How to kill time.

Is it a sign of an obsession that I've only begun knitting about a month ago and I've already made two scarves, a hat, a belt, three dishclothes, and a few random practice swatches? Obsession, or perhaps just a sign of how anxious I've been. Knitting is calming, and I need to be calmed like whoa jeez now.

So here are a few pictures of the latest:


These dishcloths are easy to make (and so functional!), so if anyone wants one (or a bunch), let me know. I've got lots of colors of this yarn, so the color possibilities are practically endless.

Today, I did a logcabin pattern. I eventually hope to make a full-size blanket in this type of pattern, but with less hideous colors of course. And nicer yarn. This square was made from random leftover cotton yarn, but I think it's sort of interesting and might make a nice blanket.



Only a few more days til I move. Five to be exact. Scary! Other than running random errands, knitting, drinking tea, and baking, I haven't been doing much. I'm trying not to fret too much. The good news is that little Lisa has a big girl job interview next Tuesday. That's pretty exciting. I hope I get this job. Or any job. But this one would be good.

It's still raining. Sigh.

Long lost twin?

When my mom took Ian back to school, they went downtown to do some shopping and happened to pop into a store that sells stuffed animals. Knowing how upset I was about not being able to take my guinea pig with me when I move, they decided to buy a stuffed animal to cheer me up a little. I think they made a pretty good choice:


The color similarity is uncanny. It was an awesome gift, and it really made me smile. Beaker had a good time chewing on his stuffed counterpart. Cuteness!

In other news, it has been raining and cold here, and I hope that there will be nicer weather in the desert. In the meantime, I've been drinking tea and knitting. Whatever it takes to pass the time, I guess.

Laptop party.

Quality times.

In other news, I'm very bitter because my new apartment people called to tell me that in fact guinea pigs are not welcome there. Less than two weeks before I move in. I'm furious because had I known that, I would have found somewhere else to live! I can't handle incompetent people. So my pig must stay home, at least until I'm able to find a new apartment. So we'll see how it goes. Growl.

In which the job search continues...

I was a wee bit afraid that my blog had been lost forever, what with the fantastic new ability to use Blogger with a Google account. But it all worked out, and here I am typing yet another inane entry that perhaps no one will read. Good times!

So the nanny job I was applying for fell through because my school hours were simply incompatible. Blast you, grad school! However, I continue the search. My next step will be applying for a chemistry job at Los Alamos National Laboratory. That would be ridiculous if it works, since they pretty much want analytical chemists (that particular discipline being the bane of my existence). But working at Los Alamos would be amazing, and it would be nice to put the ol' chem degree to some good use. So we'll see. The search continues.

I'm excited to see that Sara now has a blog. Everyone should have a blog. Blogs are super.

Countdown: 12 days.

No place like NEPA?

Aside from knitting and packing, I have been trying once again to find a job. Difficulty: 1900 miles away. Presently, I'm attempting to turn my life into a real-life version of The Nanny Diaries. I'm hoping it all works out with my school schedule and whatnot. If not, it's back to the classifieds for me.

I'm feeling slightly...erm...nervous about the move. Added challenge: effin terrorists and new security regulations at airports. More things to stress me out. I mean, not that I care about the terrorists. I mean, what are the chances that they would want to be flying to Albuquerque anyway? Slim to none, and slim just rode out of town on a fast horse. However, the TSA people can be a bit intimidating. (And they always yell at you in Philly. Always!) Plus, I really like being able to drink water whenever I want. So does my guinea pig, who will be my traveling companion. Sigh.

Despite the constant gnawing anxiety before my move, I'm enjoying living at home. It occurs to me that this may be the last time I'm home for any great length of time. It's a bit sad. There are advantages to staying home. However, I'm determined not to become that 35-year-old living in her parents' basement. Nope. Time to pretend I'm a big girl!

Life is pretty good at the moment. I'm feeling very blessed by many things, including but not limited to free knitting patterns, home-cooked meals, nighttime cold medicine, tearable packing tape, and of course, all my lovely friends. Aww.

Scarf'd!

First project: done. Someday I'll make something fancy like a sweater.

Purls of wisdom

My latest addiction? Knitting. Oh yes. It started off innocently enough, but now I'm completely hooked. I've knitted almost an entire scarf already, and I only started it on Monday. It's so soothing to knit...it's provided plenty of distraction from my moving woes.

My other new toy is my new HP laptop. I'm very excited about it, as my old computer was painfully slow. Additionally, having a laptop beats lugging a desktop across the country. So that's pretty fun.

Other than that, all I have been doing lately is fretting about moving. I kinda just want to be there already, so I can stop worrying about what will happen once I'm there!

The weekend thus far.

Anger, hurt feelings, poor decisions, moving furniture, new computer, crying hysterically, throwing up, oversleeping, minor roadtrips, buying watercolors, coffee, pigeon books, moving more furniture, more sleeping, moping, relenting, talking, painting...

Now what?

Albuquerq,

I hereby declare ABQ to be the best airport ever, if only because they have free wireless internet access. That makes me happy in the heart.


My trip out west has been just awesome. I now have a place to live out here (yay!), and we also did a lot of fun stuff like visit Bandalier, Carlsbad, Roswell, tons of museums, etc etc etc. I'm so excited about moving here (well, except for the actual moving part, which is going to be the most horrendous ordeal of my life).


Life is exciting.

New!

The girl has brown hair.

BEST.

Ian and I watched this about a thousand times today, and laughed harder each time: Garbage Day.

preparing for take-off.

Maybe someday I'll make it.

Summer reading.

During the past semester, I barely had any time to read real (ie, non-school) books. Thus I am trying to cram in reading as many books as possible in the time I have between semesters. I have read two novels in as many days, and I think I'd like to keep the book-of-the-day club going. But let me tell you a bit about what I read. First, I read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Now, this book is young adult fiction, which, despite being almost 22 years of age, I still enjoy. However, despite its YA status, this was an amazing book. It was pretty emotional reading, but well worth it. Today I read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, which I couldn't put down simply due to the fact that I had to find out what happened, what it all meant, if the characters could somehow escape the cruel hand of fate! The whole plot started me thinking about bioethics and what it means to be human, which are always fun topics to kick around (but will probably keep me up at night).

Having finished those books, I'm now taking suggestions for what else I should read. Any genre is acceptable, as long as it's interesting and at least moderately intellectually stimulating.

Questions of Science and Progress

My animal development prof points to the first picture on the diagram and says, "This is the little cutie-pie we all started out as." Aww, precious!

To be honest, as interesting as facial development might be, I'm getting a little sick of it. I'm pretty tired of school in general. Well, I'm pretty tired in general. I'll be glad for a few weeks off.

As of tomorrow afternoon, I'm officially done with all the science I'm ever going to do. I'll have completed all the chemistry and biology courses I need for my degree. That is a pretty good thing, I think. I'm excited about moving on to things I'm more interested in and better suited for (namely, psychology). Yet in a way, I'm slightly sad about not doing science anymore. After all, it has been my entire life up to this point. I liked being able to understand the nuances of complex subjects like biochemical pathways and such. Friedel-Crafts acylation! How 'bout some good old fatty acid metabolism? I like being able to understand innuendoes about SN2 reactions. Good bye, science! I'll miss thee!

Not that I'm giving up on it entirely. My desire to know everything about everything prevents that. I'll still listen to the Nature Podcast and Slacker Astronomy. I'll still peruse Scientific American from time to time. I just won't stay up til all hours of the night studying for a damn animal development exam anymore.

Public Service Announcement

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I have one word of advice: Wear deodorant. I have noticed a preponderance of individuals who seem to have ignored this simple yet important rule. There's really no excuse for this. I mean, we are way beyond junior high here, kids. Shouldn't we have figured this one out already?

Also (and this is particularly aimed at those of the female sex): Wear clothes that fit you. I don't care how hot you think you are, nobody wants to see your gut hanging over your jeans because your shirt is too short to cover it. This is a glamor don't, my friends.

Listen, I'm no fashion expert. Of course I'm not. It's even been discussed that perhaps I should be on What Not to Wear. But even I recognize these basic, essential rules. Hygiene. Clothes that fit. You'll look like a million bucks, I swear.

Adios, muchachos.

Well, it's official, kids: I've been accepted to the MAAT program at Southwestern College. Off to Santa Fe I go!

In the meantime, I'm looking for a summer job. As of yet, The Man has not been very helpful in this matter. If anyone has any connections in the greater Philadelphia area and could get me the hook up, I'd be most grateful.

Time to get ready for lab. This lab (animal development) is getting out of hand. How long can a person look at serial cross sections of a chicken embryo? It's maddening. Besides, what did the chickens ever do to get hacked up and placed on glass slides? Cruelty! Alas. The silly demands placed upon me by this wonderful institue of higher learning.

watching my daily life with the sound off.

thirty-three years go by
and not once do you come home
to find a man sitting in your bedroom
that is
a man you don't know
who came a long way to deliver one very specific message:
lock your back door, you idiot
however invincible you imagine yourself to be
you are wrong

-Parameters, Ani Difranco

What part of "I hate your fucking guts" can a person not understand?
Yet he continues to intrude on my life in the simplest but most
irritating ways.  Sigh.

Decided to change it up a little.

Well, I've had this blog in its current incarnation for about one year now, so I decided it needed a little makeover. Not entirely sure if I like it yet, but it's something to play around with.

Oh Santa Fe.

Since everyone's been asking me how it was, here's a little excerpt from my journal, re: Santa Fe.

Santa Fe is a refuge for aging hippies and 30-something art-types. The air smells of wood smoke and red chiles. There are about a million art galleries. Public art everywhere. The people are friendly; you can strike up a conversation with just about anyone.

All the buildings are adobe. Office buildings, houses, churches: adobe. They are the same colors as the desert. Soft, gentle hues that commune with the surroundings.

The city itself is situated on a high desert plain. The desert is full of amazing colors, and the colors change as the cun passes overhead. The sky is just huge. Huge and clear and blue. The air itself is thinner. Less oxygen. But amazing. The clarity of the light in the thinner atmosphere. Ah! Sigh!

And just past the city in every direction are the mountains. They are still snow-capped, even in March. Beautiful.

Well. Yeah. I had a good time. And you can see a few of the pictures I took. I'll probably post more at some point.

There's a new Mexico?