From Elizabeth

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Arts vs. Science

There's a long, ongoing debate as to whether getting an Arts or Science degree is more difficult. Here's the general arguements from both sides:

Arts:
Less Class Time
More research for papers needed
More reading

Science:
More Class time
Labs and practical work instead of reading.

As a past Arts graduate and current science student, I'm here to say, that at least in English/History vs. Geology, this is all bull. I not only have more class hours and lab requirements to fulfill, I have to read nearly as much as I was required to in English, still have to complete term papers, and have twice as many finals to write because I have to do lab finals as well as lecture finals.

I put in at least 30 hours of work a week in class, then I work 12 hours a week, and I still have to clean and cook for myself. I also have an hour to hour and a half long commute each day. Now that I have 2 term papers, 2 lab assignments, 2 lab finals, and a lecture final in the next week and a half that's going to go up to a good 60 hours of school work a week.

I'm absolutely not complaining about the amount of work I have to do. I understand that I chose to do take Geology, and that I need to be responsible for keeping my house clean and eating well. I'm just saying that not all degrees are created equal, and that there is much more work required in Geology as compared to English. In fact, in some of our geology classes we have Engineers and Geophysicists, and they both state that our program is the hardest they have every experienced. Having been through various upper level classes varying from Linguistics, English, Classics, Math, Anthropology, and Geology I have to say that this just may be the most difficult and work-intensive program I have ever been in. And boy am I exhausted.

Sean comes home in 3 weeks. Thank God!

Ryan's questionnaire

Taken from Mossy Cottage Knits

Him: PC
Me: PC

Him: Campfire hotdogs
Me: Campfire hotdogs

Him: Home decorating—natural earth tones and neutral blues
Me: Home decorating—COLOURS. NO taupe/beige/etc.

Him: Pictures—framed, Archaeology themed
Me: Pictures—framed or tacked neatly, Monet

Him: Those English type horses
Me: Clydesdales

Him: Burmese Cat
Me: Silver Egyptian Mau or Calico

Him: Coffee - but I'm trying to cut back
Me: Tea

Him: Classical/Instrumental
Me: Classical/Instrumental

Him: Over-easy Eggs
Me: Over-easy Eggs, but only if I have toast or they're in a sandwich

Him: Coke
Me: Pepsi (if I drink cola)

Him: Driver
Me: Passenger

Him: X-Box System
Her: Nintendo System

Him: VERY spicy
Her: Much less spicy

Him: Dark Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Her: Happy Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Him: Horror fan
Her: Not so much

Him: Painter
Her: Knitter/Sewer

Ahhhhh....

Tomorrow night I fly out to see Sean, I finished more than half my lab assignment today (and we still have a period next week to work on it), I did very well on my Engineering Geology midterm, and I'm having Grilled Cheese and carrots for dinner.

Live is improving!

It's not even that life has been BAD, just stressful. And since Sean isn't here right now, it sometimes spills out into the blog. However, I did have fun on St. Patty's day at Sean's parents, where I brought sugar cookies his mom adored. She even put them away partway through the night so she could save some!

Wedding plans continue to abound, with my bridesmaids going out to try on some dresses now, and at least one groomsman excited about his role :) We don't have a location yet, but outside is the idea so far. We don't even have colours picked, because although I was big on Fuschia and Spring Green, we might not be able to get dresses in those colours. So we'll see. Pink would also be awesome with the embroidery in my dress, but a few other colours would be alright too.

OK I'm all for winter but this is ridiculous

GEEZ. This morning, windchill of -27C. Since it was warm yesterday we had snow, sleet, and freezing rain, and with the temperature this morning that (along with the slush that had formed) froze into a solid 2" of ice on the sidewalks that the city did not salt OR sand.

This was not regular ice either. It was slippery ice. Ice can have many different textures: soft, hard, sticky, slippery. Because of the freezing rain, a lightly pebbled surface was created, which as all curlers know creates an incredibly slick surface that's even more slippery than a smooth rink.

Somebody owes me.

Avo-licious

My lunch today was very avocado-y.

Avocado-Bacon-Tomato Salad:

1/2 avocado, cubed
1 vine tomato, cubed
2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
splash lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all together! You could also add a touch of mayonnaise.

I also had guacamole: just the other half of the avocado, good sized clove of garlic minced, salt, and lime juice.

I've been knitting on Mom's birthday present between working on my term papers. I made beef stew for dinner, and cream scones for the coming week.

Tasty.

Who pissed off the weather man?

Comparison:

Yesterday's air temp: 6C - windchill: -1C
Today's air temp: -14C - windchill: -27C

I just went from my blue spring coat back to my parka in one day. And of course now everything is ice because it was all water the day before.

I'm the teensiest bit cranky because I had to do the world's most boring anthropology assignment. A Social Analysis of Architecture, meaning analysing the floor plans of a Victorian mansion and a 1987 rancher, and what they mean in terms of social conventions, displays of affluence, etc. Guh.

I'm also cranky because although I still (heart) my massage therapist cause he's a really nice guy, I am SORE. I had a 45 min session today in an effort to keep fixing all those darned knots, and he spent the whole time on just a few spots on my shoulders where I have huge lumps the size of golfballs. It hurts so bad when he rubs them, like I'm being stabbed, but they did shrink some over the course of the session. I am about to go have a shower because moist heat is supposed to be the best for penetrating to deep muscle fibre, which is where these knots are located (and why they're so hard to get out).

I (heart) my massage therapist...

Ouch! I can't remember if I mentioned (I'm trying not to turn this blog into the saga of Karlie's health and wellness) I spasmed up my back on Wednesday studying, and it wouldn't stretch out so I got to go the the massage therapist. Apparently I have some old notes hideing in there and that's why everything spasmed, so I get to go back a few more times to get them out. Bonus though, because even though it hurt like crazy, I felt soooooooooo much better afterwards. He's gonna get me all cleaned up before I start hiking around Red Lake this summer, and we're also gonna fix my terrible posture.

This weekend is dedicated to ME, since I've been crazy busy doing school work and stuff. Although term papers are creeping up on me, I need some time to chill out before I go nuts working on stuff. I've made it a goal to finish as much of the "Torque" sweater I can, although I'm having to knit it on needles 2 sizes smaller than called for to get anywhere near gauge! I think this is because the yarn is coughacryliccough, but it's in a nice colour and I don't want to waste a sweater's worth of yarn.

I've also figured something out - I really want an mp3 player, so that's going to be my one purchase this summer out of my paycheque. Actually, I might make it out of my tax return so I have it in Red Lake. Then I can send all the rest to bills and things without feeling bitter.

I'm also wanting a digital piano for my birthday (I'm hoping maybe my grandparents can go in with my parents on it?) so I'm gonna enjoy the BEAUTIFUL weather today and go to JJH Mclean today to look for something like like this. My birthday of course isn't for a long time, but it'll get me out of the apartment into the *squee* sunshine!

The new Knitty is up!

First, Happy Birthday to my sister - it was her birthday yesterday and she turned 17!

Now, the new Knitty is up! I want to make Torque so much, that I'm actually going to rip out the sweater I'm making now (Knitty's BPT) since I'm only a few rows in and make this instead! I also love Isabella and Bauble, but they can wait a bit.

There were also 4 people on the express bus today who didn't realise it was an express and asked the driver to let them off (all at different stops of course)!!! Not only does it say "Express" on the front, Winnipeg also has a system whereby the Route number of Express routes has a yellow or white background with black numbers (the reverse of regular routes). Even if you can't READ you can tell the bus is an express.

I'm just saying that if you're getting on a bus that you haven't taken before you should confirm with the bus driver that it's going where YOU want to go. I always do this, every time I use a new route.

God has a sense of humour....

You know what it was last week? Around -5C. You know what the air temperature (not including any windchill) was this morning? -27C.

Coupled with yesterday's problems, I'm guessing either God has a sense of humour, or karma is getting it's own back from me finding a beautiful, cheap wedding dress so easily.

Today's exams actually went quite well. My Historical Archaeology midterm was really weird to write, since it was 3 long answer questions in 60 minutes. I scribbled like crazy, and all my information was good and relevant, but I really don't feel like I answered the questions at all, mostly because they were like this:

Discuss the history and archaeology of L'Anse aux Meadows. How does it differ from other New World colonizations?

Well, with the amount of information I read and we took notes on in this subject, I could have written for all 60 minutes, and I still wouldn't have covered everything i thought was important. Ergo, I didn't get down everything I thought was important :P But really, how much can one write by hand in 60 minutes? And I really spent only 5 minutes of it NOT writing, for turning pages and briefly thinking lines through.

My Engineering Geology exam however went very, very well. I knew the answers and worked them through confidently, and I had MORE than enough information for the last question in particular.

Now I'm studying for Geochemistry, which I have tomorrow. There were issues with the first time he gave the test (which I missed) because...well, first let me explain about the class. It's a fairly difficult subject, and our professor is actually a Grad Student, whose advisor (and usual professor for the class) is currently on sabbatical. The notes he's using are hers, but they're kind of disjointed (apparently the class was very hard to follow when she taught it). To make things worse, our professor is Russian, and doesn't speak English well. It's not that he lapses into Russian at any point, but he translates literally from Russian as he speaks, so that grammar and terms often make no sense. (Think Yoda but worse with a thick accent - cute in a puppet expounding Jedi knowledge, senseless in a complex science class).

Anyway, the initial exam was 12 questions, of which you had to answer 8. Each question was weighted differently, and he stated at the top of the exam "The goal is to get the most marks possible". What he intended was that your exam would only be marked out of 100 if you answered the 8 highest valued questions. Otherwise the highest possible mark you could obtain would be below 100. Since this wasn't clearly stated and the class did poorly as a result, he's reissuing the midterm, and that's when I'm writing it.

I dunno if I'm any good Geochemistry or not, I guess we'll find out tomorrow. I've been doing a mediocre 75 in the labs so far.

Grrr

I'm so mad at myself - I've left things I need to study with at school, meaning I have to go to the University - a good hour long trip at least, not including the time I need to get my stuff. Sometimes I can be SUCH a moron! I have already studied for two of the three midterms I have on Monday and Tuesday (2 Monday, one Tuesday) but I need to review my stuff.

EDIT *#@$%!!!! I seem to have lost my notes on over 12 hours of required reading for the midterm I have tomorrow. I can't BELIEVE it! I am usually insanely organized with my school notes, I have no idea what's happened to me. I think I may have left them in Dryden at my parents house.

On Friday I went swimming in our building's newly repaired pool for the first time. Lots of good exercise, but my hair felt awful afterwards because I don't have a chlorine shampoo. I went to Shoppers to get some chlorine shampoo but they didn't have any at all (???) so I at least got some ENO to put in my hair as a rinse - I know that we used to use Alka-Seltzer to rinse our hair after swim practise when I was on the swim team, but I'm not sure if the ASA in the Alka-seltzer is what did it instead of the Sodium Citrate. Since ENO is just Sodium Citrate, I'm not sure if it'll work, especially since the internet seems to be telling me that ground-up aspirin (ASA) will work to remove chlorine from your hair...any other suggestions?

Yesterday when I went to look at bridesmaids dresses and fabric swatches, I browsed through the bridal gowns as well, and came across one that looked almost exactly like the designer dress I loved from a magazine. I tried it on (they had to pin me in as it was a size 16) and it looked lovely, and the price was right - $598! VERY cheap in terms of wedding dreses. I have to order it in the next 6 months to get it on time for the wedding, which is next summer.

Sad feelings

For the first half of my shift at work today (Database entry for the University's Faculty CV program) I listened to my 2004UAMC disc. UAMC stands for University of Alberta Mixed Chorus, and it's a very large (up to 16o people!) choir I belonged to for the 3 years I went to U of A. I had a wonderful time in that choir, and it not only comprised my hobby, but most of my social life.

Then, I decided to leave U of A to be closer to home when my Dad was diagnosed with MS. Although I wouldn't go back and change that decision at all (after all, I'd never have met Sean!) but I do have three great regrets: I left two of my best friends in Edmonton, I left behind my original path to Geology...and I left behind my choir.

Listening to the music gave me a huge smile, and I could hadly keep from singing along and I know I was tapping my feet - especially to Gospel Mass! However, as soon as the song ended, I wound up in tears.

For me, singing in harmony with other people is an experience that gives me chills. The very first choir practice I went to left me tingling, and dazed all the way home. It is a powerful way to bond with people, and gives me such intense joy. As I said in this post music is essential to my life, and it's been missing now for almost 3 years. For 3 years I've had no choir and little to no piano access. I had a wonderfully singing class for my two years at Lakehead, but it couldn't compare to choir.

I'm not sure what I'm gonna do about this yet, but it needs a solution.

I can't keep crying at work every time I listen to my choir CD's :D

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 :)

R, S, T, and U are for...

R and S are for...ring and Sean! Finally, the long-awaited picture! Although this isn't a clear shot of the ring (next time) you can see it on my finger, and of course the FHF (Effing-hot Fiance) Sean. I look a bit rough in the picture, but that's because it was awfully cold here today (OK Marcia, not as cold as you! :D) and I had put on and take off my hat a bunch of times. Sean looks tired because he's in the midst of a term paper. But anyway, here's my alphabet.

R is for ring.

This is the ring Sean gave to me when he proposed in August, 2006. It's white gold, set with a .25 ct Type IIa brilliant cut diamond (can you tell I'm taking gemology?). It's absolutely beautiful and very simple. For a wedding band to go with it I think I'd like another white gold band, with a small amethyst and maybe a chip diamond on either side.

S is for Sean.

The wonderful, marvelous, hot, caring, loving, nerdy, techie Sean. My fiance. We met in Geophysics class in January 2005, and were introduced (to be friends!) by our friend Keith. Although Sean says his first memories are of watching me stretch in class - the chairs were uncomfortable, so I would arch my back over the back of the chair, not realising that this was drawing the attention of every boy in the class - the other thing we really remember is the day that one of the replacement professors started writing random multi-variable calculus questions on the board. While our much-younger classmates started going glassy-eyed, Sean leaned over to me and muttered "I don't know if that's Geophysics or he's giving us instructions to build a Warp Engine.". When I burst out laughing, he decided that I was definitely a girl of interest! :) We started hanging out and eventually dating nearer the end of the school year, and have been together ever since. We've been hiking at Cascades Park, visited the Mall of America, and lived in 3 different apartments together. A sure sign of our relationship is the way his cat Kyp has bonded to me - he spends every moment either lying beside me or sitting in my lap or on my chest. I love him with all my heart!

S is also for Sushi...



Another thing Sean introduced me to. The first time I tried it was in Mall of America, at Tiger Sushi. I only ate the vegetarian California Roll, which had pickled carrots, cucumber, and avocado. I wasn't thrilled, and particularly hated the taste of the nori. Later on, he convinced me to go to The Sushi Bowl in Thunder Bay, where I was suprised to learn I was liking Sushi! Since then I have become more and more obsessed, and no longer limit myself to the veggie stuff. My favourites are California Roll - with Crab!, Tekka Maki (tuna), and Firefly (a local special, it's tuna, salmon, chili and wasabi, and tempura flakes).


T is for...



Tea! I LOVE tea. When I worked at the Fort, we usually drank it at least once a day, if not twice. Mornings were Orange Pekoe, Earl Grey, or Lady Grey (for me), and afternoons were Moroccan Mint by President's Choice. The best mint/green tea I've ever had. Anyway, I love tea in all of it's forms. I am a big fan of the roasted tea you get at Japanese restaurants, which contains roasted, puffed rice and tastes toasty and a little nutty. I drink it for the flavour, not for the caffeine kick. Favourite flavours are Lady Grey, Prince of Wales, and Monk's Blend. The last two can be harder to get ahold of, and you might need a specialty tea store to get them. Monk's Blend in particular is amazing, because it contains vanilla and grendaine flavours.

U is for...

Umbrellas! I am obsessed with the Gryffindor umbrellas we see in Prisoner of Azkaban, during the Quidditch match. I would like a picture, but couldn't find any! They are pretty pig, burgundy with 2 or 3 gold stripes around the bottom edge. I lurve them though, and make it my quest to find one someday.

And some more present pictures: only click if you are NOT the person mentioned in the link!

NOT JENNY
NOT DAD

PATRICK! So glad to see you posting :D I'd like to know how to do silk-screening, I've never tried. It looks kind of hard to set up :P I need your e-mail address and your picture site because they somehow got lost in the shuffle and no one seems to have them!

White tree I painted on a long-sleeved t-shirt last weekend. I have a t-shirt with this on the front, but it's crooked and the paint cracked badly, plus the stencil leaked a bit. On this one I used freezer paper (so wonderful for stencils!), and instead of a brush I used a little sponge roller to put the paint on. Plus I mixed the paint and fabric medium in a more balanced ratio. This means that although it cracked (since it's a knit fabric) it doesn't stay split and looks all pretty.


Woot! I took a break from term paper 1/term paper 2/presentation/studying and made this recon (reconstruction). It's my Shinerama (for Cystic Fibrosis) t-shirt from University of Alberta. However, it was an XL, as all free t-shirts seem to be. I drew around the body and armscye of a t-shirt that fit well, then cut it and resewed it up the sides and across the bottom (salvaging the collar and part of the shoulder seams). Then I copied the shape of the cap sleeves of the well-fitting shirt, and cut new sleeves (again, salvaging most of the "cuff" seam) and sewed those in too. Woohoo! So much fun. Now I wish I had more free t-shirts to mess with - Value Village here I come!


Another t-shirt I reconned last summer. It was a little too big, since this was bought before Sean's Mom met me and she insisted to Sean I couldn't be so small I'd need a Youth M instead of a Youth L. This didn't require as much reconstruction since it was much smaller, but now it fits me perfect.

In terms of presents, I got a wonderful package from Angela containing presents from Europe, pictures very promptly. And speaking of Angela, as long as you're not her :) you can click here: NOT ANGELA to see one of the things I've done for Christmas for her so far.

Buried in school work...

I have 2 term papers to write (one is almost done, the other not started, they're both due the first Wed in Dec), an assignment to finish for tomorrow, an in-class final next Friday, and 4 other finals in two weeks. Oh and a powerpoint presentation next week.

I won't be posting for a little while yet, but here's a sneak peak for this weekend...

R is for...
S is for...
T is for...
U is for...

and further Christmas updates as soon as I find my quilting ruler...

Hi, my name is Karlie, and I'm an addict...

Yes. Sad but true. I am addicted to LUSH Cosmetics. They are all handmade, mostly natural and organic (with a few minor, safe, chemical ingredients), most (if not all) of their raw materials are sourced fair- and free-trade, and a great many are vegan. They all smell AMAZING, and do wonderful things for your body. Here's a list of my favourite products...because I'm avoiding writing my term paper.

SOAP:

Angel's Delight

Mmmm. This soap smells like something between Jolly Ranchers candy and fruit punch. My only complaint is that in the weird humid-hot-no-ventilation atmosphere of our bathroom in Thunder Bay the soap changed smells over time to be kind of icky, like Rock Star did (see below). I think I'll just cut the soap into bitty chunks from now on. Then we can have more variety too!


Bob Soap

*Homer drooling sound* This soap is a Christmas special, which means I'm buying a MASSIVE chunk of it so I can use it all next year. It smells like slightly spicy orange creamsicles (in a very, very good way). Some people have complained about the lather being highlighter green, but for me that's just an added bonus :D


Demon in the Dark

Phew! This soap is very minty-tingly, and probably best for use in summer or on sore muscles. It smells a bit like apples, since there's pieces of them inside it, and mostly like mint. I sometimes just sneak into my LUSH stash box and sniff it.


Ice Blue

Another minty soap, although this one isn't as complex a smell - it's mostly straight peppermint. I like this one too, but then again I have a "thing" for minty stuff.


Rock Star

This smells like lovely sweet candies. Lots of people don't like it because it's too sweet, but I like candy-sweet smells and vanilla as much as mint. Like I said though, big chunks can change colour strangely and warp in smell. Again with the cutting in bitty chunks, since the soaps last a looonng time if they're left wrapped and not used.


Sexy Peel

Lemon-orange-grapefruit goodness. It almost makes me want to like the taste of marmalade. It's very, very citrussy, and slightly soft which makes it a nice texture to wash with.


Snowcake

Oh. My. Goodness. If you like almonds or marzipan, you need to buy this soap. You HAVE to buy this soap. It has such a creamy lather, and smells so good you just want to EAT it. The sweetness is complemented wonderfully by a slight hint of rose, the only time in my life I've ever like a rose smell (and that's because it doesn't actually SMELL of rose, it just works delightfully with the almonds).

BATH BOMBS:


Avobath

This bath bomb smells like green fruit loops, and makes the bath water bright lime green. It's a great sweet-citrus smell, made even better by the fact it has a faint shimmer from fine glitter particles and is moisturizing from the avocado oil. The only bathbomb I've bought more than 2 of (yet).


Christmas Party

Another of the Christmas specials. It's sweet, spicy orange, and so pretty! Beware the star-shrapnel though, I've heard it's poked more than one bare bottom. I haven't had that experience yet!


Dream On

I don't really like the herbally smell of this bomb that much, although I think it would be easily covered by cocktailing with another bomb. The key thing about this bomb is the jojoba oil. It's very similar to your skin's natural sebum, so it's INCREDIBLY moisturizing, although you sometimes have to chase down the green blobs of oil (a little weird floating on top of the peachy-orange water) and rub them into your skin. Top marks for anyone with dryness.


Puddy Holly

ANOTHER Christmas product! This bath bomb smells exactly like it looks - a spicy christmas cake with marzipan icing. It's singular downside is that the water turns brown. Other than that, delish!


Think Pink

A Breast Cancer bomb (they donate a potion of the profits) that smells like...pink. Sweetness, candy, and everything girl. Yum :D

OK, that's enough for now, I'm bored of this too :) I guess I could go write my term paper...anyone got any tips on amethyst?

Wow another Karlie spelled my way, that's amazing! My parents always say how it never occured to them to use a C or Y (and I prefer my spelling anyway) but there are very few people with the name! Anyway, here's some updates:

1) I don't have celiac disease, which is very exciting. I can eat wheat again! It also means that I have some (expensive) cookbooks to sell, since they were sooooo certain I had celiac and it's pretty much impossible to go gluten-free without cookbooks. Anyone know anyone who could use some gluten-free cookbooks?

2) This means that we have don't have a good idea why I'm exhausted, losing weight, and have a persistant cough. I think my Plagues and People class is getting to me, because I'd laugh if it turned out to be TB.
NOTE: I'm not being paranoid I have TB :) The website is just for interest's sake because I thought the topic was really fascinating

3) I made this:



The shirt, that is. It was a little miserable to sew, partially because it's brocade so I had to stitch around every edge to stop it fraying as I was sewing, and because the collar didn't fit, so I had to do a whole bunch of fiddling around. However, not only did I make the shirt, I made the buttons myself out of soutache braid, using a knot-button pattern.

4) I made a new blog: A Long Yarn (Christmas) where I'm going to post all my Christmas gifts as I make them. I'm hoping that this way I can use links to the posts, so that people who don't want to peek at the progress can choose not to.

5) That said, here are some peeks:
NOT Heather or Chad
NOT Dad
NOT Mary
NOT Becky


Other gifts will be forthcoming, once I've started them.

Thanks for the tip Misty, although the knitting class isn't going to run - Boo-urns. They didn't have anyone else sign up, I'm guessing because of the price. Campus Rec has lots of neat stuff but it's VERY expensive.

I finished my cabled handwarmers (no pictures, maybe tomorrow) and made a black fleece headband since I can't find my earbags. However, I did complete one VERY pretty piece of sewing, although the picture I have is somewhat mediocre:



I kind of look like I'm smirking in the picture, not exactly sure why! I also STILL need to post a picture of the ring, I know. You can kinda see it in the above picture, on my left hand...but I'll post a better one. This weekend is going to be spent visitng Mom and Becky tomorrow, since they're coming up, doing my structure homework (and some research for my Gemology term paper), and sewing at least 3 things: a corduroy skirt, a chinese brocade shirt, and a fleece for Sean. If I have time, I'm also making up a nice futon cover, but it's Sean's turn to clean up the living room and until that's done I can't cut out the Futon cover ;)

Hey Patrick, that was an awesome movie. I'm going to post a link to it later in the sidebar. Glad to see you made your way here! :D

Life is crazy busy. I dropped Art History because it was an insane workload that was affecting my class work in my required classes (it was an elective). I'm still working doing Database Entry. Did well (I'm pretty sure) in my Plagues and People class, and have yet to write my other two midterms. I finished knitting cabled fingerless mittens in the brown alpaca Angela gave me Summer 2005, and am working on my corset in hopes to have it done for Hallowe'en. I think I will be doing the rest on the machine though. I'll still use the pure linen thread.

I just finished making Carrot Dill Soup and Oatmeal-Banana muffins. THen I have to study Archaeology.

Till later...

Q is for...et.al.

Sorry I haven't been writing. I'm just soooooooo tired. I'm working two jobs (altogether 15 hours a week) and trying to do 5 classes. I think I may have to drop one. However, I'll be picking up another - knitting instructor! Yes, as long as enough people sign up, U of M Campus Rec is holding a 7 week (2 hrs/wk) knitting course starting in November, and again at the end of January. I need ideas for how to plan out classes. I'm expecting to get total beginners.

And "Q" is for quilts. I've made two so far:




The first one is a twin-sized quilt, strip pieced and with colours picked from Monet paintings. The second is my Dad's, a lap quilt that was also partially strip pieced.

I'm working on two more at the moment, a snowflake quilt (with paper pieced snowflakes) and a simple Indian Puzzle quilt in black and batik.

Aw thanks Marcia! We haven't set a date yet, because we're not sure when exactly since Sean is going to Penn State next year. Probably in two years or so. I don't yet have a pic of the ring, although I have lots of pics of us together. Like





There you go! :D

The first is from last spring, at Cascades Park in Thunder Bay. The middle one is this spring, at my Grad. And the last is from Fort William Historical Park, end of August this summer. Cute huh? ;)

Finally...

Pictures of stuff I've finished. Minus the panta I just made (don't you wanna, wanna panta), since it's buried in my backpack and I don't feel like digging it out.


The pencil case I made to hold all my structural geology gear: a navigational protractor, erasable pencil crayons, TI-83+ graphing calculator, 0.5mm mechanical pencil and leads, Staedtler MARS eraser, and geometery set. It's made from fabric I got at Value Village which is quite heavy (like upholstery weight canvas) and lined with scarlet stretch twill. The button is also from Value Village.


My finished Scandi mitts. Unfortunately you can see that the second/third right (since I screwed up the first) is smaller than the left. I think thought that some blocking will help take care of that. Nonetheless, I love them.

Oh, and to the anonymous poster who said "What wedding dress?" you see, wedding dresses are a special gown typically worn by the bride when she's getting married. Since Sean and I are getting married in the somewhat near future, I have started keeping a tentative eye out for styles I like.

P is for... and other news

Soooooooo the pictures of all my new stuff are taken and currently trapped in Sean's camera, since he's not home and I don't know where the cord is :) I'd use mine, except the batteries are dead and I haven't the foggiest idea where the charger is.

Life is pretty good. I have some really neat classes, including the one that this letter is named for...

P is for Plagues and People.

This is an anthropology class, dealing with how plagues affect how societies function and develop. It's fascinating and incredibly disturbing at the same time! In one class we talked about how diseases are transmitted, and after seeing pictures like this of people sneezing, it kind of makes me want to live in a bubble. Last class was about the 1995Ebola outbreak in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. The NOVA film crew came on sight as soon as the outbreak was discovered, and filmed a heart-wrenching and terrifying documentary on the disease. The mortality rate in this particular outbreak was 81%. Read that again. 81% The most disturbing thing? That rate isn't because Ebola is an African virus (and therefore almost exclusively limited to poor and isolated villages), it's because Ebola is such a virulent hemorrhagic fever. They can't treat it any better here than they can in Africa. Our sole advantage would lie in the fact that we can more easily spread news of an outbreak through mass media, and more immediately institute precautions against a chain of infection.

At any rate. The class is cool, but disturbing! We all come out of there looking a little green and shellshocked.

I also have Gemology, which is wickedly cool. We've learned some setting techniques, and major methods for gemstone identification. Some facts:

A gemstone is a mineral valued for its beauty and (sometimes) rarity. A gem is a gemstone which has been fashioned and/or cut in order to maximize the beauty of the stone.

Diamonds are valued for a quality called fire. Fire is when a transparent stone emits multi-coloured sparkles when held up to a light source. The fire in diamond is caused by the fact that causes a great deal of light dispersion. When light enters a diamond, it is split into more or less the full spectrum, like a prism. The high refractive index of diamond means that these rays of light are reflected inside the diamond off the many facets until they are finally refracted out the crown (or top) of the diamond, resulting in multi-coloured sparkles. An improperly cut diamond will either have the light rays passing through the pavillion (bottom) of the diamond, so no sparkle will be visible, or the rays will only reflect once or twice inside, reducing the amount of sparkle.

I'm starting two jobs next week: data entry for the University Admin, and timekeeping for the Campus Rec Ice Hockey League. Yes, hockey. I will be bringing knitting to stay awake. I'm glad to have gotten the jobs, I just hope that I have enough time for everything.

The bus I take to and from school goes by three or four bridal salons, and I always check out the dresses in the window. I found a lovely one the other day, and Sean really likes it too. Of course, I wouldn't be buying it any time soon, but it's nice to keep ideas in mind! Strapless, diamond white bridal satin, with an A-line shaped skirt that stands out just slightly from the body (so it's got a crinoline underneath). Some light silver and iridescent beading along the neckline, and then little dots of beading on the bodice and slightly down the skirt. Cheap too, for a bridal gown - $499. I so could have gotten it cheaper too, because the beading was coming off in places, but I could have fixed it very easily!

I have completed 3 projects, two of which are knitting. There will be pictures once Sean comes back from work with the laptop, since my memory card is in there. I finished my Scandi Mitts, a Panta headband, and a pencil case for all my structure gear. I'm especially proud of the case, it's very professional looking. Now I just have to decide what to do next...

Happy(ish) Birthday to me!

Well, today is my 23rd birthday. The reason there's an "ish" up there is because I'm still not feeling 100% after my gastroscope yesterday. It was an interesting experience. The nurse who put in my IV was very, very nice, one of those people just destined to be a nurse. I was so agreeable as she went through the consent, that she said "I think you'd say yes to anything at this point!" at which point I quipped "and I haven't even had the drugs yet!". She thought this was hilarious.

I don't remember the procedure at all (thank God for Vicodin!), but they took some biopsies and hopefully I'll know (in 4-6 weeks!!!!) if I have celiac disease or not.

Plans today include breakfast with my parents who are in town, possibly going to my last class (the only one it matters a little more if I miss), and resting/knitting.

I've had some people from the craftster board offer to trade scraps with me for the snowflake quilt. Yay! This way we're all ridding ourselves of stash we don't need in favour of that which we do.

I can mark one Christmas present off the list! The thrummed mitts are done (see link in my sidebar), although one is slightly larger than the other. I think this is my gauge changing over *cough*1.5years*cough* I still have a whack of other ones to start, but I just can't do that until I actually have some yarn to work with. You'd think with ALL the yarn I have I could find something that would work, but no. Oh well. Once I get a little bit of money (I have two job interviews!) I can buy a bit more wool. I also have a bit of fabric to buy. If anyone has scraps of blues or white fabrics with a snowflake/snow/winter theme I'd absolutely love to take them off your hands :D I'm looking for abstract patterns. You can see the fabric I have already here in the middle of the post (click for a bigger picture). Mostly snowflake patterns, although some are a little abstract or have stars instead.

If you are looking for quilt scraps let me know, maybe we could do an exchange!

O is for...

Olivia! Here is my beautiful little cousin. After being diagnosed with CF this spring and beginning to receive treatment, she's rebounded in an astonishing way. She gained 6 lbs in about 6 weeks, which for a 4 year-old is an entire year's growth! She much more active and talkative now, constantly telling stories and making sure she gets a word in edgewise with her brother by putting up her hand when he's talking. I've finished her quilt, and I'm almost done her brother's. I'm hoping to have them done by thanksgiving.

N is for...

North. I love living in my land of ice and snow. Winter is pretty close to being my favourite season. I love to go sliding (tobogganing for most people, although it's only tobogganing if you're using a toboggan), and I love to make snow forts, snow men, and snow angels. I love to snowboard and cross-country ski, and go tubing on ski hills. I don't like skating that much, but as soon as they invent skates that keep your feet warm and don't squash your ankle bones I'll be all over it.

I'm proud to now live in the coldest city in the world. To quote an e-mail my Mom sent me a long time ago:

Canadian Temperature Chart

1. 50° Fahrenheit (10° C) Californians shiver uncontrollably,
Canadians plant gardens.

2. 35° Fahrenheit (1.6° C) Italian cars won't start, Canadians drive
with the windows down.

3. 32° Fahrenheit (0° C) American water freezes, Canadian water gets
thicker.

4. 0° Fahrenheit (-17.9° C) New York City landlords finally turn on the
heat. Canadians have the last barbecue season.

5. -60° Fahrenheit (-51° C) Mt. St. Helens freezes, Canadians Girl
Guides sell cookies door-to-door.

6. -100° Fahrenheit (-73° C) Santa Claus abandons the North Pole, Ottawa
canal opens for skating.

7. -173° Fahrenheit (-114° C) Ethyl alcohol freezes, Canadians get
frustrated when they can't thaw the keg.

8. -460° Fahrenheit (-273° C) Absolute zero; all atomic motion stops,
Canadians start saying "cold eh?"

9. -500° Fahrenheit (-295° C) Hell freezes over. Leafs win Stanley Cup.

Long time no see

Well, we're finally moved. Took a few days, and a few setbacks (U-Haul screwing up, having an application rejected, etc.). But now we're here and starting to unpack. I've got things worked out at U of M mostly, (that's University of Manitoba, for anyone who isn't sure), and this semester I'm taking Structural Geology, Gemology, Introduction to Archaeology, Art History, and "Plagues and People", a class about how plagues and epidemics affect cultural growth. As you can see, I have lots of electives! I'm looking forward to them a lot, seeing as for the last 2-3 years or so I've done NOTHING but a single type of class every year.

I need to find a choir group or something still, but next week I'll go to the U during orientation and sign up for Swing Dance. I have a good reason for this...

Sean proposed! He got back from Egypt and asked me. Although he's given me a GORGEOUS and simple white gold ring, it might be going back because his Nana has a family heirloom ring instead.

At any rate, the swing dancing classes will ensure that we will look elegant and not like our usual bumbling selves at our eventual wedding. No date, but probably in about two years or so.

I had my lovely appointment with the GI doctor this month, and found out this morning that they decided to book a gastroscopy (camera through your mouth into the small intestine) THE DAY BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY. *sigh* Life is just soooooooo entertaining isn't it?

Getting back into some more knitting, I'd like a simple guy's sweater pattern for Sean. His Mom got some awesome wool from ladies down their street having a garage sale, and I think there might be enough (with some colourwork) of the icelandic wool to make him a sweater. Not sure though. I'm thinking maybe Durrow or something along those lines. I really like The Harlot's gansey though. Maybe something along those lines too.

Hi all, I know I've been terrible for posting! Things have been busy, trying to get moving all worked out and everything. Just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that I'm still alive...and....I've switched over to Geology! Yes I'm finishing my Geol at U of M, and that makes me MUCH happier than a BEd ever could have.

Hope summer is going well! Don't forget it will soon be gone.

So. Hot. It's 37 outside, and feels significantly hotter inside - my guess would be it's at least 40 in here. I really REALLY wish I had a thermometre! I'm lying here in what more or less amounts to a bathing suit spritzing myself with water and eucalyptus oil. Soooooooooooooooooo hooooottttttttttttt. I bought a bag of ice and some lime ices, and wet down the cats (they really looked like they needed it, and while they hated it to start they looked much happier after).

I haven't done an "N" or an "O", but I hope I will find a good way to express those letters once Sean comes home!

Public Service Announcement

You may have noticed that two nasty comments were added to my blog a little while ago. These were posted by the jealous ex and/or her older sister, of my FHBF. I decided initially to leave these alone and take the high road, but I felt I should perhaps epxlain this.

The ring, of course, is mine and always has been - I was with Sean in the store when he bought it and walked out with it on my finger! And although I admit I can sometimes be a bit "whingy" about my health, I am at least not a hypochondriac since I am always, very legitimately, ill. I just have rotten luck!

It's very sad that some people feel the need to resort to vicious anonymous posting in order to relieve thier own petty feelings.

As for Sean's wonderful post, I love you too! Of course, now you're back in Winnipeg and I'm just waitng anxiously for you to get home. I need you here to hug and cuddle...and make me dinner :) I miss you driving me to work in the mornings and brushing my hair out of my eyes. We had such a wonderful chat while you were in Heathrow, so at least it wasn't an ALL bad night.

I love you more than anything.

A very interesting article

To hot here to post much. I went to camp this weekend and had the best time. Sean will be home soon. I'm finishing up a skirt.

And here's the article. It's about how we overprotect our children - and how it's actually creating more dangers for them than we realise.

I'm sorry for the icky picture, but I needed to put up a photo of my new hair - I like to experiment with my hair, as anyone who reads the blog regularly (or knows me in person) knows. I decided to bleach it, and used a home kit. Unfortunately I rinsed that one to soon, so I had to get it repaired at the salon yesterday. However, it was a decently cheap fix, and I like the look. It's still slightly brassy, but in the next few days that will fade. If it doesn't, I'll buy a violet shampoo and that will get the rest of it out.


Olivia chalk drawing. I spent the afternoon with my Aunt and cousins, and we sidewalk-chalked, played in the sandbox, and had a nice snack. The kids had a neat idea of using chalkboard erasers on coloured-in bricks, which gave a nice soft blended mosaic, really pretty! Something I'd never done before.


Anton chalk drawing. He and Olivia and I had such a great time! He was his regular ol' excitable self, but we had lots of fun. He went to his swimming lesson before I left.

Tomorrow Jamie, Susan, and I are going to Pirates of the Carribean, since it's cheap night at the theatre.

Oh I also went thrift shopping yesterday (I've become positively addicted, although I'm very good at only buying necessities, and it's mostly small things like bits of vintage fabric). I got some GORGEOUS shot "silk", a pretty brocade with black warp and shiny turquoise weft. The resulting colour is a deep, rich royal blue, and I"m going to make an evening bag with it. I also got 6 1970's juice glasses, since ours have started breaking. We're not dropping them or abusing them, just in the middle of washing they've been falling apart in our hands. These were at least only 3.99, so if they break it's no big deal. Plus they're kind of unique! I also got another 8 Agatha Christies - yes I know I'm moving Mom, but they're small and were .69 each. Plus it's nice to read!

M is for...

Two things actually. Mom and Music.


My mom, my sister, and my dad at Waterton Lakes National Park last summer. My Mom is a great, wonderful, fanastic person. She believed in me when I wanted to quit piano, and helped me to see that I should keep taking it. She knew I was struggling at Dryden High School, and neither she nor Dad hesitated in allowing me to go a better school in Winnipeg, even though it meant leaving home at 16.

My Mom likes to knit, sew, and make stained glass. She gave me my first love of music by singing to me as a baby. Despite being absolutely terrified she became one of the organists at our church.

I love you Mom.

Now for music. I love music. It's not something I can even call a passion, so much as a necessity of life. I couldn't live without music anymore than I could live without breathing. I whistle when I walk through the halls at school and work, and I sing while doing the dishes. Anytime I spy an unoccupied piano I sit down and play. The first big purchase Sean and I make once we have a (more) permanent place to live, as promised by him, is a piano for me. My favourite classical composers are Bach, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Handel, Vivaldi, and Rachmaninoff. For more contemporary music I like Rodgers and Hammerstein, Howard Shore, Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Williams, and many others. I am addicted to old musicals (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, anyone?) and always sing along. I even hum along to instrumental pieces.

I took voice when I was younger and completed my Grade 4 RCM. I belonged to University of Alberta Mixed Chorus for 3 years in university as a Soprano 1, and when I moved here I took Performance Voice from Tellie Kahara. Although I didn't do the RCM examinations, she believes that with some minor technical work and health improvements I could do my Grade 10 (which I will, and hopefully also complete my ARCT so I could teach).

I took piano starting I believe at age 4 or 5, until I was 17. I did finish my Grade 10 RCM, however I only have up to my Grade 8 certificate due to immense difficulties in writing the written theory components. I love to play piano as much as I love to sing, and as I say I will play any unoccupied piano I find. Someday I hope to own one of these but that will require me to be rich enough to not only afford the piano, but a house big enough to...well...house it. A grand piano this large and rich-sounding needs considerable space in order not to explode people's eardrums, as well as room to hear all the acoustical richness it offers.

L is for...

Luck and Lonely. I know that Sean must be the world's greatest find for me, since I'm sure that the balancing bad-luck has been getting bronchitis a ton of times, innumerable colds and flus, and shingles. The Lonely is also because of course he's still gone. But I am still so happy for him! I can only imagine the awesome time he's having, doing the things he loves the best. Imagine being in charge of your own (small) dig team! Especially for his first real archaeology field work! It'd be like me being able to take voice lessons from the teachers of Ben Heppner and Measha Brueggergosman. Did you know that Ben Heppner, a Canadian, is considered one of the foremost tenors in the world? In fact, I've heard many critics call him the world's best tenor. And his voice is like melting chocolate - Measha's is just as good.

I digress though.

I'll add one more L word. Love. For Sean, Mom, Dad, and Becky, as well the rest of my friends and family. I love you all!

It's been awhile since I posted, but nothing much is going on. I bought some books from Chapters I'm reading (buy 3 get 1 free, so I got 3 Agatha Christie's and The Rule of Four). Mostly missing Sean, although I'm sure he's having the time of his life! I can start counting down the days though :) Just under three weeks or so.