Pooped.

In a week a lot has happened.

Between personal stuff and work stuff (we've been in the news at least 3 times in the past week, none of it good - threats of closing the school and state meetings on top of students that give zero respect (which I also don't understand. they gave me more respect last year and the year before. why the change? one student, obviously displeased that I asked her to get to where she belonged during dismissal referred to me as "that chick" when she eventually started to leave...and the admins are ineffective...supposedly yesterday when one kept her door closed, refusing to see students for 4 hours while she got her hair braided...currently i despise my job) I'm exhausted at the day's end. Falling asleep by 7:30 kind of tired.

I'm trying to knit some baby gifts for friends, and I don't even have enough energy to do mindless garter stitch on a mason-dixon bib for more than a few rows.

on the brighter side of life...the Ireland trip is just about a week away!

and i luv the "I can has cheezburer?" site...

Is this a private fight, or can anyone join in?

Happy St.Patrick's Day! My dad kept saying that quote at breakfast this morning. I thought it was from but apparently it's just an old irish saying (so says google). Anyway.

We're snowed in. Dan's off having a boy's weekend. I'm enjoying being by myself, but I do wish I was able to go out to some stores. I did shovel yesterday, but when I was done all my hard work already had a dusting on it! And this morning everything is iced over. No way I'm getting out of the driveway! And with I did go out and try to shovel again, but the ice is just too much! I called a plow service, but I don't know when they will get here. Not a huge rush, either way. They arrived as I typed this - took all of 5 minutes then he's gone... guess I'll get a bill in the mail! So, now I'm free, but probably won't go anywhere until tomorrow. No need to be out with the St.Pat's partiers. There's always online shopping, right?

I'm working on a sleeve for the Hourglass Sweater - can't seem to locate a 12" US 7 needle - so I took my 16" and Betsy's 14" and am working it as two circulars - it's a little mucky, but overall alright. Mindless stockinette.

Seems like I've been up for ever. Several times last night Jackson went into a barking "rage" - he was hearing the wind / sleet, but when he jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs and I can't figure out why he's barking, that makes me nervous. Meeting my parents for breakfast was early too...

I was looking for some other Irish things to post here and it struck me that when I hear elvish the picture I get in my head is Gaelic.

"May you get all your wishes but one, So you always have something to strive for."

"May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past."

"As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way."


**Edited to add the following exchange:
Yesterday I shoveled some of the driveway, and when I came in my wrists were sore. I sent an email off to my bestest knitting buddy Betsy saying that I needed a project on larger needles due to my sore wrists. She immediately called me to comment on the fact that I wanted a project that was merely on larger needles instead of resting up... Amusing!

Swaps

We got packages! yes, yes we did!

On Friday I recevied a magnificent box from Sharon (she's blogless I think!)

I'll be set for a while - there's sock yarn and cotton yarn and a mohair (I think) wound with something else - and needles and chocolates! And a whole bunch of stuff that I wished for~!

Music and books and soap! I love everything - after such a crappy week, thank you so very much - it truly brightened my day!!!

Today, Jackson got a swap box! On swap-bot we played in the "I love my dog...your dog is cute too!" - Look at his treats:

Robin (also blogless I think) made him a bandana and blanket! You rock! And Jackson has been enjoying everything!
Checking out the blanket:

Strutting his new bandana:

Sitting nice in his chair, with his new blanket:

Weekend Whirlwind

On Friday I was way too tired to post. I did get a great swap box and took a photo of it, but it's so great it really deserves its own post. (To-do tomorrow).
This weekend, Dan and I went into NYC to see My Fair Lady at the NY Philharmonic - it was excellent! We stayed over in the city, at the W Hotel and bar hopped around a bit. Good times.

I started my sock madness sock yesterday, worked on it on the train:

and actually turned the heel tonight. They are moving along and I like them... just wish I were a faster knitter! People are already done!!

Movies (and rants)

Rants:
1)My dog is not chubby. He may be a breed known for looking like sausages, but he is lean and athletic! The dog sitter called him chubby. They have a beef going - he doesn't like her at all, and she tries to hard to get Jackson to like her.
2) I would never tell a parent I don't have time to tutor their child. However much I do not plan to stay after school (The dog needs his potty break! I have to excape this place!) if a child really did need it I would help. I have been burnt in the past though - one mother took advantage and it turned into basically babysitting of her 4 kids. Anyway, I'm not going to tutor a B student who is already overbooked in her scheduled social life. And, if she doesn't a) do the study guide b) tell her parents she has an extra credit opportunity c) study for the test then yes, she earned her D, making her grade C+ (79, and I'm not rounding that.) I don't care if baby is an honor student. She messed up. She didn't do the work. Not my issue anymore!

Okay, onto this movie meme that I spotted at Yarn Utopia
As seen at Ma Hatfield's blog:

"It’s been alleged that if you’ve seen over 85 movies you have no life. Mark the ones you’ve seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste it in and put x’s by the ones that you have seen. Add them up, figure out whether you’ve got a life or not, and post it."

(X) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(X) Grease
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
(X) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(X) Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
(X) Airplane
(X) The Princess Bride
(X) AnchorMan
(X) Napoleon Dynamite
(X) Labyrinth
(X) Saw
(X) Saw II
( ) White Noise
(X) White Oleander
(X) Anger Management
(X) 50 First Dates
(X) The Princess Diaries
( ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
(X) Scream
(X) Scream 2
(X) Scream 3
(X) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(X) American Pie
(X) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
(X) Harry Potter 1
( ) Harry Potter 2
( ) Harry Potter 3
( ) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(X) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(X) The Village
( ) Lilo & Stitch
(X) Finding Nemo
(X) Finding Neverland
(X) Signs
(X) The Grinch
(X) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
(X) Butterfly Effect
(X) 13 Going on 30
( ) I, Robot
( ) Robots
(X) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
(X) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
( ) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(X) Never Been Kissed
(X) Meet The Parents
( ) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(X) King Kong
(X) A Cinderella Story
( ) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(X) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
(X) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(X) Halloween
(X) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
( ) Flubber
(X) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
(X) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
(X) Secret Window
(X) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
(X) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child’s Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(X) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
(X) Nightmare on Elm Street
(X) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
(X) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(X) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
(X) Lucky Number SlevIn
(X) Ocean’s Eleven
(X) Ocean’s Twelve
(X) Bourne Identity
(X) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(X) Bedazzled
(X) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(X) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
(X) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
(X) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(X) E.T.
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
(X) Maid in Manhattan
(X) War of the Worlds
(X) Rush Hour
(X) Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
(X) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(X) She’s All That
( ) Calendar Girls
(X) Sideways
( ) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
( ) Ever After
(X) Wizard of Oz
(X) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(X)The Terminator
(X) The Terminator 2
(X) The Terminator 3
(X) X-Men
(X) X-2
(X) X3
(X) Spider-Man
(X) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(X) Catch Me If You Can
(X) The Little Mermaid
( ) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
(X) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(X) Shrek 2
( ) Swimfan
(X) Miracle on 34th street
(X) Old School
( ) The Notebook
(X) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf’s Tribe
( ) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(X) The 40-year-old Virgin
(X) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
(X) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(X) Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
(X) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(X) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(X) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
( ) Base-ketball
(X) Hostel
(X) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(X) Elf
( ) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
( ) American History X
( ) Three
(X) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(X) Monsters Inc.
(X) Titanic
(X) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(X) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
(X) Dawn Of the Dead
(X) Hook
(X) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
(X) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(X) Waterworld
(X ) Kill Bill Vol. 1
(X) Kill Bill Vol. 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness
(X) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(X) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(X) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(X) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(X) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(X) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks: The Battle For Endor
(X) The Matrix
(X) The Matrix: Reloaded
(X) The Matrix: Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
(X) Red Dragon
(X) Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal


**Wow, 123 out of 239?! 51%... that's just this list. There are so many more movies I've seen / want to see!

Are you ready to rock?

Jackson is.

The shirt (from Target, where else?) is great. It even has zippers on it! If I could keep a bandana on his head (a la the guy from the e-street band, sil!) and add a little guitar, I'd have his halloween costume all set!!

He's now pouting at my feet. Dude, you don't get used to clothes unless you wear them! :) Dan needs to see this, so just a bit more.

Also at target, I find I have a deep love for any product in their kids garden line, especially this:

It could totally work as a project bag!

I tried to get an "in-motion" photo of Jackson jumping the step, but I didn't have it set right on my camera:
but I like how you can just barely make out those two little eyes in the distance!

I need more time for yarn

It's appropriate that the page in my Stitch 'n Bitch calendar is for "Socks that Rock" today - the package from the Rockin' Sock Club arrived! The binder is huge, the emergency sock yarn mini-skein is so cute! I've yet to knit on 0's, and I hate swatching, so it may be a while before I cast on for those... but I'm still thinking about it! Sock Madness starts this weekend though.

And yeah, it's not like I don't have 2394857203948705293847 other projects going on right now.

I started a scarf with the yarn I just got in a swap, but I don't like it - I think it's the wrong pattern... I need something for a yarn that is kinda thick / thin...
Maybe this?, Harlot's scarf (again), or....

How did I not know about the Rachel Carson yarn? She's my hero!! And it is Women's History month!!

Catch-Up (FO & Swaps)

It's been a while, but life back at work following a vacation and a snow day just makes everyone crazy. Not to mention it is report card time. And they didn't get started on knocking down the wall in my classroom either, so it really looks like a bomb went off.

Anyway, I finished the Peekaboo Mittens from Magknits. I used the colorfullife yarn that I used in the nipple-ish Fake Isle Hat

They are a little small, but they'll do just fine!

I got package from my candy swapbot partner this week - let me tell you - she sent the best package of Jelly Belly Jellybeans - there are amazingly no icky ones - usually in a mix bag like that I have to sort out the buttered popcorn and coconut and the like, but I have eaten my way through most of the bag already - it's all yummy!

I also got a package all the way from Chile for the swapbot Winter Scarf Knit Kit - there's a gorgeous greeny-bluey-brownish skein (and she hand wrote a pattern!!), little fairy mug and some drinks - so neat!

Earlier in the week Dan brought me a present from Target:

I do need the help. But I know where everything is in my chaotic mess. Messy desk equals organized mind right? We're going to Ikea today to look into getting me a desk / office space.

After he showed me the Target present, he says 'Oh, and I got this for me'

Hehe. He has yet to ask for needles / yarn or to play with some of mine, but it's a positive step I think!

To quote John Stewart, here's your moment of zen:

Gamer

Here I am, Friday night.

My husband is busy playing Gears of War.

I have found a game from my youth, and way more my speed: The Adventures of Lolo.

We're content.

For my L&V Pal / And a stinky day

My Lime&Violet pal left me an anonymous comment that I'm answering here...

"Okay, I have a few questions of my own for you.... Fire Away!

1. What colors (shirts) do you wear most often? I just looked in my closet and drawers. I have button down shirts that are striped (blues, greens, some pink) and my knit tops / t-shirts are purples, blues, brown, black, green. I rarely wear yellow, but there seem to be hints of all sorts of colors!

2. If you could pick any 3 colorways from each of the following websites, what would they be? (1) Blue Moon Fiber Arts (2) Lisa Souza (3) Scout’s Swag.
Excuse me while I drool over Lagoon, Chapman Springs and Love in Idleness over at Blue Moon, Little Devil, Sapphire and Black Purple by Lisa Souza, and Almost Glam, Vangogh, and Prepster that Scout whips up!

3. What subject(s) do you teach? I try to teach science to middle school students, grades 4 - 8. Right now I'm covering cells, microscopes, DNA, ecosystems. I love all sorts of nerdy science stuff, I'm an environmental analytical chemist by training.

4. Are you a Harry Potter fan?
Not so much - saw the first movie, saw part of another one, have not read the books though I did pick them up at a library sale.

5. What are 3 of Jackson’s favorite doggie treats?
How kind of you to ask! Jackson likes things he can chew on (like rawhide), cookies (like >milkbones) and smelly chewy treats (like snausages or beggin' strips)

I hope that helps!


Today at work was just all sorts of icky. I'm glad this week is done. I still have quite a bit of work to do this weekend.

There was good mail though yesterday and today - yesterday, my candy swap came, today stitch markers (from weeones on etsy - they are modeled after jackson (so you know they are cute!) and sunshine yarns latest sock club yarn :Fresh: it's awesome!)

Note to self

See, the thing about hound dogs and dachshunds is that they are all nose. Putting the treats in your back pocket (while initially a good idea - you have them ready to practice some training without Jackson seeing them) will leave the scent there. Even when they are gone. That's why he's sniffing / nosing / pawing at your behind! Make a pouch / external pocket...

Lime&Violet Exchange

posted at the message boards too...
1. What kind of fibers do you prefer?
I love alpaca, and any blend thereof. Natural fibers are preferred over acrylics.

2. What kind of weight do you prefer (sock, worsted, bulky)?
Sock or worsted. Bulky has its place too.

3. Do you spin?
Not yet - maybe this summer I will try it

4. Do you crochet?
only in my knitting fantasy life - I want to do amigurumi! I have yarn and hooks!

5. Are there any books, patterns, magazines would you like to own that you don't?
I like the rebecca magazine, and I haven't gotten that in a very long while. I would like the baby+kids that rebecca comes out with too. I really like the zephyr patterns (wicked or glee), chicknits (ribby cardi), stitch diva (simple knitted bodice)

6. Are you participating in any themed a-longs like the Project Spectrum?
I am "involved" with Project Spectrum and the Sock Marathon

7. Do you have a wishlist on Amazon.com or Half.com? (provide a link)
amazon is here

8. Any Etsy stores that you would love to get something from?
I like the stuff at these shops: fluffington, chewy spaghetti, skeintilyclad, snailmailcreations, pigeonroofstudio

9. What other crafty things are you involved in (quilting, drawing, painting)?
I'm working on my photography and I'm a doodler

10. What is your favorite sort of scent?
light, not overpowering - clean, citrus, light florals,

11. Do you have a sweet tooth and what kind of sweets do you like best?
jelly beans, mike & ikes, gummy stuff, hard candy

12. What kind of music do you like?
I like a little bit of everything,

13. What do you like to knit? And for whom?
I've been knitting a lot for me lately. I enjoy socks, hats, working on a sweater, blankets (in my knitting fantasy life)

14. What sort of things do you like to collect?
I love hello kitty and the muppets, I unintentionally collect dachshund stuff because of my dog, Jackson (the dachshund)

15. Do you want needles? And what kind do you prefer?
I prefer bamboo, I can't think of anything in particular that I need right this moment - but I don't have a problem having dupicates of anything!