1. I am completely addicted to my graphics tablet, as you can see below. it is quite possibly the awesomest thing on the planet. As mentioned before, it has a few issues but most of those can be overcome with determination and swearing. The one thing I can’t figure out is why I can’t use it to draw freeform lines in photoshop. It won’t track the pen tip and just makes a straight line from point a to point b with none of the curves I drew in the middle. It tracks the pen tip on other things like the circle tool and stuff like that, but not freeform lines. It does just fine with freeform lines in ImageReady, which came bundled with Photoshop. Mostly I don’t mind using ImageReady, it does most everything I need to do and it easily jumps back and forth with Photoshop so I can jump into PS to do the more advanced things…BUT I downloaded some brush sets that are awesome in PS but IR can’t use them. And I want to use them, but I can’t get the program to track the pen in freeform. Sigh.
1a. David may be regretting this particular purchase.
2. The sinuses surrounding my right eye (the maximilaris, sphenoidal and ethmoidal) are completely packed with the snot of the devil himself. I also have a fever, I ache and I feel a little petulant. Fucking flu.
3. The dogs are all passed out and cute. My dogs are cute. And awesome. What BigPharma doesn’t want you to know is that dogs are the greatest cure for stress and blood pressure. When I touch my dogs I have a real, physical reaction. I can feel myself relaxing. I need these dogs probably more than they need me.
4. The Humane Society had mastiff/shar pei puppies last week. The universe teases me. The universe loves to make me squirm! The universe makes me regret not living in an old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere allowing me to have a herd of dogs (and cats and goats and chickens).
5. Now that Maddie’s health has improved so much (thank you Dr Pierce Fleming, International Vet of Mystery) she is actually active and more interested in the world. Where before all she could focus on was how much her feet hurt, now she can focus on playing with me. The other day she and I were playing Hufhuffle. Hufhuffle is a game where Maddie stands on the bed and I stand at the foot of the bed, I punch the bed and posture with fake ferocity and she rears up and tries to pounce on my hands (she’s part cat). Then I trick her by shoving her across the bed and she jumps back even more excite. The little piggy tail helicopters all over the place. If she does catch my hand she holds it down with both paws and licks it furiously. When you play with Maddie you will never feel her teeth, she’ll grab your hand in her mouth and she does it so gently that you’d think she didn’t have teeth.
The other night, while we were hufhuffling (it is so called as that is the sound she makes when we play) Chester was out in the kitchen eating. At the sound of the game he came running in and jumped on the bed. Chester has different ideas about play, he is faster and harder and has giant sharp teeth that you have to remind him not to use. He also mock-growls. Maddie does not allow growling to happen near me. As he growled and lunged at me, she jumped between and had him on his back in a split second. She holds him until he goes slack and then lets him up and chases him out of the room, but that’s not enough, she must also stand guard at the bedroom door. I distract her and call her back and we hufhuffle again while Chester finishes his dinner.
5a. There’s something almost primal that wakes up when you watch someone or something protect you. It’s a feeling that’s hard to describe. I’ve said it before, Maddie’s only mission in life is to keep me safe. For a while it was hard on her because she believed I was in danger all the time. She’s come to learn that mostly I am okay and I am not going to be eaten by the other dogs at the park or swallowed whole every time I leave the house. When I take a bath she patrols the hallway outside the bathroom, she is always at my side wherever I am in the house. When she doesn’t understand something, she puts herself between me and the confusion. Sometimes she tries to figure out why David is making me yell, she investigates this with vigor and concern. It’s hard to explain to a dog that I don’t need her hippo head on my face during special time. But again, it’s hard not to appreciate her intent and her efforts. She’s punched in, on the job, doing what she does best and she loves it. her salary is belly rubs and hugs and sleeping next to me at night.
6. I also love Anna Bratton, though not in the same way in which I love my dogs, David or a good beer. Last month I asked her if she could whip up a little design to go on little cards that could be added to my handmade gifts. boom. She sends me some options, I pick the one I like and then we discuss layout and suddenly I have the identity/logo ever! I mean I know it helps that she loves dinosaurs as much as or more than I do! but still, she does it perfectly every time! That’s why when I got another idea this weekend she was the first one I called. I can’t talk about the new idea yet, it’s still in a goo stage and I’d rather wait until it firms up a but, but anyway, we talked on the phone for 20 minutes on Friday and then last night she sent me some preliminaries that were so spot on. She managed to capture the essence of everything I was going for! Let’s hear it for Anna!
6a. Bubbo Designs is something I am hoping to get together by spring so I can start selling patterns and whatnot.
6b. So now that’s 2 big projects, the second of which might require me to take a class. Combine big projects and my graphics tablet and you’ll find I haven’t crocheted in a few days.
6c. It’s fine though. I burned out over christmas. I still owe people some mittens, but they have promised patience.
7. The awesome thing about being sick is that you can recognize that you just wrote a huge amount of nothing and you just don’t care. The bad thing about being sick is that you start to wonder if it is okay to start wiping your nose on your shirt because you are too tired to get up and get some tissue (TISSUE).
Category Archives: Craftin
where is your ass
your ass is right here.
Sometimes when I am driving I need to turn the radio up very loud or I start thinking about my fellow commuters. point. Today I was behind a large red pick up truck. The driver was a mid-20’s Caucasian male of medium build. The fun started when he pulled in front of me, that’s when I noticed his hat.
His hat was a black baseball cap turned backwards. The ‘logo’ was a large gold sparkly dollar sign ($) with large gold sparkly wreaths on either side. There was sparkly gold piping wherever there were seams. I contemplated for a long time what kind of person would purchase this hat. What are the specific circumstances in this dude’s life that led him to pick up this hat and think “this hat mirrors my value system. This hat reflects the parts of my personality that I want the public to focus on.”?
I imagine he did not think that exact phrase, but perhaps summed it up in a succinct, “Awesome!”
Speaking of awesome, we bought 160 pounds of dog food this weekend. I imagine you are wondering where one buys 160 pounds of dog food! The same place you can get your fishing licenses and giant overalls! I also bought a pig femur, pig ears and pig ankles! The dogs get a lot of pig!
You might think that 160 pounds of dog food would be the highlight of a girl’s weekend, but you’d be wrong. First off, David being mr awesomely awesomepants drove way out of the way in a snowstorm so I could get a gingerbread latte. I’m not proud, I love the Starbuck’s gingerbread latte! Then, after purchasing all that dog food (and jeans and yarn drawers and socks) we went to Nala Pak for dinner.
Now, I love me some Nala Pak (formerly Udupi), I love to go there and eat until I perforate something internal. The food is so good you could weep. The only issue I have with them, and this is such a strange issue, is their soup. Their tomato soup is described “Tomato broth which is slightly spiced to
attain exotic flavors.”. What they mean to say is “Straight up Campbell’s tomato soup with a lot of black pepper and some really cheap croûtons.” It’s so amazingly peculiar. All the other food is so amazing and they start you off with something that should be served with a grilled cheese sandwich.
Aaah, but who am I to complain? They make their mango lassis with fresh mango, the tamarind chutney is thick, sweet, sour, and spicy, and their batura make me woogly with delight.
Now I must go work on more crochet projects. Woo christmas!
I did it
This is a post about yarn and crochet. If yarn and crochet are not your thing or if you are bored hearing about yarn and crochet you will not want to read this. You might, however, want to look at this.
I got to leave work early today to go yarn shopping! You know it’s a good day when you can do that.
Before I left, a certain…someone…emailed to tell me that Borealis had a new shipment of Smooshy in stock. Sigh, it’s so soft and beautiful. Also, it’s $21.50 a skein and I need at least 4 but probably 5 to make a no frills sweater for me. I controlled myself. Kind of.
I met my stepmom at Borealis. She got there a little before me and since she knew what she was getting she managed to be a much more efficient shopper than I was. Also, I spent about twenty minutes rolling nude in the Smooshy.
I picked up 2 balls of Sockotta, 2 balls of Trekking XXL, and 2 balls of Opal. You do not want to know what this cost.
The Sockotta and Trekking I got in sets of contrasting colorways for a stranded mitten idea in my head (mmmm my head). Plain black and plain grey for the Opal, this will be used for Owen’s scarf (this is the 3rd or 4th yarn purchase for the scarf. I think I’m being too picky about it!).
We went next store to the coffee shop to work on our projects and get a bite to eat. I started my grandfather’s mittens. I’m very pleased with the pattern I came up with last night. Unfortunately, I don’t think I have enough for a matching hat, but I’ll work something out.
Later we had indian food and I finished the first mitten and started making gauge swatches for Owen’s scarf and blah blah blah awesome! CROCHET! AWESOME.
Pictures tomorrow! I promise. I need to sleep now.
grumble again
this is what the middle of my forehead looks like: )|(
I make gauge swatches, calculate my rows and stitches and inches. I check and doublecheck. Then I sit down with my graph paper and my calculator and my notes and I make my pattern.
Then I sit down and start making it. 1/3 of the way through I notice that my tension is tighter than the gauge swatches and I’m getting 6 stitches to the inch instead of the 4.5 in the gauge swatch. what the hell? Rarely is my tension too tight (maybe I need to spend more time punching people?). I recalculate and redraw and replot and pull out the first attempt and start again. Not working.
Fuck.
So I think I’ll grab a different project and measure the stitches so I can draw the pattern that goes with it. Smaller yarn, smaller hook and I’m consistently measuring 5 stitches per inch. Consistently, on every part. It’s so clean and perfect the lining of the stitches. In fact, I never have gauge issues because my tension is always consistent, except NOW! What the hell?
And how the hell was I getting 4.5 stitches to the inch on the gauge swatch using worsted weight yarn and a size g hook when I am getting 5 stitches to the inch with sport weight on a size f? that’s barely any difference. And then to be getting 6 stitches? fatter yarn, bigger hook and yet I can get more stitches per inch? aaaaaaagh.
Just to add to it, I was working on my sweater last weekend. it’s worked as one piece from the bottom up. It’s a bit clingy and I knew I would have to compensate for the boobage. Of course I’m feeling all chill and just add more stitches. When I go to measure I discover that I added 10 inches more than I needed to my boobline. It’s not a big section to rip out and redo but I’m just frustrated so I haven’t.
gah. I’ve just reached this point of dissatisfaction with the crochet and I don’t know why. I need to find my calm blue ocean again….calm….blue….ocean…
yeah, i’m here
I’m here, I’m fine. I appreciate everyone who took the time to check up on me. I needed it. I mostly spent the weekend sleeping, or trying to sleep or pretending to sleep or being crabby. I’m good at crabby.
In other crabby news
1) I could not possibly care any less than I do about the writer’s strike. I just don’t care. Yes, i am an avid supporter of unions, yes, I do believe that collective bargaining is what allows us to be humans at work and not donkeys 7 days a week. Sure, their issue is probably valid, what little I’ve heard of it sounds fine. I just don’t care. At this point, I don’t think anyone in hollywood, and I mean the vague hollywood that includes every damned thing on tv and in the movie theatres, should shut up about money until they start making things that don’t suck so very hard. How many different television shows can there be about moody doctors with issues? moody detectives with issues? magical crime fighters that solve crimes with super tweezers and their issues? a wacky family with wacky kids and in laws that live near by?
And I figure it’s just a matter of time before they make a Diff’rent Strokes movie. if we’re really lucky, Will Smith will play Arnold.
2) I’m half way through my 3rd pirate hat. After this christmas I am never making another pirate hat again. Ever. It’s not that they’re hard, they’re super easy, but I don’t like making the same pattern over and over. There’s just no challenge in it.
3) chester has entered into some sort of weird jealous phase. he’s decided that he’s the only one who can be by me. if maddie comes near, he growls. If maddie hears growling she’s all, “is that growling on the heather? I better investigate and make sure she’s safe!” and if she comes to investigate then chester is all, “didn’t you hear me? this is my lady! stop trying to be the boss of me!” and maddie goes, “the growling on the heather is getting louder! OH MY GOD”
and this escalates a bit until Maddie gets too close and Chester jumps on her and they fight. Then maddie really gets freaked because now there is real danger on the heather and she must help and defend the heather from all danger! She she really goes at it and chester thinks she’s really being a total dick for not only not leaving him alone but also for making him fight so he gets nuttier.
and none of it ends until I grab them and maddie accidentally bites me and I make them both go away.
on the other hand, thing are going better and I got to meet the famous KnitGrrl last week and we talked about art and penises and yarn and sex and gossip and old people and penises and once I touched her butt just so I could say I had. We went to the O’Keeffe show at the MIA…it was okay, only go if you are a member and it’s free. Then we saw the Kahlo show at the Walker. I recommend this highly. I say pay whatever they ask. or go on thursday night when it is free and stand in the long line. whatever. just go. Actually, I might go back when it is less crowded and see it again.
more…real stuff…later.