Participate!

Thanks to gleek and her impromptu blog, I have discovered Improv Everywhere. I will link straight to the clip that got me hooked.



If I walked in on a scene like this, my mind would jump immediately to that alien invasion/chemical warfare/Armageddon place. Seeing it on YouTube? Fantastic. Check out the main group site too, strange stuff. I've always had a hard time accepting performance art as "true art". Having gone through art school and created my own required performance art pieces, the question for me is whether putting a normal action into the the context of performance art really makes it art? What is the significance? Mission statement? Does it have to be stated to make a point across, or is that cancelling out the performance itself?

Here is another performance art piece done by one of the clients my company has worked with, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and Bowen McCauley Dance involving construction equipment.

Catching up on posts

I am taking a two-week class called Knitting in the Round to learn, what else, but circular knitting! Last Thursday (yes, it was Valentine's Day, which shows you what my love life is like if I'm living it up in a knitting class) I went to the first class and learned how to gauge my stitches and how to make a piece circular. Pretty easy actually, though I seem to be dropping a lot more stitches than before. Maybe these needles are slipperier than I'm used to....Anyway, I've got to knit in the round for 6 inches by this Thursday. Only 2 inches to go, and then I will learn how to decrease. Yay!

Here is a picture of my last finish, a dishcloth made from Lion Cotton. It looks nice, but after all that work am I really going to use it to scrub pots? Don't think so. Maybe I can give it to someone so they can scrub with it.






Here are shots of my two current cross stitch projects.




Last but not least, I went to DSW this weekend and bought some funky shoes. I'm not sure what to wear the sparkly shoes with other than jeans. When I bought the shoes I was thinking I could wear them to work, but with what? I don't have a sparkly shirt...or do I? I have a white round neck shirt with big glittery stones along the neckline. That would work, right?

Hooray for Dermatology

This morning I had my first dermatology appointment in at least 5 years. it has taken me 6-9 months to book an appointment that was not mysteriously wiped out of the computer system. Repeatedly I asked friends for referral names, called offices, and made appointments. Repeatedly I was told the doctor was:
-not accepting new patients
-on sabbatical
-on maternity leave
-not availble for 6 months, and they couldn't schedule that far out.

AUGH! I finally found an office in Cambridge with Harvard Vanguard, and made an appointment 3 months out. I called to confirm a week before the appointment, and they had no record of me. I tried again. I called to confirm a month before, and no go, no appointment. This time, I somehow managed to secure an appointment with a female dermatologist, and actually see her!

She confirmed my treatment options for rosacea, wrote me a new prescription, and told me that my painful face is most likely because of the harsh weather we are having. Right now as I type, my face feels like it's burning. It's very red. I haven't been outside for two hours, and today is a warm day 43 degrees (wind chill 35 degrees). This week I've also had a lot of break-out effect from the rosacea.

Dr. Noree also removed a bunch of skin tags for me. Hallelujah!

Yay for tax refunds!

I filed my federal and state taxes electronically on Sunday, and today I logged in to my bank account online and already I can see a pending transaction for my $163 MA refund. Yippee!

Books for All

The flow of books in and out of my life is is at tidal wave intensity right now. They are like bunnies, multiplying when my back is turned, appearing in my handbag as if from nowhere. If I manage to give away, donate, or sell a book or two, the very same day I bring a new book into my life. Let's examine the previous 7 days:

2/5 +4
Purchased 1 book at Borders
Received 5 books by mail from this book club I just signed up for (bad!)
Sent away two books requested through BookMooch

2/4 -2
Sent away two books requested through BookMooch

2/3 0
no book flow
Finished reading 1 book, listed it on BookMooch to give away

2/2 +3
Brought 5 bags of stuff to Goodwill Stores (no books in that)
Purchased 3 books at Goodwill Stores

2/1 +2
Received 2 books through BookMooch

In summary, I have 7 more books than I started out with. Bad book purger!

Clear that Clutter!

On Sunday I finally took a load of things to the Goodwill Store down the street. New year's day I began going through all the hidey-holes in my apartment to get rid of the things I don't use/don't like/don't want that would still be useful to someone else. Less than a week after I started the piles, I came down with the flu and missed a week of work. Whoops! It's taken me until now to get motivated and get this stuff out of my apartment.

I ended up with three trash bags and two brown paper bags full of stuff. After I called the cab to take me the mile to the store, I began moving the bags out to the street so I'd be ready. There was already an office chair out there looking for a home. I took it along with me in the cab and donated it along with the rest.

I didn't escape goodwill with nothing though.
I ended up buying three (3) books:
-The Piano Tuner (my cokworker recommended it)
-Bibliotherapy: The Girl's Guide to Books for Every Phase of Our Lives
-Betty Crocker Slower Cooker Cookbook

Starting SBQ

Now to something new...SBQ

This week's question ~ What was your favorite finish of 2007?
Well, I'm not sure I finished more than one thing - it's hard to remember at the moment, but I have to say the wedding sampler for my sister is my favorite. It's also my biggest finish, and my first framed finish.


Here is the answer to last week's as well - Are you starting something new to celebrate the New Year or participating in “Guilt Free January?” If so, what are you planning on starting?
I am working on the historic countries mystery sampler, featured monthly in The Gift of Stitching. It started in September and I was really excited, but the wedding sampler had to get finished before I could really get going on this big challenge. Now I hope to work on this as my main project. Maybe by the end of January I'll finish the September piece? I doubt it, but it'll be fun trying.

The flu is no fun

Today is the first day in a week that I have:
-checked my email,
-put on clothes that are not pajamas
-done any work
-stayed awake for more than 4 hours at a stretch
-worked on my cross stitch

I've been stuck at home with a really bad case of the flu since last Friday. I went to work Friday morning feeling really tired, and by noon I was sick. My coworkers told me to go home. I was sure I could manage until 3 though, and that was a BAD idea! Monday I went to the doctor and managed to throw up and almost pass out during my vsit. Yay! I've now sort of recovered, but my plumbinng is broken and my landlord is here right now snaking the drain. I'm planning on going to work tomorrow even if I don't feel any better because I'm so sick of being home!

I do feel better. I'm sitting up, checking my work email and chipping away at the easy questions. I've only taken ibuprophen today, no Dayquil. I'm still coughing a lot, and tired, and a little dizzy, so I guess it's good that I didn't go in today. That was the plan, to go to work, but when my shower and toilet backed up with water and soapsuds last night at 7pm, I knew I wasn't going anywhere today. This same problem with the drain has happened at least two other times, the last time being in October. Enough already! Time to move out. As soon as possible.

At last, it's finished

This is a picture of my sister Kristin and her husband Doug. I stitched this wedding sampler for them originally as a wedding present for their wedding on October 20, 2007. When I realized that I wasn't going to finish in time, I got them somemthing else for the wedding, and instead I gave this to them for Christmas. As you can see in the picture, I'm not very good at framing. This is the first time I've framed anything, and I used the sticky mounting board. There must be a technique to it, because it still doesn't look straight within the mat. I hope they like it. I enjoyed stitching it, but there was so much tiny detail it took forever! I think I worked on it every night for a month, but then I would need a break and avoid it for two weeks. I started it in April I think, so it took me 9 months.

January Goals

I am so tempted to post here a super long list of resolutions, such as getting up earlier or learning to knit socks, and participating in the SBQ posting and blogging on a regular basis, but a long list of resolutions tends to intimidate me and I just think about all the things I haven't done. I hope to create a list of things that I'd like to try instead.
Okay, forget it, here's the start of my list. I'll add to it as I go...

- Take medications regularly
- finish three scarves for donation to Rosie's Place (with my knitting group)
- cross stitch some easter cards
- Go to the gym
- Go through my apartment and clear out stuff for donation
- Take donations to Goodwill
- Knit a pair of socks
- Backup all music on computer
- Visit my friend Amy
- Visit my sister Gretchen
- Complete Historic Countries Sampler
Funny, now that I'm writing the list down, I'm blanking. Well, I'll fill this in as I think of things.


Here is how far I've gotten on the Historic Countries Mystery Sampler featured in
The Gift of Stitching Magazine. It's a massive twelve part sampler that started back in September. The January issue just came out with parts four and five and now I am WAY behind. The main reason I haven't made any progress is that I was working on a gift for my sister, which I'll post more on later. I also chose to order natural linen, which is coarse and darker than I had wanted. I was so eager to begin that I cut the fabric, ran the edges through the sewing machine, and got started. I would start over with a new piece of fabric, but the fabric was really expensive. I've never spent $50 on fabric before. I'm hoping that the darker fabric will look nice in the end, but right now I'm wondering if I should just give up. Ugh.