I have been hyper-productive today... You may notice that I changed the blog template. I was getting extremely tired of having to change all the default settings for every photo or video I posted because my years-old template was too narrow.  And now I'm orange.  Eh, it's spring.  The template change only took a few minutes, though.  After work I stopped by the new Whole Foods near my house--there were many senior citizens there, and I bought a basil plant for the windowbox.  Then I vacuumed out my car (which I'd been avoiding for way too long) and washed it myself.  When I got home I planted the basil, and noticed that somehow some of the mint from last year survived, so I moved it to a more advantageous location in the box. Then I took care of the compost (which I'd been avoiding as well).  Then I hemmed a pair of pants, and put the machine away.  Then I packed my bag for this weekend--Mark has a meeting in Charlotte tomorrow afternoon and Saturday morning (unluckily concurrent with the NCAA basketball tournament...), and I'm tagging along so we can go to IKEA and buy the crib, and also eat Swedish meatballs. :)  Anyway. Then I filed my nails, since I broke a few during the car washing.  Then I created a spreadsheet for my singing income and expenses (again, avoiding!), so we can finally do our taxes!  (I almost actually made money this year, if you don't count mileage.  Which I don't even bother with, since I need to show a profit.  Especially because this year I probably will have no singing income at all.  Oh well...)

And now I am vegging out for a few minutes before I leave for my lovely knitting group.  I only have one repeat left in my baby blanket, blessedly.  I haven't decided on a border yet, but I may just pick up stitches along the long sides and bind them off, so they'll match the top and bottom border.  I could also do applied I-cord, but the first option will be MUCH faster. I'm willing to experiment.  I just want to be done with it!  I don't like it when projects take more than two months.  I am ready to move on to a shawl!

Speaking of projects, here's one I was pretty happy with in the beginning, but not so much at the moment:

This is the Felted Clogs pattern by the greatly-missed Bev Galeskas.  The construction is pretty weird at first, but it all makes sense in the end, and comes out really cool.  I did have to felt the hell out of them (I used the last of my Noro Big Kureyon for the upper, and KnitPicks WOTA Bulky for the sole).  I really loved these, and wore them around the house every day for more than a month (we have ceramic tile in the bathrooms, kitchen and dining room--brr!), but then the other day I noticed I had already worn a hole through one of the heels.  What the heck?!  So I'm kind of mad at them right now.  (I suppose I should be mad at KnitPicks...)  I'll probably just darn up the hole and buy some soles for them, but in the meantime I've switched to my lighter slippers.  It's going to be 80 degrees or more for five of the next seven days, so I'm not too concerned.

I leave you with the extreme awesomeness of this video.  I literally caught the last word of this on the radio this afternoon, sadness.  Neil Diamond is my Seventies boyfriend.  I have this long-range plan to sing this with Mark at karaoke someday, but he will need some coaching vocally with the higher parts.  Maybe if I just told him to do a Neil Diamond impression...

CIMG5183 a photo by doctorgirlfriend on Flickr.

I started this crocheted ripple afghan in January of 2010. Did I ever blog about it? I don't remember. I made it mainly to use up my nicer leftovers. When I got to 90 rows this past January, I finally decided it was done. (Partially because I was running out of leftovers, and partially because I wanted to start the baby blanket.) It's almost entirely wool and wool blends, from doubled sock yarn to cashmere to bulky Noro. It is very, very warm. I decided to make the ends fringe so I wouldn't have to sew them in, and added some extra cream yarn to bulk them up a bit. There are a few ends to sew in within the rows, but I'm not overly concerned. Overall, this was a great project to work on when I needed something relatively mindless, and is currently very practical since we keep our house at 64 degrees or less during the winter. (Winter's over here, but our house does run chilly.)

Doctor's appointment yesterday: uneventful. I got to pick up my Glucola for my next appointment, oh joy. I've still only gained two pounds (which I gather means I've sort of lost about twelve, in a way--who knew pregnancy would be an effective diet?!), and am hoping that means that I won't have to worry about gestational diabetes. The last things I want are 1. an enormous baby and 2. doctors hovering over me and judging my every choice, in that order. I think the main thing I'm doing is, well, not doing much differently. I just try to snack on dairy or protein instead of carbs. I did decide to take it easy on white sugar for Lent, but that's just lip service anyway--I'm really doing it so I can pass my glucose test, so I'll be left the hell alone! :) My birthday is between now and then, and our anniversary is the day after the test, but I'm not going to be a grinch about that.

Must run to a makeup yoga class, but here's a very bizarre link: crazy bra ads (the nipple one is particularly strange...ah, the '70s).

Because my day job is at a scientific journal, I spend most of my time sending and receiving emails from overseas.  We were supposed to sponsor an award at this conference outside Tokyo later this week, but the convention center is damaged, and the conference is canceled.  Then I was following up on an unrelated issue, and noticed that one of our board members actually lives in Sendai.  I've never met this man, but I cannot imagine what he is going through. It's all just very sad, and I hope the worst is over...

 

On a happier, more materialistic note, we set up our baby registries this weekend.  It was actually kind of exhausting.  I had been doing all this research on strollers and carseats and stuff, and ended up mostly relying on Consumer Reports.  Friday night Mark had a meeting, so I went out to Target to do some preparatory field work.  At least only one stroller fell on my head...it was that kind of embarrassing moment where you're kind of injured, but actually glad nobody was around to see it.  I probably should've reported the incident, but I was not bleeding, so I figured I was okay. ;)  Anyway, we're all set up now.  I'll probably continue to add things one by one as I think of things.  I'm just really afraid we're going to get Precious Moments/Disney princess/"Daddy's Little Angel"-type stuff that I find tacky and/or offensive.  I know I can't really control this (although doesn't my family know me?!  Shouldn't they know that I hate that kind of crap?!), so in the meantime I will practice my fake plastic smile and PRAY that people give me receipts...  Yeah, we also hate things that make noise, and are minimalists.  This should be interesting!

 

Another FO picture, as promised.  I finished this tiny Multnomah in late January, I think... I had a 300-yard skein of Jitterbug, purchased before I learned that it wasn't that great for socks (hence the name Jitterbug...).



Because I had so little yardage, I knew I would have to fudge a bit.  I went up a few needle sizes, omitted the WS decreases because I don't care for crescent-shaped shawls anyway, and started the lace when I was able to do a bit more than ten repeats on each side.  Then I just knit until I ran out of yarn.  It actually works pretty well as a neckerchief, and is surprisingly soft.

 

Must run to PT (I have this gluteal muscle thing...which ironically would make actual running a problem), but I shall leave you with this lovely gem.  Which reminds me:  apparently I still know most of the words to "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough", and even remembered the Don Henley harmony line when it came on the radio this morning.  That fact is much more embarrassing than anything related to the below video.

CIMG5190 a photo by doctorgirlfriend on Flickr.

Pictures!! It took a bit longer than expected, since the camera was absolutely dead... So this is a tiny February Baby Sweater I'm making for the nugget. (The nugget is a girl, by the way, hence the hot-pink sweater.) I just want something light for when we have to go to the grocery store or sit in air conditioning--and Berroco Comfort DK will be a good fiber choice, I think. I took measurements of a 3-6 month cardigan at the store, and sized the pattern down accordingly by knitting it on size 4s.

Speaking of the nugget, she is kicking me like crazy right now. I really don't mind it yet at this point (22 weeks), but eventually it may get old. I don't know yet... I've been doing a lot of research for our registry this week, and tonight Mark had a meeting so I went down to Target to scope out a few things (not for the first time, but this time I actually had a list, and Consumer Reports recommendations and stuff). Other than an infant carrier falling on my head (I thought it had drawn blood...), it was a relatively useful trip. And I may have purchased a tiny Beatles onesie that was on sale. I haven't bought anything else yet (though I'm in the process of making cloth wipes), so I thought it would be okay. They only had a teensy size, so maybe she can wear it home from the hospital. It is awesome.

In non-baby news, I actually got some good singing work done last month. I managed to squeeze in a new recording--one that actually sounds like me (though I suppose I'll never be completely satisfied)--and I coached the Verdi Requiem after learning it in record time. At the moment I'm learning Schumann's Frauenliebe und -Leben so I'll be prepared if I can actually schedule a lesson in the next two months. My voice is actually working just fine, and I got the okay to continue taking Prevacid (my reflux is bad enough when I'm not hatching a pod person). All I need to sing well is enough sleep!

Oh yes, and I've been plugging away on the blanket--I've got less than three repeats left, and then have to decide on a border. It's damn heavy at this point. I've also got a pair of socks on the needles... I decided to frog the cowl I made from my Felici Time Traveler (it was not nearly warm enough, cf. my sad chullo), and am making another pair of Rainbow Socks with the yarn. I'm making some modifications for gauge, and I really like the way the first sock is turning out.

Oh, poor blog, I have neglected you.  For the same recurring reasons--being busy, fatigue, lack of photos despite ongoing knitting and other projects--but also because I've been getting sucked way too much into Facebook lately.  And I don't really like Facebook.  I mean, I like the immediacy, and the ease of sending messages and posting links, but I don't like that it's such a time-suck, or having to hide all the stupid game messages, or posts by people who I'm friends with for various reasons but who are generally INSANE--plus there's the privacy issue, and the fact that Mark Zuckerberg seems like a total jerk.  And I don't like censoring myself.  I don't have to censor myself here, since nobody in my family knows about it, and even my husband doesn't read it.  (Bless him, or else I wouldn't have been able to bitch about my inlaws when it was most cathartic.) 

 

Anyway, I had pretty much decided over the weekend that I was going to try to up my blog usage and minimize the Facebook stuff, when two things happened yesterday that kind of sealed the deal:

 

1.  My mother tried to friend me.  Ack.  She doesn't actually use Facebook except to look at pictures of my niece, so I suppose she did it in anticipation of the nugget's arrival.  When the time comes, I have no qualms about setting up a separate photosharing account just for baby pictures--particularly because you can make everything password-protected, so there's no weirdness about sharing bathtub pictures or anything.  I am not friending my mother on Facebook.  She doesn't need to see every single political link I post to my page, or every off-color comment I make on someone's status update.  I know there are ways to block things by creating groups, but like I said before, I don't really like Facebook.

 

2.  Yesterday I posted a status update:  "The word of the day is:  Santana."  I was making a specific reference to Tuesday night's Glee episode, in which we learn a whole lot about the awesomely bitchy Santana Lopez.  (Great episode in general, despite my feelings about Gwyneth Paltrow's singing, blech.)  I had three people "like" my update--all female relatives in their late 40s.  Clearly they thought I meant the BAND Santana, which is cool and all, but wow, they didn't get it.  And I had no intention of elucidating, since the subject matter of this particular episode (and wow, like, every episode) would have grievously offended my extremely holier-than-thou, homophobic cousin (by marriage).  This woman and I are not tight, and I really don't give a crap what she thinks, but I prefer my internet presence to be a peaceful one, since God knows I create enough drama in real life. 

 

So I believe these two events have clinched it for me.  I can use Facebook to receive messages, to update my artist page, and to look at cute babies, but other than that I'm just over it.  I'm actually writing this as an email (we'll see if it goes through), and will stick with this and Flickr for posting if it seems to make things easier.  Tomorrow I may actually have pictures (we'll see...the camera lives in Mark's car, apparently!), but I will definitely post more.  I wasn't kidding when I said I was busy!  And hopefully, if I can stick with this, I will send a FB message to select people to inform/remind them of the blog, and I can get some more readers!

 

Oh, but here are two links:

 

I recently discovered "Advice Smackdown" on alphamom, and I think I love this woman.  This post and the comments that follow are really touching, and I think I will refer back to it as I get closer to my due date. 

 

Ten ways to save money on gas.  I guess I need to drive the speed limit on 540...

 

I haven't been on the internet much outside of work--mainly because I've been working my way through Bones on Netflix. Also, I am not always very motivated to do anything besides sit on my ass. This includes knitting! I have started my blanket:


(Welsh Blanket from the Fall 2009 Debbie Bliss magazine), and finished a few other things, including my chullo:


This hat makes me a little angry. It looks great folded on the table, but is perhaps a bit too whimsical for me. The main problem, though, is that it's not warm enough to wear when it's below freezing. Which is when most people want to wear hats. I'll probably get some use out of it this month (after which I won't need a hat!), but I've only worn it once so far. Grr.

Speaking of being unmotivated, this includes singing. I have been a total slacker, mainly because it's not like I have upcoming gigs... I did get suckered into an ugly situation last month (the first time I've sung for free in four years, and it was under false pretenses!), which went well but I was quite glad when it was over. I am supposed to be learning some new stuff to run with my coach at the end of the month, but I'm not too worried. And I've been able to schedule a recording session this weekend! My recordings are really, really old now, and the sound quality is terrible. At least I can put something nice up to tide my four fans (LOL) over while I'm on baby hiatus, and if I decide to try to do some auditions next winter I'll have the recordings already prepared. It's only two arias, and they're nice and low.

Minor pregnancy note: it is a rather unreal experience when the guy you lost your virginity to (yuck, I am cringing at the archaism!) congratulates you on your pregnancy on Facebook. I have no problem with him at all--we parted on good terms, a million years ago, and he's a good person. It's just kind of weird, because, well, he's been there, you know?

The inlaws came and went, and...well, it was awful, and I don't feel like rehashing it again. I've had enough opportunity to vent in real life, so will spare you the details. The situation was not improved by the complete lack of discipline in the children (to be expected from a father who lets his two very young sons watch Family Guy, I suppose), and the fact that we were SNOWED IN. The only reason casualties were averted is that my sisters-in-law live in very small towns, and will take any opportunity to go to the mall--from which I happily excused myself on all but one occasion (when I bought shoes, so yay me). I was extremely happy when everyone was gone. It had been four years since the whole family had convened, and by the next time I will have my own child to distract me. Good deal. If it takes another four years, you won't hear any protest from this corner...

Within 36 hours of their leaving I got a cold, and was pretty much a waste for my whole four-day New Year's weekend. I slept until 10 or 11 each day, and I totally needed it. I am finally out of the woods with it, and will get to catch up on my sleep again tomorrow (my day off). On Friday I will be officially in my second trimester, and other than the spotting (which did freak me out for a few weeks there) and having trouble sleeping it really hasn't been too rough. I know how lucky I am! I actually have my first prenatal yoga class tonight. I'll probably be the least pregnant woman in the class, but I had to give up my regular yoga class and I've been missing it. With the back problems I've already been having, this should be very helpful! It will also be nice to be able to talk to other preggos, since I know most of my childfree friends don't need to hear everything. :)

Since presents have been given and received, check out these mittens I made for Cathy:



The pattern is Snowfall Mittens, and I used some recycled red wool blend from an Old Navy sweater and cream Patons Classic Wool. I made a number of modifications to adjust the size, but it's pretty much as written. It wasn't too hard a pattern--I do love repetition in my colorwork charts!

Speaking of colorwork, my Knitpicks Andean Chullo (Ravelry link--has KP discontinued this?!) is finished and blocked except for the tassels. I was grumpy with the applied I-cord trim for a while--it just didn't look right--but I decided to pick up a row of stitches around beforehand instead of picking them up as I did the I-cord, and it looked so much better. It was a lot of I-cord, but I managed to finish last Thursday at knit night. Pictures next time! It is awesome. Other than this, I am currently working on several things that should be finished in the next week...then it's on to the baby blanket. The yarn is en route, and it's a slip-stitch pattern so I may as well get started now!

I ushered in the Winter Solstice by planting some miniature roses Mark's sister sent us for Thanksgiving. Why I decided to do this after five, when it was pretty dark already, is anybody's guess. It had been mostly below freezing here for two weeks, but the soil seemed warm enough, so hopefully they will survive.

We are preparing for the big influx of Mark's family, who will all have arrived by this time tomorrow. All that's left for me to do is mop and make the beds, but I'm afraid Mark has more to do... Despite my best efforts, I still am really dreading this visit. I'm still bitter about not being consulted about the thing in the first place, plus I'm not looking forward to having to play hostess all weekend. I like my sisters-in-law, but my brothers-in-law are not my favorite people in the world (they're not horrible--I just don't really enjoy hanging out with them), plus Mark's two nephews are notorious brats. I am so glad they are staying in a hotel! Our house is literally not big enough for four adults and two kids to stay with us. Anyway, I'm going to try to put my best face forward. At least I have a very good excuse for needing to go lie down. I plan on taking great advantage of this over the weekend. (I'm doing pretty well, by the way. I think I already have the beginnings of sciatica--whoopee--but other than that I can't really complain.)

Before I go run another of our countless errands, here's another FO shot:



How much do I love Socks That Rock?! A whole lot. I will get some more one of these days...I know Blue Moon Fiber Arts usually comes to Maryland Sheep & Wool, which hopefully I'll be up for attending this spring.

Oh, also, check out this slideshow where people submitted their photos along with their BMIs. Apparently everyone over a size 10 is obese...

Last thought: DADT is dead! I dance on your grave.

No worries--I am fine. I even was able to get the initial OB exam out of the way. We were able to see both arms and legs on the ultrasound this time, and it was doing a little aerobics. :) Not bad for only being an inch long!

Now that I finally have a bunch of photos loaded on Flickr, here's a picture of my finished Spanish Armada shawl:



I'd never made a square shawl before...it's pretty, but it's a bit less practical for me than a rectangular or triangular shawl. I did like working with Knit Picks Shadow, though--no problems with splitting or knots, and it feels pretty nice.

This is so bad, it's kind of funny...



I have been better, actually. The spotting and cramps are a bit worse than before, and I have a quick ultrasound tomorrow morning just to confirm that everybody's okay. It should be fine--I'm really not feeling that much worse than I have been--but of course I'm a bit of a basketcase about it. That's natural, I suppose. Mark has been his usual super-supportive, sane, reasonable, optimistic self, and my mother agrees that there is almost surely nothing to worry about. She apparently had spotting with me and one of my brothers (who was conceived while she had an IUD--oops!!), and had almost no complications otherwise. This afternoon I'm trying to distract myself with some sewing machine tasks (adding some lace to the tree skirt and taking in one of Mark's cotton sweaters so I can wear it, which should take me at least an hour!) and laundry, and I may try to memorize more Wagner. That should take up most of the space in my brain...

Oh, and I took some pictures yesterday! Here's the yoga mat bag I made back in July (it had been in my car, so I never got around to taking a picture of it).


I used the lace pattern from the February Baby/Lady sweater, and winged it from there. It's done a great job keeping my mat from rolling around the car.

I know things have been quiet around here...for multiple reasons. The first being that I never know where the camera is--I haven't taken any project pictures in more than a month! I do know its current location, so I promise to rectify this tomorrow. In the meantime, though, I know a blog with no pictures can be boring. I will address this next time!

One of the other reasons is a big one. I didn't want to speak too soon, just in case, but we're having a baby! (If you know me IRL and you're just hearing this now, I apologize! I probably just haven't run into you in the last week or so.) I am about 8 1/2 weeks along, and am due in mid-July. So far I'm not feeling too bad--I've had a bit of cramping and some extremely light spotting, but it's apparently within normal parameters (I have had to give up my yoga class, because twisting makes the cramps worse, and my back is already hurting a lot, but am looking forward to starting prenatal yoga within a month or two.) Mainly I've just been really tired, and I've already had to retire two of my three pairs of jeans, even though I've only gained about a pound. Last Thursday I had my first nurse appointment, and they did an ultrasound to check my due date--I was so relieved to see and hear the heartbeat, and see a little arm. :) After the appointment, I finally felt comfortable telling people outside of my immediate family. I'm still not completely out of the woods yet--I'll be feeling much, much better by this time next month, when I'm officially in my second trimester and have had my first OB appointment.

I have had to cut back on the singing already, unfortunately--I wasn't sure how I'd be feeling, and there really was only one audition that I was interested in, so I decided not to go back to New York this month. I'm still not sure if I'm going to do any competitions this winter (it'll depend on when they are!)--if not, I'll pretty much be at home until this time next year. I do hope to record a few things over the next few months, since I don't have to prepare for anything in particular.

I had all these grandiose plans to blog regularly during my trip to Albuquerque and during my production period, but they all went up in smoke. No internet access outside the exhibit hall in ABQ, and I was on my feet the whole time (as it was, I had a hard enough time preparing for my meeting!). And I was so busy during the rehearsal period that I barely had enough time to check my email every day (since my daily schedules were emailed, I did have to make time for that). I ended up catching a cold from someone else in the cast, which turned into a sinus infection because I wasn't getting enough rest--six days before the performance, I had no voice! Antibiotics cleared everything up, and I was able to take it easier the week before the show, but my hostess didn't know the password to her WiFi (her son had set it up for her iPad :>), so I had to go out to Starbucks or Panera just to get my work done. Anyway, it's been kind of crazy. (But if you are a regular reader of this blog, or say, a human being, you understand that life is always kind of crazy. Let's say it was kind of crazy, with limited internet access.)

So Albuquerque. I didn't see much of it outside the convention center and the brief trip I took to Old Town to eat (YUM) and buy yarn (yes, I bought 1600 yards of purple laceweight, why do you ask?). All I know is that my hair does not like the desert...but I knew that already.

The show went extremely well. The cast was talented and well-prepared, and were nice people to boot. The conductor is a real sweetie, despite our scheduling snafus, and the director had great ideas, and was also a hoot. (At one point during a walkthrough on the set, he got on the "God mike" and said in an ominous voice, "This is your Gay God speaking...") My costume was badass. I hope to have some pictures soon. (Preview: I had antennae made of hair. Cooler than it sounds.) Other than the logistics (and the cold!) it was a really fabulous experience.

Speaking of pictures, we didn't actually take any last weekend. (We did make it to IKEA, but that is beside the point.) And where the hell did Mark put the camera?! He said it was in the suitcase, but it is so not. In the meantime, here's a picture of the socks I made for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer swap I did on Ravelry.


Firestarter by Yarnissima--but I decided not to do twisted rib up the front of the leg, because the transition looked weird. This is only the second toe-up gusseted sock I've done, and I definitely prefer it to the other one I made. That said, no reason to switch from my usual short-row heel, since they fit so well.

I'd been working on a handful of holiday presents (including Anouk for my niece), but I've since gone back to my Immense Green Shawl of Immensity...


...a hat for myself out of frogged Silk Garden (I'm trying Tarris Heeter, but I'm not sure about the striping), and that Advent calendar--which is looking cute, but is way too hard on my hands since the felt is soaking up the glue like a sponge. I shall persevere.

Elvis Presley (You Dont Have To Say You Love Me)

I was watching some Dusty Springfield videos on YouTube when I came across this. Hurrah!

La-la-la-la-LATE. Sorry! I had errands to run yesterday afternoon (haircut, gas station, LYS for the Buffy swap I'm doing), and I chose to use my abbreviated interwebs time to take some damn pictures, for the first time in two months.


The Hat Heel socks! I currently have them in my lap, attempting to weave in the copious ends while Mark sleeps in. Though I hear him stirring...may have to spirit them away quickly. They're clearly a bit big on my foot, but I think my upsizing was successful--I'll know on Wednesday. I love the way they fit my high arches. I definitely have to make some for myself. When, I have no idea. So many sock patterns, so little time.

Speaking of which, I also finally have pictures of my Devons:


The pattern really does work well with handpainted yarn. They're a bit bulkier than I usually prefer, but I don't think it'll pose a problem with my shoes. I do hope the yarn softens up--it is pretty scratchy at the moment.

In other news: the week did not start well. I got a flat tire in a construction zone on the interstate on Monday, and spent three hours waiting for a tow truck. In the rain. During rush hour. And during the first hour, I was actually on the interstate, at the end of a merge lane, because the shoulder was too narrow where I got stuck. Luckily I had put off having the tires my father gave me put on the car, and the flat tire was actually my full-sized spare, which I bought in July--hooray for warranties! Also hooray for having more than $20 in cash on me (which is a rare occurrence), since AAA charges $3 a mile for anything over three miles when they tow to a non-AAA destination. (The AAA shop couldn't install tires not purchased there, and they didn't have any in stock. What the hell?! I'm going to wait two days for them to get a tire for an effing CAMRY, and then pay through the nose for the privilege? No thanks!) Even with the warranty and the very nice tow truck driver, it was pretty traumatic. I was almost rear-ended at highway speed several times. Also, I had to pee. The next morning the stress caught up with me, when I went to open a cabinet at work and BAM! my beloved bulging disc decided to bulge. I've spent the last few days in significant discomfort with the pinched nerves in my neck. I have to get this music learned, and this is NOT HELPING. :( Things did get better as the week progressed--we had a great time last night at a friend's art show, and it has finally decided to be autumn, for heaven's sake. I'm looking forward to a lovely, leisurely weekend, as soon as Mark gets his butt out of bed. :)

It's been forever since I did a meme, and Knotty Mouse had an interesting one, so here goes:

Rules are: Answer 8 questions posed by the tagger and ask 8 different questions of your 8 tagged persons.

1. What is your favorite song?
Hmm. I don't know that I really have one. My default answer for several years has been "Cloud Blood" by Ani DiFranco (or "Sick of Me", or "Reveling"). Maybe now it's "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room" by Flight of the Conchords... I guess when it comes down to brass tacks, I prefer the slo-jams. :)

2. What is your favorite season?
Fall! Definitely Fall! With Spring a close second.

3. Name something you are into right now:
Lip gloss.

4. An awesome movie you’ve seen recently?
A Matter of Life and Death--we've only recently discovered Michael Powell. See this movie. Also see The Red Shoes, I Know Where I'm Going, 49th Parallel...

5. What is on your peanut butter sandwich?
Low-sugar strawberry jam from Trader Joe's! Though in an ideal world, everything would come with Nutella.

6. Cats or Dogs?
Dogs, but I can dig cats as well.

7. Your favorite thing about fall?
Sweatah weathah. Also, the smell of dead leaves.

8. Candy corn, Indian Corn, or Harvest Mix?
Whichever one is made with honey! Those are the best.

Eight questions (for which I will not tag anyone--if you're out there, leave a note and let me know if you're doing it):

1. Your favorite thing to make for dinner? (something involving curry)

2. Where do you set your thermostat? (summer: 76, winter: 64)

3. Ridiculous pet names for spouse? (boo, mostly)

4. TV show you wish were on Netflix Watch Instantly? (Star Trek!)

5. Last performance you attended? (my own recital, actually)

6. Books you're reading: (Villette by Charlotte Bronte on DailyLit, The Duchess in paperback)

7. Ultimate vacation? (the Big Island of Hawaii, so I can walk on a damn VOLCANO)

8. How do you like your jeans? (at waist, bootcut/flared leg, a bit of stretch, dark rinse)

I am so sleepy. Stupid Zyrtec. Mark insisted I give it a shot last night, and I should've known better. Eh, I'm just kind of cranky in general. My cycle is totally bizarre this month, my skin is an absolute mess, and I've been eating junk. Bleck. I want back on the Pill! :(

Ugh. Anyway, the wedding went okay. I dislike my brother's in-laws, but I don't foresee having to see them very often in the future. You know what I can't forgive, though? Having rude assholes talk at full volume while I was singing the prelude. Assholes who were completely oblivious to the fact that a dozen people were shushing them--and that the singer, who was only about ten feet away from them at the time, was totally giving them the stinkeye so they would shut the hell up. Once the fricking mother of the bride came in, they finally decided to show a little respect. Seriously?!?!? It was so incredibly rude, and disrespectful not only to me, but to the couple and their families. Oh, and they were most definitely seated on the bride's side. So trashy.

So yeah, it's good to be home. I've been working on learning my role for next month (though not as vigorously as I should be), and enjoying this respite from traveling. I'll have enough in October!

Jeez, still no pictures. I promise some by next week.

Yes, I have cheesy taste in music. I am addicted to melody and interesting chord progressions, and they just happen to appear often in 1970s glam/prog rock. Basically, if you are a musician, and you ever wore satin pants with a sequined dragon embroidered on them, I am probably a fan.



I had thought this song was by ELO, which I also like. But no, this is The Raspberries, fronted by the one and only Eric Carmen! I also just learned that Eric Carmen went to my husband's alma mater--and he was there at the same time as Tim Russert! Crazy.

Anyway, I totally meant to post on Friday, but I stayed off the computer after work. Things are heating up again--we leave on Wednesday afternoon for the wedding, and I've been taking care of some loose ends. (Oh, and there's some bridezilla-ness occurring. Also, I'm amazed how badly my future SIL spells. Then again, my mother managed THREE typos in the rehearsal dinner invitation, "rehersal" being one of them.) I'm also starting the holiday craftstravaganza...but believe me, there won't be much of it! I have pretty much decided I want to make an Advent calendar, kind of a cross between this and this (basically I want bird pockets). I have a yard or two of red fleece that I think will work really well with a few dowels, and I'll make the birds out of felt. This will probably be my main present to Mark, since he tells me he has enough socks for the time being. Damn, I wish he'd mentioned that before I decided to make them for his birthday...no matter, the Hat Heel socks are actually really cool. I'll make myself a pair someday--I think the construction works really well for higher arches.

Also, because I'm too embarrassed to put this on Facebook: lovely men in kilts. Enjoy!

The recital went quite well--I finally got those words to come out in the right order. Now I'm on my my next thing, which is preparing for the show I'm doing in early November. Unfortunately there was a scheduling conflict (I have to be out of town for work in the beginning of the rehearsal period), and it's one I thought I addressed back when I was first offered the part. Basically I didn't know that we were having daytime rehearsals on weekdays, so when I said I'd be available on a particular day, I thought it wouldn't be until the evening. Now it looks like it's going to work out, but I believe I've managed to irritate the conductor, which is never good. Groan. This has been seriously stressing me out over the past few days. It's even ruining my four-day weekend! Now I just want to eat Ben & Jerry's (which we do not keep in the house, for obvious reasons!!) and watch television. I am making my way through season 2 of Buffy right now, so at least I can be distracted by Angel...

In craftiness, I have finally given up on that sweater I was trying to design. I just couldn't get the sizing right. I could've knit three sweaters in all the time I wasted just trying to make one. Totally leaving the designing to the pros for the moment. I've started some interesting socks for a birthday present for Mark (making them a bit bigger, since the sizing is way small as written), and am still working on these as my travel project (Devon, from Sock Innovation):


I'm almost done, so I'm going to need a new travel project soon (I can't use the other socks, since they'll be a surprise). I do have some Time Traveler Felici that I want to make into a cowl, and I have a few possible patterns in mind. (The stripes are going to be a bit narrow, since it's designed for socks, but it'll still work.) The other thing I'm working on is Spanish Armada, but it does require a bit of concentration, so I haven't worked on it in about two weeks. It's a long-term project, anyway. Oh, and I'm also making a cross-stitch Galo de Barcelos for my grandmother's birthday (she collects them); it's small, and I'm almost done but I ran out of red floss!

So I thought August was my busiest month this year, and perhaps it was, but things just keep coming! This weekend one of Mark's friends is flying in to visit, and we're having a barbecue; my brother's wedding is on September 18; I'm not even thinking about the October fiasco right now; then my other brother's daughter's baptism should be on November 20. Since I will be the godmother, Mark keeps telling me to watch the end of The Godfather for practice. I wonder who will do my whacking for me while I have the perfect alibi? :)

bear
Originally uploaded by doctorgirlfriend

So here we are on Friday. Since I haven't taken any project pictures in more than a month, here's a picture of my niece (yes, I have a new niece--I just neglected to mention it here because of the slack) with the Baby Bobbi Bear I made her. This picture does not do her justice; she is absolutely adorable. The bear's not bad, either, I suppose.

So what have I been up to since Monday? All recital, all the time. I had the final two rehearsals Monday night and yesterday afternoon. It's occurred to me in the past few weeks that two or three of the pieces I chose are just too damn high in spots for me to sing comfortably, but it's obviously way too late to pick new pieces or new keys...I just have to get through it, and never perform them again! It's been a learning experience, and it's good to learn things, I suppose, but I would rather not have to go through it at this point. I mean, they'll sound fine, but it will be A LOT OF WORK. Like, Herculean effort. :'/ Most of the recital is perfectly fine, but the few measures that aren't are messing with my mind. I've also been dealing with some shoulder tension, and since it's been a while since I've done such a long performance, I'm out of practice in being able to get rid of it in the middle of a piece. Blech. It'll be fine. I just have to keep saying that, and walk myself mentally through the recital with relaxed shoulders...

In addition to the actual performance preparation, there's the dress, and the fact that I decided to hem it myself. Several pinking-shear disasters and at least 12-14 hours of work later, I have a mediocre hem job (a blind hem! On chiffon! What was I thinking?!?!?) and the knowledge that spending $60 to have it done professionally would actually have been a bargain. What a nightmare. In other recital drama, I remembered yesterday that my parents are coming down...and of course they're staying with us tomorrow night. From about 11:30 on Sunday, I need to be in my Fortress of Solitude: slow warming up, doing my hair and makeup, a little yoga, more warming up, listening to my dress rehearsal, reading through my translations... I know my parents don't really need entertaining, but there is still serious potential for guilt-tripping (six hours one-way they're coming, and I have to excuse myself for an extended amount of time), and then I feel bad sticking Mark with them. You know, I really don't need to worry about this. They decided to come down, and they're welcome, but they are well aware of the parameters.

Ugh, guess I needed to vent!

Everything will be fine...

You kick ass at this...

Once you get on stage you will feel awesome...

Since I've been so remiss lately, I'm going to plan to write something every Friday, starting this Friday. But in the meantime:

* Dress rehearsal for the recital is tonight! Everything should go fine, if I can remember the third verse of that first Bolcom song... I've already had a recital-related nightmare, where I ran so late that an Up With People-Style Def Leppard revue went on in my place. They were singing "Rock It", and jazz hands were involved.

* The Chicago trip was great--one of these days we'll get the pictures online and I'll link to it.

* I never posted a picture to my Tomato:


I look a little like Wonder Woman there... I really like the way it fits (I certainly customized the pattern), but I haven't worn it more than once or twice since it's been such a hot summer. Inspired by how well this turned out, I decided to finally bite the bullet and design my own sweater, with some Berocco Cotton Twist I got from a friend. The yarn looks and feels nice knitted up, but is extremely unpleasant to work with. Also, I am on my fourth try. It's harder than it looks! I think I'll mainly stick with heavily modifying other people's patterns, thanks.

*Right now I am trying to finish hemming my dress for Sunday (which incidentally is also my bridesmaid's dress for my brother's wedding next month). The chiffon overskirt has a 20-foot hem. I may need to do it by hand, Lord help me...