tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172800592513646202024-03-08T00:17:24.058-07:00FefferknitsJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518552696872304589noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-417280059251364620.post-74446847597884924912008-10-07T17:00:00.007-06:002009-01-06T09:20:54.820-07:00Announcing:<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >A transition. There may be a sweet way to do this, which I'm looking for at the moment, but I've just moved my blog over to fefferknits.wordpress.com. Come see me!</span>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518552696872304589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-417280059251364620.post-16965924299101398822008-06-27T10:05:00.005-06:002008-06-27T10:53:17.618-06:00Markers and Mormons<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Sooo...I've been reminded that I'v</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">e been neglecting m</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">y bloggie. Oops!</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The last few weeks have been interesting. After several requests, I started a thread on Ravelry about </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/discussions-about-religion/219239/1-25">Mormonism.</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> I was a tad hesita</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">nt, c</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">onsidering that the last several times my religion came up, it became a pulpit at which to scream for weeks about how "Mormons aren't Christian," or </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">to compare the terror of Mormonism to a neighbor who skins cats. Yes, I'm serious. In co</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">mpa</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">rison, the sermon about how "ridiculous" we are seems pretty tame.</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Perhaps you can understand my trepida</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">tion. But, really</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, it's turned out pretty well. People have been curious, but not argume</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ntative (much), and though some people still find our beliefs peculiar, those s</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ame people seem to respect them for what they are, and appreciate a further explan</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ation. It's even more interesting to me to hear comments like, "I was raised to believe that Mormonism was a cult--it's so obvious to me now that you're not. And that you</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> worship Christ." Well, thank goodness for that! I guess I'd never really realized </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">how many people had been ta</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ught that</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> we're a cult. It makes me a little sad, but I'm pleased that some good has com</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">e of these discussion</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">s. I'd just expected to answer questions about whether we're polygamists, or whether we have horns. (No, and yes. Um, I mean no! Hee.)</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In knitting news, I finally finished </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/hunterjen/martha">Martha for Mom</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">! It was a *lovely* finished sweater. I was really nervous to hand it over t</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">o my picky, picky mother, but it went over well! She even WEARS it! Woohoo!</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Since, I've made a </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/hunterjen/clapotis">Clapotis</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, finished o</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ff my </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/hunterjen/felted-clogs-ac-33">Felted Clo</a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/hunterjen/felted-clogs-ac-33">gs</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, and started a </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/hunterjen/plain-vanilla-pullover">Plain Vanilla Pullover</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> and a </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/simple-knitted-bodice">Simple Knitted Bodice</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> in the </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.ravelry.com/people/hunterjen/stash/blue-moon-fiber-arts-milkyway">BMFA MilkyWay</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> I bought at Fiber Fest. It's going to be reeeeally pretty!</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Oh! And the </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.ravelry.com/groups/cesob">CESOB</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> girls had a stitch-marker swap! Oh </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">my gosh--I'm a stitch marker makin' fool! It's so quick and fun, and I really e</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">njoyed it. My only failing is that I'm not terribly ingenious when it comes to bead</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">/co</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">lor combinations. Some of the girls made really beautiful stuff...mine was ju</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">st sort of pedestrian. But anyway, we each made six sets of markers and swapped</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, so I got six lovely sets (and a pair of earrings!) from all over the country. So fun! Thanks again, girls!<br /></span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3193/2535252176_254ed9024b_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3193/2535252176_254ed9024b_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2291/2535252680_fc6e45cfb1_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2291/2535252680_fc6e45cfb1_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3167/2549361017_c2c1d43c27_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3167/2549361017_c2c1d43c27_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/2614824958_508f7c2763_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/2614824958_508f7c2763_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3287/2613997981_5fdbf7cd1a_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3287/2613997981_5fdbf7cd1a_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/2613997019_6c84d04943_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/2613997019_6c84d04943_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3176/2535253026_5e12c8615d_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3176/2535253026_5e12c8615d_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518552696872304589noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-417280059251364620.post-32447724237414527602008-05-14T19:29:00.005-06:002008-05-14T19:51:14.649-06:00Schlurping from my Friends<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Stolen from my friends iKate and Amander (she's British, you know), I give you The Unread Books Meme! I hate to </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Instructions: The top 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing’s users. As in, they sit on the shelf to make you look smart or well-rounded. Bold the ones you've read, asterisk the ones you read for school, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1984</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A Clockwork Orange</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A Confederacy of Dunces</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A People’s History of the United States: 1492-present</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man* - BUSTED! I took Joyce as my senior seminar in college.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A Short History of Nearly Everything</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">American Gods</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Anansi Boys</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Angela’s Ashes: a Memoir - Couldn't. Couldn't do it. Don't do depressing well. </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Angels & Demons</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Anna Karenina</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Atlas Shrugged</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Beloved</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Brave New World</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Catch-22</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Cloud Atlas</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Crime and Punishment* - Russian literature is not my forte!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Cryptonomicon</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">David Copperfield</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Don Quixote* - Only portions were assigned. But I read it in Spanish! </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Dracula</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Dubliners</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Dune</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Eats, Shoots & Leaves</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Emma</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Foucault’s Pendulum</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Frankenstein* - I never got to really start, but this is in my to-read pile. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Freakonomics: a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Gravity’s Rainbow</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Great Expectations</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Gulliver’s Travels</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Guns, Germs, and Steel</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In Cold Blood: a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Inferno*</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Jane Eyre</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Just couldn't get into it. I dunno.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Les Misérables</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Life of Pi: a novel</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Lolita</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Love in the Time of Cholera</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Madame Bovary</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Mansfield Park</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Memoirs of a Geisha</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Middlemarch* - Still ashamed about this one. Need to go back and finish. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Middlesex</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Moby Dick</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mrs. Dalloway</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Neverwhere</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Northanger Abbey</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Oliver Twist</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">On the Road</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">One Hundred Years of Solitude</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Oryx and Crake</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Persuasion</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Pride and Prejudice </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Quicksilver</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Reading Lolita in Tehran: a memoir in books</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Sense and Sensibility</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Slaughterhouse-five*</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Tess of the D’Urbervilles*</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Aeneid</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Blind Assassin</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Brothers Karamazov</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Canterbury Tales*</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Catcher in the Rye</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Confusion</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Count of Monte Cristo</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Fountainhead</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The God of Small Things</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Grapes of Wrath</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Historian: a novel</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Hobbit</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Hunchback of Notre Dame</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Iliad</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Kite Runner</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Mists of Avalon</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Name of the Rose</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Odyssey* - Seriously? Who's read the WHOLE THING??</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Once and Future King</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Picture of Dorian Gray*</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Poisonwood Bible: a novel</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Prince* - I think we were only assigned excerpts. Machiavelli. Oy. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Satanic Verses</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Scarlet Letter*</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Silmarillion</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Sound and the Fury</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Tale of Two Cities* - Eh. Dickens isn't my favorite. What can I say? </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Time Traveler’s Wife</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">To the Lighthouse</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Treasure Island</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Ulysses</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Vanity Fair - I put this down when we moved and need to pick it back up! </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">War and Peace</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Watership Down - In fairness, I started this when I was 10. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">White Teeth</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Wicked: the life and times of the wicked witch of the West (This was bizarre and very different from the musical)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Wuthering Heights*</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: an inquiry into values</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Woo! 23 of 106! I feel pretty good about that, though it seems I should have done better, considering the fact that I was an English major. I like that so many of them were read for fun, though. Go, literature! Now I have a list of recommendations for the future. Yay! </span><br /></span>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518552696872304589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-417280059251364620.post-52349734694144190442008-04-07T23:00:00.004-06:002008-04-07T23:35:54.075-06:00Swapping's in the Air!<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My favorite group on Ravelry, CESOB, had a little Get-to-Know-You yarn swap, and I got my package from my swapper today! April, aka mamanak, sent all kinds of awesome g</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">oodies my way. Hang on for pictures!<br /></span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/2397517070_0e6e9bd51f.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/2397517070_0e6e9bd51f.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">First, </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">a gorgeous s</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">kein</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> of</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ha</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ndpainted <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=60835">Snarky Design</a> sock yarn in Island Ice Age. I'm excited to pick out a pattern for my </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">very first pair of socks!<br /></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3242/2396686003_0fc312e6a7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3242/2396686003_0fc312e6a7.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Next, some really cute sock</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> and yarn-ball stitch markers</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. So darling! (And with purpel beads!)<br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2080/2397517376_0d29b85956.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2080/2397517376_0d29b85956.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And among other goodies, (some not pictured) loads of fruit-flavored Tootsie Rolls (my favorite!), two <span style="font-style: italic;">fantastic</span>-smell</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ing handmade soaps from <a href="http://www.bluehousesoaps.com/">Blue House Soaps</a>, some fantastic local-to-Illinois potato chips, and a gift certificate to Cheesecake Factory! Woot!<br /><br /></span></span>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518552696872304589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-417280059251364620.post-73043757061236707992008-03-26T21:21:00.002-06:002008-03-26T21:34:12.169-06:00Six Word Memoir<span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://thelumpysweater.wordpress.com/2008/03/24/quick-dirty-tag-six-word-memoir/">Genuine</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> tagged me with a quick little meme, and it's taken me two whole days to come up with six words to describe myself. But here it is: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">"Puts out fires all day long."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Why? Dude. I have twins. Apart from that, in an average day, even though my life seems pretty boring, it seems like I put out millions of little ones. Today was a little more ridiculous. For example, our recurring ceiling leak...recurred. We had to race the clock to rip open the patched hole in the boy's bedroom wall so we could climb inside the "Hole to Narnia" and poke around in the quasi-attic, searching frantically to find the d%mn leak, finally, before it stopped raining. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Of course, it stopped raining just as we got the hole open. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Luckily, it started again several minutes later, and we have success! We finally found the leak! Guess where it is? Up in the actual attic. With actual access. This better be the last time we have to patch that stinking wall.<br /><br />Oh. Let's see. I'm supposed to tag 5 more people. How 'bout:<br /><a href="geekknitter.blogspot.com">Anree</a>, <a href="cawthraven.blogspot.com">Stine</a>, <a href="www.musingsofessjay.com">Essjay</a>, <a href="ikateknits.blogspot.com">iKate</a>, and <a href="www.knottyknits.com">Leigha</a>. <br /></span></span>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518552696872304589noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-417280059251364620.post-49267958794589686402008-03-21T23:08:00.002-06:002008-03-21T23:48:23.093-06:00How boring am I??<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So, so far, I've been mostly political and pedantic on this blog. BLARG! Are all of you (all three?) so sick of me? I am. Srsly. I now solemnly vow to just...post. About whatever. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Today was a good day. Dyeing Easter eggs with the kids and making cupcakes. They were in the shape of flowers, even. It was all about spring at our house! My kids were so into it, and that made it so much fun! They're diggin' on the Easter Bunny idea this year, and I'm so excited to play it up for them. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My boys are such a treat, really. They were so cute about the eggs, wanting to check them every 30 seconds. "Are they done yet? Are they colored? Now check the green one, Mommy. Is it done?" So cute! And they wanted to help me turn on the mixer to make the cupcakes. "Mmm! It smells like cake!" </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >:rofl:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So, the back piece of Martha's almost done! It's been slow going--the size 1.5 needles are killing me, but it's gorgeous. I'll take pictures in the morning and add them here. Well, maybe in the afternoon. I have a brunch in the morning. YAY BRUNCH!<br /><br /><br />ETA: Guess what I just discovered? This font is ginormous in Google Reader! Sorry, Reader readers. I tried going down a size, and it's impossible to read here at "normal" size. I dunno what to tell ya.<br /></span></span>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518552696872304589noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-417280059251364620.post-74414665696289266162008-03-19T12:33:00.000-06:002008-03-21T23:29:43.413-06:00How to spy on what your friends are reading<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >My good buddy <a href="http://ikateknits.blogspot.com/">iKate</a> tagged me with this meme, which is fun! And reading everyone else's responses is giving me some good ideas re: what to read next. Always helpful. Thanks, guys. :)<br /><br />So, here goes!<br /></span><div style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Rules:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >1. Pick up the nearest book of 123 (or more) pages.</span><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" target="_blank" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=RT2JSEHKDpIC&dq=the+confessions+of+max+tivoli&pg=PP1&ots=vqcTOeAD9A&sig=Ewee0dFlO-eSEf2GmGgLxu_DsbQ&hl=en&prev=http://www.google.com/search?q=the+confessions+of+max+tivoli&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=one-book-with-thumbnail"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Confessions of Max Tivoli</span></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=RT2JSEHKDpIC&dq=the+confessions+of+max+tivoli&pg=PP1&ots=vqcTOeAD9A&sig=Ewee0dFlO-eSEf2GmGgLxu_DsbQ&hl=en&prev=http://www.google.com/search?q=the+confessions+of+max+tivoli&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=one-book-with-thumbnail">.</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Reading this next, after I finish </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Appeal</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, by Grisham. Which is by my bathtub; hence, why it wasn't the closest.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >2. Open the book to page 123 and find the 5th sentence.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"I've lived here my whole life."</span><em></em></span></div><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""><br /></span></span><div style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >3. Post the next 3 sentences.</span><br /><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Her eyes widened. "Don't tell me it was South Park...."</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"Not South Park," I lied.</span><br /></em></span></div><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Tag 5 people.</span><br />Ummm...I dunno. You wanna do it? DO IT!<br /></span></span>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518552696872304589noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-417280059251364620.post-20115957466956583902008-02-28T17:59:00.000-07:002008-02-28T18:07:30.380-07:00100 Things About Me<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">I just realized that I didn't have my 100 things posted here. It was a little outdated, so I punched it up a bit, and made it more universal (it was originally posted on KH). Here ya go!<br /><br />1. My maiden name is Read. Like a book. I was sad to give it up when I got married, but I was happy not to have to spell it for anyone anymore.<br />2. I live in the town where I was born and raised, though I did leave for college and a few years after. I love it here, and wouldn't want to live anywhere else.<br />3. Except maybe Cannon Beach, Oregon. It's my favorite place, but I don't know if I could handle the rain.<br />4. I hate winter. Gray skies make me feel yucky.<br />5. My favorite season is Fall.<br />6. I was a National Merit Scholar. I was always the "smart girl" growing up...but I still totally tanked my college scholarship in the first year. Too much playing.<br />7. I graduated with a degree in English, and worked for several years as an editor and marketing writer.<br />8. I have a compulsive need to edit everything, and it drives me nuts when things in mass-production (commercials, print ads, etc.) are not grammatically correct!<br />9. But I'm not judging anyone who isn't as OCD about it as I am. :)<br />10.I used to do spelling bees, which we always did by teams. We always won.<br />11.I got a newspaper article written about me because I knew how to spell "sauerkraut." It was a bonus word.<br />12. I quit working a few months after my twins were born. I love being a SAHM.<br />13. I stay in some kind of lounge-wear about 4 days out of 7. I'm pretty lazy.<br />14. I sing. I have a respectable lyric soprano voice, and I've been taking voice lessons for the past couple of years.<br />15. DH and I have been married since 2001. We met in high school, when I was a senior and he was a junior (Hee hee!).<br />16. But I'm only 7 mos. older.<br />17. I sang in the jazz choir, and he was the bass player. We were acquaintances, but never hung out. We ran into each other in college, and he asked me out, but I cancelled the date when I found out a guy I liked was coming into town. I haven't lived that down yet!<br />18. A year and a half later, we went on our first date. It lasted 20 hours, and we got engaged two weeks later. We were married within 9 weeks of that first date. Yep, you heard me!<br />19. We moved back to Boise when we found out I was pregnant, just 8 mos. after we got married. We were really glad to be living near family when we found out we were having twins.<br />20. My boys were only 4 weeks early, weighed 5 pounds each, and never spent any time in the NICU. I'm still grateful for that.<br />21. My favorite TV show is probably House.<br />22. I also love 24, Law & Order, The Soup, Best Week Ever, The Office, Scrubs, and Without a Trace. I probably forgot some. I'm a proud TV junkie.<br />23. I started sewing when I was 12. I worked as a freelance seamstress after high school. I only really enjoy making things for my home.<br />24. I reupholstered my couch, and then did it again when it turned out I hated the fabric.<br />25. I love to cook. Which is a bummer. I was much skinnier before I discovered it! I have a hard time loving anything that doesn't involve lots of fattening ingredients.<br />26. I play the piano. I quit lessons when I was 16, which bummed out my family, because they thought that was where my talents lay. I just didn't enjoy it anymore, but now that I don't have to practice, I really love to play.<br />27. I took ballet classes for about 10 years, though I haven't danced in about that long.<br />28. I learned to knit exclusively online. Mostly from the videos on <a href="http://www.knitting-help.com/">knittinghelp.com</a>. Also, some of my best friends came from the forum there, though I don't visit it anymore.<br />29. My first knitted project was a lace sweater for my newborn niece. I got bored with sewing and decided I could probably make a sweater. Hey, why not, right?<br />30. I've become a chronic project-starter. I'm training myself out of that.<br />31. I can't seem to buy yarn unless I have an actual project in mind for it. Just buying "some" because it's pretty...I can't do it!<br />32. I tend to never finish things I'm making for myself. And like most other things, I do better if I have a deadline.<br />33. I have to have the TV on when I knit.<br />34. I love (good) old movies. TCM is awesome.<br />35. I speak Spanish, but only when I have to. My DH's family took all of us to Spain, and I couldn't seem to say anything unless I was alone, in which case I spoke fluently! I also understand about 1,000 times more (and process it faster) than I can speak.<br />36. I get embarrassed if I have to do anything that I don't believe I do well.<br />37. Actually MAKING a fool of myself almost never embarrasses me, though! I'm not easily offended or embarrassed.<br />38. Most embarrassing moment: when I ran over myself with my van.<br />39. I don't smoke or drink. Ravelry is my vice.<br />40. I have a tattoo just inside my right hip. It's a butterfly, which at the time held some significance for me. Now that I have stretch marks, its wings are lookin' pretty ragged.<br />41. I used to have my navel pierced, too.<br />42. I did both on a dare.<br />43. We live in a house that my brother built in 2007. It's awesome because it's custom, and because it was so much cheaper that way. :)<br />44. I'm a Diet Pepsi fiend. I used to drink Diet Coke, but I was getting withdrawal headaches, and I found out Pepsi has less caffeine. I don't have as many headaches now.<br />45. I get nasty migraines, which they used to give me narcotics for! Now I take the anti-seizure med, which prevents most of them, and Imitrex. I worship at the feet of Imitrex' creator. :p<br />46. I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I was diagnosed in 1992, so I've seen treatments come a long way. It's been an interesting ride.<br />47. I'm not big on sweets, but I loooooove salty things!<br />48. I love Italian and Chinese foods. I can't decide which is my favorite.<br />49. I don't really like chocolate. Seriously.<br />50. My blood-type is B+. According to my doc, that probably indicates that I have Native American ancestry.<br />51. This, of course, could be ridiculous. But one of my grandfathers doesn't know who his father is, so it could be true...<br />52. I'm 1/8th Danish, but the rest of my known ancestors were mostly English. I can trace some of my genealogy back to Charlemagne, which is cool.<br />53. If I could visit anywhere on Earth, it would be Florence, Italy. I'd also love to see Ireland. I'd like to go back to Spain, too--Toledo and Seville are my favorite cities there.<br />54. I read like a fiend. I stay up most nights until around 2 am, just reading away.<br />55. Luckily, my kids don't wake me until about 9 every morning, so I get plenty of sleep.<br />56. My favorite actor is Anthony Hopkins. But I love Johnny Depp. And Kiefer.<br />57. My favorite musician is probably Sting. I also love U2 and Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan.<br />58. I hate fluorescent lighting. My whole house has those great Reveal bulbs. Makes the colors in my house look prettier. Yes, I realize I'm going to global-warming hell.<br />59. My mom's an interior designer, so I grew up in House Beautiful. That was cool, but I never got to have posters and things on my walls--I had to hang them inside my closet!<br />60. I'm turning into my mother more every day. I'm down with that.<br />61. I proudly drive a minivan. When it's dead, we'll probably buy another, but I'll hope for a hybrid. I heart good gas mileage.<br />62. I have one brother, who's 6 years younger than I am. We're really close. DH comes from a family of 6 kids!<br />63. I will neeever have 6 kids. His family get-togethers can be fun, but all those people are overwhelming for me!<br />64. I'm shy at first, but I've learned to fake it because people used to think I was stuck-up when I was shy.<br />65. Once I feel comfortable, though, I won't shut up. It's kind of embarrassing.<br />66. I'm fiercely loyal.<br />67. I'm an optimist.<br />68. I'm insanely independent. It never occurs to me to ask for help until I've tried something myself.<br />69. Other than my husband, I'm probably closest to my mom. We like to pal around together.<br />70. I always wished I had a sister.<br />71. I love to write, but only non-fiction. I never could make up a good story. I'm very opinionated, so essays were always fun for me.<br />72. My dad's a lawyer, so I grew up knowing how to argue. I still like a good debate.<br />73. I love to plant things, but I'm really bad at taking care of them.<br />74. I have really long eyelashes. I can't ever find sunglasses that don't smash them.<br />75. For several years in college, I went by "Jade."<br />76. That's because there were 3 Jennifers in my apartment, and I once got asked on a date (via phone) by a guy who'd thought he was talking to one of the other ones! It was pretty humiliating when he came to pick her up and I came to the door.<br />77. The name Jade came about because I was a Clothing Design major for one semester, and I needed to come up with a name for my clothing line. A friend and I came up with "Jade Bradley". He thought I seemed like a Jade.<br />78. The name stuck, and I have several friends who met me as Jade and were shocked to learn my name was Jennifer. They were also amazed to learn I wasn't really a redhead.<br />79. I was engaged to someone other than my husband. I was 19, and it was highly dramatic and short-lived. Interesting.<br />80. I have to chew my food on both sides of my mouth, symmetrically.<br />81. I can't go to sleep unless all the doors in the house are closed.<br />82. I won an award as a jazz soloist. I had to prepare 2 songs, and I arranged one of them myself.<br />83. When I couldn't figure out how to end it, the perfect idea hit me in the middle of the night. I got up and figured it out on the piano at 4 am, which thrilled my family. The only person I shared the story with at the time is now my husband; it's probably the only real conversation I had with him then.<br />84. On our first date, DH and I had lunch and dinner, got caught in the rain and then a sandstorm, got kicked out of a park after dark, and danced on the beach in the moonlight. Who wouldn't fall for all of that?<br />85. I always wanted to be either an archaeologist or a lawyer. Don't think I could do either in my jammies, which is the big perk of my current job.<br />86. I like to mess with my haircolor, but it's currently my natural dishwater-y light brown.<br />87. I love having really short hair, but it's not very flattering on me at my current weight. So it's below my shoulders. It spends most of its time in a ponytail.<br />88. I have cute feet. Really!<br />89. I have super-hard fingernails, so they're almost always long. They don't break very often.<br />90. I've never had a cavity.<br />91. I do have a bunch of crowns and fillings, though. I broke 6 teeth when I hit a pebble while roller blading. I'd just careened down a steep hill, so I was going way too fast. I didn't even know I was falling, so I couldn't catch myself--I split my chin open to the bone. Luckily, some runners saw it happen and helped me to my car. Then I drove myself to the ER (stupid).<br />92. I've never broken a bone.<br />93. I've never seen Grey's Anatomy. Or Lost. Don't kill me!<br />94. I sort-of play single mommy half the week, while DH is working FT at night and going to school. Only two semesters left, and I can have my husband back!<br />95. I heart my king-sized bed.<br />96. I'm a Republican. For reals, y'all. (*GASP!*) But I try not to let it make me a freak.<br />97. I'm a formula-feeder. And my kids haven't died yet. (Hee hee!)<br />98. Ohh...what else? Have I covered it all? I'm LDS.<br />99. I'm obviously incredibly wordy.<br />100. And this list of 100 things probably encompasses about 300. :p<br /></span>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518552696872304589noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-417280059251364620.post-53675377383556439802008-01-31T23:59:00.000-07:002008-02-01T01:31:04.575-07:00<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >I'm stealing this End-of-Year Meme from <a href="http://www.knottyknits.com/blog/">Leigha</a>. Yeah, I know it's officially February. I'm a tad behind--SO?! <span style="font-style: italic;">:teehee:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?</span><br />I got on a plane and went to Chicago by myself, and met a bunch of crazy knitters whom I'd never met before, some of whom have turned out to be some of my best friends. It was incredible!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? </span><br />I don't believe the hype. <span style="font-style: italic;">:rofl: </span>I know when I'll be setting myself up for disappointment!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">3. Did anyone close to you give birth? </span><br />Um...yeah! My SIL. Her little guy's darling, but we don't get to see him often, since they live out of state. I think she's the only one. If not, please don't anyone hit me!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">4. Did anyone close to you die?</span><br />Yes. My cousin, Adrienne. I hadn't actually spoken with her for about five years, and we'd never had an extremely personal relationship, but I still love her very much. I'd thought of her often, recently, in fact, since someone I know looks a lot like her. When I saw this friend last week, it was like I'd been hit between the eyes.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">5. What countries did you visit?</span><br />Just stayed in the good ol' US of A this year. I'm really starting to feel bummed about that. International travel has spoiled me.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?</span><br />What did I just say about more international travel? Um, and more yarn. And something to keep me busy when my boys go to school in the Fall, please!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?</span><br />July 21. My birthday was freakin' awesome. It was part of that crazy-fun Chicago trip and I <span style="font-style: italic;">loved</span> it! I also turned 30 this year, which made it an even bigger deal. Seems like there should be other big dates...maybe they'll come to me later?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?</span><br />I learned to knit a sock! Is that seriously my biggest achievement? OH! I wrangled a neighborhood that had no homeowner's association into agreeing on a plan for landscaping, and sweet-talked the property management company into signing the rights to the money over to us to spend. We got $35,000 in landscaping installed, all with no legal right to do so! And it looks great. Pretty freakin' awesome. Of course, it came with a price. Now I have to be on the board. Gah.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">9. What was your biggest failure?</span><br />Not realizing until it was too late that our mortgage broker was an idiot. And that we should have saved more of the equity from the sale of our house to make the exorbitant payments on this one. <span style="font-style: italic;">:doh: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">10. Did you suffer illness or injury?</span><br />Nope. Just the usual cold/flu stuff.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">11. What was the best thing you bought?</span><br />Our house. Despite the exorbitant payments. <span style="font-style: italic;">:teehee: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">12. Whose behavior merited celebration?</span><br />My boys'! They do awesome things every day! My husband weathered a frightening layoff period at work, and survived another semester of school. My brother got hired by a great firm, after a scary period of unemployment.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?</span><br />Um, let's not name names.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">14. Where did most of your money go?</span><br />Seriously? I wish I knew. I bet my Money file could tell me, but it'd be skeery.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?</span><br />MOVING! Selling our house. Picking out stuff for our new house. Chicago. My Ravelry invite.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">16. What song will always remind you of 2007?</span><br />Toss up between Cake's "Short Skirt, Long Jacket" and "All That Jazz" from Chicago. <span style="font-style: italic;">:rofl: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?</span><br />a) About the same. But wiser. Which is good.<br />b) Thinner! Woot! Thank you, Topamax!<br />c) Uh, good question. Higher wages - ginormous house payment = poorer, I think. Let's not talk about it, K?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">18. What do you wish you’d done more of?</span><br />Thinking before I spoke.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">19. What do you wish you’d done less of?</span><br />Worrying about what other people thought.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">20. How did you spend Christmas?</span><br />Christmas Eve with my family. Yay! It's always a nice evening.<br />Christmas morning with hubby and our kids, opening Santa presents. One of our kids wanted to head straight to the mall to thank Santa. <span style="font-style: italic;">:heart: </span><br />Christmas afternoon trying to weather the awkwardness with the in-laws.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">21. Did you fall in love in 2007?</span><br />Um, yes. With Ravelry. <span style="font-style: italic;">:rofl:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">22. What was your favorite TV program?</span><br />Tough choice! I love me some <span style="font-style: italic;">24</span>. (I have a hardcore crush on Jack Bauer. <span style="font-style: italic;">:sigh:</span>)But I find that with the strike, I'm also really missing <span style="font-style: italic;">Journeyman</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?</span><br />I honestly don't think I hate anyone. There are a few people I don't trust anymore.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">24. What was the best book you read?</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Kite Runner</span>. Hands down.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">25. What was your greatest musical discovery?</span><br />Imogen Heap. Love her. Especially "The Moment I Said It." Pure genius.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">26. What did you want and get?</span><br />My house. Pretty much everything in it and about it.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">27. What did you want and not get?</span><br />Four more feet of width in the living room. <span style="font-style: italic;">:rofl: </span>Kidding! Um, I'm sure there are lots of things I've done without. None of them amount to much in the grand scheme.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">28. What was your favorite film of this year?</span><br />I...need to think some more about that.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?</span><br />Oh! Again, I was in Chigaco with the knittergirls. We were at karaoke at midnight, and I was waiting for some of the girls to come back from Borders and bring back my copy of Harry Potter. Who could ask for more! :teehee: Day-of, we went and had a knit-in at a yarn store, where I was spoiled with presents, and there were several meals out crammed in there. More knitting that evening...by the fire in the lobby of our hotel, I believe. Very laid-back. Good times! Such a nice way to spend my 30th birthday<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?</span><br />Hmm. Going without a few of the stresses that came with it? I don't mind the major trials in life that inevitably come my way. But I could have done without a couple of the personal tiffs.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?</span><br />Uh, lazy. Ponytail, no makeup, jeans and a dressy tee.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">32. What kept you sane?</span><br />My husband. My mom. My online girls.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?</span><br />Ha! Must I choose? I :heart: Kiefer, but I decided maybe I just have a crush on the character, and not so much the man. As much as I love a bad boy, I'm not attracted to other forms of Kiefer. I need the short-haired, long-tee-shirt and jeans, messenger bag Kiefer. :roflhard:<br /><br />I also have an inordinate attraction to Jason Bateman. I just came to terms with this one.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">34. What political issue stirred you the most?</span><br />Let's not go over that again. It was ugly the first time.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">35. Who did you miss?</span><br />Um, I really, really miss my male friends from college. I just had a little cry over this on Tuesday. I've lost touch with all of them, now, but I had some incredibly deep, close relationships with several guys during those years, and I miss them immensely. There are a few songs that remind me of one or another of them, and the memories really hit me in the gut. It hurts.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">36. Who was the best new person you met?</span><br />Oh, I don't think I could choose! But I'm definitely the closest to Julie. We are <span style="font-style: italic;">:peas:!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.</span><br />That I do need my husband to choose sides.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.</span><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > It's hard to rely on my good intentions</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > When my heads full of things that I cant mention....</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > I'm not afraid things wont get better</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > But it feels like this has gone on forever.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > You have to cry with your own blue tears</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > Have to laugh with your own good cheer</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >I cant be hard on you</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >'cause you know I've been there too</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > Learned a lot of things from you</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span> <span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > But life gives little relief</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > Give us reprieve</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > And when everyone is cold as ice</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > I clinch my fists and close my eyes</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > Imagining the world outside</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > But I can see that I'm not blind</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /></span>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518552696872304589noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-417280059251364620.post-85068867660748064942008-01-31T21:57:00.000-07:002008-02-01T01:36:13.361-07:00Bigotry by any other name...<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I've been thinking a lot, lately, about what it means to be "in the minority." I'm white, so, you know, obviously I'm in the majority on the race issue. I'm a woman, which isn't a minority in this country. But, sure, there are oppression issues there. I've been incredibly lucky not to have been the brunt of them, though. At least, not to my knowledge. Career-wise, I was actually the most highly paid writer and editor in the company for which I worked. The men didn't do so well in that area of the company--they were pretty lazy. The company before that? All women. In high school, I worked retail, in fabric stores and at Hallmark, and one time at a retail grocery store, but my Dad worked in the office, and I know I got a comparable wage.<br /><br />OK, so I've personally never dealt with sexism, at least not in the workplace. (Ha! Well, not sexism related to pay...we won't go into the coworker who flashed me.) So, what other prejudices might I deal with?<br /><br />Well, religion, it turns out, can be a big one. Never has been for me before. I grew up in a community that's got a large LDS population (I'd guess around 20%), and though most of my friends in high school were <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> Mormon, most of my friends (in town) now are. I'm surrounded by people who believe the same things I do. And my friends who don't at all share my beliefs? They don't really seem to care. We respect one another for the loving, intelligent people we all are. Why should anything else matter?<br /><br />Interestingly, apparently it does. I've found that there are, indeed, some in this world who loftily claim to "accept all, regardless of their views," who just can't seem to do it. </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />To be clear, I've never made any such claim. I'll be honest with you and tell you that it's my goal to try. I'll tell you that I believe it's not my place to judge. And that I know I should love everyone. But some people really do make it so danged hard!<br /><br />That said, I do still try. I'm not proud of my weaknesses. But I do also believe that no matter how much I love someone, there's still such a thing as right and wrong. I know that the trend continues toward "anything goes," and that my definition of right and wrong isn't the same as everyone else's. But I stand by it, and I'll continue to defend it...at least, until the conversation becomes completely ugly and unproductive. It's happened on more than one occasion, recently.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I'm alright, frankly, with the idea that some people <span style="font-style: italic;">just won't like me.</span> I just want them to stop avoiding the fact that when it's because of my religious beliefs, it's bigotry, just the same. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></span>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518552696872304589noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-417280059251364620.post-1521010292789024632008-01-18T19:58:00.000-07:002008-01-18T20:19:17.622-07:00On Slimming Down<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">It's been four months, and I've lost 36 pounds now. THIRTY SIX. <span style="font-style: italic;">:shakinghead: </span>This is a bizarre phenomenon. Every time I think I've hit a stopping-point, and my body's done dropping weight solely as a side-effect of a drug I'm taking, it starts back up again. I've lost two pounds in the last two days. It's utterly unfathomable.<br /><br />The strangest part about it is that I didn't really care about my weight. Sure--I was overweight. Yes, it had been sneaking on, not so slowly, for the last five or six years. But the thing is, I didn't care! It wasn't </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">really </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">bothering me. My weight had been pretty stable for the last 8 months before I started the Topamax, and I was OK with how I looked and felt. It just wasn't an issue.<br /><br />I think, for me, being OK with my weight was revolutionary. I grew up thinking I was fat. I'd never had my mother's tiny bone structure. I was built solidly, like my dad, with short, thick bones and a propensity to build dense muscle. But I was <span style="font-style: italic;">never</span> fat. I just perceived myself that way. As a result, I spent most of high school and a good portion of junior high on a diet, unhappily comparing myself to slight, slim girls.<br /><br />When I finally came to terms with the fact that I would never look like that, and stopped trying to diet myself into oblivion and just be healthy, my outlook changed. I became happy with myself for who I was, and not what I looked like. I looked great, but it simply wasn't important anymore.<br /><br />Of course, after I got married and began cooking and snacking and putting on weight, I wasn't thrilled, but I remembered what I'd learned--that my worth was in no way related to my weight. It's a lesson that's stuck with me. So now, as my weight continues to plummet and everyone congratulates me (and rightly so! I'm healthier!), it's strange for me to consider. I have no "weight-loss goals." I had no desire to lose weight. It's an odd thing to have something good come at you out of left field and blindside you, I suppose.<br /></span></span>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518552696872304589noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-417280059251364620.post-23826375598118538652008-01-03T22:51:00.000-07:002008-01-18T19:58:19.636-07:00Honestly...<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Sometimes, people make me want to slam my head into a wall. Not everything has to be perverse! Not everything has to be a melodrama! Honestly--do we live in a soap opera? No? A "reality" TV show? OK, then--CALM THE HECK DOWN!!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">:sigh:</span> I know I get worked up over stuff, too, and sometimes over stuff that doesn't matter. I guess it's just other people's stuff that bugs me, sometimes. The stuff belonging to people for whom I don't care particularly. <span style="font-style: italic;">:teehee:</span> Also, I'm no prude, but I'm really tired of everything being some kind of sex-related joke. Honestly. It's like living in a frat house sometimes. <span style="font-style: italic;">:roll:</span><br /><br />Sooo...not much really going on with me right now. Mr. Feffer has gone back to work after a long vacation, and I'm adjusting to having more time to myself. Yesterday was spent feeling a tad lonely, but today's been quite nice! I went on a renting spree at the video store, and I've gotten a lot of knitting done on my <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall07/PATTgreenjeans.html">Mr. Greenjeans</a>. I'm making it in black Malabrigo, and I'm loving it! It's my first Mmmm project, and it really is luscious! Mmmmmmmmm-y soft!<br /><br />Oh--here's my one moment of entertainment for the day, though. Anyone who's seen Disney's Peter Pan should get it: my older son showed me his pirate ship today. They got these for Christmas, and they've been a big hit--they have lots of little features and hidden gadgets; anchors and booty and secret doors, etc. Well, this child discovered a little trigger that makes the plank pop out from the side of the ship, and in his delight asked me, "Mommy?! Is this the 'Choice Is Up to You?'" <span style="font-style: italic;">:roflhard:</span><br /><br />I spent several minutes trying to convince him that it was called a plank, but to no avail. <span style="font-style: italic;">:teehee:</span> Thanks, Disney! Aaaaaand now that song's been stuck in my haid all day. <span style="font-style: italic;">:snrx:</span></span>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518552696872304589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-417280059251364620.post-13690504111946708852007-12-05T22:54:00.000-07:002007-12-06T00:09:30.994-07:00Introducing Feffer!<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >I've been contemplating starting a blog for a while now. Heaven only knows <span style="font-style: italic;">I </span>think I've got plenty to say! I'm darn near the chattiest one of the bunch on our group at Ravelry, not to mention other places. But there are, at times, more ponderous (and perhaps less interesting?) things I'd like to hash out. So I thought I'd post them out here. In cyberspace. For everyone else to read. <span style="font-style: italic;">:snrx:</span><br /><br />Anyway, this is probably where I'll talk about being a knitter, a stay-at-home mom, a musician, and perhaps even attempt to be a writer of sorts. I'll probably discuss having twins, PCOS, and a little "excess fluff." <span style="font-style: italic;">:teehee: </span><br /><br />Mostly, it's just intended to be my space to send thoughts out to the void, and see which way they meander. Helllloooooo void! (<span style="font-size:100%;">Hellloooo!</span> <span style="font-size:85%;">Helllooo! </span><span style="font-size:78%;">Hello!</span>)<br /><br />Oh, and "Feffer?" It's my niece's new name for me. <span style="font-style: italic;">:rofl: </span><br /></span>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15518552696872304589noreply@blogger.com0