I think I did this one in college...

Yeah, it's an oldie, but it's so much fun. You've got to answer the following questions with only song titles from an artist of your choosing.

My artist: Belle and Sebastian (This house is on a B&S binge right now, and at pretty much any given time, one or both of us is humming, singing, or dramatically interpreting their songs.)


1. Are you a male or female?
Chickfactor

2. Describe yourself:
Funny Little Frog

3. How do you feel about yourself?
I’m a Cuckoo

4. Describe your ex:
A Spaceboy Dream

5. Describe your current boy/girl situation:
I’m Waking Up To Us

6. Describe your current location:
The State I Am In

7. Describe where you want to be:
Asleep on a Sunbeam

8. Your best friend is:
(My Girl’s Got) Miraculous Technique

9. Your favorite color is:
The Blues are Still Blue

10. You know that:
My Wandering Days Are Over

11. What's the weather like?
Nice Day For a Sulk

12. If your life was a television show what would it be called?
We Are the Sleepyheads

13. What is life to you:
The Magic of a Kind Word

14. What is the best advice you have to give?
Step Into My Office, Baby

15. If you could change your name what would it be?
String Bean Jean

So many media, so little to say

Now that I've started using Facebook and Twitter, I have been posting here even less, and it's not really because I'm saying so much on those sites that there's nothing left for here. I think somehow having so many places to post this or that has only given me less to say. Oh well. No one's missing much.

The latest: I got a job! At the place I loved so much I wanted to stay after my interview! And ever since I accepted, I have been having second thoughts. I think that's just the nature of decisions, for me at least, they're easy(ish) to make, and then so very easy afterwards to rethink and ask what if and what next and all that. I am sure it will be a very valuable learning experience at the very least, and I will love teaching at a school with loads of resources and involved parents. And if I discover that my second thoughts are right and I miss working with a wider cross-section of the population (socio-economics-wise and ethnicity-wise) then I will make another move when it feels right.

In the meantime (that job starts in September) I am loving my substitute work and am getting closer and closer to Big Vacation Number One - Ocean City! I'll be leaving in just about 2 weeks, and I'm getting so excited and just can't wait to see my girlies and eat french fries with vinegar at Thrashers and ride the Freak Out and bury my toes in the sand.

And in the meantime-meantime, I am nursing a possibly-broken baby toe that has severely cramped my style. There's only so much house-cleaning you can do with one foot propped-up, and house-cleaning is the one thing I really, really need to do. Strangely, although it's a great excuse to sit around and knit, I'm in a little bit of a knittig funk tonight. I've started a nice big garter-stitch shawl, but I'm kind of saving that for car-knitting, because it's going to be something like 10 hours down to Ocean City, and garter stitch is perfect because I don't have to look at it and get car sick while knitting. But none of my other projects are really doing it for me right now. So I'm casting on for a pair of Jaywalker socks as soon as I finish this post and I'm counting on them to pull me out of my slump. They're in that amazingly gorgeous Madeline Tosh yarn you see up above - "Victory Garden" from The Backwards Loop, which is fast becoming a favorite yarn store. It's delicious and colorful and inspiring. A slump-buster if ever one was.

And that, my friends, is that. All the news I haven't bothered to send into the ether.

Lots of work, still no job

I spent the week subbing at a preschool here in Somerville, and it's been a lot of fun. I've actually been offered a permanent job there starting in the fall, and although it's not exactly what I have in mind, it's definitely something I'm considering. The kids are great and I really enjoy all the women who work there, and the pay isn't terrible, so I could definitely do worse. It's nice to have that in my back pocket while I shop around for other options...

I've finished the first pattern repeat on the sock in that beautiful blue Alchemy yarn.
Love it even though I screwed up the cable cross on the other side. I've also been working on another Cookie A pattern in some more delicious yarn: Yarn Love Diana. I couldn't get a decent picture of it with Photobooth, and since I've misplaced my camera cable for the umpteenth time, that's all I've got. See?
I promise it's much less raggedy looking in person. And the yarn is yum-delicious! Next up I think I'll start working on a hat/scarf/fingerless glove set I'm planning. And finish that circle shrug thing! I think I'm ready to get back to that now. And next weekend is my drop spindle spinning class at Webs! Eep!

Not much other news. House is still messy. Cars are still funny. I've joined Facebook after years of valiant resistance. It's been 99% nice, though. Reconnected with some old friends and an ex or two. Found some of my dad's family, which sends a chill up the spine. (I have a brother! That is insane!) Mama and I went to the Sox-Yankees game last Wednesday and had so much fun and ate so much kettle corn. That's the week in a nutshell. Life is pretty darn good.

I'm reading: the 4th Twilight book, much to my shame. A page-turner like the others, with all the mediocre writing and silliness too.
I'm listening to: Been on an Iron and Wine kick again. Been kind of turned off of the Lime and Violet podcast because of some crappy business dealings involved with Violet's Intentions yarn club.
I'm wanting: A JOB, DANGIT!!!

This week

I have so much I keep meaning to get done with my time off, and have I done any of it? Barely. Here's what I've been up to this week.

1. Destashing. On Ravelry, I've been selling yarn I'm no longer in love with, and I've been dumping books on Amazon and Paperback Swap. Feels so good to get rid of things I don't want/need anymore. And now we've got some shelf space to spare, too! There's still more getting-rid-of to do. Next up I'll take care of clothes and shoes.

2. Job hunting. No developments on that front, though I remain hopeful.

3. Eating more vegetables and fruit. Danny rightfully pointed out that I probably shouldn't live solely on beans and rice and pudding with the occasional popsicle and ice tea thrown in for variety. So I've been making an effort to do a bit better for myself. Fruity oatmeal, some salads, and for dinner the last few nights, my favorite and easiest pasta dish - gluten-free penne with sun dried tomatoes, spinach, basil and parmesan. Delicious and veggie-ful! Yay me.

4. Napping. When left to my own devices, I'd like to sleep 10 hours at night and take an hour-long nap every afternoon. I'm not proud of this, but I am aware of it.

And that's about it. Things I need to get crackin' on: cleaning up, organizing the stuff I want to keep and ditching the things I don't.

Now my dilemma: I am halfway through the foot of the second sock in this pair:
Love this pattern, love the yarn, can't wait to wear them. I have been completely happy with this project from the first stitch. Not a single complaint. But...
I got this yarn in the mail today:
And suddenly all I want to do is wind it and cast on for some superman-blue socks in one of the more complex patterns from the new Cookie A. book or the new Wendy Knits book. But do I try to force myself to finish the pair I've already got on the needles? Or do I throw reason to the wind and indulge myself with the blue beauty? Dilemma! Not to worry, I'll deliver all the live! local! latebreaking! details here.