Allllll byyyyyy myselllllfffff

So my honey is gone back to Lakehead for the rest of the semester. It was both less hard and harder to let him go this time, because now I know that the time is half over (and that he's also not going away this summer OR for his Masters right away). However, I know how much I missed him before and that makes it difficult.

However, since I missed some midterms being sick last week I kept myself busy today studying for two of them (so far) and making dinner - parmesan chicken fingers. I'm also going to make muffins for school snacks. On Mondays I have class at 9:30 (up at 7:30 to get there), then I work until 1:30 with no access to a microwave. This means that by 11:00 or so I'm getting hungry, since I ate almost 4 hours before. However, with no access to a microwave I can't usually eat my lunch then. Also, on Tuesdays I have class straight from 8:30-1:00 (up at 6:30) which means I'm again starving by 10:30/11:00. Muffins should help bridge this gap :)

This is a picture with the Panta I made this fall, wearing my alpaca mittens and my Mrs. Beetons (since I didn't have good pictures of anything but the mittens). I'm also wearing my faboo coat from GAP that's cherry red with purple silk lining in exactly the shade of that panta. In consequence, I'm making another pair of Mrs. Beetons using that yarn to match my winter coat.


This is an apple cozy I whipped up last night while Sean and I went through and watched all the funny episodes of Stargate from each season. Since I like Red Delicious apples and Braeburns the best, it's a little taller than the average cozy (although I might make a smaller one for the Braeburns once they come back in season). I made up the leaf as I went along, and I ADORE the button. It's a single one that I got in a bag of vintage buttons from Value Village. Isn't it so pretty?

I'm also going to eventually get some yellow, brown, and pink cotton to make a nectarine cozy and a banana cozy to protect those fruits in my lunch as well. Maybe even a tomato cozy...

Alpaca Mittens and Felted Clogs

Some finished projects:



The felted clogs I made with some lovely wool given to me by Jenny a few Christmases ago. I had trouble figuring out what to do with it, but I think these clogs are just lovely! I'm going to go get some clear fabric paint to coat the bottoms so I can wear them at school in the Wallace building (where most of my classes are).

Pattern: Fibre Trends Felted Clogs - Women's size S
Wool: Patons Classic Merino and Cascade Quattro
Changes : I didn't have enough of the purple to make a second purple outer sole, so I instead made another sole of the pink yarn and attached it to the inside of the clog instead.


These were fingerless mittens, but in the 3 weeks of icy cold we had I added fingers to them and thumbs so I could layer them with my Scandi mitts. They look a little bulky here, but they're actually very fine, thin, and delicate looking.

Pattern: My own
Yarn: Brown Alpaca given to me by Angela

401!

No, not the highway. I just noticed that my last post was #400! I feel like I should have celebrated or something.

Anyway, I've been not posting because of:

a) studying the week before Reading Week
b) Going home and to Thunder Bay for Reading Week
c) having a wicked cold and weird bronchitisy-croupy thing this week when I was supposed to be in school and writing midterms

Sean is here and we're enjoying each other's company as much as we can before he has to go back to Thunder Bay :( We'll see each other again at Easter, and then April. Budget is too tight to get together any other time.

However, we have a time set for the wedding - it'll be next June. Plans so far are for the bridesmaids in a deep fuschia raw silk, gerbera daisies for me....and not much else ;) But we have lots of time still, since all the wedding planner guides say that you don't need to start really planning until a year before.

On the knitting front the only thing that has happened is I finally finished knitted clogs for myself. I want to start a sweater and some new socks too though, so those might start showing up soon.

Oh and one other thing - I have some nice Gluten-Free cookbooks that are no use to me any more, and I'd like to sell them for some extra money (possibly do a stash sell-off as well). Know anyone who'd be interested?

BAH! Again!

Only this time it's not because of Christian extremists and Global Warming. It's because of Environment Canada and The Weather Network.

This morning when I got up it was (and currently still is) -40C. Did you see that? -40C. We are the coldest major city in Canada at the moment, MUCH colder than Yellowknife, Iqaluit, Whitehorse, Toronto...

What does The Weather Network say? "Extreme cold warning for Toronto, with the wind there it will feel like -33C! Also very cold through the whole of Eastern Canada!" then, as an afterthought, "and all the way to the Alberta border, really". Well NO #*$&^! We don't even have an extreme cold warning here! The school buses are closed, but other than that it's business as normal here in Winnipeg!

I keep forgetting that The Weather Network is based out of Southern Ontario, and weather is only extreme when it occurs down there, or in someplace really exciting or fun to say, like Eureka.

Silent Poetry Reading

I missed the date of the Second Annual Bridgid in Cyberspace Poetry Reading which was on Friday, but here's a few offerings from me:

Winter Twilight

A purple velvet descends
crisp and soft
dark and light

dark shivering pines frame the moon
silent and upright
stalwart sentinels announcing the quiet arrival of their majesty

Nameless #3

Rub-a-dub-dub, three men in a tub, and who do you think they be?

The Grim Reaper, Soul seeker, and who would’ve thought

That the third person in there was me!

We were adrift and bobbing, upon the briny sea,

With seagulls all around us, and ‘ner a shore to see.

Now Grimy had ideas, a plan to save us from the drink,

“Since there’s no hope” he said “why not, pull the plug and sink?”

And God would not be left behind, he had ideas too,

“Good things come to he who waits! We’ll be rescued through and through.”

And as I sat a’ thinking, to go with God or Grim

An octopus appeared and told me I could go with him!

The moral of this story, as it is plain to see

When facing rocks and hard places, take option number 3!

Rub-a-dub-dub, two men in a tub, and who do you think they be?

The Grim Reaper, Soul Seeker, and who would’ve thought,

That the one to escape was me!

My fleece...

So it's been extremely cold here. Last night it was -49C with the windchill, and today it's still -33C and this weather is expected to continue for most of the rest of the winter. Factor in the fact that Fabricland had a big sale on polar fleece, and you end up with this:


I designed the pattern myself, based off of a hooded fleece from Old Navy which fit very well and looked really good on me. I traced some of the seam lines, but added side panels and a collar. I'm making two more, in pale yellow with lilac side panels, and then one with an inverted colour scheme. I have enough fleece left to make some vests and legwamers as well, so I'll be doing that too!

I've also gotten cable *finally* through Alan, so I can afford it. I was so excited when I called Sean about it last night that he thought I was crying, and freaked out because he thought I was either pregnant or someone had died. LOL

Today is for homework and sewing more fleece into warm clothes, since our forecast continues to be VERY cold.

DONE!

I am now done EVERYTHING that was hanging over my head. All my Christmas presents (Sean's hat is finally blocked and ready), and my Structure lab final.

I wrote the final today, and 3 questions went well, the last one I could hardly even put anything down. I knew I'd have a hard time with the drill hole question, and I sure did. Oh well!

Angela also got her present today, YAY! I included some neato wool fabric for a tote, a wallet I made, and a shirt I made too. Here's pictures of the wallet and fabric:




She's going to post more pictures herself as well :)

Now I have two assignments and a Geochem lab to finish >.<

Bah! Stupid... ignorant... asfoifnghsdf asdoi *gurgle*

This is a quote from This article about certain schools in the United States trying to restrict the showing of the Al Gore movie "An Inconvenient Truth".


"After a parent who supports the teaching of creationism and opposes sex education complained about the film, the Federal Way School Board on Tuesday placed what it labeled a moratorium on showing the film. The movie consists largely of a computer presentation by former Vice President Al Gore recounting scientists' findings. "Condoms don't belong in school, and neither does Al Gore. He's not a schoolteacher," said Frosty Hardison, a parent of seven who also said that he believes the Earth is 14,000 years old. "The information that's being presented is a very cockeyed view of what the truth is. ... The Bible says that in the end times everything will burn up, but that perspective isn't in the DVD."

Hardison's e-mail to the School Board prompted board member David Larson to propose the moratorium Tuesday night."

Brain - not - functioning - must - not - kill - idiots.

Global warming is no longer "optional" or a "theory". It's here, it's fact, and if we don't do something about it, we are going to effectively exterminate ourselves.

Oh Sam la Tricoteuse I forgot to answer your comment! Mono - and allergies - and sinus infections - oh that's terrible! I understand your frustrations. For the sinuses Sudafed is a miracle worker, as is steaming (gently boil water and breathe the steam in through your nose, or even better buy a "spa facial" steamer cheap from Wallyworld). This will help get rid of future infections as well, since you want to try and avoid giving antibiotics as much as possible now she's allergic to one. This makes her susceptible to others and it's best to leave that for a worst case scenario.

For the mono, the immune system is hard up for YEARS after infection, so taking lots of vitamins helps. Seriously! I've been suffering as of late from residual fatigue and other infections from reduced immunity (they say it takes up to 5 years to get completely healthy again) so I started to take a full multi-vitamin every day. I've been doing it for about 4 days now, and I feel WAY less tired during the day, and have actually been getting and needing less sleep each night!

Many pictures

I found my camera's battery charger!!! That means that I can finally take pictures without using expensive bought batteries. So I have lots of pictures to share finally!


Heather and Chad's quilt is DONE DONE DONE. It's lovely and soft, and although I cleaned it I included instructions to toss it in the washer again as soon as they get it - I'm pretty sure Heather is allergic to cats and I know I can't get it perfect with two cats in the house! TI hink it turned out quite well. It has a few flaws, the lines didn't match perfectly across the horizontal, and I mis-cut one strip of the brown and green pine/feather pattern, meaning I had to piece it back together (since I had limited fabric amounts bought from the States). I hope they'll like it though, it's going out with a video for them to snuggle and watch :)



My Bus socks. I'm knitting socks while on the bus, since it's a fairly long ride. I actually started these in September and had to rip them out 3 times before I got it right (1st - too many stitches, 2nd - not enough ribbing, 3rd - not enough stitches for the heel flap). I'm finally at the point where I can start turning the heel on them, and then make the other!




My lovely candy-cane socks from Angela. However, I'm a little unhappy with what I did with them. Angela had the beads strung on this white wool initially, but the pattern says that they should be on the same yarn as that for the body of the socks. Therefore, I went with the pattern and strung them on the red yarn, so that the white will peek through (hence the reason I took the picture this way). What do you think? Should I do the beading with the white yarn or leave it? Should the white yarn peek through regardless of what colour I use to knit the beaded portion? If it's not apparent in the above photo, those gaps are actually holes where the knitting underneath shows through, it's not knit in like it is in most honeycomb mitten patterns.

Two more pictures can be seen at the locations given below, but as they are (belated) Christmas presents I'm providing them as links instead of in the post.

Don't click Sean!

Don't click Angela!

I FINISHED THE QUILT!!!

Pictures to follow.

That is all.

6 weird things and other stuff

I got tagged by Dorothee:

THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

1. I organize my books by series, author, size, and subject on my bookshelves.

2. I write my class notes in two different colours, and a different set of colours for each class. For example, my Geochemistry class is written in dark blue and highlighted with orange. I use Staedtler pens, since they have awesome life, colours, and fine lines.

3. I don't like staying in bed for long after I first wake up, it makes me feel guilty and lazy (even if I'm still tired). I think this is because I come from a family of exceptionally early risers, and my Dad is often up at 6 even on weekends.

4. I must read at least a chapter of a book every night before bed, because I'll have trouble falling asleep otherwise. I need to read something that I've read before, so that it's easier for me to put the book down and not keep reading!

5. I hum, whistle, or sing a great deal of the time, particularly when I'm around my sister. I also do it at work, once I feel comfortable in the environment, and also walking between classes or to the bus stop. This sometimes makes people look at me funny.

6. I have trouble sleeping without some weight on me, like a comforter or a quilt. I think this is because I have a LOT of nightmares, both now and as a kid, and when I would wake up from them I'd only feel safe if I had a comforter (sheets weren't good enough) covering me. I am a big fan of the "Far Side" cartoon which involves a boy completely hiding under the covers of the bed, surrounded by monsters. He is breathing through a snorkel, and the caption is "The monster snorkel allows your child to breathe comfortably without exposing any body parts".

Bonus! 7. I get the heebie-jeebies/shivers from the following things: the squeaking sound of snow when it's extremely cold, touching velvet or velveteen, cutting styrofoam, and eating those freeze-dried marshmallows (ew!) in some kids cereals. However, I do NOT get them from fingernails on a blackboard. Go figure.

ETA: I tag Angela and Elizabeth to do this meme. I'm not doing six people, because I don't feel I know the blog owners of the blogs I read well enough to tag them for a meme :)

To answer a comment I got about my being in Winterpeg and my new degree pursuits:

I didn't get my Geology degree at Lakehead because of a combination of transfer credit problems and me getting mono, which forced me to quit for one semester. Since I was "stuck" there for another year, I decided to get an English degree, since I was considering going into Education afterwards and teaching High School.

In my first year there, I met my fiance Sean. He lived in Winnipeg for a number of years and his family lives there, so when I was applying to various Education faculties I applied to U of M too, since we thought living in Winnipeg might be nice for awhile. I got into education there, but in the summer realised I'd like to continue in Geology (and I had very high marks in it), so I switched to Geology and am finishing my degree in that. It is an Honours degree, with a thesis. I will be done at the end of next school year, and will then have 3 degrees: B.A. English, Honours B.Sc. General, and Honours B.Sc. Geological Sciences.

Now, I need to either get back to cleaning the apartment (the bedroom is clean, that just leaves the kitchen, bathroom, and living room...), finishing the quilt, or going out to buy the beer I need to make Guiness Beef Stew.

Pet peeves

So, as noted in yesterday's post, it's been fairly cold here in Winnipeg. This (along with my very full schedule that starts and ends my days in Wallace building on campus) means that I leave my coat at my carrell, and take the tunnels to get to my two classes in Tier (all the way across campus).

The tunnels are theoretically a wonderful idea. They keep you warm and make sure you don't have to haul all your winter stuff with you. They are also longer than outside, which could be an upside or a downside. However, a few are narrow, and all of them are full between classes. This brings me to my pet peeves - which I should note don't only include the tunnels but also hallways, malls, and aisles. Basically any pedestrian through-way.

1) People that just kind of mosey their way through, walking at a fairly slow pace, not paying attention and usually listening to their iPods. MOVE buster! I have 12 minutes of ground to cover in my 10 minute break between class, and you're just making me late. Get off to the side so other people can pass you (to be fair, if they're mosey-ing off to the side I don't care, because I can get past).

2) People that stop in doorways/middle of hallways/corners to chat with their 5 other friends. They make it so no one else get past or through, and I had no less than 3 people stop dead directly in front of me because they saw a friend passing the other way. Each time I nearly ran into them, because they'd been moving so fast and stopped so abruptly.

If cars drove like this we'd all be dead! Obey traffic laws in hallways!

I've been busy. I got lots of nice new clothes while shopping with Jenny, "citified" myself as requested by Sean (and desired by both myself and my Mom as well). I really needed to get myself out of the polo-shirt rut.

I finished everyone's Christmas present except the quilt, which I'll be working on like mad in the next few days now that I've finally got the right thread. Angela's needs to be mailed out right away (I'm soooooo sorry I haven't gotten to it yet!!!), and I still have to get the presents to Sean's parents.

This past weekend was spent with my honey in Dryden, trying to squeeze in some quality time with him (and my family) before we're apart for a month while he's away finishing his degree. The worst part is no cuddles! I also miss having him there next to me at night. He keeps me warm :D and when I have nightmares (I seem to have quite a number of nightmares, more than most of my friends) I'm not too scared to sleep for an hour at 3am :P

The weather has been bone-chillingly cold here in Winterpeg, no surprise. It was so cold today (tho really only -25C, with a windchill warning) that I heard a strange noise behind me the whole time I was walking to the bus this evening. It was a "popping" sound. I suddenly figured out what it was - I had an empty water bottle in the outside pocket of my backpack, that still had a few drops clinging to the sides. The water inside was freezing, and since the cap was on so tight a vacuum was being created inside, crushing the bottle. Pretty neat!

All those who bake - take heed. I am looking for a recipe that seems to be impossible to find. I'd like a recipe for gingerbread cookies that has the following qualities:

-Very light-coloured when baked. Almost more like a sugar cookie in colour
-Light flavour - can have lots of ginger
-Little to no molasses - this is the flavour I don't like in gingerbread much
-Soft texture after baking, almost chewy
-Thick and don't spread

You see, the best gingerbread I've ever had in my life is in the form of gingerbread men from a little bakery in Kenora, Ontario. It's changed names a few times, but it's at the bottom of the hill on the street which houses the Knox United Church. The Music Festival was held here every year, and a treat between piano pieces was to go to the bakery for a snack. I have never been able to duplicate these cookies anywhere, ever. As a note to Angela, they have almost the same texture and colour as those wonderful nutmeg sugar cookies of yours when they're just barely cool out of the oven. Not crisp at all, just soft and chewy.

I'd be much obliged if anyone could give me any ideas for this!

I have also discovered I have a positive addiction to Genmaicha green tea, probably from having it at sushi restaurants. We have some at home, but I just can't make it taste the same as when I'm out. I'm trying to figure out a new way to steep it at home that will work better than just dumping the loose tea in my little pot and drinking around the leaves and rice :)

Hi all, this is just a quick post for now. Trying to spend every last waking moment with Sean before he goes back to school. First of all I put it on comment moderation so that I can eliminate anonymous and all the other evil posters who have been making posting on this blog frustrating. From now on, I'm just ignoring them!

Christmas was pretty good, although I'm still working on finishing presents for 4 people (darned stomach flu). I some cute jammies, money, LUSH, and a sock kit from Angela I love! It's the Chocolate Covered Cherries socks, but as Angela "wasn't sold on the idea" they're candy cane socks instead. Red beads and white wool, with a little hint of variegated red underneath the beaded cuff. Although Ang, I mean to ask, did you mean for the white to be the main body of the sock, or the red yarn? I figured white since you strung the beads on white, but wasn't sure :D

Today is major house cleaning, tomorrow is Sean leaving :( and Jenny keeping me company :D and Thursday/Friday Night/Saturday is WIUGC, Western Inter-University Geology Conference. So at least I can keep myself busy.

Thanks guys :)

First of all, thanks so much to Marcia and Angela for the encouragements to feel better (yes, I did get the illnesses after all but one exam was finished, and I'm writing it in the New Year), and defence against the anonymous commenter. She's not actually anonymous (we both know who she is), but I've left the anonymous commenting up until now for interest's sake to see what she has to say and laugh at it. However, I think I'm going to disable it now. She's the only person who comments anonymously anyway, since Mom never does anymore *frowny-face* but Mom signs her name anyway. Oh wait, and Patrick. If you want to post a comment (cause I LOVE comments!) and don't have my e-mail address (I'm not going to post it here, although most of you have at least my old hotmail one, which I still check) you can go here: Blogger and make an identity to post. I realise it's an inconvience, but hopefully it'll discourage Miss Anonymous as well as spam.

And Miss Anonymous? I know his other girlfriend - Rachel :D She's a wonderful gal who's totally into Egyptology. And yes I know who YOU meant in your post, but really. Who's got the diamond here?

Marcia (and Patrick, if you see this) I need your up-to-date e-mails and addresses, so once Christmas is over I can send you New Year's cards, seeing as I was too sick to send ours out as Christmas cards.

Christmas updates: Dad's done, Becky's done, Grandpa's almost done, Sean's/Chris's/Tom's/Mary's/Angela's all half done, Grandmas' not started yet, Mom's not started yet. I promise this is NOT anything due to priorities, it's that some projects were transportable and could be brought back and forth between school and got done first.

An ear infection, throat infection, and stomach flu have all conspired against me to prevent me posting or making Christmas presents. I'll be back sometime :P

Knitting is still going on, as is exam studying. Monday's exams went crappy, with almost everyone coming out of the first with no more than a 70% on it (he posted the answer key outside). I personally got about a 66%. The second was ridiculously difficult, and again I think I got about a 70%. Seeing as I had 85 to 90% in these classes BEFORE the finals I'm a little ticked. It's not like I didn't study enough, it's a case again of the questions being SO specific I couldn't possibly know enough to have answered all those questions. At least not when I needed to have enough crammed into my head to write two exams that day.

Today I'm studying for Wednesday's evening exam (Plagues and People), going to a Structure Lab review session, and maybe working. Not sure about that, because I need enough time to study. I think I'll work tomorrow afternoon before my exam though.

I've been knitting on a few projects, got one half done and the other just started. I'm a little stressed about getting these things done in time for Christmas, but we'll see.

BUY MY WALLETS!

These are images of one of the wallets I've made using the tutorial found here. I'm making many more in order to supplement our not-quite-enough income. When they're finished I'll post pictures, but I can describe them for now. I have more like this one, ones with the orange daisy fabric inside and plain blue outside, ones that are Care Bear print with blue inside, and ones that are in bright African prints, mainly green, black, and gold. I'm not exactly sure what I'm charging for them yet, I'm hoping to generate some interest!

Oh, and I have permission from the tutorial-maker to use her pattern to make money :)