Costumes and Craziness

I am almost finished with my costume for Halloween. The nerd's costume is done and hoo-boy is she gonna be cute. I made the scarf, found the hat, shirt and trousers, and Memu made the blazer and sent a sweater vest that clashes perfectly. So, done on that score and none too soon since her class is going trick or treating at the courthouse this week.

She also anounced last week that since she was going as the Doctor, I had to dress up as the TARDIS. My first reaction was "I refuse to walk around all night in a freakin' box." Luckily, there was another option. I made a TARDIS dress. It's nearly finished. I just have to get some white paint and figure out the light. I'm thinking I'll probably cannibalize one of those cheapy lanterns for the light. I'm totally thrilled with the costume and can't wait for Halloween.

Bwahahahaha!!!!

I finished the scarf! I did it, I did it! Go me!

College Ettiquette (the Online Version)

I have taken many online classes during my time as a student, but just this semester I lucked in to one that was so mind bogglingly awful, I thought I'd share a few pointers for the future. Most seem really simple, but if they make the list, it is because I keep seeing them. So, in no particular order, here they are:
1. Verb tenses exist for a reason. Please pick one and stick with it.

2. Wikipedia is not good source material. There is a wonderful web full of reputable sites to find information. Wikipedia is not one of them.

3. When you "rite liek dis" in a college level class, it makes me want to find you and check to be sure you are in fact older than 12.

4. If you are planning to teach, then for bob sake, rule 3 applies double.

5. When you quote statistics to make yourself sound smarter, make sure you're using them correctly. Being ranked 38th in population puts Nebraska at the bottom of the scale, not the top. Please stop implying otherwise.

6. There is a site that you should all become familiar with. It can be found here. I've even provided a handy link. And for the love of all that's holy, this goes for the instructor too.

7. If you make a point that is controversial, be prepared to defend your point of view. Don't just make it and then refuse to engage. All that proves is your inability to defend your point in a logical manner. Plus, it's really annoying.

8. Spell check is your friend. Use it.

9. I will likely never meet you face to face. My only picture of who you are is through your postings on the discussion board. Keep that in mind.

Taking the Plunge

Deep breath. I'm doing it tonight. Something so terrifying and overwhelming that the majority give up and walk away. I'm.... knitting a Dr. Who scarf. Specifically this one. The Nerd wants to dress up as the fourth Doctor for Halloween this year, so I have seven weeks to knit ten feet of garter stitch. Wish me luck and if you haven't heard from me after a week or two, send out a rescue party.

So very busy (happy)

School is back in session and I. Am. Loving. It. Finally a half way normal schedule for both of us. the Nerd is in preschool and daycare and seems to be settling in nicely. I'm somewhat unsure of the program. It's new this year and they don't seem to know what they are doing but hopefully it will improve over time.

My class load is heavy, Statistics, Lifespan and Development, Principals and Practicum of Education, Civil War and Reconstruction, World Civilization, and Intro to Cultural Anthropology. Throw in an additional 20 hours of outside Observations and you have one very sleep deprives stressed out overworked happy happy person. After just the first day of classes, I have nine chapter to read as well as statistics problems to answer, posts for my lifespan class and paperwork for my practicum to complete. It's exciting and terrifying all at once.

My knitting continues to grow. I cast on a wisp in some lovely yarn from Craftsmeow and it is coming along beautifully. I'm also gearing up for another intarsia block featuring Tonks from the Harry Potter Movies. I finished Harry before the move and then got caught up in other things. I'm thinking I'll be making more as I really enjoyed the challenge of manipulating all the different colors as well as watching the picture develop. It's also time to start thinking about giftmas knitting and making up a tentative list. I did hats last year, so this year I'm thinking slippers or mittens. Decisions decisions. I have also decided to take a whack at a Dr. Who scarf since the Nerd decided she wants to be the fourth Doctor for Halloween. ten feet of garter stitch. Sigh.

Maternal Instinct...

confuses the ever loving crap out of me. Is there really this magical instinct that kicks in whenever someone in possession of a uterus encounters an infant? If so, mine was broken long ago. After the birth of the nerd, I felt no real desire to cuddle and coo over her. All I wanted was a good nap and a drink. The first few times someone called me mommy made the idea of throwing something float through my overly drugged mind. I couldn't figure out who they were talking to and frankly, I wasn't in a good head space to be listening to overly cheerful medical personnel talk to me like that.

I still don't really like other people's children right off the bat. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, but overall? Children are annoying, tweens are obnoxious and teenagers should be locked in a trunk until they are old enough to get a job and move out. Conversely, I am frequently told that children love me. Possibly because I treat them like they have a brain and expect them to function as such. My decision to go into teaching is generally looked at funnily, and I can see why. I think I'll be the kind of teacher that students like and slackers despise and, you know, I'm OK with that. I want to be the kind of teacher that makes kids feel like they *should* do their best rather than just the bare minimum to get by.

After a few years of the joys of parenting, I kind of get the whole "toughest job you'll ever love" pap, but the expectation that there is some kind of magical knowledge of how to be good at interacting with smelly, drooly, poorly coordinated little humans that automatically comes with being a woman as surely as cramps and bloating makes me scoff just a *wee* bit.

The trials of trash cans

When we relocated from Beatrice to Auburn, we lost our trashcan (the curbside one). The day we moved was the day before trash day so once the house was empty, we cleaned everything and set the trash out for pick up. Hubs had planned to go back the next morning to pick up the lawn mower and grill, so we thought we would just pick up the trash can at the same time. The next morning, he returned. No trash can though. Sigh. A pain in the rear, but not the end of the world. So we started looking for a new one. No problem you might be thinking. Yeah... Not so much.

The first week, I looked when we went to Wal*Mart. Sold out. Not a single trash can to be had. Whatever, I'll try again next time. So, a few weeks later when I go back, I look again, thinking that surely there must be trash cans now. Nope, still sold out, or possibly sold out again. Either way, still without a fricking trash can. So I decide to check locally. Orchelen? Nope. Pamida? Nope. Lynnes? Nope. Orchelen in Tecumseh? Nope. Either everyone in the entire southeastern corner of Nebraska needed a new trash can at the exact same time, or I just have really crap luck. We're still on the hunt for trash cans. If you know where any are hiding, feel free to share, since otherwise, we'll just have to redneck it.

On the needles, the heartstrings scarf is making really slow progress and the sock yarn blanket got a few new squares. I'm also starting a mini Dr. Who for the nerd's 4th Dr. costume for Halloween.

It's 3:04

am. WTF am I doing up? Well, mainly putting off all the boring tedious crap I have to do tomorrow. I'm supposed to go to the Reservation with Hubs but I don't want to. At. All. Then after that, the house needs to be cleaned before my grammy gets here. And somewhere in all of that I need to drive an hour away to deposit a check so we can pay our rent. Suckage. I give up.

Selling a kidney

Sounds like a more appealing option every day. I got my book list and it's looking like I'll be using 1K of books this semester. That's right. Those are the books I'll need for ONE semester. FML. I have also struck out looking for daycare for the nerd. All the ones here in town are full up and the one on campus only take kids while there parents are in class. I need care full time M-Th so I have time to get shit done without her underfoot.

I completely rearranged both the living room and dining room this weekend. I blame it entirely on the boredom. I also read more slash than is probably healthy. There are some really good novels out there and just as many that make me want to punch babies (I in no way condone hitting a child, it's just a saying). The Apple Tree by Philo is one of the better ones I've read lately. Fate is a Four Letter Word by Philo is an awesome WIP with fairly regular updates, as is Princes in Exile by LiteraryBeauty. There are a ton more, but those are the ones that spring to mind.

On the needles: A Heartstrings scarf in Orange Sherbet. I also just finished a stripey shrug I made with some scrap brown sheep I had left over from the holidays.

Whoa!

Some how I managed to forget that I even had a blog in the first place. I suppose that I should probably update a bit since it has been an entire year since I did any real blogging. Beatrice came and went, I finished my associate's degree and got accepted to Peru State College. This fall I'll be taking 18 semester hours and hopefully working a part time job. Realistically, I'll probably be lucky to have the time and energy for school and the nerd. Oh well, isn't that kind of the point of financial aid? To cover the things you have to have to survive, like rent and daycare?

The nerd is doing amazingly well. She finished her first year of Pre-K and the differences in her speech patterns are stunning. Hubs got himself promoted and will be going up for another promotion in a few months.

I've been busily unpacking and settling in to the new house. It's twice as big as our last place (which was a ridiculously tiny 513 Sq Ft) and yet I still can't figure out where to put all of our stuff. Admittedly, there are several boxes that should have been "lost" in the move but ended up coming with us anyway. Sigh. Really, who needs three boxes of china tea cups? We don't even drink tea out of tea cups. But god forbid we get rid of the silly things since they were "heirlooms" that sat on his grandmothers china cabinet shelves and were never used in the fifty years she owned them. So now I have the dubious pleasure of trying to find a place for them. Maybe the nerd can help me with that? Hmm. Too devious?

Blerg. Alternately, I still need to get my book list and buy my text books. I'm thinking Chegg.com. When I'm done with that, I need to find a daycare too. And that is, as they say, that.

Oh the times, they are a changing

So much has happened since my last entry. Hubs got the job and we are now living in the beautiful town of Beatrice. That's right folks, we live in Nebraska! It's awesome. The town is super cute and the people here are unbelievably friendly. There is a local farmers market, and we go get fresh locally grown veggies every week. That is usually where we get our bread too. I don't know what I'm going to do when the market closes in the fall. I'm all set up at the local college and have decided to take on campus classes this quarter. So, I've signed up for four: Botany, Comparative Religions, Speech, and Beginning Acting. Only three and a half more weeks until school starts. Woo! I can't wait.

The Nerd is going to be entering daycare for the first time, and while I really think it will be good for her to socialize with kids her own age, I'm ridiculously nervous about it. She also has an appointment to have a few tests run since her speech is nowhere near what it should be. I hope they can help her, because as her vocabulary is growing, I see more and more how much she struggles to be understood. It sucks because I don't know how to help her. But, it will all work out for the best.

Hubs is getting into the swing of his new job, but they have him working graveyard for a while and he isn't enjoying that as much. Hopefully he'll be able to switch in a few months.

On the crafty side, Christmas knitting has commenced and i already feel behind. On the needles right now, a pair of socks for my grammy, since she inspired me to try sock knitting, and a cowl for my sister.

Grading on a curve

I kept my 4.0 this semester which shocked the heck out of me since two of the four classes I took were mistakes. Never take a computer course online. A) it's kind of redundant, and B) if you get stuck, you're kind of SOL because the only way to get any help is on the... computer. Yeah. So that's done with now, and I feel kind of guilty saying it, but I totally mopped the floor with MFL. She's been such a beyotch about the whole "my uterus is better than your uterus" thing, that being able to totally decimate her at school was a vicious little thrill. Not that I would ever admit it out loud, but when she told me her grades all I could think was "my brain is better than your brain, so THERE!"

Aside from that, I got my color swap package shipped out and it made it to Canada in record time. It was a huge sucess and I have the comfort of knowing that I have concluded my end of the swap sucessfully.

We're still waiting to hear about the job, and at this point, I'm starting to wonder if we'll ever get all the roadblocks out of the way. First, we drove 700 miles to interview and test, only to be told that hubs liscence was suspended, so no interview for us. We get that straightened out (unpaid fines anyone?) and then they tell us that they can't find the aplication, so we resubmit a new one, then today, they call because they need a current number for one of hubs former supervisors. I call the company, since hubs is working til after they close, and they don't know where he is, so when he got home, he had to call some friends and track this guy down, only to find out that the former supervisor is back in prison. Yay him! So tomorrow, I will have to call them back and let them know that he is currently unavailable and refer them to payroll at the company for verification. It's starting to piss me off. If it weren't for the fact that we want out of here so badly, I'd say fuckit, but anything is better than here, even if it means jumping through a hoop or ten.

Plus, to top all that off, next month my baby turns three and I recently found out that my 9 year old niece has entered puberty. She is growing boobies. It freaks me out a little bit. All these kids around me are getting so big so fast, and I don't know that I'm ready for it. I guess I don't really have a choice, but still... it's all happening too fast.

The End

Of the semester is upon us. Now I'm off to finish finals. please disperse and I'll give details at a later date.

I wanna live

in Nebraska. I hate this town. Nothing ever happens. Understand that it is partially my fault. There IS stuff to do, but somehow it pales after the first hundred times or so. The zoo is depressing because the enclosures are so tiny and the animals seem so miserable, the mall is, well, the mall, and the parks are only good on non windy, non 110+ degree days. Which happen so rarely I never manage to catch them. As for night life, there really aren't many places a couple of teetotalers can go to have adult interactions. It's all bars. Gah. I want to be in Beatrice. It's a tiny little hole in the wall town, but the people are awesome, the weather is lovely, and they actually have things to do that don't involve drinking. Plus, Lincoln and Omaha are fairly close and my grandparents are only a few hours away. At this point, we're just waiting for them to give us the word on the job and we'll be there before ya know it, but for now it's hard core waiting patterns and the end of school doldrums.

Aw, poo

So, another cripplingly boring month has gone by and been replaced with a ridiculously hectic chock a block panic fest. The month started off with a trip to Nebraska that was amazing and awful all at once. The trip was fine, but for some reason, no one in my family knows how to act in a restaurant, which is probably why we eat at home a lot. The nerd is nearing her third birthday, and thank goodness for that because she's making me absolutely crazy. Right now she's pouting and hitting things because I won't give her *another* lunchable. Yeah, worst mom ever right? Then, after we returned home (which was a shame. If I had my way, I'd be posting from a new address and not the black hole of Texas) my friend from Seattle came in to town and I got to hang out with her for a while, which is good, since I haven't seen her or her DD in 2 1/2 years. Years people! It is awesome having her around again. To top it all off, school is ridiculous as we sprint our way down the home stretch. Only three more weeks, and the instructors have been laying the work on uber-thick. Ridiculous. If I have any more work piled onto my desk, I may just have to get drunk and *then* write my paper. Sleep deprivation does about the same thing, so somehow I doubt my grades would end up too bad. Freaking out over finals (Gah, finals- should be a dirty word!) I haven't gotten too much done on the knitting front, but I have been slowly adding to my stash and have managed to finish a felted bag and a few washcloths. Once my knitpicks order arrives, I'll stat on a soaker for a friend's baby, and a fish hat (dead or alive). That's all for now, more to come (hopefully sooner than a month).

Spring break doldrums

Yeah, so I took a long spring break. Shoot me. I needed it. I've gotten myself in over my head with swaps. I really can't seem to help myself. They're so fun. I'm doing the color swap, the spring fling, the coffee and chocolate and the odd ducks children's books.I really hope this round goes better. I got stood up in my first swap and a couple of angels had to fly in to save the day. Gah. I am slowly working toward completing the Selune stole. I need to get going on that too. School is crazy. So much work, all due at once. Plus, nothing very interesting is going on. So, there you are. Done and done.

Spring Broken

Wow! I'm really falling behind. School has gotten so hectic and I've been knitting and swapping like mad. I am currently in three swaps and this will be the last time I do this many at once. They're fun and all, but I think two is probably my limit. It seems like whenever I try to limit myself, all the good ones come around at once. I'm also another year older, having just celebrated my birthday. Quarter of a century, WOOT! I got lots of good stuff for my birthday and hopefully, I'll receive what I ordered in the next day or so. Yeah, Needles and yarn from knitpicks courtesy of my grandparents, a ball winder from my hubs and some knitting books and sock yarn from my mom. Sweet. Also, as a LOSTie, I am brethlessly awaiting the next episode which won't air for TWO WEEKS ( yeah, sorry, got a bit shrill there). The mysteries are building and I am making my brain bleed trying to figure them out. So, any theorys about where everyone is in the time stream, or the orgins of that pointy eared statue welcome here. I'm off to enjoy my stress free work free spring break. Laters!

Painting

So, the painters showed up. I'm kind of relieved and kinda bummed. Either way, I'm crampy as all get out. I want a hot water bottle. Realistically, I'm just going to complain, so I'll stop and come back when I'm in a better mood.

When it Rains

Which it never does here. Seriously? I'm waiting for the painters to show. Two weeks later? Nada. Just cramp-y and crabby. And to top it all off, all my teachers apparently got together and decided that this would be the appropriate time to ramp up the intensity, so I've got so much homework, I ocassionally feel as though my brain is going to leak out of my ears. On the positive side, all my swap packages showed up and I'm just awash in yarny goodness. I got two angel packages for the Valentine's swap (they split it so they weren't out so much money. I get it)

and a knitpicks package to die for.

So much cool stuff, I'm nearly overwhelmed by their generocity. I got four skeins of sock yarn for n CherieC1 and a skein of handspun yarn from Mikelswool. I also got an assortmet of local goodie and other fun stuff. Now more than ever, I'm pumped for the next round. Also, I got some roving from Mikleswool and Ijust have to go get some worsted weight wool for the thrummed mittens that are making me crazy. I can't wait to start.

Belated Valentines

Yesterday was my third wedding anniversary. My husbands longest marriage. Officially. Yes, that's correct readers; I am his third wife. Huh, I guess third time really IS the charm cause no way in the great green world am I letting him get away. Our first year of marriage we survived a god awful pregnancy, and the fatigue and insanity of taking care of a newborn. Our second year of marriage we survived the process of getting and staying sober (proud member of Al-anon- but not the bitchy judgmental kind). Our third year was actually pretty anti-climactic, but hey, I'm not complaining. This year, we are moving halfway across the country (hyperbole much?) and this may end up being our biggest challenge considering that hubs is extremely moving challenged. As in has never lived outside of his state of birth. So there's that. Also (warning: a bit of rant to follow) only two people remembered our anniversary (besides us). Neither of my parents, my siblings, his sibling, or his mom called or even e-mailed or commented on the fact. My grandparents remembered so that makes four that remembered, but honestly, with all the technology available, how hard is it to log on to your facebook (or twitter or myspace or bebo or whatever) and say happy anniversary? Grr.. I realize the world doesn't revolve around us, but geez, is it to much to ask for a comment or two? For those of you who remembered: You Rock. So Hard! (this concludes the rant, now back to regularly scheduled programing) Knitpicks apparently decided to ship at light speed as I have already recieved the yarn for my KAL. It was a nice surprise that capped off an awesome day spent with the love of my life. He even acted as a swift and held the hanks while I wound them into balls. Gotta love a man who supports your obsessions (assuming they aren't the types to damage your health). He didn't even fuss when I told him it was yarn I bought and not gifted yarn. I think it's because he prefers I buy from knitpicks with their uber-low prices as opposed to the rediculous prices charged by Michaels or Hobby Lobby which are really the only options in town. Either way. It was a good day.

ETA: The needles? Totally gateway. I'm already trying to decide which size to buy next.