me, shovel?

i woke up to about an inch of snow this morning with more falling every minute i wasted lying in bed trying to not think of the snow. al roker didn't help with his constant reminders of snow across the plains. it was inescapable. unfortunately we didn't get enough downfall in the morning to justify an absence from work. i groggily made my way to the window in the kitchen to make one last judgment call. nope, not enough. i had to come into work. i refused to shovel though. the snow blower still intimidates me and i prefer to leave the snow removal to the male gender. i'm too dainty to shovel. i grumbled to aiko, "your dad wants to live in wisconsin - HE can shovel." unfortunately though he's out of town until late tonight. it's okay though - the snow will still be there when he returns. driving into work was fun. or not fun, depending on who's making the statement. my little eclipse mitzy didn't appreciate my making her trudge up the big hill on the way to the beltline. she gave me a few whines but got me here safely.

i am quite the busy bee this month. i have several projects ahead of me and it feels good to be busy. i'm feeling a bit more connected with myself which is relaxing. there are only a handful of things that could make this life better - living down south where there is no such thing as snow, and living in the same town as all the people i love. that is the only aspect where i sometimes feel disjointed. i am thankful for the internet though - it makes the distance seem shorter and helps keep us bound together. i am very lucky that my three closest friends are always a fingertip away.

take two!

well this is turning out WAY better than the first. practice makes perfect. needle size makes a huge difference. my stitches are much tighter and more secure. i'm finished with chunk one - the seed stitch and now i'm onto the fake stockinette stitch for the bulk of the hatty! wish me luck!

size matters

the problem has been identified. i need to re-read the chapter on how to read a pattern. that and needle size. using a size 10.5 circular needle on a pattern that calls for a size 7 results in a hat for giants. oh and also, apparently when a pattern calls for a stockinette stitch and you're working with circular needles all you need to do it knit a regular stitch! funny how the book failed to mention that. i think it's a conspiracy. thank the lawd i have mrs. banda to identify my short-comings. i vow that hat #2 will be a success!

well, it will be a success if i can find needles which are the correct size. i made a trip to michaels on my lunch break and it looks like the knitting section was ransacked by thieving grandmas. there were absolutely no size 7 8 or 9 circular needles. i'll have to make a second attempt at joanns on my way home. banda came to the rescue again and even sent me a 40% off coupon! woot!

on another note - i'm officially signing up for the gym tonight. a new golds gym opened up right by my house for $20/mo. it doesn't get any better than that! i'm looking forward to tracking my progress on the wii fit. my goal is to fit back into my khaki banana republic cargo pants. i've been saving them for a time such as this!

yay fitness and knitting!

RIP ye hatty

okay sometimes you just have to know when to say enoughs enough. i've effed this hat up too far beyond repair. let's just say it has served its purpose well as a practice hat! bah!




and then there was none...

in two parts

part 1
call me ancient. knitting is fun! the work week just started back up and my mind is wandering back to all the knits and purls that await me at home. i am working on a hat now and i can't wait to finish it. banda informed me last night that i'm doing the stockinette stitch wrong but i'm too far into the hat to stop and start over now. it will turn out fine... technically i've made my own pattern. woot! this is my practice hat anyhow, so it really doesn't matter. the next hat i'll make (correctly following the pattern) will be super cute! i can't wait to use the pretty yarn i bought at the meyer house in st. louis. i have been scouting out some local yarn stores in madison and am excited to check them out this weekend. joann fabrics works okay for some things since i'm just starting out but as i get better i know i'm going to be a yarn snob. acrylic - eegads!

okay, enough about knitting.

part 2
i always have a wavering feeling on new years eve. this year was no different. it is nothing i dwell on - just every year right around midnight i get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. the new year has come and gone though and i'm back to feeling optimistic. i have a lot to look forward to this year.

jenny and sean are planning a visit to madison this summer. hopefully we will be able to make it to the harry potter exhibition in chicago. i'm also counting down the days until harry potter 5 comes out which jenny and i have planned on meeting in st. louie for.

phantom of the opera is playing at the fox theatre in september. seany and i are planning on going and i'd love to take emily too. the only thing that would make this better is if it were les mis - but i do love me some phantom.

my daddys birthday is in february. it falls on a weekend so i'll be going to st. louis to celebrate! he's going to be 70 this year so i need to plan something special.

the presidential inauguration is in a few weeks! i can't wait.

we can't forget about new moon coming out in *hopefully* november. i sure hope the summer doesn't drag on... :)

i would lovelovelove to plan a trip to CT with jenny to see erin! we'll see how this pans out though ~ plane tickets sure are expensive.

my calendar is filling up quite nicely. i like to keep busy in the summer. the winter months are always filled with snow and ice and make it hard to travel. i end up sitting on my butt at home in layer upon layer of clothing waiting for the sun to come back out.

hopefully 2009 will be filled with a lot of good memories.

voila le scarfy!

knitting project number one = done and done!

my new appreciation

so yoga is hard work! and i'm not even talking about regular yoga. i'm doing poor mans yoga on the wii fit. what's pretty neat about it though is how you can see your center of balance while you're doing the pose. i'm in a constant struggle to maintain my pose, to keep my little red dot in the center of the bigger yellow blob, all while remembering to inhale and exhale deeply. i have a newly found respect for people who do yoga. it's incredibly hard to do correctly.

better yet - the wii fit also has hula hooping for cardio! let's jut say i make sure my curtains are closed before i attempt to hula hoop. i watched bryan do it the other night and almost died in a fit of laughter. it's definitely not for the weak hearted.

i'm really digging the fit and am excited to track my progress. what's even better is that i'm going to start my gym membership soon so i'll be feeling better in no time. i kid you not folks - i've gained 20 pounds since getting married. not cool. it's not even the weight that bothers me it's how i feel. i get winded walking up a flight of stairs and i'm constantly tired. let me make this clear though, this isn't my new years resolution. i don't really believe in resolutions stemming from the new year holiday. they're always so forced and un-followed through on.

i would just like to better myself. no more negative, only positive! i've already seen a huge improvement in myself within the past month or so just by weeding out all the negative energy around me. i'm ready to move on up... to the east side! ha.