she was a woman of many amazing talents.)
The site designers at OTRCAT include great historical tidbits on many of the shows, and the prices are incredibly reasonable for mp3 format disks (all 174 episodes of Burns and Allen will run you $20, while the relatively short run of Ellery Queen is $5). Regular audio disks cost a dollar less a piece, but hold about a tenth of the material (many new CD players can handle mp3 format).
And, yes knitting
Aside from the aforementioned few rows at the Cathedral, I did manage to get something accomplished on the Eyelet Cardi. She is over 300 stitches around with the sleeves added in, so the goin' is slow, but here are her first raglan decreases:
I will make sure the next picture is more legible.
Tonight is the Arlington SnB. I am hoping to get several more decreases done there, if the good conversation, amazing knitterly sights (including Linda's new FOs!), and tasty coffee treats afford me the time!
Also, a special note to my Secret Pal: rest assured, I like everything. I love books, and will buy them new only if I must. Like Norma, I love good used book finds. Like Greta, I take great comfort in rocks, especially if they come from a Special Place. I also hoard small-precious-things-of-a-wide-assortment, especially trinkets with stories attached to them or knick knacks that are thought-provoking. My favorite colors? Cool tones, from Blue and Green to Grey and Black, and warm Deep Reds, Rusts, and Ochres. I tend to avoid Pinks, Teals, and Lemony Yellows (but even those colors make good gifts for people in my life). See? You can't go wrong!
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