Combining My Love of Mythbusters and Lolcats

moar funny pictures

Are they testing the SPF of sunscreen?

First Finished Projects of '08

This week I finished some socks out of Duet Sock Yarn that I received in the SP11 exchange. It was my first attempt at a short row heel and it didn't go half bad. I'll probably continue to do a heel flap and turn the heel most of the time, but it's good to have a new skill. I like socks with contrasting heels and toes so I'll at least use it for that style in the

I also made a pair of Saartje's Bootees (opens pdf) for my manager's baby that's supposed to be born on Monday. I was stupid when I bought the buttons and only bought enough for one bootee (two per bootee) but I wanted to get them done before the baby was born so I changed the pattern a bit. I have no idea if it'll work. Right now I'm just hoping that the baby actually is a girl like she's supposed to be.

License Plate Fun

I don't have Crazy Aunt Purl's mad traffic-photography skills (or the LA traffic that allows her the time to take such shots), but I saw this on a WI plate on my way to IKEA on Saturday:

C VU PLAY

I'm also posting to gush over the impending return of Stewart and Colbert tonight. I'm conditionally excited as I hope that they do OK without their writers. Come on, AMPTP, make them a good deal. Letterman's production company was able to find their demands reasonable, why can't the rest of you?

Edited to Add (ETA): I also hope that Stewart and Colbert have not grown strike beards a la Conan and Letterman. I saw two screencaps of the bearded ones side by side today and all I could think was that it was Santa and his elf.

Finished Items

I think NaBloPoMo actually did cause me to burn out on blogging. I'm back to posting again and for once I also have finished items. The first one I forgot to get a picture of before returning from my parents' house. I made my sister a Fake Isle Hat and it turned out well. I had to frog it once because the gray I was using for the coordinating color didn't pop enough against the SWS I used for the main color and it was too small. The final version now has black as the coordinating color. I may get a picture one of these days.

I also finished the pair of socks out of Tofutsies I was going to give my grandma for Christmas. Because I didn't even have one sock done in time and my mom had already had a gift ready for her, I'll either give them to her as a Mother's Day/birthday gift (her birthday's May 10) or save them for next Christmas.

Babies, Babies Everywhere

I thought Liz in particular might appreciate the observation about Discovery Health on Television Without Pity's Going Through the Channels.

You Gotta Have A Gimmick: Discovery Health, also known as The [Blank]tuplets Channel, brings you Conjoined Twins: Erin And Jade. Wait, their parents only had two? Slackers. (Discovery Health, 12 AM)

Christmas Fast Approaching

1) I have a little less than half of the third and final Acrylic Hat of Death left to knit. My hands feel like they are counting down the inches.

2) Tomorrow is my department pot luck. I've got a carrot cake in the oven right now and the cream cheese is out so it can soften for the frosting. I'm bringing it in a disposable pan so I don't have to worry about being stuck with any leftovers or forgetting my pan. Also, the only 9x13 I have is a Pyrex without a cover. Yea Pyrex, boo aluminum foil that would smoosh into the frosting.

3) I am officially done holiday shopping. Holiday knitting, no. Shopping among the crazies, absolutely.

4) I found out today that our holiday party for my contract company will be at a bowling alley this year. This has the potential for crazy awesome klutzy chemists. Wee!

5) I leave for my parents' Saturday morning. I'm really excited for a few days off.

Last Package

My very awesome secret pal (whose blog can be found at javagibber.blogspot.com) has sent me my final package.



I got a copy of Happy Hooker (I just might become a crocheter yet), a sock blocker keychain that I've wanted for awhile, more chocolate (mmm, chocolate), a package of soak (wool wash!), a skein of cotton from Honeysuckle Yarns, a skein of Smooshy sock yarn from Dream in Color (it's so much prettier than the photo conveys, cute little kitty magnetic clips (I've already got one marking the carrot cake recipe I'm using for my work pot luck on Tuesday), and a bar of soap with little crowns in it. It's been a great exchange and I couldn't have asked for a better pal. Now I need to finish my Christmas knitting so I can finally get around to using all of the lovely yarn she's sent me throughout the exchange.

Hello!

Look at this! New Yarn Harlot in April? Hurray!

Snow Day!

Even though it looked like this when I woke up

I went and got this done.

I'm blonde again! I went in mid-afternoon when pretty much everything had been plowed and it actually wasn't that bad. I also did this

It's a Fake Isle Hat for my lovely sister that sent me this. I especially appreciate the fact that the picture she used for our mom and her faces was from when they were in a play so they have way more makeup on than they usually do.

Emily 1, NaBloPoMo 0

Mwahahaha! I have taken on the great NaBloPoMo challenge and I have emerged victorious. In 30 days I have made 31 posts with only a little bit of 11:50 rushing and a little bit of posting just to post.

Today my arm hurts a little from the flu shot I got yesterday and I have a headache but I am surviving. Tonight, I'm planning to hit the Maplewood Mall to attend the Debbie Stoller book signing. Tomorrow, I'm going to see if I can find a place quick to get my hair cut because the length is starting to get annoying. I'd also like to get highlights again but I'll see where I can get in before committing to that. I'm looking more brunette than blonde these days.

My One Concession To Christmas Decorating

I put together this wreath last year when I was home for Thanksgiving from my mom's large stock of craft supplies.



I had just moved here and wasn't in the mood to get a bunch of Christmas decorations when I was still bringing stuff back from my parents' house every time I went home. I probably won't do much more this year, either. I might get some lights to put up in the window but that'll probably be it. I'll do some baking which I far prefer to hauling a bunch of stuff out that hardly anyone else will look at only to have to pack it up again.

Snow!

Tonight as I left work there were nice, big, fluffy flakes falling from the sky. These were the real first sign that winter is on its way. I've seen snow falling a few times this season but that was wimpy, wannabe snow. This is the kind of snow that I can look out my window at and see floating down past the street lights and feel like I live in a snow globe. Granted, most snow globes don't contain gas stations next to Mormon book and gift shops, but I'll take what I can get. This is the idealized version of winter I have in my mind instead of the reality of having to clean off the car and freeze my feet off in the morning.

I can has grammer analyzes?

I thought Lisa in particular might enjoy this link, analyzing the common themes in lolcat images. It's not completely in depth and only really addresses lolcats, so no missing bucket discussion.

Link courtesy of passiveaggressivenotes.com, which is also an interesting read since everyone has seen notes like this a few times in their lives. There's one in my work cafeteria I wish I could submit but I can't bring a camera in.

Hat Factory

I started the first hat last night.



I've decided to knit them on magic loop. This one it plain black and the other two I'm making will be mainly black with some sort of teal striping pattern on them (not identical). It's going pretty quickly but I think I'm going to get really sick of 2x2 ribbing.

In the background of the picture you can see my new bedspread. Yes, I often take photos of knitwear on the bed. Don't judge.

Home Again!

I've made it safely back to my apartment with more clothing, food, various household items, and probably more weight than I had when I left. I also have more yarn. It's all acrylic as I have been commandeered into my grandmother's Christmas sweatshop. After agreeing with my sister that we would buy our parents gifts together I was down to only one pair of socks for my grandma for Christmas knitting. Then my grandma said that she wished she would have asked my mom and I earlier to knit caps for my six male cousins and my one cousin's foreign exchange student and we stupidly agreed that we could do it. Six of the seven of them have adult sized heads. I've taken three adult sized ones and my mom has the other three larger ones and the one child sized one. My grandma may be getting one finished sock and the yarn for the other one under the tree.

Introducing Barney

I've had my car for almost five months. He's a 2007 Ford Fusion and his name is Barney. Not after the dinosaur or Mr. Fife of Mayberry as my aunt thought. I never named my old car (a 1995 Chrysler Concorde) but I do know that it was female, because she was a cold-hearted bitch.

No, my car's named after Barney Stinson, Neil Patrick Harris's character on How I Met Your Mother, because I feel that I have "suited up" from my old vehicle. So far he has served me well and I figured it was time he was named since I will be spending a lot more time with him now that I'll be driving to my parents' house for the various holiday events coming up in the next month or so.

Black Friday

I wasn't one of the crazies out at 4 in the morning, but my mom, sister, and I did hit Albertville and St. Cloud today but didn't get their until 11, right when quite a few people were leaving the outlet mall. The two bedding/linen stores at the outlet mall are going out of business so between the two I got a new comforter/pillow sham set, sheets, and a blanket for about $75. I was also able to get a good deal on a purse at Wilson's Leather and got a few other things (including clothes and a DVD). It was a great, if cold day, with my mom and sister and it went better than we could have expected.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This was taken this morning on my way out to my car so I could pick up my grandma. Today was a great day filled with lots of family, food, stories, and minimal crazy violent antics by my male cousins. It's almost like we're grown up now. I've missed my holiday screaming quota.

Conversation With My Mother

I got home this afternoon and my mom was crocheting a sweater for her friend that designs and also puts together the items for the photo for the magazine/book/etc. for other designers. My mom generally helps with a share of this work.

Me: Whatcha making now?

Mom: An argyle sweater. It's by someone called Drew Emborsky. He also goes by . . .

Me: The Crochet Dude? You're making something by the Crochet Dude?

Mom: . . .

I think my mom may finally know about blogs. Do I introduce her to Ravelry or run away scared?

Shut Up, Fox!

I'm watching Bones right now and there was a commercial for American Idol. Now I have every intention of watching American Idol this season. I'm not even going to try to deny that. It's beyond a guilty pleasure show and more like a requirement to be able to keep up with pop culture. That being said, there is no need to advertise a month and a half a head of time. It already gets the highest ratings when its on and since the writers strike is still going on chances are that come January a lot of scripted shows still won't be back on track so reality shows will be all over the place anyways. Seriously Fox, I felt the same as when I already saw the Coke Santa cans the day before Halloween. We know it's going to happen, no need to advertise already.