I go through the same trauma every time I look for a new bookshelf. For one thing, I want one that actually will last longer than one move and will hold lots of books with out listing to one side. Another, I want one that looks good. Because it's made with real wood, and not particle board crap. And each time, it's an arduous process.
Thus, I set out to buy a smallish bookshelf to hold specifically my semester's texts and library books. But the awesome one I found once at Lowe's was no longer there. Drat--and it was so cool! My favorite! I should have bought four!
I went to Target to find the one they had on sale this week. While it was affordable, it was also crappy. And they didn't have the color I wanted.
I found one at a thrift store that should have been $5, but it was $15, which was the price of a brand new one at Target. Apparently they smelled my desperation.
I'm trying to decide if I should keep searching, go to miscellaneous big-box retailer and buy the crappy small one, or shanghai Lance into building me one to my exacting specifications. Don't the bookshelf barons realize that people like me are willing to pay a little more for a cool bookshelf that won't fall apart if you as much as think about putting too many books on it?
So for now, all the books that are destined for the bookshelf are lying around in dejected piles.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
That Thing...
Library Thing: most of you probably remember me talking about it, and many of you have embraced it as a way to catalog your library. I signed up, then didn't really have time to add many of my books.
118 books later, I've discovered why I put off doing it. I recently moved, and I'm looking for a way to sort all of my books. Then I decided I really wanted to put them online. This is going to be an on-going project, I have a feeling...
It's a neat program, though, and a neat tool to organize one's library. Lance declares I will be frightened by the number of books I own, and I'd admit that I've only entered in a small fraction of my total collection. I'm sure it won't stop me from buying anything else, though. I'm a book addict and an English grad student, for God's sake.
118 books later, I've discovered why I put off doing it. I recently moved, and I'm looking for a way to sort all of my books. Then I decided I really wanted to put them online. This is going to be an on-going project, I have a feeling...
It's a neat program, though, and a neat tool to organize one's library. Lance declares I will be frightened by the number of books I own, and I'd admit that I've only entered in a small fraction of my total collection. I'm sure it won't stop me from buying anything else, though. I'm a book addict and an English grad student, for God's sake.
Friday, January 18, 2008
The First Frivolous Friday
Although I occasionally maintain an air of calm disinterest on this blog (I'm an academic, y'know), most of you know that I'm secretly silly and easily excitable (and fond of alliteration). So in the spirit of my fun-loving and sugary cheerful side, I'm instituting Frivolous Fridays, where I post about anything unrelated to literature, graduate school, and books (though I reserve the right to be giggly over books, if I want.)This week's frivolity involves coffee. Mmm, I love the coffee. Since I determined as a freshmen in college that I adored coffee, I've journeyed through various coffee-drinking phases. I started out drinking impossibly sweet coffees, but then discovered my true coffee love was strong and heady, with a bit of cream to make it palatable (not that I don't occasionally dip into the drinks that involve coffee, but more often lots of sugar and milk). Lately, I'd been alternating between lattes (occasionally with a splash of cinnamon syrup), Americanos (with half and half) and brewed coffee.
When we were in Spain, I learned something very important--I thought all along that lattes were my espresso drink of choice, but I was wrong. Oh, so wrong. You see, the problem with a latte is that it involved too much milk, not enough espresso love. I discovered this by drinking cafe con leche every day for my two and half week stay.
The cafe con leche is served in a small white porcelain cup with a tiny spoon and a packet of
sugar. Lance and I would sprinkle a little of the sugar in the cup, stir it with the adorable spoon*, and drink it slowly. Most everyone in Spain drinks their coffee like this; in very few places did we see coffee para llevar (in a disposable cup)--you want a cup of coffee, so you buy it and drink it at the bar, then pay and leave**. It was beautiful, really.So upon returning to the US, I set out to find the proper thing to order at my favorite local coffee shop. I'd been informed that what I really liked was the macchiato, but when I ordered that, it was a shot of espresso with a teeny bit of steamed milk foam. A bit strong for me.
Today, however, I determined that the cappuccino with light foam was my drink (at least at Arsaga's). It's deliciously milky, and although I forwent the added sugar, it was just like being in Spain again, sipping cafe con leche in a little cafeteria. Yum.
*I bought some tiny spoons because I have this thing for the diminutive. I also already own small coffee cups, and have bought other things because they are small and "precious".
**Very few things could be bought para llevar unless it came from a fast-food joint or places specifically meant to sell "take away" food. And the portions were small enough that you didn't typically have left-overs to take home...
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Lagging Behind
Last night was my first class of the spring semester, and although I'm still readjusting to the time changes, the class perked me up. It was Literacy and Applied Linguistics, and since I have an undying passion for linguistics, I was in heaven. We talked about the International Phonetic Alphabet, which is one of the coolest things ever.
I have another class on Thursday afternoon, but I think I'll like it a lot too--it's 18th century British novel.
We got back to LR Saturday evening, where Amber cheerfully picked us up. It was an 18 hour journey, and our bodies knew that it was time to rest. We had slept most of the way on the plane from Atlanta, waking up with cocktail napkins on our legs (did the flight attendants smirk as they did so?). We went to Kerry and Justin's house where we chatted a bit with friends before succumbing to sleep.
Jet lag hit me later the next day; it wouldn't hit Lance until yesterday. Someone mentioned to me that she heard it took as many days as the hours of time difference to recover from jet lag; I think that a valid assertion. An afternoon walk and coffee has perked me back up for the rest of the day. My plans for tonight are some rest, some DVD watching, and maybe a little bookmaking or cleaning up my apartment, which is still in a shambles from the move. As soon as we get our pictures uploaded, I'll start posting Spain stories!
I have another class on Thursday afternoon, but I think I'll like it a lot too--it's 18th century British novel.
We got back to LR Saturday evening, where Amber cheerfully picked us up. It was an 18 hour journey, and our bodies knew that it was time to rest. We had slept most of the way on the plane from Atlanta, waking up with cocktail napkins on our legs (did the flight attendants smirk as they did so?). We went to Kerry and Justin's house where we chatted a bit with friends before succumbing to sleep.
Jet lag hit me later the next day; it wouldn't hit Lance until yesterday. Someone mentioned to me that she heard it took as many days as the hours of time difference to recover from jet lag; I think that a valid assertion. An afternoon walk and coffee has perked me back up for the rest of the day. My plans for tonight are some rest, some DVD watching, and maybe a little bookmaking or cleaning up my apartment, which is still in a shambles from the move. As soon as we get our pictures uploaded, I'll start posting Spain stories!
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
When You´re Royalty, You Can Buy Good Art
So um, yeah. The Prado. Amazing, awesome, and more than what was promised to me. I see now why it´s considered a world-class museum. I spent 5 hours there, and barely saw anything. Well, I saw everything, technically, but I didn´t get to really contemplate it properly, or spend much time on it.
Favorites include works by El Greco, Goya, and Bocsh. I saw The Garden of Earthly Delights, The Third of May, Velazquez´s Las Meninas, and lots of really, really good art. Amazing, especially when my best museum experience was the National Gallery in Washington. And since I got to study a lot of the art that I saw today*, it was even better.
The experience of standing in front of Goya´s The Third of May was...indescribable. It´s a painting I´ve always admired, but standing before it, in person, seeing the size of the painting, the brush strokes, the actual colors and composition as the painter did...the work suddenly takes on a new power. I think I gaped at that painting for a good 5 minutes before Lance tugged me along to the next room.
Well, we´re off to Barcelona in the morning. Whee!
*I should have majored in art history too, damnit. I guess I´ll just have to study on my own...
Favorites include works by El Greco, Goya, and Bocsh. I saw The Garden of Earthly Delights, The Third of May, Velazquez´s Las Meninas, and lots of really, really good art. Amazing, especially when my best museum experience was the National Gallery in Washington. And since I got to study a lot of the art that I saw today*, it was even better.
The experience of standing in front of Goya´s The Third of May was...indescribable. It´s a painting I´ve always admired, but standing before it, in person, seeing the size of the painting, the brush strokes, the actual colors and composition as the painter did...the work suddenly takes on a new power. I think I gaped at that painting for a good 5 minutes before Lance tugged me along to the next room.
Well, we´re off to Barcelona in the morning. Whee!
*I should have majored in art history too, damnit. I guess I´ll just have to study on my own...
Spanish Movements
We hit Toledo yesterday, which is a short 30-minute hop by train from Madrid. (Lance and I keep asking ourselves why we don´t have more trains--would a train between Conway-Maumelle-Little Rock be wonderful? Or among the NWA cities?)
Anyway, I´m still holding off too many details until I have photographs, but I thought I´d chat a bit about the art of Spain. I knew that Spain had a couple of painters of note--but I discovered the art of one that I knew by name: El Greco.
He painted at the end of the 16th to the beginning of the 17th century, and his paintings are distinctive for their elongated figures, use of light and color, and mystical subjects. He also often painted his figures holding their hand up in a particular way. I think when I get home, I´m going to set out to learn more about him and his art; he seems like a really interesting person. We walked by his house yesterday, and today, when we go to the Prado, we´ll see more of his art.
Hostel life is still interesting. We´re heading off to Barcelona tomorrow, so that´s exciting--but our trip is starting to come to its conclusion. It seems like a long time since we were home, and it´s only been a week and a half...
Off to the yarn store today. I´m hoping it´ll prove to be all I´ve hoped for...
Anyway, I´m still holding off too many details until I have photographs, but I thought I´d chat a bit about the art of Spain. I knew that Spain had a couple of painters of note--but I discovered the art of one that I knew by name: El Greco.
He painted at the end of the 16th to the beginning of the 17th century, and his paintings are distinctive for their elongated figures, use of light and color, and mystical subjects. He also often painted his figures holding their hand up in a particular way. I think when I get home, I´m going to set out to learn more about him and his art; he seems like a really interesting person. We walked by his house yesterday, and today, when we go to the Prado, we´ll see more of his art.
Hostel life is still interesting. We´re heading off to Barcelona tomorrow, so that´s exciting--but our trip is starting to come to its conclusion. It seems like a long time since we were home, and it´s only been a week and a half...
Off to the yarn store today. I´m hoping it´ll prove to be all I´ve hoped for...
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Hotel to Hostel
Hola, my faithful readers. We're now in the lovely (huge!) city of Madrid. We're headed off to the Prado later this evening (when it's free), so we'll get to see lots of awesome art. I'll relay more later.
We arrived in Madrid yesterday afternoon, and set out for an affordable place to stay that was close to our train station and our tourist destinations. Using my guidebook, I found a little place that looked cool and got high ratings, Cat's Hostel. It's pretty cool, especially for a hostel, but we went from a hotel room to a noisy eight person dorm, so the switch was interesting. But exciting.
Well, our place has free internet, but only for 20 minutes, and it's taking me forever to do anything on them because the internet is slow, so I'd best sign off.
Adios!
*PS, Donna and Mark, I found a yarn shop finally in Spain. I'm planning to check it out tomorrow or the next day and will report my findings about Spanish yarn stores...
We arrived in Madrid yesterday afternoon, and set out for an affordable place to stay that was close to our train station and our tourist destinations. Using my guidebook, I found a little place that looked cool and got high ratings, Cat's Hostel. It's pretty cool, especially for a hostel, but we went from a hotel room to a noisy eight person dorm, so the switch was interesting. But exciting.
Well, our place has free internet, but only for 20 minutes, and it's taking me forever to do anything on them because the internet is slow, so I'd best sign off.
Adios!
*PS, Donna and Mark, I found a yarn shop finally in Spain. I'm planning to check it out tomorrow or the next day and will report my findings about Spanish yarn stores...
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
¿Hablo español?
The language barrier has been interesting. I can read signs, and my vocabulario is slowly returning. (The verb conjucations seem to be lost, so I´ve been glancing at my verb book to refresh--but it´s hard to remember which to use when, so I usually take the simple, wrong approach). I can make myself understood, and generally understand for the most part, but I´m still frustrated. I think I´ve never felt much motivation until now to actually speak and study Spanish beyond earning an A for a class.
I´m good with language, but insecure when it comes to speaking. I´m starting to get over that out of pure necessity, since I´m the one out of the pair of us who can read, speak, and understand most of the Spanish that comes my way. Those Spaniards with English skills usually switch to English when I start having problems, though I´m always careful to start by speaking Spanish, and usually respond in Spanish until I can´t figure it out. It´s worked so far.
I´ve become increasingly aware of language, both mine and those around me. Surrounded by the rhythms of a language I have to concentrate to understand, I´ve discovered how much language plays into our everyday lives. How often we use it to communicate, to achieve our basic needs, to connect to both old friends and new acquaintances. It´s a pretty cool thing, our ability for language.
Right now, I´m listening to a loud argument in some sort of Germanic language. Our hotel is actually mostly Australians, Spaniards on holiday, and Dutch or German or something. I´ll expect to hear Spanish, and it won´t be. Quite strange, really. The loud protester is the same one that we saw get into a lame bar shoving match (not really a fight), and I don´t really want to turn around to see exactly what is going on.
Well, I´ll write more about actual Spain soon (probably when I get back, and I can illustrate with photos!) It´s pretty nice, this españa, and it´s been pretty nice to us so far. We had a fantastic new year´s, and I hope you all did too!
Hasta pronto...
I´m good with language, but insecure when it comes to speaking. I´m starting to get over that out of pure necessity, since I´m the one out of the pair of us who can read, speak, and understand most of the Spanish that comes my way. Those Spaniards with English skills usually switch to English when I start having problems, though I´m always careful to start by speaking Spanish, and usually respond in Spanish until I can´t figure it out. It´s worked so far.
I´ve become increasingly aware of language, both mine and those around me. Surrounded by the rhythms of a language I have to concentrate to understand, I´ve discovered how much language plays into our everyday lives. How often we use it to communicate, to achieve our basic needs, to connect to both old friends and new acquaintances. It´s a pretty cool thing, our ability for language.
Right now, I´m listening to a loud argument in some sort of Germanic language. Our hotel is actually mostly Australians, Spaniards on holiday, and Dutch or German or something. I´ll expect to hear Spanish, and it won´t be. Quite strange, really. The loud protester is the same one that we saw get into a lame bar shoving match (not really a fight), and I don´t really want to turn around to see exactly what is going on.
Well, I´ll write more about actual Spain soon (probably when I get back, and I can illustrate with photos!) It´s pretty nice, this españa, and it´s been pretty nice to us so far. We had a fantastic new year´s, and I hope you all did too!
Hasta pronto...
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Hola de españa!
We made it to Spain safe and sound. The flight got to Barcelona at 7am local time--but our brains were still at midnight, which was Arkansas time. We wandered around Barcelona and slept a tiny bit in the train station until we could take a late train to Madrid, where we arrived about 11 pm local time. After getting kicked out of the train station, we quickly found a sketchy (but much welcome, since we had so little sleep) hostel, where we gratefully crashed for 5 hours. It was our first real sleep since leaving Arkansas. We arrived in Torremolinos (the south of Spain, near Malaga) this morning, where we´re staying for a week in a neat little studio.
It´s pretty cool here. Lance loves all the pork products that he can eat as well as fish. I may not be able to talk him into getting back on the plane at the end of our stay--or me either! We´re having a great time. We did a little grocery shopping today, buying the staples: wine ($1.50 a bottle and good!), baguettes, and cheese, tuna for me and salty anchovies for Lance. We also walked on the beach, picking up shells and watching the Mediterranean flow in and out. I haven´t seen an ocean since I was a little girl, so that was pretty neat for me.
Well, internet time is limited and expensive, so adios for now.
It´s pretty cool here. Lance loves all the pork products that he can eat as well as fish. I may not be able to talk him into getting back on the plane at the end of our stay--or me either! We´re having a great time. We did a little grocery shopping today, buying the staples: wine ($1.50 a bottle and good!), baguettes, and cheese, tuna for me and salty anchovies for Lance. We also walked on the beach, picking up shells and watching the Mediterranean flow in and out. I haven´t seen an ocean since I was a little girl, so that was pretty neat for me.
Well, internet time is limited and expensive, so adios for now.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Leaving on a Jet Plane
Today, I made several calls to get everything prepped for our Spain trip. Like calling credit cards, printing out itineraries, e-mailing them to people, and making copies of passports*.
It's the last day of work before the holiday break, and the air is festive. And restless. We're all bouncing off the walls, though I'm not sure how much of that is the sugar consumption. The Dean just hinted loudly that we could leave early if we could live with that on our conscience. That may be up to my boss, though...
Well, back to do a little last minute work in hopes of getting the heck out of here a teensy bit early...I'll try to post while on vacation, but we shall see!
*I have the WORST passport photo EVER. I think I've talked about this before, but seriously...it's awful. I weigh about 70 lbs less now than I did when I had the photo taken, so I pull it out to remind myself not to eat too much and get fat again.
It's the last day of work before the holiday break, and the air is festive. And restless. We're all bouncing off the walls, though I'm not sure how much of that is the sugar consumption. The Dean just hinted loudly that we could leave early if we could live with that on our conscience. That may be up to my boss, though...
Well, back to do a little last minute work in hopes of getting the heck out of here a teensy bit early...I'll try to post while on vacation, but we shall see!
*I have the WORST passport photo EVER. I think I've talked about this before, but seriously...it's awful. I weigh about 70 lbs less now than I did when I had the photo taken, so I pull it out to remind myself not to eat too much and get fat again.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Bookish Things
My daily web browsing and Google Reader offerings have brought several different websites to my attention, so I thought I'd share them with you all.
First is a used book site, Alibris. Like Amazon's used books, Alibris coordinates independent sellers who might have what you're looking for. I've noticed that often their prices are cheaper than Amazon's (and the shipping is also standardized). And right now they are offering $2 off any order. I ordered a book from them, and I was pleased with the speed of shipping, which is sometimes lacking in Amazon's sellers. (Though I'm guessing it might vary). Basically, it offers an alternative place to look for used books should Amazon let you down or not have what you desire.
Now, have you ever desired to make your own paper? Recycle the paper that accumulates around you? This tutorial looks interesting, and I'm longing to try my hand at homemade paper for my bookbinding purposes...I guess I just gotta get someone handy to build me the frames for it!
If you're environmentally minded, recycling paper is great, but what about the paper that goes into all those books I purchase? All the textbooks that I need to buy? Eco-Libris offers a way to make up for the environmental impact of new books. For $1 each, you can buy a tree and balance out your paper consumption! I thought this was a pretty neat organization, so I wanted to pass it along.
And finally, do you want to read new books, but don't want to spend all that money for a book you'll maybe read once? The BookMooch is a program that allows you to trade books with other Book Mooches, creating a reading community and cutting down on consumption. It's a way to share good books, de-clutter your bookshelf, and get books you want to read with minimal cost. Woo! (Donna, aren't you using BookMooch or something similar?)
Anyway, that's some nice fruits from my web-browsing. Time to go home and make some books!
First is a used book site, Alibris. Like Amazon's used books, Alibris coordinates independent sellers who might have what you're looking for. I've noticed that often their prices are cheaper than Amazon's (and the shipping is also standardized). And right now they are offering $2 off any order. I ordered a book from them, and I was pleased with the speed of shipping, which is sometimes lacking in Amazon's sellers. (Though I'm guessing it might vary). Basically, it offers an alternative place to look for used books should Amazon let you down or not have what you desire.
Now, have you ever desired to make your own paper? Recycle the paper that accumulates around you? This tutorial looks interesting, and I'm longing to try my hand at homemade paper for my bookbinding purposes...I guess I just gotta get someone handy to build me the frames for it!
If you're environmentally minded, recycling paper is great, but what about the paper that goes into all those books I purchase? All the textbooks that I need to buy? Eco-Libris offers a way to make up for the environmental impact of new books. For $1 each, you can buy a tree and balance out your paper consumption! I thought this was a pretty neat organization, so I wanted to pass it along.
And finally, do you want to read new books, but don't want to spend all that money for a book you'll maybe read once? The BookMooch is a program that allows you to trade books with other Book Mooches, creating a reading community and cutting down on consumption. It's a way to share good books, de-clutter your bookshelf, and get books you want to read with minimal cost. Woo! (Donna, aren't you using BookMooch or something similar?)
Anyway, that's some nice fruits from my web-browsing. Time to go home and make some books!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Setting Up House
Yesterday, I received a packet through campus mail. It was a paper I had written last spring for my literary theory class, graded with comments. I had earned a 95% on it--and the only fault he had with the paper was that I hadn't done much outside reading for it.
I do believe that was a paper I actually worked pretty hard on. It helped that we had to present a 10-page version of it, so all I had to do was expand and edit and incorporate feedback. A 95% is better than I was expecting, I think. I tend to feel like I don't deserve my A's (I got all A's again this fall) because I don't always put 100% of my effort into a given project or paper, and sometimes I slack off. Really, I'm probably just too hard on myself, but I still feel guilty for being rewarded so richly for not putting forth a whole lot of effort.
Going back and re-reading those papers has been enlightening. I like my academic writing style. It's clear and concise, and I sound confident and intelligent. As Emily says, my writing and style still needs a bit of polish and sophistication, but I'm starting to see how I can be good at this writing/publishing aspect of my chosen profession.
In other news, I've moved into my new space, and after 3 nights there, I'm in love. Not only is the layout better than my other apartment, not only do I have much more space, I'm now living alone (with my kitty), and we're both very happy. Rory (the kitty) is less stressed, I'm much more relaxed, and because I'm content, so is Lance. I still have a lot to unpack, but I managed to get the kitchen in order (you see my priorities?) and a friend helped unpack some books, which was really nice. I even went ahead and set up my Christmas tree! So homey. I love it.
I do believe that was a paper I actually worked pretty hard on. It helped that we had to present a 10-page version of it, so all I had to do was expand and edit and incorporate feedback. A 95% is better than I was expecting, I think. I tend to feel like I don't deserve my A's (I got all A's again this fall) because I don't always put 100% of my effort into a given project or paper, and sometimes I slack off. Really, I'm probably just too hard on myself, but I still feel guilty for being rewarded so richly for not putting forth a whole lot of effort.
Going back and re-reading those papers has been enlightening. I like my academic writing style. It's clear and concise, and I sound confident and intelligent. As Emily says, my writing and style still needs a bit of polish and sophistication, but I'm starting to see how I can be good at this writing/publishing aspect of my chosen profession.
In other news, I've moved into my new space, and after 3 nights there, I'm in love. Not only is the layout better than my other apartment, not only do I have much more space, I'm now living alone (with my kitty), and we're both very happy. Rory (the kitty) is less stressed, I'm much more relaxed, and because I'm content, so is Lance. I still have a lot to unpack, but I managed to get the kitchen in order (you see my priorities?) and a friend helped unpack some books, which was really nice. I even went ahead and set up my Christmas tree! So homey. I love it.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Enemy Fire
When someone gets it into her head to be openly hostile and mean, there's not much you can do except avoid them. When you live with that person, however, it makes avoiding significantly more difficult. I've been trying to keep my head low, counting the days down eagerly, and avoiding her, but the hostility is just too much for me; I broke down last night and fled to a friend's apartment.
All of this merely affirms that I'm making the right decision, but it's hard to watch a friendship disintegrate. Perhaps I didn't handle things very well, but I'm not sure it warrants this sort of treatment of my person. I'm so tempted to retaliate (i.e. cutting of the utilities early, etc), but I'm trying hard to come out of the situation cleanly and honorably.
I want to think of myself as an assertive person, but when it comes to hostility, I shrink down into a little ball--unless I have reason to feel righteous fury. Even then, my impulse is still to flee. I don't like nasty confrontation, but I will do it if forced.
Anyway, this nastiness will soon be over. I hope to leave behind an olive branch if she cares to take it up, though I'm not holding my breath. I just want to be in a comfortable, stable environment--something I haven't had for at least a few months.
Oh! And there are still 2 slots on the pay-it-forward exchange. If you're already participating and paying-it-forward elsewhere, I think you won't necessarily have to pay it forward an extra three times, if you want me to make you something...
All of this merely affirms that I'm making the right decision, but it's hard to watch a friendship disintegrate. Perhaps I didn't handle things very well, but I'm not sure it warrants this sort of treatment of my person. I'm so tempted to retaliate (i.e. cutting of the utilities early, etc), but I'm trying hard to come out of the situation cleanly and honorably.
I want to think of myself as an assertive person, but when it comes to hostility, I shrink down into a little ball--unless I have reason to feel righteous fury. Even then, my impulse is still to flee. I don't like nasty confrontation, but I will do it if forced.
Anyway, this nastiness will soon be over. I hope to leave behind an olive branch if she cares to take it up, though I'm not holding my breath. I just want to be in a comfortable, stable environment--something I haven't had for at least a few months.
Oh! And there are still 2 slots on the pay-it-forward exchange. If you're already participating and paying-it-forward elsewhere, I think you won't necessarily have to pay it forward an extra three times, if you want me to make you something...
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Various Sundries
- Pay It Forward: like some of my fellow bloggers I am taking up the Pay It Forward challenge from my ISE 4 pal. Which means the first three people to comment gets something mysterious and homemade (i.e. I don't know what yet, nor what craft...) from me within 6 months. The catch? You gotta make the same offer to pay it forward. Always wanted something lovely from yours truly? A book, a knitted thing, a sewed thing, a box? Leave a comment and join in the pay it forward challenge!
- I'm moving, possibly, tomorrow. If not tomorrow, possibly Saturday. I really hope I can get all my stuff moved this weekend, so I can relax and enjoy my home once more.
- Christmas stuff! Yikes! If you want a Christmas card from me, send me an e-mail (*ahem, Tim*) with your address so I can send one.
- Christmas baking--I may post on the ol' Baking Blog. Keep your eyes peeled for fun stuff.
- Umm, it's now 5 o'clock, and I'm going home to pack, bake, and attempt to ignore my roommate and her rudeness.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
No Rest for the Wicked
...Or the really busy.
I foolishly delayed my Christmas stuff until too late. It wasn't entirely my fault--I had a lot going on this past semester. So now I'm making lists and planning days to sew, knit, and glue things together because otherwise there will be crying children. Or I'll have to actually spend money and buy gifts, and I don't like that idea at all.
I've been making Christmas gifts for quite some time--this year my goal was to make as many as possible. This year I went all out, combining my many talents to make books, knit projects, and sew things. If I can pull it off, it'll be exciting. If I can't...well, we'll see what happens.
Back to being busy!!
I foolishly delayed my Christmas stuff until too late. It wasn't entirely my fault--I had a lot going on this past semester. So now I'm making lists and planning days to sew, knit, and glue things together because otherwise there will be crying children. Or I'll have to actually spend money and buy gifts, and I don't like that idea at all.
I've been making Christmas gifts for quite some time--this year my goal was to make as many as possible. This year I went all out, combining my many talents to make books, knit projects, and sew things. If I can pull it off, it'll be exciting. If I can't...well, we'll see what happens.
Back to being busy!!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Finished, I suppose...
I printed the project out. I'm not excessively proud of it--however, it's done, and I'm going to turn it in and hope that it doesn't kill my A in that class (I highly doubt it will).
I reached the saturation point for the semester, and so I just decided to do as best I can, but not stress too much about it. I think it's probably a bit shorter than she would want, but I simply couldn't do any more. The writing is decent, though, and I did a lot of research and leg work.
I'm very tired now. I was up until one working, but then I didn't sleep until 2 because I was so wired from the Americano that I imbibed at the coffee shop.* Up at 7 am, out the door by 7:30 to get to work early and do any last minute edits.
Tonight, I think I'll collapse in front of a TV and knit. Sounds like fun to me!
*Usually caffeine doesn't affect me late at night except when the stars are in a specific configuration and I drink espresso later than I should. I never know when or how, but then I'm super alert for a while...
I reached the saturation point for the semester, and so I just decided to do as best I can, but not stress too much about it. I think it's probably a bit shorter than she would want, but I simply couldn't do any more. The writing is decent, though, and I did a lot of research and leg work.
I'm very tired now. I was up until one working, but then I didn't sleep until 2 because I was so wired from the Americano that I imbibed at the coffee shop.* Up at 7 am, out the door by 7:30 to get to work early and do any last minute edits.
Tonight, I think I'll collapse in front of a TV and knit. Sounds like fun to me!
*Usually caffeine doesn't affect me late at night except when the stars are in a specific configuration and I drink espresso later than I should. I never know when or how, but then I'm super alert for a while...
Sunday, December 09, 2007
E-S-C-A-P-E: Escapay?
Ahhh, I'm at the coffee shop. Of course, there's an art sale going on, and I'm sitting on the corner of a giant table because I couldn't find a smaller one of my own, but it's a change of scenery, and I'm out of my dratted apartment*. (The cats have been distracting me, big time.)
I hope I can finish up my project here, but I may just hang out for a few hours, then go home (or over to a friend's to finish up). It's noisy, but if I can fall into a rhythm of writing, I can tune out everything, and I do have an iPod to neutralize some of the noise.
I've been trapped at home for most of the weekend, and I'm just ready to be done. I had a hard time sitting down to work because it feels like the semester should be over already. I'm working on my project where I got to hold the 200-year old Crevecoeur piece in my hands--Letters from an American Farmer. In the course of my research, I discovered that it was the first American printing of the book. The project has been pretty fascinating overall, but I'm looking forward to turning in the project tomorrow.
Well, back to the scribbling away!
*One more week, I hope. Please let me move next weekend!!
I hope I can finish up my project here, but I may just hang out for a few hours, then go home (or over to a friend's to finish up). It's noisy, but if I can fall into a rhythm of writing, I can tune out everything, and I do have an iPod to neutralize some of the noise.
I've been trapped at home for most of the weekend, and I'm just ready to be done. I had a hard time sitting down to work because it feels like the semester should be over already. I'm working on my project where I got to hold the 200-year old Crevecoeur piece in my hands--Letters from an American Farmer. In the course of my research, I discovered that it was the first American printing of the book. The project has been pretty fascinating overall, but I'm looking forward to turning in the project tomorrow.
Well, back to the scribbling away!
*One more week, I hope. Please let me move next weekend!!
Friday, December 07, 2007
Word Game
Thanks to Lance, I'm now addicted to a word game. But not just any word game--the more you play, the more the world benefits. How?
Free Rice teams up with advertisers to donate rice for every word you play. Not only do you learn vocabulary (hircine means goat-like? I knew what a seraglio is!), but you help feed hungry people. So hop on over and play...
And I have a challenge. My current high score is 45 (out of 50). If you can beat my score then I'll...well, I'll do something cool. Like donate some money to Heifer Project*. Play, play!
*Heifer Project is a great organization--if you're looking for a good place to donate to (and also give donations as a gift for Christmas), it's a good one to pick.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Excitment...
Lots of exciting events are developing. No, and I'm not just talking about Christmas (which is becoming that thing that happens before we go to Spain). I'm talking about moving, about my own apartment, about finishing the semester, and about Spain.
I'm usually a big fan of Christmas, but I think the unreasonably early exposure to Christmas decorations and music on the part of retailers and my roommate has killed my normal Christmas buzz. So now I'm just focusing on making sure I've got the gifts I need to give. I'm certain I'll feel differently when I get to my parents' house (and Lance's parents').
We set up and decorated Lance's grandparents' tree yesterday, which made it feel a little more Christmas-y.
So, if you didn't hear from other sources, I'm moving. Unfortunately I wasn't able to exit with the grace and amiability that I had hoped, but I did try. Now I just have to get through the next week or so. I'll be into my very own place sometime after December 15th!
And Spain. I'm so excited. We have to plan some stuff still, but I think we'll get it all together--Lance's parents are even helping us out a bit with a lodging deal. Yay!
Sorry I haven't posted much this week. I've got one more final, then I'm done until January 14th. I hope next year/semester is better...
I'm usually a big fan of Christmas, but I think the unreasonably early exposure to Christmas decorations and music on the part of retailers and my roommate has killed my normal Christmas buzz. So now I'm just focusing on making sure I've got the gifts I need to give. I'm certain I'll feel differently when I get to my parents' house (and Lance's parents').
We set up and decorated Lance's grandparents' tree yesterday, which made it feel a little more Christmas-y.
So, if you didn't hear from other sources, I'm moving. Unfortunately I wasn't able to exit with the grace and amiability that I had hoped, but I did try. Now I just have to get through the next week or so. I'll be into my very own place sometime after December 15th!
And Spain. I'm so excited. We have to plan some stuff still, but I think we'll get it all together--Lance's parents are even helping us out a bit with a lodging deal. Yay!
Sorry I haven't posted much this week. I've got one more final, then I'm done until January 14th. I hope next year/semester is better...
Monday, December 03, 2007
NaBloPoMo--Finis
I'm sad to say that I was two posts short of completing NaBloPoMo--and it was tragic. I was in a place with no internet or some such excuse.*
I did learn some things from blogging daily (for the most part). Usually I don't, and I only post when I have things to say. I found that when I was compelled to post, I didn't always write things that were useful, meaningful, or all that great. I struggled at first with this, but then I found posting meaningfully became a little easier**.
I think that my fellow bloggers also liked that I posted with some frequency. I'm not too terrible--I don't go weeks without posting or anything. But several of them are daily bloggers, so it gave us a sense of community. Or something. But I did like posting with some regularity, so perhaps I'll try to keep it up--I make no promises for when I'm in Spain, though!
*This sort of thing usually seems to confirm my inability to actually complete things when I start them. Do I really have that sort of tendency? I hope not...but I fear it is so! Will I get to the end of my Ph.D. program and not graduate because I just can't finish? Or will it be confined to things like desiring to run a marathon and not completing NaBloPoMo? Perhaps...
**Don't think it meant all my posts are this. Quite the opposite.
I did learn some things from blogging daily (for the most part). Usually I don't, and I only post when I have things to say. I found that when I was compelled to post, I didn't always write things that were useful, meaningful, or all that great. I struggled at first with this, but then I found posting meaningfully became a little easier**.
I think that my fellow bloggers also liked that I posted with some frequency. I'm not too terrible--I don't go weeks without posting or anything. But several of them are daily bloggers, so it gave us a sense of community. Or something. But I did like posting with some regularity, so perhaps I'll try to keep it up--I make no promises for when I'm in Spain, though!
*This sort of thing usually seems to confirm my inability to actually complete things when I start them. Do I really have that sort of tendency? I hope not...but I fear it is so! Will I get to the end of my Ph.D. program and not graduate because I just can't finish? Or will it be confined to things like desiring to run a marathon and not completing NaBloPoMo? Perhaps...
**Don't think it meant all my posts are this. Quite the opposite.
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