Oh, hey. I'm alive. I finished up the time sucking unit of doom, and can now get back to my regularly scheduled life. Which means I was finally able to sit down and do some writing.
The newest chapters of my newest story are up on Fiction Press and now on Devart. Links to my profiles on both of those sites can be found in the sidebar.
I also managed to track down my camera, so I'll have some knitting pictures next time.
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Lamest excuse for missing class EVER
But at least you know it has to be true. Because if I was just going to ditch, I’d make up something like, “My great aunt Gertrude got in a sky diving accident and I had to go to her funeral in Finnland,” not, “I couldn’t find a place to park.”
I don’t get it. I left an hour and a half before my class started, even though it only takes me 30-45 minutes to get to school normally. I took an alternate route to avoid the accident that closed 670, and I started with the Mt. Vernon lot thinking there’d still be a few spaces left. An hour later, I was still driving. So now I am camped out at the main branch of the public library, holding my own math 107 class since even if I walked over now, I’d STILL miss class.
And here I thought it was an exaggeration that Columbus State had a twitter account for their parking lots, and a website (not that either one does me much good since the ipod needs wireless and the cell phone has data disabled).
On the bright side, we are still only in unit 1.4, so even though I'm not in class, I should still be able to keep up. Last week's topic was "adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing real numbers," so I shouldn't have too much to worry about (can you tell I'm in the class for jeniuses?).
In case I forgot to mention (which I'm pretty sure I did), I am going back to school this fall (again) (duh). I'm picking up those pesky math and science credits that they don't give you art school so that I can go on to grad school. I've got remedial algebra (for us not-so-good at math people like me who also haven't had it in at least five years), French (immersion course; takes some getting used to), and physical anthropology (because I watch too much tv and I have the grande delusion that I could maybe be Temperance Brennan one day when I grow up).
I have been enjoying all of my classes so far. Until today. I will likely have to move my car in a few hours (or try) but I'm going to worry about that around, say, 1, and give myself two hours to find a space this time. Or maybe I'll just leave it. I'll check the prices again for the library garage.
I don’t get it. I left an hour and a half before my class started, even though it only takes me 30-45 minutes to get to school normally. I took an alternate route to avoid the accident that closed 670, and I started with the Mt. Vernon lot thinking there’d still be a few spaces left. An hour later, I was still driving. So now I am camped out at the main branch of the public library, holding my own math 107 class since even if I walked over now, I’d STILL miss class.
And here I thought it was an exaggeration that Columbus State had a twitter account for their parking lots, and a website (not that either one does me much good since the ipod needs wireless and the cell phone has data disabled).
On the bright side, we are still only in unit 1.4, so even though I'm not in class, I should still be able to keep up. Last week's topic was "adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing real numbers," so I shouldn't have too much to worry about (can you tell I'm in the class for jeniuses?).
In case I forgot to mention (which I'm pretty sure I did), I am going back to school this fall (again) (duh). I'm picking up those pesky math and science credits that they don't give you art school so that I can go on to grad school. I've got remedial algebra (for us not-so-good at math people like me who also haven't had it in at least five years), French (immersion course; takes some getting used to), and physical anthropology (because I watch too much tv and I have the grande delusion that I could maybe be Temperance Brennan one day when I grow up).
I have been enjoying all of my classes so far. Until today. I will likely have to move my car in a few hours (or try) but I'm going to worry about that around, say, 1, and give myself two hours to find a space this time. Or maybe I'll just leave it. I'll check the prices again for the library garage.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Getting it Done
I managed to loose my camera this week, which is inconvenient, but I can still use the house camera, which, honestly, while it’s bulky and kind of irritating to hook up to the computer, takes better quality photos since it’s professional grade and not a three-year-old point and shoot that’s going downhill fast. Not that you’d know it by my lack luster photography skills.
I’m halfway through my second pattern repeat on the London Calling sweater, VK Fall 2010. I decided it would be a good idea to look up errata at this point, and realized I’d already compensated for the minor errors I found. (If you’re knitting this sweater yourself, or plan to, the errata can be found here.)
I finished up the front of Mom’s summer sweater yesterday during my dad’s 50th birthday party. I’m thinking I’m going to have to increase in the shoulder area, but I’m going to double check the fit first. I just have the top of the back and the hood to do. I’m about 75% done with the next yarn I’m posting in the shop. I’m hoping to have the spinning done before classes start on the 22nd so that I can do the plying. I want to have Mom’s sweater done by then too, so that I can just take dishcloths to school to work on--those will also be going in the shop. Just out of curiosity, what do you guys think is a fair price for a hand knit or crocheted dishcloth? I was thinking something in the neighborhood of $10-15, but I’m not sure yet. I might go a little lower for the knit ones, even though they take a little longer, because the crocheted ones are harder on my wrists.
Yesterday I got the Kindle files in for the first two Cassie Tanner novels, so when you order through Etsy, you can request either a regular PDF or a Kindle-ready file. Oh, and don’t forget, if you have an interest in the ebooks, I do have sample chapters up on fictionpress.net--the link is in my sidebar. Those can, as always, be viewed for free. All you need is an internet browser.
If you haven’t done so yet, please check out the shop. I have to earn a little money to cover the $440 I have to spend this week in textbooks. :)
Friday, March 19, 2010
Bravo
I saw this article yesterday on Yahoo. As an artist, I strongly agree with the writer. I work, and I deserve to get paid a reasonable wage for it, but everyone seems to think that it's okay to pay people in "exposure." I need to eat, I've got bills to pay. Now stop being a cheapskate and fork over my fee.
Working For Free - Why You Shouldn't Expect Artists to do it.
Written by Dave D'Esposito of ArtMonkey Studios, Inc.
Originally posted on Craiglist, then everywhere else worth knowing on the internet.
Every day, there are more and more Craigs List posts seeking “artists” for everything from auto graphics to comic books to corporate logo designs. More people are finding themselves in need of some form of illustrative service.
But what they’re NOT doing, unfortunately, is realizing how rare someone with these particular talents can be.
To those who are “seeking artists”, let me ask you; How many people do you know, personally, with the talent and skill to perform the services you need? A dozen? Five? One? …none?
More than likely, you don’t know any. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be posting on craigslist to find them.
And this is not really a surprise.
In this country, there are almost twice as many neurosurgeons as there are professional illustrators. There are eleven times as many certified mechanics. There are SEVENTY times as many people in the IT field.
So, given that they are less rare, and therefore less in demand, would it make sense to ask your mechanic to work on your car for free? Would you look him in the eye, with a straight face, and tell him that his compensation would be the ability to have his work shown to others as you drive down the street?
Would you offer a neurosurgeon the “opportunity” to add your name to his resume as payment for removing that pesky tumor? (Maybe you could offer him “a few bucks” for “materials”. What a deal!)
Would you be able to seriously even CONSIDER offering your web hosting service the chance to have people see their work, by viewing your website, as their payment for hosting you?
If you answered “yes” to ANY of the above, you’re obviously insane. If you answered “no”, then kudos to you for living in the real world.
But then tell me… why would you think it is okay to live out the same, delusional, ridiculous fantasy when seeking someone whose abilities are even less in supply than these folks?
Graphic artists, illustrators, painters, etc., are skilled tradesmen. As such, to consider them as, or deal with them as, anything less than professionals fully deserving of your respect is both insulting and a bad reflection on you as a sane, reasonable person. In short, it makes you look like a twit.
A few things you need to know;
1. It is not a “great opportunity” for an artist to have his work seen on your car/’zine/website/bedroom wall, etc. It IS a “great opportunity” for YOU to have their work there.
2. It is not clever to seek a “student” or “beginner” in an attempt to get work for free. It’s ignorant and insulting. They may be “students”, but that does not mean they don’t deserve to be paid for their hard work. You were a “student” once, too. Would you have taken that job at McDonalds with no pay, because you were learning essential job skills for the real world? Yes, your proposition it JUST as stupid.
3. The chance to have their name on something that is going to be seen by other people, whether it’s one or one million, is NOT a valid enticement. Neither is the right to add that work to their x201Cortfolio”. They get to do those things ANYWAY, after being paid as they should. It’s not compensation. It’s their right, and it’s a given.
4. Stop thinking that you’re giving them some great chance to work. Once they skip over your silly ad, as they should, the next ad is usually for someone who lives in the real world, and as such, will pay them. There are far more jobs needing these skills than there are people who possess these skills.
5. Students DO need “experience”. But they do NOT need to get it by giving their work away. In fact, this does not even offer them the experience they need. Anyone who will not/can not pay them is obviously the type of person or business they should be ashamed to have on their resume anyway. Do you think professional contractors list the “experience” they got while nailing down a loose step at their grandmother’s house when they were seventeen?
If you your company or gig was worth listing as desired experience, it would be able to pay for the services it received. The only experience they will get doing free work for you is a lesson learned in what kinds of scrubs they should not lower themselves to deal with.
6. (This one is FOR the artists out there, please pay attention.) Some will ask you to “submit work for consideration”. They may even be posing as some sort of “contest”. These are almost always scams. They will take the work submitted by many artists seeking to win the “contest”, or be “chosen” for the gig, and find what they like most. They will then usually have someone who works for them, or someone who works incredibly cheap because they have no originality or talent of their own, reproduce that same work, or even just make slight modifications to it, and claim it as their own. You will NOT be paid, you will NOT win the contest. The only people who win, here, are the underhanded folks who run these ads. This is speculative, or “spec”, work. It’s risky at best, and a complete scam at worst. I urge you to avoid it, completely. For more information on this subject, please visit http://www.no-spec.com/.
So to artists/designers/illustrators looking for work, do everyone a favor, ESPECIALLY yourselves, and avoid people who do not intend to pay you. Whether they are “spec” gigs, or just some guy who wants a free mural on his living room walls. They need you. You do NOT need them.
And for those who are looking for someone to do work for free… please wake up and join the real world. The only thing you’re accomplishing is to insult those with the skills you need. Get a clue.
Working For Free - Why You Shouldn't Expect Artists to do it.
Written by Dave D'Esposito of ArtMonkey Studios, Inc.
Originally posted on Craiglist, then everywhere else worth knowing on the internet.
Every day, there are more and more Craigs List posts seeking “artists” for everything from auto graphics to comic books to corporate logo designs. More people are finding themselves in need of some form of illustrative service.
But what they’re NOT doing, unfortunately, is realizing how rare someone with these particular talents can be.
To those who are “seeking artists”, let me ask you; How many people do you know, personally, with the talent and skill to perform the services you need? A dozen? Five? One? …none?
More than likely, you don’t know any. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be posting on craigslist to find them.
And this is not really a surprise.
In this country, there are almost twice as many neurosurgeons as there are professional illustrators. There are eleven times as many certified mechanics. There are SEVENTY times as many people in the IT field.
So, given that they are less rare, and therefore less in demand, would it make sense to ask your mechanic to work on your car for free? Would you look him in the eye, with a straight face, and tell him that his compensation would be the ability to have his work shown to others as you drive down the street?
Would you offer a neurosurgeon the “opportunity” to add your name to his resume as payment for removing that pesky tumor? (Maybe you could offer him “a few bucks” for “materials”. What a deal!)
Would you be able to seriously even CONSIDER offering your web hosting service the chance to have people see their work, by viewing your website, as their payment for hosting you?
If you answered “yes” to ANY of the above, you’re obviously insane. If you answered “no”, then kudos to you for living in the real world.
But then tell me… why would you think it is okay to live out the same, delusional, ridiculous fantasy when seeking someone whose abilities are even less in supply than these folks?
Graphic artists, illustrators, painters, etc., are skilled tradesmen. As such, to consider them as, or deal with them as, anything less than professionals fully deserving of your respect is both insulting and a bad reflection on you as a sane, reasonable person. In short, it makes you look like a twit.
A few things you need to know;
1. It is not a “great opportunity” for an artist to have his work seen on your car/’zine/website/bedroom wall, etc. It IS a “great opportunity” for YOU to have their work there.
2. It is not clever to seek a “student” or “beginner” in an attempt to get work for free. It’s ignorant and insulting. They may be “students”, but that does not mean they don’t deserve to be paid for their hard work. You were a “student” once, too. Would you have taken that job at McDonalds with no pay, because you were learning essential job skills for the real world? Yes, your proposition it JUST as stupid.
3. The chance to have their name on something that is going to be seen by other people, whether it’s one or one million, is NOT a valid enticement. Neither is the right to add that work to their x201Cortfolio”. They get to do those things ANYWAY, after being paid as they should. It’s not compensation. It’s their right, and it’s a given.
4. Stop thinking that you’re giving them some great chance to work. Once they skip over your silly ad, as they should, the next ad is usually for someone who lives in the real world, and as such, will pay them. There are far more jobs needing these skills than there are people who possess these skills.
5. Students DO need “experience”. But they do NOT need to get it by giving their work away. In fact, this does not even offer them the experience they need. Anyone who will not/can not pay them is obviously the type of person or business they should be ashamed to have on their resume anyway. Do you think professional contractors list the “experience” they got while nailing down a loose step at their grandmother’s house when they were seventeen?
If you your company or gig was worth listing as desired experience, it would be able to pay for the services it received. The only experience they will get doing free work for you is a lesson learned in what kinds of scrubs they should not lower themselves to deal with.
6. (This one is FOR the artists out there, please pay attention.) Some will ask you to “submit work for consideration”. They may even be posing as some sort of “contest”. These are almost always scams. They will take the work submitted by many artists seeking to win the “contest”, or be “chosen” for the gig, and find what they like most. They will then usually have someone who works for them, or someone who works incredibly cheap because they have no originality or talent of their own, reproduce that same work, or even just make slight modifications to it, and claim it as their own. You will NOT be paid, you will NOT win the contest. The only people who win, here, are the underhanded folks who run these ads. This is speculative, or “spec”, work. It’s risky at best, and a complete scam at worst. I urge you to avoid it, completely. For more information on this subject, please visit http://www.no-spec.com/.
So to artists/designers/illustrators looking for work, do everyone a favor, ESPECIALLY yourselves, and avoid people who do not intend to pay you. Whether they are “spec” gigs, or just some guy who wants a free mural on his living room walls. They need you. You do NOT need them.
And for those who are looking for someone to do work for free… please wake up and join the real world. The only thing you’re accomplishing is to insult those with the skills you need. Get a clue.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Buh.
Yeah, that's kind of how I'm feeling right now, as I sit in the school library intent on working and not really accomplishing much except checking my email and Facebook seventy billion times for no reason and looking up sock patterns in my Ravelry queue.
Dublin was fantastic and relaxing. Can I go back now? *wimper*
I have one month to complete my thesis, and a week and a half to put together a twenty minute presentation on a chemistry subject. I'm just not feeling terribly motivated, and every time I look at the mountain of work I have to to I just kind of cry a little inside and go hide under the covers.
I've been wanting to do knitting, but my wrist has been bothering me for about two weeks. In my infinite wisdom, I have decided that obviously, it is not the fact that I'm knitting that's the problem, but the fact that my project has been misbehaving (because of course a hat that I've torn out six times and went from an elaborate cable pattern into a plain on stockinette one would obviously be the cause of the pain in my arm, and not all the repetition of typing, knitting, and also playing way too many games of solitaire both online and on my ipod).
Anyway, while I was in Dublin, I picked up a skein of sock yarn, because I've been wanting to knit socks and I've been having trouble fining good yarn for it here--just can't find any thin enough. I'm convinced that all of the knitters here must order the bulk of their yarn online, which I can't do thanks to my wool allergy. I have to touch it first. The yarn is a bamboo blend, very soft, and in shades of pink and white. Not my normal color pallet, but it was the only ball I could find that was the right weight, the right fiber content, and the right price. So I'm debating between Mary's Garden, Cut and Paste, and Snakes on a Sock (those are all Ravelry pages, by the way, so if you're not a member you probably won't be able to view them). My bandwidth is so low though, that it's coming down to whatever has the least complicated looking chart (looks like L&V is the winner), but I've only got one 100g ball so I'm hesitant to do anything from the top down. I'm also really wishing I had a good set of loooong circs so I could at least attempt to do two at a time and thus avoid the ripping that running out of yarn would entail.
I've finished two books in the last couple of weeks, both by Mercedes Lacky--The Lark and the Wren, and The Robin and Kestral. I'm starting the third book in the trilogy tonight.
Speaking of books, I would like to say yet another thank you to C.E. Murphy, who took time out of her busy schedule to meet with Alice and I at Chapters on Friday. We had a lovely time, and she signed my copy of Urban Shaman and Heart of Stone (I still don't think Alice has forgiven me for beating her to that copy. Ha. My revenge, since she failed to point out Bill Nighy to me when we were in London).
I'm working on a file for our experiences on the haunted tours we took in London. I'll post a summary here as soon as it's done, but it might take a while, what with the thesis and the presentation and all.
This weekend I'm going up to Aviano to meet a guy that I met online. If you don't hear from my by Monday, then he's an ax murderer and the American Consulate should be alerted to begin looking for my body. (Joking. Don't call them please. But I also promise I'll post something early next week to let you all know I'm still alive. No promises on the exact time because I need to not be rambling on my blog but instead doing research for my freaking thesis which needs to written, like, NOW).
I think that's the bulk of what I had to talk about. I'm fried, but I have to go jump out of the pan and into the fire now.
Dublin was fantastic and relaxing. Can I go back now? *wimper*
I have one month to complete my thesis, and a week and a half to put together a twenty minute presentation on a chemistry subject. I'm just not feeling terribly motivated, and every time I look at the mountain of work I have to to I just kind of cry a little inside and go hide under the covers.
I've been wanting to do knitting, but my wrist has been bothering me for about two weeks. In my infinite wisdom, I have decided that obviously, it is not the fact that I'm knitting that's the problem, but the fact that my project has been misbehaving (because of course a hat that I've torn out six times and went from an elaborate cable pattern into a plain on stockinette one would obviously be the cause of the pain in my arm, and not all the repetition of typing, knitting, and also playing way too many games of solitaire both online and on my ipod).
Anyway, while I was in Dublin, I picked up a skein of sock yarn, because I've been wanting to knit socks and I've been having trouble fining good yarn for it here--just can't find any thin enough. I'm convinced that all of the knitters here must order the bulk of their yarn online, which I can't do thanks to my wool allergy. I have to touch it first. The yarn is a bamboo blend, very soft, and in shades of pink and white. Not my normal color pallet, but it was the only ball I could find that was the right weight, the right fiber content, and the right price. So I'm debating between Mary's Garden, Cut and Paste, and Snakes on a Sock (those are all Ravelry pages, by the way, so if you're not a member you probably won't be able to view them). My bandwidth is so low though, that it's coming down to whatever has the least complicated looking chart (looks like L&V is the winner), but I've only got one 100g ball so I'm hesitant to do anything from the top down. I'm also really wishing I had a good set of loooong circs so I could at least attempt to do two at a time and thus avoid the ripping that running out of yarn would entail.
I've finished two books in the last couple of weeks, both by Mercedes Lacky--The Lark and the Wren, and The Robin and Kestral. I'm starting the third book in the trilogy tonight.
Speaking of books, I would like to say yet another thank you to C.E. Murphy, who took time out of her busy schedule to meet with Alice and I at Chapters on Friday. We had a lovely time, and she signed my copy of Urban Shaman and Heart of Stone (I still don't think Alice has forgiven me for beating her to that copy. Ha. My revenge, since she failed to point out Bill Nighy to me when we were in London).
I'm working on a file for our experiences on the haunted tours we took in London. I'll post a summary here as soon as it's done, but it might take a while, what with the thesis and the presentation and all.
This weekend I'm going up to Aviano to meet a guy that I met online. If you don't hear from my by Monday, then he's an ax murderer and the American Consulate should be alerted to begin looking for my body. (Joking. Don't call them please. But I also promise I'll post something early next week to let you all know I'm still alive. No promises on the exact time because I need to not be rambling on my blog but instead doing research for my freaking thesis which needs to written, like, NOW).
I think that's the bulk of what I had to talk about. I'm fried, but I have to go jump out of the pan and into the fire now.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Calm Before the Storm
I finished editing Life is a Zoo last week, but I still feel that the book is unfinished. I like the flow, but I have two problem points: the exposition at the end of the book is too tell-all confession; there isn't enough peeling back plot layers to discover what has happened. Second, I don't thing my antagonist is scary enough. I mean, he's a skinwalker. These are some of the baddest-of-the-bad guys in Native American mythology, and he's coming across as too normal. I'm still trying to figure out how I can make him seem like more of threat. Not just because he kills people, but because of what he is.
I also finished up two books this week, my re-read of Thunderbird Falls (which took forever; I'm always so much slower when I'm re-reading something), and Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Overall, I didn't think that the book was as creepy as the movie, but there was one line that got me. I'm paraphrasing a little since I don't have the book in front of me, but it's something like:
Coraline: "Swear it."
Other Mother: "I swear on my mother's grave."
Coraline: "Does she even have one?"
Other Mother: "Of course. I put her there myself. And when I caught her trying to crawl out, I put her right back."
Seriously. Shivers. And this is a kids book?
To do:
-print 2 chemical fact sheets for chemistry
-re-read information on conservation of bronze and iron
-write at least 7 pages of my thesis
-find photos to insert into thesis
-update conservation cards for all archaeology objects worked on (five total)
-create a presentation on a chemistry article (find updated information for presentation, since the article I'm writing about is from 1986)
-Pack for Dublin.
We leave on Monday morning, a week from tomorrow. That's what I'm holding on to at the moment: If I can get through this week, then by next week I'll be in Ireland.
It kind of makes Exams feel worth it.
I also finished up two books this week, my re-read of Thunderbird Falls (which took forever; I'm always so much slower when I'm re-reading something), and Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Overall, I didn't think that the book was as creepy as the movie, but there was one line that got me. I'm paraphrasing a little since I don't have the book in front of me, but it's something like:
Coraline: "Swear it."
Other Mother: "I swear on my mother's grave."
Coraline: "Does she even have one?"
Other Mother: "Of course. I put her there myself. And when I caught her trying to crawl out, I put her right back."
Seriously. Shivers. And this is a kids book?
To do:
-print 2 chemical fact sheets for chemistry
-re-read information on conservation of bronze and iron
-write at least 7 pages of my thesis
-find photos to insert into thesis
-update conservation cards for all archaeology objects worked on (five total)
-create a presentation on a chemistry article (find updated information for presentation, since the article I'm writing about is from 1986)
-Pack for Dublin.
We leave on Monday morning, a week from tomorrow. That's what I'm holding on to at the moment: If I can get through this week, then by next week I'll be in Ireland.
It kind of makes Exams feel worth it.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Who am I and what have I done with the old me?
I'm back in Florence. I got here on Sunday afternoon, and started classes on Monday. So far, every day that I've been here I've worked out, cleaned, made my bed...it's kind of scary.
Classes are going well, or as well as first-day-of-term classes can go, when it's all review and figuring out what you're going to be doing for the next four months.
Themost shocking bit of all is that I cooked. As soon as my loans came through, I went grocery shopping, since I was living off of peanut butter (brought from home) and bread (purchased by my new roommate) until yesterday afternoon.
Now, before you get excited, it wasn't anything fancy and it didn't take all that long. But it involved a stove and meat, and did not involve anything out of a box with directions printed on the side, so that qualifies it as "cooking" for me.
I love chicken salad, but you can't get seasoned salt, my key ingredient, in Italy, so I made some adjustments. It was inspired by the fact that I bought the wrong flavor of yogurt and the apples I bought (which were wrapped in plastic and styrofoam) were badly bruised on one side (the styrofoam side), so I had to use them as quickly as possible.
Sophie's Florentine Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
1 medium green apple (I don't know what variety we get here. It's a little bigger than my fist and light green. It's more sweet than bitter, so it's not a granny smith. I don't think it's green delicious, either. If you're in the states, then just substitute your favorite variety. If you're in Italy, then you probably know what I'm talking about because you see mostly this type of apple in the grocery stores and in the markets.)
Mayo (200-250ml; about 1/3-1/2 of a medium sized jar)
1 tablespoon of coconut yogurt (you can add more and reduce the amount of mayo, but none of us like coconut, so I was trying to sneak it in without anyone noticing)
Parsley
Chives
paprika
Basil
cinnamon
nutmeg
rosemary
salt
black pepper
1. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Put in water and heat on low, or low-medium, while mixing everything else.
2. peel, core, and dice the apple into little pieces. Put in a bowl of water to keep from browning, set aside.
3. In a bowl, mix the mayo and the yogurt. Add the spices to taste. I listed them in descending order, so I used a little more parsley than I did pepper. Just a touch of the cinnamon and nutmeg, and rosemary will do. I highly recommend having a taste-tester handy.
4. When the chicken is done cooking (I like to cut it up first so it cooks faster, but you might prefer the texture if you boil it then cut it), drain the apples to remove the excess water, then do the same for the chicken. I ran it under cold water so that it would cool faster. Add the chicken to the dish with the apples.
5. Pour the sauce over the apples and chicken, add additional mayo/yogurt/spices as needed.
6. Chill before serving (I suggest 2-3 hours, but you can also eat it straight away if it's cold enough.
Hope you enjoy!
Classes are going well, or as well as first-day-of-term classes can go, when it's all review and figuring out what you're going to be doing for the next four months.
Themost shocking bit of all is that I cooked. As soon as my loans came through, I went grocery shopping, since I was living off of peanut butter (brought from home) and bread (purchased by my new roommate) until yesterday afternoon.
Now, before you get excited, it wasn't anything fancy and it didn't take all that long. But it involved a stove and meat, and did not involve anything out of a box with directions printed on the side, so that qualifies it as "cooking" for me.
I love chicken salad, but you can't get seasoned salt, my key ingredient, in Italy, so I made some adjustments. It was inspired by the fact that I bought the wrong flavor of yogurt and the apples I bought (which were wrapped in plastic and styrofoam) were badly bruised on one side (the styrofoam side), so I had to use them as quickly as possible.
Sophie's Florentine Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
1 medium green apple (I don't know what variety we get here. It's a little bigger than my fist and light green. It's more sweet than bitter, so it's not a granny smith. I don't think it's green delicious, either. If you're in the states, then just substitute your favorite variety. If you're in Italy, then you probably know what I'm talking about because you see mostly this type of apple in the grocery stores and in the markets.)
Mayo (200-250ml; about 1/3-1/2 of a medium sized jar)
1 tablespoon of coconut yogurt (you can add more and reduce the amount of mayo, but none of us like coconut, so I was trying to sneak it in without anyone noticing)
Parsley
Chives
paprika
Basil
cinnamon
nutmeg
rosemary
salt
black pepper
1. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Put in water and heat on low, or low-medium, while mixing everything else.
2. peel, core, and dice the apple into little pieces. Put in a bowl of water to keep from browning, set aside.
3. In a bowl, mix the mayo and the yogurt. Add the spices to taste. I listed them in descending order, so I used a little more parsley than I did pepper. Just a touch of the cinnamon and nutmeg, and rosemary will do. I highly recommend having a taste-tester handy.
4. When the chicken is done cooking (I like to cut it up first so it cooks faster, but you might prefer the texture if you boil it then cut it), drain the apples to remove the excess water, then do the same for the chicken. I ran it under cold water so that it would cool faster. Add the chicken to the dish with the apples.
5. Pour the sauce over the apples and chicken, add additional mayo/yogurt/spices as needed.
6. Chill before serving (I suggest 2-3 hours, but you can also eat it straight away if it's cold enough.
Hope you enjoy!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Funny Stuff
So. I just got out of my exam for On Site conservation, which is all about frescos. The first question on the exam was to name the layers of a fresco and what they are made of: Rinsaffo, Aricho, and Intonico.
Only when I was sitting there at my desk, I had a brain fart. I couldn't remember the name of the base layer (that would be the rinsaffo). Now, usually, the teachers here are kind of lenient when it comes to the spelling of Italian terms, since they realize that not only are most of us mono-linguistic anglophones, but we learning a new technical vocabulary as well. I'm hoping that this holds true for this exam, because even though it was on the tip of my tongue, the only word that would actually come out was "riffuti", which is the Italian word for garbage.
It's probably a good thing that my On Site instructor has a good sense of humor. At the very least she'll get a laugh out of it. Of course, I remembered the proper term as soon as I'd walked out of the classroom.
On the bright side, this means I am officially done with all of my exams. That means the only thing I have to worry about for the next three days is packing and cleaning. The bathroom and kitchen both need cleaned, and the garbage needs to be taken out before it takes over. We did find out that we can leave the things we aren't taking with us over Christmas in the apartment, which is nice since the alternative was leaving them in the damp basement at the school--not an appealing idea since I've got a suitcase of just books.
Hm. Might need to change that before I go home.
Speaking of books, I finished listening to Jason Pomerantz's reading of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I really enjoyed it; I've been putting off reading this book for years, and I'm so glad I finally got to listen to it. He has a lovely voice for narration, though some of his character voices did bug me a little, especially when he was reading the Cowardly Lion, and the King of the Flying Monkeys. It was pretty minor, however, and for the most part it really added something to the listening.
I did download another audio book at the same time, which was Shadowmagic by John Lenahan, who also is the reader. I've only gotten through the first chapter, I but was laughing out loud through most of it. The story is based losly on Celtic mythology, and incorporates both bits of mythology and contemporary characters. I'm trying to save a few chapters to listen to in the airport and on my long, long flight on Monday, but I might break down and listen to a couple more tonight. Each chapter is only 10-20 minutes, so it's completely manageable. If you would rather read a hard copy, you can find it here.
Well, enjoy your weekend, wherever you are. I will be back on Monday or Tuesday, most likely.
Only when I was sitting there at my desk, I had a brain fart. I couldn't remember the name of the base layer (that would be the rinsaffo). Now, usually, the teachers here are kind of lenient when it comes to the spelling of Italian terms, since they realize that not only are most of us mono-linguistic anglophones, but we learning a new technical vocabulary as well. I'm hoping that this holds true for this exam, because even though it was on the tip of my tongue, the only word that would actually come out was "riffuti", which is the Italian word for garbage.
It's probably a good thing that my On Site instructor has a good sense of humor. At the very least she'll get a laugh out of it. Of course, I remembered the proper term as soon as I'd walked out of the classroom.
On the bright side, this means I am officially done with all of my exams. That means the only thing I have to worry about for the next three days is packing and cleaning. The bathroom and kitchen both need cleaned, and the garbage needs to be taken out before it takes over. We did find out that we can leave the things we aren't taking with us over Christmas in the apartment, which is nice since the alternative was leaving them in the damp basement at the school--not an appealing idea since I've got a suitcase of just books.
Hm. Might need to change that before I go home.
Speaking of books, I finished listening to Jason Pomerantz's reading of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I really enjoyed it; I've been putting off reading this book for years, and I'm so glad I finally got to listen to it. He has a lovely voice for narration, though some of his character voices did bug me a little, especially when he was reading the Cowardly Lion, and the King of the Flying Monkeys. It was pretty minor, however, and for the most part it really added something to the listening.
I did download another audio book at the same time, which was Shadowmagic by John Lenahan, who also is the reader. I've only gotten through the first chapter, I but was laughing out loud through most of it. The story is based losly on Celtic mythology, and incorporates both bits of mythology and contemporary characters. I'm trying to save a few chapters to listen to in the airport and on my long, long flight on Monday, but I might break down and listen to a couple more tonight. Each chapter is only 10-20 minutes, so it's completely manageable. If you would rather read a hard copy, you can find it here.
Well, enjoy your weekend, wherever you are. I will be back on Monday or Tuesday, most likely.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Semester Stats
Days until finals: 2
Number of hours spent studying: 0
Number of thesis pages written (10 due): 2.5
Outlines completed: 1 of 1
Exams taken: 1
Grade received: "A/A-" (What does that mean, anyway? It's one or the other.)
Days left in the semester: 5
Novels finished: 2
Novels started: 2
Books read: 18
Cities visited: 4
Pictures taken: 1,320
Items knit: 3 donation hats, 1 hat to keep, 2 doll outfits, 1 laptop cover
Photos of knit items taken: 0, except for one of the doll outfits
Illnesses contracted and recovered from: 3
Days until departure: 9
Days until arrival: 10
Packing left: all of it
Final assignments completed: 7 of 9 (hang on. Geek girl moment. ....Okay, you can move on now.)
Number of times the list of assignments due has changed in the past two weeks: 6 (so those last two assignments? Not getting done. Can't do them, because I didn't know I was supposed to)
Nerves frayed: All of them
And now I shall distract you with knitwear while I try to finish some of the items on my list.
Number of hours spent studying: 0
Number of thesis pages written (10 due): 2.5
Outlines completed: 1 of 1
Exams taken: 1
Grade received: "A/A-" (What does that mean, anyway? It's one or the other.)
Days left in the semester: 5
Novels finished: 2
Novels started: 2
Books read: 18
Cities visited: 4
Pictures taken: 1,320
Items knit: 3 donation hats, 1 hat to keep, 2 doll outfits, 1 laptop cover
Photos of knit items taken: 0, except for one of the doll outfits
Illnesses contracted and recovered from: 3
Days until departure: 9
Days until arrival: 10
Packing left: all of it
Final assignments completed: 7 of 9 (hang on. Geek girl moment. ....Okay, you can move on now.)
Number of times the list of assignments due has changed in the past two weeks: 6 (so those last two assignments? Not getting done. Can't do them, because I didn't know I was supposed to)
Nerves frayed: All of them
And now I shall distract you with knitwear while I try to finish some of the items on my list.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Acheivment Cat Purrs Again
Exactly ten weeks after I started, I finished my second novel in the Cassie Tanner series at just under 65,000 words. I have a possible beta reader on deck, but I'd like to have at least three so that I can get different opinions. If anyone is interested, please let me know. I need someone who doesn't mind a lot of reading, and that can point out flaws in plot progression and character development.
I've started work already on a third novel. It feels like I'm on a roll, and I don't want to stop! I'll probably slow down a little, though. I need to do some revising and editing for both books, and I want to just do some pleasure reading.
We had our law final yesterday. I'm not sure how I did. I'm terrible at remembering names and dates, so of course, that's what most of our questions were about. Go figure. I wrote down as many of the other (related) facts and details I could think of, but I don't know if that will be enough. The rest of my finals aren't until the week after next, so I'm going to spend the next few days studying.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Loose Ends
I'm trying to get everything done today. Took my last exam this morning, which is a huge relief, so now I'm trying to do research for my thesis. Went back and reserved a book from the local library back home and put in a vacation hold so that it will be waiting for me in December (only a month and a half until I go home? Really?)
I've only got one more class, and it's a practical (no exam!) so no worries there. Then I need to finish packing. I've also got to hunt down some 3 oz plastic containers to take on the plane. I saw some every day at the grocery store, but of course now that I need them I can't find them anywhere. Even better, there's a train strike scheduled for tomorrow, so we may or may not have an easy ride to Pisa, which is only an hour away by rail.
But we leave tomorrow! I'm so excited. I just can't wait to see London. The last time I went, I slept for sixteen hours and only managed to leave our shitty hotel room for a burger from the BK down the block (yeah, I know. I got four thousand miles for a Burger King. And it was so expensive...)
Alice and I are making a list of all of the museums we want to go to, since most of them are free and we are on a very limited budget.
I'm not going to take my laptop with me, since I don't want to have to carry it everywhere and I'm kind of scared to leave it in the hostel. I'll take lots of pictures, and I'll try to update from the hostel computers. I'm so looking forward to this!
I've only got one more class, and it's a practical (no exam!) so no worries there. Then I need to finish packing. I've also got to hunt down some 3 oz plastic containers to take on the plane. I saw some every day at the grocery store, but of course now that I need them I can't find them anywhere. Even better, there's a train strike scheduled for tomorrow, so we may or may not have an easy ride to Pisa, which is only an hour away by rail.
But we leave tomorrow! I'm so excited. I just can't wait to see London. The last time I went, I slept for sixteen hours and only managed to leave our shitty hotel room for a burger from the BK down the block (yeah, I know. I got four thousand miles for a Burger King. And it was so expensive...)
Alice and I are making a list of all of the museums we want to go to, since most of them are free and we are on a very limited budget.
I'm not going to take my laptop with me, since I don't want to have to carry it everywhere and I'm kind of scared to leave it in the hostel. I'll take lots of pictures, and I'll try to update from the hostel computers. I'm so looking forward to this!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Ciao, Bellas.
I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I just moved to the other side of it.
I had to take a few days and acclimated. Between jet lag, insomnia, a cold, and then general whirl wind of figuring what was needed immediately for the apartment, what could wait, what fees still needed paid (ha, that was an adventure in and of itself), topped with "where the hell is all my cash?" (No, it wasn't stolen. I just forgot how quickly one can burn through euros), "Why hasn't my loan disbursed the full amount?" and trying to remember where I left the pharmacy, grocery store, and book shop the last time I was here, it's been a little crazy.
I'm slowly picking up the pieces of the "me" side of my life--hobbies, enjoyments--and trying to fit them against the "them" side of my life--school, the new schedule. On the bright side, insomnia means I've written 10-15,000 words since we got here. I'll go to be around ten or eleven, toss and turn for an hour, get up, and then scribble my soul out. It's like I can't sleep until the words are on paper. Once they're down, I go back to bed and sleep, no problems.
The first day of classes was yesterday. In the morning, we were introduced to the conservation curriculum. In the afternoon, we put together smashed flower pots. This morning was the "graduate seminar," in which we debate some of the ethical issues of conservation (should a statue be left outside for all to see, where the weather can get to it, or shut up where no one can see it, but remain preserved for future generations?).
I haven't taken many pictures yet, just a few of the Arno, which is my favorite part of the city. A lot of people think I'm weird, because I don't spend all of my time in churches and museums, and would rather be outside walking around. The last time I was here, in 2008, I took a really demanding course that was made up almost entirely of field trips. During our 3 day trip to Rome, I happened to be next to a tour guide while waiting in a Queue. He asked to see our itinerary--he was ex-military, and showed American living on local Army bases the sites. His eyes almost fell out of his head. He handed back the sheet and said he'd plan that trip for a week, not a weekend. He didn't understand how we could possibly get through all of that in just a few days.
Honestly, neither do I. The experience left me a little burned out. I'll go to the churches and the museums for class, fine, but I want to spend my free time elsewhere. The only one I visit of my own free will is the costume museum at Palazzo Piti.
But anyway, that's beside the the point.
Up next is painting conservation. Not terribly eager about this one, but it's a requirement so I'll just have to slog through it. Then I'm going home to get a head start on some of these essays. I've got several due at midterm, and since everyone always puts them off to the last minute I'm going to try to get a leg up on things.
I had to take a few days and acclimated. Between jet lag, insomnia, a cold, and then general whirl wind of figuring what was needed immediately for the apartment, what could wait, what fees still needed paid (ha, that was an adventure in and of itself), topped with "where the hell is all my cash?" (No, it wasn't stolen. I just forgot how quickly one can burn through euros), "Why hasn't my loan disbursed the full amount?" and trying to remember where I left the pharmacy, grocery store, and book shop the last time I was here, it's been a little crazy.
I'm slowly picking up the pieces of the "me" side of my life--hobbies, enjoyments--and trying to fit them against the "them" side of my life--school, the new schedule. On the bright side, insomnia means I've written 10-15,000 words since we got here. I'll go to be around ten or eleven, toss and turn for an hour, get up, and then scribble my soul out. It's like I can't sleep until the words are on paper. Once they're down, I go back to bed and sleep, no problems.
The first day of classes was yesterday. In the morning, we were introduced to the conservation curriculum. In the afternoon, we put together smashed flower pots. This morning was the "graduate seminar," in which we debate some of the ethical issues of conservation (should a statue be left outside for all to see, where the weather can get to it, or shut up where no one can see it, but remain preserved for future generations?).
I haven't taken many pictures yet, just a few of the Arno, which is my favorite part of the city. A lot of people think I'm weird, because I don't spend all of my time in churches and museums, and would rather be outside walking around. The last time I was here, in 2008, I took a really demanding course that was made up almost entirely of field trips. During our 3 day trip to Rome, I happened to be next to a tour guide while waiting in a Queue. He asked to see our itinerary--he was ex-military, and showed American living on local Army bases the sites. His eyes almost fell out of his head. He handed back the sheet and said he'd plan that trip for a week, not a weekend. He didn't understand how we could possibly get through all of that in just a few days.
Honestly, neither do I. The experience left me a little burned out. I'll go to the churches and the museums for class, fine, but I want to spend my free time elsewhere. The only one I visit of my own free will is the costume museum at Palazzo Piti.
But anyway, that's beside the the point.
Up next is painting conservation. Not terribly eager about this one, but it's a requirement so I'll just have to slog through it. Then I'm going home to get a head start on some of these essays. I've got several due at midterm, and since everyone always puts them off to the last minute I'm going to try to get a leg up on things.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Happy Birthday to Me
Yep, that's right. Another year older, as of 8:49 pm, EST. And what a great two days it has been.
I got some of my presents early, things from my mom because apparently, I'm hard to shop for (when did this happen? Seriously. Three words: Amazon Gift Card. That's all you need to know). Both of them came from work--one of those IHome thingies that you can charge your ipod on, and wake up to actual decent music rather than annoying morning shows (that alone makes it worth the $39 price tag), and a super comfy dress in a cotton jersey, light blue. I need to make a couple of alterations, though, so no pictures.
Today, however, I got this:
Counter Clockwise, that would be a handmade necklace from Alice, a set of ergonomic interchangeable crochet hooks (more on that later) and a travel journal from my parents, and a picture of one of the crochet hooks and the test piece I was working on while talking to my uncle on the phone.
Of course, no birthday would be complete without a present to yourself. In my case, I splurged and spent $13 (don't laugh; that's almost two hours pay from my job over here) to get myself this:
That's right. I'm going back to Italy. The letter came yesterday, and I was dancing around work with excitement.
I'll be spending September 2-Dec. 15, then coming back to the US for two weeks, and then flying back Jan. 7-April 22. Alice and I are already plotting spring break in Cardiff. Torchwood sightings, anyone?
I know, some of you are probably wondering why I'm going back. Well, there are a lot of reasons, foremost among them being that if I'm a student, I don't have to repay my student loans just yet. Also, if I want to get into grad school for conservation of textiles, then I kind of need a conservation background, not just an art one, so going back to Saci is pretty much the only way I can get into grad school at this point (which is good, because if I'm not in school then I loose all of my insurance. Which is really, really not good.
Of course, I'm still on the market for that Canadian husband resembling Kyle Schmid so that I can move to Canada and gain citizenship, but alas, no one presented him to me gift wrapped (not that I would have objected unwrapped), so I'll have to settle for the Blood Ties DVD set, which, coincidentally, came out yesterday. Yet another wonderful gift that the world has chosen to present me with!
----
Okay, now for the knitting portion of the show:
Like I mentioned, I got those fancy ergonomic crochet hooks from my mom. I'd been eying them for a while because of my carpal tunnel, but alway nixed them because, well, I'm broke, and it didn't seem right to buy a fancy set of hooks when I already have at least one hook in every size from F on up, and two or three of my most used sizes.
I tested them out while I was on the phone with my uncle, like I said (his birthday was yesterday, by the way. This might be one of the reasons we are so close, despite the 2,000 miles between us).
I have two grips that I use when I crochet, alternating between an underhand grip (the most common, which is a lot like how I'd hold a pencil), and an overhand (which I only use when my wrist hurts and involves my index finger and thumb running on the the top and side of the hook, parallel to the shaft, with the other three fingers curled around it). So far I've found it easiest to use the trigger handle, but the frustrating part of this set is that it forces you to hold the hook in a certain way. I suppose that's the point, training you to change the way you do things, but so far I find all but one of the grips somewhere between awkward and downright uncomfortable. Also, the hook can only face one direction, regardless of how you hold your hand, which is unspeakably irritating.
I'm still using them though, and trying to adapt. If you are interested in the hooks, you can find them here. They run about $15 for two handles and six interchangeable hooks.
My current fiber projects include the blue sweater (still plugging away at that second sleeve), the sample project shown above, a crocheted death cloak/Anubis mask for Anubis (the details of which will be available on the ResinCast blog sometime next week), and a whole hell of a lot of spinning.
In the last two weeks, I finished with the silk/bamboo blend that I began ages ago (remind me never to hand blend fibers. Pain in the arse)then plied the lot, spun the left over blue bamboo into a gorgeous single, spun the black into a single which got turned into the afore mentioned death robes/Anubis mask, spun and plied together the leftover silk, and have begun spinning a blend of grey milk fiber and hot pink merino into something resembling sewing thread, that will eventually become a three ply. If I can get the fibers to stop coming apart at the wrong moment.
Vanyel, of course, is reveling in the attention, since he sat and collected dust for so long. And plying means that he gets to spend time with his beloved Lazy Kate, Tylendel. He is a very happy spinning wheel at the moment. I'm not sure how to break the new that he won't be coming to Italy with me, especially since I don't want to leave him be hind anymore than I want to leave behind my cat, but some things just can't be helped. He's way too expensive and valuable to ship.
And that my dears, is the end of this long-winded update. Hope you enjoyed. :)
I got some of my presents early, things from my mom because apparently, I'm hard to shop for (when did this happen? Seriously. Three words: Amazon Gift Card. That's all you need to know). Both of them came from work--one of those IHome thingies that you can charge your ipod on, and wake up to actual decent music rather than annoying morning shows (that alone makes it worth the $39 price tag), and a super comfy dress in a cotton jersey, light blue. I need to make a couple of alterations, though, so no pictures.
Today, however, I got this:
Counter Clockwise, that would be a handmade necklace from Alice, a set of ergonomic interchangeable crochet hooks (more on that later) and a travel journal from my parents, and a picture of one of the crochet hooks and the test piece I was working on while talking to my uncle on the phone. Of course, no birthday would be complete without a present to yourself. In my case, I splurged and spent $13 (don't laugh; that's almost two hours pay from my job over here) to get myself this:
That's right. I'm going back to Italy. The letter came yesterday, and I was dancing around work with excitement.
I'll be spending September 2-Dec. 15, then coming back to the US for two weeks, and then flying back Jan. 7-April 22. Alice and I are already plotting spring break in Cardiff. Torchwood sightings, anyone?
I know, some of you are probably wondering why I'm going back. Well, there are a lot of reasons, foremost among them being that if I'm a student, I don't have to repay my student loans just yet. Also, if I want to get into grad school for conservation of textiles, then I kind of need a conservation background, not just an art one, so going back to Saci is pretty much the only way I can get into grad school at this point (which is good, because if I'm not in school then I loose all of my insurance. Which is really, really not good.
Of course, I'm still on the market for that Canadian husband resembling Kyle Schmid so that I can move to Canada and gain citizenship, but alas, no one presented him to me gift wrapped (not that I would have objected unwrapped), so I'll have to settle for the Blood Ties DVD set, which, coincidentally, came out yesterday. Yet another wonderful gift that the world has chosen to present me with!
----
Okay, now for the knitting portion of the show:
Like I mentioned, I got those fancy ergonomic crochet hooks from my mom. I'd been eying them for a while because of my carpal tunnel, but alway nixed them because, well, I'm broke, and it didn't seem right to buy a fancy set of hooks when I already have at least one hook in every size from F on up, and two or three of my most used sizes.
I tested them out while I was on the phone with my uncle, like I said (his birthday was yesterday, by the way. This might be one of the reasons we are so close, despite the 2,000 miles between us).
I have two grips that I use when I crochet, alternating between an underhand grip (the most common, which is a lot like how I'd hold a pencil), and an overhand (which I only use when my wrist hurts and involves my index finger and thumb running on the the top and side of the hook, parallel to the shaft, with the other three fingers curled around it). So far I've found it easiest to use the trigger handle, but the frustrating part of this set is that it forces you to hold the hook in a certain way. I suppose that's the point, training you to change the way you do things, but so far I find all but one of the grips somewhere between awkward and downright uncomfortable. Also, the hook can only face one direction, regardless of how you hold your hand, which is unspeakably irritating.
I'm still using them though, and trying to adapt. If you are interested in the hooks, you can find them here. They run about $15 for two handles and six interchangeable hooks.
My current fiber projects include the blue sweater (still plugging away at that second sleeve), the sample project shown above, a crocheted death cloak/Anubis mask for Anubis (the details of which will be available on the ResinCast blog sometime next week), and a whole hell of a lot of spinning.
In the last two weeks, I finished with the silk/bamboo blend that I began ages ago (remind me never to hand blend fibers. Pain in the arse)then plied the lot, spun the left over blue bamboo into a gorgeous single, spun the black into a single which got turned into the afore mentioned death robes/Anubis mask, spun and plied together the leftover silk, and have begun spinning a blend of grey milk fiber and hot pink merino into something resembling sewing thread, that will eventually become a three ply. If I can get the fibers to stop coming apart at the wrong moment. 
Vanyel, of course, is reveling in the attention, since he sat and collected dust for so long. And plying means that he gets to spend time with his beloved Lazy Kate, Tylendel. He is a very happy spinning wheel at the moment. I'm not sure how to break the new that he won't be coming to Italy with me, especially since I don't want to leave him be hind anymore than I want to leave behind my cat, but some things just can't be helped. He's way too expensive and valuable to ship. And that my dears, is the end of this long-winded update. Hope you enjoyed. :)
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Hey, Look Over There! Knitting!
I present you with: A very exciting photo of 3/4 of a stockinette sleeve. Ooh, Aah. Have you ever seen anything as interesting?
I <3 Sarcasm, by the way. Just in case you didn't notice.
So what is going on in CrazyLand? Well, for starters our kitchen is getting redone by our landlord, who wants to sell the house this year. Which means we have no appliances except the fridge, everything from the kitchen is in the dinning room (which was our craft room) and everything from the dinning room (i.e. all of our craft and art supplies) has been moved into our bedrooms, because once the kitchen has been put to rights, the dinning room is getting re-done. And I didn't know about any of this (at least the part involving the dinning room) until after I had finished cleaning and organizing my room, which I'd been meaning to do since December. Let me just express how happy I was to move all of that stuff into my (newly cleaned) living space: #$%^*&##$%^&%@@¢∞¶™!$&%$#µµ∫˚©ÃŸ†Ë†¬˚…∂Ã¥%**^@!#$!$%^&**!!
I keep asking if they need help (the landlord and his wife), but they keep saying no, so I've been hiding in my room knitting for the last few days. I feel kind of guilty because their son has been coming from the East Side to help, but every time I ask, "No, we've got it."
In better news, my printer came yesterday, which surprised me since I'd only ordered it on the 18th. It's shiny and spiffy and photo quality with a flatbed scanner and I can't wait until my mini comes to try it out. I could hook up the laptop, I suppose, but I prefer to only install things once. Now if only I could get the rebate center to work and get my $100 back, everything would be just dandy.
I've been in a much better humor since graduation. Probably because I have time to breathe now, and it doesn't feel like every single thing has to be done RIGHT THIS SECOND OR OH MY GOD THE WORLD WILL END AND I WILL DIE ON THE STREET. I have a little bit of leeway at least, though the job hunt continues and I still don't have any options for grad school.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
To Do List
The things that have to be done by Saturday or OH MY GOD THE WORLD WILL END:
1. Finish Anthropology Essay--45 minutes
2. Do Anthropology readings and responses (about 50 pages)--1 hour
3. Get caught up on vest for Construction (I'm only a week behind...which means everyone else is probably finishing theirs today).--three hours
4. Finish SOMETHING for papermaking because Mr. W things I'm a complete slacker.--minimum 45 minutes
5. Hand out copies of Thesis paper--20 minutes
6. Hang show--3 hours
7. Fill in the little gaps at the end of the rows on the Peace Project.--2 hours minimum
8. Back the Peace Project.--probably at least an hour
9. For surface design: Dye a synthetic fiber, disperse dye a yard, burn out print, discharge print (this would be so much easier if the lab was actually open during the day, but no, it doesn't open until 7:30 PM. Hello! I'm working here!)--3 hours
Total hours behind this week: Minimum 34.5
That is on top of all of my new assignments this week, so add another 35 hours.
HELP.
1. Finish Anthropology Essay--45 minutes
2. Do Anthropology readings and responses (about 50 pages)--1 hour
3. Get caught up on vest for Construction (I'm only a week behind...which means everyone else is probably finishing theirs today).--three hours
4. Finish SOMETHING for papermaking because Mr. W things I'm a complete slacker.--minimum 45 minutes
5. Hand out copies of Thesis paper--20 minutes
6. Hang show--3 hours
7. Fill in the little gaps at the end of the rows on the Peace Project.--2 hours minimum
8. Back the Peace Project.--probably at least an hour
9. For surface design: Dye a synthetic fiber, disperse dye a yard, burn out print, discharge print (this would be so much easier if the lab was actually open during the day, but no, it doesn't open until 7:30 PM. Hello! I'm working here!)--3 hours
Total hours behind this week: Minimum 34.5
That is on top of all of my new assignments this week, so add another 35 hours.
HELP.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Call me Scarecrow
Has anyone seen my brain?
Things have been a teensy bit crazy lately. I've had a ton of homework, and with no real internet access at the house, it's been a little hard to do anything online. I do have studio space at school now, with a great connection, so things have steadied out a little bit.
I'm actually semi-caught up this week, since we had the remnants of Hurricane Ike sweep through and knock out power to five counties. We still had power, but the school didn't, so I got a three day vacation from school.
The other reason for my absence? Blame Alice. It's all her fault. She's an enabler, you hear me? A bad influence!
I started looking into Asian ball-jointed dolls a couple of years ago, but the price was a little bit of a turn off. Then, about six months ago, Alice starts looking into them. And listing all of these reasons why the price is completely reasonable. And thus, I've been haunting Den of Angels (think Ravelry for doll freaks), and ordered this little darling:
Her body should be arriving this week. The cool thing about BJDs is that you can customize them completely. Don't like the body? Order a different one. Want blue eyes instead of green? Well, you can order blue ones. Some people even dye, carve, and otherwise alter their dolls, or give them tattoos. It's really a lot of fun, and they are so beautiful.
Things have been a teensy bit crazy lately. I've had a ton of homework, and with no real internet access at the house, it's been a little hard to do anything online. I do have studio space at school now, with a great connection, so things have steadied out a little bit.
I'm actually semi-caught up this week, since we had the remnants of Hurricane Ike sweep through and knock out power to five counties. We still had power, but the school didn't, so I got a three day vacation from school.
The other reason for my absence? Blame Alice. It's all her fault. She's an enabler, you hear me? A bad influence!
I started looking into Asian ball-jointed dolls a couple of years ago, but the price was a little bit of a turn off. Then, about six months ago, Alice starts looking into them. And listing all of these reasons why the price is completely reasonable. And thus, I've been haunting Den of Angels (think Ravelry for doll freaks), and ordered this little darling:
Her body should be arriving this week. The cool thing about BJDs is that you can customize them completely. Don't like the body? Order a different one. Want blue eyes instead of green? Well, you can order blue ones. Some people even dye, carve, and otherwise alter their dolls, or give them tattoos. It's really a lot of fun, and they are so beautiful.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Doctor Who ain't got nothin' on this.
The other day I was listening to an older episode of Lime and Violet (maybe a month or two old), and Violet was talking about a Doctor Who scarf that she's knitting. At 18-20 feet long, they are quite a commitment.
This right here? Just over 1/4 of the total length.
I think I need a taller gallery.
I ordered a sewing machine a few days ago, and it came in the day before yesterday. I made some curtains and a pillow for my room. No pictures yet, but I'll take some soon (I always say that, don't I?).
I also got my studio set up at school. It's nothing terribly fancy, but I mostly sew and knit, and I don't need all of the stuff that the painters do. I need to get a case for my machine so that I can bring it with me to work, but I haven't found one that both fits the machine and my price range yet. I think a trip to JoAnn Fabrics is in order.
I want to put something on the walls, but my body of work is only about *that big,* and none of it is recent/two dimensional.
My classes are going well. I'm busy, but hanging in there. Anatomy is a chore though, and Textile science is remedial. We answer questions like "Where does cotton come from? Is flax an animal or plant fiber? Why do textile manufacturers need to know about textiles?" (yes, those are all direct quotes from the class or my text book).
Well, I'm off to work some more on the thesis show. Really, having it be put off is a blessing. It'll give me more time to untangle myself from this Scarf of Doom.
This right here? Just over 1/4 of the total length.
I think I need a taller gallery.
I ordered a sewing machine a few days ago, and it came in the day before yesterday. I made some curtains and a pillow for my room. No pictures yet, but I'll take some soon (I always say that, don't I?).
I also got my studio set up at school. It's nothing terribly fancy, but I mostly sew and knit, and I don't need all of the stuff that the painters do. I need to get a case for my machine so that I can bring it with me to work, but I haven't found one that both fits the machine and my price range yet. I think a trip to JoAnn Fabrics is in order.
I want to put something on the walls, but my body of work is only about *that big,* and none of it is recent/two dimensional.
My classes are going well. I'm busy, but hanging in there. Anatomy is a chore though, and Textile science is remedial. We answer questions like "Where does cotton come from? Is flax an animal or plant fiber? Why do textile manufacturers need to know about textiles?" (yes, those are all direct quotes from the class or my text book).
Well, I'm off to work some more on the thesis show. Really, having it be put off is a blessing. It'll give me more time to untangle myself from this Scarf of Doom.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Show Preview
Don't think that just because I haven't been posting, that I've been slacking. No. Not the case.
I haven't taken more photos, but the second layer of flags for the Peace Project is well underway. Will have more photos sometime this weekend.
In the mean time, here are some images of other projects that will be in the show:
This piece is about 1/8 of the way completed. I'm at 800/4700 rows. I know. Just looks like plain old garter stitch, right? A beginner scarf. What's it doing in an art show?
I'll tell you. That red portion represents one stitch for every person who died on 9/11, all 2993.
The black portion, which is only a small sample of the total to be completed (and is actually about double that length now) represents all American, American Allied, and Iraqi deaths since that date, including the war in Afghanistan (578 Americans in Afghanistan and 364 Coillition troops, plus 4145 in Iraq and 86661 Iraqi civilian, military, and pseudo-millitary deaths. I can't include the number of Afghan deaths because no one kept track of them; the number ranges between 1,000 and 5,000, depending on who you ask and where you look), meaning that it will be 94741 stitches total (using current numbers), or about 4737 rows.
The reason I'm using garter stitch is because in the military, soldiers are trained to think of themselves as a small part of the whole; the individual is at the service of the group. They wear their hair the same, wear the same uniforms, eat the same food, and live under the same conditions, just the way garter stitch lines up in perfect, neat, uniform rows. Conversly, for many Americans, the deaths of Iraqi and Afghan civilians mean that a faceless bunch of people thousands of miles away have died; it has little impact on them. By having all of the war deaths in the same color, it raises the question of Who's Who? Is that stitch an American, British, Iraqi, or an Afghan? Do the differences in yarn signify different countries?
Above all, however, you should be asking yourself this: compare the black portion to the red. All of these deaths have been taken in revenge for the loss of those 2993 on September 11. More than thirty times the number lost in the terrorist attacks. Has it been worth it? Is this really honoring their memory, their sacrifice?
Okay. Take a breath. This next piece isn't meant to be taken as seriously. It's not meant to be as thought provoking. It's poking fun, and while it should make you (or at least, some people) think (just a little) it's intended more as an opportunity to step back and laugh. That being said, I'd like to warn those of you who don't know me well that I am sarcastic and just a little bitchy, and if you are conservative (politically speaking and otherwise), please just turn back now.
George here represents the first in a series of embroidery pieces I'm working on (and yes, he is still in progress just like everything else). When have we had a President who has had an entire website dedicated to the stupid things he says? Okay, maybe we haven't had the internet for that long, but while Lincoln was not well liked in office, and not necessarily considered the best public speaker, I don't think anyone followed him around writing down all of his grammatical errors, or lying in wait for him to say something that didn't make sense.
Also, I somehow doubt that Bush will ever be held in the same regard as Lincoln. But that's an entirely different blog post.
As I was saying, if you are not familiar with this page,, you might want to pop on over and have a look. You'll get a good laugh out of it.
This series is called "Shut up and Get Along." It will be a series of "talking heads" from around the world--leaders from various countries who need to maybe take a look at some of the websites people have set up and think, "What? I said that? Really?" Just as the confident but off key singer occasionally needs a good friend to record them and play back that recording at top volume to shock their friend into perhaps lip syncing at the next choir competition, so these leaders need a quick twack upside the head and a close friend to say "What the hell were you thinking?"
In knitting, blocking can fix almost any mistake in sizing. If these leaders would relax a little, maybe lay out with a Long Island ice tea and a hot tub, a couple nice girls to give them massages (anyone know if Monica Lewinski is looking for a new job?), then perhaps the world would be a better place. If that doesn't work, we could just pin them all to our blocking boards until stop fighting. Whichever works.
I haven't taken more photos, but the second layer of flags for the Peace Project is well underway. Will have more photos sometime this weekend.
In the mean time, here are some images of other projects that will be in the show:
This piece is about 1/8 of the way completed. I'm at 800/4700 rows. I know. Just looks like plain old garter stitch, right? A beginner scarf. What's it doing in an art show?
I'll tell you. That red portion represents one stitch for every person who died on 9/11, all 2993.
The black portion, which is only a small sample of the total to be completed (and is actually about double that length now) represents all American, American Allied, and Iraqi deaths since that date, including the war in Afghanistan (578 Americans in Afghanistan and 364 Coillition troops, plus 4145 in Iraq and 86661 Iraqi civilian, military, and pseudo-millitary deaths. I can't include the number of Afghan deaths because no one kept track of them; the number ranges between 1,000 and 5,000, depending on who you ask and where you look), meaning that it will be 94741 stitches total (using current numbers), or about 4737 rows.
The reason I'm using garter stitch is because in the military, soldiers are trained to think of themselves as a small part of the whole; the individual is at the service of the group. They wear their hair the same, wear the same uniforms, eat the same food, and live under the same conditions, just the way garter stitch lines up in perfect, neat, uniform rows. Conversly, for many Americans, the deaths of Iraqi and Afghan civilians mean that a faceless bunch of people thousands of miles away have died; it has little impact on them. By having all of the war deaths in the same color, it raises the question of Who's Who? Is that stitch an American, British, Iraqi, or an Afghan? Do the differences in yarn signify different countries? Above all, however, you should be asking yourself this: compare the black portion to the red. All of these deaths have been taken in revenge for the loss of those 2993 on September 11. More than thirty times the number lost in the terrorist attacks. Has it been worth it? Is this really honoring their memory, their sacrifice?
Okay. Take a breath. This next piece isn't meant to be taken as seriously. It's not meant to be as thought provoking. It's poking fun, and while it should make you (or at least, some people) think (just a little) it's intended more as an opportunity to step back and laugh. That being said, I'd like to warn those of you who don't know me well that I am sarcastic and just a little bitchy, and if you are conservative (politically speaking and otherwise), please just turn back now.
George here represents the first in a series of embroidery pieces I'm working on (and yes, he is still in progress just like everything else). When have we had a President who has had an entire website dedicated to the stupid things he says? Okay, maybe we haven't had the internet for that long, but while Lincoln was not well liked in office, and not necessarily considered the best public speaker, I don't think anyone followed him around writing down all of his grammatical errors, or lying in wait for him to say something that didn't make sense.
Also, I somehow doubt that Bush will ever be held in the same regard as Lincoln. But that's an entirely different blog post.
As I was saying, if you are not familiar with this page,, you might want to pop on over and have a look. You'll get a good laugh out of it.
This series is called "Shut up and Get Along." It will be a series of "talking heads" from around the world--leaders from various countries who need to maybe take a look at some of the websites people have set up and think, "What? I said that? Really?" Just as the confident but off key singer occasionally needs a good friend to record them and play back that recording at top volume to shock their friend into perhaps lip syncing at the next choir competition, so these leaders need a quick twack upside the head and a close friend to say "What the hell were you thinking?" In knitting, blocking can fix almost any mistake in sizing. If these leaders would relax a little, maybe lay out with a Long Island ice tea and a hot tub, a couple nice girls to give them massages (anyone know if Monica Lewinski is looking for a new job?), then perhaps the world would be a better place. If that doesn't work, we could just pin them all to our blocking boards until stop fighting. Whichever works.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
The Countdown is On
All of my finals are officially over. Don't ask about Art History, because I don't really want to talk about it. I won't even find out how I did until I'm back in the US, so I can't really appeal my grade if it sucks (which I suspect it does).
But anyway. I have one last class today, but I'll just be picking up my batiks. Then I have four days with nothing to do but packing and cleaning, followed by two days traveling. I'm not looking forward to the flight. I enjoy the act of flying, but I detest airports and security and TSA personnel. If they were in any other profession, they would be fired for the way they treat people, but because they are government employees, they can get away with anything. That new behavior analysis stuff they're supposed to be doing is stupid. You have a million people trying to get to their flight on time while these security people search their things. they're worried they're going to miss their flight, or that they forgot to take the file off their nail clippers, or what if my carry on knitting is considered a weapon? All the TSA people see is a nervous person, and thus they get flagged for extra security.
(To avoid that last part, I'm taking crochet.)
My last writing class was yesterday. Alice recorded a great video of two of our classmates presenting their work. Eventually, they will make their way onto youtube. Do a search for "SACI Anthem." I don't like rap, but I was cracking up during this presentation. (I'm in that video, by the way. When she was panning around, she got a close up of a homely girl in a black hat. That's me. Ignore it.)
I think that's it for me. You might get one or two more updates between now and the time we get to the airport, or you might not. I probably won't have much to say.
But anyway. I have one last class today, but I'll just be picking up my batiks. Then I have four days with nothing to do but packing and cleaning, followed by two days traveling. I'm not looking forward to the flight. I enjoy the act of flying, but I detest airports and security and TSA personnel. If they were in any other profession, they would be fired for the way they treat people, but because they are government employees, they can get away with anything. That new behavior analysis stuff they're supposed to be doing is stupid. You have a million people trying to get to their flight on time while these security people search their things. they're worried they're going to miss their flight, or that they forgot to take the file off their nail clippers, or what if my carry on knitting is considered a weapon? All the TSA people see is a nervous person, and thus they get flagged for extra security.
(To avoid that last part, I'm taking crochet.)
My last writing class was yesterday. Alice recorded a great video of two of our classmates presenting their work. Eventually, they will make their way onto youtube. Do a search for "SACI Anthem." I don't like rap, but I was cracking up during this presentation. (I'm in that video, by the way. When she was panning around, she got a close up of a homely girl in a black hat. That's me. Ignore it.)
I think that's it for me. You might get one or two more updates between now and the time we get to the airport, or you might not. I probably won't have much to say.
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