Coincidence?

So after talking about my wish for new music last week the strangest thing happened. The new issue of Hispanic magazine came in the mail (no, I'm not hispanic by a long shot and don't know why I get the magazine since I didn't order it but it's interesting) and the whole issue is about music! There's a big article about new artists and the style they perform. I must sit down one of these days and look all of them up, maybe on YouTube, to find the ones I like most. See, although I'm about as ethnic as mayo I love latin music. I have a couple of Flamenco cds that really must be played more often - one of them is Charo, remember her? I love Charo - she's always been such a unique character. I'll probably wind up spending a whole day listening to new-to-me artists because one person will lead to more and the next thing I know the kids will be home from school all crabby because I forgot to pick them up and it's pouring or something.
Actually, I know how I am. I have a serious podcast and audiobook addiction because one leads to another and the author/host will mention one I'd not heard of and the search is on again and, of course, itunes has a selection on the side of other podcasts or books that other people like and that leads to more...you see my problem. I've learned to not subscribe until I listen, though. I seem to be very particular about what goes in my ears. Unpleasant voices don't get listened to again. People who smack when they talk - you know what I mean - may get another chance if the content is good enough. If a podcaster yawns they're done. I've heard two podcasters yawn while they're recording - if they're boring themselves then why keep talking? I'm kind of picky about pronunciations, too, but I try to remember that different regions say things differently. That all being said, I love the availability of free audio pleasure. I know, I don't have the links on the side yet, but only because I'm still working on it! I keep finding new authors and podcasts! I'm so amazed at how much brilliance is out there - as a sci-fi lover I'm in a kind of hog heaven. I just finished a three-book audiobook that still makes me crazy because it's so incredible. (The author just got published, too - buy book one if you don't do audio - it's called Seventh Son and it's crazy good - no, he's not paying me, either.)
I follow several actors from the Harry Potter movies on twitter and they're hinting at awesome stuff! The next two movies sound to be amazing. I'm so excited already that I can't sit still. Tom Felton tweets when he gets his hair bleached in preparation for Draco and, poor guy, he gets bleached alot. Have you seen him as Tom? Wow, he's a good-looking guy. As Draco he's not so appealing to me but I think it's, you know, just because of the character. I follow Matt Lewis, too - Neville, one of my favorite characters, and not just because of the upcoming SuperNevilleness that's being filmed. He's so funny on twitter. I've told y'all about twitter before. Why don't you tweet yet?
I'm a member of several forums, as you know. Lately, though, I haven't been very active in the groups. The House Cup has gotten so big that I feel lost. I've kept up with the activity - there's alot going on with some of my classmates, but I just don't have much to say. You know, though, it doesn't seem to have been noticed by anyone. I used to be very active, chatting with people, commenting on all of the great projects, etc, but my lack of participation doesn't seem to bother anyone. It's kind of depressing. Does anyone miss me?
I suppose I should get going - I joined FlyLady and now have a cleaning schedule to work on. FlyLady, which I will link to, is a great site for those of us who get overwhelmed trying to take care of a whole house and everything that goes with it - even the stuff that I'd never think of. So I'm off to care for my home. Have a great day!

Shawl-O-Rama

I've been knitting shawls! Not big huge ones, the small shoulder shawl/shawlette/triangle scarf shawls that are everywhere on ravelry and are so cute and easy. I just finished a fourth one that for some reason wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be - when it's blocked I'll post a pic of it, too. The top picture is the Travelling Woman shawl. It knits up so fast. I used some Socks That Rock in Lenore and love how it turned out. I've worn it alot - not with the point in front though. I need to get used to that look. The second one is a skein that Jenny dyed called Gothelberry Pink. I named the shawl Lucrezia because it kind of reminds me of something Lucrezia Borgia would wear while poisoning her next victim. I love how the colorway knit up with just bits of pink and blurs of purple where the dyes ran together. She needs to dye some more so y'all can make some shawls with it! The third one is inspired by Theodore roosevelt for DADA last month. I dyed the yarn blue to represent how he loved being outside. The pattern is called Forest Canopy - he found out that he'd become president while hiking in the woods. I haven't worn it yet but Khloe has - she wrapped up in it a couple of times when she got chilled watching Teen Nick or Disney Channel. I've printed out patterns for about ten more of these little shawls. I can't resist them right now, and I have plenty of sock yarns to work with. Of course, I should be working on gifts right now - some of the assignments in both the House Cup and the Battlestar Galactica groups fit well with what I have planned for people - but you all know that I tend towards selfishness sometimes - especially when I've been dealing with a sick child. I can only handle so much Zack and Cody before I want to scream, eat candy, and be a brat. I'm sure you know what I mean.

I've been up late lately blogging in my head - then can't exactly remember everything I wanted to say. Jenny suggested that I talk into my voice recorder and then type it out. It would be handy to be able to plug the recorder into the computer and just have all of the words appear and then I could just add pictures and edit. I don't see that happening in my near future, though, so I'll have to get used to the sound of my voice - after I get used to saying it all out loud and hoping that the family doesn't think I've lost it!

I've been thinking alot about music lately. Yes, I listen to songs on my ipod - it's not all spoken content. I love listening to my favorite songs and feeling the notes and instruments flow with and around each other. I dug out a box of old cassettes the other day. I used to listen to them at work - when I had my own office and could listen to music. I surprised myself by remembering the words - all I ever wanted, everything I've waited for, build my world around you... I met the man who sang it once and he told me that he'd written it for a very special person. I'm blanking out on his name but I was surprised at how small he was - pictures of him always seemed so big, but maybe it was just the hair (late 80's, you know). I pulled out another tape that my brother had made for me - beautiful stuff that should've gotten more popular than it did - if wishes were horses, then dreamers would ride, baby. I need to get some itunes cards and make up some playlists. My tapes will be gone before long. I need to check out some new stuff, too. Maybe some of you could suggest things - or send a cd?? - that I may like. I suppose for now I'll listen to Stevie sing to the poet in her heart and let Debbie tell me that my hair is beautiful - and agree with Joey that I wanna be sedated! He he!

My Baby is Nine

I'm a bit late with this - her birthday was a week ago - but my little girl is in the last year of single-digit ages. I'd planned to scan a picture of her when she was about two to show how much she's grown but the scan turned out all psychedellic and not exactly what I wanted, so I just have a current picture. She did her hair all by herself, too. Isn't she pretty? Before I know it she'll be all grown up. I hope she spends a little time right now enjoying being a kid - there's plenty of time for drama later in life.

I don't know about you, but I think this early cold weather is for the birds. Trick or treating will be no fun at all with a big coat and all the accessories. At least I have some nice warm socks to keep my toes from freezing!

Certified

Guess what! I'm now officially certified as a paraprofessional - a teacher's aide! This is a rather big deal for mee. See, I didn't finish college or beauty school. I was discharged from Air Force basic training. Heck, I'm divorced! Sensing a theme here? I'm not much of a finisher. I was encouraged to be a teacher's aide by my friends Cheley and Ruth. The crazy part is that I didn't take a class and barely studied. I passed - highly - on my own brain alone. I am now able to work with other people's children and help them learn. Of course, now I have to wait for an opening and apply for it, but I'm a step closer than I was!

Stop Scaring the Kids!

Apparently this year at school the teachers have decided to essentially lead the kids to believe that the swine flu is out to kill them. I think that the kids should be told to wash their hands and not cough in each others' faces to avoid spreading all germs rather than stress flu shots and hand sanitizer. I spent an evening trying to convince the boy child that he wasn't going to die. He was very upset that he had a headache and was convinced that the swine flu was killing him. I keep telling them that plenty of people have survived this flu, just like people survive all flus. Being a passive person I'd rather some other parents call the school and complain - but I suppose it's time to step up to the mommy plate and try to score a run in sanity. Heh - I don't exactly have much experience with sanity so it's probably going to be hard on my brain.
In other news, not much is going on. I'm remaking my monthly meal schedule to allow for new things and less frozen pizza - we love pizza but it's become my go-to meal more often than not. Summer food is hard for me for some reason. I'm much better making cold-weather comfort food - chili, meatloaf, lasagna, things like that.
I'm on the lookout for some comfortable yet cool steampunky pants. If anyone finds some, please let me know - retail or a sewing pattern. Thanks!

New Family Member and Other News

Happy September, my friends! Crappy August is finally over - thank goodness! The kids are in school, the House Cup is starting a new term, and I'm back to days of quiet in which to get my work done.

The little guy in the picture is Bob. Khloe found him in the yard and has adopted him. He's got a nice little home with dirt to dig in, a teacup of water, and crickets for snacks. Why did she name him Bob? Apparently he reminds her of me. I'm cool with that - I've been compared to worse in my days! Bob is a cute little guy - he sits on the pile of dirt and watches people. He sat waiting for Khloe last weekend - she was with her dad - and didn't snuggle down in his hole until she came home. She's very attached to him and plays with him alot. Unfortunately she now believes that she's responsible enough for a fuzzy rodent-type pet. Sigh.

Last month was unusually cool - I drained the pool because it just wasn't swimming weather. I got alot of knitting done. We had a knitalong in the House Cup for the Ice Queen pattern from knitty - a beautiful beaded lace cowl that's had my eye for the past year. I dyed some merino-silk laceweight from Knit Picks to make it. My dye job is perfect - rick, jewely blue with the shine from the silk and depth in the wool. GazeboGal, my friend and hero, sent me some gorgeous bronze beads. My new cowl is perfectly Ravenclaw! I finished my Ravenclap, too - the huge blue and silver clapotis that was supposed to be done for the movie release but didn't quite get there. It's great. I have some of the second skein left so I've been thinking about knitting something small with it and dyeing it dark red so the stripes will be red and violet. I also squeezed in a couple of pairs of socks for the Summer of Socks. The Horcrux pattern was so easy and fast to make. The zigzags don't show as much on mine as they do on others I've seen but they'llbe hidden by jeans so it doesn't matter. They're knit in Socks that Rock - I love the fabric that STR makes when knit up. It's nice and solid and squishy. The Lenore pattern was fun. The cuff is a cool diamond pattern and then the eyelets down the foot look nice. I made them in Handgefaerbt - my favorite sock yarn. I have enough left from the skein for another pair of socks.

Obviously I still can't get the pictures where they need to be. Please, if you can help me with my lacking computer skills, come over and show me. I'll make cookies! We've been having alot of issues with this computer lately. Maybe I have worn it out.

I don't know how many of you watch pro wrestling. On Monday nights there's now a guest host who runs the matches and such. I want to do it! Of course, being surrounded by all of the eye candy would probably make me speechless, but it would be fun to try. Too bad the Rock wouldn't be there - he's a bronzed nugget of man candy with humor and great teeth - and y'all know it! Mrow, baby!

Yesterday I discovered a show on the History Channel called Clash of the Gods - it's about the characters in Greek mythology. I've been interested in mythology since junior high school. But - the show reminded me that I still haven't read the final Percy Jackson book! Don't yell at me, Holly, I know I'm slacking! So, I got it out and read until midnight last night and am ready to get on it again this morning. Actually, I want to read all of them again. I love the series. It's really a fun way to mix the old and modern. I thought about sending the first book with the swap that I'm in - but I'm going to be selfish and keep it here in case boy child wants to start it. (he's rather interested in mythology, too!)

Yes, I'm in a swap! I'm excited, too. It's in the Battlestar Galactica group that I'm in. The idea is to send your partner something from stash! My partner likes books, too, so I've got a book from my library for her and I'm knitting a little something for her. I need to ask her about colors - she likes red and wouldn't you just know that there's really no red in my stash! Now, if she was a purple person I'd have no troubles at all!

In the next few days I plan to do a bit of redecorating the blog. Don't be surprised if things look different! I'm compiling some new links and deciding what can be gotten rid of. I may find some new wallpaper, too.

Afternoon at the Park

There's a huge park in our town that has lots of lakes, wildlife, and walking paths. Since Eric is on vacation this week we decided to take the kids there to feed the fish and geese and let them play on the playground - and hopefully tire them out so they won't stay up all night again. It was a warm day but the park is very open so there was a really nice breeze. We had a really nice time. Unfortunately, the girls were up all night again. Oh, well.