WOW

Wow, I think I've done more work in the past two weeks (physically and mentally) than I have in six months. You know what - it feels good. It feels good to know I've finished things I've set out to do. Let's recap for ya:

Last Weekend -> Cleaned Basement
Helped sister-in-law move

This Weekend -> Pressure Washed Porch
Jack cleaned gutters and did yard work.

Monday -> Did statistics assignment...It was kicking my ass for a bit but I got er done. Also major part of my group assignment done.

Tuesday -> Cleaned house from top to bottom (it still needs work, but it's presentable for this weekend) and worked more on group project.

Today -> Worked my ass off at work trying to get caught up since I'm off Thursday and Friday, found out I have a job interview in the morning at 9:30 (not really looking, but this pays about 10K more a year so....I'll certaintly listen), came home and did assignment that is due Friday, worked on group project some more (waiting on stuff from group members before I can finish), cleaned car, straightened office and said WOOT

I still have to grocery shop for this weekend and our bedroom is a disaster (hopefully no one will see it). I guess I will drag Killah and them shopping with me because I see no way to go before I pick them up at the airport tomorrow...we shall see we shall see...

I'm looking so forward to this weekend. I want to relax and have a good time...now if a certain someone who will go unnamed (ahum Lotusknits) would come play paintball with us it would be all the better (without her I'm the only girl!) But no pressure :)

**I'm just kiddin girl...I know your stressed movin in but hey I couldn't resist. **

Welp, I'm off to bed - I've got a big day tomorrow. See ya blogland, If I don't get a chance to blog this weekend I'll let you know what a blast it was on Monday!

Statistics

Statistics is rotting my brain!!!! Shoot me!!!! Assignment must be turned into tonight and I'm only 1/3 of the way thru it - > aah.

Ok, more blogging to follow. Moody Mylerna has been in existence since Saturday..OMG you have no idea and I have no time to share right now so I'll be back later tonight or tomorrow to tell ya all about it. But for now I'm going to finish this assignment.

I am I am I am I am I am I am I am I am!

Just needed a dose of will power. Here goes nothing!

Pretty Funny

My friend lotus knits posted this link and I thought it was pretty funny. Check it out http://blog.wired.com/tableofmalcontents/index.blog?entry_id=1491530

It's Ok! I tell ya, it's Ok!

Yep, today was a day, imagine that. The normal things happened today such as the sun rising the aggravating work hours, the long drive home, the constant random thoughts rooming thru my head and the sun setting while I'm thinking of all the things I need to do. But you know what? That's ok, it's ok that today was just a day. It's ok that I'm happy and sad at the same time, its ok that my work load has ups and downs, its ok that I love my job while hating it, it's ok that I'm tired and not sleepy, it's ok! That's my new philosophy - it's ok!

Tee Hee, Ok, now that that conflicted mess and mumbo jumbo of thoughts is out how is everyone? I hope you are doing fine. I'm sorry for the lack of post lately and for leaving you hanging on day 4 of the vacation...I promise more is to come soon. Some of you are happy about this fact, others wish the vacation post would go away. But you know what ??? That's ok :)

So, what have I been doing since my last post? Hmmm...well, we actually have gotten some good stuff done. We got a good amount of work done on the basement, I've kept the kitchen really clean and I've been cooking some (I know SHOCK). I need to finish going thru pics, do a really good cleaning on the house before the 16th when the VOV gets here, need to get some homework done and get ahead so I don't have to work on any during the get together (that would suck), I need to do alot of things. But you know what??? That's ok :)

It's ok that I came home last night at 5:15 pm slept until 9:30 pm got up ate dinner and went back to bed at 11pm and slept thru the night. It's ok that I've layed on the couch all afternoon watching tv, it's ok that... well it's just ok.

I hope everyone has a better than ok night. See you later in the week :) May you dream of happy moments, fluffy clouds and tantalizing events :)

Vacation Day 4

Here is vacation day 4 - my absolutely favorite day. We drove thru the lake district into the highlands and the scenery was magnifco. Warning this post is extremely pic heavy - I had to pic my favorite pics and I took over 800 that day alone so it wasn't easy. Also, another disclaimer on all pics posted regarding the vacation - alot of them were taken out of a bus at 60 or sometime I think 90 miles an hour not to mention that the lighting sucked most of the time so please don't use their quality to judge my artistic ability :) Hope you enjoy.

Summary of Tuesday 5/16/06

We left the heartless town of Glasgow and headed toward the Isle of Skye. However we did stop a bit on the way. The drive up that way was beautiful.


(Yes those are clouds - pretty eh :) )

We stopped by Fort William after driving thru Glencoe where the Campbells massacred the MacDonald Clan. We also drove thru Ben Nevis before getting on the road to the Isles road. The road was one lane and the bus was close to the cars and trees. That road had some great scenery.



We then, at the end of the road got on a ferry that led us to the Isle of Skye. The longest island off of Scotland. It was very pretty. The shoreline which meats the Atlantic Ocean had a lot of rock.



(Pic of a bird on Ferry Docs. One of my favs. The other was of a sheep in the road on our way from the ferry to the end of the island. I'm telling you sheep are everywhere, unfortunately hard to get pic of them going 80 miles an hour in a bus.)

We stopped at the end of the island before taking the bridge back to the mainland. There was a lighthouse and an old tower that was very cool.



(friendly kitty at the end of the island - we got to pet him - it helped our kitty withdrawals - tee hee)

We then headed toward Strathpeffer and stayed at the Ben Wyvis Hotel. However, on our way we did stop and take pics of a couple different castles. Very cool. ((journal note, we also passed Loch Ness which I neglected to mention in my journal))


(Eileen Dolan Castle)

(Urquhart Castle)

The hotel is gorgeous Victorian style and there was a great band playing music (50s & 60s) after dinner. Overall it was a wonderful day.

(Yep that was our hotel!! - it rocked!)

On another note I'm not as frustrated as earlier. I spoke with my academic advisor and believe he is going to help me...we shall see. I also got to come home and play some HL2 Deathmatch - I died alot but I had SOOOOOOOOOO much fun. Now, I'm off to help Jack finish up a quest in EQII. Have a good night blogland.

Frustration

I love it when professors change due dates without informing you! I tell you what my school is about to get an earful when I talk to them! GRRRRRR I may postpone this class and thus my graduation for a month, but I don't wan tot do that. I also don't want to mess w/ my 4.0 but this class is pissing me off and this professor is ... well ... if you can't say anything nice.

I'm going back to work now - just had to vent! Talk to you later :)

Blah, Vacation and other Tidbits

I know your wondering where your vacation tidbits are and where I've been. Your all on the edge of your seat (Sarcasm at Work here - just in case you were taking me seriously :) ) Well, I wish I had a good excuse but to be honest I don't. I've just been blah. It hit me Monday like a ton of bricks, this overwhelming sense of blah. I didn't want to get off the couch to surf the net, play eq or even read. I just sat and channel surfed - sad I know. I even went for 3 days without really reading my favorite blogs or checking my email. But I'm back for however long it last and it feels good.

The bag I was working on in Scotland is virtually done; just have to do the I-cord, felt it and a bag exist. I think I may try this one next... Musique & Iceland Felted Bag Or maybe start a blanket for my Mama's Christmas present. Or.... well heck I don't know what I'm going to do, but you can bet it will be cool :) LOL

School is progressing. I still have one overdue assignment and I have one due tonight but it's progressing. Must get Motivated! The bills are paid, but spending money is short, No vacation pay for Scotland because I have not been their 6 months so I'll be hurting for a month or so, but I budgeted bills accordingly. The trip was worth it!. Life is good and the blahs are passing :)

In a couple of weeks the VOV guild will be here. My house still needs alot of work, but I can't wait for them to come and to meet everyone.

So that's all my boring tidbits for now - More of Scotland below :)

Journal Written Tuesday 5/15/06

Well, I forgot to write about yesterday so we will discuss it first.

Summary of Monday 5/15/06

We began the day in Bolton where we headed into the lake district of Scotland; or actually I believe it was still England. We saw Lake Windermere and saw a small piece of Hadrians Wall. There area had a tremendous view and this great old oak tree.



Then we reboarded the bus and headed fro Greta Green; the first town across the Scottish border. It was where the English ran to elope because the laws were less. It was a quaint little town.





Oh, but I forgot we went to Grasmere before Greta Green. Grasmere was pretty. It is where WilliamWadsworthh is buried. The tombstones in the grave yard were almost 6 ft. It was cool.



So I digress after Greta Green we drove into what is called the Lowland Hill area. It is just that filled with small hills and sheep are everywhere. ItÂ’s great. We then arrived in Glasgow, after sitting in some bad traffic. Glasgow is just another city to me. It did not grab my interest so we relaxed a good part of the afternoon.

((Journal sidenote- this is a pic of me getting a pic from the hotel window in Glasgow...I'm a good 4 feet off the ground standing in the window seal :) tee hee ))

Tuesday's Summary ... rest of this journal to follow tomorrow. Have a good night blogland.

Vacation Day 2

Journal Written Morning of May 15, 2006

Well, I was too tired to write last night but we had a great day. We spent the day traveling by bus up the English countryside.

(pic of Kanola that is used to make Kanola Oil)

We stopped by Stratford Upon Avon and spent a couple of hours. This is the birthplace of Shakespeare. The buildings are very old looking and unique. It was wonderful. We then sat and ate a BLT, which turned out to have ham on it instead of Bacon....they apparently call Ham Bacon.





We then got back on the coach and took a nap.



Afterwards we stopped by Chester. We went into this great Cathedral and then walked along the Roman wall that had been built to protect the city. The city also has what is called rows, which are basically 2 story buildings that are old and have been turned into shops. All of the buildings are old and have been maintained unlike the US where we tear down and build new. It was great.





Then we drove and slept in Bolton. Dinner was....ok. To be honest I didn't care for the Chicken Currey. We did however have dinner with a lady named Annette. She reminds me of Jenner. She is an artist and runs a murder mystery in Australia. I'll tell you about today later.

End Journal

Day 2 was indeed incredible. The birthplace of Shakespeare was so neat and we got to stop and see Ann Hathaway's cottage as well. It was such a quaint little town. Chester was very shopping oriented but it was still neat. I love the look of the buildings. The Cathedral was incredible. Such a massive structure with such architectural beauty; the stained class windows, the sculpture of the building itself. It was great.

On more current notes today has been a lazy one for me. Jack cut some of the grass, bless him, and I've well done very little. I need to work on my class but motivation has flown the coup. Maybe it will come back later... Lord knows it needs too.

Snapfish Day 1

Posting a link to the pictures here will not work because you have to be invited to view them. I have sent out email invitations, if you did not receive one and want to see the pictures please let me know your email address and I'll get one to you. I tried to remember everyone, but since it's been a while since I updated my address book I may have left someone out.

Hope you enjoy :)

Vacation Day 1

Ok, so I've decided to break this up a bit and do a vacation day post per day or maybe 2 a day depending on how I feel. Over the course of the vacation I took over 2,500 pictures (Jack took about 1800) and I want to share some of them with you. This is the only way I thought to do it that wasn't completely overwhelming. So tune in daily!

The journals were actually written in Scotland. Forgive the tone - most were written right before bed. Hope you enjoy, I'm trying to put pics with the journal as it talks about it so go past the pics to finish the journal for the day. I'm also uploading all the pics (minus blurry ones and duplicate shots, which account for quite a few of them) to Snapfish..will take all night to upload day 1; invitations and link to follow tomorrow.

Day 1 Journal - May 13, 2006

Well, today was the first of our journey. It was an exhausting day that actually began yesterday at 11:30 am EST and ended at 10:40 London time. We saw the Tower of London with the crown jewels (gaudy lookin things) and it's torture chamber. This is where three or maybe it was two (not sure) of Henry VIII's wives were killed. It was a prison and execution central.



We also had a nice four course dinner. I had Tomato Basil Soup, salad, chicken in a mushroom sauce and a really, really rich desert. Mama said she needed some fried chicken :) Then we did a cruse on the river and saw the Parilament buildings, Big Ben and many other great buildings. Took pics but it was getting dark and it was misty outside.




Tour guide was Rob - very informative and entertaining.
Now it's time to stop. Our bags have to be ready by 6:30 am. Till tomorrow good night and sweat dreams.

End Journal Day 1

Well, There is Day 1. We really did have a great time. I wish the pics from the cruise had turned out better but it was getting dark not to mention the fact that it was so drizzly. The tower was huge and old. One of the things that I found humbling about this trip was standing in buildings that existed in the 1500's ... Imagine the lives, history, and events those walls have witnessed. Plus, the fact that it was built in the 1500's and is still in use today, not only as a tourist attraction but the crown jewels that the Queen still wears at least once a year (opening of Parliament) are stored here; granted the vault is a little more modern, but still. Guards still live on the premises and people work here everyday. Can you imagine working in a 500 year old building??

On another note we got some stuff accomplished today, which felt good. I still have one over due assignment and several things that are outstanding on my list, but we did go grocery shopping, got some laundry done and grilled steaks and shrimp out on the grill. It was nice and felt good. Well, I'm off to sleep - sleep well blog land.

Secret Pal Goodies

Oooh, I love secret pals - especially mine. I came home today and received the best surprise :) I got some hemp seed lotion that feels like satin on my skin. I love it. I also got a post card and this lovely fellow. My kitties can't decide if he is friend or foe, but I've decided he's cute :) He now is hanging on my lamp post above my desk telling me I need to get off my ass and get started.

This little gift came on a day when I have more things to do then I can name, but I will try just for your sake :)

1) Statistics assignment that was due Monday.
2) 2nd Statistics Assignment due Tomorrow.
3) Vacuum House
4) Wash cloths
5) Wash Dishes
6) Go grocery shopping
7) Go thru pictures and update blog on trip...can't wait to do this. Just have to wade thru everything. I took over 500 pics a day! I'm sure you don't' want to see all of them, but I will be putting a good number on snapfish when I've gone thru them. I can't wait to tell you all about the trip and all the great things we did.
8) Scrapbook
9) Clean up house really well including basement pool room for guild get together in June.
10) Finish bag (almost done) and start something new and exciting in the knitting realm.
11) Shoot myself in the head for typing this out and truly realizing I don't have time to type this out. Grrr.

Well, anyway I really do have to get this damn assignment done. Thanks SP for making my afternoon a little better. I really do love "Jerry" which is what I have decided to name my new butterfly friend. He's so dang cute.

I Promise

I promise details and pics of the trip coming soon...I just haven't had the time or rather the energy to wade thru. I promise it won't be long...

Home Safely

Well, I am home safely and we had a wonderful time. I promise a very detailed post tomorrow but in the meantime the time differnce has gotten me and I'm crawling into bed. Expect a super long blog soon with my journal and pics from trip...

Sleep well blog land.

I'm Off

Well, We are mostly packed and are scheduled to fly out tomorrow! I'll try to post abroad but not sure it will happen, but look for lots of pics when I get back.

See you in 10 days!

Done, Done & Donner (is that a word ?) ...

Well, fellow bloggers my last assignment for this class is done and assuming I did well my 4.0 will continue. WOOT - CELEBRATE - HAPPY - HAPPY

Ok, so enough of that... so what else new is going on in my life? Not really that much actually.

We are gearing up for our trip - getting currency, packing and etc... I regret to inform you that I did not fulfill my resolution to keep the laundry done. I swear I have 10 loads or more; which shows that Jack and I have way too damn many cloths, or shall I say mainly I have too many cloths. Mama is going to come down tomorrow and spend the day at my house washing cloths (yes I'm paying her though she will probably argue about it). I just don't see where I have the time before I leave and I need my cloths to take with me. After Scotland I'm keeping them better caught up...yall hold me to that :)

Secret Pal 8 is about to begin. I received my spoilee the other day -> very exciting. I really enjoyed the last one. I need to remember to pick her something up in my travels, maybe some yarn from Scotland??? Not sure if the tour I'm on will detour to find a knitting store but I'll figure something cool out :)

My knitting is kinda at a stand still. I want to get the Booga Bag I'm working on fixed so that I can easily knit it in the plane. Fixed you ask? Oh, yes I had to take roughly 20 rows out of it and redo them. I'm still getting used to circular needles and apparently I flipped the bag or started knitting in the wrong direction because I had 10 or so rows with the knots on one side and 20 or so with them on the other...why didn't I catch it earlier you ask? Because I'm a dumb ass :) So anyway I need to go recount the rows that I didn't have to take out; which I'm not good at doing; readjust my stich counter and go at it again. I plan to take it on the plane with me; since they are circular needles and I'm really hoping the security peps don't want to take them away. I'm only carrying the one pair on the plane; the others I may need during my trip are being tucked away in my luggage to be checked.

I'm thinking about trying to sale some of my photography; I'm going thru the archives marking pics that I may be able to sale. I may try to sale them online; or at a craft fair; or heck I don't know what the best way to try is. I don't want to spend $100 on a table at a fair and not be able to sale anything...I just don't know if peps will buy them and it cost money to buy the mats, bags to hold them in and to have them printed. Ugh...I want to do it but don't really know how without taking a financial risk. Might try online first - maybe set up a site like I've seen some peps do for their knitting stuff. Any ideas / suggestions / votes of confidence accepted and appreciated.

Hmmm...what else to tell you tonight? Something inspirational and awe inspiring for sure...hmm let me think -------------- Nope nothing comes to mind :) So I will just bid you a wonderful nights sleep filled with puffy clouds and silver linings :)

Quote

I'm writing my last assignment for this class and found the following quote that I really liked...

"People are disturbed not by things, but by their perception of things…" - Epictetus –

Will post more later - I just had to share that :) 2 More workin days and I'm off to Scotland.

SP8 Questionnaire

Another SP about to start - can't wait. Here is my questionnaire.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I love fibers that are soft to the touch such as Alpaca and etc… I also like the Noro yarns because of the colors.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

A hand sewn case that ties.

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

Almost a year; still at beginner level.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

No

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

I’m not a big candle person – the stong smells they generate tend to give me headaches. I do love flowery smells for bath products and Cool Water is my fav perfume.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Brownies are always good. Chocolate and hard candies are as well… I love anything that is sweet really.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

Digitial Photography, Scrapbooking, Make homemade frames

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

Country and some soft rock. My comp can play MP3's

9. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

I like pinks and reds. Also love the autumn colors.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

Married with 2 cats

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

All of the above; but not too heavy; doesn’t get that cold down here.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I’m really enjoying bags right now and scarves. I’m still very much a beginner so this is about all I’ve done.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Booga Bag, Scarf

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Absolutely

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Bamboo - Straight

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

No

17. How did you learn to knit?

Sister-in-law, books and internet help.

18. How old is your oldest UFO?

2 months

19. What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas

20. Is there anything that you collect?

Stuff with dolphins and / or butterflies…. Can never get enough picture frames either.

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

Hmm… not that I can think of

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

Just need to get better at reading patterns so I can branch out.

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

No, unsure of sock size – shoe is 7 1/2

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)

July 10th

Personality

I took this personality test for my class - man it nailed me :( check out the link for details on Me :)

I'm a O7-C86-E31-A2-N80 Big Five!!

Patience, Will Power, Love, Desire

Emotions, personalities, problems, etc... we all have them. I'm sitting here thinking, thinking of life, of love, of passion, of disappointment of life in general. I find myself disappointed in myself, in my ... well, I can't even put a word on it. However, I know that I am capable of more.

I shouldn't be dragging my feet with school, I shouldn't be worried about a guild that will survive no matter what, I shouldn't be wanting to sit around the house and do nothing. I have a good life that I love; I have a home that while not my dream is mine, I have food in my belly and money to have some pleasures yet I take no pride in it. The house is a mess, no you don't have to kick your way thru it but it needs to be cleaned, the yard is a disaster that we need to tackle and I've been saying I'm going to clean up the basement for a year. I have assignments due and I'm waiting till the last minute, I have a bag that I want to knit, but no energy to knit it, my scrapbooking is crying for my attention yet all I want to do is lay on the couch and watch tv or read...or play EQ but honestly I don't have the energy to do that. Am I sick, no - just lazy.

I say I'm lazy and then something rises up inside of me and tells me that I'm not. That I do more than enough... I get up and go to work, 1 15 min one way and then I come home and finish my assignments to maintain the 4.0. Then another part of me yells that the 4.0 is not really that hard and that I need to get off my lazy ass and do something useful with my time. The ultimate internal struggle that I'm sure lazy will win. Man you can tell it's that time of the month... I don't know what's wrong with me. One day I'm so happy you would think the sun rose just for me and the next you would think I need to be put on anti-depressants. I'm just restless; this trip should do us good. God I hope so. I need some inspiration, I need some internal strength to rise up inside of me and take hold, I need the will power to get off my ass and do something other than sit here and whine about it. I need something.

I see all these people running and exercising and realize I would probably feel better if I would do something, but then at the same time I don't have the will power to clean the house much less exercise everyday or every other day. Sorry for the whinny post - I just needed to vent for the 2nd time today.

Change

Change is inevitable and sometimes good, but in this case I find it very saddening. My EQ guild is breaking up; we will still be the VOV for first person shooters and long term friends but since so few people login at a given time many of our members are changing guilds. They want us all to come, a kind of guild merger, but I don't think I'm game. I don't play enough to be of real benefit to a new guild and I have zero desire to reprove my abilities. As a female it is hard to convince people that you will be a good tank and you are constantly chosen over; with the VOV that's not the case. They know I'm a competant tank and even if I have off days they still let me play without giving me hell. I love my guild and know without question that they will always be there as friends, but I still find this move sad. Understandable because people are correct, we very rarely have enough on for a full group and raiding is virtually impossible but that is ok with me...I like playing with my friends and have not in the two years I have been playing with them ever been lfg; it's either a guild group or no group at all for me.

Ah well, change is inevitable.