Grad school papers

I had forgotten how painful it is to write a paper about something I'm not interested in. So far I have two pages- maximum is ten- and I'm already bored to tears. So I'm having some cake.


And my sweetie asked if I wanted something to drink. I asked for a "really big glass of water".
He brought me this (tape dispenser included for size). I didn't know if I should laugh or cry.

Now, back to work.

(update 11:44p with 3/5 of the paper done, I am going to bed. this is a picture of my special olympics scarf)

Interview with my sweetie in which my organization skills are compared to playing Whack-A-Mole

I found this and started reading links- it's super cute. I decided I'd interview my sweetie.

Me: What is your favorite thing about my knitting?

Hubby: it makes you happy

Me: What is your least favorite thing about my knitting?

Hubby: getting poked (unfortunate incident has led to not knitting in bed)

Me: What is something I have knitted, that you recall as good?

Hubby: cute booties

Me: Do you think knitters have an expensive hobby?

Hubby: yes and no.

Me: can you explain?

Hubby: not relative to other hobbies, but I think knitters' eyes are often bigger than their needles

Me: Do you have any hobbies?

Hubby: Yes

Me: Comparing hobbies, who spends more?

Hubby: Me- traveling and skiing are expensive.

Me: Do you have a stash of any kind?

Hubby: (looking around living room) Computer parts? Foodstuffs and travel books?

Me: Have I ever embarrassed you, knitting in public?

Hubby: Nope

Me: Do you know my favorite kind of yarn?

Hubby: More or less. Quivet, Barlett yarns.

Me: Can you name another knitting blog?

Hubby: Yes. (Me: which one?) Not-so cynical knitting gal, and the McPhee one (Yarn Harlot).

Me: Do you mind my wanting to stop at knit shops wherever we go?

Hubby: No.

Me: Do you understand the importance of a swatch?

Hubby: Yeah- it’s a sample of the knit and you can see how much of a pain it will be to knit. And what it will feel like.

Me: Do you read Chicago is 1230 miles from Maine?

Hubby: Yeah

Me: Have you ever left a comment?

Hubby: No (he has, anonymously on a project I was sad no one commented on)

Me: Do you think the house would be cleaner if I didn't knit?

Hubby: (looking at yarn and knitting in the living room) More organized, maybe, but probably not. I think Sarahs come with a certain entropy. *laughing* It’s like playing Whack-A-Mole.

Me: Anything you'd like to add?

Hubby: Sarah is wonderful.

I love my sweetie! He is very good natured about my crafts in every room habit. And supportive of knitting. He actually is getting pretty good at figuring out what knit stitch I'm doing, and has googled "continental purl" videos for me many times.

My Pyramid

Check this out. It's like Weight Watchers except you don't have to pay for it. I really am willing to make good food choices, I just need to keep more than a (loose) mental list.

Your Pyramid Stats

Milk Intake	1.3 cup equivalent
Milk Recommendation	3 cup equivalent
Meat and Beans Intake	1.2 oz equivalent
Meat and Beans Recommendation	6.5 oz equivalent
Vegetables Intake	1.7 cup equivalent
Vegetables Recommendation	3 cup equivalent
Fruits Intake	1 cup equivalent
Fruits Recommendation	2 cup equivalent
Grains Intake	8.4 oz equivalent
Grains Recommendation	8 oz equivalent

____________________________________________________________
Tonight when I got home I had a peach minus the ice cream...keeping my fat intake lower than 30% but sadly failing to meet the recommendations for milk. Or fruit. Or...you get the idea.

And they show it in different ways. I particularly enjoy this view:

Dietary Guidelines Recommendations	Emoticon	Number of cup/ oz. Equ. Eaten	Number of cup/oz. Equ. Recommended
Grain		8.4 oz equivalent	8 oz equivalent
Vegetable		1.7 cup equivalent	3 cup equivalent
Fruit		1 cup equivalent	2 cup equivalent
Milk		1.3 cup equivalent	3 cup equivalent
Meat and Beans		1.2 oz equivalent	6.5 oz equivalent

Dietary Guidelines Recommendations	Emoticon	Amount Eaten	Recommendation or Goal
Total Fat		23.7% of total calories	20% to 35%
Saturated Fat		10.7% of total calories	less than 10%
Cholesterol		156 mg	less than 300 mg
Sodium		2092 mg	less than 2300 mg
Oils	*	*	*
Discretionary calories (solid fats, added sugars, and alcohol)	*	*	*

ps Guess that the bagel with cream cheese at the meeting this morning followed by a cheeseburger as I was driving to clinic wasn't the best combination of foods for today...

Updates

The sink is gone. My brother came through last night and spent the night, and loaded up his truck with things for their place in Pennsylvania. So not only is the sink (and the blue chair, etc etc) gone, it's gone to a good home!

And we can see the floor in the living room again! Wahoo!


The back of the baby sweater is getting closer to the point where I start decreases. Very nice, too! I got to class with 30 minutes to spare today and sat outside on a bench knitting. It was very relaxing.

More Saturday projects

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/hsh/848254245.html

Yeah, way exciting. To me, anyway. Because if I can get this sink sold, it will get off our couch. And then we can sit on the couch. You see, very exciting! (I dunno if the price is right, what do you think?)


The other project is the seed-stitch band sweater from Debbie Bliss's Baby Knits for Beginners. I'm using a synthetic yarn for washability and already starting to regret that choice as I realize it will pill fiercely. But really, I can't spend $50 on yarn for a baby sweater that will get puked on. Well, not while I'm in grad school and working part time. :) Unless I suppose it were to be for a family member. *ahem* Just saying. (big sis, you reading this?)

ps Why yes, I do have a 10 page paper to write this weekend about childhood obesity. Whatever makes you think I'm procrastinating? Well, mustn't dally- off to meet a friend for lunch & knitting!

Little knitted things

Just to clarify...this isn't for us. Two of my dear friends from college are expecting new family members this winter. I'm not the quickest knitter, but this pattern works up in record time!

incipient little afghan

This is hoping to grow up to be the Suri Dream Throw from KnitPicks.


I cast on and knit about five rows before I re-read the dimensions. 76" x 28". Not really a good size for a robust size woman who is 5' 11". And I'm afraid by the time I finish knitting all ten balls of yarn (no, really- it seemed like a great idea at the time!) the mohair may be a little felted. On the plus side, it's a great project because knitting with mohair is fussy enough that I'm ready to do some studying by the time I finish a few rows!

Saturday morning

Saturday morning here means warm muggy weather, apparently the tail of the hurricane effects with steady rain- so I turned on the a/c. So indulgent! :) We are going to unpack the kitchen (yay!) and when I shifted just a few boxes and broke into sweat, I decided the a/c was justified. But first a fortifying cup of tea

and some yummy berries with breakfast

and I show off my latest FP: the Lion Brand Homespun quick scarf (knit with two strands on giant needles).

Look what I got!

I have a fabulous friend known in blogspace as CKG. She held my hand through many knitting projects, and gave me those really cool flip books for my birthday. Look what she made for me this summer (excuse the 3a pics of me in pjs)


Aren't I just the luckiest? Yay for awesome friends! :) The detail of the scarf and the edging on the hat is lovely.

Dishcloth love

This morning I had a most unusual wait for and on the train. Luckily I had tucked some cotton yarn in my bag, and by the end of the commuting day I had this.


Tomorrow (Thursday) is a car commute day. Sadly, there will be no knitting involved.

Adult fun

Check out these pictures. Today I realized that even though we are "grown up", we still can have moments of utter glee. Friends, we have a sink.


We have working plumbing including a dishwasher


and a garbage disposal.


We have butcher-block countertops securely mounted, and all the new cabinets are leveled and bolted in place.


Today I love my husband more than I ever have before. This week school "really" starts, meaning I'm working three days a week, driving to class (30-90 minutes each way depending on traffic) every Tuesday evening, and doing two days at a clinical site that is over an hour (highway) outside the city each way. I do not like driving my little Prizm that much (but it does get some good gas mileage). I'm dreading being away from home & my sweetie. He knew how much I wanted to be _done_ with the kitchen before this week, and today while I did my class reading he finished things. I mean, I did help with the heavy work- that butcher block is a pain to move alone- but he did most of it and it's the best present ever! Wahoo!