YAY! Knitting!

I had some great knitting time in the car this weekend. I am *almost* done with Orangina. I would have finished it but I underestimated my knitting time and thought I'd been fine with the half a ball I had attached to the project- not so! I have about 3 inches of ribbing left to go.



Also started my SOCKAPAL2ZA SOCK! WHEEE! I really like it! The bf laughed at me because I spent the first several rows going, "something's wrong... something's wrong... it's not spiraling!!!!" Wrongo! I was expecting some kind of ribbing, but it's a very clever YO and K2Tog Combo. The yarn is thematically perfect for the mermaid sock- soothing blues and greens- but is a wee bit splitty for all the K2togs on size 1 needles. Oh well. I like the result! I hope my pal does, too!



I'm house-sitting, AGAIN. For the fabulously easy dog who lives 2 doors down from me. Poor guy had surgery to remove a growth on his chest last week and he's stuck in the dreaded cone until it's all healed. Isn't he pathetic in that oh so adorable cone head doggy kind of way???



knitting

Quiet Week!

Sorry for the silence, there hasn't been much to talk about.

Meg is back from LA! I can't wait to hear all about her trip!

I'm going to El Paso this weekend with the bf- he's refereeing the soccer game between the El Paso Patriots and the Memphis Express. Should be fun. I'll have lots of knitting time.... He's looking at a couple rental houses in Santa Fe tonight- fingers crossed!

MishMash

This is one of those random rambling posts.... Some law, some knitting, some other stuff.

My Mom just got back from Seattle, where she attended the settlement hearing for a class action law suit against Voicestream Wireless-their bad customer service and crappy billing systems cost her a lot of money and a lot of business. Anyway, she was really interested in the whole process. Her primary observation is that the underlying story is totally lost in the law- no one cares that the parties are in court because a realtor in New Mexico had to pay double or triple her contract price because Voicestream had trouble with billing.... The only thing that was raised by the lawyers was the fact that the contract included an arbitration clause. No one cares about the people, the story, or the alleged wrong- it's all technicalities.

I really want to keep the human side of my case load front and center when I'm practicing law. I know that will be difficult when I'm knee deep in technicalities with opposing counsel, but my clients should know that I care about the underlying reasons why they wanted an attorney in the first place.

Idealistic blathering, but there it is.

KNITTING! I am never going to finish Orangina. 6 inches of ribbing (approximately 54 rows), 260 stitches in each row, on size 2 needles. That's in the neighborhood of 14,400 stitches. Yeah. I might poke my eye out first.

I'm worried that the top is going to be all slouchy instead of nice and boat-necky, which is sapping my will to continue. I guess I'll keep plugging along and hopefully it will all work out.



law,knitting

Insomniac

I have not been sleeping well recently. Last night was a prime example. I laid in bed for 3 hours before giving up and sneaking in to the bathroom to read 3 chapters of Pride and Prejudice. When I finally climbed back in to bed, I STILL couldn't sleep, yet I was in an absolute coma this morning when the alarm clock went off. Go figure.

Maybe I'm the slowest person on the planet, but Bridget Jones' Diary is totally a modern Pride and Prejudice. My Jane Austen loving friend cringes every time I say this and argues that I am just plain wrong, but it's true. So there.

Managed to finish the body of Orangina yesterday- now I just have 6 inches of 3X3 ribbing on size 2 needles. Kill me now, preferably with the pointy size 2 metal circular needle that will be torturing me for weeks to come.

I finished the Koigu socks a week ago- pictures when I get my camera back (brother has it AGAIN). I thought about giving these to my SockaPalTwoZa pal, but I did a horrible job on the short row heels and totally botched the picot bind off on the second sock.

Next up? Socks for my SockaPalTwoZa! I've decided on some beautiful variegated blue and green cotton blend yarn... It's soft, wears well, is variegated and colorful without being blingingly bright... Good choice for a stranger with unknonwn color preferences! I'm planning on doing the Mermaid Socks from Lucy Neatby's Cool Socks Warm Feet. I think they look cool.

Lawyers Do Important Work!

I just came across this very important information today: Calling someone a "dumb ass" is not defamation.

Law is a very serious business indeed.

law

I'm cut off....

I have a confession to make.

I just bought more yarn.

Missa at Knit Pixie e-mailed to tell me she had more Aqua Melon Vesper Sock Yarn in stock, so I bought that AND a skien of Disco Lights by Tilly Tomas in Bluebell.

Seriously, ya'll. Take my credit card away.

knitting

Yeah, definitely obsessed....

I am completely and totally obsessed with the "one of a kind" yarns at Knit Pixie. These are fantastic yarns! Right now all I can think about is how badly I want some of the Tilly Thomas "disco lights"...

Mmmm. Yarn.

knitting

Commenting on a comment....

I got a really interesting comment to this post.

I said: "There are, of course, the clients. Ultimately, their best interests are the most important thing of all."

and the Commenter said:
No. As long as you are dealing with a competent client, and they're not seeking to do anything illegal, you are obliged to do what they want. It is unethical to do what you think is in their best interest, if that's not what they choose. Look at Rule 16-102 of the Rules of Professional Conduct.


I understand the point he's making. But what if an attorney, in zealous advocate mode, is more focused on making a point about something larger than the client's individual case than on what the client actually wants? This isn't what I saw last week, but I can see how a fantastically talented and passionate attorney might convince a client that a crusade is the correct path when all the client really wants or needs is a decent settlement, basicaly financial compensation for the wrong done.

law

Move along folks....

There's nothing to see here!

Things are kinda quiet right now. I'm busy at work, which is great. Knitting last night was fab, as usual. Every couple months I get giddy and giggle my way through the evening- Sarah was cracking me up last night and now I can't remember what that was about. It was hilarious, though.... She's designing a very cool fair-isle sweater that will be spectacular when it's finished.

I STILL haven't started my SockaPal2Za socks. I'm torn on which yarn to use. I love the Knitterly Things sock yarn, but it's really LOUD and I have no sense of whether that's ok for my pal! All I know is that she wants variegated yarn.... no color preferences or anything. I think it'll be better for me to go with a slightly more muted color palate. Neon green, aqua and bright orange isn't for everyone...

C gets back tonight- yay! I've really missed him. I think he's getting used to the idea that he'll probably be in NM until I graduate from law school, and while that's less than ideal, it's better than nothing. Perhaps the tide has turned and he'll start to see the things I like about New Mexico!

Anyway, that's all the news that's fit to print!

Attention Albuquerque Dwellers!

If you're not reading Duke City Fix at least occasionally, you're missing out. These folks do a great job of pulling together interesting events, restaurants, and general goings-on in this city. Check them out if you get a chance!

What a DAY.

I had a fascinating day at work for reasons I can't really get in to here. I had an opportunity to watch a couple sets of lawyers at work on a very, very interesting case. Wildly different personality types involved. It got me thinking about the many layers of factors at work in any given case.

There are, of course, the clients. Ultimately, their best interests are the most important thing of all. This is part of how I ended up in law school- I was tired of contributing time to benefit just the CEO of a software startup and the law is real people, real problems, real impacts. This became abundantly clear today.

Then, there are attorneys. A strange breed, indeed. There's a very political aspect to it all- how do you balance being a strong and effective advocate for your client with maintaining working relationships with opposing counsel? Can you be an advocate and a pleasant person to work with all at the same time? Once you're entrenched in advocate mode, whether as counsel for plaintiff or defendant, how do you objectively evaluate what is best for your client? I'd imagine it's hard to think reasonably about your client's situation when you have invested time, money, energy, brainpower in supporting their position.

Then, there's the law, which really is it's own player. Knowing a judge and how they rule on similar cases is huge. And the law changes over time. There's also spin- attorneys on opposite sides of a case can give wildly divergent takes on the exact same law. And frequently, they're relying on totally different cases that say diametrically opposed things about the law. This is a messy, complicated, fascinating business I'm getting in to.

I'm starting to get a feel for some of the contours of the local legal community, and it is fascinating. I LIKE it a lot. It seems that working in a smallish professional community like this has plenty of advantages to counter the drawbacks. Everyone knows everyone- at a minimum they know how to find out about someone- and the camaraderie is cool to watch. For example, everyone knows the guy who currently holds the top jury verdict in the state. Not just know who he is, but generally know him on a personal, I've worked with him, kind of level. You just don't get that in Texas, or anywhere else. On the other hand, my guess is that if you're an a-hole just once, you will NEVER live it down. In fact we were warned about this at the beginning of law school. It's very very interesting.

New Mexico is a strange place in general. It's a smallish state in terms of population, and the state is generally very poor. But there is huge opportunity to do great things and to have a significant imact here. That's very attractive, despite the state's imperfections.

And now for the random crap.... I managed to give myself a black eye last night. Yeah, I'm that graceful. I had turned off the lights and was climbing in to bed when I slammed into the corner post of my 4 poster bed. O.U.C.H. I managed to get through today looking like I am just bad at putting on make up. Hiding behind my glasses helped. I've got a picture, but you have to click to see it. The most horrifying thing about this picture is that, sadly, I got my Dad's nose. (Hi Dad! No offense!) I think my schnoz looks HUGE in this picture.

And to distract your attention from the utter lack of knitting around here, I leave you with a picture of Scooter. He curled up in the clean laundry within 3 minutes of it getting out of the dryer and on to the bed. Kitties. Can't live with 'em, can live with out all of 'em except Scooter.



law

Grab bag

I realized I forgot to show a photo of the back of the birthday mittens: here you go....



I also have a picture of my vintage Doctor's Bag! I love it- I think this will be my fall purse...



Does anyone out there know anything about technorati? I'm curious to see what it's all about, so I've started tagging my posts. We'll see how long this lasts....

Have I mentioned recently that eBay is evil???? I've won 2 auctions this week... One for some pencil roving that I just HAD to have after reading this post... AND 14 balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in off white- a SMOKING deal. WHEEEEE!

Yeah. Need to back away from eBay.

[knitting]

Oh Happy Day!

Ok, I am so not over the knitting thing. Look what came in the mail today: (cue the arcangels....)



My sock yarn by Knitterly Things that I got from Knit Pixie.

Isn't it GORGEOUS? The colors in that photo are suprisingly accurate- yes, it's that loud. I love it. It's soft, colorful, and fabulous. Happy Day indeed!

As for progress photos, there's not much to show. Orangina looks the same plus a completed back. I have started my first ever fair isle project: mittens for my Mom's birthday. They aren't perfect, but I love them.



Now I have to get back in the habit of taking and posting pictures on a regular basis...

Restless

I've been feeling really restless recently. Very much not-in-the-moment. I don't want to get in to too much of it here, but it's going on in my head and I wanted to share. It was intense enough yesterday morning that I thought for a minute that I was over knitting- bored with it. Fortunately, I think that's passed. :-) I knew it was bad when my Mom and I were in the book store Sunday morning and I had the urge to buy every book in the travel section and fantasize about going some place really really cool on vacation. I haven't had a real vacation in years. Maybe ever. I'm always visiting family, or friends, or ... oh wait, I went to France in 2003. That was a real vacation, and I met up with my pen pal and we had a blast. But other than that, it has all been family visits or going back to places I've left so that I can catch up with old friends. Nice, but not a good, old fashioned beach-style lay around and get sunburnt from vegging out too much kind of vacation.

So restless.

Some of it is relationship-related. He just doens't like New Mexico- in terms of things that are important to him, New Mexico is definitely lacking. And I wonder what our relationship will look like if he does decide to go back to Austin.

Some of it is school-related. I'm halfway through the summer, starting to think about back to school. This next year is going to be really, really busy. I don't think the work will be harder, I just think the volume is going to increase significantly. My course load for this semester is going to be intense and not a whole lot of fun. Interesting, but not light courses by any stretch of the imagination. I've signed up for an Art Law CLE in August that I hope will help satisfy some of the "fun" I'll be lacking all semester. Spring should be good, though- lots of seminar classes on topics I'm really interested in.

My class rank slipped and I hope to get some of it back, which adds to the pressure. I'm knee deep in the law review application right now, and I really hope I make it. Then there's the specter of job searching- this fall's interview season is where most law students seem to find the job they'll probably take after graduation, and the applications include both firms and judicial clerkships. I thought clerkships didn't happen until 3rd year- guess I was wrong! It's kind of scary that this all happens so early in the law school procees.

Some of it is work related. I love where I'm working now- these are good, ethical attorneys who do interesting work and seem to have a good work-life balance. I'm curious to see what other practices and cultures are like. I'm thinking a lot about what I want my professional life to look like when I graduate from law school. Things like LexThink get me really excited- I think these people are doing some really cool things to help redefine the practice of law.

I had a really interesting conversation about all this with my brother. He told me about working as a used car salesman last summer- that he tried to be friendly, straightforward, and non-pushy with customers who came on to the lot. He felt people reacted by being less trustful of him than they would have been with a stereotypical salesman. It hadn't occcured to me that, as he put it, people expect a certain thing when they buy a used car or hire an attorney. Changing the reality too much might turn off potential customers... Interesting premise. I think there are ways to make a practice much more client-centered and efficient without being too radical. But I have mulled over his comments a lot since our conversation.

Some of the restlessness is also related to the constant change I've experienced in the last, oh, year and a half. I've changed from professional to student, moved 700 miles, started a whole new career path, broken up with the bf, dated someone else, got back together with the bf, moved residences 5.5 times, basically lived with the bf since he moved here 3 weeks ago, and have started work in the new career field. Not to mention all the detail things, like making new friends, figuring out how to get around town, losing then gaining 10 pounds, and just generally tyring to figure out who I am as I move into a new phase of my life.

Speaking of 10 pounds, the old pants are getting a wee bit too tight- time for radical action. As Meg is my witness, I will be at the gym at least 3 mornings this week before work. I will not snack at work (that should be easy- there's nothing to eat there!). I will minimize sugar and maximize water intake until my bottoms fit again. And then some. I think part of the restless feeling comes from focusing on my weight for the last 2.5 years (losing and KEEPING OFF 20 pounds, thank you very much) but also facing another push to get back to where I was when I started school last fall, possibly a bit more. I know KNOW know that if I don't do it now, when my time is pretty structured for 8 hours a day but wide open the rest of the time that exercise is one of the first things to get shoved aside when crunch time hits at school. I need to get in the habit of morning workouts NOW so it's not a big deal when the school year starts.

There may be something to the bored with knitting thing. Perhaps I should read something other than a pattern book for a change- get lost in a really good story. Shake up my routine a little bit and get outside. Go for a light hike. Something. I'm in a rut.

On the other hand, I've come a long way, baby! I was a mess a year ago. I had just quit my job, was leaving my friends, breaking up with my boyfriend. I was afraid I'd hate law school, that my classmates would be jerks, that I'd never make another girlfriend. And here I am a year later, back with the usually fabulous boyfriend, loving law school and doing very well, making friends with my fascinating classmates, and I have two wonderful girlfriends! Hurrah for Meg and Katie!

Anyway, that's what's gonig on with me. I don't think I got too much into the stuff I really didn't get in to. HA! And you thought I laid it all out, bared my soul! I'm sure you're thinking, "Good LORD, what DIDN'T she say???? SPARE me!"

Good news at the end of this tunnel? I got my camera back today and will have pictures tonight or tomorrow! YAY!

Mmmmmm. Dinner Again.

Meg came over for dinner tonight and we had Nigella Lawson's Golden Jubilee Salad with chicken instead of turkey- fabulous for hot weather. Yummy. I love this salad and have made it so often I just kinda make it up as I go now.

Meg brought wine. I stopped working on Orangina before I screwed it up- I knew it was coming because of the buzz. Friends don't let friends knit drunk.

Remind me to show you, if I EVER GET MY CAMERA BACK FROM MY #@($*%^@ BROTHER, the cool cool cool vintage doctor's bag I got at my Mom's estate sale this weekend!

Mmmm. Dinner.

I made this salmon salad for dinner tonight and it was FABULOUS. I poached the salmon earlier in the day and threw in a handful of boiled new potatoes and half a cucumber, chopped. It was great- light, fast, easy, and COLD. Perfect for a really hot day, which today surprisingly was not....

I'm scrambling to get my law review application in, so posting *might* be light this week. On the other hand, I'll be looking for ways to procrastinate, so....

Perspective

I imagine that an attorney watching a summer law clerk is very much like an adult watching a child play. We’re pretty naïve about the world at this point in time, and I for one take great delight in playing with new concepts, figuring out how they work. I bet it’s kind of like watching a child have their first taste of ice cream, or a baby discovering it has hands.

Or, it’s just exasperating in that, aw geez, get on with it kind of way.

I hope it’s the former!


I spent Friday researching a set of issues for an attorney in my office. I was pleased with my results and was sitting down to write the memo when I read the complaint. All the rules I had just learned and figured out how to get around? Moot, because the plaintiffs broke all of them in their complaint. Which is kind of cool, because it works out better for us in the long run. But now I get to play with these ideas again on Monday, figuring out how to assemble this new puzzle from the existing pieces... It's pretty cool!



Friday was also a good yarn day! I had lunch with Meg at Crazy Fish, a new sushi join in Nob Hill/University area. It was gooood.

Then my new law school knitting friend splurged on yarn and a pattern book for her first ever project. She chose some pretty high contrast colors for Gloria (the cover pattern). I hope it turns out well! I hope she doesn't have a nervous breakdown! There's a lot going on in this sweater, especially for an uber beginner knitter, but I think she can handle it with some hand holding.

Be proud of me- I bought nothing except the Fall Interweave Knits. I am in luuuuuurv with the cover sweater, but there is NO WAY I am going to make it- almost entirely stockinette stitch on size 3 needles? WHATEVER! I'll just drool. I think. I might need a long term stockinette stitch project to get me through the fall semester. Hmmmmmm......

Hurray for MIT!

Hot Damn!

I have been stalking the Vesper Yarns page at Knit Pixie ever since hearing Knit and Tonic rave about it.

Well, today is the day the planets came into alignment because they finally had 1 skein each of 2 out of the 3 colors I'm dying for: sweetwater and bombay. And they are now MINE!!!!!! Mwa ha ha haaaaaa. Fingers crossed that I am this lucky the next time the Knit and Tonic colorway comes up....

This is getting rediculous.

My brother has had my camera for 5 weeks! He's been back for 2 weeks! I WANT MY CAMERA BACK!

Hmmm. Maybe it would help if I told HIM that, instead of whining about it here.... Hmmm indeed.

Youth is Wasted on the Young!

I’ve been tagged for my first ever MEME! Yay! Meg tagged me for the “5 Things You Miss About Childhood” Meme, and I’m tagging Jeannie because she’s the only blogger I know in real life (other than Meg and the folks she already tagged!) and I'm curious to know what she has to say! We're both from Northern New Mexico, which is a wacky, fabulous place.

So here’s how this works: If you want to participate the chain-letter part works like this: remove the blog at #1 from the following list and bump every one up one place; add your blog’s name in the #5 spot; just check to make sure the links are still attached if you copy n' paste.

1. Kingfisher Cove
2. Ellen's Nest
3. The Farmette Report
4. Nepenthe's Misadventures
5. A Woman Obsessed

Things I miss from my childhood, in no particular order:

1. Summers. I grew up in Santa Fe, NM, and everyone we knew were members at the same swimming pool. We ALL spent EVERY DAY all summer long at the pool, and the days were just fabulous. The kids swam and played Marco Polo while the grown ups played Trivial Pursuit. Every so often the Dads would kick the kids out of the pool while they had a diving contest- usually cannonballs designed to soak the Moms tanning by the side of the pool. The pool stayed open late every Wednesday night, when we’d have potluck dinners and swim in the blue lagoon lighted pool. It was great. Fourth of July was particularly spectacular. We’d climb to the top of the lifeguard stand and watch fireworks over the city….

2. Skiing. My Dad was best friends with the man who owned the Santa Fe Ski Area, so we did LOTS of skiing as kids. Skiing is my all time favorite sport- I love that it makes me feel both graceful and strong at the same time. I love being outside in the mountains, I love the brisk air, I love whooshing down the mountain. In my mind, happiness is a season pass to Santa Fe Ski Area. LOVE LOVE LOVE SKIING.

3. Camp. I went to Hummingbird Music Camp as a kid- started going in 5th grade, and kept going until I finished my second summer as a Head Counselor and then headed off to college. Hummingbird is a dinky little camp in the middle of the Jemez Mountains, and it is just a magical place. Kids play horrible music but learn a lot, do lots of hiking, have a dance, go to waterfalls, sleep out under the stars. I think every kid should go to camp at least once, if not every summer.

4. My 8th Grade Girlfriends. Middle school got off to a rough start for me. My lifelong best friend ended up with the “in” crowd and I was left sort of on the fringe. It was strange and uncomfortable. By the next year, a fantastic group of gals had bonded. We had poets, painters, dancers, singers, athletes, brainiacs… Each girl was incredibly unique but we all meshed really well. It was nice to have such a fantastic group of friends who really, honestly didn’t give a crap what the “cool kids” were doing because we were having so much fun on our own.

5. Active Involvement in the Arts. As a kid, I took lessons for: theater, improvisation, piano, flute, voice, watercolor painting, ballet, jazz… I went to my first chamber music concert at less than one year old, my first opera by age 8. We frequently went to gallery openings, concerts, art exhibits, and I practically grew up in the workshops at the Museum of International Folk Art. I miss having such a close connection to the arts. I miss being in plays, singing, painting. I miss going to galleries, plays, concerts. It’s a part of who I am that has been neglected for a while!!!

Are you knitting my socks?

Dear Person Who is Knitting My SockaPalTwoZa Socks:

HI! I am so excited I can't see straight! The person I'm knitting for doesn't have a blog, so I thought I'd share with you some things I wish I could ask MY Sock Target....

1. Climate in New Mexico is really COLD in the winter- I'm in the mountains and we get snow and the whole bit. Wool is totally cool and will get a LOT of use.

2. Colors- I tend to go for cooler colors, but that doens't mean dull. I like brights and pastels, especially reds/organges/pinks and blues/greens. I'm not big on browns or dusky/muddy colors, but need to expand my color horizons and would LOVE anything in any color. I promise.

3. Patterns- really, whatever you want to do is fabulous. I love fancy, plain, ankle, regular, anything.

4. I'm pretty new at knitting socks- only 2 pairs for me and 2 gift pairs. Some turned out better than others. :-) I'm just excited about having a handknit pair of socks! WHEEEEE!

5. If you have any questions not covered here, leave an anonymous comment (I think
you can do that) and I'll post an answer here!

YAY! Sockapaltwoza!!!!!

WHATEVER!

Ick. He's too old for her, she's getting sucked into his slightly weired religious stuff. Why do I care? I mean really, why am I even posting about this?

I'm hoping to get some knitting done this weekend. M and P are coming to with me watch the boy referee a soccer game tomorrow night. I LOVE to knit during soccer games. I can support the boy by half watching the game and make great progress on a project at the same time. YAY!

I've joined the SockaPal2za knitalong and an REALLY EXCITED! My target has really general guidelines, which is nice but intimidating all at the same time. I *THINK* I know what I'm going to make, but I'll have to look in to it this weekend.

Anyway, I AM at work, so I should get back to it. Happy Weekend!

Amended note to self...

Hurrah! I made Dean's List, but only by a hair. I did REALLY WELL in the classes I cared about, which is GREAT.

No knitting. Moved out of the Corrales Casa today and am glad to be done with the crazy animals. Now I'm back with my Scootie Patootie.

Note to self.

Dear Self,

Remember all that complaining you've done for the last 6 months about two particular law school classes? You might not have shared it all with the blog, but it was bad. And now it is payback time. You will not make Dean's List this semester because you created so much bad karma by griping continually about these 2 classes. How's that for a serving of humble pie? It's obvious that you did well in the classes you liked, and it's equally obvious that you sucked in the classes you hated. Funny how that works.

I hope you have learned the following lesson: never, ever, under any circumstances, take another class from either one of these professors. You hated them and their karmic energy hates you back. So there.

Now get over it, you whiny cow.

Love,
Self.

Blech

Ok, so apparently "timeless feminine knits" is a euphemism for dowdy, boring things my grandmother wouldn't wear even if she were still alive. I'm returning that book, but the other two are DEFINITE KEEPERS. Loop-D-Loop is spectacular.

Mixed Bag

The owners of the Casa where I am housesitting are coming home early- this week instead of July 1, which is GREAT NEWS. I don't have to deal with their crazy animals any more, my daily commute goes from an hour each way to 10 minutes each way, and I can work out in the mornings again! YAY!

This has been a GREAT mail week. After the glowing review at Knitter's Review, I splurged and bought 15 skeins of the Pakucho Organic Cotton from elann.com for 60% off retail. LOVE THIS YARN. It is soft, gorgeous, and is going to make a perfect every day Hourglass Sweater. I love elann.com, too. You order incredibly cheap yarn and magically, it shows up on your doorstep 3 days later. Hurrah!

I ALSO got 3 books off Amazon- Loop-d-Loop: More than 40 Novel Designs for Knitters, Little Badger Knitwear: Knitted Projects for Babies and Toddlers, and The Pleasures Of Knitting: Timeless Feminine Sweaters. None of these books were at my LYS, so I don't feel too bad for ordering them online. I haven't had a chance to do much browsing, but Loop D Loop looks freaking AMAZING. I'll report more on the books after I have a chance to dig a little deeper.

The next week is going to be bonkers what with me moving AGAIN, but I'll try to post a bit!

I've taught 3 law schoolers how to knit in the past 10 days- I think I'll have company on campus this year! YAY! Not alone at the law school any more!

Things I learned today at work....

1. The Code of Federal Regulations is a pain in the a$$ to search online unless you know EXACTLY what part you're looking for. I need to spend some time in the Law Library browsing the old fashioned paper version tomorrow....

2. I am never going to understand what this one particular attorney is looking for. I think I find exactly what he's looking for and then WHAM- not even close. It's very disorienting.

3. It takes a special kind of person to be a lobbyist, and an even more special kind to be a good one. You have to be part ADD, part insane, part charming, and just plain smart. And you have to like being around politicians all the time. I'm not cut out for the job..... :-)

So much for my quiet Sunday....

A dear friend from Austin ended up coming to spend the day with me before she flew back to Texas. It was so nice to hang out with her! I feel horrible for wishing on that I could have had a little more time by myself to sit and knit. OH well. I'm over it. Mostly.

As fabulous as it is having the boy here, this has been a rough week. He's in major culture shock (New Mexico will do that to you.) He hasn't gotten a feel for things at work yet, we're on top of each other all the time after being used to having our own spaces, and we're just trying to figure things out. It's going to be fine, but I think we need to work on communication just a wee bit!!! :-)

Virtually no knitting happening here. In the last three weeks, I have made net progress of ZERO on Orangina. I'm still about an inch away from finishing my first piece, and Nepenthe is almost done with hers. She started at least a week after I did. I've been lapped. Big time. DOH!

But that hasn't stopped me from buying yarn! My camera is back in the country and I should have my hot little hands on it by midweek. Details to follow, WITH PICTURES!

I'm competent!

Yesterday was a great day at work- got some super positive feedback on a project I did for the managing partner- woot! It felt good to get that reinforcement. I also got my first 2 grades- A in writing (knew that was coming) and my first law school B from the professor who got confused on the rules for multiple choice exams. Ah well. At least it wasn't a class I felt like I understood!

I also did some surgery on Orangina Monday night. Last week I had accidentally yanked the needle out of 7 or 8 stitches in the middle of a row, and the stitches immediately unraveled 4 rows. Grrr. So, when I could finally face it again, I pulled the needle out, ripped back, and carefully got all the stitches back on. Because most of them were facing the wrong way and I had missed a couple yarn overs, I tinked back a row and voila! Repaired! I'm so proud!

Knit night was great last night, as usual. A friend from the law school came to learn how to knit- I think she liked it. We're going to get yarn for her first project this weekend. Mwa ha ha haaaaaa.

Oh yeah, love having the boy here. He's in new hire orientation this week, which stinks, but that's life. I hope he doesn't hate it here. I think it's too soon to tell...

Life is just a bowl of cherries.....

Since I don't have any photos for you, and I haven't been doing much knitting, here's the last of the pre-Costa Rica pictures. Hopefully my camera will be back in a week...



This is one of my all time favorite projects. It was boring as hell to knit, but I LOVE the end product. It's the cherry scarf from one of the Jaeger baby books. I didn't buy the book (it's a garter stitch rectangle with pom poms, for God's sake), and I improvised the leaves because I wanted something more than is shown in the actual pattern. I'm really please with how it came out!

I made it out of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, which is wonderful to work with, but the yarn has quickly developed a bit of a fuzzy halo. I love the yarn, but don't know that I'd want to do anything too intricate with it. It does feel like heaven.

I finished this during the winter time and had plenty of opportunity to wear it.

Part of why I'm so excited the boyfriend is moving HERE is that we get real winters here... Wool is good. Instead of Austin, where for the 3 months that it gets down into the upper 50s we all *think* we're freezing to death, but no one ever wears sweaters because there's just no reason to. Seriously, it was in the 80s over New Year's this year. Insane.

Anyway, there's the cherry scarf. YAY cherry scarf!!!

Great day!

Today was a really good day. I got paid! YAY for paychecks! This is my first legal job paycheck. I'm very proud. I also got some positive feedback on work I did last week, and was able to handle the 2 assignments that came my way today. What a relief!

Look! Nepenthe has posted pictures of our little yarny adventure on Saturday! I look hideous in that picture. My hips really aren't that big, I SWEAR.

So my roving looks just like hers, though natural white. And my drop spindle looks just like hers except with a lighter colored shaft.

Nothing else is really going on over here. The crazy animals are all doing ok, work is good, weather is freaking gorgeous.

Oh yeah- the BOY gets here Friday!!!!!!!!!! YAY!

It's all her fault.

SO. Nepenthe and I went back to the Fiesta today. Damage was done. I WISH I HAD MY CAMERA! I might borrow my Mom's tonight- this is just too good to pass up.

I got two skeins of yarn from Textiles A Mano... 270 yards of a gorgeous DK weight 50/50 silk and wool blend hand dyed in mid tone pinks and oranges. MMMMMM... Also 600 yards of a watermelon pink rayon/cotton/poly blend- it's kind of thick/thin with pright shiny slubs... Looks like a watermelon with colored seeds.

Now, N has been saying she wanted to start spinning. We looked at drop spindles and fiber on Thursday night. I was immune then.... Today I caved. I bought a drop spindle made from mequite wood- apparently the tree was over 500 years old! and 2 cakes of dyed Romney roving. One in jade green with lime green accents, the other in dark red with perriwinkle blue accents. AND (yikes!) I got 4 oz of GORGEOUS 80 % llama 20% tussah silk fiber in a natural undyed off white color to play with once I figure out what I'm doing. Based on the last 10 minutes worth of trying, this will have to wait for quite a while....

How did this happen?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Anyway, I'm SUPER excited.

Fiber Arts FIESTA!

So Nepenthe and I hit the Fiber Arts Fiesta today. It's no Maryland, I can tell you that much! Alas and alack, it's all we have here right now. Vendors were mixed- yarn, spinning supplies, quilting, beading (beading is fiber? who knew!) silk painting, weaving, general sewing... Lots of stuff was really tacky, but lots was absolutely fabulous. Nepenthe is going to be posting pictures- watch her blog!

I am so psyched for Taos Wool Festival in October!!!!!

My favorites from the Fiesta:
Black Water Abbey Yarns.
Gorgeous traditional Irish yarns, perfect for a cabley goodness sweater. The colors were spectacular- especially Moss, Wine, and Bluestock.

TextilesA Mano doesn't have a website, and that's a shame. Gorgeous hand-dyed yarns in really fab colors. Nepenthe bought approximately 500 yards of scrumptious superwash merino(?) for a baby gift. Lucky baby!

UPDATE: Fellow Albuqeurque Knit Blogger Little HedgeHog found their website: Textilesamano.com

Lezlie King had some absolutely stunning natural dyed yarn. Her deep olive green was spectacular. Her colors were so rich, and apparently the natural dyes she uses create colors that last forever....

I could get in to some serious trouble, but I'm broke! May treat myself to something on Saturday (oh yeah- we bought 2 day passes- WOOT!) anyway. I get my first law job paycheck on Tuesday, after the long weekend. YAY!!!!!!




And I thought this was hysterical, but that's probably just becuase I've spent all of this week on random, esoteric procedural questions:
YOU ARE RULE 8(a)!
You are Rule 8, the most laid back of all the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. While your
forefather in the Federal Rules may have been a
stickler for details and particularity, you
have clearly rebelled by being pleasant and
easy-going. Rule 8 only requires that a
plaintiff provide a short and plain statement
of a claim on which a court can grant relief.
While there is much to be lauded in your
approach, your good nature sometimes gets you
in trouble, and you often have to rely on your
good friend, Rule 56, to bail you out.


Which Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

HEY!

Jen and Laurie, commenters- I didn't get your e-mail address and can't respond!!! Thanks so much for saying hi!!! I hope you come back!

Jen, my favorite legal blogs are, in quasi order....
Sherry Fowler's Stay of Execution. She's not technically an attorney any more, but I still love her blog. She has amazing insights about the profession, legal education, life in general. A great read!

Buffalo Wings & Vodka. Very, very funny guy. Editor in Chief of the UTexas Law Review. Smart, and a great sense of humor.

Jeremy's Weblog. Jeremy has just graduated (?) from Harvard Law and has decided not to go into BigLaw practice. He is very funny, but also has great insights into how legal education and the practice of law can be improved.

Illinois Trial Practice Weblog and Legal Underground. Evan Schaeffer has two blogs. The Trial Practice Blog is more practice oriented, and the other is a little less focused, but equally interesting.

So those are a few. A lot of the blogs I subscribe to don't post very often, and some post 10+ short snippets every day. I rarely read everything all the way through, but I do read the above blogs every time they post.

Tired.

I am so tired. I was woken up at 4:00 this morning by a doggy having a very bad accident in the bedroom. Thanks, doggy! I hope you enjoyed spending the rest of the day outside!!!

Why is it that I cannot get home from work before 8:00 at night? I leave the office every day by 5:30. I know I am housesitting in the middle of nowhere. But if I do ANYTHING other than drive straight home, it's 8:00 by the time I get here, IF I'M LUCKY. Sigh.

SO yeah, no knitting tonight. Orangina and I need to have some words but I'm just too tired to get in to it. I made a gigantic boo boo about 6 rows back and convinced myself it would look fine. Wrongo. I need to figure out how to put in a lifeline after the fact now so I can rip back. Maybe this weekend.

I also need to find time to work on my law review application- I think it's going to have to be the rest of this week, most of the weekend, and all of next week (we get 10? consecutive days to work on the application...) I don't want to be working on it right when C gets here A WEEK FROM FRIDAY!!!! and it's due July 1, so I think I'd better get cracking.

Work is good, with continuing flashes of alternating brilliance and idiocy. The big idiotic thing that happened today wasn't my fault- whee!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mmmm. BBQ

This post reminds me so much of Texas! Shiner, Elgin sausage, crazy 'cue obsessed Texans....

I went to an all women's college in southern Virginia. About an hour down the road was an all men's college. Two of my dear dear friends are twin brothers who went to Hampden Sydney. They grew up in Austin, TX. I was shocked to discover that BOTH of them had driven to college in their individual suburbans, each towing a barrell barbecue (it is just wrong that the barrell bbq website is in the UK, but whatever...) over 1400 miles just so they could make bbq and fajitas. I love them both, and they are both still insane. But man, those were good eats.

Anyway, thanks for indulging my little trip down memory lane, courtesy of someone else's BBQ party.

You know you're a grown up when....

You know you're a grown up when sleeping in until 7:45 on Sunday morning feels like an unspeakable luxury. Which it did this morning.

I have had a really mellow weekend so far, and today looks to be more of the same. Yesterday I knit and watched lots of crappy TV. I keep screwing up Orangina- I've had to unkint more rows than I've knit. The most recent mistake happened 3 rows ago and I'm trying to decide if I need to tink back AGAIN. I also turned the heel on my brother's birthday socks- Lorna's Laces in camoflage and the Fluted Bannister pattern from the Six Sox Knitalong. This is the same pattern as the socks I made for the BF for Christmas. Great pattern. I just realized that I don't think I ever posted a finished picture of my Making Waves socks... They turned out great- LOVE them.
I also got up to the armholes on my Ice cardigan. Knitting both fronts at the same time makes shaping way easier- I can actually see which side is the left front and which is the right so I don't end up with two left fronts...

Mom and I went to see the NM Symphony concert at the Zoo last night- it was a great concert. I'm impressed by all the community events like this around Albuquerque. In addition to Symphony Under the Stars, there's Jazz Under the Stars and Salsa Under the Stars. Someone needs to work on the variety of names for these programs, but they're a great way to get out in our gorgeous, cool evening weather and enjoy good music.

I'm actually looking forward to this week at work. I'm doing some fascinating projects- last week I worked on a huge variety of things that had me digging through City Ordinances, NM Administrative Code, state and federal cases, the US Constitution, state and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and the NM Tort Claims Act. I like the variety, but I think I'm ready for some feedback on my work last week- verification that I'm going in the right direction, or course correction so I can better focus my efforts. The total lack of feedback is killing me, but it always does!

Better Day

So I feel like I'm getting the hang of this. Today was a better day.

And tonight is a better night because TOMORROW IS FRIDAY. I forgot this part of working- you actually get weekends off! No nagging "hey, I should be studying..." feelings. WHEEEEEEEEEEE! Knitting weekend!

I've gotten just a couple rows in this week, nothing worth showing which is good, since my camera is in Costa Rica. And is hopefully not lost or stolen or dropped in a rainforest mountain lake...

fly by post

HOWDY! I'm wiped out. But I'm writing because I really don't want to go clean out the litter boxes, empty the trash, or deal with the laundry. My list of things to avoid goes on and on but I'll spare you.

One interesting thing about law school and law jobs is that I'm going through this 4 month cycle- at the beginning I feel totally incompetent, then by the time the semester is over I get it and feel like I know what I'm doing. Then, WHAM it starts all over again with the incompetent feelings. I'm in WHAM mode right now. And I know without a doubt that by the end of the summer I'll feel like an old pro and it will all be fine, then WHAM with a new semester and all new classes/topics/terminology/rules. Ah well. Such is life. I figure I should start to feel competent most of the time about 2 years out of law school, or ... uh... in just over 4 years.

Sigh.

UPDATE: Ok, I KNOW I'm not ACTUALLY incompetent... It's just the unsteady feeling of starting a new job in a whole new industry and dealing with all new subject matter--it's disorienting. But I like it. Beats the pants off my old job in Austin where there just wasn't enough to do and work did exist was BORING.

Linkage!

First off, N found her wedding dress!!!!! I'm glad I was there for it, though honestly I did nothing except show up and eat dim sum. She looks maaahvelous, it's totally unconventional and, most importantly, it's totally her. I hope I have the same grace and style to do my own fabulous thing when it's my turn to go through the horror that is finding a wedding dress!

Ok, I subscribe to waaaaay to many blogs. I use Bloglines to aggregate them all in one place so I don't have to actually visit all 308 sites (YIKES! I DO read a lot of blogs! I'm not making that number up!!!!) Anyway, now that I'm only checking once a day I get home and have 75 legal blogs, 30 cooking blogs, and 80 knitting blogs to read every night. Yikes.

Anyway, I'm going to enable you to be overwhelmed like meby sharing some links.

First, see N above. Most of you know about her already (I know you come to my site from hers!!!) but if you don't, check it out.

The Manolo is Super Fantastic! Seriously, if you love shoes (and who doesn't) this blog is great, and the Manolo, he has the impeccable sense of the humor.

Sunday Undies, law school with a twist. This friend of Crazy Aunt Purl is hilarious. I wish I was half this funny, especially about law school.

Knit and Tonic is great. She's gorgeous and a yarn ho. Great photos, too. I want to be just like her when I grow up!

Sherry Fowler is amazing. She's a bankrupcy attorney/sailor in Maine who makes me want to move to Maine to be a sailor/bankcrupcy attorney. She has a really fabulous voice and I love her open, creative ways.

First Day of Work and a Preppy Baby Sweater

UPDATE: I had written a little bit about work but somehow that disappeared before posting... Sorry about that.

Anyway, today was the first day of my first ever REAL law job! I think I'm going to learn a LOT this summer. Today was filled with alternating waves of "Crap, I don't know anything" and "Hey, maybe I know something"! Everyone is so nice and so mellow. I think I'm the loudest person in the firm- must work on that.

In knitting news, I took a few photos before my brother left the couuntry with my camera...



This is a baby sweater for my niece, due any day. The Mama is totally obsessed with pink and green, so I thought this was a great color combo! The pattern is basically the Yarn Harlot's pattern Daisy from Knitty with plenty of mods. I left off all the trim as I was knitting, then picked up stitches all the way around and improvised a ruffle. Note: I WILL NEVER EVER KNIT ANOTHER RUFFLE IN COTTON. EVER. It was murder, but it turned out pretty cute.

Yarn was Rowan Cotton DK, which I lurve. Except for the ruffle part. Bad, bad ruffle. The cotton yarn had very little give, and trying to do that many increases in that little space with no give whatsoever was a pain in the keister. You've been warned.

I love knitters. But I am NOT CUTE.

Laurie over at Crazy Aunt Purl has perfectly summed up what I love about fibery friends- fabulous, interesting people (yes, mostly women) getting together and hanging out. No bar scene, no trying to pick anyone up, plus there's knitting! It's just so freakin cool to meet such neat people. And there's the desire/need to bond with other women. I went to an all women's college (as did Nepenthe, so nice that she GETS that part of me) and I really, truly value my friendships with other women. It's important to me. Any time I move to a new city I don't worry about: are there cute boys? what's the weather like? where do people hang out? I worry about building a new circle of girlfriends.

I had a great Friday night. A girlfriend from law school had some girls over for a girly night. It was great to just hang out and nibble and relax. Made me homesick for my homegirls in Austin. We had a monthly girls' night that was always just wonderful. I hear it's breaking up now- the group has splintered- and it makes me sad.

This was a way estrogen Friday the 13th, now that I think about it... I started the day interviewing to be a Mary Kay Lady. Which I am SO NOT GOING TO DO. A family friend is a new Mary Kay lady and has getting pressure from her sales director to recruit new people, so I agreed to interview but made it very clear to the friend that I am so not interested. The director lady kept telling me how CUTE I am. Uh, NO ONE has called me cute since I was, oh, four years old. I'm too tall to be cute. I'm not cute. It was annoying. Anyway, I'm supposed to do the "pink pillow test" (sleep on it, for those of us who aren't in the cult of Mary Kay) and she's going to call this weekend to see what I think.

The main reason I wouldn't sell Mary Kay (or Pampered Chef or Tupperware or insert-pyramid-scheme-of-choice-here) is that I like my friends. I don't want them to look at their caller ID and go, "Is that Jenny my friend or Jenny my Mary Kay lady? I'll let the answering machine find out." Ya know?

No offense to any Mary Kay or Pampered Chef or whatever people out there- these are great businesses that really empower women. It's just so not me. You know, I'm just not cute.

Hmmmm. Now if KOIGU started a home-based sales business, I might be interested. Except that I'd keep it all for myself. Mwa ha ha haaaaaaa.

Will she rip again?

I finished the back of the Ice cardigan last night. I'm really worried that I am going to hate this sweater. Contemplating ripping it out and possibly staring a Ribby Cardi. But I'm not sure that's what I want either.

I want a plain white cardigan I can wear in an over air-conditioned office with work clothes. Ribby cardi seems to casual for that.

Oh well. Maybe I should take a break from the cardi and let it marinate for a day or two before riiiiiiiiiiiiiping it out.


EDIT: Here's a link to a picture of the ice cardigan, except mine is white. And longer through the waist. And if I get that far, with 3/4 sleeves.

I fought the law and the law won!

Well, maybe not. I'm still standing after the LAST FINAL in my 1L year. I'm ecstatic to be done. Mom and I did some celebratory retail therapy (I'd like to thank the clearance racks and Banana Republic and Ann Taylor for cooperating) and then went out for French food. YUM. It was fun.

Then I stopped by the 1L bash. It was, um, kinda slow. I LOVE the two guys who organize these parties, but they pick really yucky strip mall wet t-shirt contest ladies night type bars for events, and then no one shows. Oh well. Glad I went and said hi, at least.

I haven't knit anything today. I am in LOVE with THESE SOCKS, but there is no way I'm going to weave in 80000 ends worth of sock yarn. I did the mitred square rug out of one of the past Interweave Knits- photos eventually, I swear, though my digital camer is in Costa Rico with my brother until June...but that's not the point. Rug. Yeah. Ends. I think I might just never weave them all in- there are so freakin many ends. It took me 3 hours to do 2 squares, and there are 15 squares. That's a lot. of. ends.

In other news, I'm done with finals!

Knit Night last night was a riot- we were all just slap happy and punchy. There was much guffawing and I can only imagine what the other coffeeshop patrons were wondering... "What is WITH that table of crazy knitting people? They OBVIOUSLY need to get out more often... especially that chick who keeps mumbling about fighting the law..."

Anyway, it was a blast.

I'm wiped out, so I am going to go to bed and NOT STUDY FOR 3 AND A HALF MONTHS! WOOT!

Am I nuts?

This sounds like SO MUCH FUN! Leave it to Ann and Kay over at Mason Dixon Knitting to make the State Fair cool again. Unfortunately, New Mexico doesn't have their guidelines up yet- I guess they're coming soon.

Yes, I am actually thinking about doing some blue ribbon knitting. I'm sure the urge will pass as soon as I finish my last final tomorrow. I am nuts.

It's quasi-official!!!

There's no start date yet, but the BF (boyfriend)is moving here! YAY! Looks like he's going to be here mid June or early July to start just north of Santa Fe. We probably won't be together most of the week (its almost two hours each way) but he'll be within reasonable driving distance. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

House Bound and Loving It.

How can I resist? Moth Heaven is hosting a "house-bound Blogeuse" festival for those of use who aren't at MDSW this weekend. Since I have nothing better to do than study, I'm SO IN!

Speaking of which, here's my "desk": kitchen table covered in study related crap. Ah, the joys of Civil Procedure!

No pictures of me today, as my hair is a bit too "saturday before last final of first year in law school." Maybe next time.

Collum, the NICE cat, is sleeping in the unmade bed:


Noor, the BAD cat, has stollen my koigu (complete with sock attached) THREE TIMES NOW. Good thing I know she takes it directly under the bed. Here's the completed sock and the poor victimized in progress sock:


I'd much rather be working on the sock than studying CP, but such is life. Maybe if I'm a good girl...

Other Works In Progress:

Ice, from Rowan 27. Scroll down... I'm actually making the cardigan version, not the Tneck as shown.

AND

Orangina! What a GREAT pattern. The lace repeat is really easy to memorize and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way its turning out. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

AND, the ripping is DONE!

I ripped off all the floppy bands last night and am about to start reconscruction. Biker jacket no more.

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?

Why oh why is it taking me so long to get through my Civil Procedure notes?

Pages of outline done: 6.25
Pages of book outlined: 82 (which isn't bad, but there are 371 in volume 1, and about 300 in volume 2. yikes)
Hours spent: freaking 5 and a half. But not really, because I've taken a couple phone calls from old friends, made brownies, knitted "just one more row" on each of 2 new projects (details soon), and incessantly checked knitblogs for the first updates from MDSW, which is absurd because the d*mn festival doesn't even start until tomorrow. Sigh.

I must focus.

Housesitting at the Casa de Tee Tee

So, I'm spending May and June housesitting for some friends. It's a big house out in Corrales, which is nice. But there are 4 animals and each has its own unique set of problems. Yes, they are all adorable, cute, and fuzzy.

One of the dogs is 16 years old. The owners assured me in January that the dog was so old it would die before they left town, but she's still kicking! They left me an advance directive of sorts authorizing both me and the vet to put the dog down, should need be, and they pre-dug a grave in the backyard. Please, Lord, don't let her die on my watch.
This is a sweet, sweet dog, but she has some... incontinence issues. Poor baby is also deaf, and she makes the weirdest mourning sea cow noises when she wants to go in or out.

The other dog is a sweetie pie. She's 2 and HYPER! HYPER! HYPER!

One of the cats is typical cat- allof unless he wants something, nothing like my Scooter who will do anything for attention all the time. (NOTE: Scooter is at my Mom's house, where he is doing VERY WELL. I miss him terribly. But with the second cat in this house... Scooter will stay at Mom's house.)

The other cat is... picky. If ALL THREE of her litter boxes are not in pristine condition, she pees all over the couch to show her displeasure. I've been here a week and so far there are no cat pee issues- KNOCK ON WOOD- but we'll see how long my good luck lasts!

Anyway, the house has a spectacular view of the mountains from large picture windows in the bedroom, kitchen/dining room, and living room. It more than makes up for the pee pee issues. Don't believe me? Check out the view for yourself:





I love our hot pink mountains. Sunset is such a beautiful time of day here!

Mama's Got the Clap!

So while I was gone, I got the clap.



I'm giving the clap to my Mom for Mother's Day. She already knows. I got her a little something else to go with it though, and she doesn't know about that!

I made it out of some REALLY CHEAP 100% silk ribbon yarn in silver, blue, and bronze. Got the yarn at A Different Drummer in Albuquerque. The store's name is... quite appropriate! They have a ton of yarns straight from the 80s, but their prices can't be beat. The whole scarf cost $12. For silk. What is this world coming to???

The Chopping Block

Remember THIS?

Well, I lied in that post. I hate it. All the seed stitch bands are floppy. The neck is all wonky, the bottom band does nothing for my hips, and the zipper pooches out in a way that makes me look like I have a third boob. It's bad, folks.

But, the body of the biker jacket is fab. It fits perfectly. I think I can salvage it... Yes, I am deluding myself-play along.

Once the stress of finals passes, I plan to remove the collar, bottom band, and arm bands, rip out the zipper, and FIX IT.

Too bad I did such a great job of weaving in the ends. Must remember to be a sloppier finisher next time...

Oh LORD.

Ok, I'm in the process of taking a 7 hour take home exam (1 hour, 8 minutes to go!!!!) but I just had to share this...

One of my new favorite bloggers wrote a hilarious post about Albuquerque's run in with the run away bride. I'm with Nepenthe: I don't want to hear anything about it.

Who knew that the Jennifer Blanket would become the new Martha Poncho???

Jeez Louise.

Ok, back to my @(*^%@(* exam.

What's wrong with this picture?

Today's exam was completely random.

First thing wrong: Part of the exam was multiple choice. In law school. In a 1L standard course. Um, every other exam is a standard issue spotter/essay exam. Multiple choice? Uh, ok.

Second thing wrong: The multiple choice part had a scantron bubble form for the answers. The form had bubbles for A, B, C, D, and E. Yet at least 5 questions had answer options A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H. Oy vay.

Third thing wrong: The multiple choice questions frequently had at least 3 really truly honestly plausible answers. It all depended on what theory you applied to reach your answer. Yet the question made no reference to anything that would guide on theory choice, and there was no way to tell the professor how you arrived at the answer you did.

Anyway, Part I is done. YAY! At this point, it's just kind of funny. Let's see if I feel this way when I get my grade....

A toe in the water....

HI!

I'm not quite ready to get back into the full swing of blogging, but it's May and I promised M I'd start again in May.

Lots of random knitty thoughts I've been wanting to share! It's been a productive couple months--more so on the knitting front than on the law school front. :-) Pictures eventually, I promise.

Law school is almost over for the year. Classes are done, finals start tomorrow. This semester was much harder than last from a psychological standpoint. I don't want to whine or worry about whether what I post here will come back to hanut me, so I'll spare you the gory details. Let's just say I'll be ecstatic when I'm done with finals May 11.

I've got a great job with a local law firm for the summer. I'm really looking forward to making some moulah again. And practicing some of the stuff I've learned over my first year in law school.

Some goals for the new and improved Woman Obsessed...

• Post at least twice a week.
  
• Increase topics to include law school, cooking, working out, reading, location-specific stuff for Albuquerque and Austin. Basically branch out and use as a whole-life diary kinda thing.
  
• Work on my writing. Get out of "here's what happened today" mode and into "deeper thoughts" mode. Ha! Perhaps possible once finals are over... :-)
  
• Work on photography- taking better pictures.
  
• Maybe participate in different blog events, such as Photo Friday, Is My Blog Burning, and a couple knitalongs (there are SO MANY to choose from, but the Gathering of Lace Along is tempting given the fact that I now have enough laceweight yarn to knit at least 5 shawls..... Yikes.....)
  

Anywho, more as I procrastinate for finals!

Picture of Knit night!

Nepenthe has put up a pic of our hard core groupies! Yay! I look like a total fruitcake in that picture. Yes, finals suck.

And she is too kind about my help with the sock. I'm the one who put her smack dab in the middle of the quagmire in the first place- sent her happily down the sock trail with a pattern for short row heel. Um, I don't have a *@$#@# clue how to do short rows, much less in heel form. Great friend I am! I'm so glad she figured it out!

And yes, I finished the ribbed hat for my nephew last night. That was 2 days. And I'm starting on the one for his dad. Photos... eventually.

Last final is TODAY at 1:30. All I have to say is....
YIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~!

Revised bobble opinion

So there's a woman who comes to our knit night that has amazing cabled sweaters (all purchased, alas, but she's getting there...) Tonight's sweater had... bobbles. Now, on HER, they looked ok. But they were sparse and off to the side. No chance of looking like misplaced nipples. So I'm revising my opinion. Like N said in her comment to the last post- bobbles aren't all bad, I just don't want any on ME.

Knit night was good. N began to turn her first heel. I think she's hooked. SO SORRY I was worthless on the short row heels! N also brought her camera and took a picture of the small group tonight- watch for it on her blog!

I'm in a fog. Still haven't gotten much done for torts. And yet, here I am, AGAIN....

Bobbles- what the....?

I'm looking at the tea cozy. Natch. What else would I be doing-- studying for torts? Bah!

I don't get bobbles. I think they look silly. I don't understand the allure. The ONLY thing I have ever liked that had bobbles was a nifty poncho my 8 year old cousin wore when she was here. It was bright red and had little white bobbles scattered over it. Really cute. FOR AN 8 YEAR OLD. I just can't see myself wearing anything with bobbles. Yikes.

YAY! 3 FGs!

Yes, that's FINISHED GIFTS!



First up is the brother scarf. I found the pattern (and got the yarn idea) from Creazativity. I used 3 balls of Lion Brand Landscapes, and ya know what, I think it's great. So there.

Next up are the socks for the Texas beau! I think these turned out great. I hope he likes them.

Finally, the tea cozy from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. It ain't cashmere, as the pattern calls for, but it's still lovely. I used some Brown Sheep worsted superwash that was in the stash. YAY!

Finals are going really, really well. I freaked out yesterday about crim, but I feel like it went really, really well today. And it's OVER! Torts on Thursday is all that's left. As The Little Engine that Could used to say... "I think I can...I think I can... I think I can...."

Almost there....

YIKES! Finals!

One down, 3 more to go. I actually feel REALLY good about my contracts exam yesterday.

I keep thinking I should take the time to share some deep thoughts with you. Not today.

Knitting progress-pictures eventually, I promise.

I finished a really cute tea cozy for my friend K for Christmas. Pattern was in Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

I ran out of yarn on the manly socks! Damn! I still have 3 inches to go, too. Guess I'd better go buy another ball...

Am 2/3 of the way done with the Herringbone scarf for my bro...

That's it! See you in a week when I am DONE with finals!

Knitting is the best procrastination...

Classes ended Tuesday. WOOHOO! So Wednesday was Jenny's day of hair- got highlights and a haircut. I go to different people for each, and they both HATE it. Hehehe. Anyway, had to go to Santa Fe for the cut and I FINALLY got 2 extra balls of DB Cashmerino Aran in off white for the Cherry scarf. Hurray!

Dad called with some exciting news today- he is marrying his girlfriend of 6 years, which is GREAT. She is an amazing woman and frankly, I'm amazed it too him this long to get his act together.

My birthday is Monday. YAY! My friend Katie threw a little birthday/end of school party last night- we had a slumber party! It was pretty darn fun. Pizza, wine, manincures, and 80s John Hughes movies.

What with finals approaching at an alarming rate, I'm doing suprisingly little studying and suprisingly lots of knitting. I turned the hell (doh! I mean heel!) on the second boy sock. I knit a few inches on the cherry scarf. I'm still plugging away on the tea cozy and scarf gifts. Criminal Law? bah! Contracts? Whatever! Torts? Who cares?!?!?

Um, I care. I guess I should get to work...

SNOW!

It's actually snowing here! Woohoo! Too bad I can't stay home and knit!

Socks!

What is it about me and socks right now? SHEESH. The desire to knit socks kicked in right after the election and still has me firmly in its grip.

Last week the Yarn Harlot wrote a tribute to Nancy Bush. Since I am a Harlot-wannabe, I dragged out my copy of Folk Solks after reading the Harlot gush over gussets.

You know what? She's right. I DO want to call the Harlot up to have a deep, meaningful conversation about gussets!

Anyway, I read through all the history and technical info in the book and am even more enamored with simple handknit footwear than I was before. I want to knit socks forever!

I'm waiting for the sock fever to pass.

Yes, I am still procrastinating on my homework. You are so lucky I have blooger. Otherwise, I'd be a straight-A student and you'd never hear from me.

Thank heavens it's Thanksgiving!

I have had a delightful couple of days. YAY! Pictures later in post...

First off, some things I am thankful for this year, in no particular order...

• Friends, new and old. Especially CC, my oldest friend- here's to another 14 years!!! (PS- update your blog!!!), N, my newest friend- yay knitting! and to Katie, who doesn't have a blog, but who is my law school buddy.
  
• The fact that the Texas beau seems to have come around. This time last year we were not in a great place and it's wonderful that we've both been able to open up a little bit. I feel very cherished, which is great.
  
• Being near my family. My Mom's brother and his family are in town from Michigan for the holiday and we have had a GREAT visit. I taught my aunt and my 8 year old cousin to knit. They're both monsters! My cousin is amazing- she picked it up really fast and has done NOTHING since. My aunt is astounding- every single stitch was perfect, even.... Incredible.
  
• Knitting time! See pictures later in post...
  
• Study time! I had an incredibly productive day yesterday and got a ton done on contracts. Which is why I'm writing to you now- I don't want to do the work I need to get done for tomorrow! :-)
  
• Family health. Mom is doing great, brothers are both in great shape. This is such a blessing given some of the bumps on our road in the last year or so.
  
• Finances. I'm so grateful that I haven't had to worry much about money this semester. Whew!
  
• Law school. I love it. So much better than my stinky old job. I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be and it feels so great to be challenged and engaged!

So pictures....


Boy Sox. These are the Fluted Bannisters from the 6 sox knitalong. Have I mentioned yet that I love this pattern? It's stretchy, easy to remember, and just interesting enough that I'm still loving it, 1.3 socks later.



My socks. These are the Making Waves socks from the 6 sox knitalong in Lorna's Laces. Yes, they're loud. I like them. These are the socks I'm doing for the CABLE ALONG. Have you signed up yet????



And finally, a progress shot of the scarf I'm making for my brother. It's the Lion Brand Landscapes yarn, which is pretty darn cool. Pattern at Sheep In the City, found via Creazativity.
This is a great pattern that produces a really spiffy effect!

Anyway, I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend!

I think I have a cold.

That cruddy runny nose, cough, burning eyes achiness is going around the law school and I think I got it yesterday. YAY NYQUIL! I feel decent today and am about to take some DayQuil to get me through.

I turned the heel on the striped mansock, which is cool. The Fluted Bannister pattern calls for an "eye of partridge" heel, as opposed to whatever the normal slip stitched heel is called. The heel feels HUGE for some reason... Maybe it'll look better when the sock is done. Maybe the heel IS huge since these are men's socks... I dunno.

Anyway, it's a gorgeous day here. We had an insane electical storm last night and the sky today is crisp and clear.

Pictures! Of a finished object, even!

So, here she is:

I really like it.
Details:
Biker Jaacket from Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed book.
Yarn: Katia CotoLan, 50/50 cotton/wool blend.
Needles: Addi Turbo Circs, size 6.

I think the yarn was a bit too drapey for this jacket. Ah well. I worked the sweater at a smaller gauge and am just so relieved that it fits. Whew!

Other pictures:


Current state of my scribble lace scarf (which Mom doesn't want) and my sox.

Mom has decided that she would like a Charlotte instead of either of the scarves I originally planned to give her. DARN! Charlotte was only my all time favorite project. I'm sure making another will be as much fun if not more so!

Anyway, I'm at knitting night now. YAY! Perhaps I'll post a photo later....

FINISHED!

I finished my sweater this weekend! Hurrah! The zipper was a pain in the kiester to install. Can I just say, THANK HEAVENS for BONNE-MARIE! The lovely ChicKnits TEKTalk archive is an incredible resource. I relied heavily on her Zipper installation write up. THANKS, Bonne-Marie!

I do not have photos... Couldn't get a decent one to save my soul. Perhaps tomorrow?

Anyway, the jacket fits perfectly through the waist and is really, really comfortable.

In not so knitty news, finals are fast approaching. At this point, I'm kind of excited. Ask me again in a week how I feel about it.

I think I'm going to be cutting back on knitting and therefore on posting over the next couple weeks. Sorry! But, I AM paying out of state tuition for the priviledge of this suffering, so work with me....

Ooh! Ooh! A cable-along!

YAY! M is hosting a cable along! Hurray! Don't tell anyone, but I'm thinking of splurging on some more DB Cashmerino to make myself a cabled sweater. Just what I need, right????

Nuthin but socks.

I am a sockaholic right now. I know, a picture is worth a thousand words. Unless you're on a dialup connection.

So, I joined the 6 Sox Knitalong a few... months?... ago. Button/link to the left. And this week, in my memo manic moment, cast on for 2 pairs- one of the "making waves" in my hot pink and yellow Lorna's Laces, and one of the "fluted bannister" in a manly-toned sockotta.

I was really nervous that, like my previous attempts with the loud loud Lorna's yarn, I would hate the result. My other try looked like TV static in neon colors- not good. I realized that working on size 2s or 3s was producing a fabric I really didn't like- LOVE the look produced by size 1s. The Making Waves pattern is also perfect for this yarn. It uses cabling to create a really wavy diagonal look- quite cool. Anyway, it breaks up the TV-static like appearance and gives the skinny stripes great character. (Note: I just tried to take a picture but the color defies capturing- it looks like neon TV static.) Trust me- these socks will be great.

Just realized- both M is doing cables, too... Must be something in the water. I hope it's not related to her recent spate of pregnant friends...

I am in luuuuuurv with the fluted bannister socks. I'm making them for the Texas beau. This pattern looks so cool when completed. It's really, really, really easy to memorize, too, which is great. I also love that I can tell exactly where I left off without much pain just by reading the stitches. (Dang, someone, somewhere in blogland had an AWESOME post on this way back when. I want to say it was Yarn Harlot, but I can't seem to find the post....) Basically, by looking at which way the stitches are positioned on the needle, I can tell which row I'm supposed to be doing. It's pretty cool! I'm totally not explaining this well! Point is, this is good knitting for me right now because I can put it down and pick it back up without a hassle, I don't need to carry a pattern with me, it's really easy to do while focusing on something else, and the result looks pretty dang spiffy.

Some sock thoughts.
WOW, I bought a set of Crystal Palace bamboo DPNs- 6" length and I LOVE them. I was using 7" or 8" Clover bamboo needles before. The Crystal Palace needles have nice pointy tips, which makes working stitches in this insanely small gauge rather pleasant. Also, the 6" length makes working the sock way easier as there is a lot less needle to push through the stitches- the needles just sit in my hands much more comfortably, and switching between needles is much easier.

Another thing... I don't know what happened, but I am not having issues with ladders forming at the DPN joins... I used to have MAJOR trouble with this, and I can't figure out what changed. I'd say it was the shorter needles, but I'm using the older longer ones on the Lorna's socks and there are no ladders.... Hmmmm.

Phew!

Done with the stinky memo. Now the last push through finals. Yikes.

I missed knit night last night, and what a night to miss! M got some buttons from a fellow knit groupie. The groupie's sister has one of the best jobs on earth- apparently she gets to go into fabulous old houses in and around Chicago scouring for cool fixtures. She then rescues the fixtures for resale. The sister also scored the buttons that were shared at knit night last night.

No zipper on the Biker Jacket yet. The LYS is going to charge me $60 to put one in, and the woman sounded unsure if she could even do it. WHATEVER! I'll do my own hack job for free rather than let them mess up my sweater. My family friend who used to own a yarn store is apparently retired from finishing as well as feeding knitting habits.

I've started another pair of socks, this time for the Texas Beau for Christmas. He liked my rainbow socks so much it was a little startling...

I'm also taking M's suggestion of hitting an LYS while I'm up in Santa Fe on Friday morning for a few more balls of DB Cashmerino for my cherry scarf.

Mom and I went to TJ Maxx today and she bought me two killer sweaters. Alas, my birthday is in a few weeks so the sweaters are languishing in her closet until then. One is an offwhite fitted zippered cardigan with really, really cool flared cuffs. The other is my favorite- a blood red 100% cashmere cardigan with an asymetrical zipper. It is way cute, and VERY CUDDLY. I think I will live in this sweater.

Anyway, I am obviously feeling a bit more like my self now that this blasted memo is done. YAY!

Crap.

I only bought 2 balls of the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino for my scarf. 200 yards should do it, right?

WRONGO. I can tell you right now it ain't gonna be enough, and now my LYS is out of that color. CRAPOLA! I may have to frog and make something else out of the 2 balls I have... Dang dang dang.

Memo still sucks. Misery will be over at 5:00 Wednesday when the @#@%&$ is due.

Tee hee! Fun with Google and Statcounter...

I love Google.
I use StatCounter.com to track site stats and stuff. Great site.

Anyway, apparently my little rant about Christmas decorations emerging too early makes my blog the #1 Google hit for "outrageous christmas decor albuquerque."

My last post got me thinking about all my knitting failures. I knit 2 different socks that were both SO BAD that I ended up just throwing them away. I think I have learned a TON by jumping in to projects that are way over my head, muddling through, and then destroying the evidence. :-)

Anyway, freaking out about the memo. Catch me in a couple days and hopefully I'll be a tad more sane.

Miscellany

I finished the biker jacket! It is blocking as I speak! The only thing left to do is find someone to install a zipper...

I know I probably should have blocked all the pieces before I sewed them up, but I was so excited! I also felt relieved that I didn't have to face all that seaming- once I sewed on the last cuff, I was essentially done. Pre-blocking, it fit almost perfectly. The neck seems a little wide, which looks kinda strange with the moss stitch band, but oh well.

I really like seaming. On this sweater, I learned mattress stitch- stitch to stitch, row to row, stitch to row. I also had the challenge of seaming moss stitch trim to much smaller gauged stockinette stitch... Interesting.

Dragging this thing out of the washer (I spun it dry, didn't actually WASH it) was interesting, too. The wet fabric felt really delicate and stretchy- I hope it isn't too deformed! The yarn is Katia Cotolan, a 50/50 wool/cotton blend. I can't wait to see what it looks like when it dries. In hindisght, this yarn produced a fabric that is probably a bit drapey for the pattern. As a jacket, it should be somewhat sturdy and stiff, especially since the neckband is supposed to stand straight up. My version is much softer and really cuddly. I'm dying to see how the final product looks....

While this is my first COMPLETED sweater, this is not my first attempt. When I first started knitting, I decided to knit a sweater right off the bat. I picked a simple cardigan pattern, the cheapest Red Heart tweed yarn I could find, and off I went. Boy, was that an education.

First off, I had somehow started knitting through the back loop every stitch, twisting the stitches and making a much firmer fabric than intended. I also had a death grip on the yarn, leading to uber-tight gauge. I got through the back and I think one front before I was so disgusted I just gave up and threw it away.

Anyway, I'll post pictures of the utlimate finished zippered sweater as soon as it is totally complete- hopefully in a week or two.

Legal Memo. Sigh.

So, I'm in the middle of my first open research memo. I think my outline is pretty good. Actually, for the first issue, it's way too detailed. But I don't have a great grasp yet on what's important and what I can ditch. I need to just start writing now so I can get past the initial writer's block and get cranking. Once I have something on the page, I'll feel a lot better about it.

UPDATE: Only 6 hours later and I have a 12 page draft. WOOHOO! Having a really, really detailed outline helps me write relatively quickly. There was still some last minute research and futzing with organization, but the outline allowed me to more or less hunker down and write. I highly recommend writing a detailed outline that puts your thoughts in the right order.
For the record, I also spent about 45 minutes making dinner, and about 45 minutes on the phone to a friend. Not that you should care, but for some reason half an our per page seems kind of lame to me, so I'm fudging my numbers. So there.

Photos... At last!

Yay! Photos!



First, angora babie booties. I think these are just adorable. They're for a prego friend in Austin who is having a girl. They look kinda deformed- will try to correct that before shipping them off... I only have 2 babies to knit for- I hope I don't face a deluge like poor M, who has had 5 friends in 4 weeks announce their prenancies....

Second, the FO! My Squiggle scarf- love love love it. The colors here seem pretty accurate....

Third, the jacket with waistband. I need to finish up the neckband and cuffs, then sew snaps on the band points and get that zipper installed. Almost there... Don't know what the heck is going on in this photo- the color and definition are bad bad bad. Oh well.

Finally, no picture, but I started the cherry scarf. I won't bother posting photos because it's just a white garter stitch rectangle- how boring is that? I will say, however, that I luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurv the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. It feels wonderful in my hands- very very soft and a little squooshy. It also has a slight sheen to it- the knit fabric is really nice. I will definitely want to use this again and again and again and again.

In other news, some fellow law students (including one who came to knit night!!!) and I are going to Amerasia for a dim sum lunch. I do love dim sum, and I do love Amerasia.

After Amerasia, I need to get back to healthy body patterns. I've gained 4 pounds since August. Not appalling, but not a good trend. I had lost almost 30 and want to get down to about 150, 155. This is by no means a supermodel weight, but it is 10 pounds smaller than I was in high school. That means, as of today, I have 14-19 pounds to go. I can so do this! I know South Beach is a way of eating that is healthy and that I can do- it's really enjoyable, actually. And it works for me. I also need to start working out again. Good stress relief. Plus, after my knee surgery in 2000, I need the leg strength if I want to ski this winter, which I DO! I DO! So, my goal is to eat South Beach style both days this weekend, and to get in at least 30 minutes of cardio.

I also need to get cracking on my open research memo, due Weds. I have some good cases and a few more to read. I think I'm almost ready to start drafting. I cannot allow myself to sit down and knit during the day- must save it for a reward for the work I need to get done!

Um... I bought more yarn yesterday.

Yep, a little consolation stash enhancement.

I decided that 1 ball of the squiggle and oceana whatever stuff was enough for my scarf, so I returned the second balls of each for a $20 credit. With that credit, and some minor additional cash outlay, I bought 2 balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in off-white to make a cherry scarf for ME and 2 balls of pink Belangor Angora to make the Angora babie booties from "Last Minute Knitted Gifts." The booties are freakin adroable. I'm also making a bonnet with bunny ears attached lined with the pink angora. That's my plan, anyway.
So, 2 balls of cashmerino and 2 balls of Belangor, minus a $20 credit. Not TOO bad, considering that it was the day after the election. I didn't even eat everything in sight, either. So there.

I finished the waist band for my Biker Jacket while watching election returns and am about to cast on for the neck band.

I do have a real, legitimate FO, though- I finished the Squiggle scarf last night!!! I need to pick the wormies out of the knit fabric and weave in ends... Plan to wear it tomorrow.

Yes, I recognize that I am now WAY past due on some photos... Perhaps tomorrow?

And now for an off-topic rant.

WHY, oh WHY is Christmas stuff up already? It's hardly past Halloween! I am offended that eBay has already broken out the Christmas decor. I am offended that Starbucks has already started with the holiday cups and the Peppermint Lattes. (Which I LOVE, for the record).

Christmas, in my mind, is wonderful because it is over the top and outrageous. Decoration, food, cheer, magic... All good things. But these things are special because they occur for 3 weeks of the year in December. Starting Christmas in mid-October makes the whole affair tiresome and boring.

So bah humbug!

Yikes...

There are LOTS of 1Ls or others looking for information about how to write a legal memo. More people, at any rate, than are interested in knitting. Sigh.

All of you people looking for memo writing tips- SORRY! You will probably be very disappointed by what I have to say on the topic. In case you haven't noticed, this is primarily a knitting blog.

Anyway, knit night tonight was good.

I am now nervously watching election returns while pretending to research for my... legal memo!

A very knitty patriot...

I voted this morning. I wore my Charlotte around my neck as a big scarf and took the waistband of my biker jacket with me and knit for an hour and some change in line. I got LOTS of comments, all positive. The guy behind me was convinced he could sell Charlotte's for $500 each... Um, not so sure. But it was nice to get such positive reinforcement!

HAVE YOU VOTED YET? If not, WHY ARE YOU READING THIS??? GO VOTE!

Knit night is tonight for all you Albuquerque knitters...
Tuesday Nights
Winnings Coffee Shop
111 Harvard SE (across from the University of Central)
5:30 - 7 ish.

Not a stitch.

No knitting. Zip. Zilch. Zero.

BUT, I did get an e-mail about my memo post from a fellow 1L- GOOD LUCK on your paternity memo due today!

I have FINALLY started the research for my open memo, and the @#$($*@^ Westlaw printer keeps jamming. I think I'm going to give up for the day and head home. I have plenty of cases to read as it is.

Had a wonderful weekend with the Austin guy. Kinda confusing, actually. He was amazing- he is REALLY WORKING on all the things I pointed out as bothering me about the relationship, which is great! But he's there, I'm here... He is looking for jobs here, but so far it's not looking good. I guess we'll just see how it goes. Looks like the next visit will be over Christmas, as Thanksgiving is right before finals and is therefore a bad idea. At any rate, it was great to see him and it felt really good to be able to talk about things.