12.30.2009

"everybody gets pinned with something, a reduction of them..."

Well tomorrow night will be the night to ring in the new year, the new decade. It will also be a time to say sayonara to the decade between me graduating high school and now. (whoa).

In my life and what I've gleaned from popular culture, the high school reunion (the 10 year mark) is the measuring stick. It's when you're supposed to be less fat, more successful, and better than anyone imagined, there by blowing them out of the water. For the past 7-8 years this hasn't been my real reality, especially since I've been able to maintain and rekindle the most amazing friendships from people in my grad class (and around it). I married someone who went to the same high school as me and my bestest friends went to high school with me. Those that matter/d have followed me to now so who cares what my "grad class" thinks? I'm happy to not want their validation or the validation of "rising above" high school and making my high schooler comrades wish they were nicer to me or revered me in a clique back then blah blah blah. So water under the bridge.

What's more interesting and present for me is that it's been 10 years since I've graduated high school, this year I will be 28! I'm so much the same and so much different, it's kind of fun to recall the transition and the adventures of the past 10 years. So many adventures that I feel like a different person completely. One thing that's different is that much of my life up to starting my MA//falling in love with stewart was that my life and my choices never felt like ME decisions or choices, they always seemed like I was either going with the flow or doing what I thought other people//"they" thought I should do. Whatever made me "click" in 2006 (the year I started my MA and fell in love with Stew) I owe my life to. I started to recognize what I wanted/desired/needed and how I could make those things happen.

The 101 in 1001 list was great in helping me orient myself around how to make positive change and accomplishment happen in my life and I've been sad to see it go over the past few months. Now it's like I have to be accountable to myself all over again. Eden said I should make a smaller list of goals and I bantered this around with myself, "will it ever be as good as 101 in 1001? will i be able to maintain it?" etc. But for some reason today I decided that with the coming of the new year I'd make a new list of goals for the next year (maybe it was the road sign that said, "have you made your new year's resolution yet? it was my LA story moment). I'll be putting them up on the left again and keeping track of them throughout the year and will hopefully blog about them in more detail and more often. So, without further ado, here is my small list:

1. reconstruct the bike in the garage. new paint, new breaks, panniers, new tires, lights, fixed gear, fenders, new handlebars.

2. figure out what i actually want to do with my life career-wise over the next decade (or shorter, whatevs): a) PhD, b) Teacher's Certificate so I can be a high school counsellor, c) find a long term permanent job that uses the skills I have now, or c) find a tattoo apprenticeship and be a tattoo artist

3. pay off the following debts: speeding ticket ($130), 4 credit cards ($4500), Line of Credit ($1530), and Outstanding Tuition ($1600).

Not that many but for me this is setting my sights high! I mean, pay off debt and decide what I want to do "with my life". I guess, because it's a little short that means that things are AWESOME in general. woop. (p.s. the link for the tutorial for the new year's garland above is here courtesy of the purl bee). xo

12.29.2009

"i'm old fashioned, i love the moonlight, i love the old fashioned things"

Not having a lot of money recently means that one of the things coming from the holidays (aside from new coping skills) is my brush with stuff. I unabashedly love stuff (but still think down with consumerism. hm.) I had a haul that I was ashamed of, considering our family did a swap this year, but did get a few things I'm excited about including the One Fast Move cd stewart got me (jay farrar and ben gibbard) with the accompanying DVD (super excited to actually consume it!), Gossip Girl season 2, and a sock knitting book my mom got me.

One thing that I didn't get to do this year was buy myself a holiday gift (or even a post-thesis or post-move gift or anything!) which I love to do. I think that I'll try to squeeze in a pair of shoes (stewart's bday is in january too!)... I've been really wanting a new pair of slip ons since the two pairs I've acquired from stew have gone by the wayside: the eyeball ones got puke on them (not mine, so i threw them away) and the leather ones fit stew's feet so well they fit mine weird. here are the ones I'm thinking of:
These sugar shoes booties!!! I love sugar, my favourite shoes ever are sugar shoes. But do I want sneakers or boots?








These DC Rebound Highs? I really like the colours, they had a black and lilac pair I really wanted but my size is sold out..boooo.

















I loves these vans!!!




















And, I love these para chukkas (also vans). in fact, i love all vans, and have a hard time buying shoes that aren't skate shoes. oi.

12.27.2009

tomorrow's on it's way, there's always new songs to sing...


well, i managed to finish eden's swallowtail shawl in time for xmas. just in the nick of time, actually. oi! it was a fun knit, though i know i definitely messed up a few times but it turned out great. and this colourway looks so great with this pattern, i'm kinda jealous i didn't keep it for myself. i also managed to knit my grandma a pair of socks, and finish up my post-thesis socks. i've worn the shit out of all my hand knit socks and will probably hand wash them here in a few minutes, hang them to dry, etc. i can't wait to wear them all over again. hahaha. i've been knitting plain socks at work the past two weeks and am excited to keep knitting this pair i'm working on with the yarn i bought in portland at yarnia. i think i'll hold off taking a picture until they're done (mainly b/c my charger is still mia) and i'd like to keep them a secret. i've also re-picked up my forestry cardigan and was working on it a bit today...and also will cast on for another pair of socks with KDG yarn. i just need to dig out one of my sock books and hunt down a pattern.

the holidays are over. thank heavens! sure my grandma's birthday is still tomorrow and it's new year's on thursday (3 day weekend coming up! woop!) but i'm definitely considering this run over. both stew and i are happy to have left prince george and are still settling in here, but the holidays definitely threw us for a loop. and both concurred we'd trade everything for a herkes-legere xmas any day! so less stressful! so much more fun! i love my family and love hanging with them and doing things with them, but "family" is definitely overrated. and "family gatherings" are also too much for me to handle. i just don't have the care or the ability to put on that face (the social one) for more than 2-4 hours. which, in all honesty, makes going to work somewhat hard (i wish i didn't have to work ever!). i need to remember that i'm not 16 anymore and can't just play all night. i need more me time! more me and stew time!

i'm going to lie down and maybe get my sanity back. i hope you all had a great holiday!! xo

12.09.2009

my heart may never beat again baby, have you got the best of me?

sunset from the living room window

rupert slept at my feet all night

it feels like today was a lazy day, but i accomplished a lot! and while i count the knitting days for some reason as accomplishing nothing (now that i'm actually accomplishing something), i need to remember that knitting is just as important as everything else! even as important as my thesis which i finally tackled today.

i haven't been looking forward to my revisions, mainly because i disagree with most of them. i spent 2 hours today merging all my separate chapters into one document, reformating most of it, adding page numbers, and getting ready to do the main edits (textual revisions) tomorrow-sunday. i have a lofty list of revisions to do (arg) but alas. this thesis looks less and less like a zine with every change. when the academic version is finished and submitted i'll provide the pdf up here for you to read, if you like, and i will also incorporate some aspects of the revisions into the zine which you'll get in january/february.

in other news, i got a job!! it's nothing to write home about, but they told me in my interview that there's opportunities for advancement, etc. i'm still looking for that dream, career gal job, preferably in victoria, so if you see anything, pls let me know!

well, i'm going to play nintendo until stew gets home in a bit and then work on eden's xmas knitting until glee!!! i can't believe both gossip girl and glee are off all winter. i'm going to spend the winter months catching up on mad men and true blood. any other shows i should check out?? xo

12.08.2009

my top 10 albums of the 2000s

So, a few people, including Pitchfork and all the rock mags in the world have done a best of 2000s list. Some have hundreds of albums, some are not restricted by number, but here are my top 10. I thought keeping it a short list would be easier to manage and leave lots of room for wondering, what was better? regardless, these 10, for me, are the shit of the 2000s. now, i'm not sure if i would readily put them on (I mean, I did play give up to death!!) but they marked times in my life! and made this decade better. they're not in order. (and in the manner from bryndis, they've got youtube videos attached for fun).

-robyn - robyn
-postal service - give up
-cut copy - bright like neon love
-death from above 1979 - you're a woman i'm a machine
-tegan and sara - so jealous
-julie doiron - goodnight nobody
-the blow - paper television
-mirah - you think it's like this, but really it's like this
-the organ - grab that gun
-the gossip - standing in the way of control

12.07.2009

A few recent FOs

I've been knitting my heart out for custom orders and am about to start on xmas gifts (which won't be posted here until after xmas, but will be on ravelry if they person they're for isn't on rav). I have a long list of things I am knitting for xmas, and this is even less than normal because we're doing our first family exchange this year, meaning that I only have one person: my sister, to knit for. Except, I'm knitting for stewart, his mom+sister, my dad, and a few friends, plus small things for the grandparents. wooo! I'm psyched to get started on them, though.

I'm even getting more into the holiday spirit, yay! We bought holiday cards today and a bit of a package for friends and their kiddo. We have more projects planned but need more time and $$. Doesn't everyone? Anyway, without further ado, here's a sampling of the custom orders, some of which haven't even made it to their recipients yet! (Going to the post office tomorrow).
Someone ordered two custom stockings from me. This is the "mommy" one, but there's another one in green. I was really impressed with my ability to come up with pattern on the fly and do a double knit top!!

Meret, pattern by wooly wormhead: using an angora I got at a craft swap. such nice soft yarn.

Another Meret made with cascade 220 Heathers. I've never worked with this yarn before and i love it.
These mitts were a custom order through etsy and they are the piece de resistance!!! I have leftovers enough to make a small person sweater but the yarns include Silk Garden, Merino from Moorhouse, Hempwol, a upcycled handdyed from BirthdayEveryday, and some blue moon fibre arts, and then lily chin with angora double held, and to top it off (not in the picture) my own handdyed merino. These are the softest and sturdiest mitts I have ever made and I can't wait to see someone's kidlette with a matching sweater.

Well, off to make quinoa salad. Stewart made a big vat of chicken wings with special hot sauce (yikes!) and I said I'd pair the salad. I hear nintendo calling toooooo... xo

12.06.2009