Crazy Knitter

I just knit three hats in three days. Granted one was the practice run and didn't turn out big enough and actually didn't perfectly follow the pattern (it just barely fits my head), but still! I started out by knitting Chris a hat. He wanted one with the Gophers colors for when he's shooting outdoor sports. I had gotten the yarn a couple of weeks ago and found a great pattern on the Internet, so I tried out the pattern this weekend (a lot of relaxing over Thanksgiving weekend). You know how that one turned out.

I tried it again, only this time I actually did the pattern correctly and added 20 rows to the top so that it actually fit Chris's head. Here is the end result:


Great pose huh? hee hee

Then Kim asked if I wanted to check out the yarn shop with her, and I couldn't resist. Of course I found some alpaca yarn that would go well with my new jacket (the one I bought last year). I had to get it. When I was there, I also found a hat pattern that I really liked. So after we got back to the apartment yesterday, I knit this:


The color in this picture isn't its true color because I left the flash off when I took it (it's easier to see the pattern that way). It's a pumpkin color, and super soft and warm. I think I'm in love :)

It's amazing how much faster smaller projects like these go. When I was making throws for people, each one took about a month. Craziness. And yes Mom, I'm going to start working on your socks today. You might have them by Christmas (hee hee).

Got a Job!!!

It's official: I am going to be a Financial Analyst with the City! I've been working as an intern for the past six months, and my official internship was going to end in a week. They essentially created this position for me (they like me, they really like me!). I interviewed for the job yesterday, and five minutes later, they called me in and offered it to me. Yippee!!!

I will be working on rate models (amounts that departments charge one another). While this may seem pretty uninteresting to most people, it will follow nicely with the project I have already been working on. I will likely start my job on Tuesday (Monday is a busy day).

It's such a relief to have this because I had only applied to two other positions, both of which I haven't heard back from yet. And to be honest, I was holding out to see what happened. I took a chance, and this time it turned out really well.

I think my parents are jazzed about this too because my mom already mentioned how I will now be able to reimburse her for my car insurance (yes, I have been spoiled for a really long time). The offer was a great way to start out a four-day weekend :D

Happy Thanksgiving!

Great Comedy Show

A couple of friends of ours invited us to a a comedy show in Uptown called "Stuck in The Manager with You or Carol On, My Wayward Son" at the Brave New Workshop. It was a lot of fun! The show was a compilation of a number of skits dealing with Christmas.

One of the skits featured mouse launchers. Have no idea what I'm talking about? Think of a bored little girl stuck in a bathroom while her mom is outside wrapping her presents - and she wants "to make stuff". Still can't figure out what the hell I'm talking about? Go see the show - you won't be disappointed.

They also sang two adaptations of the 12 Days of Christmas, one about what Mother said to me and the other what Father said to me. Both of which were pretty damn funny.

So check out their website, get your tickets, and get some good laughs! Thanks James and Autumn :)

Addicted...to a show?

I'm addicted to Grey's Anatomy, a drama about a whole bunch of surgical doctors. I cry at least once every couple of episodes. I always used to laugh at my mom for being all emotional sometimes, but I get emotional over a TV show. I don't know what it is. It's like that scene in Sleepless in Seattle where Meg Ryan and Rosie O'Donnell are watching and crying An Affair to Remember- that is so me.

I kind of feel silly about it, but I love watching so much. I was looking forward to coming home and watching disc 3 as soon as I left for work (maybe that's just because I was at work). Thought some of you might get a kick on how girly I can be.

The winner is...

...A sinus infection!!! I went to the doctor today because of the crazy symptoms I've been having. I'm always paranoid that I have a sinus infection, ear infection, or bronchitis, so I now always want to get in early because the earlier I get in, the sooner I get better. Antibiotics usually clear me up after a couple of days, which I'm really looking forward to. I'm trying to better understand my allergies though because the more I know about what's setting me off, the more I can do to hopefully prevent my allergies from being set off.

I'm thinking about seeing an allergist. My doctor recommended one that has a partnership with the U's health center. Maybe an early Christmas present Mom and Dad? haha I'm thinking that it's a necessary next step to determining exactly what is causing my allergies to go haywire in the first place. I don't want to fall apart at my young age! I'm just a little kid!!!

I started my antibiotics tonight, and have ten days worth of them (I didn't get "the bomb" this time around). And man o man do these medications hurt the pocketbook! Good thing I have a job so that I can pay for all of my allergy treatments!

Speaking of jobs, my boss's boss said that they may be able to post another position in a couple of weeks, so we'll see how things go.... I'm really hoping that I can stick around the City for a while because I enjoy the work that I'm doing and I get to learn new things all the time. We'll see where the wind takes me. For now, I am focusing on getting better! I would love to not have to blow my nose every five minutes and not cough a bizillion times a day! Oh yeah, and I would love not to be tired all of the time - the first time I had a sinus infection, I would come home after working at the bank and go to bed right away. A similar pattern was beginning to emerge this week when one night, I am pretty sure I slept about 12 hours. Eek!

Hope those antibiotics are kicking some behind right now!

Ear infection...again??

So I'm sick - again. First it was allergies, and now it appears to be an ear infection (I'm going to the doctor tomorrow morning). At first I thought it might be a sinus infection because I've had major sinus headaches for the past couple of days. Then I thought I might have bronchitis again because my throat was killing me a couple of days ago and caused my voice to drop an octave yesterday. Now my ears are plugged and I got dizzy at work. Yep, I'm thinking another ear infection is to blame.

I'm so glad I keep having all of these ear, nose, and throat problems (note the sarcasm). But I should just suck it up. I have bad allergies, and I have to deal with that. But I would much rather just bitch about it, at least for a little bit. I have to be on expensive meds to control them because I'm not willing to move to a dry environment (like the mountains in Peru in the winter/dry season). I really like Minnesota, and unfortunately I like living in this allergen-filled environment, which is made worse by the fact that I live directly in the city. I have to just deal.

The bottom line is that if you hear me bitching about my allergies, tell me to shut up. It's my fault for living where I do - it's a choice that I made. But it still sucks :)

The Unpacking Phase

Please don't let the unpacking phase last the rest of the time we're living here!!! While the majority of the boxes have been unpacked, there is still a nice pile in "the office" a.k.a. Chris's old room. The problem is that we are very slowly cleaning small spaces out. Why so slow? Chris has been super duper busy with photography and I can't clean it out because it is his stuff. I must admit that I have really enjoyed not doing any major cleaning over the past couple of weeks. The apartment is looking a lot better though, and hopefully it will start feeling like home to me rather than continuing to feel like Chris's place...

I am looking into buying a gym membership once again in order to get my fat behind up and working out again. It's been about a year-and-a-half since I had a gym membership, and it used to be great. Then my second year of grad school hit and I couldn't justify spending the money or the time. Now I need it desperately, as much for my mind as my body.

I have been looking into a couple of options: there is a gym literally on the same block as our apartment, but it doesn't have any cardio-kickboxing classes (which I LOVE), but it does have yoga (which I also LOVE). The other, probably better option is LifeTime in Highland Park (about 3 miles from the apartment). The LifeTime would be cheaper, have more classes, and have longer hours than the other, but it would mean I would have to drive and I'm getting really used to not having to drive.

I have a free week trail at the closer gym, so I'll try it out and see what I think. I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be joining LifeTime again because of my love for kickboxing, longer hours, and cheap prices (subsidized by my health insurance company). I will definitely give the closer one a chance though. I'm really excited to get back into the workout routine! More importantly, I can't wait to get back into shape again.