city love

as a kid growing up on whidbey island, going into the city of seattle was always a big deal. i remember being in the backseat of the car, looking out the window, straining to see the space needle the very second it came into view. i would get this big rush of a feeling, right in my chest, like i'd taken the deepest breath possible and was now ready to explode. seattle was interesting, it was different and new and had people and things and art like i'd never imagined. i always thought i would feel that way only about seattle, and for the most part that's true. however, i have another city that makes me feel much the same way, and that would be portland, or.

i had such a good time this weekend. when i cross the bridge and see the sign that says "entering portland" my chest gets that same feeling i used to have as a kid on my way into the "city," and i get excited about seeing my friends and doing new and different things. portland is in some ways more exciting to me, since i don't know it that well. getting to see my friends is also a huge part of why i love portland so much.

my first full day there, anne got her first tattoo, had her first shot of tequila, helped me try on wedding dresses, and organized a very surprising bachelorette party for me. if that's not the most awesome thing you've ever read, then you are dead inside. then later, after i'd had way more than my allotted share of tequila, i barfed in not one, but all three of the toilets in anne's house! puking makes me feel all shaky and panicy, so when it wouldn't stop (and it wouldn't!), i went upstairs thinking i'd drink some water and lay down on the couch. (my thinking at that point was, "if i'm going to die, i want to do it up there, where i'll be found sooner." i stay in the basement when i visit, because my friends are well aware of my mole-person tendencies.) the water didn't stay down, and i ventured up to the top floor of the house where i knew anne would pat me on the back and work her mom-magic. sometimes, when you're barfing, all you really need is a soothing voice telling you you're going to be fine, and here's a rubber band to pull your hair out of your face. we had a good chuckle too, in between my dry-heaves. evidently i am not as young or as much of a rock-star as i like to think.

and if you don't like to read about food after hearing about puking, then maybe you should stop now.

remember how i said i wanted to eat delicious things? well, that also happened. anne introduced me to bui natural tofu, which is epicly awesome. even if you don't think you like tofu, you will find something there to enjoy. we had the onion tofu, the lemongrass, the meatballs tucked into tofu pillows, and the salad rolls. there wasn't anything there that i didn't enjoy. the staff is also crazy nice and helpful. we had pie at bipartisan, then anne made a cherry and blueberry pie at home the next day. her crust really is the best. i shared my cheesey eggs one morning with henry, and then there was the Unfortunate Incident with The Burrito. the only one of us digested any part of it was aussie, the dog. aside from that, the portland eats were just as good as i hoped!

i came home tired, happy, and inspired to make and do new stuff. it was nice to get out of town for a bit, and it was nice to come home. i have photos of all this over on flickr, if you want to go check it out. there might be photos there of a certain blogger trying on wedding dresses...

things i want to do while in portland

eat something delicious. i'm pretty sure pie is on the menu (hell yeah it is!), and maybe something tasty and of the steamed bun variety?!

look at wedding dresses. i'm actually more and more excited about the idea, oddly enough. in general i've been worrying that it will be hard to find something i like, or that the whole thing will be a lot of disappointmet (like finding an awesome dress, only to have it be way to expensive), but this weekend i get to do it with friends, and that will soften any blow the wedding industry might have in store for me.

read comics with the boys.

maybe do a little yarn/craft shopping. specifically, i want to make this little shawlette, and i need to find some cool yarn to do it with! i've also been really good about not yarn shopping in portland, because i know i'll find a million things i want/need/covet.

i think it will be nice to get out of my house, out of my head a bit, and see people i never get to see! as my boy T puts it, "aunt amanda, a year between visits is too long." true that, little man. i used to go down to portland all the time! i miss it there. it's my kind of town.

ooh, and my little niece turns the big 4 weekend! so i need to get her a present that won't make her mama insane. right now i have this awesome laughing puppy toy for her, but it gets a bit obnoxious after a while, and i don't want to make my sister and her boyfriend crazy!

good morning

most mornings are seriously quiet, and because i get up earlier than everyone else, i don't usually see anyone until the boychild wakes up, which is normally right before i leave. this morning D got up early as well, and when i got out of the shower he was in the kitchen, listening to NPR and puttering around. the boychild was getting ready to head to school, and it was almost time to wake up the girlchild. as i was sitting in the living room, putting on my shoes, the smell of coffee and the sound of the radio reminded me of mornings when i was a kid. pop would be at the kitchen table drinking coffee, mom would be doing her hair and makeup on the other side of the table, the radio between them (and pop sometimes talking back to political news he didn't care for), while my sister and i got ready for school. everyone up and quietly talking, listening to the news, drinking coffee or eating cereal, shaking off sleep. as a kid i always thought it must totally suck to be mom and dad and have to get up so damn early, but this morning i felt good to be that adult, up with D, drinking coffee and waking up. it's nice to have my own little family in the morning.

bits and bobs

i get to go out of town this weekend, which is pretty exciting. i don't think i've left town in far too long, and i'm looking forward to getting to see friends and just goofing off. it's also time to start to actually doing some wedding planning. crazy. the other day i realized i have 8 months to go and maybe i should start trying on dresses and picking out stationary and compiling addresses. D's mom is super excited about the planning, and since she recently helped one of his brothers plan and execute his wedding, she knows a lot about what's in the area. if i think about all the stuff i have to do before someone pronounces us man and wife, i hyperventilate a little, so i'm trying to parse it out into small things; this month i start with the dresses and paper, next month, who knows! food, and decorations. thank goodness we already know where we want to get married. which reminds me, i should really bring them some cash money, so we can indeed actually get hitched there. see! so much to do.

things that will automatically endear you to me

or, i knew i liked you for a reason:

1. you like to take naps. this applies to toddlers, cats and dogs, and friends. although with some folks, we don't nap together so much as we nap in the same room. my co-worker and i plot out our nap schedule early in the day, which is one reason we get along so well.
2. you like to knit/sew/crochet/make stuff. maybe you like to make stuff i can't, like bicycles or souffles, or woodcut illustrations, which means i like you even more and hey? can you show me how to do that?
3. you are a nerdy teenager with a questionable haircut. for some reason, i am a sucker for this. if you are a goth teenager, watch out, because i will try to hug you and make you listen to bauhaus cds with me. they bring out the weird mama-bear instinct in me. goth kids are like catnip!
4. you like comics.
5. you enjoy sneaking beers or cocktails into the movie theater. honestly, just about any and every movie ever made could benefit from a little whiskey or vodka poured into your soda. true story.
6. do you wear red shoes? because those are my favorite shoes, and if you are wearing them, suddenly i find you a lot more likeable.

there's more, of course, but today i was thinking about all the things that make me more likely to decide i like a person. i started thinking about it when i was explaining to someone else why i like my job so much (hint: it has nothing to do with the actual work i do, and more to do with being lucky enough to spend my days with someone pretty like-minded).

WAIT! i forgot to add, if you like the joke, "that's what she said!" then we are automatically the best of friends. i can't believe i almost forgot.

knitting burnout

this is the largest knitting project that i've ever done; an afghan for D's folks for christmas. it's the mayfield afghan from the lion brand website (be warned, you have to create an account to log in and download the free patterns), and while it wasn't terribly hard, it did require a certain amount of patience and paying attention. it turned out nice (even though there are a few spots where i know i messed up), and they liked it, but since the holidays i haven't started anything i've been happy with. i made D a pair of socks with some yarn i'd bought specifically to make him a christmas present with, but that's it. everything else i've started i've already ripped out. i just can't seem to find a project that i'm excited about, or one that doesn't feel like something i've already made a hundred of. the other day i started a hat with some yarn i'd forgotten i had, but i got about five inches in and realized i pretty much have that hat already, just in a different color. i don't really need that many hats. it's not that cold where i live.

i know i said i wanted to try knitting with colors and making designs, but i should probably take a tiny break from knitting until i at least find something i'm stoked about. maybe i'll make myself a pair of socks, just to keep my skills up. i have to admit the pair of socks i made D after xmas turned out nice; i think i finally got my tension right where i want it, and all those other pairs of socks i've made were good practice. it's not like every pair of socks i've made before those were shitty, it's just these were decidedly not shitty, and actually pretty awesome. i guess that saying about practice making perfect isn't too far off the mark.

it just felt really good to have a few fun projects to work on, and now when i sit on the couch i'm kind of at a loss! what to do with my hands?

we all need to get D to go along with this

even if he won't okay it for all our guests, i can guarantee that my friends will be getting a save the date card with a red solo cup in one form or another on it.

the end. (unless you want to read more about the wedding over here.)

one week in!

i said i was going to blog more often, then i totally slouched.

got a cold. my sinuses are packed with lord-knows-what and i'm pretty miserable.

back to working full time, no more holiday vacations any time soon. today was my one year anniversary working with mri's, and forgoing my glamorous chicken-frying life. it feels like the time went by so quickly!

the most exciting thing to happen this week, and thus far this year, is that my mother gave me my great-grandmother's engagement ring. i'd always liked it, but didn't want to take it from her, and wasn't sure if i'd look good in it, etc, but i have to say, i'm thrilled to have it now. secretly, i have always loved this ring and hoped someday i would get hitched and get to use it. true, i don't always wear yellow gold (meaning, i never do), and i'm ambivalent about diamonds, but the setting is so unique, and the diamond is an heirloom, and hopefully not the cause of some major bloodshed. knowing it was my great-grandmother's, then my grandmother's, and my mom's before it came to me feels amazing. it may sound hokey, but knowing i'm the fourth woman in my family (and, weirdly enough, the only without the name mary, or a variation thereof) makes me feel connected, and part of some tradition that until now i couldn't fully comprehend. all those women before me met a man that they decided to marry; all of them looked at a guy and thought, "yeah, i could wake up with him every day." all of them created new families, their own families, all of them lived and loved and worked alongside the men they had chosen. i know we've all had different experiences, and i know that marriage isn't going to make my life all unicorns and rainbows, but there's something to be said for going through the same thing they did.

D's mom found out about the ring and offered us her parent's wedding bands. that she thought of us, and was excited to discover that i was (am) into family heirlooms, feels absolutely fantastic. it's touching. she likes me enough to offer me her mother's ring. i just want to hug and squeeze her until she pops! we're going to go look at them later this week, but i can already tell you the chances are good that i'll take the ring. having a set from both sides of the family would be pretty cool. how could i resist that?

about eight months until i am actually, legally, seriously, married. when we started talking about this, october 2010 seemed a million years away. moving it up to september of this year seemed like nothing. now it's january and um, i have a lot to do. D and i are having a lot of discussions about what we want, how we want to do it, and i think part of the reason people get married is so they can figure out how to orchestrate a massive party with a whole lot of family members, and not go crazy or kill each other. this is a like a test, right? we learn how to compromise, i try not to pout too hard when D insists that i might not really need a $400 pair of fire-engine red fluevog boots, and he tries not to throttle me when i tell him that i think we should have someone other than ourselves cater the reception meal. yes, those boots would look fucking amazing on me, and yes, it does feel great to make a meal for your family that shows them how much you love them, but $400 is a lot of money, and i would actually like to hang out with my new husband at the reception, and not sling barbeque.

the cold medicine is kicking back in. there goes what little lucidity i had left, i think it's time to crawl back into bed. happy first week of the new year, and i hope so far your 2010 is going swimmingly!

sweetie darlings...

happy new year! i have a post in the works, kind of an end of the year recap and such, but right now i have more pressing issues at hand. a new panini press grilling delicious sandwiches, weirdo rum for piña coladas, kids and movies and microwave popcorn, and waiting up for the fiancé. kisses and party poppers will appear at midnight and this year will finally, seriously, be over. it was the best of times, it was the worst of times, and in the end it was a pretty big year for me. dear 2009, don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.

new year's resolutions

OR: things i would like to do this year but probably won't.

1. learn how to knit intarsia, or fair isle, or any other sort of picture/multiple color knitting. i like cables, i like lacey things, but i'm ready to learn something new. (i still detest using charts, however. i don't know if that will change this year.)
2. learn how to make a homemade, epic, sourdough bread. seriously sour, too, not like some of the wimpy stuff you get in stores.
   
3. go back to blogging more often. i've been trying to do something small every day, but i think making it an actual, "i said it out loud" sort of thing will help.
4. get new glasses. and the pre-requisite eye exam to accompany them.
5. the cyst/tumor/mean pea in my hand has got to go. honestly. i'll have someone help me take a photo; the thing's gotten fucking huge and now part of my hand down to my wrist likes to go numb or burn. not cool.
   

right now that's all i've got on my list. i know making resolutions is a bit pointless, but i find it kind of fun to actually stop for a bit and think about stuff i'd like to do. make a bit of a plan, if you will. maybe i'll make an actual pen and paper list and hang it up someplace where i have to see it on a regular basis. i really would like to get better at knitting; it's one of the things that i used this year to deal with stress/anxiety that didn't a) leave me hungover or b) involve sugar.

Caleb's hobo mittens

i made caleb a pair of basic arm warmer/fingerless gloves for xmas! just in case you'd like to make some, here is the pattern i came up with.

Hobo mitts

i used cascade 220 superwash; one skein will make a pair of these easily, with a bit left over. the stripes i made with knit picks swish dk in coal. i used size 4 double pointed needles.

to start, CO 48 stitches in your main color; 14 on needle 1, 20 on needle 2, 14 on 3. join, making sure not to twist stitches (you know that, i know).

Rows 1-9: k1, p1 ribbing.
Row 10: knit all.

First stripe is four rows:
Row 1: knit
Row 2: k 12, k2tog, k20, ssk, k 12. (46 stitches)
Row 3: knit all
Row 4: k 11, k2tog, k20, ssk, k11. (44 stitches)

Switch back to green for three rows
Row 1: knit
Row 2: k10, k2tog, k20, ssk, k10 (42 stitches)
Row 3: knit

Next black stripe, K 2 rows.

Next green stripe, K 3 rows.

Last black stripe, K 1 row.

Continue knitting with main color (green) until piece is 7 1/2 inches from cuff.

Make thumb holes! For R glove, make a 7 stitch buttonhole on the first needle, for the L glove, make it on the third needle.

Knit another 3/4 of an inch to a whole inch (depending on how long your fingers are).

Make cuff; 10 rows of k1 p1, then bind off loosely.

Weave all your ends in (if you have them), and you're done!

merry xmas kids!

we had a great day! my mom got me an awesome video camera, dave and the kids got me a new camera (!!!) and we had a fantastic day of lounging, eating, being with friends and family, with a tiny nap tucked into the middle.

all of the gifts i got were amazing, but one was so special it made me cry like a baby. to be honest, i opened it last night because i was pretty sure that would be my reaction. amidst all the packages mom sent home with us, one had a tag on it to me from dad. it was an old school navy family gram; a video that wives and families were sent when their husbands/boyfriends/sons went on cruise (this was before women were allowed on the boat!), transferred from the original vhs to dvd. it from 1986, and was different from most because that was one year the guys were on cruise through christmas, so it had a christmas theme and was a little more sappy than most. the guys all had a chance to send a little message to their people, there was a little song they made up (it was the 12 days of xmas, but altered to include the boat and their life on it), and tours of where they worked, what they were doing, etc. we didn't have a video camera growing up, and my dad was notoriously camera shy when one showed up, so to see him talking to us, young and handsome and the way i remember him, just killed me. it's an understatement to say i was so glad to just hear his voice, but then he made an inside joke just for mom and that was when i lost it. in a good way, i mean, if that's at all possible. it was amazing to see him, to hear him, to show dave and the kids the dad i remember.

so i guess you could say this holiday season has been more than a little bittersweet, but as much as i miss my dad (and honestly, i miss him a lot), when i looked around today and saw all the people that i have that i love, all the happy faces and thoughtful gifts, the delicious food and mess to be cleaned up tomorrow, it was more sweet than bitter. i hope you had a great day, got to hug your loved ones or talk to them, and go to bed tonight full of tasty treats. merry christmas!

shhhh!

the last time i went to the library, there was an elderly man in the audio book section, reading EVERY SINGLE new release out loud, out very loud, and repeatedly, into a cell phone to some one who obviously wasn't at the library. it was very distracting, very annoying, and i thought he really should have known better.

remember when libraries were quiet and fun to hang out and read in? i don't mind some chit chat or kids being kids in the kid section, but this seemed extraordinarily rude to me. if i had been doing the same thing, i'm sure he would have shook his cane at me and made a face.

public service announcement

oh come on. how you can not give five bucks to this man? comics are awesome, box brown makes delightful comics (i am a big fan of bellen! i probably send one or two of his strips to my boy every week.), and i'm thinking maybe if we get some money from grandma or aunt sue for xmas we should send box some.

oh the weather outside is frightful

except, it's not really that bad. we got a bit of snow, it stopped and then got icy, and now we have that horrible patchy mess left behind when snow loses it's nerve. the kids had a late start in school, D is having a late start as well (still in bed!), and i'm drinking coffee and finishing up my xmas shopping. oh internets, what did we do before you? going into a store and buying things from surly cashiers seems so primitive to me now. perusing various websites with a list, snug in my slippers, is worth all the shipping and handling i might have to pay. i'm going to eat some cookies for breakfast and maybe take a bath, and start getting things wrapped up.

things i maybe should have been in another life:

• librarian. i know it's cliche, but i honestly love my glasses and cardigan sweaters; sesible mary jane heels and hair in a bun. i also love research projects, organizing stuff that isn't my own, talking about books, learning random things, and being surrounded by people doing the same. embarassingly enough, i also enjoy working with people and helping them find what they need.
  
• a baker. bakers either work early in the morning or real late at night, depending on how you look at stuff. lately i can't get enough of baking. especially ridiculous, time consuming things. the weighing of ingredients, setting everything out and getting ready, yeasty delicious smells, and making the simplest things (eggs, flour, water, butter, sugar and time) become amazing treats. the alchemy of turning flour, salt, yeast and water into a loaf of crunchy bread good for sandwiches, or smeared with butter and jam, or topped with cheese and floated in soup, simply flabbergasts me every damn time. what i think of as "real" baking, pie crusts and flaky doughs and yeast breads, used to scare the bejesus out of me, but what i've learned lately is this: even a fucked up looking loaf of bread will make a sandwich and probably taste pretty good doing it. amazing! there is also a fair amount of working alone that i dig.
  
• receptionista. oh sure, i was one before, i know, but i was good at it. i have moments when i miss it, don't tell my mom.
  

oh, internets

caught up on my flickr today. you know, i used to flickr all the time. i was always taking pictures and looking at other people's pictures, and seeing new things that made me excited to cook or make or draw something, but then i guess i got overwhelmed by all the stuff on there and i took a break. i logged in today and saw all manner of amazing, and was glad i took a short break because i think i can appreciate the flickr again.

teratoma thursday

embarassing fact: i have a single, solitary hair that grows out of my neck, horizontally. it looks and feels just like an eyelash. i keep it plucked, but every time i take my tweezers to it, i wonder if i'm removing the part of my embryonic twin that lives on in a random, errant eyelash.

stop shouting!

i fell asleep on the couch last night, and woke up at about 1:30 this morning to a woman on the tv shouting. i remember waking up with a start and thinking, "ah! stop shouting at me!" and then realizing she was a televangilist and was yelling about jesus. i got up and went to bed.

shhhh...

everyone is away; D at work, the kids at their grandparent's house, decorating the tree. i have the whole house to myself, and a pot of coffee and podcasts to enjoy! it's delightful. it's so rare to get an afternoon to myself; part of me feels like i should be cleaning and cooking, part of me just wants to goof around. regardless of the guilt i feel, the goofing is totally winning. i have some stuff to knit, a cat curled up in my lap, and at least a few more hours all to myself. whoo!