Monday, February 28, 2005
Ok, so this is a really BAD picture but when you put your finished item under your desk at work and take a picture...well what can you expect? It's actually an incredibly adorable Hello Kitty backpack that was sooo much fun to make that I can't wait to make another one. I still have to add her little bow or flower to her forehead, but I just couldn't wait to post a picture
The Land of a Thousand Rainbows
Rainbows used to be an unusual occurance around here, but lately we've had daily sightings. What's unusual about this rainbow is that it wasn't raining when I took it. Not only wasn't it raining, but it hadn't rained all day long, yet here was this little stretch of a rainbow reaching down from the clouds.
I'm actually amazed that this picture came out as well as it did. I literally grabbed the camera, pointed it in the general direction and took the picture while driving down the freeway. Luckily I was slowing down to get off on my exit. I'm sure that if you're not supposed to drive and talk on cell phones...you're probably not supposed to drive and take pictures.... I hope nobody saw me!
I'm actually amazed that this picture came out as well as it did. I literally grabbed the camera, pointed it in the general direction and took the picture while driving down the freeway. Luckily I was slowing down to get off on my exit. I'm sure that if you're not supposed to drive and talk on cell phones...you're probably not supposed to drive and take pictures.... I hope nobody saw me!
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Updates and a new book to read
I had to look out the window to confirm my suspicions, but as of this minute it is NOT raining. The ground is wet, but I see no little sprinkles. Hopefully this will last a while and give the ground a chance to dry up. I haven't heard the updated totals, but it is quite possible that we have broken all the rainfall records set in my lifetime, so I can officially say I have never seen it rain this much. (Last time I heard I think it was the 5th rainiest year since they started keeping track.)
Knitting class was fun last night. We did two color knitting that was easy and created great patterns. I think I could get addicted to this kind of knitting. All the stray ends end up along one side. After dealing with my multiple color changes for my Hello Kitty projects, it's a welcome change!!
Speaking of Hello Kitty....I am oh soooo close to finishing my first crocheted Hello Kitty project from Daphne Mah!! I'm making a toiletries pouch that is so cute. I'm contemplating using it for a make-up carrier and adding little pockets inside for my make-up brush, mascara, eyeliner, etc... so that could slow me down as I have to make the pockets before I sew it together and add the zipper. It has been fun working on it, well except for the darn rev single crochet. Who thought up that torture?
It's time to update my currently reading list. I have officially put down Under the Tuscan Sun. You'll notice I didn't say I finished it. It's not really a novel. There's no storyline to grab your attention and make you want to turn the page. It includes some beautiful descriptions of the house, the culture and the cuisine, but it's just not my kind of book. At least not when there are so many other things to do and read.
Before I tell you what I am reading I should tell you why I'm reading it....
When I went to Orange a couple of weeks ago we made our Dollar Tree rounds. Gail sent me on a mission to secure more stuffed bears for her church project so after striking out at Dollar Tree number one, Bren and I headed off to the second Dollar Tree. Imagine our suprise when the lady in the car next to us at the second store was the same lady that was behind us in line at the first store.... We laughed and joked around with her and then she ended up in line behind us again. It turns out she was looking for some books on tape called "IBM and the Holocaust" by Edwin Black. She had already purchased and listened to a copy and was now buying it for friends. We asked her if it was something we needed to listen to and she said "yes." Her passion for this book was addicting so we ended up buying our own copies.
Unfortunately my tape number 1 won't work (what can you expect for $1), but I've listened to all of tape 2 and part of tape 3 and it is very interesting....
Then I watched Seventh Heaven and it was a episode about a Holocaust survivor....
Then my step-mom started telling me about a book she was reading about the Holocaust......
(It was about 48 hours from the time I started listening to the tapes until I talked to my step-mom...)
So I shared with her how the topic just kept coming up for me over and over again and said "maybe there's something I'm supposed to learn or pay attention to." Today she dropped off a copy of the book for me to read...
It's called Because of Tomek by David Faber. I read the first couple of pages and can already tell it will be a good book. I don't know what it is about this topic that is drawing me in right now, but I'm willing to follow the journey.
Oh and I just looked out the window again and it is POURING....
Knitting class was fun last night. We did two color knitting that was easy and created great patterns. I think I could get addicted to this kind of knitting. All the stray ends end up along one side. After dealing with my multiple color changes for my Hello Kitty projects, it's a welcome change!!
Speaking of Hello Kitty....I am oh soooo close to finishing my first crocheted Hello Kitty project from Daphne Mah!! I'm making a toiletries pouch that is so cute. I'm contemplating using it for a make-up carrier and adding little pockets inside for my make-up brush, mascara, eyeliner, etc... so that could slow me down as I have to make the pockets before I sew it together and add the zipper. It has been fun working on it, well except for the darn rev single crochet. Who thought up that torture?
It's time to update my currently reading list. I have officially put down Under the Tuscan Sun. You'll notice I didn't say I finished it. It's not really a novel. There's no storyline to grab your attention and make you want to turn the page. It includes some beautiful descriptions of the house, the culture and the cuisine, but it's just not my kind of book. At least not when there are so many other things to do and read.
Before I tell you what I am reading I should tell you why I'm reading it....
When I went to Orange a couple of weeks ago we made our Dollar Tree rounds. Gail sent me on a mission to secure more stuffed bears for her church project so after striking out at Dollar Tree number one, Bren and I headed off to the second Dollar Tree. Imagine our suprise when the lady in the car next to us at the second store was the same lady that was behind us in line at the first store.... We laughed and joked around with her and then she ended up in line behind us again. It turns out she was looking for some books on tape called "IBM and the Holocaust" by Edwin Black. She had already purchased and listened to a copy and was now buying it for friends. We asked her if it was something we needed to listen to and she said "yes." Her passion for this book was addicting so we ended up buying our own copies.
Unfortunately my tape number 1 won't work (what can you expect for $1), but I've listened to all of tape 2 and part of tape 3 and it is very interesting....
Then I watched Seventh Heaven and it was a episode about a Holocaust survivor....
Then my step-mom started telling me about a book she was reading about the Holocaust......
(It was about 48 hours from the time I started listening to the tapes until I talked to my step-mom...)
So I shared with her how the topic just kept coming up for me over and over again and said "maybe there's something I'm supposed to learn or pay attention to." Today she dropped off a copy of the book for me to read...
It's called Because of Tomek by David Faber. I read the first couple of pages and can already tell it will be a good book. I don't know what it is about this topic that is drawing me in right now, but I'm willing to follow the journey.
Oh and I just looked out the window again and it is POURING....
Monday, February 21, 2005
It's Raining, it's Pouring
We fall asleep to the sound of rain, we wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of rain, when we wake up - rain, all day we look out the window and what do we see??? Rain... Ok, so maybe I should be sick of it by now, but I still love it.
The latest statistic that is being aired on all the radio and news is that we have gotten more rain than Seattle so far this year. Lake Hodges, which was way below normal, is getting ready to flow over the dam. The hills are the greenest that I have ever seen them. So does this mean that the drought is over?
...
The latest statistic that is being aired on all the radio and news is that we have gotten more rain than Seattle so far this year. Lake Hodges, which was way below normal, is getting ready to flow over the dam. The hills are the greenest that I have ever seen them. So does this mean that the drought is over?
...
Rainbow and the movies
Thank goodness for rainbows....otherwise we might surely doubt whether the rain will end!! This picture doesn't even do the rainbow justice. It was huge. At one point we even saw where it touched the ground. I looked and looked and I definately didn't see a pot of gold!!!
Rick and I took the picture on Saturday afternoon as we drove to the movies. We're probably the only fools on the road who see the sun and immediately start scanning the sky to find the rainbow....and then turn down a side street so we can actually take a picture of it.
The movie was fun. We saw Hitch and now Joshua is mad at us because we went and saw it without him. AND I actually feel guilty. How does that work? A part of me thinks that parents need "date" time. We need to get out and enjoy each other's company without our kid with us...but should we have chosen a boring movie? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose? So now what? Do we go see it again so we can take him? It wasn't good enough to pay for it twice. I think I'll just tell Joshua to get over it. :-P Besides, it's only a matter of time before he starts going to movies on his own. I'm sure he won't care if it's a movie we want to see.
Rick and I took the picture on Saturday afternoon as we drove to the movies. We're probably the only fools on the road who see the sun and immediately start scanning the sky to find the rainbow....and then turn down a side street so we can actually take a picture of it.
The movie was fun. We saw Hitch and now Joshua is mad at us because we went and saw it without him. AND I actually feel guilty. How does that work? A part of me thinks that parents need "date" time. We need to get out and enjoy each other's company without our kid with us...but should we have chosen a boring movie? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose? So now what? Do we go see it again so we can take him? It wasn't good enough to pay for it twice. I think I'll just tell Joshua to get over it. :-P Besides, it's only a matter of time before he starts going to movies on his own. I'm sure he won't care if it's a movie we want to see.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Top Secret Project
And here's one of the "secret" projects I've been working on. Gail and I have been working on our submission to teach at our annual convention.. Our topic?? P*aper B*ag Books. (Sorry about the asterisks, I don't want the search engine to catch the title..)
Yep, this cute card was made out of good old p*per b*gs!!! It's not a brand new idea, but it's not all that well known yet either and of course.... we had to put our own unique spin on the whole thing. Our samples are on their way to Utah as we speak. Each of us made 5 adorable samples with brads, and eyelets, and waxy flax, and ribbon, and spiral clips.... They are so much fun to make.
The only reason it's "secret" is that things in the stamping and scrapbooking world go a little crazy. Pretty soon everyone has done it and we want it to be new and exciting when we teach it at convention. A few people have posted similar artwork to the company bulletin board...but so far no one has taken it the direction that we did.....
Oh I can't wait to share the rest of the photos... it is KILLING me.
Check out my website if you want to see more stamping/scrapbooking stuff.... I'm loading new artwork daily.
www.stamptildawn.myctmh.com
Yep, this cute card was made out of good old p*per b*gs!!! It's not a brand new idea, but it's not all that well known yet either and of course.... we had to put our own unique spin on the whole thing. Our samples are on their way to Utah as we speak. Each of us made 5 adorable samples with brads, and eyelets, and waxy flax, and ribbon, and spiral clips.... They are so much fun to make.
The only reason it's "secret" is that things in the stamping and scrapbooking world go a little crazy. Pretty soon everyone has done it and we want it to be new and exciting when we teach it at convention. A few people have posted similar artwork to the company bulletin board...but so far no one has taken it the direction that we did.....
Oh I can't wait to share the rest of the photos... it is KILLING me.
Check out my website if you want to see more stamping/scrapbooking stuff.... I'm loading new artwork daily.
www.stamptildawn.myctmh.com
Yesterday when I opened the bathroom door after my shower.... I found this on my bed.
We don't go all out for Valentine's Day. We'll usually get a mushy card or some candy, sometimes I get flowers, but that's about it. It's not that we're not romantic or that we don't care. It's quite the opposite, actually. We prefer to celebrate throughout the year...
So last week I checked with hubby to see what our plans were this year...gifts? no gifts? and he said "no gifts." Well no gifts doesn't include chocolate, right? So I bought Josh and Hubby some yummy Rocky Mountain Chocolate when I was out of town over the weekend and I thought I was breaking the "rules."
Imagine my surprise when I opened the bathroom door to find that he had eh hem...made the bed AND placed this cute little surprise on the end facing the door. I was shocked. I think I just stood there laughing at how darn cute they looked for a minute. Finally I walked over and opened the card and hubby came back in the room and said "the dogs aren't the gift...they're holidng the gift." Inside the little heart was a diamond and ruby necklace and a diamond and ruby ring. Ok so we're not talking big rocks here, we affectionately call them diamond chips....but I was overwhelmed.
#1) He completely surprised me and I'm never surprised. I had absolutely no clue.
#2) The ring is very similar to the ring he gave me when he proposed. I lost a stone out of it years ago. I don't think I've worn it since Joshua was born. I guess men's minds don't work the same as women's. Joshua and Rick were both surprised by how much a simple ring meant to me. Maybe it's because to me, it's more than a ring. It's a reminder of the beginning of our life together. It fits perfectly with my wedding band. I keep finding myself looking at it. It catches my eye when I'm typing or putting tax returns together and it reminds me how grateful I am to be married to my best friend....who buys the perfect gift even when he isn't trying.
We don't go all out for Valentine's Day. We'll usually get a mushy card or some candy, sometimes I get flowers, but that's about it. It's not that we're not romantic or that we don't care. It's quite the opposite, actually. We prefer to celebrate throughout the year...
So last week I checked with hubby to see what our plans were this year...gifts? no gifts? and he said "no gifts." Well no gifts doesn't include chocolate, right? So I bought Josh and Hubby some yummy Rocky Mountain Chocolate when I was out of town over the weekend and I thought I was breaking the "rules."
Imagine my surprise when I opened the bathroom door to find that he had eh hem...made the bed AND placed this cute little surprise on the end facing the door. I was shocked. I think I just stood there laughing at how darn cute they looked for a minute. Finally I walked over and opened the card and hubby came back in the room and said "the dogs aren't the gift...they're holidng the gift." Inside the little heart was a diamond and ruby necklace and a diamond and ruby ring. Ok so we're not talking big rocks here, we affectionately call them diamond chips....but I was overwhelmed.
#1) He completely surprised me and I'm never surprised. I had absolutely no clue.
#2) The ring is very similar to the ring he gave me when he proposed. I lost a stone out of it years ago. I don't think I've worn it since Joshua was born. I guess men's minds don't work the same as women's. Joshua and Rick were both surprised by how much a simple ring meant to me. Maybe it's because to me, it's more than a ring. It's a reminder of the beginning of our life together. It fits perfectly with my wedding band. I keep finding myself looking at it. It catches my eye when I'm typing or putting tax returns together and it reminds me how grateful I am to be married to my best friend....who buys the perfect gift even when he isn't trying.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Look what I got in the mail... They are 7x9 and they are for the warm-up america afghans I'm making to donate through our church. Lauren from crochetville saw my wish list and sent them over... It was so fun receiving a surprise in the mail... And I found a goody while I was shopping this weekend that will fulfill a wish of someone else's!!!
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Who opened MY box?
Thankfully the office supplies did finally show up yesterday.... but you are not going to believe the nerve of some people!
I was at lunch and horror of all horrors - someone had the audacity to open the box!!!!
Not only did they open the box, but they pilfered some of my prized posessions. The fact that it was one of the bosses did not stop me from exclaiming...
"Who opened my box? hmmmm and who took some of my retractable highlighters?"
My coworker who was in the bosses office immediately exclaimed "I think I just saw those in here somewhere."
Oh yes, he was busted, and with a witness too!
I had ordered him the yellow highlighters that he requested but upon perusing through the box he spied MY package of assorted colors and he actually thought he could help himself. tsk tsk tsk...
Ok, so I let him keep some of the highlighters. But he had to give up one of his to my coworker when she discovered what we were fighting over. I, however, have custody of the pink and green highlighters.
I'm thinking this "stealing" thing runs in the family. After all it was just a couple of days ago that his wife stopped by and very casually took a pen....a good gel pen....off the reception desk as she walked out the door. And all this time I thought it was the clients that were stealing my pens! That's ok. I refilled the little container on the desk with some cheapo pens.
It's a darn good thing they own part of this business or well....we might have to have a chat.
(We won't even talk about the glue sticks, pads of paper, post-its and ummm scissors, that disappear in the middle of the night)
Ok, wait - we will talk about the scissors. I can't resist.
When I first started working here my scissors kept disappearing. I went through about three or four pair in 6 months. Finally I bought a heavy metal pair with black metal handles. They are THE ugliest scissors ever made, but they are heavy and sturdy and cut paper wonderfully. Over the years the bosses have teased me about my ugly scissors over and over again. They keep telling me they are awful and I should buy a new pair. Each time I say "but look, they're still here when I need them. Nobody is willing to steal them." And so my scissors and I got along wonderfully for five long years when suddenly a few weeks ago they disappeared. I whined about it. I checked in all the usual spots. You know, the spots that I carry them off to and leave them. I pulled out the printer cart under the counter and still no scissors.
Finally I admitted that someone saw the value in my trusted scissors and they are gone. I ordered new UGLY black scissors. They aren't as good as my old ones. They are stiff. I'm hoping they will loosen up. I just can't bear the thought of having to buy pretty ones over and over again. I'm telling you - one of the households associated with this office, must have a whole stockpile of scissors previously owned by me. I think I may have to invite myself over and do some more detective work. Hmmmm........
I was at lunch and horror of all horrors - someone had the audacity to open the box!!!!
Not only did they open the box, but they pilfered some of my prized posessions. The fact that it was one of the bosses did not stop me from exclaiming...
"Who opened my box? hmmmm and who took some of my retractable highlighters?"
My coworker who was in the bosses office immediately exclaimed "I think I just saw those in here somewhere."
Oh yes, he was busted, and with a witness too!
I had ordered him the yellow highlighters that he requested but upon perusing through the box he spied MY package of assorted colors and he actually thought he could help himself. tsk tsk tsk...
Ok, so I let him keep some of the highlighters. But he had to give up one of his to my coworker when she discovered what we were fighting over. I, however, have custody of the pink and green highlighters.
I'm thinking this "stealing" thing runs in the family. After all it was just a couple of days ago that his wife stopped by and very casually took a pen....a good gel pen....off the reception desk as she walked out the door. And all this time I thought it was the clients that were stealing my pens! That's ok. I refilled the little container on the desk with some cheapo pens.
It's a darn good thing they own part of this business or well....we might have to have a chat.
(We won't even talk about the glue sticks, pads of paper, post-its and ummm scissors, that disappear in the middle of the night)
Ok, wait - we will talk about the scissors. I can't resist.
When I first started working here my scissors kept disappearing. I went through about three or four pair in 6 months. Finally I bought a heavy metal pair with black metal handles. They are THE ugliest scissors ever made, but they are heavy and sturdy and cut paper wonderfully. Over the years the bosses have teased me about my ugly scissors over and over again. They keep telling me they are awful and I should buy a new pair. Each time I say "but look, they're still here when I need them. Nobody is willing to steal them." And so my scissors and I got along wonderfully for five long years when suddenly a few weeks ago they disappeared. I whined about it. I checked in all the usual spots. You know, the spots that I carry them off to and leave them. I pulled out the printer cart under the counter and still no scissors.
Finally I admitted that someone saw the value in my trusted scissors and they are gone. I ordered new UGLY black scissors. They aren't as good as my old ones. They are stiff. I'm hoping they will loosen up. I just can't bear the thought of having to buy pretty ones over and over again. I'm telling you - one of the households associated with this office, must have a whole stockpile of scissors previously owned by me. I think I may have to invite myself over and do some more detective work. Hmmmm........
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Knitting woes and Office Product Addictions
Yesterday I couldn't knit anything if my life depended on it. I'm not sure if it was the hands malfunctioning....or the brain. I tried one swatch three times and three times I ended up a stitch short. I tried unknitting it and reknitting it and still I was off. (Kind of appropriate that yesterday's lesson was on fixing mistakes.) Time ran out and I had to set it aside. In class I began to knit another swatch featuring decreases of the PSSO and SSK variety. Suddenly I had 19 stitches and I was just sure I should have an even number. I inspected my swatch and decided to just carry on with the next row and get over it. When a fellow class member asked if we were supposed to end up with 19 stitches.... a light went off.... What the heck was I thinking. 19 was the magical number. And so one wonders.... that first swatch. Was it off, or was it the malfunctioning of the math portion of the brain????? Oh and should I even mention that I finally finished said swatch and bound it off...when I realized I was supposed to continue on with the next little lesson. I guess I'll be practicing that one again.
After class I went home and whipped out my swatches perfectly.
I have a sickness that I need to confess.... I get way to excited about office supplies. I placed a wonderful order yesterday and I am seriously pacing around the office waiting for it to be delivered. I ordered retractable highlighters and tombow adhesive and 1.0 mm pens and.... Oh man, where is that delivery driver? I'm not sure which thing has me more excited. The retractable highlighters of the "fatty" pens. I think it might be the pens.... I'm a pen-aholic.
So, just for fun... here are some "Pen" questions...feel free to answer in the comments or copy and paste to your own blog...
Fine or Medium?
Medium!!! I wish there were a "heavy."
Color...
Business - Blue
Personal - Purple
Black = ick, ick, ick
Ink?
I like some gels... but I prefer good old fashioned ball point ink.
Fancy or Disposable?
Can I say both??? I have a wood pen that I simply love holding. Only it has a fine point refill in it. Such a tragedy...
But I'm a disposable girl.. for while I love pens dearly. I leave them everywhere!!! Plus disposable means I get to buy more.
The perfect pen...
Ok so the perfect pen writes smoothly, with nice fat lines and NO ink globs. I truly could be happy with a simple papermate blue ink, white barrel pen... if it wasn't for the annoying ink blobs.
And yes, I've wasted all this time and my supply order still isn't here.
After class I went home and whipped out my swatches perfectly.
I have a sickness that I need to confess.... I get way to excited about office supplies. I placed a wonderful order yesterday and I am seriously pacing around the office waiting for it to be delivered. I ordered retractable highlighters and tombow adhesive and 1.0 mm pens and.... Oh man, where is that delivery driver? I'm not sure which thing has me more excited. The retractable highlighters of the "fatty" pens. I think it might be the pens.... I'm a pen-aholic.
So, just for fun... here are some "Pen" questions...feel free to answer in the comments or copy and paste to your own blog...
Fine or Medium?
Medium!!! I wish there were a "heavy."
Color...
Business - Blue
Personal - Purple
Black = ick, ick, ick
Ink?
I like some gels... but I prefer good old fashioned ball point ink.
Fancy or Disposable?
Can I say both??? I have a wood pen that I simply love holding. Only it has a fine point refill in it. Such a tragedy...
But I'm a disposable girl.. for while I love pens dearly. I leave them everywhere!!! Plus disposable means I get to buy more.
The perfect pen...
Ok so the perfect pen writes smoothly, with nice fat lines and NO ink globs. I truly could be happy with a simple papermate blue ink, white barrel pen... if it wasn't for the annoying ink blobs.
And yes, I've wasted all this time and my supply order still isn't here.
Monday, February 07, 2005
My First Knitted Bag
I finished my Booga Bag (blacksheepbags.com) yesterday and felted it last night. Here's a picture of the bag pre-felting. It was about 13" wide and 15" tall. After felting it ended up about 12" wide and 13" tall. I'm in the process of adding the handles and then I'll take another picture.
I think I'm going to become a "felt-aholic." It was so fun. I love how thick the bag turned out. Now I'm ready to experiment with stripes and colors.... hey maybe I'll even try koolaid dying!! and felting a crocheted bag.... and..... and.......
I think I'm going to become a "felt-aholic." It was so fun. I love how thick the bag turned out. Now I'm ready to experiment with stripes and colors.... hey maybe I'll even try koolaid dying!! and felting a crocheted bag.... and..... and.......
Building a House
Our friends lost their house last year in the cedar fires and Joshua has been helping them to rebuild. I'm amazed at how hard he works. He tries to go up every Saturday and they work for a good 8 hours. He comes home exhausted, bruised and battered....and yet he wakes up bright and early the next week ready to go again.
I think he kind of enjoys hanging out with a big family and goofing around.
I think he kind of enjoys hanging out with a big family and goofing around.
The Concert
Ok, so I might be LDS but that doesn't necessarily mean that going to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is on my list of "must do in this lifetime" things. However opportunity presented itself and Friday night found us headed to Cox Arena for the first San Diego visit from the choir since 1969.
It was a truly amazing experience. Now I can understand why the choir is so loved. They sang an incredible selection of songs that included hymns, folk songs and patriotic songs. Unfortunately I don't have my program with me, but my favorite song was Swahili??? There were bongos and a drum beat and at one point in the song they had a male soloist singing while various members of the choir made noises and called out. It was like you were instantly transformed to the middle of some kind of tribal celebration.
Here are a few things that I noticed about the concert.
1) It was quiet! It's amazing how quiet 8,000 people can become.
2) The crowd was polite. I don't know what the holdup getting into the arena was but the traffic was horrendous. It took us 1/2 hour to travel 1/2 mile. Once we finally parked we had to take elevators and walk quite a ways. Everyone in the elevator was friendly and talking. We were all strangers but you never would've known.
3) There was no smoking!!!! One of the things I hate about concerts is the smoking; the smell of pot and cloves. It was so strange to walk out of a concert and not have to walk through a cloud of smoke. My clothes didn't stink. I didn't smell alcohol. My feet weren't sticky from stepping through spilled beer and soda.
4) Culture Shock - On our way out of the area we stopped at the convenience store for a soda. Talk about one extreme to another. It was like a party in the store. There were local college kids buying more cups because they ran out at their party. Girls who barely had any clothes on were trying to get change for their trip to TJ (tiajuana - dancing, drinking, partying). And here we were....dressed in our Sunday best. It was kind of funny. I'm sure they were kind of thinking the same thing about us.
It was a truly amazing experience. Now I can understand why the choir is so loved. They sang an incredible selection of songs that included hymns, folk songs and patriotic songs. Unfortunately I don't have my program with me, but my favorite song was Swahili??? There were bongos and a drum beat and at one point in the song they had a male soloist singing while various members of the choir made noises and called out. It was like you were instantly transformed to the middle of some kind of tribal celebration.
Here are a few things that I noticed about the concert.
1) It was quiet! It's amazing how quiet 8,000 people can become.
2) The crowd was polite. I don't know what the holdup getting into the arena was but the traffic was horrendous. It took us 1/2 hour to travel 1/2 mile. Once we finally parked we had to take elevators and walk quite a ways. Everyone in the elevator was friendly and talking. We were all strangers but you never would've known.
3) There was no smoking!!!! One of the things I hate about concerts is the smoking; the smell of pot and cloves. It was so strange to walk out of a concert and not have to walk through a cloud of smoke. My clothes didn't stink. I didn't smell alcohol. My feet weren't sticky from stepping through spilled beer and soda.
4) Culture Shock - On our way out of the area we stopped at the convenience store for a soda. Talk about one extreme to another. It was like a party in the store. There were local college kids buying more cups because they ran out at their party. Girls who barely had any clothes on were trying to get change for their trip to TJ (tiajuana - dancing, drinking, partying). And here we were....dressed in our Sunday best. It was kind of funny. I'm sure they were kind of thinking the same thing about us.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Barnes and Noble convert
That's right folks... I skipped over Amazon and went straight to Barnes and Noble. Will I ever go back?
There was a point when I thought book and internet = Amazon. Want a book, go to Amazon. Want a book review - Amazon. You get the picture. My little book club raves about Amazon. Each month the hostess would say how she ordered all her used books via Amazon and got such a great deal. Me? I would try. I would go and search and look through all the used books. One time I even attempted to purchase them but something on the website freaked out and my order wasn't placed.
So I've spent the mega bucks on my book selections. (In our little book club the hostess buys the books for the whole group. That way we aren't all driving around each month to buy the books. It's kinda fun. It's like getting a present every month.)
My last selection was The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Which of course is only available in hardback at like $15 per book. Before that? The Secret Life of Bees... not old enough to get copies at the used book stores.... again...mega bucks to buy them all.
So this time...this time I went to Barnes and Noble. My first crisis was to actually find a book that Jane hasn't read yet. I was browsing through the bargain books when I stumbled across The Rapture of Canaan. Ah, a good book. I've read that book. Has Jane? No.. woo hoo.. we're moving along now. A few phone calls later and a couple of mouse clicks and I have four copies of the book on it's way and how much did I spend??? $23 for four books and shipping.
There was a point when I thought book and internet = Amazon. Want a book, go to Amazon. Want a book review - Amazon. You get the picture. My little book club raves about Amazon. Each month the hostess would say how she ordered all her used books via Amazon and got such a great deal. Me? I would try. I would go and search and look through all the used books. One time I even attempted to purchase them but something on the website freaked out and my order wasn't placed.
So I've spent the mega bucks on my book selections. (In our little book club the hostess buys the books for the whole group. That way we aren't all driving around each month to buy the books. It's kinda fun. It's like getting a present every month.)
My last selection was The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Which of course is only available in hardback at like $15 per book. Before that? The Secret Life of Bees... not old enough to get copies at the used book stores.... again...mega bucks to buy them all.
So this time...this time I went to Barnes and Noble. My first crisis was to actually find a book that Jane hasn't read yet. I was browsing through the bargain books when I stumbled across The Rapture of Canaan. Ah, a good book. I've read that book. Has Jane? No.. woo hoo.. we're moving along now. A few phone calls later and a couple of mouse clicks and I have four copies of the book on it's way and how much did I spend??? $23 for four books and shipping.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Oh No, My list even freaked out the server
It's a sad sign when you attempt to post your "work in progress" Wednesday list and the server freaks out. Did it read my list? It was stuck in some kind of vicious loop posting the files. I let it sit for several minutes when I finally accepted it. It ate it. It couldn't handle my list so it ate it.
Now I get to type it over again. Why? Because I forgot my own rule of "copying" my post prior to publishing it.
(I'm still working out how to put the little buttons on my blog so I can "play." I activated my webspace through my internet provider, now I have to put my pictures there. I was spoiled by my old website through yahoo. Their sitebuilder software was so easy to use. I didn't have to think...to learn.... sadly those days are over. I either have to buy some software or break down and learn something new.)
So here it is - My work in progress list.
Knitting -
Knitting class - It's only "in progress" because it was last night. I finished this weeks samples, but the teacher gave us "extra credit" samples to work on. One is a mock cable. I can't remember what the other one is. I'll whip them out tonight. She also gave me the finishing touches on the notions holder so I should be finishing that up this week as well ...and posting pictures....
Booga Bag - www.blacksheepbags.com./booga_bag.html I started it yesterday. I finished the bottom, picked up the stitches and I'm happily knitting up the bag. It was a little tricky in that I couldn't quite figure out the picking up the stitches thing. The only way I could figure to do it was to literally pick up and knit each stitch one at a time. Hopefully I did it right. I can't wait to finish my first felted project!!
Hello Kitty Knitalong - Sadly...I'm having to postpone this one. I had to frog the bag because I made a mistake in row... I got interupted un-knitting it and messed it all up. Stitches fell of needles, holes appeared between color changes... Not a pretty sight! Good news is it was always my prototype and I haven't bought the official yarn. I learned what I need to work on and I'll pick it back up in a couple weeks. Perhaps I'll learn more tricks at class to make it easier for me.
Crochet -
Cardigan - eek I haven't worked on it for a couple of weeks. It's looking good though
63 Squares - two squares done... I've been knitting obsessed lately.
Stamp -
5 paperbag books for my submission are done. I want to make a few more and then send in the top 5...plus I need to keep a few samples on hand for my workshops/classes.
I won't dare list my things "to do"...that could overwhelm a person!
Ok....here's my second attempt to post this. Wish me and the server luck!
Now I get to type it over again. Why? Because I forgot my own rule of "copying" my post prior to publishing it.
(I'm still working out how to put the little buttons on my blog so I can "play." I activated my webspace through my internet provider, now I have to put my pictures there. I was spoiled by my old website through yahoo. Their sitebuilder software was so easy to use. I didn't have to think...to learn.... sadly those days are over. I either have to buy some software or break down and learn something new.)
So here it is - My work in progress list.
Knitting -
Knitting class - It's only "in progress" because it was last night. I finished this weeks samples, but the teacher gave us "extra credit" samples to work on. One is a mock cable. I can't remember what the other one is. I'll whip them out tonight. She also gave me the finishing touches on the notions holder so I should be finishing that up this week as well ...and posting pictures....
Booga Bag - www.blacksheepbags.com./booga_bag.html I started it yesterday. I finished the bottom, picked up the stitches and I'm happily knitting up the bag. It was a little tricky in that I couldn't quite figure out the picking up the stitches thing. The only way I could figure to do it was to literally pick up and knit each stitch one at a time. Hopefully I did it right. I can't wait to finish my first felted project!!
Hello Kitty Knitalong - Sadly...I'm having to postpone this one. I had to frog the bag because I made a mistake in row... I got interupted un-knitting it and messed it all up. Stitches fell of needles, holes appeared between color changes... Not a pretty sight! Good news is it was always my prototype and I haven't bought the official yarn. I learned what I need to work on and I'll pick it back up in a couple weeks. Perhaps I'll learn more tricks at class to make it easier for me.
Crochet -
Cardigan - eek I haven't worked on it for a couple of weeks. It's looking good though
63 Squares - two squares done... I've been knitting obsessed lately.
Stamp -
5 paperbag books for my submission are done. I want to make a few more and then send in the top 5...plus I need to keep a few samples on hand for my workshops/classes.
I won't dare list my things "to do"...that could overwhelm a person!
Ok....here's my second attempt to post this. Wish me and the server luck!
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Blog Wish List
Well I've been tinkering around with my blog. I'm trying to figure out how to personalize my sidebar. So far I figured out how to add a Currently Reading section and I linked the books to amazon.com. Anyone know a better way to do that?? I also added a couple of links to other blogs I read, but I can't figure out why there are extra lines down there. I have more links to add, but I want to figure that out first.
So here's my blog wish list...
1) I want a blog mentor! I'm the one that helps everyone else with their computer stuff... but I need a mentor to help me. LOL.
2) I would like to create a list of all the books I've read (well the ones I can remember) and have a link on my sidebar to the list. The real reason I want to figure out how to do this is because I want my whole book club to do it. We have one voracious reader who has read so many books that it's hard to pick a book she hasn't read. And well...it would be fun to keep track of the books I've read
3) Do I have to have webspace somewhere else to keep that list?
4) Buttons!! I want buttons. I need to figure out where to get my own server space so I can use buttons without stealing someone's bandwidth.
5) And last but not least... I noticed that another blog somehow categorized their entries. So you could click on finished projects and it pulled up all the entries with finished projects...
So that's my wish list/to do list... I'm off to search the help files to figure it out. But hey, if anyone actually reads this blog and has some helpful tips... I'm all ears!!
So here's my blog wish list...
1) I want a blog mentor! I'm the one that helps everyone else with their computer stuff... but I need a mentor to help me. LOL.
2) I would like to create a list of all the books I've read (well the ones I can remember) and have a link on my sidebar to the list. The real reason I want to figure out how to do this is because I want my whole book club to do it. We have one voracious reader who has read so many books that it's hard to pick a book she hasn't read. And well...it would be fun to keep track of the books I've read
3) Do I have to have webspace somewhere else to keep that list?
4) Buttons!! I want buttons. I need to figure out where to get my own server space so I can use buttons without stealing someone's bandwidth.
5) And last but not least... I noticed that another blog somehow categorized their entries. So you could click on finished projects and it pulled up all the entries with finished projects...
So that's my wish list/to do list... I'm off to search the help files to figure it out. But hey, if anyone actually reads this blog and has some helpful tips... I'm all ears!!
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