Wednesday, June 25, 2008

I'd like to make an amendment

To my afore mentioned desert island discs. I would also please like to bring the entire Weezer Library.

When i was in college, my roommate had the blue album, and i loathed the music. What can i say? I was still a WAAF Listener. But people can learn! People can learn to appreciate new and clever and truly creative music and lyrics.

Fast forward to the also afore mentioned 2005 foo fighters show. that's where i learned how to love the Weeze. since then thy have gone into regular rotation, and i listen to it very loud indeed. I just recently got my hands on the red album, and i think it's my favorite, there isn't a dead spot on the record, and most of the songs are really rockin. I like my records to rock, I like he soul searching as well, but i really like my music to be rockin.

Monday, June 23, 2008

sewing circle

So debra came over on saturn-day to learn how to sew. I had to teach her on my little engine that could sewing machine. my machine really needs to go to P.C. Vac and Sew for a tune up. But debra persevered and went home with a super nifty tote bag. the fabric is a super pair of stripes and toille. We did use a pattern, i thought it was a mccalls pattern, but now i can't find it on their site. the pattern called for also including a hidden pocket, but i felt that that was a tiny bit too advanced a concept for a first date with a sewing machine. Perhaps next time.

Debra did a really great job of sewing, i did hardly any of it. She even did the tricky bits of sewing around the top seam, with all those layers of batting and fabric. She wasn't even put off by how long it took, and how moderately boring it can turn out to be. I'll have to see if she can send me a photograph so i can post it, I'm a Dumbhead, so i didn't take one at the end of the lesson.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Ah, i've been remiss

Cristiano Ronaldo is the footballer i spoke of earlier. he's got a wiki page here.

he's terribly good, but he's terribly melodramatic, and people often times are angry and bitter when his team beats theirs (my friend dave is still bitter over win against england in the World cup 06).

but Uefa Euro Football is indeed exciting. According to soccernet.com, This is how the groups line up as of today:


I'm not so skilled at keeping track of this stuff, but from what i've heard, #1 plays #2, and Group A plays Group B, while C plays D in the next round, which is a knockout round. so Croatia will play Turkey (incidentally, Turkey beat the Czech Republic whom i predicted would advance. So really, don't listen to me!), and Portugal will play Germany. Yipes. That be some football!

Now, from what i gather, Group C is all sorts of up in the air, with the exception of Holland; they advance as #1. here's the qualification explanation. Group D is a bit tangley too, though not as much, nor as exciting. Essentially it's must win for all teams playing today, making for some excellent soccer. check them out on espn360.com. They are all on at the same time, to avoid any sort of match fixing. I'll be streaming today, for sure!

Monday, June 16, 2008

sewing for me!

So, even though saturday was World Wide Knit in Public Day i made myself a shirt.

It's a very easy pattern

I did make an alteration to the length than is shown in the refece photo, I'm too short to really wear something long like this, and the additional length really didn't look good on my hips, so i made it more like a blouse, and it mostly fits perfectly.

It took me the better part of saturday, since I'm really only beginning to sew clothing. but I'm pleased with the results and I'm sure that the next one i make will really look nice, and won't take nearly as long.

Friday, June 13, 2008

I love to sew!

And when the urge to sew hits, i like to take advantage of it. I'm beginning to dabble in clothing, as you have already seen, Niece Kristen got a few dresses a few months ago. This time Niece Caitie is going to be the recipient. (incidentally, Kristen wore the pink swirly dress in public the other day, and i have to admit, though it looks cute on a hanger, it looks way better on a cute baby! I've heard that clothes make the person, but the opposite is true, kristen makes the clothes!)

anyway, here are the two things i made for Caitie:

this is a a summer dress that looks like it's the same pattern, but it isn't. I suppose i could have use d the same pattern, but i'm just learning, so i didn't realize they were so similar until i already had it purchased. The biggest difference between this pattern and the one from before is that this calls for a zipper in the back. the next one i make i'll probably use the first pattern, and make it so the straps are buttoned or snapped, like before, so the other girls won't have to fumble with the zipper in the back (too much of a PIA for a little girl.)

I had some of the blue polka dots left so i thought i would make a top to wear with jeans or shorts on a summer day.
So from the same pattern i made this:


I also wanted to try something i've had in my head for a long time. Should I ever get married, I'd like the bodice of my dress to have something like this- so the front looks like the breakfast at tiffany's dress, but in the back, the straps would taper to about 1/2 inch wide or so, and then go straight along the shoulder blades. This shirt was an exercise to see if it's possible.

I suppose it sort of did. I have a feeling a more experienced seamstress could figure it out much better than i can. But it worked pretty well for a child's summer top.

Methinks these are pretty ok, all in all.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

he is really good.

I just wish he didn't play for manchester united, and i wish, wish, wish he was a little less melodramatic! Please, don't act like such a wanker when you get fouled.

But i have to tell the truth, he's a really good player. His silliness with the ball drives me crazy, but that's because i don't normally have much patience for showboatsmanship, (and as someone who used to play marking back and stopper it's really aggravating) but the rest of his game is really solid. He's incredibly fast and really strong. He's a big guy, and despite his whining on the pitch, he's a pretty tough customer.

have a look at this goal in yesterday's euro match:


beside that, he's not even too terribly selfish, as far as working with and using and helping his teammates- it seems that he really does rather win the game than get all the goals.


All of this is made all the better by the fact that he's still just a kid- he's only 23 years old, Not to mention he's pretty easy on the eyes, footballer or not.

Yesterday's game against the Czech Republic has a deceptive score. Portugal was very good, but the Czechs were very good too. They'll make it through to the Quarters, and then they will give their opponent a very good game indeed. But, on the other hand, don't count out Turkey from this- they beat Switzerland yesterday. Yhat really makes it so that the only shoo in is portugal, and that's not even really a shoo in. Wow, what a good tourney so far!

Friday, June 06, 2008

someone is definitely stealing my milk, dammit!

Yesterday, i left the mark on the bottle in red, it's on the side, you can see it in the photo (I also put my name on the bottle hoping it would be left alone. When i arrived this morning, the milk was at the same level. I figured for sure no one would use the last few ounces of milk that didn't belong to them. i thought i'd have it for lunch, a small cup of milk, but a cup of milk anyway.

This is where it is right now:

WTF?


Seriously, what kind of a jerk leaves that amount of milk in the bottle anyway? You're already a jerk, so just finish the effing bottle! As if leaving a tablespoon in the bottom of the bottle is going to make me less hacked off. My stinking name is on it for a reason. it's mine. If my name weren't on the bottle, i suppose i could appreciate that you didn't know who to ask, but that's not the case. If you figured hey, she'll probably let me borrow some anyway, so i'll just go ahead; you're only partly right. had you asked, i would have agreed. but now you've been a jerky coworker and i don't really know who you are, but i don't like you just the same.

so on monday, when i bring the hannaford half gallon in, i'm going to plaster a big huge jerky-jerk KRISTINE all over it in sharpie marker. hell, i might even put a super snarky Don't drink this milk! on it too.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

rockin' the aran sweater

Last summer i invested in an ipod (not really sure why though, i don't use it terribly often); and it's really great, i do like it a lot. The trouble is, they are somewhat delicate. the chrome finish is really taking a beating. Even though it's not typically my style, i decided to make it a sweater. Since i'm going to give an aran sweater a try this summer and fall, i thought the ipod sweater is a good place to start practicing.



i have to confess, this is an idea I acquired while browsing around etsy. I’ll admit, that it’s moderately poor form to make something someone else is trying to sell; but on the other hand if you search for tea wallet on etsy, you’ll get a trillion hits. Tea wallet is actually something I posted on another crafting site, and it was my idea to call them tea wallets. Call me snarky, but i don’t feel so bad about borrowing another person’s idea for the cabled cozy.


I'm not terribly crazy about the green button, but it's all i had on hand when i finished up last night at midnight. i'm going to look around yardsales to see if i can find a wooden one that will be more in keeping with an aran sweater.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

The Whole Milk Whodunnit

Methinks someone here at work is stealing my milk.At first i thought well, you must be imagining things; you must've had more cups of tea than you thought. Well, then it started to be whole glass amounts less than what i left it at. So, i set about laying traps so i could determine if indeed someone is stealing la leche. I decided to mark where the milk measured in the bottle after my last use (I marked it in permanent marker, the same color as the bottle label, so the perpetrator wouldn't notice i was on to them).

Sure enough, this morning, upon arrival to work, the milk is lower than yesterday's mark. A-ha! well, now i have to step it up a bit, i have to make the mark in a color that is noticeable to the perpetrator. so i marked it in black marker. 40 minutes later the milk is lower again! Sacre Bleu!


Sometimes the milk has my name on it, other times it doesn't. I don't know if that's a significant theft deterrent. But since the Hannaford Whole Milk in the corner of the fridgerator often times has my name on to, wouldn't you think the ones without a name might be mine too? I know, I know, it's terribly childish for me to be so indignant. But on the other hand, it's not really polite of the person doing so either. I suppose I should just get over it, it's only a couple of ounces of milk. But why should I be the one to get over it? As a matter of fact it's more than just a couple of ounces, it's gotten to be so that it's probably close to a half-pint of milk every week. I don't buy the milk so other people can drink it.

And besides that, it's fucking rude! Stop drinking my milk!