Back in the game

Okay, I'm back to crocheting and knitting! With over $500 worth of yarn stashed around my apartment, I better be doing something with it. I am 99% done with a crocheted hat/scarf combo that I made for my mom to sell. I'm currently working on a knitted slouchy hat. The pattern is lovely and I can't wait to finish it. I've never knitted a hat before. It's looking good so far.

Back to tv and knitting! Kujo's just been staring me down all day.

Keeping Track of Books

Okay, I have a confession to make. I used to have a spreadsheet of all the books I own. I was keeping up with it until May when I went to Thailand. It seems that after Thailand I pretty much stopped doing everything that I used to do for better or worse. I'm not on facebook 24/7 anymore and I barely update my photos. I still tweet, but less often. I used to crochet like a fiend, but now I can't find the energy to do so. I used to blog all the time, now I update maybe once a month.

Part of it has something to do with starting a full-time job and getting a puppy. I can't blame Kujo for my laziness. It's just me. I got sick of the internet after experiencing Thailand for a month essentially without it. Maybe I have less to say? Nah, I doubt it. I just don't feel like typing it all out right now.

About that spreadsheet... I need to find it and update it soon. I have way too many books that I haven't kept track of.

And I'm Back

Okay, so I finally found something worth making. I am making a blanket for Project Linus. Yay! I chose a pink and white color scheme and it's coming out really good. It's really easy to make. I'll post some pictures after I get my online life (facebook photo albums) in order. So bear with me!

No Motivation to Crochet

Man, I have no clue what's wrong with me. I haven't touch yarn in over 3 months. Eh. I can't seem to get myself back into it. It's probably because I have no inspiration. Nothing to make me go... "I really want to make that!" Well, I subscribed to Crochet Today! magazine today. Hopefully that will kick start my yarn obsession again.

Back to Blogger

Okay, I'm back. My little love affair with Wordpress didn't last that long. I got frustrated with how slow my computer and maybe the website took to process anything. Bear with me as I transition back to blogger and follow my new blog: My Little Kujo.

~ Patti

Basic Drawing - Finished Homework

It is done!!! After 4 hours of work, it is done. I think I must have moved the same lines about four times each. Just tweaking the line a bit to the sides makes a lot of difference when you're looking at it as a whole. I also turned my board upside down. Funny how things that look okay right side up becomes deformed and out of proportion when it's upside down. I seriously need to find a new way of capturing these drawings too. My current method is a 50/50 chance of being slightly blurry or showing the lighting source in the worst way.

Check out the work-in-progress drawing: Basic Drawing - Work In Progress

Basic Drawing - Work In Progress

Last night I spent about an hour and a half working on my Basic Drawing homework assignment. The assignment was to replicate one of the figure plates that were given. Make our drawing 12-13 inches in height, using the whole 11x14 Stonehenge sheet. Jason said it would take about 3 hours to finish. I'm almost there. I'll probably spend tonight tweaking lines. I already noticed that the raised arm is slightly too low and needs to move outward a bit.

Here's what I have so far...

Plate III, 45

Side by side

My work (so far)

They Love My Handwriting

I've been known for my penmanship since I was in middle school. My handwriting has evolved so much and it's very interesting to follow that evolution. I think I'll try to find some of my old writing samples and compare them.

I've been handwriting invitations for the Advancement Events Office. Next time I write them out I'll post a sample.

My handwriting sample

Notes from Heat Transfer class - Summer '08

I love reading about what your handwriting says about you:

Handwriting Tips: http://www.paperpenalia.com/handwriting.html

Handwriting Analysis: http://www.handwritinginsights.com/lesson.html

NU Night at Fenway: Red Sox vs. Yankees

Okay, so Senior Week is the last week of April. One of the events was NU Night at Fenway - Red Sox vs. Yankees. This morning at 9 am, the NU Pay Portal was open but got jammed by 500+ students trying to get their hands on those tickets. The reason? They were $12. Yes, I wrote it right. So I got through and my boyfriend had asked me to log onto his account and get him a ticket too. I tried but during the minute it took me to get onto his, it was already sold out.

So what should I do? I'm bummed that he didn't get one too. I wanted us to be there together. I'm sure some of the students will be selling theirs on Craigslist or some other online ticket sales site for way more than the $12 NU price. Going off to work with a heavy heart.

It's a Small World

Last Tuesday I got a friend request on Facebook by someone I thought I didn't know. His name was familiar but I couldn't put two and two together. So today I decided to add him to my friend list and view his information. OMG. What a small world! I knew that already, but this just confirmed it a bit more.

It all started July 5, 2007. Yes, 2007, almost two years ago. I went out with my roommate, Alyssa, to celebrate her 21st birthday with her and her friends. We went to the Purple Shamrock near Faneuil Hall in Boston, MA. We danced the night away and I was still in my early phase of actually liking to party and drink since I was newly 21 a couple of months prior to that night. (I don't get out to the bars much at all now.)

Movies!!!

I haven't had time to go to the movies in a very long time. For some unknown reason, this week was my week to be showing up at the Regal Fenway Theater more than once. On Wednesday I went with my sister to see the advance screening of Sunshine Cleaning. I liked the movie and I love Amy Adams. I can't place where I've seen Emily Blunt, but maybe it'll come to me later (via imdb and Google search).

Today I went to see Confessions of a Shopaholic with my friend, Sara. I love Isla Fisher and she was so funny in this role. I can't wait to get my hands on the Shopaholic series. I'll be ordering them through work since I get a 35% discount. Sweet.

Hm. Now I kinda want to watch another movie. My boyfriend just got a Netflix account and I can stream movies to my computer. We used to have Blockbuster Online, but their prices just got really ridiculous and I never had time to watch my movies. Sometimes I held on to them for up to a month. That's not getting my money's worth at all. In total, I gave Blockbuster approximately $300 of my hard earned money for the past year and a half.

Do you have a good movie in mind? Want to recommend it to me? Please comment below. Thanks!

Update

I just search for Emily Blunt and she was in two movies that I've seen recently: The Jane Austen Book Club and The Devil Wears Prada. Nice.

Addicted to Reading

About once a month I do this thing... I stay up until the wee hours of the morning to finish a book, most likely one of my romance novels. Last night's read was First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh and I stayed up til 5:30 am. I own most of her work except for the Web series. I enjoyed this book. Some authors like Stephanie Laurens will put intrigue into their books. Some authors like Julia Quinn will put tons of witty remarks and hilarious adventures into theirs. But Mary Balogh will tell a love story without the extra things to distract you. I like to read her books when I just want a story about a guy, a girl, how they got together and kept it together.

If you never read a romance novel, I suggest anything by Julia Quinn (she's my all-time favorite). I have a list of romance authors I've read. Maybe I'll make a page about that one day.

Drawing Class - Nude Model

I mentioned in some previous post that this was my first and last chance to take an art class while in college. I'm taking Basic Drawing and the class is awesome. I love to draw and this is a more guided way to learn how to really see things and draw them as shapes that flow with one another. Today's class was different from the rest... we had a nude model. His name is Rich.

Living in the Capstone Lab

What is the Capstone Lab? It is a place where mechanical engineering seniors go to get work done on their senior design project (Capstone project). It is located in the basement of the Forsyth Building on campus. A lot of students that use the underground tunnel system would pass by and not know why there's always people working in the lab. They gawk at us through the window. Nice. It has about 28 computers with a build area attached where most projects are given life after the design work. A lot of my peers spend the majority of their waking moments here. Why?

Cool Websites

My boyfriend spends a lot of free time surfing the web for ideas, inspiration, and finding the newest, coolest websites. He sent me a new link today. Hm. Maybe I should post his links here. You might enjoy them.

First he sent me this link: http://www.tumblr.com/

While browsing the site, I found this cool blog: http://lunchbagart.tumblr.com/

Wow, now that's some skill. I sent the guy an email asking what medium he used and if he uses a fixative to prevent the pictures from smudging. Man, he's probably a graphic designer or something.

And another: http://karmcity.com/

Okay, this could be addicting.

Roommates - New Show

Okay, so I clicked on the Roommate category and read other people's rants about their roommates. It's so sad to see that others are suffering just like me. I might have it better than them, so maybe I'll complain a bit less. Not. I also stumbled across this preview for a new show - Roommates. I saw the preview on TV and I am actually looking forward to watching it.

The Nerve of Some People's Children

"The nerve of some people's children" is my favorite saying when I see people doing things that peeves me. I actually got that saying from one of my favorite math teachers from middle school. Mrs. Horvath, man, I miss that lady. She was so genteel and always wanted her students to behave in an exemplary manner. But when we got out of line, she'll always say that phrase and it always brings a smile to my face.

I Need Sleep

I'm not sure how I managed to stay awake until 6 am, but I'm about to do it. I fell asleep at Sean's around 9 pm until midnight. I left and came home to read Outlander until 3 am. Then I was on Facebook and updating this blog until now. I'm not sure how the time just fast forwarded. Oh wait. It's the beginning of daylight savings. Okay, now it somewhat makes sense. Now I'm going to take myself to bed. Don't forget to set your clocks forward today, otherwise you'll be an hour early for everything. =)

Spring Break Crochet

I've been crocheting a lot during Spring Break. I finished three Starburst Hotpads. I made two green ones and one pink one (for my mom). I also started working on a pattern that I got from Lion Brand: Light 'n' Lively Tank. I'm almost done with it and it's coming out great so far. I might be posting up a picture soon... Oh yea, I also finished another slouchy hat, same pattern as before. I didn't have time to embellish it yet, but I like the simplicity of it.

Interview with the HR Director

I felt like writing "Interview with the Vampire," you know, similar to word association, that whole "Interview with" just made me want to add the rest. I've never seen the movie from beginning to end, but I might have to do that eventually. Okay, I'm rambling. Moving on.

The HR Director contacted me this morning around 10:30 am. She was very pleasant to talk to on the phone. Oh boy was I nervous. This is the beginning of my life after college. My first job. (Well, my first real post-college job... I've been on co-ops and had about 7 or 8 jobs so far.) We talked about the Engineering Development Program, my salary, relocating, and other random questions that happen to pop into my head. I'm a people person and I love to talk and find out about someone. That's probably why I get along with a lot of people.

My advices to people who are currently looking for a job:

1. Go to career fairs and NETWORK!!! - That's how I got my first interview.
2. Brush up on your interviewing techniques and phone etiquette.
3. Research the company.
4. Send handwritten Thank You notes - Thanks Solange for the info!
5. Last but not least - Be open and honest. Be yourself!

I'm heading back to Boston tomorrow morning so I can write 100 invitation envelopes by hand for the Advancement Office. =)  I can't wait to relax in Boston. I'll catch up on my reading then. I've been crocheting up a storm. I'll post the pictures tomorrow.

Offer of Employment

I'm so excited! Around noon today the HR Director of UTC Fire & Security called me to let me know that they would like to offer me a place in the Engineering Development Program. She wanted to interview me, but I had to reschedule because I was in the process of moving from Sean's in CT to my home in NY. She was very nice and we're going to have the interview tomorrow morning.

I'm currently sitting in the computer section at the South Country Library in Bellport. Nice. I don't have internet service at home because my mom doesn't use the computer. Okay, I gotta run. Sean's currently browsing the movie selections. But now he's hovering behind me. Bye!

Getting Ready for Spring!

I've been slow on the crochet front lately. My Capstone project's been picking up and things were hectic. Now that presentations are over I have more time to read and crochet. Here are my latest creations and WIPs.

A new headband

Four Leaf Clover by Pam Gillette

Itty Bitty Shamrock by Pam Gillette

Marshmallow Bunny by CopperScaleDragon
PDF download is on the left side of the blog.

I'm making the marshmallow bunny for my old roommate, Alyssa. She had a love affair with stale peeps. I plan on putting two of them together and then stuffing it with fiberfill.

Capstone Report = Formatting Like There's No Tomorrow

So my contribution to the Capstone project has been being the devil's advocate and sounding board. On top of that I've been writing the Capstone reports (with the input of my teammates). I just finished writing and editing 21 pages of the report. It originally started as a 11 page draft two weeks ago. I added pictures and new information to back up our research and why we're doing it.

Total, I think it took me about 10 hours or so of work. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to formatting. I did learn some valuable lessons while working on this midterm report: don't add captions until the very end if you're going to sync them to the List of Figures and Tables. Every time I rearrange pictures, I had to update the figure numbers. Oh boy, there were 30 pictures and I believed I moved half of them at some point during the writing. Okay, I'm going to get some sleep. Maybe I'll post my final document somewhere when I'm done with Capstone. I don't think I really explained what I'm working on. That's for another day.

Good night.

Fridays, I love them so

It is Friday, the day of the week that I look forward to the most. The reason? My art class meets today. Unfortunately we are not meeting this week since my instructor is sick. =( I woke up this morning at 6:45 am to get ready for work at 7:45 am. I worked until 12:40 pm and made a couple of purchases before leaving. I had a sweatshirt on hold for my sister for the past two weeks and my co-worker Meredith recommended a book to me: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I've seen it before, but never made an effort to actually read it. But now I will. I'm always looking for book recommendations by my peers. It's always interesting to see other people's interests.

My interview with UTC Fire & Security, Fire Safety Division went really well. I got there early so I sat in the car for the next 10 minutes reviewing notes I made about the company. I met with HR, the engineering manager, the program manager, and the director of engineering. I also received a tour of the facility. Very nice. I'm pretty excited and also in awe. The engineering manager has two Masters degrees and the director of engineering has three. Wow. That's dedication. I would like to do that one day too. For now I would like to get more experience in industry before I decide if I should get an advance degree in any field.

That's all for now. I'm going to go lay down and maybe play Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia. =)

Clearly I'm Not Doing Work

Okay, so I've been at the library for the past hour or so and I haven't even touched my Capstone report. I'm supposed to edit the draft report for the midterm deadline. Instead I updated my google group website, browsed facebook, and g-chated with a classmate. Here's an excerpt of that chat.

Reason why I messaged him: His status said "Strawberry milk: the source of my greatest strength, but also my greatest weakness."

6:28 PM
me: I like chocolate milk
we should battle
Scott: haha i like it
some sort of godzilla-vs-mothra super hero battle?
me: my milk will dehydrate your milk and make it powder
yea
Scott: i will have to scoop up the powder and take it back to my secret lair where i can make it back into strawberry milk
me: oh, and it's soy based, so it's good for you
Scott: oh man, mine is made with crap :) me: lol
Scott: there is negative health in this bottle
me: yea, that sucks

Super Mario Invincibility Star

While my boyfriend watched the All Star game last night, I sat there a crocheted a Super Mario Invincibility Star. I was thinking of giving it to my guy friends. My friend, Snipe, loves wearing the power up mushroom shirt and I was thinking of making him one of those too.

Super Mario Invincibility Star by Marte Fagervik

What's new in February?

Okay, so there's a bit to catch up on since I realized that I've been too busy to update with anything substantial. There was a Mega Career Fair at Northeastern University on February 5. I attended and passed out my resume to potential companies. It was a good opportunity and because of that day, I got an interview this upcoming Wednesday with United Technologies Corporation (UTC) for their Fire & Security division. Cool. Now I need to borrow my sister's car or my boyfriend's. We'll see.

My independent study has been lagging. Right now my professor is figuring out what hardware and software to use and probably realizes that there a lot of choices out there for him. I need to schedule a meeting with him to keep things on track so I can actually design the labs for him before I graduate.

Capstone is going okay. My group has visited the research lab where our device will be used. I need to rewrite the report for our Midterm Presentation. Oh fun. I'm not much of a report writer. I find that they are usually dry and boring. Well, academic reports tend to be especially when you involve numbers and terms that most people wouldn't know about.

Planning our trip to Thailand has progressed a bit. We decided to visit Hong Kong on the way to Thailand. Possibly stop in Honolulu, Hawai'i and Los Angeles, California before heading back to New York. I need to figure out if my friend's mom can host us in Hawai'i. Poor college students have to think cheap and efficient if they want their money to last. =)

I finished my Starburst hotpad yesterday. It's pretty cool. I plan on making some for my boyfriend's family.

Starburst Hotpad by Loretta Schepp

Durango Hat

I finished another hat. I apologize ahead of time that the pictures didn't come out that great.

Durango by Catherine Lindsay

Close up of buttons. I covered one of them.

New Projects for February

So instead of sleeping, I decided to put this up. Here's what I've been up to...

Suzetta's Heart by Suzetta Williams

Crochet Calorimetry by Kristin Rose

I love the way the pattern came out. I used Paton's Classic Wool in Rosewood.

Close-up of stitches.

Button close-up. Bought from Windsor Buttons, Boston, MA.

Crocheted Mittens / Fingerless Gloves by Sue Norrad
I'm making this for my sister. It's a WIP.

25 Random Things About Me

Copied this from my Facebook. Just some random facts about me.

-----

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

1. I procrastinate... a lot. I wish I didn't. I got this 25 Thing from P' Jenny on January 23 and I'm finally getting to it. I'm actually using this to procrastinate from doing some research.

2. I like to be neat in class. My room is another story.

3. I use rulers to make lines. I'm serious. Ask anyone from class about it.

4. If I'm reading a really good book I'll read until I finish it. I stayed up til 7 am to finish one of my favorite books and ended up getting 2 hours of sleep. =(

5. I like to collect pretty yarn though I know I won't be making anything out of it any time soon. I can't help myself.

6. I like to meet new people but I have to be in the mood to socialize. See #7.

7. Sometimes I prefer my own company. No offense, but I rather read than go out most nights.

8. If I can make a lot of money as an artist, I would do it. Engineering can be my back up. =)

9. Sometimes I feel like a fake. Like there's more to my life but I settled for the path that it has taken because it's easy. Does that make sense?

10. I used to want to be a doctor then an architect. I really love buildings. I regret selling my American Architecture: A History by Leland M. Roth. Maybe I'll get something similar but better one day.

11. I bite my nails. It's this nervous habit I have. I can stop for a month, but then something will set it off again.

12. When I'm embarrass or nervous my ears turn red and hot. I don't really blush.

13. I own over 300 books. About 280 of them are romance novels. I enjoy them. =)

14. I can't pass a Borders or Barnes & Noble without going in.

15. They say that you shouldn't live your life with regrets, but I do. I just don't think about them too often or I'll get sad and/or emotional.

16. Every now and then I like to stir up a bit of trouble. Maybe it's because I'm experiencing ennui too often?

17. I never really had any close girl friends while growing up. I had mostly guy friends. I'm not sure why it's that way, maybe it's easier for me to deal with.

18. I wake up wanting to change things in my life, but never actually do it.

19. I like to time myself walking places. I can give you a pretty good estimate of when I'll get somewhere. When I say 7 minutes, I mean 7 minutes.

20. I like to argue. Though I know when to concede when I'm wrong (which doesn't happen too often because I seldom argue when I know I'll be wrong).

21. In the past 4.5 years of college I never visited anyone at their school. Yeah, I like staying on campus a bit too much or I'm just that lazy.

22. I love watching chick flicks because I like imagining that I was the heroine in the movie. This also applies to my romance novels.

23. I would like to unclutter my life, but I don't know where to start or how to get rid of things. Pack rat genes run in my family.

24. I used to have a plan of how my life would be, but I tossed it out a few years back and now I feel lost. It's not a pleasant feeling.

25. Sometimes I wish I was more honest with myself and tell people how I'm really feeling instead of just bottling it inside. Writing in my blog helps with this. That's why I keep one.

Capstone Presentation

A lot of people are amazed when I tell them that I get nervous speaking in front of people. I guess it depends on the situation. I love to talk, that is true. I just don't like to give presentations. If I'm not prepared for it, I choke and then I freeze. It's pretty bad. I usually have to practice at least 5 times on my slides to feel somewhat comfortable.

On Thursday my group presented our Capstone project to our design advisor. We met an hour before hand and practiced as a group. During the first two rehearsals, I just messed up and couldn't think of something to say. Actually, I just couldn't start the slides. So I wrote down what I would like to say and practiced hitting the key points. The guys took a break, but I knew I had work to do. I asked Bryan, one of my team members, to read the previous slide before mine and introduce my section. I practiced my slides three more times by myself and each time it was a bit better.

I managed to calm down and focus on what I need to present. Our advisor finally showed up and I was glad it was just him. It was originally planned that we were going to present to him and his graduate students. My part of the presentation was great. I didn't stumble and I spoke loud and clear. I made eye contact and delivered my section with ease. I breathed a sigh of relief after it was over. I did it.

My teammates all have different techniques for presenting and they were telling me to "wing it." If you know me just a bit, you'll understand that I don't do that. I prepare and I practice. I memorize a lot of things and that's how I learn. I remembered that back in 11th grade, my English teacher had us memorize all 40 prepositions. In order to do so I wrote them out in alphabetical order 5 or 6 times. When I took the quiz, I pretty much wrote it out from memory. That's the same technique I used to memorize my "lines." If I say it a few times, it'll eventually stick.

That was only the draft presentation. Our real midterm presentation is right before Spring Break. Then the final presentation is mid-April. I believe it'll be on the last day of classes or the reading day after that. Okay. I need to do some research on Robotic curriculums. (My independent research assignment.)

(Taken from my blog - My So-Called Engineering Life)

Getting Ready for Valentine's Day

Here's a sample of some of the things I'll be making for Valentine's Day. I'm excited! It's one of my favorite holidays. Actually, I like all holidays. It's nice to be festive about something. It makes your day a bit nicer.

Hearts Around Doily by Terri Kroupa

My Neighborhood in Thailand

My friend was asking me about when I was going to go to Thailand. So I did some research and found out where I live in Thailand. The first map is of my neighborhood. This Military Training School is near my house.


View Larger Map


This is a map of Horwang High School. My aunt teaches here. There's a mall called MBK one block south. It's huge and I love going there.


View Larger Map

Maybe I Should Get Some Sleep

It's 3 am on a Monday. Why am I up so late? I dunno. I have trouble sleeping sometimes. Tonight I decided to do some research on laptops. I want to get a new one before the end of the school year. I want something small and portable since I'll be taking it with me when I travel over the summer. I like those mini laptops, but I'm not sure. I kinda want one I can play my Sims 3 game on (should I ever buy it, highly possible). So I might end up buying a gaming laptop instead if it's not too heavy/bulky. I saw on Dell that they sometimes have this offer - you buy their XPS gaming desktop and get a Mini 9 laptop for $99 (normally priced at $379 or so). Hm. The best of both worlds? I'm still looking, so we'll see.

I decided to get reacquainted with knitting. My friend, Jenny, wants me to make a hat for her boyfriend. It's the Jayne Cobb Hat that the main character wears on the TV show Firefly. The pattern she gave me was for circular knitting. I went to AC Moore with my sister today and bought a 10.5 US 29" circular knitting needle - but the wrong length. I was supposed to buy the 16". Eh. So I asked my boyfriend to drive me back there tomorrow so I can do an exchange. I hope I can still keep my discount - 40% off regular priced items. I'm a yarnaholic. This is bad, but not too bad. I only bought 3 skeins for the hat and a bag of random end of the line yarns that was on sale. They had an okay selection but I promised myself to not buy anymore random yarns that are not going to be used in the very near future.

Okay. Ranting done. I need to sleep now. Good night everyone. Happy Monday. =)

Everyday Popular

Check me out on Everyday Popular! www.everydaypopular.com

My friend, Dan, is working for a company that compiles links about people - famous or not. Nice. He asked to use my picture and links on the site. So if you have some time, check it out. It's still in the working stage, so don't judge too critically! =)

How I Spent My Weekend

Last Saturday I went to Happy Hour at McFadden's on State Street in Downtown Boston. Happy Hour was from 8-10 pm and we got there a little later so we were playing catch up. It ended badly for me and I'm thankful that I have such great friends. =)

This weekend will be different. Lesson learned. Last night I went to Jose McIntyre on Milk Street with Sean. He was meeting up with a few friends/old roommates there. The bartender was awesome. I didn't know what to get so he asked me what kind of drinks I liked. My response was something fruity with vodka. He made me a Raspberry Smoothie. Here's what's in it:

Raspberry Smoothie

Splash of: Grenadine, orange juice, and lime juice (or two lime slices)
2 oz sour mix
1.5 oz raspberry vodka
0.5 oz raspberry liqueur

Add all in a glass and shake it up. Add fresh raspberries and enjoy!

New Hat (Because I Lost My Other One)

I finished my hat just now. What do you think?

Divine Hat by Rheatheylia

Is Everything On Sale?

It seems like it. Everyday I get new email telling me what's on sale at my favorite stores. Today I received the Bath and Body Works email and they have their semi-annual sale going on. My favorite scent is Black Raspberry Vanilla. It's just delicious. I stocked up on their body wash and lotion last year when I thought the scent was being taken off the line. It turns out they just made it part of their Signature Collection - complete with perfume and body spray. So check it out here.

Bath and Body Works - Black Raspberry Vanilla

Senioritis

Ah, it's that time of year when I really don't want to do anything but read, crochet, and maybe attempt my art homework. I spent about 13 hours or so yesterday doing nothing aka not doing my work for class. I didn't start on it until 11 pm and finished around 1 am. Something so simple I definitely could have done it any time during the day. Anyways, I'm up early to go to work. I have some things to take care of today that's been on my mind since Saturday.

I started a new hat yesterday and it's coming out really nice. I can't wait to finish it. I have to do some art homework today too. I'll take a picture of my work so far. Sean was pretty impressed with my skills. I think it's the engineer in me wanting the drawings to be perfect... the right angle, the right values. Okay, I have to move away from the computer. =)

Can't Wait To Get My Own Place

After living for 4.5 years on-campus with roommates, I can't wait to have my own place after graduation. There are certain pet peeves that every year at least one roommate does and it drives me a bit batty. I'll list them. If you're living with someone, please be courteous and respectful to them and learn from these pet peeves.

• Not cleaning up after themselves - this includes all shared spaces such as the kitchen, the bathroom, and the living room. This should just be the topic of this rant.
  
• Leaving personal items in the living room - you have a closet in your bedroom for this purpose and leaving your stuff all over the living room makes it messy. I have to apologize to guests and shove other people's things out of the way to make sitting room.
  
• Putting pots and pans in the dishwasher - yes, using the dishwasher supposedly saves water, but when you're putting huge objects that should be hand washed into it, you're wasting space and not using the dishwasher efficiently.
• Not maximizing the space in the dishwasher - I usually end up going back into the dishwasher and organizing it before running it because people don't understand how to stack thing in it properly.
• Leaving the Brita empty - that's great that you drink a lot of water, but hey, when you are the last to use the Brita and there's about an inch of water left over, just fill it up. It takes about 7 secs, maybe 10.
• Eating my food - it doesn't happen often since I label my things in the refrigerator. I found bread crumbs in my butter the other day and I know for a fact that I never do that. I also never dig gorges into my butter. I like to level it off. Thanks for using my stuff, at least be sneaky about it.
• Using my stuff and not cleaning up right away - I have about one of everything (kitchenware) and when you use things and leave it dirty, I can't use it. Chances are you don't have it too so now I have to clean the mess you left behind just to use something that belongs to me. Not cool.

To sum it up - clean up after yourself and be respectful of other's property. If I use someone else's stuff I make sure I clean up right away so that they can use it when they want. If you have the time to cook, you should have the time to clean. Having your friends or significant other over doesn't mean you can't clean up. When I have my sister and/or my boyfriend over, we clean up right away. Saves the time to clean up later when everything is stuck on and you're aggravating others by leaving a mess behind. That's my rant for now. I should write a book about roommate etiquette. Meh.

Flowers and Hats

Some more crochet projects I've been working on...

Tawashi Flower by Marte Fagervik

More pretty colors. I think I'll use them as coasters.

Ear Flap Hat for Joy

Close up of the pom pom. I love how it came out.
It has light pink yarn on the outside and rose yarn on the inside.

Close up of the flower

Beanie for Jenna and Mittens for Chris

I finally finished Chris's convertible mittens. The second side took less than a day to finish. I was just procrastinating for the longest time (2 months!)

Convertible Mittens by Sue Norrad
I added the button and loop to it.

Palm side.

With the flap up.

Here's one more request from Jenna. She wanted a navy blue beanie with the elephant motif from her Kathy Boatneck Sweater.

Beanie by Azzy

Close up of elephant motif.

A Present for My Mom

I made my mom two hats over winter break. I finally have time to post them!

How cute is this hat? I love flowers!

Beanie with a purple flower.
We had tons of snow on New Year's Eve and I crocheted all week!

Crochet Hats and Scarf

I crocheted this tam hat and matching scarf for my neighbor, Ruth. She loves matching sets. =)

Retro Rings Tam Hat by Jaybird Designs

A scarf I improvised to match the hat.

Pictures from Winter Break

I made this hat for Jenna. It took me a couple of hours. Sweet, right?

Pretty Puffs Slouchy Hat by Jessica Suzanne

Close up of the sunflower.