No Photos Again! and other rambling confessional thoughts.....

Sorry, but I keep forgetting to take photos to post on here. I'll try to remember to do it this weekend, but no promises!

My son and my ex-husband are back and they are staying with me in my tiny little place. The good news is, my ex was so appalled at my living conditions that he totally cleaned up the place.....he even cleaned out the refrigerator and straightened up my bedroom!!!! The bad news is, now that he's fixed my place to his liking, it looks like he's going to stay awhile.....and so is my son....

About my son.....that old saying that distance makes the heart grow fonder must be true, because when he was in the Philippines or when he was at Carnegie Mellon for college, I really missed him. But right now I can't stand him because he's a disrespectful brat.....and I can't wait for him to go back to the Philippines and come back to Los Angeles only when he has grown up and out of the terrible 22's.
I mean it, he really is a brat.....why else would I be at my office at 11:52 on a Monday night.......

I've knit a lot of socks and scarves since I last posted...sorry, I keep forgetting to take pictures.....and last night I finally started on my dress for the debutante's ball. I knit the back, and when I was finished, I held it up to me and wouldn't you know it, but it is too small! I need to add some ease to the pattern. So that means back to the drawing board! I am going to try to do the calculations if I go on jury duty sometime this week....otherwise, I'll try to do it Friday night so I can knit it on Sunday.

I am using Designer 727 yarn (black, of course!) and my Brother 864 standard gauge machine. It took a LONG while for me to get used to knitting garments again! My yarn kept skipping needles until I figured that I needed to put weights on. AFter I did that, then it was smooth sailing all the wwhat it is SUPPOSED to look like versus what it will end up looking like. I have aay. Also, I took the pattern from an old vintage Knitking magazine--I think it was in the 1970's, which could explain the difference in size!!!!!--but unfortunately, I can't find the magazine so I could just scan the photo and post it here so you could see xerox copy of the pattern, but that won't help you in visualizing the dress.

I joined a new gym in Pasadena and have started taking kickboxing classes. They are great....so difficult yet I get a great cardio and strength training workout. I am going to try to go to 4 - 5 classes a week at 5:30 every day. I can't go on Wednesdays because I have class.

Speaking of class, I am getting pretty nervous about starting my dissertation. The stats and research methods teacher is, I have heard, pretty tough. I don't want to do it anymore!!!!!!! I'm scared!!!! and just plain lazy!!!!! I don't want to read boring articles and books and try to come up with an original idea about leadership, higher education, and globalization! Why? Because I really really don't care about any of that stuff!!!!!! I don't want to go to China in May!!! There's too much pollution there!!!! I saw it in the New York Times!!!!! I don't want to go the the Philippines in May either because all the women there are skinny and I feel like a bull in a china shop when I'm there!!!! Even when I was a size 6 and 8, my American shoulders and hips were broader than theirs!!!! Not fair because I'm Filipino, too, and it's not my fault that the quality of food is better in America and so I'm just....well, BIGGER......height wise and width wise and weight wise than everyone else over there!!!!!!! waaaaasaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

Well, okay, while I'm on this rant, I wish I could talk about other things, like my new/old crush, but this is a knitting blog and I'm supposed to stick to knitting stuff......waaaaahhhhhhhhhhh.......

I know! I will open another blog for my deepest darkest secrets....hehehe......

Look What I Bought This Weekend!

I went to Newtons this weekend to hear a presentation and I ended up buying a cone winder! Woo Hoo!!!!! And lots of yarn..... Not so great, but I did end up making the scarf for a dean at Barnard who helped my daughter tremendously. Okay, so it is 4 years late, but better late than never, I say!

I also bought some yarn for my niece's wedding gift....yes, the wedding that was 2 years ago......Once I decide on a pattern, I'll knit it!

I"m still avoiding charting the dress I'm supposed to knit for the debutante's ball on February 9th. Don't know why I am avoiding it.......maybe because I'm praying I will lose weight before the big night?????

I made something other than socks!

I'm so excited! I knit two scarves this morning! One for my daughter with trendsetter yarn that was really expensive, and one for my brother with black wool/silk zephyr yarn I bought from Sarah's Yarns. It's a bigger deal than it sounds, because I had to put together my brother 260 ribber without an instruction manual. Anyway, it all turned out great and A was very happy with her rainbow scarf and so was my brother. I will ask her to take a photo and send it to me so I can post it.

What a difference a working computer makes! I had such problems with my Studio 155 bulky and I am soooooo glad I was able to trade it in, though at a serious loss. The Brother 260 and the ribber worked together so well....I am now thinking about putting up the ribber on my standard gauge, as well.

Right now I have three machines set up: the bulky with ribber, the standard gauge, and my sock machine. While I was knitting A's scarf, I had all these fantasies about buying a fine-gauge machine to complete my collection. If I had that one machine, I would be so happy. The only other thing I would really like is an electric cone-winder. And maybe another room to store all the yarn I would like to buy.

I am so burned out from work and school. The semester starts this week, I think, and I really don't feel like going back to school. It was so difficult to get over being sick and still work on the papers that I turned in soooo late. All I want to do is nest in my tiny place surrounded by all my machines and yarn and knit, knit, knit all day long. I wish our holiday break could have been longer.....a month would have been nice....three months would be even nicer......

I spent all day yesterday looking at my knitting magazines trying to find a pattern to knit for a dress I would like to wear to a friend's daughter's debutante ball in early February. I am thinking of knitting something with either a very low V-neck with a fitted waist, or a ballerina-type neckline with long sleeves. When I find the pattern, I will post!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year! I wish you all Peace, Joy, Love, and Prosperity in 2008!

Here are my 2008 Resolutions, in no particular order (Yes, I know, they are 2007's resolutions recycled, but they still are good!):

• Be fearless. Take risks. Be positive. Be confident. At the age of 46, you’ve earned it!
o Try to do one new thing a month.
o Take the metro somewhere…..anywhere…….
o Go out to dinner alone. Continue to go to the summer concerts.
o Go out more. Although I love love love being alone and nesting and knitting at home, I do need to go out more.
o Take ballroom and latin dancing lessons
o Take Chinese language lessons
• Be kinder to everyone.
• Try to be more of a friend to my children.
• Take medicine EVERY DAY.
o No excuses for forgetting to take it for a month. That’s when you get scary mammogram results!!!!
• Try to blog at least once a week, even if it is off-topic and/or very short.
• Try to give more of yourself to others. Be kinder to those in need.
o Do not complain or sigh when volunteering at cancer support center. Knit something for charity at least once a month (it could be a hat or a sock or a blanket).
• Smile more. Try not to be so aloof, especially with strangers, especially with HANDSOME strangers.
• Health and personal appearance.
o Try to be the best person I can be; this includes being more watchful of some things (like weight and exercise and diet) and indulging myself more (massages, foot massages)
o Lose weight (25 - 40 pounds)
o Eat healthy foods
o Exercise at least three times a week.
o Put moisturizer on 2x per day
o Pay attention to clothes.
o Since I’ve re-discovered the bargains in Downtown L.A., spend more money on nice shoes.
• Knitting.
o Do not buy any yarn this year unless it is meant for a suit that will be knit within the next two months.
o The only knitting things I am allowed to buy are knitting magazines and DAK.
o Knit 1 item to wear a month.
o Try to knit at least 2 hours a week.
• Money
o Save A LOT of money this year.
o Do not go out to eat every week.
o Bring lunch/dinner to work.
o Put money in bank every paycheck.
o Live within means/stay on budget.
o Decide what to do with all the different 401Ks I have from all my other jobs.
o Either move them, consolidate them, or re-allocate them. (Especially the two money market ones that are just sitting around doing nothing!!!!!)
o Pay off all debts except for student loan debts.
Try to manage money so that I’m not scraping by the end of the month. In other words, have some money in the checking account at the end of the month.
• Work
o Be on time for work. Work starts at 8:30 a.m., NOT 9:10 a.m.
o Start cleaning out office and putting things in the right place.
o Look for a new job in student affairs before the end of the year.
• Procrastination.
o Do not procrastinate.
o Open mail and DEAL WITH IT RIGHT THEN AND THERE!!!!! No procrastination or denial
o Don’t let unwashed dishes stay in sink for longer than 24 hours (well, okay, maybe 36). My record was 3 weeks (the dishes were rinsed, though. I was BUSY writing my papers! And, I eat out a lot).
o Keep office clean and files up to date.
o TRY to make bed, even if it means only pulling up the covers.
o DO NOT TURN IN PAPERS 2 WEEKS LATE.
• Household
o Very similar to the procrastination category, but oh well…..
o Keep clutter to a minimum
o Hang up clothes every night.
o Keep home desk kind of neat
o Try to put everything away. A place for everything and everything in its place.
• Flirt more. I need the practice.