So, it's that time again, between Christmas and New Year's. It's a week that's always kind of reminded me of the moment between breaths. It's like that time when you want to squeeze the last bit of oxygen out of your lungs, and New Year's Eve is the last push to get everything out before the next big breath. Do you find that you live a little bit more intentionally during this time, or are you just winding down from the big Holiday?
As a general rule, I don't make NY Resolutions. However, I've decided to have a bit of fun with this rule this year, and so I'll be attempting the following in 2009:
Play more video games.
Read more fiction.
Cook more turkey (actually, this one is by default, as the Russian's NYR is to eat more turkey, specifically on holidays. I'm not certain that President's Day should qualify as a holiday, but he is adamant.)
Eat more peanuts.
Spend more time in the darkroom.
Listen to more Chemical Brothers. Because everybody loves them. Would also like to catch them live, preferably at Lolla 09.
Ditto for Gogol Bordello. I'd love to see them live again, their show is crazy good.
Clear off the Tivo at least once.
Continue my avoidance of all things Reality TV.
And the one that lasts from year to year: profess my undying adoration to Johnny Knoxville (sorry Carl)
And, that's all she wrote. For this year anyway :) Happy New Year!
Funny things happen to your brain when you stay up all night sewing.
Some things I've learned:
It doesn't matter what I'm working on, sewing makes me not tired. But the second I stop...my face could fall into my lap.
There's nothing like some Ritual de lo Habitual on the iPod to keep me moving while the rest of the house is dead to the world.
Along the same lines, I'm really sick of the Silversun Pickups Lazy Eye and should take it off.
The neighbor guy doesn't come home until 3am some nights. And sometimes he leaves 3 hours later.
He has a pretty noisy truck.
I shouldn't always listen to what colors my brain tells me go together. One of these days I'm going to end up with fuschia and red bedding.
Don't try to do trigonometry at 4am. Period.
When I'm busy solving the worlds' problems, I should at least bother to write down the solutions, because I will forget them at daylight.
"just one more seam" works as well as "just 5 more minutes".
No matter how bad the body drags, the mind just won't quit.
Even at the point of exhaustion, I know which scissors are for fabric and which are for paper. The same of which cannot be said for Some People. *shakes fist*
Fat quarters aren't always 18 x 22. They should be, but sometimes you get ripped off.
Also, 60" wide fabric usually isn't.
Some things look better on the Joanns website at night than they do in the light of day. Fortunately my purse was in the other room, and well, see #1.
My iron still has that "new iron smell" :)
I really cannot wait for EQ6 to get here! Checking the order status 4 times in 20 minutes doesn't really make it move any faster.
It doesn't matter how thin the pin is. If you stick yourself, it's going to hurt.
Using my feet to find dropped pins isn't really very smart.
A piece of paper (aka pattern) will disappear even from an otherwise empty desk.
For some inexplicable reason, I want to make shorts in the winter and pants in the summer.
I have an awful lot of felt for someone that doesn't really use it much.
I will stick a label on anything that sits still. Look out, Alice!
Never, under any circumstances, attempt needle-turn applique late at night.
My sewing friends probably don't want me to call them at 2am to tell them about the fabulous new use I found for sequins.
Glitter glue is for life.
If I take off my glasses, it's like I have microscope vision! I can even read the tiny lettering on sewing needles!
"Taking a break" to play Wii tennis isn't really a break. Unless you count cracking your wrist on the cutting table.
My button jar is pretty interesting and I should make more of an effort to fill it up. Also, it's a great thing that my sewing machine sizes button holes for me. I could have been in trouble.
Deciding that I should make a quilt for every one of my "block of they day" calendar pages is a little ambitious for someone with more UFOs than I can count.
Alex Anderson is just as annoying on Tivo as she is on live tv.
I think that Fons and Porter may not actually like each other.
No matter how many rulers I have, I'll never have the one I need right now.
Sometimes the pattern is just flat wrong.
People who print incorrect patterns should be strung up by their toenails and beaten senseless with an organic carrot. Or, I should be able to force them to come over and do 3 hours of manual labor to replace the 3 hours I spent trying to figure out what they're doing.
And for that matter, Tom Hanks still owes me 2 hours of raking leaves for that atrocity they called "The Ladykillers".
It's time for a nap! Just as soon as I finish a couple more seams :)
No gloating today. Seriously. Really.
So probably the most corrupt governor in the state of Illinois (notice I didn't say politician...I don't think he's the most corrupt politician, just governor) is arrested on some pretty sad charges. Yes, he's a megalomaniac, and possibly certifiable (I will be a little disappointed if he doesn't go for an insanity plea), but mostly just pathetic. He really had no concept of getting caught. I feel sorry for his kids, but figure Grandpa Mell will make sure they're set.
I figure my "Don't Blame Me, I Voted for Judy" shirts should be selling like hotcakes now :) (Hint: Shop the Topinkatorium now!
In other news, I'm still working on the state quilt. I'm still going on the Virginia Star block, but I took a week off to make some postcard quilts. And I got a call today that a school needs some more hats and scarves so I guess I'm back in the fleece business, albeit temporary. I really REALLY hope I'm done with fleece for awhile after this!
I've also downloaded some patterns for bibs and burp cloths for the foster monster; hopefully I get to those before he goes to kindergarten. Still no news on whether we get to keep him. Just keep praying for us and him. We (of course) think that it's in his best interest for him to live in a home with married parents who aren't crack addicts, but the state of Illinois seems to disagree so far. Go figure. (I really don't mean to be flippant about the fact that his parents are crackheads, but when someone has the drug history they do, I have to wonder if they really want to kick) Anyway, otherwise, things with him are going great. He's sitting up more now and has gotten the idea that spit bubbles are loads of fun until I wipe them away and he has to start over.
Been listening to a lot of Janes these days. I had high hopes of a reunion tour for the new box set, but I don't think we're going to get it :(
Headed to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Friday night, should be a good time as usual. This will be the first time my Mom's seen them, happy birthday to her :) Last year we went to see Blue Man Group and she kind of liked that, so I have high hopes for this.
Got to start cutting out fleece!