...

jesus christ was it windy today. i thought my car was going to get blown over on I-95. wind makes scary maryland driving even MORE scary. it was pretty quiet at the shop today, except for the loud family (a mom, dad, and loud daughter who had a voice like a man) who insisted on watching me use the knitting machine. for like 10 minutes. really? it's not that interesting. carole and i talked about setting up a yarn dyeing station in the back of the store. we have plenty of room, and a big tub sink. we could totally do it. though i'm sort of liking the idea more of doing it myself, because then i can do whatever i want (with colors and labels and names and all that), and we wouldn't have to figure out how we'd split the cost/profits. i think i'm too controlling about these things and i would want to do everything myself anyway.so i just broke down and bought a few colors of acid dyes, and a little bit of undyed yarn (mainly for playing with mixing colors and such) from knitpicks, just to start out. the only problem is when working with dyes you don't want to use anything that you cook/eat with, so i'll have to get a new stock pot (well, only if i do solid colors, which probably isn't likely), utensils, measuring cups/spoons, glass jars, blah blah blah.i also ordered yarn to make this sweater (merino style in black from knitpicks). i'm excited. i really want to make a sweater.yeah, i'm sure most of you don't care.andrea, do you knit or crochet? i can't remember.oh, i keep forgetting about this story. earlier in the week we were trying to fall asleep (it was warmer out so we had the windows open) and some indian guy (i'm assuming from the restaurant downstairs) started screaming "fuck you asshole! fuck you asshole motherfucker!" in a really thick accent, and mike and i couldn't stop laughing. and it went on for like 15 minutes. i have no idea who he was yelling at or why, but as it turned out closing the window didn't make it any less loud. it was extra funny because as soon as he started yelling the cat jumped up in the window (with her face pressed against the screen) to see what was going on. i think if we ever move somewhere more rural she's going to be really bored by the lack of yelling/fireworks/sirens.

i ju...

i just realized that i'm too dumb to sew.i ran some errands today. our old (and really nice) humidifier died a while back, so i bought a new and silly one at bed bath and beyond. i think the cashier guy was laughing at me on the inside. i was really disappointed that they didn't have the one shaped like a penguin, so i ended up getting the elephant one (the water vapor comes out of his trunk) because it was the least scary looking. they also had a frog, a cow, and a pig, but they were really frightening. the cat looked quite intrigued when i was setting him up.i also got new pajama pants at old navy and some SWS yarn and beads for stitch markers at michael's. i want to knit a black cardigan (either zip up or with buttons, i don't really care which). i have two patterns in mind, it's just a matter of picking which one i want to do. i haven't made a sweater yet, but neither is particularly difficult. i think i've made my decision. i can always make the other one later. tomorrow i'm working, and i get to struggle with the knitting machine again (i'm making samples of a lot of the yarns we aren't selling). it's the devil's contraption. happily, no one has asked me if they can try using it yet.

it's reall...

it's really nice that while it's frickin freezing outside, my passionflowers still want to bloom (this is passiflora belotii).not much to report tonight. when i left work this evening carole was trying to teach 15 brownies (all about 8 years old) to knit. i was happy to leave.though it was pretty funny because at one point carole's daughter hailey called me over to introduce me to one of the other girls because apparently the girl was asking about me. then carole started in on the lesson (well, sort of, seeing as how they're chatty 8 year olds) so i didn't get to hear *what* she was asking about.

I...

I DON'T HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE CARDIOLOGIST!!! YAY!!it still felt like the stress test kicked my ass, but i got up to the running portion this time and stayed going for about 30 seconds before i thought i was going to collapse (i think they said i was over 9 minutes--which apparently is average. yay average! way better than 'embarassing'). but my doctor was very happy. the technician (WHO I LOVE--she's the one i always have) said that she when she went out in the hall to get a phone call she saw dr. sinha and he asked how my test went and she said he was REALLY excited to hear the results. quite funny.i also had to meet with one of the cardio fellows who was extremely smiley and kind of shakey. like he was nervous. it was cute.so unless i have any more problems (like my heart speeds up again) i don't have to go back. so i came home and slept :)i'm pretty relieved. i'll be more happy when i get a real job and can afford to join a gym. for now i just have the itchy/blistery spots from all of the electrodes (apparently they don't have any hypoallergenic ones. damn). now, the week would be even better if it actually snowed tomorrow. if it's going to be this fucking cold it may as well snow.

i'm stressed ...

i'm stressed about my stress test. how lame am i?my cardiologist called my last one "embarassing." of course, that was before he fixed my heart. i had to cut the test short because i was having problems breathing (seeing as how my lungs couldn't keep up with my heart). i imagine this one will be much better--i just hope i don't have to cut it short because my legs hurt (of course, it seems to take a bit longer for my legs to start hurting than it did for me to lose my breath, since that was near instantaneous).anyway, work was ok today. very very quiet, but ok. one of our customers brought me freshly baked cookies in exchange for using our yarn winder. i like getting gifts of food.i figured out how to use sara's knitting machine today so we can crank out samples of the yarn. since the move we got rid of the major complaints at the shop--the stairs, the lighting, the yarn wasn't priced--so now they get to find new things to complain about, such as the fact that we don't spend all day knitting samples of all of the different kinds of yarn we have. in every color. whatever.bedtime. i don't get to eat before i go to the cardiologist. which sucks.it also sucks that god keeps making the city very very cold whenever i have to go to the doctor.

just now o...

just now on the way home from work i was behind a car full of people with one of those big ribbon magnets except it was green and said "support legalization" and a bumper sticker that said "fat people are harder to kidnap."they also had a window sticker that said "lincoln tech." the whole thing made me laugh.

the ...

the police helicopters are circling.faaaabulous.work was fine. the only annoying part was the woman who came in and kept asking "now why should i buy this stuff here instead of at walmart?"you want cheapass walmart yarn? then go buy it. i really don't care.i got to take a fun detour through some fun parts of baltimore on the way to work because MLK was blocked off for a parade. luckily on the way home it was fine.oh crap it's midnight. i should get ready for bed.

our apartment ...

our apartment smells really good right now. mike bought blood oranges at the store (quite tasty--i think i'm going to try and get some macro shots of them as well because they look really cool) and we're leaving the rinds out in the kitchen for a while because they're really aromatic.mike and i went to ikea today (for some reason it still surprises me how busy they are, no matter when you go) and we bought a huge shelving unit that was on sale (woo!). mike wouldn't let me help him carry it into the apartment. i put it together (with mike helping me line up some of the boards). then mike was trying to move it on his own, which, you know, that's great, but it wasn't working. so finally i just went 'i'll get one end and you get the other and we'll pick the damn thing up.' so i'm putting a lot of yarn and such in it (which actually looks really pretty) so i can get more organized. and mike has more space now for books/notebooks. i think i'm going to have to go back to ikea during the week and pick up a few baskets to put yarn balls in so they won't roll off the shelf (most likely being the cat's fault).and i finally found out that i didn't get the job in the registrar's office.cinnamon bun! (woohoo i have some now!)Put an X in the ones you do then add it up and that's your age![ ] I know how to make a pot of coffee[X] I do my own laundry[X] I can cook for myself[x] I actually enjoy intellectual conversations.[X] I think politics are exciting.[ ] My parents and grandparents have better things to say than my friendsTotal: 4[x] I show up for school and or work every day unless I'm sick[x] I always carry a pen in my pocket/purse.[ ] I've never gotten a detention[ ] I've watched talk shows to point out the credibility of it all[x] I know what credibility means without looking it up[ ] I drink coffee at least once a week.Total: 3[x] I know how to run the dish washer and or do the dishes (I know HOw... I just dont....)[x] I can count to 10 in Spanish (uno dos tres quatro cinquo ses ocho neuve .... crap whats ten?)[x] When I say I'm going to do something I do it[x] My parents trust me[ ] I can mow the lawn[x] I can make adults laugh without being stupid[x] I remember to water my plants[x] I study when I have to[x] I pay attention at school[x] I remember to feed my petsTotal: 9[x] I can spell experience without looking it up[x] I clean up my own mess[ ] The first thing I do when I wake up is get Diet Coke.[x] I can go to the store without getting something I don't need.[x] I understand jokes the first time they are said[x] I can type fast.Total: 5[x] I have realized that the weather forecast changes every hour.[x] I can look at someone hot without thinking of sex. (shut up)[x] I realize that no one will take you seriously unless you are over the age of 25 and have a job.[x] I can read a book and actually finish itTotal: 4grand total: 25well, i'll be that old in july. and my car insurance will go down again! and i can rent cars without paying an extra 'i'm young' fee!

y...

yaaay! i just learned two new phrases to replace the word 'child' which is not descriptive enough, via customers_suck."crotchling" and "crotch muffin"that's one foul muffin.

l...

last night it took me a really long time to fall asleep, and then when i did i had a short dream that scared the crap out of me and i woke up again. that was lame.mike didn't come home last night till 3:30am because he went to the ice skating rink (the hopkins GSA rented it out again) and one of his coworkers fell and broke her arm, so he had to take her to the hospital. lucky for her he was the only other person in the group who decided not to go out drinking afterwards. work to-day turned out pretty good, even though it started out really slowly. though i was freaked out that every single person who came in in the first three hours was wearing purple. i'm also happy that i got there before the crowd started to gather at the irish pub a few doors down or i wouldn't have had a place to park (not to say that that's necessarily a problem since despite the fact that there's two HUGE parking lots most people will park in places that aren't actually for parking. morons. WALK 15 MORE FEET.mike and i are planning on going to ikea tomorrow (andrea! probably one of the few days you won't be there) :) we're going to see what they have in the way of storage.i want a cinnamon bun.

my bayly...

my bayly came to visit to-day! yay!unfortunately after she left i started to feel like total crap. it sort of felt like i was getting a migraine except i wasn't. i was awakened this morning by a cold wet cat nose being pressed against my forehead. that's the best way to wake up. a minute later i opened my eyes and she was asleep beside my head.cookies are good.

my bayly...

my bayly came to visit to-day! yay!unfortunately after she left i started to feel like total crap. it sort of felt like i was getting a migraine except i wasn't. i was awakened this morning by a cold wet cat nose being pressed against my forehead. that's the best way to wake up. a minute later i opened my eyes and she was asleep beside my head.cookies are good.

cece has...

cece has become a bitchy alarm clock for both mike and i on the days when we actually get to sleep in. 6:15 for mike and 9am for me. then, of course, after being annoying for an hour (where i was still trying to go back to sleep), she decided to go to sleep beside me in bed again, and i was wide awake. bitch.i think the unfortunate reality of living in this city is that i almost get into a car accident every day. at least one, but often more. today i bought one of hallmark's 'from the cat' valentine's day cards for my dad. i'm going to sign it from Socks and print up a little Socks Henricks address label. maybe i have too much free time.i'm really sleepy and i don't know why. but bed is warm so it's ok.

this mornin...

this morning i went to university health to get my prescriptions refilled. i don't know if the new building has made everyone nicer, but it was a much more pleasant experience than normal. anyway, the nurse i met with was nice, though she didn't really ask the normal questions that i'm used to when people are writing me new prescriptions of my old medications. she really didn't ask many questions at all. though she did look up my lab work on the computer and i think that judging from the number of tests they've run on me since the summer (when you see it on one screen it's kind of overwhelming) she didn't feel the need to send me for new blood tests (yay!).oh yeah, everyone needs to STOP SETTING THEIR WEDDING DATES FOR OCTOBER 20TH. i'm of course going to jessica's, but as we found out today mike is going to have to fly home early from his conference to go to his friend's wedding (it's a childhood friend, otherwise he probably wouldn't go to the trouble of leaving the conference early to fly to jersey). we're hoping someone from that wedding will drive him back to baltimore. but for future reference, the conference mike goes to is held on that same weekend every year. which is why he couldn't come to my brother's wedding this past october.it's actually become really comical at this point. assuming kelly doesn't fly in from california, i'm claiming becca as my date for jessica's wedding!! no one else can have her!oh, anyway, back to the story. so the appointment was pretty quick, and i managed to get a good deal of exercise with all the walking i had to do. yay! though it rather sucked that it was 32 degrees and baltimore streets become fucking wind-funnels. i was also puzzled to see that i was the only person on the bus wearing a hat. though i guess they didn't have as far to walk as i did. but still. though i did feel like i was back in college when i saw the guys at the shuttle stop who obviously didn't check the weather report before they left their apartments. one of my favorite UVA wintertime activities was picking out the guys whose brains said "oh it's sunny outside. i'll wear shorts!" and then later in the day it would snow. of course then there was chris who would look at weather reports and wear shorts anyway. i don't think he owned real pants.so i get back home and call carole because she left a message on my phone telling me to check the website because she put our south park pictures up on the front page. she apparently thought it was thursday because she went into work today an hour late, but i did get to hear her reaction when she saw that i moved the furniture, which was hilarious. though she wouldn't let me off the phone for quite a while. but i did get to make suggestions as to things we need to get in stock. it's really nice because she asks me more now what i think we should get. it makes me feel like i have a bigger part in the store than just an employee.mike and i ordered dinner from the egyptian pizza cafe. soooooo good. we got an order of foul (pronounced 'fool') which i've had before, though their version is a lot closer to hummus, whereas the one i had at my islam professor's house looked more like chili. still damn good though (i think cece thought it was cat food because she was going crazy). i'll have to see if our grocery store has the canned version.i love our delivery guy, though. he's the nicest guy ever. he gave us free bread again (he usually brings us something extra).i should go to bed.

help me!

ok, i need some catchy name suggestions for the argyle scarves. becca, i'm looking at you. and i keep hearing your voice in my head going "malt beeeeer" but i don't think i can work that reasonably into the name.something vaguely scottish would be good. the only idea i have is "campbell scarf" but i think people would assume i'm talking about the soup rather than the clan.p.s. debbie stoller reserves the right to change the name.

no snow :( ...

no snow :( damnit.pretty good day at work though. lots of very talkative people. i got bored so i decided to rearrange some of the furniture. carole doesn't know. she'll be really surprised tomorrow. but, then again, i think she's getting used to me getting bored and rearranging stuff.tomorrow i venture over to the medical campus to get new prescriptions written. i really hope she doesn't want to send me for blood tests, since i had them not that long ago (september?). but i'm betting she will. at least it's not that far of a walk to the outpatient center (technically it's on the way back to the bus stop.i think i'm going to start writing up the s'n'b pattern tonight. i have to write a blurb on how to do double knitting as well, which is kind of tough without pictures. apparently there's going to be another DK pattern in the book, though i don't know if she's having that person write a blurb as well. it came up because i asked her if there was going to be any part about DK in the instructions section of the book, and there isn't. hopefully i'll write something that makes sense. :)

i had a dream...

i had a dream last night that it was snowing and when i woke up i was sad. i really want snow.in another dream mike and i moved into a huge and super nice apartment, and i was exploring and went into a walk-in closet and it had a fridge and a stove in it, and i went "this one's mine!" i also remember thinking that if something catastrophic happened (zombiepocalypse, etc) i could just live in the closet. or if i got tired of being around mike i could just stay in the closet. options are good.apparently bayly almost called me today to tell me that her mom said 'twat.' heeh.i want a cookie.

today i bak...

today i baked cookies and knit. it was estrogenfest.we watched 1 vs. 100 tonight, and the contestant chick reminded me so much of mike's ex-girlfriend that i was willing her to lose. and lose she did. and i rejoiced. (even if she didn't remind me of her i would've wanted her to lose anyway because good goddamn was that woman annoying)it wasn't just me. mike was reminded of her too (of course this was after i pointed it out to him because he was playing a video game).

the citr...

the citrus battle on iron chef america tonight made me angry because i couldn't eat the mango lime ice cream. bitches.carole called me into work early today, so i ended up working all day instead of just closing shift. and i did a lot of counting. i hate inventory. but i got a lot of it done.the moon had quite the halo around it tonight. i shouldn't be allowed to drive when the moon is out because inevitably i end up staring at it. especially when it's really low in the sky and huge and orange/red.i hope tomorrow is good and rainy (thunderstorms? yes? please?).carole said some very nice things about me today which made me really happy.note: cece will eat onion rings. i...i'm just amazed. i only gave her two tiny pieces because i don't want to risk the resulting mustard gas that would come out at 3am when she's sleeping with her butt against me.

th...

the citrus battle on iron chef america tonight made me angry because i couldn't eat the mango lime ice cream. bitches.carole called me into work early today, so i ended up working all day instead of just closing shift. and i did a lot of counting. i hate inventory. but i got a lot of it done.the moon had quite the halo around it tonight. i shouldn't be allowed to drive when the moon is out because inevitably i end up staring at it. especially when it's really low in the sky and huge and orange/red.i hope tomorrow is good and rainy (thunderstorms? yes? please?).carole said some very nice things about me today which made me really happy.

i cl...

i cleaned to-day. as we all know, it's one of the biblical signs of the apocalypse. next will come the locusts.somehow i just managed to cut my lip with my fingernail. so now i have a cut going across the middle of my top lip. go me.not much to report from cranky land.i discovered to-day that in her (apparently failed) attempts to wake me up at 5:30am, the cat has ripped up the binding on the bottom 4 inches of each of my high school yearbooks. since i hated high school, this isn't a big loss. they'll be fixed with tape.i decided to work on a sewing project to-night. not only are my fingers polka-dotted with blood, but i managed to stab myself in the chest with a straight pin. this is why i knit.

Eye Candy Monday: a day late

i'm not sure why she did this. she had the whole couch, but apparently sleeping against the kleenex box was the best option.

happy flu year!

hillary swank is a pretty hot dude.i'm feeling considerably better to-day, though i still can't break this (minor) fever, and i think i pulled a muscle in my chest from coughing/sneezing. at one point i had to take out my nose rings because they were causing me to sneeze more. which is damn funny.i'm almost finished with the second argyle scarf. i'm pretty determined to finish it to-night so i can take it to work to-morrow (i'm only working the afternoon) and take pictures of both of them, and then mail them from the UPS store a few doors down. i'll probably be up late finishing them, but then i'll get to work on whatever i want to-morrow at work. it's been a while. :Pi wish i had more soda.i have yet to find a medication that actually makes me sleepy. i'm rather disappointed.