The fabulous Gabbiana, whose blog I love so much, has another, and there are many posts dedicated to cheese. How awesome is that? I love cheese, but it does not love me. I eat it anyway.
Go read it:
The fabulous Gabbiana, whose blog I love so much, has another, and there are many posts dedicated to cheese. How awesome is that? I love cheese, but it does not love me. I eat it anyway.
Go read it:
So… when given the option of good location vs. good size/price, which do you choose? Do you choose the smaller space that is close to everything, or the large space that is not as close? Would you rather walk or store your stuff? You can’t have both.
Which would you choose? I’m wondering this same thing myself (and I had to admit last night that, well, I am a yuppie and I’d like to be near the other yuppies, with our expensive drinks and ideals and food). On one hand, I really like the idea of being able to walk to work three days a week. On the other hand, I’d like to have a place for people to stay when they come visit without having to rearrange the studio every time. And it would also be nice for the husband to have a garage to tinker in.
And then to throw in another variable, would it make a difference if the larger property was rent-to-own?
At any rate, we’re going to see option B on Monday (I hope) and we’re going to decide on option A that same day. It’s really a difficult decision.
In other news, the thing I’m fond of today is the socks I have restarted five times. These are they:

I’ve finally (at long last) made it to the heel on the second sock. Wearability is imminent.
You need something to make you smile. This will make you cry, but in a good way (I watch it once a week, because it reminds me that joy still exists in the world, pretty much everywhere):
(And BavGirl, if you’re reading this – this is mostly for you)
We played some Princess Bingo:



Thanks to Marmadyth for the photos. She totally cleaned up in all games. Plus, we had beer.
(4? Already? Okay, 4.)
I knit to keep my hands busy.
This is important for a number of reasons. Number one, I am an avid “picker”. (WARNING: entering TMI territory, very quickly). I pick at scabs, pick at my cuticles, pick at zits. It’s something I’ve never grown out of. A friend (and fellow picker) and I joked that it’s good that we aren’t lepers, since we’d be in pretty sad shape at this point. Anyway. This irritates my husband, and to tell the truth, it kind of irritates me. So to keep myself from this, I knit. It’s impossible to pick at a scab when your hands are full of yarn. ‘Nuff said.
Reason the second, I quit smoking several years ago. Granted, I only smoked for a year, but it left that whole urge to have something in my hands (like it does). So I fill it with knitting needles, and it’s been pretty quiet.
And lastly, if my hands are full of knitting, I can be lazy and not do things for myself. Which makes me kinda feel bad but mostly it’s pretty awesome.
And I’m back into the swing of things, full force. I’d rather not be.
Being away on vacation was excellent. We were kids for four whole days, and I so didn’t want to leave to go home. I gave Jennie another knitting lesson before we left (this time it was socks), which she took to as well as she has everything else (which is to say, freakishly successfully).

We stayed with Marmadyth and Wafflecrabs first, and they have a shy cat who was totally not okay with us being there (I’m told he’s normally very friendly).

The following day, we hung out with Xylo and The Kid (she doesn’t have a handy internet moniker yet, so I’m improvising), and then went book shopping, and also went to Navy Pier to watch fireworks with Marmadyth and friends. I knit in public like mad.

A drunken yuppie asked me if I could knit his friend a blanket; it got chilly. I declined. And also we got to meet Marmadyth’s beau, who was shy but very nice, nonetheless.

(everybody)
At my insistence, he tried a brownie with hummus, and that gets him points in my book (he deemed it to be “not very good”). The fireworks were lovely, if loud.

Upon leaving, we got caught in a crush of people leaving the fireworks and Taste of Chicago, which was to be expected. Too many people trying to get on just a few buses.
The next day, we saw more fireworks (this time from Xylo and Grupo_Bimbo’s porch), and another friend, and there was much playing of MarioKart Wii with The Kid (she’s really really good at it and I’m very very bad at it).

We finished off the day by watching Super Troopers (I was surprised that the husband hadn’t seen it; it seems like something he’d like a lot).
Then Saturday, we hung out with the Xylo family (really, I’m just to lazy to type it all), and went to the park and out to eat and played more Wii and painted pictures. I have two The Kid originals in my suitcase. We met up with Fyvel and his lady for dinner (there had been other plans, but this is where we netted out), and then Marmadyth and her beau for ice cream.

It was almost like college all over again, only without the homework.
And then Sunday we just kind of took it easy until we had to go to the airport, and then got home and dealt with the still-present flea problem.
Currently, I’m having issues concentrating on anything. Jennie came over for more knitting and I had to tell her that her sock will not fit (she’s knitting it too tightly), so she bound off the little bit she’d done and is starting over. And I’m searching again for rentals, since our landlord didn’t pay his mortgage and we’re probably going to be evicted because the house is in foreclosure (it only helps a little that we had absolutely no control over this happening). I’m really really frustrated currently, and I was grumpy on the phone with the Chickengoddess, and now I can’t concentrate properly at work, either. This makes one move every year since we moved to Atlanta, and I’m beginning to think that the universe is trying to tell me something…
And I’m swamped, so I’ll post something more substantial later on. However, 20 of you have checked it, so I can’t disappoint, and so do not despair – check again later.

[Awesomely awesome photo from Stuck in Customs‘ flickr photostream]
And since it will be over July 4th, it really is a holiday. I can be British and American English correct at the same time! But perhaps not grammatically correct.
There’ll be another set of photo journal days afterward, though! I promise! No posts in the interim, I’m afraid. My internet access will be very spotty, at best. To tide you over in the meanwhile, I recommend these blogs:
And this site for the shopping:
(And Jennie came over again on Monday, starting in on the hugest sock known to man. This coming Monday I am going to evaluate the project and determine what went wrong and what I can do to fix it. She’s knitting Jaywalker socks, in her own yarn that she dyed with Wendi and I last month. Has it really been a month? Anyway, the yarn smells like fruit.)
Happy 4th/Whatever You Celebrate If You’re Not An American Day! Remember – sparklers are the leading cause of fireworks-related fires, but just to be safe, you probably shouldn’t shoot bottle rockets from your closed fist.
Because I am cheap.
I am aware this is a fallacy, and I am fooling myself by believing this, but I’m going ahead with it.
Allow me to explain. I am really awful at buying things for people, things I feel are quality, thoughtful gifts. I’m the sort who misses your birthday and then finds something excellent months later, but can’t do it on time because it’s not the right thing. And if I don’t know you particularly well, it’s even worse. I have no idea what would be a good gift. So, with knitting I always have something that’s appreciated (if not used all to often), and something I feel good about giving away. (Plus, it’s fun for me, too, but that’s not polite to say).
And yes, I’m aware that it is nearly always the more expensive option, but I feel like I’ve gotten a two-fer, since I’ve done something for me and something for somebody else, all at the same time. How often can you say that? So here’s to all those folks out there who are appreciative and polite about the endless scarves, hats, mittens, tea cozies (which make excellent hats, by the way), and other knitted paraphernalia that us knitters give away. You guys are awesome.
(And now I’ve managed to get yet another iPod that refuses to sync my library. WTF, Apple? I thought we had a solid relationship, man. Would a pair of hand-knitted socks fix this issue? Because i can knit you socks.)
Are brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
Never mind how silly I’d look with one of these; I simply must have one. No, really. I think it would add that certain “je ne sais quoi” I’ve been lacking. Much better than the conventional western umbrella, I’m sure.
Anyone know where I can find these stateside? In prices not listed in yen? Anyone traveling to Japan soon and would be willing to pick one up? I’d love you forever and ever. (Grande, One-tone Series in black, BTW, would be perfect. Just in case.)