bag 'n' trash

Thankful Thursday

a few weeks ago, carole encouraged us to think about things we were thankful for.  i was going to use that theme to start blogging more regularly but of course i didn't.  heh.  HEY I'VE BEEN BUSY!

but it's December, and it's my birthday month, if you've followed me over the years, you know i get a little introspective at this time of year and start taking stock of my life and thinking about what i've accomplished or what i wanted to accomplish and didn't. 

and when i do that, i get a little anxious and sad, and maudlin.

so fuck that.

this thursday, i'm thankful for my new kick ass boots.  yep.  boots.

i rarely bother with boots because not only do i have crazy large feet, i also have crazy big legs so sometimes even ankle boots don't fit right. 

but these are perfect. 

and they make me so very happy.  i feel like i could kick some serious ass when i wear these.  

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i also got a pair in black.  shhhh. 

Buy Early and Buy Often

i consider myself to be crazy fortunate to be friends with some extremely creative and talented people.  and one of those people, is caro aka splityarn. 

if you've spent any time with me, you've probably noticed my orange-y camera strap.  or perhaps you've admired one of the many box bags and/or pouches that i've collected, that bear her name.

because, you know, they are so damn pretty.  anyway, caro's having a special promotion this month in her shop.  and if there's ever a time for you to dip your toe in the splityarn goodness pool, it's now.  

during the month of April, caro will be donating 10% of all proceeds to the National Brain Tumor Society in honor of her Dad who passed away 10 years ago.  go read her lovely tribute to him here.  and then go do a little shopping.

i dare you to say "no" to this.

I Was A Very Good Girl

so what was i doing at the mall yesterday?  i was buying this.

heh heh.  in early december i became eligible for an equipment upgrade from AT&T and for my birthday J made a generous contribution to the "iphone fund."  so yesterday, i finally went and got it. i'm still getting acquainted, but i could be in love.

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day 288 -- shiny.

Saturdays Are For Shopping At The Mall

today i went to the mall.  i almost never go to the mall and i certainly haven't been on a saturday in a long time.  it's kind of a sad place.  just a mirror of everything that is wrong with this world.  rude people, spending money they don't have, not paying attention to others while they drive their giant SUVs through the parking garage.  and then laughing when the ALMOST crush you. 

laughing?  it was THAT funny?!  ass hat.

i did pick up something good though.  heh.

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day 287 -- i really hate the mall.

First Snow!

it snowed for the first time this season last night.  i woke up to a light dusting.  just enough to be considered snow, but not enough that we had to go out and do any shoveling.  which was great because today was the Bazaar Bizarre!

this year's bazaar i think was better the ever with a kick ass new venue and tons of great vendors, that we could actually see!  of course i visited everyone i knew and then some.  (caro and stitchy and martiza and tomoko) and i bought a lot.  also greatest thing ever ... the early bird tickets.  totally worth it.

after we finished our shopping, a bunch of us went out for brunch.  which also was fabulous.  and then danielle and i did a little walking up newbury street.  i finally got home 8 hours after i had left.

remember when you were a kid and you'd play outside in the cold and then you'd come home and it would take you awhile to get warm and you'd be so bone tired that all you wanted to do was get under a blanket on the couch and watch cartoons?

that's how i feel right now.

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day 233 -- hold your horses.  i'll show you what i bought.  not to worry.  in due time.

Whatever I Want Wednesday

i don't like to jump the gun too much when it comes to holidays.  i don't do my christmas shopping months in advance and i don't listen to christmas music until after thanksgiving. 

but as much as i'd like to take my time and savor each holiday properly, i still have to play by the rules now and again.

so i'm playing.

i just updated my etsy shop with some holiday themed cards.  i have 6 designs available.  i think they're super cute and colorful.

you can buy them individually or as a set.

they're great for presenting a gift card or gift certificate to the yarn/fiber enthusiast in your life (you know, other than yourself), for tucking into a stocking, or for sending to someone special. 

i like 'em.

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day 208 -- more self-promotion.

 

The Rhinebeck Booty

i'm going to cut to the chase, because in the end, you all want to know what i brought home.

i'm a relatively boring festival shopper.  i rarely if ever come home with a giant haul and this time around was no exception.  i'm sorry.

but i didn't come home empty handed.

my first purchase on saturday consisted of 4 new dyes -- hot pink, turquoise, chartreuse and gun metal, and another size 1 circular needle.  i also bought a pound of blue-faced leicester fiber.  so expect some dyeing experiments soon.  i did not buy a cat.

and on sunday, finding The Fold (you know, the crazy ass booth where Socks that Rock is sold) relatively empty i purchased two skeins of STR. these two skeins had to come home with me.

and although i didn't stand in line to get this yarn, i did stand in line for beer and to get my copy of franklin's adorably funny book "it itches" signed.  and standing in line wasn't even bad since i got to chat with some very nice people that i normally wouldn't get to.  like the nice woman from florida.  hi!

so that's all.  honestly.  i did buy some fudge for j and some cheese for me.  but that's it. 

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day 185 -- more on rhinebeck later.

Come to Me, My Pretty

i think it may have been carole's purchase that sent me over the edge.  see, for months, years even, i've been wanting to get a macro lens.  sure, i have those magnifying filter thingies, but they're pretty limiting. 

anyway, i was planning on being a responsible adult and not get anything until i had saved up some money or something.  or maybe i would ask for it for christmas/my birthday. 

yeah, you know where this is going ... yesterday, after a week of hemming and hawing, reading reviews on two different macro lenses, and obsessing about whether or not i should actually make such a purchase, i finally ordered the Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens.  considering that i'm in for the long haul with the photography i ended up going for the better quality lens. 

anyway, i don't regret the purchase but the timing couldn't be worse.  in a few minutes i'm leaving for webs and next week i'm going to rhinebeck.  oh well.  i can't take it with me, right?

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day 176 -- apparently bloglines isn't updating my feeds.  i guess i should let them know.  also, if you need advice on camera equipment, check out ken rockwell's site.  i find the information on his site to be thorough and easy to understand. he's not trying to sell you anyone particular piece of equipment, so get the impression that he's pretty unbiased (he shoots more using nikon but you'll find canon and other manufacturer reviews too).

FO Friday

if you follow me in flickr or in ravelry, then you know this past summer wasn't all about the babette.  the babette was my stay at home project and it set up residence in my spare bedroom.  so when i wasn't home, or had finished watching "the young and the restless" for the week (the vcr is hooked up to the tv in the spare room) i needed something else to work on.

so i made scarves.  it's what i do.

so first on the list ...

fuzzy fingers (or as i call it -- creepy fingers)

i used gayle roehm's fickle fingers scarf pattern (IK winter 2005) as inspiration, knitting the scarf in garter stitch instead of seed stitch.  (details raveled).

i also made a version of helloyarn's irish hiking scarf.

my version has only 2 cables though.  again, i raveled the details. 

i'm usually a bright color type of person so i find it interesting that i toned it down a bit with these two scarves.  maybe babette was all the color i needed this summer. 

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day 175 -- it's friday!  go out and have a beer.

It's the Economy Stupid

so, i really don't know anything about the economy.  which is fine in the grand scheme of things because it's not like i'm running for president or anything. but not knowing anything also makes what's going on right now kind of scary.  i don't even know if i should be outraged or not by the house's decision to reject the $700 billion bailout package. 

which is why i continue to do my part in boosting the economy.  here's my latest haul, most of which came from webs. 

well except for the STR in the foreground.  that's the latest club offering.  it could be my favorite this year.

so, we've got some lorna's laces shepherd sock in the back -- in "amy's vintage office" or something like that, and a skein of silk garden sock.  also what's not in the photo is a skein of noro taiyo in the brown, black, pink colorway.

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day 164 -- based on my background -- having lived in europe and the middle east -- i do have more foreign affairs experience than a certain candidate for VP.  if i were a better dresser and could do something with my hair, i'd totally run for office.