Are we there yet?

I’m done packing and now it’s just a lot of hurry up and wait.  My poor cat Kink is getting a bit antsy.  She knows something is going on and she doesn’t like it.  She snuck out of the house this afternoon and went to her favorite spot – under the shrubs.  I’m guessing she goes there because it’s cool.  I also think she goes there to get centered or find her happy place.  Because within about 30 minutes she ran back to the door and started crying to be let back in.  I hope this move is better for her than the last one.

I think it’s time to take a bath and then just dump all the remaining clothes out of the dresser.  And then just relax…

Let’s get moving

I just want to be in the new place already.  But I’ve got two more nights at the current place.  It will be sad not to be here anymore because I’ve been thru a lot in this house – a new job, what I thought was a great relationship, a break up, a big depression, a couple of triathlons, Soprano’s night, Flight of the Conchords night, Seafair, another relationship and bad break up, a car fire (not mine, the neighbor’s car), great neighbors and good friends.  But now it’s time to move on and make some new memories.

I hope that my plants make a happy transition.  My tomatoes are starting to look pretty darn good.

Thanks for the camera dad!  It works great!

This will be the last post before I move.  So I’ll see you all at the new address!

Goodbye Mayflower House.  I’ll miss you.  But we’ll always have our memories.

Well… 2 tenths of a pound isn’t that bad

I did my weigh in today.  I gained 2 tenths of a pound.  I’m upset but I’m not giving up.  Considering I had several opportunities to have large amounts of pie I don’t feel too bad.  I know I made some bad choices and it shows.  So I hit the supermarket on the way home and grabbed some veggies and fruit.  Two things that are constantly lacking in my diet.  As a kid I hated most veggies.  I believe my mom called me the starch queen becausethe only things i would eat were pasta and breads.  I’ve ventured out since those days, but I still have issues with veggies and fruits.  So I picked up some baby carrots and spinach.  Then I grabbed some bananas, cherries and a cantaloupe.  The cantaloupe i cracked when I got home.  I’ve been craving something sweet and I was hoping that the cantaloupe would hit the spot and it did not dissapoint.  Unfortunately it was a $3 cantaloupe so that won’t be happening every other day.  But for now it was a great treat.

It’s been a full moon the past couple of days and when it’s a full moon I seem to have problems sleeping.  So I’ve been reading.  The past couple of days I’ve been reading The Mad Ones: Crazy Joe and the Revolution at the Edge of the Underworld by Tom Folsom.  It’s not a book I would have reached for without having seen the author on the Daily Show.  I put in in my queue at the library and it just became available this past weekend.  It’s about the Gallo brothers in Brooklyn in the ’60s.  This book reads more like a novel then it does a non fiction work.  So far it’s been a great read.

And with all the talk of the death of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackon, I regret to add another American Icon – Oscar Meyer.  He’s the one who should have had the huge memorial show at the Staples Center.  I mean, how can you say his name without singing, “Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer wiener…”  Or “My bologna has a first name…”  Have a wiener in honor of the king of wieners – Oscar Meyer.  R.I.P. Oscar Meyer.

I’m so sick of packing.

I pack thing all day long at work.  And now I come home and I packing things all night.  Fortunately, the packing things in the evening will be coming to an end soon.  And then it’s packing things all day long and unpacking things all night long.

On a totally different topic – MTV has finally decided to release The State – the complete series on DVD.  Thank you MTV!  I’ve only been waiting for over 15 years for that.

I also can’t wait to get moved in so that I can get back to really knitting.  I can get back to working on all the projects I had to pack up.  And I think my next big sweater project might be the Sunrise Circle Jacket.  My only fear with this one is that I probably need to alter the pattern a bit to make the torso a bit longer.  and I have to admit, I have no idea on how to do that.  I guess that what trial and error is for.

The Chicken Viking Hat – a huge success!

I wish my camera was working today because the Chicken Viking Hat went to it’s new owner – my good friend Sterling.  He was a perfect model for it.  Oh well.  I’m sure his mom and dad will have tons of funny hat photos for when he gets to that great age where photos of him when he was a baby embarrass the hell out of him.

I’m going to apologize to Sterling now.  Sorry Sterling.  But I have to be honest, it was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!

Woo Hooo! We have a couch!

This morning i went to Ikea to get my couch and schedule delivery.  I got there around 10 and it was the perfect time to be there.  No one was there.  I went in and asked if they had the cover that i wanted – the blue striped cover or the dark blue cover.  Every time I checked online they sad both covers were out of stock.  But when I asked, both covers were there!  So I was able to get the covers that I wanted!

So this is what my new couch looks like.

And now it’s back to packing, weeding out, and cleaning.

The best end to a day… maybe, ever

The work day today seemed exceptionally long.  Maybe because I’m a bit overworked and it’s been rather warm around these parts.  So I decided to leave at a normal time and go for a swim before our potluck dinner with the training group.

The lake temperature was perfect.  I wanted to swim a half mile – mile but I ended up just taking it easy, floating on my back, watching the resident eagles flying around.  It was perfect.  After that we had out potluck dinner with training group which was a blast.  Then I get home and check email.  I got the best email ever!

I had answered the KUOW/Nancy Pearl survey to get book recommendations from my librarian hero (that would be Nancy Pearl).  And today I got a response back!  I’m super excited to get all moved into the new place and curl up with the books that she recommended for me.  Ok, maybe it was not just her that responded but all the interns from the UW iSchool.  But still, it’s like when you were in 3rd grade and they made you write to say, the president and you actually get a letter back!

So here’s what she wrote back.  (I can’t remember what I responded to her survey but I’m excited to get started on these books.) Just as a side note here, maybe, if you’re looking for something on the cheap to get for my birthday, perhaps a book from this email might be nice   And I don’t mind if you get the book at Half Price Books – it’s a way to go green and recycle.

Hi Becky,

Thank you for filling out the  “Why do I like the books I like” survey on KUOW’s website.  This response is a collaborative effort of Andrea Gough, one of my students at the ISchool at UW, and myself.  Please let us know what you think of these suggestions, and, if you do read any of them, what you thought of it.

Looking at your responses, it seems as though you like books with strong plotlines that pull you right in, keep you reading, and indeed are so engaging you continue to think about the characters involved after the book ends. Based on that, and since you really enjoyed the Pink Carnation series, check out The Blackstone Key, the first book in a trilogy by Rose Melikan that takes place in a similar time period as the Pink Carnation series and has a strong mystery component to keep things exciting. Another historical mystery series is the Sebastian St. Cyr series, by C.S. Harris – the first book  is What Angels Fear. Other suggestions are The Monsters of Templeton, by Lauren Groff, which features a modern academic researching back to solve a family puzzle; and Lie by Moonlight, one of many good historic mysteries by Amanda Quick, which also features an occasionally steamy romantic interlude. And if the Amanda Quick piques your interest, you might also try Seattle writer Julia Quinn – her new book is What Happens in London.

Best, Nancy

The good news and the bad news

I had my first weigh in at weight watchers.  I lost 2 lbs!  I have to be honest, I wasn’t really expecting to lose anything.  But I am so happy I did.  I can’t really tell if I’m losing weight or not.  The only true tell for me is when I have to buy smaller clothes. I’m hoping that I can lose a pound or two a week.  I would be happy with that.

I also finished the first chicken viking hat.  I was about to take a picture of Kink wearing it and (here comes the bad news…) my digital camera decided to die.  All I can take a picture of is a purplish black smudge.  It’s s upsetting.  Kink looked really cute in the Chicken Viking hat.

The big trip to Ikea

Of course, when you move, there’s always a trip to Ikea.  This time around I need to purchase a couch, tv/entertainment stand and perhaps a coffee table.  I’m not too sure about the coffee table.  It may just end up being another place to put more crap.  Something I want to avoid doing.  I checked online to see if Ikea had the couch and cover I want, and they have the couch but not the cover.  Well, I guess that means I have to go with the second choice of covers.  Oh well, that’s what you get for dealing with Ikea.

Other than that, I think the move should be hopefully a quick and easy one.  But it never goes quick and easy.  So I’m ready for the little bumps in the road

The ultimate housewarming gift list

So maybe not the ultimate list, but my list of things that I would like if I had a bunch of money.

First – I hate cleaning the litter box.  Part of the reason why I never really wanted to get a cat.  But now there’s the automated litter boxes!  All I have to do is remove the tray once a week and I don’t have to gag while doing it!  I could kiss the person who came up with this idea.

How about a nice little wall decal?  I love this tree with 3 birds by Circle Line Studios over at Etsy.

I also love that wall color, but that’s a whole other post.

And on the subject of wall decals, how about this one for an alternative for a headboard?

Yet another great fine over at Etsy.  This wall decal is from Elephannie.

And for my kitchen I can always use new coffee and tea mugs. Brookish (again at Etsy) has Jane Austen inspired mugs!  I feel like I need to have a pair of them.

And finally, I’d love it, if someone other than me would knit something for me.  Now that grandma is gone (my knitting hero) there’s no one to knit me stuff.  I’d love someone to knit me this blanket up for me.   it’s the Serenity blanket by Dizzy Blonde Designs.  I believe that flickr image done by DaShizknit  added several repeats to make it a larger blanket.