Stupid Monday

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah rain rain blah blah blah blah blah blah blah rain rain rain rain

Pretending I am an artiste

Which is really easy to do when you've got subjects as beautiful as the ones in the Japanese Gardens in Fall.






The 'rents loved it, and the farmer's market was great too (Sadly the chile man was GONE! I guess that was his last weekend 2 weeks ago.) It was a lovely Saturday.

Rainy Friday

I'm rocking the drowned rat look today. I biked to work in the rain, and it wasn't just drizzle today. Not super heavy, but heavy enough. It was FABULOUS! I had the streets mostly to myself (besides the cars), and it wasn't really that cold; I wore knee-high wool socks under my pants and they keep me pretty warm even when wet.

I had on a rain jacket, no problems there, but my shoes are soaking wet. Ah well. I brought extra socks and I keep a pair of sandals stashed under my desk at work. I'm wearing my red Hawaiian shirt today (made in Hawaii!) in honor of the weather.

See, I really really needed to move around today, quickly. And for a bonus, when you're sweating, the rain isn't really all that noticeable (except when it was whipping into my face. bleh. Need to get clear goggles or something).

I love my parents and enjoy having them around, but I'm also used to my own ways of doing things and it's stressful to me to upset my routine. Doesn't that just make me sound fusty? But it's true, and it's easier to cope with if I acknowledge it. I've also gots lots of fun psychological baggage and that always comes screaming to the fore when family is around. Oh, nothing horrible, just regular stuff.

Mom & I are spending evenings knitting on the couch; it's pretty awesome. She and Grandma taught me to knit in the first place, and now I'm showing her how to do sock heels. (She decided to make Christmas socks for everyone this year (sock gifting is our obscure family tradition) and she chose 4 different patterns with 3 different heels and hasn't ever done socks before. Although the beauty of doing an ENORMOUS sock on worsted weight yarn is that you can see everything you're doing really well.)

She picked up heel flaps just like that (ha, ha, 'picked up'). I haven't ever done afterthought heels but the directions were enough that we worked through them together, and tonight it's a short row heel. Meanwhile I am working on mittens for the nieces. Whoosh, they go fast (and I am a slow, slow knitter).

Tomorrow we'll hit the downtown farmer's market, and maybe the Japanese Garden, and perhaps some Fabric Depot goodness or just lounge about and play a couple games. I'm really grateful they were able to retire this year, because they're getting up there and I thought they ought to have some time to enjoy themselves. They seem to be having a pretty good time with it.

Can't talk, parents here

* spent a good chunk of the weekend cleaning. Necessary but not fun
* this visit they are now telling me what they prefer to eat. Win!
* why did I make my dentist checkup for 8 am? WHY?

October Saturday at the Farmer's Market

(warning: picture heavy)
I had to drop off the Love Monkey for an early thingy at PSU, and stopped at the downtown farmer's market. I got there before they even opened. It's a perfect, beautiful fall day today, crisp and clear (and cold in the morning).
Zinnias!

I think I'd like a Fuji. No, a Honeycrisp! But what about those Galas?
I bought 2 Winter Bananas for making a crisp tonight. Or maybe apple cake. I am having trouble deciding.

Lot of independent cheese makers, especially this time of year as the produce winds down. This guy makes some fantastic French cheese with names I've never heard of.


The Chile Man Roasteth. I am SO HAPPY this guy is here. Otherwise I have to wait until I visit my parents in New Mexico to get my green chile fix. He's got the goods too: Sandia, Española, and Barker Hot, among all the usual poblanos and jalapenos. Oh, we are definitely having some this weekend. YUM


Pimientos de Padron & chestnuts. Yeah, I got some. It was completely impulsive, as I have NO IDEA how to cook chestnuts. None. Fortunately I admitted my ignorance to the seller and she gave me a run down on how to roast them.

Artichoke bloom

Navel-gazing for fun and profitlessness

I know, I promised dyeing, but I didn't feel well enough to don a face mask and mix up solutions on Saturday (coughing & dust mask do not mix well), and Sunday I got carried away mixing up stock solutions and um, didn't get to the dyeing part until late?

I was reading through Fillyjonk's ideas for a new sweater (set aside the momentary fact that I have yet to complete an adult sweater, ok?) and something clicked in my head that I've been mulling over for years. Maybe I can articulate it now. It's kind of a theory of acquisition. Let's use clothing as an example. I'm drawn to certain patterns, colors, drapes - that I probably wouldn't ever wear. Willet is an example. I agree with Fillyjonk, it is very cute and sweet. But then I've learned to examine my thoughts and come to the conclusion that I'd be trying to purchase being the kind of person who would wear that. It would look all wrong on me.

I suppose you could say it didn't fit my personal style or blah blah whatever but do I even HAVE a personal style? Lately, I pretty much wear whatever I can get my hands on that fits me well, which is pretty scarce these days. I do a lot of nicer t-shirts. I'm not sure I really want to be doing a lot of nicer t-shirts but I suppose it's comfortable if nothing else.

But if I bought/made this thing, would I change to be someone who would wear it?

All of this is entangled in weight issues too, since I would look MUCH different in many of the clothes I see than the model in the picture does, and also there is the back of my mind trying to purchase her SHAPE and not just her clothes blah blah blah. But things that they tell me are designed to look good on big people so often just repel me. I have never learned to love the wrap sweater, and frankly, I've seen very few pictures of people I think look good in one.

So. I very rarely buy pattern booklets or magazines or books of patterns because usually 97% of most patterns 1) don't look like something I would wear, or 2) would look like crap on big ol' me (this isn't hyperbole. 3 out of every 100 commercial patterns is about my appeal rate)

Meh, I forget the point here. Something about transforming into the person who'd wear those clothes. Right now I'm only transforming into MC Phlegm (rockin' the bronchial tubes, yo yo!)

Bah, sick

I've had a cold since Tuesday, early morning. I know exactly who I got it from too, I am looking at YOU, hacking, coughing, sneezing lady sitting directly behind me at the book signing at Knit/Purl on Monday night. So as a public request, I ask you please: people, if you are sick, STAY HOME, unless you really have to go out. The cold's now moved down to my lungs and it's so much fun coughing until my head and chest hurt. The Love Monkey picked it up today and I am force-feeding him zinc because hoo boy was I out of it for a couple days, just sleeping and staring at walls. I finally started getting a sense of smell back yesterday (and, by extension, was able to taste more than sweet/sour/salty/bitter).

I checked out a book of short stories by Connie Willis from the library a couple weeks ago and am very grateful I did - they're just about my attention span at this point and I find I enjoy her writing. This is only the second thing I've read from her. The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories. It's a pretty thick hardback from the library, but it's larger text so I'm already 3/4 done. Then again, there has been the few days of afore-mentioned wall-staring.

Last week I ripped through The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkaway. It was a bit rough getting used to the cadence of his writing (maybe because he's British?), but after 50 pages I wanted to find out what happened and after 100 I was fairly well hooked. And then it proceeded to break my heart. The main theme resonated a bit too close to my own opinions on the subject. Plus, you know, it has ninjas. And secret weapons, mimes, and true love gone astray. I sound like the beginning of the Princess Bride.

Tomorrow: adventures in dyeing roving. A.k.a. what not to felt.