August 19, 2006 at 5:33 pm · Filed under idol, movies
The Idols concert was a week ago today. One thing I will say is that this year’s finalists are way better live than last year’s were. A few of them … Lisa Tucker and Ace Young, for instance … were actually more entertaining at the concert than they were on the show. Which I thought was impressive. We also learned that Chris Daughtry is incredibly popular in Milwaukee. The souvenir stands all sold out of his photo — although Moon was able to pick up pictures of Bucky and Ace, along with their buttons. (She bought Chris and Elliott buttons, too. The Elliott photos they were selling weren’t hot enough or something.)
Although we waited around afterwards to see if we could get an autograph or anything, the performers didn’t come out for meet-and-greet. We did get to see the bus off, though.
That’s Taylor Hicks, taking pictures of the crowd. Peter’s claim to fame is that he took off running after the bus (the only person who did, actually), and after about a half block, Taylor noticed him and pointed him out to the others. He waved Peter on, as if he needed encouragement. (From the other end of the block, I was screaming at him to stop. Because I could just imagine him turning a corner and getting confused in downtown Milwaukee at 11 pm on a Saturday.)
Anyway, we enjoyed our night at the Hyatt, which reminded me that I’m working on a project which will involve both the Hyatt and the Hilton. I’m self-employed, but I can’t seem to get away from work.
Now, today, we saw the aforementioned movie. It was massive kitschy fun. I’m not a movie reviewer, though, so I’ll just send you over to an interesting story about real snakes on a real plane. (You may have to sit through an ad to see it, but it’s pretty painless.)
August 9, 2006 at 3:58 pm · Filed under career
Because I’m as busy as the proverbial insect.
Summer is going by quickly, BUT the kids don’t start school until the ungodly late date of September 6. Even Peter is starting to say that he kind of misses it.
I’ve been doing a lot of virtual work with my virtual new sort-of-employer, and it’s actually fun most of the time. I just wish I had a real office, because what I do is set up at the kitchen table every morning … and then put everything away before dinner. We are still eyeing the deck for a future sunroom, but Pete would like to pay cash rather than get a loan for it, and … well … I don’t think we’ll have that kind of cash to play with for a while.
A sunroom office, though, that would rule.
Moon is in the midst of her rock-and-roll session. The first day was Monday, although we were quite surprised because we thought it was next week. We had an old version of the sign-up form because we’re early adopters and all. The date was changed, and we found out at 10:15, which led to much frantic behavior as Moon roused out of bed and grabbed her instruments so her dad could get her across town.
He’s off this week, which is so very fortunate for us.
Anyway, I’m rather zapped right now, so I think I’m going out to sit on the swing and knit. I can’t tell you how happy I am to have a reprieve from the heat wave.
July 23, 2006 at 3:57 pm · Filed under blather
Someone tell me: What’s the deal with this tree? Why is it making two completely different kinds of fruit?
July 23, 2006 at 3:49 pm · Filed under career, knit/crochet
Geez, I’ve been busy. I’m working on my probono stuff, I have a few clients … and I have a new part-time job. It’s very cool. I’m a virtual employee, using my laptop and phone to connect with the virtual “office.” After only a few days, I’ve learned quite a bit about the tools that are available for this kind of thing. The bonus for me is that I get to keep my flexible hours and independence, while making some predictable income. The kitchen table is my desk. And I can work in my PJs if I feel like it.
In other news, I’ve been knitting and crocheting. Did you have any doubt?
Check out my Mason-Dixon Knitting-inspired Nine Patch washrag. Man, I’ve been making a lot of washrags. We have a whole collection now.
I’ve also been making stuff like this to sell in my Etsy shop. I was commissioned to make moebius basket, and it was fun to create something special for someone I’d never met. (If you want to catch up on the full year’s knitting, just check out this page.)
We’ve been spending some time at the Farmer’s Market (at least when it’s not scorching hot outside). It’s always fun to see the genuine produce, and now the sweet corn is here.
Yesterday we saw a few casualties of the midweek storm, including this sorry appendage. Sleep has been a bit rough to come by this week, since the kids are staying up later and later, I’ve been afflicted with a nighttime cough, and thunder is loud.
July 4, 2006 at 9:27 am · Filed under family, shopping
I’m officially another year older, although I always start thinking of myself as my new age way before my birthday. So it’s not too traumatic or anything. I’m still eager to have my hair turn completely grey/white. Anyway, we celebrated at the in-laws’ because Sister #3 and Moon both have early July birthdays, and Saturday worked out for scheduling a family party. Got some awesome presents: sock yarn, Simply Sensational Socks, Freaks and Geeks, the Complete Series on DVD, Dosha Yoga DVD, some $$ and a Starbucks card. The next day, Pete and the kids gave me an awesome laptop bag combo, a stitch marker necklace, a sheep cell phone charm and a embroidery pattern with monkeys on it. I’m feeling quite gifted!
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June 26, 2006 at 7:24 pm · Filed under knit/crochet
This will get me by until I have something fancier. I finished it in less than a week, and the price was right.
The before picture. I used four colors of Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride, one skein of each. The finished bag was so huge, I didn’t think it would possibly shrink enough. I’ve felted knits before, but it still seemed like too much fabric. I started out making a medium bag, but switched to small in progress.
After the wash. Not bad! The bag is a little oversized, but it’ll definitely work. And it’s fuzzy. I like that.
I had enough yarn left over to make a little felted pouch for my mouse or adapter. I can either make a drawstring for it, or fasten it with a button. (I’m leaning toward the button.)
Now I’m working on my blue ponchette and a Mason-Dixon Knitting inspired rag rug.
June 26, 2006 at 7:06 pm · Filed under career
I know that Friday was my first day of self-employment, but it didn’t feel that different because I’ve had Fridays off for the past few years. Today, though, was the real thing.
I made a list of things to do, because part of me was afraid I’d run out of work. Ha! Ha! Happily, I still have plenty of items on that list, and yet I still managed to be more productive than I’ve been for months. It’s amazing, but when you’re wrapped up in an interesting task, three or four hours can pass instantaneously.
When Pete came home for lunch, I couldn’t believe it was time already — and it was 1 p.m.
Even my office toys have been adjusting. Barista and her trusty corgi have taken up residence with the Wallace & Gromit gang.
Madeline is staying with the mini Blythes and Licca, who live one level below the Blythe trio. They’ve been terribly neglected, but I’m finally able to give them a little attention again.
You know I’m feeling good. I’m playing with dolls.
Anyway, back to the work day. I made myself stop working at 4 p.m. so I could cook something new for dinner…a vegetarian stew from a Deepak Chopra cookbook, featuring sweet potatoes, onion, cauliflower, curry and coconut milk served over rice. During the cooking process, I wasn’t sure how it would all turn out, but it was quite good. I made consolation brownies for the kids since I was serving up unfamiliar stuff.
I’m sore (from weeding yesterday) and still a bit nervous, but oh so glad to be here.
June 22, 2006 at 8:16 am · Filed under astrology
And here’s my horoscope:
Work and career matters could finally bring you the success and good fortune you’ve been hoping for. This is likely to be acknowledgement for effort and dedication, as well as hard work. Expect a rise in your income as well, and increased respect and status among friends and coworkers alike. However, don’t celebrate too wildly, Aine. There is a slight danger of a minor malaise from overindulging in food and drink!
Wow. Awesome.
More about my feelings later, but for the most part, they are excited, happy ones.
June 21, 2006 at 8:28 am · Filed under astrology
This is so cool (and a little addictive). I just entered a bunch of names and birthdays, and some of the info really resonated. Fun stuff!
June 15, 2006 at 9:20 pm · Filed under career, knit/crochet
I quit my job last week.
I’m finally going to give self-employment an honest-to-goodness try. My last day as an employee will be June 22. Everybody is being great, and of course I’m sad to leave my co-workers. But this has been a loooooong time coming. (Well, maybe not that long. Just looong.)
Anyway, I’m nervous about not having a regular paycheck, but I’m getting more and more used to the idea. The great thing (I think) is being more available to my kids over the summer. Of course, I might have to escape to a coffeeshop with internet access every now and then.
Which leads to … my new toy. I realized that my old-school G3 clamshell was not going to be adequate anymore. I did some eBay browsing and was considering a MacBook, but I couldn’t make up my mind. Pete told me that if I was going to manifest my laptop, I needed to really visualize what I wanted. So I did: a 15″ G4 Powerbook with at least 1GB RAM and a 60-80GB hard drive. For $800 or less.
The next time I jumped on eBay, a new listing popped up. All of the above, with a buy-it-now of $799. And the seller was in Madison. I dashed off an email asking about local pickup, and by the time I heard back from the seller, someone else had clicked the buy-it-now. But the potential buyer had no feedback, so the seller and I reached an agreement. It all happened pretty darned quickly. Power of intention, all right!
In other news, I continue to knit like a maniac. I finished my Mason-Dixon absorba bathmat and made a crocheted washrag out of some of the leftover yarn. I’m now working on a baby kimono, a crocheted one-skein scarf, and my aforementioned June Project Spectrum ponchette. As you can see, I also made a knitted headband from a pattern in Interweave Knits.
I’m thinking that a knitted laptop sleeve is in my near future.
June 12, 2006 at 9:36 am · Filed under blather
These guys are idiots but for some reason their poor spelling while committing vandalism on 6/6/06 made me think, “fashion designer graffiti.”
Besides, 6/6/06 isn’t for evil, it’s for Jodi, who was on my mind all day last Tuesday. So there.
June 5, 2006 at 12:47 pm · Filed under knit/crochet
I’ve finally finished my fourth-ever pair of socks! There’s a mistake, but it’s pretty minor and I was too far along to rip. So I’m living with it. If you want to see the socks on my feet, look here.
‘Twas a busy weekend, but I still had time to knit. I’m working on a bathmat (a few rows at a time, because it’s slightly unwieldy) and I started a headband. The weather was absolutely lovely, so I took my knitting outside to the swing. Even though our backyard isn’t exactly a showpiece, I like sitting out there. Sometimes a squirrel will even mosey through.
On Saturday, I was up early to walk in Race for the Cure with Patti, her sister Jeannie, and two other women (including an ex-coworker). As always, it was an inspiring event. We had brunch afterwards, and an older women spotted our t-shirts and came over to our booth to thank us. She was a 14-year survivor.
Oh, I finished another project last week:
It’s the Lacey Poncho from green to help me celebrate the end of May.
June 1, 2006 at 4:57 pm · Filed under moon (rachel)
Oh, my achin’ back. Moon’s school has a huge pops concert at the end of the year, and it’s the music department’s biggest fundraiser. Well, the concert was last night. The school gym is transformed into a cafe, and box dinners are available for pre-order. The thing is, when all the tables and chairs are taken, the rest of the audience has to sit in the bleachers.
Guess who arrived too late to get a good seat?
The concert was quite excellent, although the between-number skits were rather cheesy. All the orchestras and choirs perform, as well as the percussion ensemble and jazz band. The seniors present gifts to the teachers. What I’m trying to say is that it’s a long concert. We were there for four hours. Does today’s back pain mean that I’m getting old? (Yes.)
One of my favorite parts of the concert was when the orchestra played “Pomp and Circumstance” towards the end. At the dramatic points in the music, the seniors in the orchestra stood. Then the choir seniors stood. I don’t even know these kids, and I nearly broke into tears. I am going to be an absolute mess when Moon graduates. First I’ll have two more years of crying about other people’s kids.
May 27, 2006 at 10:18 am · Filed under knit/crochet, movies
Right now, I’m sitting with my laptap, listening to Peter play videogames. Moon is working on a group project at a classmate’s house, and Pete is practicing for a concert that’s happening on Tuesday. The sun is shining, all is well.
This afternoon the kids and I are planning to see the X-Men movie (X-Men Reunited? I can’t seem to remember what it’s called) and we might end up walking home because Pete has to play for a church service at the Catholic church. (The church that asked him to stay on as a music director after he “came out” as a newly-former Catholic.)
In knitting news, I am digging the book my kids gave me for Mother’s Day, Mason-Dixon Knitting. I’ve made two of these washrags already, and I picked up three cones of Peaches ‘n Cream so I can make a bath mat. Total fun. I’ve also been doing some crochet — and figured out how to make an otama so I could do a birthday greeting for my crafty buddy Rakka.
May 24, 2006 at 8:34 pm · Filed under idol
Yay, my guy won! Best. Finale. Ever. The performance show wasn’t so outstanding, but they did a fabulous job with the group songs, guest artists (well, maybe not Meat Loaf) and surprises.
Right before the show started, our county had a tornado warning. Peter and I decided to stick it out upstairs — after all, someone needed to hit the “record” button on the VCR at 7 p.m. (No Tivo for us, thanks. No cable, either.) The sky was freaky, and we had hail, but we also didn’t miss a single second of Idol. So there.
Now we’re counting the days until the Idol tour comes to Milwaukee. We already ordered our tickets — the concert is on Pete’s birthday, which ought to be fun. I’m hoping we can get another autograph this year.
May 20, 2006 at 9:37 am · Filed under family, knit/crochet, movies
Okay, our family has been incredibly busy. And I’ve been knitting/crocheting more than this little credit card holder (which I’m using for the various punch cards and things that I use). Cute, though, isn’t it? I made it on Wednesday, when Pete and I were at Sundara Spa celebrating our 20th (!) anniversary by being thoroughly pampered. We spent pretty much the whole day wearing robes and relaxing, with intermittant foot rituals, massages, etc.
My mom is doing really well, by the way. There wasn’t any more cancer, and she’ll be starting radiation soon. Her prognosis is very good — yay!
In other news, it’s movie season. The Friday opening-day theater viewings have begun! We saw The DaVinci Code yesterday (which was okay … Moon really was into Silas), and we’re planning to see X3 next week.
And the weather today is unbelieveably awesome. We’re spending the afternoon at Good ‘n Loud for Moon’s master class. I’m excited because she’ll be doing some stuff on drums as well as bass. And I’m bringing my yarn.
May 1, 2006 at 6:42 pm · Filed under family
Today’s horoscope:
You are often preoccupied by other people’s lives, and your devotion to others will no doubt be appreciated today. For example, in the family circle, you are likely to be asked to bandage and heal everyone’s little wounds, be they physical or psychological. But don’t neglect your own energy needs today. As you are no doubt aware, the future is approaching quickly and you will need all the strength you can muster.
Sometimes astrology can be kind of freaky. After I dropped Moon off at school, I headed to Rockford so that I could sit with my dad during my mom’s surgery. She had just found out about it on Thursday, so it didn’t have much time to sink in. For any of us.
I hadn’t set foot in that hospital for (ulp!) 20 years, and I was shocked by how much it had changed. It was so … modern. There was even free valet parking. My parents actually arrived around 7:15, although the surgery itself wasn’t scheduled until 10:30. I made it there by 10, so I was able to talk with my mom before she went under.
I kept my dad company as we waited, and I was very glad to be there for the consultation with the surgeon afterwards. They found cancer in one of the lymph nodes, so the surgery was a little more involved than we had anticipated. The full pathology report will be available tomorrow.
I’m still a little in shock (and a lot exhausted), but really, the whole thing went pretty smoothly. We all left the hospital at about 4:30. Now my mom is home eating ice cream with strawberries, and I know my dad is doing a good job tending to her.
Oh, while we were sitting with my mom in the recovery room, my cell phone rang. It was Peter: “Can you come and pick me up from school?”
“It might take a while, since I’m 60 miles away.” Fortunately, Moon was getting a ride home from our neighbor who had the day off. I told Peter to hang loose for five minutes while I called to see if she’d be able to rescue him. It all worked out.
April 24, 2006 at 6:32 pm · Filed under peter, shopping
Yep, he’s 12, and he had a pretty happy birthday. For one thing, he managed to get the very thing he wanted most. It’s not just a birthday gift (we wrapped it in Christmas paper and sung “Happy Christmas to you, Merry Birthday to you…”) and Peter traded in some stuff to help finance the whole thing, lest you think that we’ve suddenly come into an inheritance or something.
We gave him another game, too.
Now, about that knitting bag.
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April 20, 2006 at 10:54 am · Filed under idol, knit/crochet, shopping
One.
My family long-ago dubbed me Queen of All Purses, so it’s no surprise that I can’t stop thinking about this:
I know I already have two awesome knitting bags, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up the search for the PERFECT bag. When I saw the Namaste collection, the most difficult decision was which one to order. Truth be told, a messenger bag seems to be the best fit. I love the way traditional purse/bags look, but I keep going back to the diagonal-over-the-shoulder thing.
If I like the new bag as much I think I will, the Lady B will be going back — or on eBay.
Two.
I thought I was addicted to American Idol last season, but that was when I only loved one or two of the top 10, and not nearly all of them. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are nail-bitingly nervewracking at our house. Moon has lost two of her favorites in a row (the aforementioned Bucky, and now Ace), and she’s crossing her fingers and toes that Elliott won’t be next.
We’re Yaminions. (Although I’ve been pulling for Taylor Hicks from the start, and not just because he looks like he could be my age. He’s entertaining enough to be parodied on SNL, ya know.)
Moon’s already bugging me about buying tour tickets. And in case you didn’t think I was geeky enough, I’ve crocheted a beanie for Ace.
April 12, 2006 at 9:08 am · Filed under idol, knit/crochet, spiritual
Just a quick update. First, the Everyday Goddess Conference was a fabulous way to spend a weekend. I met some awesome new friends (hi Jodie!) and my two teen roomies (Moon and Nicole) seemed to have a great time.
Second, I now have a shop at Etsy. It’s http://aine.etsy.com. Rakka was my inspiration … her shop is here. Now I can make stuff without having to worry about where to put it all!
Third, guess who Moon’s pulling for in this year’s American Idol? None other than Bucky Covington. Yep, my speed metal girl now appreciates (gasp) country.
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