January 28, 2005
Monarchs
I'm off to New Hampshire to see the Manchester Monarchs with Jon. It won't be as exciting as the first game I attended, which was mullet night, but it should be good fun.
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Five on Friday for January 21-28, 2005
Two for the price of one, because I completely forgot to do last weeks, even after commenting that they were a nice change of pace. D'oh.
Wild and Crazy
1. Do you have any tattoos? If not, would you ever consider getting one? Where on your body would it be, and what image would you select? No, but I'm not opposed to them. For a couple years I wanted to get a sun tatooed in the middle of my back in the style of Pacific Northwest native art. I had a picture of it hanging on my wall for months, but just couldn't commit to the design. The only other area I'd consider having done would be my toes. It'd hurt like a bitch, but a permanent toe ring would be neat. And would be unlikely to become distorted as my body changes over the next 60 years.
2. Have you ever gone skinny-dipping? Yep. It was good, clean fun.
3. Have you ever dyed your hair a crazy color? What would be considered crazy? I did a dozen shades of burgundy in high school until hitting the jackpot with "Chocolate Cherry" in college. It looked like a nice dark brown with a hint of auburn indoors but in sunlight it glowed a firey dark red. Definately not my color. I haven't dyed my hair in at least 3 years and get far more compliments on my natural color than I ever did on the fancy ones.
4. Have you ever committed a crime? Did you get away with it? No felonies here. I stole a cheap barette covered in crystals and sparkles once just to see if I could do it, and I still feel guilty years later.
5. Have you ever had sex in a public place? That all depends on your definition of public...
What's in a Name?
1. What does your name mean? In Hebrew Sarah means princess and Elizabeth means consecrated to god. Funny, I never feel like a princess who's been dedicated to god.
2. Are you named after anyone? Not really. I seem to remember my parents saying they had an acquaintance named Elizabeth who was quite nice. Apparently knowing nice people with a name you like makes it easier to that name for your children.
3. Do you like your name? I have no complaints.
4. If you could change your name, what would you change it to? When I was a kid I desperately wanted to be a Bethany or Sharon. Anything but Sarah, like a couple dozen other girls in my school (including two in my own class). I've been told that I was jealous of my sister's middle name, Rose, and dubbed myself Sarah Flower.
5. What's the strangest name of anyone you've ever known? I know a lot of people with unusual or uncommon names, but none I'd really call strange. Except perhaps the infamous MegaZone, with whom I exchanged messages through an online dating site several years ago. At the time I hadn't realized that MegaZone was more than his screen name.
Posted by criminal at 5:36 PM | Comments (0)
January 27, 2005
Degrees of Separation
I didn't get my "And Life." They added that to the degree later. [Justin]
Posted by criminal at 6:19 PM | Comments (0)
Lunch is On Me
The food court in the Campus Center was running some special today where you could buy a 42 oz. Spongebob cup full of soda for the price of a 20 oz. cup. It didn't take me long to decide that the bladder busting cup would really hit the spot, so I started filling it. No ice. I gave up on chilled soda and just stuck my happy Spongebob cup under the Diet Sprite fountain. The next thing I know there's soda spraying everywhere and a nozzle floating in my cup. The staff took care of the mess and fixed the machine as I tried my best to dry off with napkins. Lunch was officially on the house because of the inconvenience. Instead of just getting bread to go with my soup, I had the deli make me a veggie quesadilla. I mean, opportunities to get free food just don't come along every day. The girl making my quesadilla had to keep glancing at the menu as she made it and ended up leaving out the most crucial ingredient: cheese. By that point, I didn't have the heart to take it back and waste more time so I just added some shredded cheese from the salad bar and trudged back to the library to enjoy my free lunch.
Posted by criminal at 4:00 PM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2005
Just a Little Leak
Water is now officially leaking from my ceiling. When I got home, it was the window again, only worse. So I decided to move my living room around so the couch wouldn't get splashed. That was before the ceiling started dripping too. Directly on to the couch I had yet to move.
*sigh*
My landlord's only response was "I'll see if George [the handyman] can take a look at it, but there's really nothing I can do." For me it's mostly a nuissance, it's not like it's my investment. If he wants to let his horse hair plaster and original hardwood trim be destroyed by water, that's his problem. But if it doesn't stop soon and I start having a mold problem, I'm gone.
Posted by criminal at 8:23 PM | Comments (0)
New Snow
It's a damn good thing I really like snow. Otherwise I'd be grumpy about this new batch that's getting everyone down. I even walked to work today. It took 30 minutes, but it was probably more time and energy efficient than digging my car out. I was so excited when I found a relatively clear spot close to the house last night. I didn't realize they'd be so quick to plow this morning. Now instead of a little sloppy snow I have over a foot of packed, plowed snow to go through to get to my car. To top it all off, my pitiful little shovel is in my trunk, buried under yet more snow. Yes, walking was definately the best way to enjoy it.
Posted by criminal at 4:40 PM | Comments (0)
Icicles Keep Falling On My Head
For a few days I've been eyeing the icicles building up along the front of my building. In addition to creating a slippery trail along the path my neighbors shovelled through the yard, they've been growing. At one point near the corner there is a cascade of ice running from the eaves, along the siding, and down to the shrubs in front. I checked the ceiling and wall across the front looking for signs of leaks on Monday. No visibile problems. This morning when I sat down at my softa to enjoy my oatmeal and tea while watching NECN's weather report I felt something weird. Little icy cold drops hitting my back. Water is dripping from the top of the window and splashing off the sill and blinds, spraying water all over. Did I mention it's cold water? And to top it all off, the office, which was a balmy 70 degrees yesterday, is now 48 degrees. I think that's the coldest I've since this whole fiasco started. It's really getting ridiculous.
Posted by criminal at 9:49 AM | Comments (0)
January 24, 2005
Blast From the Past
I forgot to mention it earlier, but I ran into my old roommate Ernie at the wine expo. I didn't recognize him at first -- he has slimmed down and let his hair grow out a bit. The preppy sweater instead of a black heavy metal t-shirt threw me too. It was nice to run into him though.
Posted by criminal at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)
Wining in the Snow
Saturday morning Jon, Steve, and I headed down to Connecticut to meet up with their parents for the Sun Wine Expo at Mohegan Sun. That casino (or should I say casinos? there are several of them linked together by a giant mall and food court) makes mine look small in comparison. If these people are really helping create the casino north of Portland, our tribe is in trouble. Lower revenues means less per capita. Maybe less per capita to fight over could mean that the council will stop guarding the rolls with greedy fists. Unlikely, but those of us who don't give a whit about our share of the casino revenue can always dream. In any case, the casino was magnificent. A shining behemoth errected to celebrate the white man's ability to suspend belief and gamble his money away.
And gamble we did. We had some time to kill and Jon couldn't resist. So he traded his $20 bill in for quarters and hit the slots. After a few minutes he gave me a small handful and suggested i could sit at the machine next to him. I was hitting here and there, my handful of quarters slowly disappearing as I dreamed of all the clean laundry they could have afforded me. Then I lined up a sweet cherry and a couple bonuses. Lights flashed and a little bell went off as the quarters spewed out of the machine. 250 of the suckers. I gave Jon a hearty handful, played a couple more of my own and then held the rest back. We cashed in $60 worth, giving us a $40 profit. Not bad for someone who doesn't like to gamble.
The wine expo was interesting. I've never been to one, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Apparently the expo they went to last year was organized by region, giving you a good way to sample based on flavor and style. This one was organized by distributor. And while I set out to learn more about wine, and hopefully discover which kinds I liked, I really can't remember more than a couple names. And some of those are of ones I didn't like. I do know that I like pinot noir more than merlot and that I prefer subtle wines. Except for the dessert wines. Those are good when they have a lot of flavor., otherwise they're like drinking sugar syrup. I like rose bruts better than champagne, I think. I don't think I tried enough to be sure. Part of me wanted to try them all, but by the time we went for late lunch I was already feeling flushed. Turns out you don't have to drink everything they pour you.
Jon drove through the blizzard to get us home, where I promptly fell ill. I blame the endless hours I spent in the back seat of his car with trees and snowflakes zooming by. I'm getting a headache just thinking about it.
Posted by criminal at 4:50 PM | Comments (0)
January 20, 2005
Closure
We're closing our office for a second day. They tell us a fan in our area is broken, so we're not getting heat. And in an office that stretches along an outside wall made up of large windows that date to the 60s a lack of heat is bad thing. Troy's early morning weather report put the temperature at 56 degrees. That's balmy for the outdoors, but indoors its finger-freezing, productivity-killing cold. Amy is at the Campus Center and Troy is working from home. I'm not sure about Alex yet. I need to figure out what I'm going to do though.
Posted by criminal at 10:28 AM | Comments (0)
January 19, 2005
Crafty Update
I finished embellishing my first attempt at an iPod cover. That's it over there on the right. I'm not loving it, but it is kind of neat. I have some fine black yarn to cover with black glass and coppery beads that I'm working on next.
In related news, I need to reknit the booties. After seaming them up and adding the fluffy trim I realized that the toe-box was too short and the ankle was too big. I forgot my needles for Knit One, Crochet Too so I just frogged the existing one. I only got a few rows done while waiting at the dentist's office this afternoon, so there aren't any pictures to show off. I just need to finish them by Friday afternoon.
Posted by criminal at 10:25 PM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2005
Crafty Goodness
- I finished one of the tiny Ugg style baby booties last night while watching Death to Smoochy. Tara, our e-marketing cohort, is due on Valentine's Day. I kept thinking I had until mid-February to finish, forgetting that her co-workers were throwing her a shower this week. I'm so tickled with how these are turning out! I'll have a photo tomorrow.
- Liz is making a name for herself with her iPod Jewelry. Even though she only has a couple pieces right now, the idea is starting to create a small buzz. She has asked me to contribute a little of my creativity to the project, so I'll be trying a few things tonight instead of finishing the second bootie.
- I made a felted red hat for my grandmother for Christmas and now I've been commissioned to make one for one of her best friends. This time I won't have to search high and low for the perfect hat pin to finish it off.
- I snagged a paper box from a recycling bin on my walk home last night to help house my growing stash of yarn. It has outgrown the little basket sitting next to my couch and the rubbermaid tub I use to stash my current sewing projects in. Add the roving and spinning gizmos I got over the holidays and my living room looks like a fiber monster threw up in it. I think I may need to find more storage solutions.
- I just heard about a knitter's breakfast at the Fabric Place in Framingham. For a $5 fee, which is returned in merchandise credit, you can get a light breakfast, catch a trunk show, and see some spring/summer previews. Sounds like an interesting way to spend a Saturday morning. I'll have to find out more.
- I am now the proud owner of a card catalogue. It's sitting across from my desk until I clear space for it in my apartment. I think my first priority will be to gut the drawers and get inserts cut for the openings in the bottoms. Refinishing will have to wait for warm weather.
Posted by criminal at 4:03 PM | Comments (0)
January 17, 2005
Five on Friday for January 14, 2005
1. What was your favorite subject in school? Reading. Until we got new books in 6th grade that I was forced to use instead of the 8th grade books.
2. What did you want to be when you grew up? When I was really young, I wanted to be a singer. Then I decided that President of the United States was a better goal. Compared to all the girls in my elementary class who wanted to be teachers and veternarians, I thought I was quite progressive.
3. What was your favorite game? Trivial Pursuit.
4. Did you watch cartoons? Which were your favorites? Oh yeah... I was (and still am) a big fan of Looney Tunes and their Merry Melodies. I generally watched Smurfs, Rainbow Brite, He-Man and She-Ra, Fat Albert, Thundercats, Transformers, Strawberry Shortcake, and Voltron.
5. Did you have any imaginary friends? Not that I remember.
Posted by criminal at 2:38 PM | Comments (0)
January 13, 2005
The Memories
You've got to be one of the coolest girls I know, because you've got free booze and big tits. I just thought I should let you know. [Frank, upon leaving my kick-ass Halloween party in 2001]
Posted by criminal at 6:25 PM | Comments (0)
Bra Time
Vicky's semi-annual sale is almost over and I haven't purchased any bras. I really should because I've lost a couple to wire problems and I can feel the remaining few beginning to develop that same problem. I'm not sure I want to drop $100 on bras right now though. But if I wait, we're talking about $140 on the same bras, so I guess it's better to do it now.
And while we're on the topic of bras, there are a couple nice convertible ones on the market now. I used to hate the things because they were never designed with big, heavy breasts in mind. But that has started to change. It was like we'll just throw a few elastic bands in with those strapless bras we can't sell and call them convertible. Those big-boobed broads will eat them up. If I can get myself down a band size, I might try this offering from Victoria's Secret. I like that it's shaped like a normal bra instead of a strapless bra. I will say this for the strapless "convertible" model I currently own: the fabric is soft and supple, so it's pretty comfortable to wear. Sometimes, I'm tempted to just buy a good bra, chop the straps off and just sew them together however I want them.
Posted by criminal at 4:35 PM | Comments (0)
January 12, 2005
Late Night
Amy and I were at work until 10 tonight, launching the new library Web site. I'm thrilled to be done with that giant, pulsating ball of stress. There was an upside to late night though. While waiting for some files to copy over, I was able to finish my mittenettes. Because the pattern specified that it was for average sized woman's hands I added four extra stitches to the mitten and two to the thumb gusset. Turns out I didn't need them. The original mittenette ended up a little too baggy, so I made two more following the pattern exactly. They're perfect, except that one is a smidge smaller than the other. Damned uneven guage. I think I'll make a mate for the first oversided mit, just to keep it from feeling like a misfit. I'm not sold on the yarn (TLC Essentials in Harvest) though. It seemed to pill before it even hit my needles.
Posted by criminal at 11:38 PM | Comments (0)
January 11, 2005
Yoga
Amy and I made it to yoga today. It was nice. I had to laugh at Amy, who was all wide-eyed and shocked when she felt "tingly and good" afterward. I'm going to try to keep going, even if the instructor rarely gives us time to get into poses before telling us to exhale and move out of them. When I'm moving and breathing that fast, I don't feel my muscles stretch and grow. I miss Joy and her Iyengar yoga. I just have to keep reminding myself that this is just a little different and that I'll still benefit from it.
Posted by criminal at 3:15 PM | Comments (0)
January 10, 2005
The Great Santa Search
When I started looking at this year's Hallmark ornaments, I fell in love with the Santas from Around the World. But at $13 a pop, I couldn't justify the collection. But now that they're 50% off, it's much easier. I went to three different Hallmark shops this weekend looking for them (and a book for book club). So far, I've found the German, Norwegian, Russian, and both American santas. I'm still on the lookout for Italy, Ireland, and Mexico. Figures those nationalities would be sold out in the Boston area where almost everyone claims Italian or Irish heritage. I figured I'll call a couple local shops this week and hope that family or friends in another area will stumble across them. If all else fails, there's always ebay.
UPDATE: I'm off to West Boylston to pick up Mexico, the friendly little guy pictured above. Hooray!
Posted by criminal at 6:40 PM
Searching
Apparently the WPI Web site is boobie free... [William]
Posted by criminal at 5:10 PM | Comments (0)
Broken
My comments are broken. And I didn't even screw anything up. Apparently my host decided to take some measures against spam comments, completely crippling my comments. I haven't gotten any spam in at least three weeks. Come to think of it, I haven't gotten any normal comments either. So, if you get that 403 error when you try to comment, it's not just you. I've put in a ticket to helpdesk, so hopefully I'll hear back in a day or two. I just hope there's a way to fix it without having to upgrade everything.
Posted by criminal at 12:43 PM | Comments (0)
January 7, 2005
Five on Friday for January 7, 2005
1. When was the last time you achieved absolute happiness? Last night, briefly, as I worked on Potluck Wool Mittenettes for myself. I guess you could say I find absolute happiness on a semi-regular basis. At least once a week (unless it's a bad, bad week) I can find something that makes me totally happy, blocking out the dark clouds long enough for me to experience absolute happiness. It could be knitting for hours on end, lazing in bed with Jon on weekend mornings, finishing some difficult task, or learning to appreciate something new. It's not earth-shattering or life-changing, just the simple happy things that keep me going from week to week.
2. When was the last time you cried uncontrollably? Probably last November when Jon told me we weren't going to Columbus. I was so sad for him, for us, for our broken dreams. I had been holding in stress about the entire thing and now that it was over, it all came pouring out. There was a period of time when I did it on an almost daily basis because it was the only way to let out all of the pain and frustration I felt. Now there's not so much pain in my life, so it doesn't happen as often.
3. Name a piece of music that makes you sentimental. Anna Begins by Counting Crows
4. What emotion do you tend to hide the most? Fear. It's not a good thing.
5. When was the last time you were almost uncontrollably angry? I think a little over two years ago, when my relationship with Sam was at its worst and most destructive point. It was almost assuredly followed by uncontrollable crying because I get upset when I'm angry. And, well, Sam was an ass.
Posted by criminal at 4:40 PM | Comments (0)
Crave
So I've been trying to make healthier choices this year. It's not so much a resolution, but a lifestyle change. And not a very big one at that. I don't think my eating habits are terrible -- they're just not good enough. I've been suffering from far too many gastro-intestinal problems in the last year and I can only blame so much on heredity. Lately, I've been experiencing more heart burn and indigestion, both symptoms of GERD. Often my stomach feels full while the rest of my body is telling me I need more food. Like right now. I ate a Lean Cuisine Roasted Veggie Pizza, grape juice, and cup of fruit salad. Now I'm stuffed but still hungry. My body wants salty things like chips, crackers, pretzels, or hell, even saltines. I thought the pizza would quench the salt craving, but it hasn't. I have an urge to run to HoFo to get some chips. Damn cravings.
Posted by criminal at 1:45 PM | Comments (0)
January 6, 2005
Snow Day
It snowed today.
And I walked to work. Somehow I thought it would be easier than digging out my car and manuevering through the snow and slush. So I threw on an extra sweater and my hiking boots. I even cuffed my jeans so I wouldn't drag them in the snow. Only to have them fill up with falling snow. Needless to say, I looked like the abominable snowman when I finally got to work. By the time this photo was taken, much of the snow that had collected on my glasses and hat had melted.
Also note: WPI was one of the only area colleges or schools not closed. Half of the library staff called in. I can only imagine what other departments looked like. They dismissed us by 2:30 though, so I get a few hours of snow day to enjoy.
Posted by criminal at 4:02 PM | Comments (0)
January 5, 2005
Inspiring
Hearing about the card catalogues, I just have to tell you about this. I was recently at the home of a weaver/spinner friend who has this huge, beautiful wood card catalogue right in her front vestibule. Each drawer is labelled (oh yah, it has all the original hardware) with things like: "tiaras", "balloons", "marbles", "angel wings", "playing cards", "chess pieces", and "magic wands" ... and each drawer is full of exactly what the label says. It was one of the most charming experiences I have had for a very long time.
I am totally inspired. I saw this post in a thread about knitting needle storage on the Knitty Coffeeshop and fell in love. We have some old card catalog cabinets sitting around the basement of the library, just outside my office. I've been coveting them for what feels like ages. Maybe it's time to ask around and find out what it would take for a couple of them to come home with me.
Posted by criminal at 7:05 PM | Comments (0)
What I Did on My Christmas Vacation, Part I
- braved the crowds at the mall on December 23
- went to Christmas services
- played an exceedingly long game of trivial pursuit with Jon's family wherein no one could correctly answer brown pie questions
- sucked at holiday trivia
- wrapped/packaged what seemed like a gazillion presents
- skipped the fancy bows and wraps
- depleted my stash of holiday gift bags because I wasn't smart enough to mail my gifts ahead of time and had to pack them in my luggage, totally unwrapped
- spent Christmas morning opening gifts and having breakfast with Jon's family
- was gifted with the tea kettle I've been eyeing for years, a yarn swift, pearl earrings, and a scanner among other things
- made a hermit out of my cat by bringing her with me to Andy and Margaret's house, where she stayed for the rest of my vacation
- flew to Michigan on Christmas day
- watched Jon win a bottle of wine with his lucky penny
- made it to my Grandma Allen's house for Christmas dinner
- gave a bunch of hand-knitted scarves and hats to my family (and a couple of their spoiled cats)
- got a handmade wreath and garland from my Aunt Marlene, who did a pretty good job trying to recreate the garland we found a few years ago at a shop in Owosso that has since closed, taking all that beautiful garland with it
- enjoyed my traditional home-cooked Christmas breakfast with my dad the morning after Christmas
Posted by criminal at 6:43 PM | Comments (0)
Delovely
Today has been declared De-lurking Day. Time to make yourselves known. Yes you. The one who reads but never comments. Who the heck are you? And why on earth do you keep coming back to this site?
Thanks to mom_almighty for sharing.
Posted by criminal at 3:47 PM | Comments (0)
January 4, 2005
Driven to Distraction
I can't concentrate on a damned thing now that my life is back to normal after the holidays. My wisdom teeth are throbbing in my head (which was already aching from some mysterious mid-sleep malady) and making it nearly impossible to think about any one thing for more than a minute or two. The headache makes it hard to look at a computer screen for that long. And here I was hoping to be healthy, happy, and productive in the new year. Bah humbug.
Posted by criminal at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)