March 2011 Archives

(well... yesterday was green day)

I promised Kevin a semi-traditional Irish meal for St. Patrick's Day. As I was walking up to the store (it was so beautiful outside yesterday!! yeah spring!!) to buy some corned beef, potatoes, and buttermilk, I saw a pack of teenagers all wearing green shirts. I thought to myself, why are all those kids dressed alike? Yeah, apparently my brain was not really functioning yet.

So I cooked up some corned beef and potatoes for us. I made Irish soda bread. I used King Arthur's recipe, which was remarkably similar to the recipe on the side of the buttermilk container. Kevin liked it and said it tasted good. I can't say that it was my favorite. While I like currants more than raisins, I'm not a big fan of either baked into things. (I'm very diligent about picking out raisins from cinnamon-raisin bagels... why can't someone just make cinnamon bagels?!).

Today is the last day of Spring Break and I have accomplished nothing on my to do list. So either today is going to be productive or Monday is going to suck.

So you might remember back in July all of the skin issues I was having. Well I have a new skin issue (although actually not any more), and went back to the same dermatologist that I was unhappy with in July. It is so hard to find a new doctor, and I knew that this guy was usually quick about getting people in for appointments (I actually called Tuesday morning and was in the office about 2 hours later. When I was first looking for a derm, I called several places that could only see me in a few months... what good is that?!).

Tuesday's appointment was much different. The doctor was mostly attentive and reviewed his previous notes. He was really pushing to do a skin allergy test, but my itchy problems have been mostly under control and I have them well managed for now (knocking on tons of wood right now!!!!!). I was actually in for a more acute problem. I irritated a mole (or I thought it was a mole) on my back. It's been there for a long time and periodically gets irritated, so I just wanted it gone.

I was expecting to have to come back in a few days to have it removed, but he said "you want it gone, let's do it." That made me both happy and suddenly sweaty. Turns out it wasn't a mole, but an angioma. I have a couple of others which are smaller and on parts of my body that I can see, so I'm less likely to scratch them accidentally.

The doctor first asked me how long I had the angioma. I told him forever. I honestly have no idea how long I've had some mark on my back. I can remember irritating it previously, but I don't keep tabs on every spot. For as odd as this guy is, he was very quick and efficient in removing it. Now I've got to get Kevin to help me change the band-aids (only a contortionist could accurately place a band-aid in the dead center of her back!).

Sorry, I don't mean to overshare stuff, but as this is also a journal of sorts, I do want to have this for my records. Ultimately, I think I need a new dermatologist, but I really don't have the energy or desire to seek one out!

Is that actual evidence of some knitting?!

For x-mas, my mom bought me two skeins of Rowan Colourscape Chunky by Kaffe Fassett. Since the Ginevra break up, I've been lost for what to knit. I pulled out this yarn and didn't just want to make another scarf. So I'm knitting a little sweaterette. I'm just making it up as I go (probably not smart), but doing a simple raglan top down. My vision is for it to be a short-sleeved cropped sweater that I can wear over t-shirts, dresses, etc when it is a little chilly, but not cold enough for a full sweater. But with the weather rapidly warming up, I need to spend more time knitting so that I might finish this and wear it before the cool weather is done.

I also have an idea for the Ginevra yarn. It is an idea to make a knit version of something that I haven't seen knit. It shouldn't be difficult to figure out how to do what I want, except for the fact that I have visions of a racer back or t-back, and I'm not quite sure how I'd work that.

About a month ago, I read this article in the Times' Magazine. The article titled "Teenage Wasteland" was written about the current genre of young adult fiction that centers on a sci-fi dystopia. The author mentioned that the best of this genre (no, it isn't Twilight, thank god!) is "Hunger Games" by Susan Collins. While I have a couple of novels awaiting my attention, I thought why not try something that I can probably fly through pretty quickly.

I just finished the first book a few days ago and am now waiting for the next two to arrive from Amazon. McGrath writes in the article:

Here again, there is an authoritarian governing body, the Capitol, headed by the creepy President Snow, which once a year puts on a nationally televised gladiatorial contest in which 24 children, chosen more or less at random, fight in an outdoor arena until only one is left alive. Before the contestants go out to compete, in a spectacle that is supposed to unite the entire country, they're given fashion makeovers, go to glitzy parties and are extensively interviewed: they become celebrities and, by creating public personas for themselves, compete for sponsorships that may help them survive the battles ahead. Katniss, the protagonist, is so mixed up from pretending to love a fellow contestant that she no longer knows what she feels.

That's a pretty good synopsis that doesn't give too much away. The book is gory and creepy. The protagonist is strong and fiesty, yet naive and innocent. It was certainly an easy read (well, at least for me... I have always liked reading horror type, scary books, even though I don't like watching horror type movies). I would have loved this book as a teenager. If I read this when I was 13 or 14, I probably would have been more surprised by the plot twists. As an adult, they were pretty well signaled with huge glowing, blinking signs as to where things were heading, but that doesn't mean the book wasn't enjoyable.

I spent every free moment reading. I was invested in the story and main characters (and still am since I ordered the other two books). The book had elements of Margaret Atwood's "Handmaid's Tale" and "Oryx and Crake;" although it wasn't as sophisticated. The book has a high level of violence and horror like my favorite novelist from when I was a teen, Christopher Pike (his book "Season of Passage" is still my favorite book of all time).

Depending on when these next two books arrive, there may be little to no work accomplished over Spring Break!

This past weekend, Kevin and I were in Boston for a conference. Saturday evening we were tired after an eventful Friday and Saturday afternoon, so we decided to hang out in the hotel room (since we'd coughed up the ransom to get internet access) and watch Netflix videos.

While we were waiting for videos to load (I apparently only ransomed the slow version of the internet), we were watching a PBS pledge drive that was showing a Doo Wop concert. It was really fun and there were some amazing outfits being sported by the singers. Since then, I've been obsessed with listening to Doo Wop music. I created a Pandora station and am listening to the "Sold Gold Oldies" music station on the TV.

So I'm on Spring Break now... will there be any knitting accomplished? Good question!

Are you interested in participating in research studies? These projects were created by students in an Advanced Research Methods class. Feel free to participate in as many as are applicable to you and to share the links with others! I'll report back with some updates on their findings.

Here are some surveys for everyone:
Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and more!
Person Perception
Behaviors and Choices in Daily Life
Attitudes toward Fashion and Style
Choices and Decision Making
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These surveys are for college students only:
Communication with Friends and Family
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Personal Beliefs

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Attitudes and Preferences
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