Yes, I know that I was to have the contents of my junk drawer posted last week...I'll get on that soon, I promise! (Although it's not nearly as interesting as some of yours - even my "junk" drawer is pretty neat...)
It snowed here yesterday - the first "real" snow of the season, even if it wasn't really all that much, and most of it's gone now. It was a wet snow, just enough to coat everything and turn to ice when compressed my feet or tires, which is lots of fun to drive/walk on, let me tell you! Anything that's gotten sun is all melted, but places that are in shade are ICE!
I can't wait until we get 3 feet of snow! "Real" snow!!!
Only 35 more days to Christmas!!!!!!!
Showing posts with label blogstalking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogstalking. Show all posts
Monday, November 19, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Yes, I'm late. (for blogstalker, that is)
It's because I don't usually eat breakfast.
As it happens, I made muffins this weekend, so I brought them to work to eat for "breakfast". I'm one of those people who can't eat first thing in the morning, so if I do eat anything before lunch, it's at work, at my desk.
This breakfast is banana-raisin muffins and black, jasmine-scented tea (with milk and sugar). Mmmmm mmmmmmm.
As it happens, I made muffins this weekend, so I brought them to work to eat for "breakfast". I'm one of those people who can't eat first thing in the morning, so if I do eat anything before lunch, it's at work, at my desk.
This breakfast is banana-raisin muffins and black, jasmine-scented tea (with milk and sugar). Mmmmm mmmmmmm.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Love/Hate
Well, this week's assignment is a little more challenging than the last couple.
It was really hard to narrow it down to 3 things I love, so I didn't!
Top of the list of "Things I Love" is my family. I come from a very close family, and even though we're spread over the continent now (sister at school in PA, brother in the west of Canada (AB), me in the middle with my parents (in MB), we remain close. I talk to my sister for hours at a time, every few weeks (when she needs a time out from school), and I see my parents at least bi-weekly, if not every week.
A close second to family are my friends. I have a great group of friends, and I really enjoy spending time with them.
Then, in no particular order, comes Photography, Crafting (knitting, crocheting, sewing, card-making and scrapbooking), books, cooking and baking, and Tea!! (That photo in the middle of the collage is my tea shelf in my cupboard. I have at least 15 different kinds, all of which are drunk on a regular basis, although my favourite is a jasmine-scented black tea, with jasmine flowers. Mmmmmmmm.)
Although I've done both knitting and crochet for equally as long, I used to lean towards crochet. Lately I've swung towards knitting - not sure why, although the "baby sweater that did not want to be completed" and the "never-ending baby afghan" may be souring me on crochet. Most (actually all) of my Christmas projects are knit this year, so I see that pendulum swinging back to crochet in the New Year...!
Photography is a more recent hobby of mine. My family has "milestone" birthdays. Grade 9 was a ring (mine was an amethyst with 2 tiny diamonds on either side, although the amethyst is now missing, and has been for quite a few years), 15 y.o. was a suitcase, and 12 y.o (if I remember correctly) was a camera, so I've been taking photos since I was 12. The actual "photography" aspect started a few years ago, and last year I actually took a few classes to refine my (apparent) "natural eye" for photography, and bought a better, more manual camera. I didn't quite get a DSLR, though, because I didn't want to be bothered with the lens-changing thing, plus I couldn't afford what a DSLR camera body and all the lenses would cost me. I've become the unofficial photographer in my family, and for a few friends, too. Landscapes will always be my favourite, but I also like the challenge of capturing a candid moment that truly reflects who someone is. I HATE being posed for photos, myself, so I don't pose people. I have been known to refuse to take a photo if the subject realizes what I'm doing and looks at the camera. Something about people's posture and mannerism totally changes when they realize someone's taking a photo of them. It becomes artificial, whether in a good "pose" way, or in a bad "awkward" way.
A friend got me into scrapbooking a couple of years ago, and although knitting has taken over recently, I still love paper crafts! I've made wedding invitations for a few friends, and that's something I want to explore the business possibilities of. I also got a box of my grandparents' old photos that I'm going to scrapbook - things like that need to be preserved for future generations.
Baking has always been something I've loved and something I've done well. I credit that to the fact that I'm a science geek, and a really analytical person. Baking, after all, is just chemistry, right? I teased my friends at my old job that they'd miss my baking more than they'd miss me! (Living on my own, if I ate everything that I baked, I'd be 400 lbs, so I share a lot. Tomorrow morning I'm bringing fresh banana-raisin muffins in for breakfast!)
And on that note, we turn to the "things I hate".
A big pet peeve of mine is people who spit - as in "hock a loogie" type spitting - on public sidewalks. Well, anywhere, really, but especially right in front of me as I'm walking on the sidewalk. That's just not needed and really disgusting.
What else do I hate...?
People who are nervous drivers - they're dangerous. I'd much rather be on the road with (or in the car with) a confident, slightly cocky driver than one that doesn't feel comfortable on the road. Especially in the winter here. Roads with ice and snow aren't a place for someone who isn't confident in their driving abilities, or who isn't comfortable with adverse driving conditions.
And smokers. Well, not "smokers" as much as "smoke" (cigarette/cigar/pipe/etc. smoke). It stinks, it's unhealthy, and when you are not given the choice as to whether or not you want to inhale that stuff, it's wrong. Go ahead and smoke if you want to - just do it away from my restaurant table, or the entrance to any building I need to enter, or to my seat at the stadium. You may be ok with having that crap in your lungs, but I really am NOT.
Oooh - and I hate brussel sprouts - the only vegetable I refuse to eat. :)
It was really hard to narrow it down to 3 things I love, so I didn't!
Top of the list of "Things I Love" is my family. I come from a very close family, and even though we're spread over the continent now (sister at school in PA, brother in the west of Canada (AB), me in the middle with my parents (in MB), we remain close. I talk to my sister for hours at a time, every few weeks (when she needs a time out from school), and I see my parents at least bi-weekly, if not every week.
A close second to family are my friends. I have a great group of friends, and I really enjoy spending time with them.
Then, in no particular order, comes Photography, Crafting (knitting, crocheting, sewing, card-making and scrapbooking), books, cooking and baking, and Tea!! (That photo in the middle of the collage is my tea shelf in my cupboard. I have at least 15 different kinds, all of which are drunk on a regular basis, although my favourite is a jasmine-scented black tea, with jasmine flowers. Mmmmmmmm.)
Although I've done both knitting and crochet for equally as long, I used to lean towards crochet. Lately I've swung towards knitting - not sure why, although the "baby sweater that did not want to be completed" and the "never-ending baby afghan" may be souring me on crochet. Most (actually all) of my Christmas projects are knit this year, so I see that pendulum swinging back to crochet in the New Year...!
Photography is a more recent hobby of mine. My family has "milestone" birthdays. Grade 9 was a ring (mine was an amethyst with 2 tiny diamonds on either side, although the amethyst is now missing, and has been for quite a few years), 15 y.o. was a suitcase, and 12 y.o (if I remember correctly) was a camera, so I've been taking photos since I was 12. The actual "photography" aspect started a few years ago, and last year I actually took a few classes to refine my (apparent) "natural eye" for photography, and bought a better, more manual camera. I didn't quite get a DSLR, though, because I didn't want to be bothered with the lens-changing thing, plus I couldn't afford what a DSLR camera body and all the lenses would cost me. I've become the unofficial photographer in my family, and for a few friends, too. Landscapes will always be my favourite, but I also like the challenge of capturing a candid moment that truly reflects who someone is. I HATE being posed for photos, myself, so I don't pose people. I have been known to refuse to take a photo if the subject realizes what I'm doing and looks at the camera. Something about people's posture and mannerism totally changes when they realize someone's taking a photo of them. It becomes artificial, whether in a good "pose" way, or in a bad "awkward" way.
A friend got me into scrapbooking a couple of years ago, and although knitting has taken over recently, I still love paper crafts! I've made wedding invitations for a few friends, and that's something I want to explore the business possibilities of. I also got a box of my grandparents' old photos that I'm going to scrapbook - things like that need to be preserved for future generations.
Baking has always been something I've loved and something I've done well. I credit that to the fact that I'm a science geek, and a really analytical person. Baking, after all, is just chemistry, right? I teased my friends at my old job that they'd miss my baking more than they'd miss me! (Living on my own, if I ate everything that I baked, I'd be 400 lbs, so I share a lot. Tomorrow morning I'm bringing fresh banana-raisin muffins in for breakfast!)
And on that note, we turn to the "things I hate".
A big pet peeve of mine is people who spit - as in "hock a loogie" type spitting - on public sidewalks. Well, anywhere, really, but especially right in front of me as I'm walking on the sidewalk. That's just not needed and really disgusting.
What else do I hate...?
People who are nervous drivers - they're dangerous. I'd much rather be on the road with (or in the car with) a confident, slightly cocky driver than one that doesn't feel comfortable on the road. Especially in the winter here. Roads with ice and snow aren't a place for someone who isn't confident in their driving abilities, or who isn't comfortable with adverse driving conditions.
And smokers. Well, not "smokers" as much as "smoke" (cigarette/cigar/pipe/etc. smoke). It stinks, it's unhealthy, and when you are not given the choice as to whether or not you want to inhale that stuff, it's wrong. Go ahead and smoke if you want to - just do it away from my restaurant table, or the entrance to any building I need to enter, or to my seat at the stadium. You may be ok with having that crap in your lungs, but I really am NOT.
Oooh - and I hate brussel sprouts - the only vegetable I refuse to eat. :)
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
How I get from Here to There...
Well, if you saw my last post you would guess correctly if you thought I walk to work. So this is one way I get from here to there:
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If it's nice out, and I've slept in, I sometimes take this to work, too:
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Being a consultant, though, it is sometimes impossible to walk to work as I sometimes have to get to client sites, thus necessitating one of these:
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I only drive it after it's unburied, though! :)
(Because this may be pretty foreign for some of you, it's a photo I had to share! That's a Mazda Protege buried under there. This - meaning the amount of snow - happens once or twice a year, a few times more than that if we're really lucky! haha The first snowfall usually happens sometime in October. The first snow that stays on the ground is usually sometime in late November. And the snow usually stays until April - most of the Easters I remember as a kid involved getting to church with snowboots and changing into our fancy shoes inside.)
If I can, I try to walk places. I have a few little corner-store-type grocery stores within easy walking distance from my apartment, so when I need a few things, that's what I do. It's awesome that half of those stores are organic, "granola"-type stores! (I live in what people around here call the "granola belt" of my city...lol.)
If I have to get somewhere else in the city, though, it's by car. The public transportation system here isn't great, and it easily doubles the time it takes to get from point A to point B (quadruples or more on weekends!). I do however drive a 4-cylinder, manual transmission car, so that helps with reducing emissions and natural gas consumption. If I could have afforded a hybrid when I was looking for a car (my first!), and if they'd had any in stock, then I would have.
I also want to share a couple other photos with you.
The first is the view from a farmer's market I went to on the weekend. I'd love to live in a place like this!
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The second I took on my walk home last week. There's something about seeing the bright white cross (of the hospital's chapel, I guess) against the darker sky.
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Happy blogstalking!
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If it's nice out, and I've slept in, I sometimes take this to work, too:
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Being a consultant, though, it is sometimes impossible to walk to work as I sometimes have to get to client sites, thus necessitating one of these:
.jpg)
I only drive it after it's unburied, though! :)
(Because this may be pretty foreign for some of you, it's a photo I had to share! That's a Mazda Protege buried under there. This - meaning the amount of snow - happens once or twice a year, a few times more than that if we're really lucky! haha The first snowfall usually happens sometime in October. The first snow that stays on the ground is usually sometime in late November. And the snow usually stays until April - most of the Easters I remember as a kid involved getting to church with snowboots and changing into our fancy shoes inside.)
If I can, I try to walk places. I have a few little corner-store-type grocery stores within easy walking distance from my apartment, so when I need a few things, that's what I do. It's awesome that half of those stores are organic, "granola"-type stores! (I live in what people around here call the "granola belt" of my city...lol.)
If I have to get somewhere else in the city, though, it's by car. The public transportation system here isn't great, and it easily doubles the time it takes to get from point A to point B (quadruples or more on weekends!). I do however drive a 4-cylinder, manual transmission car, so that helps with reducing emissions and natural gas consumption. If I could have afforded a hybrid when I was looking for a car (my first!), and if they'd had any in stock, then I would have.
I also want to share a couple other photos with you.
The first is the view from a farmer's market I went to on the weekend. I'd love to live in a place like this!
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The second I took on my walk home last week. There's something about seeing the bright white cross (of the hospital's chapel, I guess) against the darker sky.
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Happy blogstalking!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
WIP Wednesday
Well, I was going to post some photos of what I've been working on, but I realized that the only WIPs I have right now are all gifts! And I, not being one to tempt fate, am not going to post photos of gifts, thus avoiding any potential surprise-ruining.
I have gotten some more done on my baby afghan that I'm making for a friend (whose daughter will soon be my goddaughter - my first!), which is good. She knows that's what I'm making her, so talking about it won't ruin the surprise, but she doesn't know any of the specifics - pattern, colour, etc. - so a photo is a no-go.
There's a point during the afghan-making process when progress seems to stop, even when work on said afghan is still happening. It's like some magical thing - you keep adding rows, but the afghan doesn't get any longer! I should be on track to have it finished by Oct 13th, though. If not, I'll be giving what I call a "mom gift", so named because my mom is famous for giving people half-finished, or almost-done handmade gifts (one sock, mitts with no thumbs, the list goes on).
I've decided, though, that I have to start working on the dreaded second sock. I made the first one in August, and cast on for the second one, but only got about an inch done before putting it aside to start on my Christmas gift list. I think I'm going to make it my stitch 'n bitch project. K2P2 ribbing should be mindless enough that I don't screw it up in the limited lighting of the pub we meet at! I promise I'll take a photo of the "second sock" once I start working on it again!
The First Sock (of the pair, and "ever"!):
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I also want to thank all of you blogstalkers for your comments! I've tried replying back to some of you, but unless I can figure out which is your blog from the list of stalkers, I have to reply to you on my own blog (which means you may or may not realize I've replied to you). Apparently Blogger only really lets you reply to a comment if that person has a Blogger blog, in which case you have to comment on their blog. (Unless I'm missing something?)
I've also realized that although I'm enjoying having these themes (and deadlines) to post about, and I enjoy reading everyone else's posts, I'm running out of time to read everyone's posts in the week the topic was given! I'm going to get to everyone, but that might mean a blog-reading marathon once every few weeks. Just so you know...
I have gotten some more done on my baby afghan that I'm making for a friend (whose daughter will soon be my goddaughter - my first!), which is good. She knows that's what I'm making her, so talking about it won't ruin the surprise, but she doesn't know any of the specifics - pattern, colour, etc. - so a photo is a no-go.
There's a point during the afghan-making process when progress seems to stop, even when work on said afghan is still happening. It's like some magical thing - you keep adding rows, but the afghan doesn't get any longer! I should be on track to have it finished by Oct 13th, though. If not, I'll be giving what I call a "mom gift", so named because my mom is famous for giving people half-finished, or almost-done handmade gifts (one sock, mitts with no thumbs, the list goes on).
I've decided, though, that I have to start working on the dreaded second sock. I made the first one in August, and cast on for the second one, but only got about an inch done before putting it aside to start on my Christmas gift list. I think I'm going to make it my stitch 'n bitch project. K2P2 ribbing should be mindless enough that I don't screw it up in the limited lighting of the pub we meet at! I promise I'll take a photo of the "second sock" once I start working on it again!
The First Sock (of the pair, and "ever"!):
.JPG)
I also want to thank all of you blogstalkers for your comments! I've tried replying back to some of you, but unless I can figure out which is your blog from the list of stalkers, I have to reply to you on my own blog (which means you may or may not realize I've replied to you). Apparently Blogger only really lets you reply to a comment if that person has a Blogger blog, in which case you have to comment on their blog. (Unless I'm missing something?)
I've also realized that although I'm enjoying having these themes (and deadlines) to post about, and I enjoy reading everyone else's posts, I'm running out of time to read everyone's posts in the week the topic was given! I'm going to get to everyone, but that might mean a blog-reading marathon once every few weeks. Just so you know...
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