Saw this over at Llyr's Daughter and just had to try...

11 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Poor (Failure) Take the test!

Total # of days: 20


Total # of hours: 19h 37m


Maximum weight loss: 5.1 lbs
(This might not be totally accurate since I subtracted the heaviest day from the lightest day [which was today, yay!], and as it constantly reminds you, your weight fluctuates about 2lbs per day...)


Maximum BMI loss: 0.93
(same disclaimer as above)

Yummy limes!! (Does that distract you from the lack of knitting?!)


After finishing those socks that you all loved so much in their mismatched state (I love them too!), I haven't really worked on anything. I sort of started a hat, knit a few rows on a potential scarf, but nothing...


I'm meeting with my knitting group tonight and I have nothing to bring!!! I'll probably end up throwing a few skeins of sock yarn in my bag. Hopefully I'll remember the needles!


Maybe this will distract you from the lack of knitting... check out the baby lions!! I just saw mama lion yawn! I love live cams!!

(Sorry, still very little in the way of knitting here at chez Dr. Girlfriend. I caught wind this morning of a summer knitting olympics being hosted on Ravelry and am toying with the idea of challenging myself for the competition to move 4 "zzzzz's" to "FO's"... most likely 4 unfinished pairs of socks, but I'm still undecided.)


I've been thinking a lot about summer reading for the past several days. After a discussion with my knitting pals and thinking on my own, it is unfortunate that I couldn't enjoy the "forced" summer reading thurst upon me when I was in high school. Honestly, what 16 year old wants to sit around reading Wuthering Heights all summer? (Oh, it took me all summer and I only read the first 1/3 and the last 1/3 guaranteeing an F on the subsequent test when school started back up).


On the one hand it was funny to be in Barnes and Noble on Friday evening looking at the tables of "summer reading" books and recognizing how many I had actually read (and how few I had actually enjoyed!) There are some that I would like to reread in a less forced and now more enlightened mindset. But there are still many that I would like to have the ability to selectively wipe from my memory.


With all that said, one of the things that I'm enjoying most about my summer so far is the time to read. For the first week or two I had off, I really needed time to stare at the TV and let my brain atrophy a bit, but now I've been spending my time that's not Wii Fitting or working on stuff for the Fall reading.


I'm a one book at a time type of person (textbooks and journal articles excluded). I've also found that I like to alternate non-fiction and fiction. During the course of the Spring semester, I read Empire Falls by Russo, but because reading time was limited it took me forever to get through it (and I loved every minute). Next I read, The Paradox of Choice by Schwartz, which was really interesting and which I'm going to use parts of in my Fall classes.


I realized that I need to alternate non-fiction and fiction books because I graviate toward non-fiction that is school/work/psychology/women's studies related. If I read only that type of non-fiction (which is really the only type that appeals to me), I'd be always reading with school in mind. Which is in part why I enjoy reading them, I can connect them with what I know and can think of future lecture fodder. The Paradox of Choice is going to be extremely helpful in the Fall because he explains two concepts in wonderful simplicity that I've often had a hard time getting students to understand.


After finishing The Paradox of Choice, I started Nobody's Fool also by Russo because I needed to give my brain a break from school-thinking. I read this book much faster than Empire Falls mostly because I had more free time to read. And like all of Russo's books** so far, I loved it. I actually just finished it yesterday and am experiencing my typical post-fiction-book-depression. Not really depression per se, but sadness that the story is over. And this is the other reason why I need to alternate non-fiction and fiction because I get so invested in the fiction story that I can't just jump into a different one right away. I need time to process and ponder the story I finished; to let a little distance grow between me and the characters before I can open up to new ones in a new book. So now I've started on a non-fiction book (Pushed by Block) which is more towards the women's studies persuasion and less strictly psychology-related. I breezed through 50 pages this morning and am totally engrossed, although I worry a bit that she's laid all her cards on the table in the opening chapter.


I've got two fiction books lined up next (Thinks by Lodge and Ten Days in the Hills by Smiley), which were educated random picks (as in I had a list of potential authors that might be worthwhile and randomly selected the books without reading reviews). Of course, I'll need another non-fiction for between those two, so it is good that I've still got $20 in gift cards to B&N.


And if you need a super-quick read that is super-funny, check out Bigfoot: I Not Dead by Graham Roumieu. I picked it up for Kevin and we read it outloud in between fits of laughter. (It kind of looks like a children's book, but is definitely not for children!)


**I've only got one Russo book left (Bridge of Sighs) and I'm a little reluctant to pick it up (not because of the poor reviews), but because then I'll have no more Russo to look forward to (until he comes out with another book!)

Borrowed from Naturally Optimistic...







Play along, if you'd like. Here's how it works:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.


1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What did/do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Kevin and I are both a bit exhausted today from having a very music-filled last three days (well, two of the three days).


Sunday night we went with a bunch of friends to see Iron Maiden at MSG. We had some drinks and dinner before hand and managed to time our arrival right as the band was taking the stage. The show was really awesome and energetic. Despite a technical difficulty that cut the sound for about 5 or so minutes, we had a great time. I surprised myself that I knew a lot more of the words to the songs than I thought I did.


Then in an entirely different musical genre, we went back to MSG last night to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. This time it was just me and Kevin and we ate some delicious, greasy pizza at our favorite pizza place in Penn Station. The show was really great and a good mix of his greatest hits and lesser known songs. There was a bit too much Steve Winwood (he played over an hour as the opening act) and Tom Petty didn't take the stage until nearly 10pm. Needless to say it was a very late night for a Tuesday.

Fighting Street Harassment


Literally, my 5 seconds of fame.

Here is the Mocking Thyme sock enjoying an afternoon of sun (and then rain and then sun and then more rain and finally sun) at the ballpark.





The Mockery socks (ravelry link/non-ravelry link) are really simple and fun to knit. The pattern is just a 10 row repeat, so you make quick progress if you try to knit one repeat each time you pick it up. Of course, I made my own changes: reduce number of stitches, toe-up, patterning around the foot, short-row heel. Sock 2 is underway and hopefully will be finished by the end of the week.


Unfortunately the Mets ended up losing to the Yankees yesterday. And we got very, very wet. And Yankees fans are not nice people (sorry if you are a Yankees fan and a nice person, but all of the ones sitting/standing near us were horrible).


Here are some pics of the game...



In sepia-vision for no particular reason (this is post rain delay which is why there are so few people in the stands).



I don't think this needs an explanation.


And the rest...