Anyone else hate April Fools day? Not to be a sourpuss, but it is really annoying me that there's tons of April Fools stuff over on Ravelry. When I have a break in my day, I like to eat lunch and browse the forums, but they are full of stupid hats and false threads. I also am weirded out by the remind that the people in charge and easily alter and manipulate the stuff that you input/upload to the site. I mean, I know that they have that power, just like the people running any website, but it seems creepy and god-like to mess with people's projects and libraries and stuff.

April is also the longest, continuous month of school. Ugh! (I know, I'm so spoiled with breaks and time off).

But April isn't all bad. April = baseball!! Yay, Mets! I am so excited that baseball is back. Kevin and I are going to two games, back-to-back at the end of the month. And of course, April means that the weather warms up, which I hope means that my eczema starts clearing. I went to the doc yesterday and he said that I am unfortunately stuck with the elusive to control type of eczema, but warm weather usually helps most people (that and steroid cream, whoo!).

Tomorrow I'll take pictures of my finished So-Called Scarf and single sock. I did cast on right away for sock two... oh, and another sock as well.

Also tomorrow, I'm going to venture over to the Yarn Harlot's thingy at Borders. Anyone readers going?

I got the book in the mail at the end of last week and read the entire thing this weekend. I liked this book much more than the last one. Although, I think her first book was still probably the best. I like when she mixes philosophical thoughts on knitting with personal stories most of all. Which has given me my own idea for a book... Ha!

I am just a terrible blogger these days. I really need for them to invent that blogging chip that gets inserted into your brain, and then when you have a good idea for a blog, you just flip a little switch and your thoughts are directly blogged. Of course, you'll have to be careful to remember to turn it off so you don't blog anything that you don't want the world knowing!!


Part of the lack of blogging is that I'm very busy and part is that I hate blogging without pictures and I don't feel like going through all that hassle.


So when I last left you dear readers (reader?... anyone?), I was planning to go see the Yarn Harlot in action. I have a few photos (though they are at home and I'm at work, I'll try to add them later). I got to the Borders around 6pm for the event at 7pm. I got one of the last two available seats which was in the FRONT ROW!! I did make it into her picture...



(picture from the Yarn Harlot's website. This entry specifically.)


She was funny and witty just like in her books. What she talked about wasn't that new since I finished the book the weekend before the talk and most of it was directly from or modified from the new book. Her voice was different than I expected, but I realized that that was probably because I am used to hearing my voice reading her words in my head. And it probably would have been really freaky if I heard my voice coming out of her mouth! After she let the knitters with children/babies/or an urgent need to leave get their books signed, I was the first "regular" person in line! Of course, I completely freaked out and wanted to just get my book signed an run away. She said "hi, how are you?" And I cheerfully said, "good!" Then my brain was like "YOU MUST SAY MORE THAN GOOD!" (And yes, brain was shouting in all caps). So I asked her about a study she mentioned in her talk, and she found the reference and shared it with me. Of course, I just stood there and nodded, and my brain was saying "TELL HER THAT YOU ARE A PSYCHOLOGISTS AND INTERESTED IN SUCH RESEARCH INVOLVING THE BRAIN." But instead, I just smiled, said thanks and grabbed my book and ran out of the store. I am such a wimp when it comes to talking to other people. If other people ask me questions, I'm fine, but when I have to initiate conversation (with a stranger), I just plain suck.


I hope the sun is still out when I get home from school. If so, I'll try to get some pictures of my latest sock and the beginnings of the modified Kauni Clapotis (which I think I might just call Kauni Clappy).

But my camera battery is dying! Come on battery... hold out through the transfer...


*fingers crossed*




*sigh of relief!*


Here are a few pictures that I took of the lovely Yarn Harlot:






I swear she wasn't that serious at the talk, but apparently those were the moments I captured! In the first picture, you can see her getting her sock out of her sock bag. I believe that sock has since been completed if you take a look over at her blog.



And I braved the outside world for you this morning to get a few sunshine shots. I didn't run out there in my PJs, I did take time to put on jeans and a bra.... hmm, that sounds bad... I was wearing a shirt too! Anyway, moving on...


Here is the lovely Kauni Clappy...

I love the colors!!



Here's a better look at my dropped stitches. My only gripe so far is that the Kauni yarn is very sticky (in yarn ways, not in a sticky like a lollipop way), so the dropping isn't the easiest. Can anyone tell how I modified the pattern?



In my other favorite project right now are my Pewter socks. I was knitting on the first one at the Yarn Harlot event and just finished it the other day.

I actually used that Notes section on Ravelry for this sock and made careful notes (in my own shorthand... if someone else could follow the pattern, I'd be amazed) so the second one will match.


My very happy about the sock because I only tried it on once during the entire knitting and it fits perfectly. Now if only I could have that same level of perfection in knitting larger garmets. I might wear something that I've knitted other than my socks and scarves.

There just aren't words for how pretty this is!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Here are some videos of the hamster for your amusement.

...or I'm too busy and lazy to do a real post.



1. Should I be worried that fire engines have raced down my street twice today about 4 hours apart?


2. Why is the end of the semester so much more work than the beginning? (ok, that's got an obvious answer, but still... I've worked most of the day today and still have more to do so that tomorrow I'll still have about 12 hours of work to get done before Tuesday's classes).


3. Why don't the kids and their friends who hang out in the postage stamp size piece of concrete playing basketball outside my kitchen window have video games that they could play indoors? Another way to phrase this question, why don't parents keep their children inside when I want to open my windows and let the nice air in? (I wouldn't mind the children so much, but the incessant screaming, shouting, and vulgar language does not a pleasant Sunday make.)


4. Why do I love my rainbow Kauni yarn so much?


5. Why does the hamster insist on chewing through his plastic cage?




Outlook for the next four weeks, until the end of the semester (including finals)...
*83 papers to grade (9 in hand, 28 coming Tuesday, 37 coming the following Tuesday, and 9 more the next Tuesday)
*11 class presentations to grade
*9 more lectures to write and create into dazzling PowerPoints (3 - 3 hours lectures, 1 - 80 minute lecture, 5 - 55 minute lectures)
*3 final exams and 2 study guides to create, print, and copy at least one week before finals
*4 final exams to administer (1 is just proctoring as a favor)
*65 final exams to grade
*65 final grades to calculate and report
*1 - 200 page document to review for a publisher by May 5th
So if you don't hear from me for a bit, it may be because I'm buried under papers and exams. Call for help if I don't resurface by May 20th, send a search and rescue party (preferably bearing lots of yummy yarn and a promise that my summer classes won't run!)

I know that we don't know each other, but I think your utter and total lack of regard for the existence of your neighbors is rude and appalling. At 4am on a Spring morning, I think that you should be more aware of the fact that your neighbors have their windows open to let in the lovely cool breeze, but that open window also allows in your loud, booming voice. Why at 4am you were sitting outside alternately yelling, laughing, screeching is beyond me. I'm assuming you were on your cell phone because there was no voice yelling, laughing, and screeching back at you. Even shutting the window didn't drown out your terrible cackle.

In the future, please stop to think that your neighbors will be awoken by your shouting and maybe go inside your apartment. Otherwise, I may have to invest in that sniper rifle that I was viewing on the internet while being kept awake.

Sincerely,
Your neighbors

Subtitle: Why I don't spend time outside.


So since I was working from home today and that entails a lot of reading (still have more lectures to write, so need to get ahead on the chapters) and grading papers, I thought that I'd enjoy the warm, sunny weather by reading outside.


I'm sitting there reading and watching the urban outdoor life (basically cars and trucks driving by, the occasional person walking by). Then I glimpse movement low and near the fence that surrounds our yard. At first I thought that it was a stray cat that was dirty and disgusting. Then the animal turns the corner and enters the yard and it was no cat.

(This is not my picture; I found it on the internet, but it looks very much like the one I saw. I wish I had taken my camera outside with me!)

I have some quick time this morning to update my calendar. I wanted to input the dates of my (potential) summer classes, but apparently the college website has ceased functioning. So much for doing something useful before class!

**knitting content is sparse, while semester is at its most hectic**


Yesterday, I decided to get a few rays of sunshine while grading some student papers. (Need to balance the good and the bad). Our apartment is on the corner so there is a lot of both foot and car traffic (and no the possum has not returned). There was this guy (probably between 19-21 years old) about to cross the street. He was dressed like your typical urban kid, ribbed tank and pants hanging below his butt with his boxers showing. Just as he goes to cross the street, a large, very nice car pulls up in front of him and rolls down the window. My first thought, and I think the guy's too, was that the guy in the car was going to ask for directions.


Instead, the guy in the car proceeds to yell at the pants-falling-off-guy. He asks him why he is so disrespectful that he's letting his pants fall off. And yells at him for a good minute about the state of his clothing and how stupid/foolish/rude his appearance is. And then he speeds away!


I just about fell off my chair laughing!