Swap Softly v. 2.0 June 25, 2008

It’s time for me to do the swap again!  I had a request a little while back, and life, as I know it, is going to slow down nicely after the 4th of July, so I thought it was time to start with the swapping.

Swap Softly is a swap Lil Rose Thorn and I have created in which you build a softy for your partner, and it can be anything you think they would like.  Here are the rules from last time, modified slightly for this time (like dates, and the fact that there’s a bit of a theme):

What will be required:

• You have to MAKE a softy. If you want to throw in a bonus purchased softy, that’s your thing, but the main requirement is that you actually build something.
• This softy should not be smaller than your fist (like, 3.5″ tall) and should not be larger than a shoe box (12″ tall). There’s no cost requirement, but consider while you’re creating your critter what you would want someone to send to you, and give likewise. But do remember that you will be mailing it to someone, so don’t forget to make it light so it doesn’t cost you a million dollars to send it.
• Your item could be crocheted, knit, sewn, or been created by stabbing wool with mighty sharp needles. Or anything else you can think of that would make it fun for you and your recipient.
• The THEME is GREEN!  We want something that’s constructed out of either something already in your stash, or something that’s second-hand and recycled into something new, or all-natural materials.  And if you want to include extra gifts, we encourage you to give something you purchased from a local business (support local industry and introduce someone new to an interesting local product).
• Sign ups start today, June 25th, and close Wednesday, July 9th at 11:59 pm Mountain Standard Time; that being said, I won’t be able to respond to your sign-up e-mails until July 4th as I’ll be in the land of dial-up…there is an out-of-office type of acknowledgment hooked up though. We’ll let you know who you’re matched with by July 12th, and you’ll have until August 12th to mail it off.
• You don’t need to have a blog to sign up, though it is preferred as it will be easier for your pal to get to know you and what you like.

Sound good? If you can honestly commit, please e-mail laceknitta @ gmail . com (remove the spaces) and let us know:

• your name
• your mailing address
• your blog address
• your e-mail address
• your internet nickname (because we’ll post the blogs up on the side bar and if you don’t want your real name out there for all the world to see we’ll respect that)
• your favourite colour, animal, cartoon and/or children’s book
• your style preference such as cutesy, kitschy, traditional, creepy, etc.
• whether or not this softy could be subjected to the whims of children and therefore shouldn’t involve any beads or other small bits
• whether or not you have a fibre allergy or food allergies should your partner want to tantalize your taste buds as well as your fingertips.
• if you want to ship within your own country or you want an international pal
• if you would be willing to be an angel should some one choose to flake out (but none of you would do that right?)

Yay! Swap on, redux!

Interesting Article June 21, 2008

90% of the time, I’m okay with being the single one in my group of friends.  I’m too shy, especially in crowds, to actually meet people anyway, and right now I’m more sad about not being able to afford to buy my own house than being single, though I would like a mate and a dog and two point five kids.  But this was an interesting article none the less.  There’s a lot of talk about settling these days, that you’re not likely to find THE one, but you can find SOME one, but this article is different.

Is someone really enough?

Tagged June 20, 2008

But not tagging.  If you would like to do this, feel free.  Otherwise, no obligations.

Dainty Kitty tagged me here.

What were you doing 10 years ago?

That was the first year I managed the costume shop.  Yowza!  I lost 10 lbs in two weeks because I was running around so much trying to get all of the staff clothed.  I was encouraging my assistant at the time to make friends with everyone because I hadn’t been encouraged to fraternize with the interps when I was the assistant, and I was living in Edmonton in my own apartment for the first time; still too shy to make friends with too many people, but developing some very good relationships that would last at least a decade.

What are 5 things on my to-do list?

1. Finish my Master Spinner Homework (I feel sheepish…working two jobs and doing this homework is not an option any more, I had to let one job go, though I’m going to miss it)
2. Bike to work at least once a week, but hopefully more
3. Renew my license plates
4. Get my fishing license
5. Have a two-day weekend in which I don’t book myself into anything now that I only work one job

Where have I lived?

On my parents’ farm, in my grandparents’ basement in Red Deer, in my cousins’ basement in Sherwood Park, in a crazy lady’s basement in St. Albert, and I’m in my fifth apartment (second basement apartment) in Edmonton.

What would I do if I was a billionaire?

I assume that this is a “new money” kind of thing; I’d have to have won multiple lotteries to get that wealthy, or married really well…each of these options would create different outcomes.

Lottery: I’d have to move away to prevent the random people who said “Hi” to me once in my lifetime from hitting me up for a buck.  I’d go somewhere obscure and temperate, where I’d have a small house with a little studio, where I would knit, sew, and do whatever without obligation, and I’d raise sheep and/or goats and have a dog or two.  I’d probably get therapy because I could afford it, and maybe that would help me get over my shyness and I’d meet my mate.  I’d make sure my parents never had to sell any more land and I’d have an account just to help them and my brother have fun without worrying about if they can afford it.  I’d go to school and study anything and everything that took my fancy, and I’d have the money invested in green businesses while living off the interest.

Marriage: I will of course have married someone powerful and well-respected who would have to attend all sorts of engagements.  Which would mean that I would have to go with him.  So I’d have to get training in small-talk, and the things that he found charming in me when I was in the under-40k bracket would disappear, and he’d take a mistress, and I’d oggle but not touch the pool-boy, but I’d make sure our kids knew how to cook and do their laundry and make things so that they wouldn’t be soulless (I just heard about some kids who didn’t do laundry; they’d buy new clothes, wear them for awhile and then toss them when they got dirty.  They didn’t even give them to Value Village or the Salvation Army.  It made me nauseous).  I’d try to find charities that I would like, but the wives in my circle wouldn’t approve, and his mother definitely wouldn’t approve, and it would be terrible.  Nope, I don’t want to marry into that much money.

Who would I like to know more about?

All of my regular commenters (commentors?).

Too Lazy for Photos June 20, 2008

Life has been in an upheaval for me this week.  There was kitchen drama.  My over-flowing (with other people’s dishwater) kitchen sink turned out to be a major plumbing repair job that involved, among many other things, a jackhammer, and work was done in my kitchen AND my bedroom.  I currently have two 3′x3′ patches of concrete curing; one in my kitchen, the other in my bedroom.  Things should be back to normal by Monday or so, which will be nice, and I think I’m grateful that I’m not much of a sleep-walker (I did it once when I was little; Mom found me on the living room floor watching the TV which wasn’t turned on, and told me that I was asleep and should go back upstairs to bed…I don’t remember this personally) or there might be a footprint in the concrete in my bedroom.

I’ll admit that I came unglued Wednesday night when I thought the clog would be repaired but found a huge gaping hole in my kitchen instead.  Happily, one of my neighbours is a good friend and had stopped by when he saw my light was on and gave me the skinny he got from my landlord who hadn’t left a note, otherwise I wouldn’t have slept at all that night.

So I’m tired from the drama, but I’m lazy because I took Stella to work today!  It was the first time I rode her because I thought I had a helmet, but I discovered that the glue that had held the strap to the helmet had come unstuck, and I couldn’t get to the store to get a new helmet until last night.  Click on this link, and you’ll see my cute new helmet…it’s the minty green one that’s got little fire-worky flowers on it in the middle row, second from the right.

It took me 20-30 minutes to get to work, and 60-70 minutes to get back (I kept forgetting to look at my watch whenever I started off, remembering sometime into the trip that I should have done so).  I now have my route figured out, and appreciate working in a river valley and living above it so much more now that I’ve got my beautiful bike to take me to some beautiful sites (and sights!) that I couldn’t have done with the car.

June is Bike Month in my city, and I finally partook in my own personal celebration.

Everyone, Meet Stella June 16, 2008

She’s bold, she’s beautiful, and she’s well accessorised! She’s my lightly used Batavus Old Dutch, and she came home with me today.

I had been tempted by cruisers, but this bike will still be cute on me when I’m 40, whereas the cruisers of today would only suit me for a few years. Consider too that she’s made in Holland, by a company that uses water-based paints instead of oil-based, uses green electricity and their own water treatment plant, and she’s made of stainless steel instead of chrome-plaited steel, the footprint of this lovely beasty is beautiful. And the store I bought her in is a bit of a “Mom and Pop” kind of shop, which means I supported local industry rather than some big multi-national chain. All of this makes me smile.

As does the fact that I’m going to practically have to learn to ride a bike again because her center of gravity is different than my old mountain bike (you’re very upright on this bike).

But she’s almost as tall as I am…

June 7, 2008

Bah! So Funny!

The Goodness and the Badness June 6, 2008

Here’s a photo from my last vacation, a shot of a mini rubber chicken in some driftwood by a huge mountain lake. I don’t have any new exciting photos, so I thought I’d post this one to add a little interest. Plus I love this shot.

So, the badness is, it seems I am allergic to the sun. I can no longer slack off in putting on the SPF 45 before leaving the house, else I break out into itchy blisters. This sucks. I’m a sun baby.

But there is so much goodness that I can survive even this.

1. I had a very minor fender-bender this past winter. There was a lot of snow, and the road I was on had no shoulders; a school bus took up a little too much road for my comfort and I ended over compensating in the soft snow, gliding gently into the ditch. Left a small dent in my front bumper, but no real harm done (aside from embarrassment). Yesterday I walked to my car in a large parking lot and had to look inside to make sure it was indeed mine because the dent in the bumper was gone. Apparently I don’t look at my front bumper very often…I think when I last got my oil changed my garage dudes may have just popped it out. It gave me warm fuzzies.
2. I have a few prints I’ve collected in the last few years, and I asked my mom to get them framed by her person in Innisfail whose work is apparently great and affordable. She’s sending them up with some friends tomorrow! I can’t wait to see them, nor to figure out where they’ll end up.
3. I haven’t watched TV in ages. I stopped getting reception at least a year ago, and I had access to cable, but really only used it to watch the favourite shows, and after the writers’ strike, I didn’t really go looking for anything. Last night I found reception and a whack of new peasant-vision channels, and I watched the last half of a show that was filmed at my place of employment! Fear Itself is the show, The Sacrifice was the episode.
4. I have a vacation booked. I’m going to travel around Ontario, Quebec and New York (State, not City) in August! I’m stoked! I get to visit friends and family, and it is going to be so good! I’m likely going to die of the humidity mixed with the heat (I’m a prairie girl…sure, it’s warm, but it’s a dry heat), but I’m sure I’ll survive so long as I keep up with the sunscreen. This is the first summer vacation I’ve had in…oh…13 years, and it’s going to last a blissful 2 weeks!

Happy dance!