bag 'n' trash -- home of monster yarn

A Contest Announcement

i am this close to reaching a total of 1000 comments.  so close....

if you are number 1000, i'll send you a surprise....

and no,  this is not a shameless way of getting more comments  :P 

Bermuda, Bahama, C'mon Pretty Mama

the trip to bermuda was awesome.   it was my first time on a cruise ship (other than the time my friend luisa and i "stowed" away on a ship in st. thomas a bahgillion years ago) so that was exciting for me.  and bermuda is BEAUTIFUL (i posted some pictures in the photo album on the right).  it reminded me a lot of europe, especially st. george's and hamilton (the capital city) with the winding, narrow streets, the stucco covered houses, the crazy ass motor scooters.

additional thoughts:

1.  it was virtual impossible for me NOT to crack  dumb Love Boat jokes.  hey, it was my first time on a cruise, give me a break.   the kids did enjoy the whole "poop deck" "duty free" routine though. 
2.  i never once hit the beach.   so i didn't do any snorkeling.  which is fine with me.  although i can snorkel and i'm an excellent swimmer, i don't like fish touching me.  or even going near me. 

3.  i did go to the aquarium, the museum of natural history, the maritime museum, and i rode the pink bermuda buses all over the island.  when i visit a new place i like to know the back story.

4.  i will go back to bermuda but not in august.  too fucking hot.  genetically i was not designed for the tropics.  my skin burns and then turns this blotchy yellow color, not all bronzy and savage like most of my inlaws.  spf 30 was definitely my friend.  my upper thighs rub together so i had some serious chafing issues.  and my hands and feet swell in the humid heat.  I WAS NOT ATTRACTIVE!!!!

5.  although the food on the cruise was mediocre for the most part, i did get to eat escargot on two occasions.  i love escargot and grossing out the nieces and nephews was just a bonus.

6.  i spent entirely too much time and money in the ship casino.  i can never go to vegas EVER!

anyway, all in all it was great fun. 

Baby Dreams

the other night, i had the most vivid baby dream, and woke up thinking that my dream was telling me something important.  something that i needed to deal with and that j and i needed to have a little talk.

but after hearing this news, maybe my dream wasn't about me after all...

While I Sort Through My Bermuda Photos ...

my vacation was awesome.  and of course too short.  i even had a good time with the inlaws.  most of them anyway.  like in any group, there's always one (or two) who have to behave like a putz.   and whiny children ... i'm not a big fan.  which kind of makes me think of myself as being some cold bitch.  and maybe i am.  whatever.

anyway -- i'll post more about bermuda once i sort through the 266 pictures i took.

in the meantime ... i leave you with a couple of quizzes.

What Classic Movie Are You?

personality tests by similarminds.com

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

it appears that i'm a bit of a drama queen perhaps.

Clearly ...

there's no pleasing people.  i just lost ANOTHER bloglines subscriber...

oh well.

i'm outta here for a week.

be safe.

Strengths and Weakness

lately i haven't been very happy with my knitting.  a lot of that has to do with this pesky habit i have of comparing myself to others.  my shrugs look like ass.  my ponchos are droopy.  my sweaters don't fit right.

so maybe i'm just focusing my energies on the wrong types of projects.   'cause blankets i can do.

i'm calling this project the fairfield cable blanket (in honor of fairfield university whose colors are red and white).  and i have to say i'm pretty happy with it.

each panel is made up of a different cable pattern.  and yes, that is red heart acrylic in scarlet and off-white.  this blanket will probably get drenched in beer and assorted other liquids (if my niece is half as crazy as i was in college).  i want this blanket to get thrown in the washer and dryer.

after looking through several books for an appropriate edging, i decided on two rows of single crochet.  it couldn't have been easier. 

Back From Fremont

last sunday morning, i packed my bags and headed out to fremont california for work.   the weather was wonderful, dry and warm during the day, breezy and cool at night.  and the surrounding hills, dramatic in their starkness especially against the gorgeous blue sky (especially to a northeasterner) were striking (and made me think of the view from my kitchen window when we lived in tehran, iran).  but i have to say,  fremont has got to be one of the saddest places i've ever been.  just one slightly shabby strip mall and office park after another with a lonely tree or shrub here or there.  but i was there to work and not to have fun.  (i didn't even have time to stop in and visit kate in san jose or stalk rachel in oakland).

but i did have plenty of time to knit.

i finished the last cable strip for the lap blanket (or as i like to call them, hugs) i'm making for my niece who is going to fairfield university in the fall.

i still have to sew it on and then i need to find an appropriate edging. 

and then i started the OSW ... 3 times.  my hands insist that there be an additional k1fb at the end of each right side row.  my head knows better.  i also used the totally wrong yarn -- some much too thin koolaid dyed wool but since i'm really about the process and not so much the product, i figured that if it worked out i could give my finished OSW to a niece.

but my hands are stubborn -- one side still had way too many stitches -- so i bagged it and i'll use the yarn for socks.

this morning, i took out some other scrap yarn and tried again.  since i'm not sure the OSW will be a good look for me, i figured i'd try it first with some crappy yarn.  so far the head has control over the hands.

and how am i supposed to work under these conditions?

Irene

2 more days until we leave for bermuda.

i'm not worried.  not at all.  no sir. 

nope.  not nervous.

Inspiration

mmm treats....

claudia's beautiful fiber ....

autumn colored big ass m&m's

Please! Don't Go!

in the past couple of weeks, i've lost 2 bloglines subscribers. 

it's because i've been posting nothing but crap, isn't it.

i guess i'm going to have to do better, aren't i.

Weird Shit

crochet boots.  they exist.  and you can get them here.

Naughty Bunny

so stitchy want's to know who is the person who found her blog by googling "women taking off pants."

which got me thinking...how are people finding my blog?

oh my!

that bunny ... she's wacky

(hmmm i'm in very interesting company)