Goodbye 2007!

I graduate in 2008. I'm a little bit excited about this information. Only FIVE MONTHS LEFT.

So last night I watched four movies. Seriously. I sat on the couch from 4:30 until 12:30(am). it was awesome. I watched the X-Men trilogy (I've never seen them before. Thought they were pretty good. Last one sure was weird, though.) and then I watched How To Make An American Quilt. It was excellent. Good movie, good message, etc.

So yesterday I started making a Fetching glove out of the lovely Alpaca/silk and you can see that I've done well. It's so lovely to work with... And it's so delicate. I love it. (took the picture with my phone last night.)

I made ginger snap cookies this morning and they're calling to me. Also, the shower is calling. Perhaps I'll take a shower and then reward myself for being clean with a cookie. :)

A Yarning I will go!

A Yarning I did go!

I went down to the wonderful yarn shop that is (sort of) downtown here and bought some yarn today. I bought some lovely yarn for some mittens (Or gloves, depending on what I feel like) and it's lovely. It's Alpaca silk and it's pretty purple and did I mention that it's lovely? It's so soft! Right above it on the shelf is even more alpaca silk that is called Royal alpaca, which is so wonderful they have to price it $30 more than the skeins that I bought. Apparently once in a blue moon the conditions are just right that the alpaca fur is just that much softer. I stood there petting it for a while just to say that I could touch it. But the stuff that I ended up buying was $10 (nicely priced, in my opinion, for possibly the most wonderful substance in the entire world.) I petted a lot of yarn today. And that made me happy. This particular yarn shop is like a knitters heaven; an oasis of knitterly and wooly goodness. You walk in and just sigh in contentment, because the building it's in is small and cozy and homely, and it's quite simply full to the brim with yarn. Every type of yarn you could ever want from cotton, to wool, to alpaca, to feathery fun, to the strange golden fuzzy stuff, to sock yarn, to soft yarn that is actually labeled "Touch Me" (I did.) and down to the unidentifiable stuff that is just so pretty.

It's one of those places that, no matter how many times you visit, you still feel like it's your first time. It makes me happy.

From my happy place, I went to Michael's craft store to buy (guess what!) more yarn. Except that this time it's for the bamboo hats for my friends (which I'm getting paid for!!!) and for another small splurge, some nice hat yarn that's pretty. (I have the pink/green one that's shown on the side. I figured it was nice for the impending spring.)

In any case, I'm gushing about yarn and I'm going to go read for a bit. I bought Gena Showalter's new book and it came on Christmas Eve, and I'm busy reading it now. So far, it's good. No real opinion yet... only 85 pages into it.

Night, all!

A year?! Already?!

Well guys. It's been a year. A whopping year since I signed up for this blog and a year that has gone by perhaps fast, but at the same time dreadfully slow.

While I was driving to work today, I was thinking about a year ago.

A year ago, I didn't have college applications looming.

A year ago, I didn't have a job.

A year ago, I didn't realize that Real Life was looming.

I could come up with a lot of them, but unfortunately a lot of them aren't very impressive. Just little things, mostly..

In any case, it's been a year.

Today at work was probably the worst Customer day. People get so ugly sometimes that Good-Natured Me doesn't understand. Why is it SO IMPORTANT that you get that $1.42 back? WHY?! There were some very confusing and irritable customers today, and I won't go into detail, but nearly every time this guy John over in Polo Ralph Lauren saved my ass. He isn't quite management, but he isn't a lowly holiday sales associate, either. Somewhere in the middle. But he was nice, he knew how to talk people down, and he almost, apparently, tracked down a certain irritable man to throw him out of the store.

I think I'm in love.

Of course I'm not. But I could have kissed him. I guess that having someone stand up for me was just really touching. I haven't been stood up for since the days that I needed standing up for. Like in Kindergarten, when my friend Brandy stood up to this guy named William, telling him off for calling me Freckle Face.

In any case I was touched at his anger toward those customers. Can't explain the how and why of it, but I am.

Well, FINALLY

Today was my Christmas Part I. Tomorrow is Part II. Hooplah! I got lots of goodies and toys today, got some Christmas Pudding (the kind you set on fire!) and, sadly, no yarn. Not that I'm complaining, but I do love that yarn. I even got a little Lance Armstrong bracelet that says "Be not afraid of greatness" from "santa" (aka Mom) and I even got a penguin that has earmuffs on (that are really speakers) that you plug your ipod into. HOW COOL IS THAT! So tonight I'm over at my Dad's house for dinner and I can snuggle up at night listening to my music WITH MY NEW PENGUIN. I find that hilarious. I also got some silky pjs, some magnificent boots, and, among many other things, a Barnes and Noble and Starbucks gift card. Hooray! I love all of those things.

I even finished at hat today that matches my Diary of a Scarf-scarf and am wearing it proudly because it neither resembles a lamp shade NOR a tea cozy.

So posted below are some pictures that I had taken with my family in August. Enjoy.
(Me, Dad, Pippa, Natalie, Tom (the small one), and Duncan)
Tom and Dunc (Well come on. What do you expect?)
(Ain't I gorgeous?)
(Love this one.)

If I hear one more christmas song...

I might start bashing my head in. Seriously. It wasn't bad for the first hour or so but after that it was a pretty steep decline.

Did I mention that I worked 9 hours today?

My feet HURT.

You know, that's honestly the worst part about working: The sore feet. I'm thinking of wearing slippers and just breaking dress code for the hell of it.

I've tended to notice that the best people who shop come after 7:30. They're the ones with the sense of humor, who laugh when I say "My name is Stefanie, or at least that's what it says on my underwear, and if you look on the bottom of the receipt you can see that I've circled our website..." and yadda yadda. They're the people who, when I say "Do you have an ultimate, wonderful, fabulous Macy's card?" they reply "Why yes, I have one of those ultimate, wonderful, fabulous Macy's cards!" and smile.

I love those people. I smile at them and they smile back. They're the people who are genuinely interested in other people and not just in buying clothes.

I've just wrapped my christmas gifts, seeing as tomorrow is Christmas Part I for my family. Part two comes shortly afterwards. On Christmas day.

(My feet hurt...)

I've wrapped up all of my scarves, so they are out of my way and are no longer tempting me to wear them because they're just sooo cute and go perfect with my outfit!!!

Because they tend to do that.

Anyway, I'm going to go get the makeup off my face and my feet on something soft and squishy. Merry Christmas yall.

Writers block crumbles

Unfortunately, the Writers Block Brick Wall manages to re-erect itself quite efficiently. But it hasn't yet, so I'm celebrating by not writing anything. It seems to work that way a lot doesn't it? But I am thinking of writing. That counts, doesn't it?

In any case, this is what I have written: http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2244814/13/ Visit it. Read it. Review it. Love it.

I haven't much to report. I spent all afternoon working, and then the rest of the time at the house I babysat at all summer. And they fed me (!) and talked to me (!) and let me watch a movie with them (!). Unfortunately, I want to know how the movie ends!!! But I can't go over there tomorrow to do it all again because I'm working. :(

I also need to do christmas shopping. I guess I'll be doing it on christmas eve. Usually I don't leave it this late. But I have it all mapped out. So I'll rise early on Christmas Eve (Hah. Early. I mean, around 10:30 or so.) and then get it done then.

...Oh God, I'm in trouble...

I wonder how many of Those Days I am going to have?

This is another one of Those Days. Not the "damn I'm good" days, but just a day.

This is completely random, but I just realized that my butt is bruised and I can't remember how it got that way...

Okay! Moving on!

Today has been, to say the least, long. I took a final, I gave my teacher recs to my teachers, I saw National Treasure (2) with a friend, and now, at the end of the day, I have a headache. I don't feel 100% is a good way to put it. I don't feel terrible, just maybe 75% of what I should feel like. I guess I'm just emotionally, mentally, and physically drained from, well, everything this week, what with finals and all.

I'm rereading a piece of fanfiction which was so good, this is the fourth time I've read it AND I saved a copy of it onto my hard drive. It's one of those stories that, were it not Fanfiction, would be publishable. The entire story comes to a sum total of 469 pages long in microsoft word. I'm on page 185 (and I love every minute of the story... Yay.)

Do excuse me while I go tell my brother and his friends to turn the music down. He's having a party to celebrate the end of finals, and I will have none of his chaotic mischeif.

Wow, I sound about a million years old.

I have wonderful news!!

SAT scores are here!!

Reading: 600
Math: 590
Writing: 640
Essay 10

HOORAAAAAY!!

This all adds up to the equivalent of about a 1250 on the old SAT.

(!!!!!!!)

I did better this time by like 140 points.

(!!!!!!!!)

YAY!

College applications almost done. Mom sat me down tonight and was like "DO IT." And I "eep!"'ed and said "okay!" in a tiny little voice.

Best. Article. Ever.

It's not edited, but this was my Desktop Publishing final today.

---------------------------------------------------------

An Astronomic Asteroid is Arriving Anon!
By Stefanie “Turn your articles in!”

Ladies and Gentlemen, we may have a crisis on our hands. Right about the time that we’ll be spending money on our midlife crisis convertibles and heading out on those Caribbean cruises, a one-thousand foot chunk of space rock could be heading our way.

99942 Apophis is the asteroid which is predicted to hit our earth in 2029. Mind you, it has a 1 in 42,000 chance of hitting earth. Wait a minute! That’s a .0023% chance! If I were you, I would grab your Asteroid Emergency kit and head into the nuclear bomb shelter in your backyard! Some useful things to take into the shelter with you are: Your children (Seniors, in 2029, we’ll almost be 40), your Nintendo 64 (those things will never break), and your Oxford English Dictionary (Do I get extra credit for mentioning the OED, Ms Armstrong?). These will all come in handy at one point or another. Don’t worry about food. Chances are, you’ll have been stocking that shelter with dried food preserves and Gatorade for the last twenty years.

On the off chance that the asteroid doesn’t hit us in 2029, fast forward seven years and look to 2036. This year is even more deadly! There is approximately a .01% chance of at hit in 2036. That is an entire .0077% difference! The shock! The danger! Okay, forget 2029. The real peril lies in 2036!

There are three places in our general area around Earth that are called Key Holes. These are places that it is very easy to slip into an orbit around Earth that would cause reasonable suspicion that a Near Earth Object (NEO… Matrix, anyone?) could be launched in a direction right toward Earth.

Wait a minute. When have we ever gone down without a fight? We’re the superior race, and a little 1000 foot chunk of space rock isn’t going to scare us away. It seems, then, that we have several options:

One: Build an asteroid identical to this one and launch it up into space to hit it and direct it off its course toward us.

Two: Nuke it. We have the bombs lying around, don’t we? We could totally spare a few for an asteroid which could potentially cause more than $400 Billion in damage.

Three: Send a few space ships up to gently persuade it to turn around. One good push could send it right back where it came from.

Four: Cry to our mommies.

Four point oh: No wait, scratch that last one. Demand an audience with the Alien King who is directing it our way in the first place and threaten him with all the American Valor we can muster.

Students of St. Michael’s, this is a real threat. Do not take this article lightly, because if you do, you may be blasted into a thousand smithereens by an Asteroid.

It seems I am in business...

So, it seems that I am in business now.

Ish.

Two people came up to me having loved my hat that I made this week, which is truly made of awesome and LACE (ohmigod).

I also made $10 from making the Tina hat twice (once for Tina, once for... oddly enough, my dance teacher, who loved it.) and I've decided that I'll make stuff for people who want it. I'm charging $15-20 for this hat, which I call the Wood Hat, since the yarn is made out of 89% bamboo. I got two orders today from girls who loved it. I'm very happy!! I'm also (still celebrating!!) done with my Christmas Knitting (BEFORE CHRISTMAS: SHOCKER!) and I'm basically looking for little things to knit (that aren't scarves.)

Well. That's all for tonight!

Lace pattern = Easy As Hell:

CO multiple of 3 (I think I did like 60 somthing... I can't remember.)

Row 1: K2 *yo, sl 1, k2, psso 2 knit stitches* to last stitch, k1

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: K1 *sl 1, k2, psso 2 knit stitches, yo* to last stitch, k2

Row 4: Purl

If you'll notice, rows 1 and three are exactly the same (within the *s) but they're in a different order. Which makes things wonderful, except that you tend to forget which one you just did.

I rate this project: Intermediate (due to the lace pattern. Otherwise it's totally easy.)

I have a lot to report!!

Lots to report, troops!

This blog comes in several sections... ish.

Section 1: NEW PHONE!!

I have a new phone and it's truly made of awesome. It's the Moto Q. It has internet, a camera, super speed, a music player, and it can probably bake bread, too.

Section 2: HATS!!!

Finished 2 hats this week: Stash hat (made of remnants of scarf yarn from the last two years) and Tina Hat (made for my friend Tina). Legolas models, of course. (Above is Stash Hat, Below is Tina Hat)

Section 3: HAND CRAMPING... (twitch.)

My hand is cramping really badly. Why?, you ask? Because look at these notes for my physics final I have. (Would like to point out that this was taken with my FANCY NEW PHONE [which probably has better definition than my Kodak Piece of Crap])

Section 4: LIFE IS MADE OF BRR...

Volunteered at the Trail of Lights like I do every year, but this year was not pleasant. I had Physics on the Brain, as well as I lost one of my gloves and so my (one) hand was cold. I think I might still be defrosting.

Section 5: Yeah, I think that's about it.

Today is... interesting

So today was interesting. Mostly full of ups (Dance performance was fantastic) but it had a few downs too. I don't even know what happened, but every once and a while I would be hit with this sense of guilt or despair.

People wonder how the body and soul are connected and if they're connected at all. I don't know about you, but when I remember something that embarasses me or that makes me feel a sense of sadness (be it an old or new wound) my body feels it too, not just my mind. The whole "body and mind are separate" thing just doesn't cut it in my book.

In lighter news, I met a really nice guy named David... I think. He was standing outside of Michael's (Yarn Diet temporarily halted. Emergency hat gift.) and ringing the bell. I chatted with him for a bit before I went into the store and a bit after I came out (I donated a dollar, too) and he seemed like a really nice guy. He even complimented me on my yarn. (!!) Nobody does that.

Anyway, I'm going to bed early tonight. Tomorrow is a big day because A) I work at 6:45 am and B) It's Performance Day Three. I need a LOT of energy.

I'm gonna be honest here

I just wrote the easiest physics paper of my LIFE.

See, the thing is, for my Physics class we have to write a short 1-2 page paper at the end of each quarter demonstrating something that we've learned during the quarter.

Yesterday we learned about Black holes.

Know what?

In Chemistry my sophomore year, I wrote a paper about stars, particularly centering on Supernovae and BLACK HOLES.

(Sweeeeeeet.)

I just reread my paper (it was actually pretty good!) and essentially paraphrased my entire physics paper. This thrills me. And nobody can (really) get mad at me because it was technically my writing in the first place, so if I want to rip off myself, I can.

Yaaaaay.

(And I did do some extra research, but why waste the time when I can just go back to what I'd done before?)

Anyway, today started the Weekend Of Performances. Performance, day 1 was a christmas concert that was supposed to be balanced between choir and orchestra performances. Of course it wasn't. We got to sing a medeley of christmas songs, but I did get an eensy-weensy descant bit during Silent Night. It was gorgeous.

Today at the all school mass, I cantored the Psalm, which went fabulously. It was so wonderful to stand up at the podium-thing (there's a word for it...) and belt out a gorgeous melody. And with the choir to back me up during chorus, it was beautiful.

So I include that in my weekend of performances.

Tommorrow: Dance performance
Saturday: Piano performance.

I'll keep you posted.

My feet hurt.

Okay, so every time I work (twice now!) it takes about 3 hours for my feet to start hurting. Did I mention that I work 6-8 hour shifts? I drove home with toes on the acceleration and break and my heels off the ground. They ache. Even when they're not supporting anything.

But it was better tonight!!

I didn't cry!!!

I messed up (only a little...) only once!!!!

Anyway, I met new people and I met one of the managers today. She looks like what I imagined Tonks to be from Harry Potter. I can't remember her name right now, but so far I know four managers: Scary-intimidating lady, Joy (who, like in that superbowl commercial only seems to smile) who is my manager, Monte, who trained us (and who isn't scary), and Tonks (who I don't actually know her name, but I've decided that in my mind, she is Tonks.)

I want to go to bed now, lie down, knit a bit (maybe I'll finish the hat I've been making. I've named it "Stash Hat" because it's knit with a bunch of feathery stuff from my Stash, although I might just call it my "Bed Hat" because I've only knit it while in my bed.

What's wrong with people today?

Probably.

Or maybe I'm just in one of those moods today... I don't know.

But it seems like today everyone is on the defensive. Against me or someone else, they just can't seem to agree. First it was one of my friends (granted she got like no sleep last night) then there was a MASSIVE miscommunication between the choir and band and what we thought would be a fairly balanced Christmas Concert with the band playing a few songs and the choir singing a few turns out that it's mostly band. And oh yeah. There's the choir over there sitting in that corner. Can you see them? No. Okay, no problem. And then there was this kid at our choir rehearsal for mass on Thursday who was playing guitar for us who, when finding out he couldn't have the guitar solo looked very put off. I guess that's to be expected, but it just added to my ever-growing list of "Don't Talk To Me I'm Pissed Off At The World, And If You Happen To Talk To Me, YOU BETTER NOT DISAGREE BECAUSE I'LL BITE YOUR HEAD OFF" people.

Oh, I mentioned the weather.

(You're going to love this)

Here's what happened on Sunday: When I went into target, it was about 80. When I came out, it was 60. When I got home, 15 minutes later, it was 50.

Monday looked a lot like High of Brr with a low of You've Got To Be Kidding Me. (45 and 30 sumthin...)

Today looked a lot like England (in the summer). High of 80, low of about 60, rainy, humid, and miserable all day.

Tomorrow apparently looks like High of 47 and low of 41.

What's wrong with the weather?

I need help

I keep remembering people that I need to give presents to and instead of going "Oh what should I buy them?" my first thought is "Oh what can I knit them?"

In slightly less disturbing news, my xmas knitting has swung for the better... as in, I only have to finish a scarf and some mittens and then I'm DONE.

The mittens I added yesterday, and I've finished one already. They look like these: except that I used the leftover yarn from that hat I just made for my friend Kim (Which is, by the way, part of my attempt to Stash Control. I figure I just need to not buy yarn for a while (hah, let's see how long that lasts...) and I'll have my stash down to a sizeable... thing inside of my drawer. I limit myself to one drawer as stash, thanks.

More later. I'm going to go sort some yarn now and see what stash control I can do at the mo.

Haircuts, Work, and Dancing (oh my!)

This blog comes in three parts.

Haricuts:

I got my haircut! I did what I was going to say and got my hair cut. It's supercute. (Yes, that is one word.) It's short again and that makes me happy. (Yaaaaay happy!)

Work:

First day of floor work: fun, but exhausting. By the end of the night, I was so tired I actually cried. Yes, cried. My feet hurt, my legs ached, and I had been awake for way too long. I learned how to do the register and I ran clothes back to their correct places. I even opened a macy's account for someone (which apparently is a good thing, especially on the first day.)

And lastly, Dancing:

My first ever dance performance (This doesn't count musicals) was tonight. I danced in our school's Las Posadas celebration, and it was fun. My second dance performance is on Friday during our lunch period. It'll be fun. :)

And now I have to go do more homework.

Hmm. Another late post!

It seems I am quickly developing a habit of posting the next day (which still feels like yesterday) about the day that I'm still in.

Wait, what did I just say?

Good news of the day:
1. Finished a hat!
2. Made money (via babysitting)
3. Got wonderful gift idea for friend.
4. Bought new DPNs (size 3 and 8...) Also bought pretty new scissors to go in my little knitting bag.
5. Almost done placing 3rd newspaper (in record time. I spent 4 hours yesterday doing basically all I could to get it done asap. Finished two more pages today. Would like to point out that it is as 12 page newspaper that usually takes me two weeks (with edits) to put together and get out. Would also like to point out that I've done 9 pages in 2 days. Thank you, thank you. No pictures, please.
6. Remembered all of Las Posadas dances. (CELEBRATION.)

Okay. I have every intention of getting a hair cut tomorrow. A relatively nice one, please. I want to chop off like 3 or so inches, but make it stylish please. I haven't had my hair cut since july and it's driving me mad.

Below are pics of my hat (which is a gift I'm not sure I want to part with... it fits me a little small, but better than the Mushroom Flower hat. Which I still love. But I am learning. Albeit slowly.) and my beloved newspaper. (Which I am editor of. I don't believe I emphasize that enough.)

(Okay, it's an awful picture, but give me some credit. It's 1am.)

Quickly!

Okay, so.... quick recap of my day (because it's midnight and I need to go to bed)

1. 1st place in monologue competition!!!!!
2. Finished training at work... start on Saturday. My shift is 4pm-12:15Am
3. I just took the best shower of my entire life. I dunno. Very hot water made period cramps go away... it was wonderful.
4. I decided I am really an overachiever. I can practically predict a conversation between me and my friend who sits next to me in Physics:

Friend: Did you write your paper?
Me: Yeah, I did. Did you?
Friend: Yeah, but it's bare minimum (also, this could be "No. Fuck that".)
Me: Oh.
Friend: (suspicious) Stefanie, how long is your paper?
Me: 7 pages.
Friend: The minimum was 3! Why would you write 7?!

Yeah. I can see that happening.

Now I'm done. Night!!!

Job Day 2

Okay, so not much to report on the job front. I spent today doing register training (four hours of it). There was a girl who shared the computer with me and we suffered through it together. And you want to know what kills me the most?

We're not done yet.

We still have more register training to do tomorrow. Hopefully not as much, because by the end of it I just couldn't believe it whenever they had me do something again. It'll be useful when I'm working, I know, but right now it's tedious.

I want to get out there. There. See it? It's surround by golden light.

So (slightly) more interesting was the Shakespeare monologue competition that I was in. I do have to say, I rocked. I one of Lady Macbeth's monologues from Act I of That Scottish Play (-whispers- Macbeth... Sorry, theater heebie-jeebies) and I played the part really well. Naturally and creep-ily.

I rocked the world if I do say so, myself.

Day 1...

New job day 1.

(I HAVE A JOB. I WORK. !!!! )

Met my manager (she seems really sweet!) I figured out what department I'm working in (Better sportswear... right next to juniors, where I usually shop.) and I began my training, which basically meant sitting in front of a computer watching training things from disks. They were pretty fun (sometimes) but the first one (about diversity in the workplace) kind of felt like a children's game. It was a simulation of a meeting where people were talking about different experiences they had when being confronted by different situations regarding diversity, and to watch what one person's story was you had to click on them on the screen when they were outlined in green. And then at the end there was a quiz (and at the end a super-happy-peppy voice said "Wow, that's great! You really seem to understand diversity in the workplace!")

So after I was finished with the five CDs of training information, I poked my head into the HR office, said "I'm done!" and waltzed off into the store to do some real shopping.

Okay, so I spent way too much money, but I can wear all of it to work and I can wear all of it to school. I swear. Stop giving me that look.

Hey guess what

THE DAY DID GET BETTER.

I AM OFFICIALLY HIRED.

-BOW-

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I start training tomorrow.

Only downside: Entirely black dress code. Take a peek into my closet and look at all the black. (ie like two shirts)
Upside to the only downside: THIS CALLS FOR A SHOPPING SPREE. Oh, hey. I work at a department store. D'oh. Shopping spree WITH AN EMPLOYEE DISCOUNT.

Life is good at more than minimum wage.

www.THISDAYISAWESOME.com

This day can't possibly get better.

Awesome #1: I got a 109 on my English Chaucer exam. (She said that an A meant it was excellent!!!)
Awesome #2: My dance teacher wasn't here this morning, so we practiced and had a great time
Awesome#3: I get out of my G block class (which is all the way in the gym) to pass out Newspaper #2.
Awesome #4: I HAVE A JOB INTERVIEW TODAY AT MACY'S.

All of this equals to why I am so ecstatic right now. I kind of want to jump up and down and shout "HOORAY!!"

Post SAT mush

Kay. So I took the SAT this morning, and my brain is still mush about 4 hours post-test. If I shake my head can you hear my brain mush going all around my head? Maybe see it come out my nose?

Okay, so I keep inverting words and letters and it's not funny. And even there I just forgot to put a space in between words. Gack I'm going insane.

And I saw one of my friends at the SAT during a break. One of those friends who I'm not even sure are still my friend anymore... Why I even try with her. I went up to her and said "Hey!" and she was like "Hey Stef." and went back to talking with other people. And then when I put in my two cents to the conversation (God forbid. It's not like they were talking about something I didn't know about... They were talking about the test.) and said that it was my second time, she turned around and asked "Seriously? Only twice?"

Um... did someone tell me it was the norm to take that test five times and I not know it? Because that's not normal. That's suicidal.

Anyway, I'm probably reading into it. She's being cold and I'm (trying to be) nice to her. Maybe she'll pull the stick out of her ass and grow a conscience sometime.

Fancy that

Today was much better.

I'm not as sick as I was yesterday (intense nyquil doses perhaps? Or it might have been the lack of anything that I did yesterday and all the rest.)

So if you haven't noticed, there's a fancy-schmancy lil banner up top! Made just for yall in "Paint" (because my Photoshop is on the fritz).

Tomorrow I'm retaking the SAT and I'm hopefully going to do much better this time. Not that last time was awful (1110 or something) but this time I want at least a 1200. AT LEAST. Come on, I can coerce that out of the College Board.) So I'm going to bed down to get more sleep than I did last time. Because honestly, Brandy and I went to bed at about 1:45 that night. We were in bed at about 11, but, come on guys. Girls talk. You can't expect anything less.

Here's hoping.

(send me luck and caffeinated thoughts, please.)

Change is sometimes inevitable.

Okay, so I changed my blog's title.

I figured that it was time for a change (and a byline to go with that change) because I realized that when I came up with the title "Blank Parchment" I was sitting there going... "Uh... erhm... unh... That sounds good!" and since blogging was such a new concept to me (hence 'blank') I figured it works. But know what? It doesn't work now. Since this is like my 144th post or something, it's not so blank.

So thus, my blog is now "Just One of Those Days". I mean, we all have them. Good days, bad days, up days, down days, (sideways days?), and those days that are just unimportant to your overall existance.

I realized while I was snuggled up in my bed that as much as I love to write, I can't seem to find the right motivation to. And then I realized: Wait a minute. I write every day. I write to you I write about my day, about my experiences, and I create an image that makes up me, makes up my mind, that gives me a soap box (short as it is), and that gives me a chance to unload a day's happenings.

I realize that life isn't going to get less complicated, but it'll change.

Yaaay I feel like shit!

Actually, that's kind of how I feel right now.

I have a cold thing. I don't even know what it is, but my nose is stuffy and my mind is fuzzy. Plus, (tee hee) I took NyQuil this morning... so everything is about 10x more funny than it should be.

So I'm just sitting here in desktop giggling at the most dumb stuff. But then I'll get really depressed and sick-feeling the next moment.

An actual conversation earlier this morning:

Me: "I feel like shit, I don't want to be here and I want to go home."
Kevin (who sit's next to me in my desktop class) "Wow Stef. Don't hold back your feelings. Tell us how you really feel."

Tee hee hee.

I get to go home in half an hour. Then I'm going to crawl under my covers and sleep for the rest of today.

Yay.

Heaven... ahh...

So I have just put heaven on my FEET.

I went on a bit of a shopping trip to target (and michael's!) for some stuff for a dance performance... and just because I felt like I wanted to spend money on something other than yarn and coffee. And I was perusing the shoes for some flats that are part of our costume when I saw them... (Angels did, indeed chorus)

Now, they look soft in the picture...

They are SOFTER in real life.

Ahhh... And they were $4!!!!!!

My life is complete.

So... yeah...

I have nothing real to say. (In that case, I guess everything I say should be fake if you take that phrase literally.)

I had another lazy day. Brandy slept over at my house, and we (well, I) spent time looking at knitting patterns. She, stubborn as she is, picked up a crochet hook and started to learn how to crochet out of my Stitch N' Bitch Crochet book (voulez vous crochet avec moi?). Needless to say, I am a little jealous because she just took to that hook like a duck to water. Of course, it gives me every reason to now start calling her a hooker. (ha ha ha).

I read another book this afternoon, then went downstairs and had some of my mom's delicious turkey soup. I could live off of that stuff. The only annoying thing about it is that it has whole peppercorns in it, which gives it flavor but is annoying when you pick it up in the rest of your soup and bite it. They become a little hot when you bite 'em.

Then I watched tv for four hours (two of them were a movie) and now I'm blogging.

So you see, it's been overall a good day. A good book, a good movie, and then some good soup.

You know what I realized? I have a lot to say, but not a lot of patience when I'm writing/blogging about it to say it. Becuase I have a million mph brain and about a 60 wpm typing skill.

1,000,000 mph /3600 wph = 277.78 mw/h

Fast, but not fast enough.

Brr... the sequel!

Okay, so I just emerged from my bed and it's six pm. Yay!

This morning I marched in a parade to collect toys for kids who don't have parents/can't afford them for christmas. And I had a grand 'ole time. Granted, it was freezing. Weather.com (which I tend to check religiously when winter comes around. "Will it freeze today? Awwwww... No. Again.") said "45 degrees. Feels like 37."

Um. BRR.

I was outside from about 10 until noon. And I was all bundled up. I wore tights underneath my jeans. And long socks. And about six shirts. And a hat. And a sweatshirt. AND THEN a rain coat. (And gloves.) And even through all of that, when I crawled into my bed at about half past noon it took me three hours to defrost.

I was reading a book. And by that point, I was completely engrossed in the book that I figured, what the hell, just stay in bed until you finish the book.

And I just did. I love when books end because the ending usually gives me the warm fuzzies inside. I think I might go downstairs and warm up some dinner and then start reading another book.

Maybe I'll even turn the fire on!!!

Dare to dream

Brrr

It's COLD.

OH MY GOSH it's actually COLD.

I actually think it's hilarious, because yesterday I was wearing shorts and today... BAM. Long sleeves and hats and scarves. Saturday I'm marching in a parade and I'm going to be miserable because it's going to be cold AND rainy.

Other than the fact that it's cold AND thanksgiving, I haven't got much to say.

So... happy turkey day.

Unstoppable

That is me: Unstoppable.

Perhaps a smidge obsessive, too... on the side, of course.

I really do think that knitting is obsessive. It's also ridiculously, and probably at an illegal level, rewarding. Just the fact that you can see something growing right before your eyes is probably the most gratifying part of my life at this point. Of course, I'm only 18 and have yet to see anything really that important.

Anyway, I finished those fingerless mittens/armwarmers that I think I might have mentioned sometime in the last week or so. I made one in 1 day and the other took me two because (God forbid) I, you know, work during school.

Current project: A little bag for one of the girls I babysat over the summer. And then the next one for the other girl. They shouldn't take long, considering that I altered the design of the bag that they saw and loved and asked oh-so-sweetly for their own so that it is slightly wider, longer and this time on circular needles... so no pesky purl stitch this time! I don't like those purl stitches...

Thus, are my fingerless mittens:

I have entitled them LONG STRIPEY FINGERLESS MITTENS :)



I got the idea of rotating ribbing from the socks that the yarn harlot made, and so the ribbing on the long mittens rotates as well.



Here's the pattern I pieced together from a bunch of other sources... but I guess you could say that it's my own creation. :)



CO 30 st onto size 4 DPN. Divide the stitches over 3 needles.

A. work 6 rows in K1P1 in 1 color

B. Switch to the other color and work P1K1.

Rep A and B until you have 8 stripes (4 of each color)

C. Knit 3 rows in Color 1.

Increases:

-k1, inc 1, k2, inc 1, k to end of row; work 1 row even

-k1, inc 1, k4, inc 1, k to end of row; SWITCH COLORS, work 1 row even

-k1, inc 1, k6, inc 1, k to end of row; work 1 row even

-k1, inc 1, k8, inc 1, k to end of row; work 1 row even

-Place 11 st onto st holder, inc 1

-Work 2 more rows in color 2

-Switch to color 1, k6 rows

-Switch to color 2, begin ribbing K1P1, 5 rows.

-BO.



Thumb:

-Remove the st from st holder and divide over 2 needles

-Pick up 5 stitches from around the thumb

-Work 2 rows in stockinette st

-K1P1 ribbing for 3 rows, BO.


Weave in ends and cut all strings, wear your lovely fingerless mittens with pride!

Another moment!!

Wow, I seem to be having a lot of "Damn I'm Good" moments this year. Good? Why yes, it's very good.

The Damn I'm Good moment of the day: I watched myself in Honk! (the DVD) and: Hey! I can sing! I can act! How these are revelations to me, I have no idea... but they are. Very much.

I SO want to splice up the dvd and post things on Youtube so yall can see me. (I'm awesome) And I wish I had the friggen pictures so I could show you. But more the first one than the second one.

I dunno, I have no homework tonight so I'm just enjoying myself. I've watched 3 hours of tv and I've eaten a wonderful dinner, and generally, I'm in a very happy mood.

<3

Yay.

It has come to my attention

That I am a geek.

Of course I cam. We geeks have taken over the world, whether you like it or not. We're made of awesome, and we way outnumber all of you non-geeks.

Bwah ha ha.

Reasons why I am a geek (today):
#1 - I made an armwarmer/fingerless mitten today during school (tomorrow I will make the second one)
#2 - I told about 25 random people that I made my hat all by me onesy.
#3 - I bought The Knitters Bible today in B&N and I was more excited about it than the actual book I bought for free reading over thanksgiving.
#4 - I wrote the best Shakespeare parody sonnet while I was cooking dinner
#5 - I spent about 2 hours experimenting with lace (knitting) patterns.
#6 - I practically skipped all day I was so happy (just one of those days, ya know?)

Okay so those are all of the reasons I am a geek (today).

Wanna see my shakespeare parody? Of course you do.

Sonnet XVIIIa

Shall I compare thee to an old, dead guy?
Thou art more famous and more writer-y,
Than any other man that ever died,
And any other man that I do see.
The ground that holds thy old and rotting bones,
Does seem to glow, a little more than should,
And o'er thy sacred head, the aura pwns.
Did ever stand a man so old and good?
If you escape the clammy hands of death,
And rise again to use that writers gift,
The people standing near would hold their breath
Because your rotting corpse the people sniffed.
And always at the end of the last lines,
A volta that can never seem to rhyme.

Gettin knitty with it

I call it, the Mushroom Flower hat. (if you look hard, you can see the bitty flower on the right side of the pic)

And it's my birthday present to me!!!

My patterny thing:

CO 88 st (I got 4 st/inch on size 10 circ needles. Of course, figure out what you need)

Work the length of your hand (from heel of hand to tip of middle finger) in K2P2 ribbing.

Decrease: (very loosely from my memory. Basically, decrease however you like.)

K2 P2 K2 P2 K2tog (repeat until end of row)

Work 1 row even

K2 P2 K2 P2tog (repeat until end of row)

Work 1 row even

K2 P2 K2 tog (repeat until end of row)

Work 2 row even

K2 K2tog (work until end of row)

Work 1 row even

K2tog all around

Work 1 row even

K2tog all around

Cut string and thread through all of your stitches (I think at the end of this I had less than 10 stitches.)

Flower:

CO 48 st

K1 BO 8 (continue until you have 7 stitches on the right needle. This is the actual pattern, I just altered it to make a bigger flower.

Sew flower onto hat, and look pretty. If the flower is small enough, you can roll the brim up and pretend the flower isn't there (and it comes right back when you want it.)

Hmm... what's this? A BIRTHDAY!?

Guess what today is!!!

Your queen of awesome is officially 18! (I have the Miss America sash to prove it.)

So here's my story thus far: (No, not my life story, my birthday weekend story of course.)

I went shopping yesterday for party stuff at a big Party City. Mom met me there and when we were loading my car with the stuff, she said "Hmm. Your tire looks a bit low. Oh look, there's a nail in your tire." So we drove over to costco and she dropped me off and I sat there for two and a half hours while they determined that no they could not fix the tire and they replaced the tire. So me, being me, walked over to Michael's and bought some yarn (ON SALEEEE) and some circular needles and started knitting a hat. For myself. Not for anyone else (Take that, friends and family. Something for ME. NOT FOR YOU.)

It's almost done... ish. So i'll finish that and then post a picture for yall.

And after the tire escapade, I went home and decorated my house for my partayyy. And thus follow the pictures of my lovely party!!

My friends gave me a crown, wand, and a sash that says "Bitch"... I nearly died laughing.
And then, of course, Alycia gets cake all over me!
Brandy and me. <3
The gals...
...The morning after. ;) Hmm... what do we do with all of those balloons?

Grab the sword and start poppin of course!!!
The day is young, yet. I'll have more pictures later probably.

A distinct pattern

Okay, so my chemistry teacher sophomore year was this awesome guy named Mr. Leech. He was great; a good teacher AND hilarious. He was also in this band...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-4HzZXvwWA (he's the blonde who is on guitar... Yeah. All four people in the audience are probably students from my school, har har har...)

So we have this new chemistry teacher, who ins't my teacher because I'm in physics this year, but wanna know what's weird?

HE WAS IN A BAND TOO.

(Who also has a convenient video on Youtube...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHIXhfCUyBo

This one is undoubtedly much easier on the ears. He cut his hair though, so he's not as pretty as before, though very cute.

I think there is a conspiracy going on at our school to only hire musically inclined chemistry teachers.

Hmm, it fits.

Get a Cash Advance

New favorite

I have a new favorite (not shakespearean... I do have my allegiances to him too) sonnet:

Since there's no help, come let us kiss and part;
Nay, I have done, you get no more of me,
And I am glad, yea glad with all my heart
That thus so cleanly I can free;
Shake hands forever, cancel all our vows,
And when we meet at any time again,
Be it not seen in either of our brows
That we one jot of former love retain.
Now at the last gasp of Love's latest breath,
When, his pulse failing, Passion speechless lies,
When Faith is kneeling by his bed of death,
And Innocence is closing up his eyes,
Now if thou wouldst, when all have given him over,
From death to life thou mightst him yet recover.

Michael Drayton

I love it.

A little farther than I thought

Okay, so I've been thinking of taking some knitting classes (You know. The ones with actual people who teach) and perhaps shaping up on some of the things I've kind of, well, made up as I went along.

I knew that I wouldn't go for the beginners lessons. (Pssh. Knit stitch, purl stitch, cast on, bind off, increase, decrease. I pssh in your face.)

I thought perhaps intermediate lessons would be nice.

I actually think that I should do this. Because I know all the (well, most of the) basics. Do I need to point out the number of scarves I've made? Let's review:

12 scarves (1 of which is on the needles) From L-R, a story of scarves: Amber and cream stripey, Hot Tamale scarf (and in the front is the Candy-cane feathery, who is in progress), then there's Tigery-velvety scarf, Springy scarf, Dirty green scarf, Green and cream stripey, South Carolina scarf, Scarf #1, Teal feathery, Scarf #2, purpley feathery.

Scarf #1 I knit when I was about 13. Scarf #2 I finished when I was 15. Notice a gap? Ya.

(I can see 7 gifts coming out of that pile, by the way). South Carolina scarf is the newest one (between Scarf #1 and green and cream stripey scarf.) I finished it today during Philosophy. Yay!

So clearly, I have no lack of talent on the beginners front. But I itch, I long to take on harder projects. Hence, mittens. Check out these mittens I finished tonight.

They have Z's in them! They're for a friend of mine, whose name is Zuleikha (Or Zoo, for short...) And I'm her secret santa. So, I made her some mittens. Even though we don't need them in Texas, if I darn well want to knit some mittens for a friend, I darn well will.

Anyway, the Z's were kind of hard, but once I got them going they were easy. That's called Fair Isle knitting, I think, and I have CONQUERED IT.

Next: Lace. Perhaps. Maybe. Okay, not for a bit.

But before that... more christmas scarves. -sigh-

Nothing much to report, troops

It's sunday evening, and I'm done with my homework.

No, seriously. I actually did all of my homework.

Stop looking at me like that!!

I did a lot of it this afternoon and some just now... and now I have nothing to do. Except knit. Which I have three now going on, so I have no shortage of it. (Two scarves and a mitten at the moment.) The mitten should look cool. It'll be white, red, and purple stripey. I'll post a picture of it. Depending on how they turn out, I will give them away.)

Sixteen of us are doing "Secret Santa" things at school, and I'm going to make my gal mittens. Perhaps these mittens? I have no patience for another scarf. I'm really, really sick of scarves (which is why I have two going right now. When I get sick of one I can go to the other. And then there are those little mini mittens, which I've decided are a knitter's Quick Fix. Why yes, I am comparing mittens to drugs, do you have a problem with that?)

I went shopping with my mom this evening. It was surprisingly pleasant because she mostly wanted to buy things for herself, so she left me alone to choose clothes and stuff. Usuall she insists on criticising the clothes I choose (it's too low cut, those pants don't fit you, etc., etc.) I love my mom, but shopping with her is something I usually avoid. Mostly because she makes me feel fat, and I'd rather mope about that on my own, thankyouverymuch. (Pointed out an ADORABLE purse that I reallyreallyreally want for my birthday though. Winkhintcough.)

Anyway, I was trying to find the cute purse that I love, but the website isn't working. Perhaps I'll show yall some other time.

Stash expansion

Okay, so I didn't exactly need to do it... but I kind of spent $40 on yarn today.

All of which I will use in the near future, I swear.

Okay, most of it I will use in the near future.

But look, I finished another scarf!

Here are the newest additions to my stash. Aren't they pretty? I can see two pairs of mittens and a hat, and a scarf and a half coming out of this stash. One of them is a Ravenclaw scarf (the blue and the bronze, aren't they pretty?)

And the half a scarf I already have the other color for (the white fluffy looking one). I just can't wait to finish my current scarf to start working on my other projects...

Mini Mittens!

Okay guys, it's time to get knitty with it.

Here's what I'm doing as little christmas presents for my people.

Mini Mittens!

They're so easy. And they take about an hour to do... maybe less.

I've been using this pattern, but instead of doing K2P2 for the ribbing, I do K1P1 (because honestly, if every needle doesn't start with a K, I won't do it right. It just doesn't compute. So, K1P1 it is. I've also only been using size 2 needles with a babyweight yarn, (Baby Bee, Sweet Delight "naked" color.) and I like this yarn because it's not a whitewashed white, but more of a creamy one. And it has this nice little shiny string wound through, so it has some shine to it. The effect of the shiny bit creates a frosty look with the mitten, (Perfect for, oh, christmas. Duh.) I've done 4 so far (I'm estimating that I'll need 12 or so) and I haven't tired of them yet (knock on wood) so ya.

I think that when I finish them, I'm going to wind some green or red ribbon through the end of the cuff, so that it can be a little bitty ornament.

Another music list

So I was listening to one of our local morning shows the other morning, and they were listning their iTunes top 25 songs most played... so I thought I might have a peek at my own list.

(#, Song title, Artist, play count, .......just so you know)
25. Break Apart Her Heart (Good Charlotte, 76)
24. Victims of Love (Good Charlotte, 76)
23. All Black (Good Charlotte, 77)
22. The Mating Game (Bittersweet, 80)
21. Dance Floor Anthem (Good Charlotte, 81)
20. Dancing (Elisa, 81)
19. Broken Hearts Parade (Good Charlotte, 82)
18. Y Yo Sigo Aqui (Paulina Rubio, 83
17. The River (Good Charlotte, 83)
16. Misery (Good Charlotte, 83)
15. It's Not Over (Chris Daughtry, 83)
14. Listen to Jesus, Jimmy (Reefer Madness Soundtrack, 85)
13. Good Morning Revival (Good Charlotte, 85) <- I swear, that's the last one...
12. Welcome to the Black Parade (My Chemical Romance, 92)
11. Prelude 12/21 (AFI, 92)
10. Red Flag (Billy Talent, 94)
9. Nothing to Lose (Billy Talent, 95)
8. Not Ready to Make Nice (Dixie Chicks, 96)
7. Build God, Then We Talk (Panic! At the Disco, 98)
6. Lying is the Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off (Panic! At the Disco, 101)
5. River Below (Billy Talent, 101)
4. Pins and Needles (Billy Talent, 102)
3. Limon y Sal (Julieta Venegas, 110)
2. Face DOwn (The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, 118)
1. This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race (Fall Out Boy, 147)

So there you have it, my top 25 most played. I think a lot of them I just had on repeat (like the good charlotte ones are all part of a CD I must have had on a loop. Not to say that I don't like/am embarassed by the songs, it just surprised me. :)

Anyway, I have to do homework...

Hey lookit!!

lookit, guys! They're mittens!

I'm just going to be blogging randomly while I'm taking my SAT course.

Right now I'm working on my new christmas project, which is to make little itty bitty mittens as ornaments for my family and stuff. They're so cute! I have some yarn and I'm working on my third mitten as we speak. Well, sort of.

This class is interesting, but at the same time dull. We're doing long passages tonight... which aren't my favorite. But well, what can you do?

I'm on christmas scarf 5/7. Triumph is almost upon me!!

Hrm... Whoda thunk...

Okay, so I'm taking this SAT prep course for the december test.

But it's not just any prep course, it's the I-get-to-sit-in-front-of-my-computer-(like-I-usually-do)-and-for-once-be-productive prep course. With live interaction and a real teacher on the other end, via webcam.

It's actually pretty good, too.

So, me being me, I started knitting a mitten.

How much of a mitten can you produce while learning Critical Reading test-taking tips?

Incidentally, this much.

Thought of the cutest little christmas gifts. I'll show yall later.

Mission Successful

Ah blogger.

I just woke up.

(It's 4:30 pm).

Now I have to rush out of the house.

Just letting yall know.

MI: Update

Blogger, this is coming from the event itself.

It is 0339 on 11/03/07 and I am thoroughly exhausted, though completely filled with sugar. To the brim. Fanta, it seems, is the key to staying awake. 

This is Stefanie, out... for now.

Mission Impossible

Blogger, I am about to embark on a dangerous and possibly impossible mission:

Being a leader at a middle school lock in.

How long? From 2200 on 11/02/07 until 0800 until 11/03/07. Why? Attempted suicide? This girl does not know.

My equipment:

4 Starbucks Doubleshot Espressos
Pink striped knee socks
My scarf I'm knitting
My teddy bear.

Men, I will update you when I can.

Late night ramblings...

This is just a quick one before I go to bed.

I spent all evening reading a book, and it was wonderful. But now I have to find some way to sleep in and still make it to school on time... hmm... Possibly Starbucks?! (ooh! Sounds like the best idea I've ever had!!)

I bought my halloween costume today, which I really only bought because we can wear costumes at school. I'm a Greek Goddess this year. Yay. (Egotistical? Nahhh...)

I haven't knit anything in like two weeks. This is why I started so early, so I could go through phases of it and not feel totally pressured come December...

Love yall! I'm going to bed now!!

OOOH... My friend Alycia thought of the best birthday party theme: a Masquerade. HOW EFFING GREAT IS THAT!?!? I think I'll do it!!

Pre-Post-Show Let Down

If that makes any sense...

It's over... and I cried.

A tradition we have at my school is to give the seniors in the production a farewell present (and mine were awesome:

The reason they gave us inner tubes is because there's one scene where we all run around the stage being fish, and the ducklings are all at the front of the stage "swimming" with inner tubes around their waist. On the sheet of paper, the funniest comment was from a guy named Sam. It said "Happy Birthday!" And at that, I just burst out laughing... it's SO like him to write something like that.

My flower haul...

So... pre-post-show let down. It hasn't quite hit me yet that I don't have rehearsals to go to every night, although it will (starting tomorrow, I'm sure). I'll have free time!! And guess what I'll do with it! Nothing of course! Although tomorrow I think I might go halloween-costume shopping with two of my friends. (DURING MY FREE TIME!)

I'm also thrilled about not having to preserve my voice. HOORAY! I CAN DRINK COFFEE AGAIN!!!

Well, I'm out, for now. I have homework to catch up on...

Opening Night

OPENING NIGHT

AHHHHHHHH!!!

(...Finally.)

A SCARF... NO WAY.

Today, this blog is brought to you by the letter H.

Words that start with H are:

Habit
Hell (Week)
Halloween
Halibot
Hrothgar
& Heffalump

Today, this blog is mostly out of habit. I have nothing real to say other than this:

I FINALLY GOT TO WEAR A SCARF BECAUSE IT'S FREEZING OUTSIDE!

AND IT'LL STAY COLD, TOO!!

WAHOO!!!!!!

Waiting...

Today was very long.

This week is going to be very long. I just know it. I'm not sure that people who don't perform know what kind of effort goes into putting together a production. In fact, I'm sure of that fact. All of the auditions and rehearsals and memorization take a lot of time.

Yall have to understand that when I'm complaining, I'm not miserable. In fact, I'm thrilled. I swear that I live for the few days a year that I perform, but complaining about it is probably the easiest way to make the world understand how tough it is.

But I digress (Barb, I channel thee.)

Today was very long. And a lot of smiling when I really didn't want to. Today is one of those days that I just don't want to feel any emotion, so I don't actually show any emotion. Our school had our open house today, and I gave a tour to a prospective family, who kept on saying "Wow, you seem to be very active at your school!" And I realized then that yes: I am very active at my school. I perform, I sing in the choir at mass every week, I'm an officer in two clubs, I'm the editor of the literary magazine, I'm active in a lot of after-school schpiels, and I love it. I love having things to do, and while it's not National Honor Society (which is totally overrated, I think) what I do, I do well.

So after I guided my prospective members around the campus (which somehow took an hour...)I hauled ass to rehearsal (not really... I drove the speed limit to rehearsal) where I promptly knit a foot of a scarf and then was more or less onstage for the other three and a half hours I was at rehearsal.

After this scene called The Blizzard, I went backstage and I laid down on the floor and was almost on the verge of falling asleep. And then I had to be back onstage for the finale.

If yall want to hear some stuff from Honk!, go to this site: http://www.stilesanddrewe.co.uk/honk/honk_the_music.htm

(I can't stop thinking about poultry!!)

SO EXCITED!!!

AHHHH I'M SO EXCITED!!

I just won a SIGNED COPY of one of my favorite author's books! The author is Gena Showalter, who is just HILARIOUS and an absolute page-turner. The book I won is part of the series of hers I haven't read yet, so I'm very happy to start it!

(AHHHHHHH!!!)

(Insert happy-dance here)

Breaking point... almost

Okay, I am quickly approaching breaking point.

I sneezed and musical notes came out.

In this picture all the highlighted bits are when I have rehearsal. You can see that, a while back, I had like... a day off.

That was so long ago, I can barely remember it. Sigh... those were the good ole' days...

I am so tired...

Books, books, books...

Okay, so I just realized something. Not exactly something profound, but it'll keep popping up at random moments until I get it down.

At random moments I will remember scenes from books that I've only read once. And don't care about at all. And then I have to go dig the book up again and reread it just to figure out what made me remember it in the first place. When I didn't even really like it all that much in the first place.

You'd think I would remember the books I loved. Like my favorite part in Return of the King when Sam, at the very end of the story after farewelling his best friend Frodo and Gandalf, the wizard whose fireworks he'd always loved, just pauses and says "Well, I'm back." I think that those words might just be the most profound I've ever read. He's just been to hell and back and lived a legend... but once everything calms down and returns to "normal", life goes on.

Or in one of my favorite books, The Key (by Marianne Curley) when the character offhandedly says after a meteor shower caused by two sibling immortals fighting "What did they do... play universe ping-pong?"

Or even in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone when Dumbledore looks into the Mirror of Erised and says that he can see himself holding a pair of hand-knit socks.

Those are the moments that I should remember at random moments during the day, that when they pop into my head make me smile or something.

Instead I get this:

I can see in my head the house (and it's driveway) where the character Darci (in Jude Devereaux's book Forever) figures out the key part of whatever mystery they're trying to solve. This house tends to pop into my head frequently.

I'll remember the character Circenn Brodie (in Karen Marie Moning's Highlander's Touch... Which isn't even my favorite of the series in any way, shape or form... it's kinda dull, actually) pacing in his secret study in his castle and thinking about his father.

I remember the pompous jerk of a character in one of the Jo Beverly books (can't remember which) who just bothers me because he won't see sense. At all. (grr.)

Or in The Giver when Jonas says to his teacher "I'm starving!" and his teacher retorts "No you are not. You are just hungry. You will never be starving." I mean, you'd think I'd remember something cool from that book, like when he first sees red, or when he gets his first memory (or however that works. I read it in eighth grade... I can't remember.)

They're good books and all, but usually they're those "one-timers" which you read and then give (back) to Half-Price books.

(I should reorganize my little book shelf...)

Okay, mind. If you've got any sense at all, please start thinking of good books.

Christmas Scarf 3/7

Thanks to Legolas again for modeling:

Voila! Feathery and fabulous! This is scarf 3/7. I cast on the next one during rehearsal and have about 3 inches so far. Most of this lovely blue scarf came from rehearsals (toldja so) and physics and philosophy classes. Hooplah!

I am right on my way to actually making the christmas deadline this year!

(perhaps one scarf will be a hat....)

Today was a good day. Classes were pointless and we went on a Senior Service Outing in the morning while the sophomores and juniors took the PSAT (hahaha). I went to this place that coordinates "help the homeless" type stuff and organized an office of theirs. Then we went to the County Line, got free lunch, AND we got to wear jeans. Therefore, today was a good day.

Not much else to say asides from that.

9 days until the musical!!!

Temperature...

It's really hot in my room right now.

But not outside!

(!!!!!)

(in honor of this strange contradiction, I have put on Temperature by Sean Paul)

Know what that means.... It's almost scarf time!

(About bloody time. It's nearly my birthday. Which means it's nearly time for fall to start and me to wear scarves...)

11 days until the musical.......

Reporting in...

I haven't much to report... other than the fact that I'm exhausted.

So, just out of curiosity... if you've hired a babysitter to put your kid to bed and head out to dinner at about 7ish... How on earth does it take until midnight to get back to your house? Is there something (other than, say, a movie) that parents go out and do just to prolong their time away and rack up the charges for the babysitter? Perhaps go clubbing? (haha, I just can't see it...)

Not that I'm (really) complaining... I just made like $20 more than I expected to, but seriously. 5 hours for dinner?

I don't get it.

I'm going to crash... right... now.

Re BEING HOME BEFORE 6:30!!!

Get this:

I. AM HOME. BEFORE 6:30.

Because, guess what.

I DON'T HAVE REHARSAL TODAY!!!

I CAN WATCH TV!

I CAN READ A BOOK!

I CAN WRITE THAT PAPER I WAS SUPPOSED TO TURN IN TODAY!

I CAN GO SEE MY FATHER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TWO WEEKS!

I CAN PRACTICE PIANO!

I CAN KNIT!

I CAN PRACTICE MY LINES! (Haha. Just kidding)

I CAN TAKE A NAP!

I CAN BAKE A CAKE!

I CAN TAKE OVER THE WORLD!

I CAN HOST AN IMPROMPTU PARTY!

I CAN DO MY GOVERNMENT HOMEWORK BEFORE 11:45PM!

I CAN LEARN TO CROCHET!

I CAN PICK UP EMBROIDERY!

I CAN SALSA DANCE!

I CAN...

Perhaps I'll just watch tv...

On sexy cars, scarves and... something else

(I just needed another word to start with 's')



My friends and I were walking to our cars today after rehearsal and we saw this black car that was just the blackest car I've ever seen. A very sleek (and sexy, as Alycia said) car, to tell the truth. So, true to form, we had to take a picture in front of the sexy black car.




So, just to show yall how much time I have to knit during school and rehearsal, here is a picture of my scarf which I cast on this morning.

I'm sure that if my mother were reading this, she would say, "And yet you don't have time to do your homework or apply to college." Au contraire, madre. First of all, I can't do homework during class because it's extremely obvious to the teacher, but knitting is perfectly fine. Second of all, I love to knit and I dislike homework. And lastly, I TOTALLY ALMOST FINISHED MY APPLICATION TO TLU TODAY.

(TRIUMPH!!!!)

16 days until opening night.

VICTORY...

Victory 1/3: I rocked at being part of the Honk! chorus today in rehearsal, since that's all I am in Act I.

Victory 2/3: I totally did (all of) my homework and turned it in (on time) today.

Victory 3/3: I finished christmas scarf 2/1000 today!!! (for once, I was grateful for the super-long rehearsal)

Because my brother would not model, the duty fell to Legolas.

Thank you, Legolas, for being such a lovely model.

My next scarf endeavor:

The picture isn't fabulous but you get the idea. Feathery and teal.

Just another step

I took a college tour today of TLU. Overall, it looks like a great university which I would be able to slip into and make a great college experience for myself.

Want to know what doesn't please me?

The fact that I could slip in anywhere. Even my mom told me today, "Stef, I can see you going anywhere. To UT or Baylor or even here. Wherever you decide, you'll succeed." Isn't something about a campus supposed to just call out to me? Isn't something supposed to just say "Stefanie. You are home now." That didn't happen today, but I don't know if my College-Fit-Into-Ness Sensors were functioning properly today.

I'm one of those people who is very shy and uncomfortable until I experience something. I will sink into the shadows and do everything possible not to draw attention to myself. But after I experience that first shock of being part of something new, only then will I start to open up and be myself. I think that's why I didn't have a very good day today. And it was exhausting. I nearly fell asleep on the way home today.

College = daunting.

(18 days until opening night)

Random thoughts

So I was thinking... I have a lot of things to say, but I can never flesh them out to make it something I could blog about. So here is a list of stuff that's on my mind or I just think about.

1) I made some knitting needles yesterday and most of them turned out great. Except that I need to somehow make them smoother with maybe a better grade of sandpaper or something.

2) There are a lot of loopholes in our government.

3) I started a new scarf on friday (well... thursday night. But I only knit a few rows that night) and it's already up to my waist. It alternates between a creme and a green color and it takes me half an hour to knit one block. If I've done 4 and a half blocks so far, that's taken me two hours and fifteen minutes. If I spend my car trip tomorrow knitting, I can finish it by tomorrow night. Will I? No, of course not.

4) I spend so much time in rehearsal/thinking about the musical/practicing outside of rehearsal that I pretty much have Honk! coming out the wazoo. You'd think I would get a break every once and a while. Countdown to opening night: 19 days.

5) Because of the musical I have to limit my caffeine intake because caffeine affects your voice like it does the rest of your body: a quick jolt of happy goodness and then a crash. That's bad. B... b... but... I l...love coffee!

6) I watched Pan's Labyrinth last night on HBOD. It was really good but very creepy. At the same time, the twisted, writer-y part of me is going "TAKE NOTES, THIS IS GENIOUS." I'm one of those people who can write all I want about twisted and awfully creepy things, but when I see it on the big screen, I don't enjoy it as much. Most of the time however, I don't write about that kind of stuff. I just love getting visible reactions out of audience. Possibly the most fulfilling feeling I've ever gotten is written a story that made my friend cry.

7) I'm going on a college visit tomorrow, and I'm kinda scared.

8) It's a poultry tale of folk down on the farm!

9) Please forgive number 8. I will try to curb my desire to burst into song from now on.

10) Lists like these tend to follow a thought pattern.

11) I'm really mad at the book I just finished because the STORY ISN'T FINISHED YET. Did I just spend $10 on a day's worth of reading and I STILL HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER SIX MONTHS TO CONTINUE READING?!

12) I just checked my list of poems that I've stored. I have... ahem... 118 on my hard drive. That's spanning from 2004 until now.

13) That makes it an average of approx 30 per year. But... um... probably 80 of them are from the year 2006.

14) Perhaps 90.

15) I really enjoy getting the "Damn I'm Good" moments. It tells me that most of the time I'm a pretty modest person. And it gives me some confidence.

16) My foot's asleep... Actually, come to think of it, I should be asleep right now.

Goodnight all.

Show and tell

So I finally used up all the film on a camera I borrowed.... here are some of the pictures. :) (a few of them turned out weird like the first one, but I plan on photoshopping them at some point...)