Likely Story

Blah, Blah, Busy, Blah, Blah

Aren't you tired of those excuses?  Me too. So....... I've been busy!  And I hate typepad so I either have to convert to wordpress or just stop writing entirely.  We'll see.  Anyhoo, my job is giving me stomach aches and my hips are falling apart so I'm not to keen on the conversion details at the moment.  Oh, and I'm trying to get into grad school, so there's that too.

But there's craft finished objects!  The Octopi Hat is complete!  Forgive the yellow pictures, but the lighting in that bathroom is awful right now.  Can you see the octopi?  Aren't they lovely?  Yeah....I think so too.

But the real mutha of a project has been the (bloody, bastard of a) quilt I am making for the Tibetan Society Auction in November.  A word of advice to budding quilters out there -  FAUX SILK IS NEVER, EVER A GOOD IDEA.  But its finished except for the binding which will be this weekend and hopefully it will make them a bit of money, though probably nowhere near the sweat equity I put into it.  That doesn't matter though b/c it will be FINISHED AND OUT OF MY HANDS!  Huzzah!

What color binding do you think?  Black?  Hmmmmm.........

Knitting and Shrubbery

First the knitting.  Jemima almost has a back!  She should be fully backed by the start of the weekend and so far, though she isn't much to look at, I am quite pleased.

As for the shrubbery, I lost my mind this weekend at Lowe's and came home with an assortment of cacti and succulents, herbs, 2 blueberry bushes, a blackberry and a raspberry bush and a pear tree.  I'll post pictures of the canes and tree when they actually start to take, otherwise, it will look a bit like I've spent a lot of time and money planting dead sticks of assorted sizes in large pots and in the ground.  Actually, now that I've said that, that WOULD have been a much cheaper option, though I doubt that at the end of the day the dead sticks would produce fruit salad.  Then again, there is a good chance that my berry  canes and pear tree won't produce either. Hmm.....economically, I've been doing this all wrong.  Well, it's too late now, but it's definitely it's all about dead sticks in 09.  Count on it.

Its Amazing What A Little Haircut Can Do

So, the real reason I have been AWOL for so long has been a sneaky, creeping, mild depression.  I just didn't have it in me to write, knit, sew, etc.  It just wasn't there.  The whole ugliness has been rounded off by my having to leave the bakery.  I don't get to professionally make pretty cupcakes, fruit tarts or eclairs anymore. 
    Why did I quit?  Well, at the time I made the decision, I had convinced myself it was b/c the bakery job was awful.  And honestly, it wasn't great.  I did spend most of my time asking people if they wanted their loaves "sliced or whole" which is only one step up from asking "do you want fries with that?". 
    But really, I had to quit b/c after working 8-9 hours at the bakery, I could barely move my legs anymore.  My hips would scream and bite at me all night long.  You should see the Mt. Rushmore of pillows I have at my hip-propping disposal!  And not just the "too mild to consider surgery at this juncture" hip, but my "fixed through the miracle of surgery" hip as well.  Double teamed by my own joints!  The nerve of them.
    Anyhoo, so all of these things, and the questions they raise (ie:  what do you do when you figured out your passion in life and are too bloody crippled to pursue it?)  have been seriously bumming me out lately.
All of that, and I hated my hair.  OOH, have I been hating my hair.  I made the mistake of growing it out, b/c I wanted to feel French (long story) and it was just heavy and long and I am CONVINCED it made my ass look fat.  That's how much I hated my hair.
    Well, NO MORE! 

Which would you prefer, the out of focus but you get the idea photo or the dying of ennui with great hair photo?  Well, ok, you get both:

Look at that hair, man! I feel freakin' fantastic (despite my expression in the second photo).  Its amazing what a haircut can do!

YAY! Bakery Job!

I just got hired for Job the 2nd!  I will be a PT Bakery Assistant at Whole Foods!  The Bakery Head is amazing!  She trained as an artisan bread maker and I can learn a lot from her.  I won't be all bakery.  The position's real title is Coffee/Gelato and while I 'll have to serve joe, I will also get to learn to make real gelato (a true love of mine) and work 1 shift a week in the bakery.  Really, anything to get my foot in the door of a real bakery and our Whole Foods makes killer bread.  Also, they have crazy good benefits and a 20% employee discount!  The Bakery Head is really into putting education first, so she's willing to work around my school schedule.  Very cool!

Speaking of good benefits, after a few months there I'll be able to qualify for their health insurance (which is also way better than my current sucky Cigna plan) which means we can ditch our business health insurance.  This means more $ in every respect - THANK GOD! 

I was all lined up to work at B&N next month, but I'll give that job to J and we'll both have a part time gig.  Hello paying off medical bills and mortgage early!

Things are FINALLY looking up!

My New Years Resolution

In the year 2007 I resolve to: Get an invisible friend. Get your resolution here.