More food, More fiber, More fun!

Go check out Meg's pictures!

Now, where was I? Oh yes. Hike. Ouch. Hips are stiff. In a good way.

So after our little hike, we piled in the car and headed home, or so the Germans would have us believe!

On the way back, P made a suprise detour and took us to the Victory Ranch Alpaca and Llama Farm! Did I mention that P is wonderful?

So, pictures of cute furry animals:







And here's what I bought:


From Left to Right:

• Some red and slightly purple roving with SPARKLES! From Taos Sunflower. Love this stuff!
  
• Crocheted alpaca gloves from Victory Ranch. So cool and vintage looking!
  
• Opal Zebra sock yarn from Taos Sunflower. Wheee! More socks!
  
• Some fabulously soft alpaca singles from Victory Ranch in icy blue. LOVE it. So. Soft. Can't stop petting it.
  

Yes, it was a FABULOUS weekend.

Good Food, Good Fiber, Good Fun!

Or, My Labor Day Weekend With A Yarn Addict and the Man Who Loves Her

P and Meg kindly invited me to join them on a little north country adventure this weekend: a night of camping north of Taos. It was FABULOUS.

We left Albaturkey at 8:30ish and drove straight to Taos Sunflower, my new favorite yarn store. P is a good man, let me tell you. It was his idea!!! This is a great store- tons of fabulous yarns, tons of fabulous colors, all CLEARLY PRICED and DISPLAYED SO YOU COULD SEE EVERYTHING. Novel concept, I know, but IT WORKS. Wonderful little store! Pictures of my acquisition later...

Then we drove to a super secret campground that was mostly deserted, except for our middle aged frat boy neighbors, who blessedly passed out fast. The view from our camp site:


Yes, we were camped on the edge of the Rio Grande Gorge. Spectacular.







We had a mellow afternoon of reading, knitting, and a little walking. It was fab.

The Chef P flexed his culinary muscles and cooked up an amazing dinner of chicken fajitas. MMMMMMMMMMMMM. I don't cook this well in my fully stocked kitchen, people!

Then we made s'mores over the campfire. Turns out Meg and I have something in common: we're both scorchers. Stick that smallow in the fire and let it burn, baby!!!! We like our marshmallows charred and crispy



I have a great shot of P munching on a smore, but I want to get permisison before posting it here.

Sunday morning we got up and hiked down to the river and back. A wee bit more athletic than I normally partake of, but mostly enjoyable nonethless.


That's all I have time for now. Tomorrow: Part 2 of Food, Fiber, Fun! and stash enhancement!

On No! No state fair knitting for me!!!

Crapola! I completely forgot to get my Charlotte over to the New Mexico State Fair today, and I'm going camping with

What a beautiful world?

I don't get very political here, mostly because I don't have the fire that a lot of my more passionate friends have. But I have to say that I am so sad about what's happening in our world right now.

The stampede in Iraq is heartbreaking. It is so sad that people are living in such a constant state of fear that rumors alone caused over 900 people to die in a horrible, horrible way.

And the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is appalling. I'm sure no one anticipated how bad things would get. I'm worried about the people in the southeast, the people in New Orleans, the people who have been displaced. I'm worried about gas prices and our fragile economy. Mostly I'm just sad that things have devolved to such misery and violence in New Orleans. My heart goes out to the people who have been affected. Not that it matters much in terms of dollars or food or sanitation, but I'm sorry nonetheless.

Thanks for bearing with me. Will hopefully be more upbeat tomorrow. It's amazing how contributing at all helps feel better. Here's where I chose to give- hope you feel inspired to do so, too, even if it's just $5.

Perfect School Year Knitting

I've found it. Perfect School Year Knitting.

To qualify, the project must be:

• Easy Peasy. Plain garter or stockinette preferred, since I will be "reading" for class while working on the project.
  
• Smooth yarn. Nothing snaggy.
  
• Not totally boring- an increase or decrease every few rows is ok.
  
• Yummy yarn.

I started the Hourglass Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, and I love it. The pattern is sooooo simple. Perfect for reading Civ Pro II, Art Law, or Evidence/Trial Practice. Not so perfect for Constitutional Law, which, as it turns out, is pretty complicated, and the book uses really small single spaced text. And packs in LOTS of stuff that I need to take notes on. Oh well.

Yeah. And the Pakucho cotton? Fab. Fab. Fab. I hope I don't run out. EEEEK!

knitting

Lexis and Westlaw- fabulous resources or miserable timewasters?

So, I'm a little busy this semester. Time is crunched. So I'm naturally cranky when, though no fault of my own, I have to waste 2 hours.

This week, I have to waste 2 hours. One hour in the form of Lexis Nexis training on how to select a law review topic (summary: this tab gets you to a database full of already published law review articles, and this other tab gets you to a database of all the news stories ever published.) SO NOT HELPFUL. And, I get to do it all over again with Westlaw on Thursday.

Really, not helpful. Total waste of time, since I (a) sat through 3 training sessions on each product 1L year in which we covered THE EXACT SAME TABS, and (2) have to leave work early to go these things which are scheduled over the lunch hour which means that, two days this week, I don't get to eat lunch. Did I mention cranky? Thought so.

Anyway, that's that. Maybe I can knit my way through Thursday's session.... Hmmmm....

IN OTHER NEWS....
The new job is fan-freaking-tastic. Love it. Want to marry it. It's gooooood. Lots and lots of work (do I see a theme emerging?) but challenging and fascinating work. YIPEEEEEEEEEEEE!

law

New Car! New Knitting! New New New!

I bought a car today! Well, put a deposit down on one. The owner is leaving town till Wednesday, when we will take it to my mechanic for a quick look see, then I will hand over a fistfull of cash and have a new car! It's a 2000 Toyota Corolla with low miles. Wheeee! Fuel efficient and reliable, BAYBEE. Very exciting.

I also cast on for the Hourglass Sweater in my Pakucho organic cotton from Elann.com. It was super cheap and I think it'll turn out really well. I acutally knit 3 swatches for this sweater- hopefully they were accurate!!!!! Hopefully I have enough yarn left after all the swatching to finish the sweater!!!!! No pictures because it's half an inch of off white- totally BORING.

Last week was a really overwhelming week at school. This week should be more of the same. Starting a new job, law review, and 17 credit hours worth of class. Yeah, overachieve much?

Good news is, I LOVE LAW SCHOOL. Every single class I'm taking is riveting, the professors are almost uniformly fabulous (one is slightly nuts, so here's hoping there are more good days than bad....)

Also pondering the Mr. C. situation. Amazing how my feelings fluctuate. Although, they always seem to settle in the same basic place. That's all I have to say about that for now.

Lah de dah. Lah de dah!

Howdy. I'm procrastinating. I did end up dropping that one class, and have 20 minutes until I go sit in on another class I'm thinking about adding. I haven't had good experiences with the professor, so I'm curious to see how this goes. Want to scope it out before committing to misery, if you know what I mean.

So. 20 minutes. Definitely not long enough to get started on my law review work! I mean, there's just no point in dragging it out now, only to pack it up again in 19 minutes. Right? RIGHT?!?!?!?!

Not very interesting today, but pictures!!!!!

Knit night was great, but I was nuked. I am loving both of my scarves. (Oh yeah- I started a couple scarves! Aren't you glad I keep you in the loop?)

First up is my spiral scarf. Pattern from Scarf Style, yarn is Misti Alpaca worsted in a fabby plum color.


Next up is the random impulse yarn I bought with the fabby plum alpaca. Just 17 stitches across on size 17 needles, garter all the way. Just what I need right now actually- brainless.



The yarn is a brown slubby (cotton?) strand, a sparkly variegated strand, and a strand of rainbow and gold eyelash. I LURV it. Meg and I discussed- turns out the BROWN background makes it cool, while black would have made it cheesy. Meg is on to something with this brown thing, I tell ya.

Meg and I both showed up at Knit Night in our Oranginas and NEITHER ONE OF US TOOK A PICTURE! I even had my camera! Bad blogger, bad!

Oh well.

Today was a loooong day. Very intense. But in a good way! I may end up dropping a class. I have extra credits stocked up from my elective last semester, and dropping this class still leaves me with an incredibly responsible 15 credits this semester, and a MUCH greater shot at not having a nervous breakdown before fall break. Hm. Certainly sounds like the reasonable thing to do, especially since I'm not really interested in this course's subject matter.... Why am I having such a rough time with the decision?!?!?!

Mmmm. Yarn.

WHEW! Super busy day. It feels good to be back in school, but I'm already overwhelmed. In an attempt to alleviate some stress, I'm going to talk about.... YARN!


I spent some time and some money in Hill Country Weavers, Austin's primary yarn store.

First and foremost, the stash enhancement:

2 skeins of Cascade 220 in red, destined to become a ribbed beanie for Mr. C, a la Team Zissou, and 2 skeins of Koigu, to replace my Koigu socks, see Sunday's post.

I only bought things I couldn't get at Village Wools.

When I first started knitting, I didn't like Hill Country Weavers. I have since revised my opinion. This is one of the best yarn stores I've been to. It's small, but they have a TON of crack, oops! I mean yarn. All the fabulous names, all the fabulous colors, and tons of things you've never heard of before. It's in a fabulous little house with fabulous landscaping, the staff is pretty darned good (a little overwhelmed by all the new inventory, and you might need to ASK for help, but generally nice). All in all, FABULOUS! I could wander around this place of hours, fondling yarn and dreaming up new projects. Oh wait- I do that EVERY TIME I go there!!!!

knitting

Consolation Koigu

My SockaPalTwoZa plans have been foiled. I ripped and restarted the mermaid socks twice, each time majorly increasing the number of stitches, and they were STILL too small. Since we're approaching the deadline and I start law school again tomorrow, I have made an executive decision.

My sock pal has exactly the same size feet as me. She loves variegated yarn. I have never worn the pair of koigu toe-up socks I made this summer. I love these socks DEARLY. But the right thing to do is to share the koigu goodness with my sock pal and know that she will treasure them as much as I will. Besides, I think anyone would rather have plain koigu socks that are a wee bit too big than a pair of cotton mermaid socks that you can't get on your feet. That's totally a no brainer.

So here they are, my finished sock pal socks:


The colors are much richer and warmer in person- browns, pinks, sagey greens, and some lilac. They really are gorgeous.

I made the decision to send along my koigu sweethearts while I was in Austin, so I hightailed it over to Hill Country Weavers and bought myself some consolation Koigu, to make another pair for me:



All is not lost! I just have knit myself a pair of plain toe up socks with picot trim!!!

knititng

What a week.

I am back in the land of enchantment- hallelujah for dry heat! This is the first time in a WEEK that I don't feel all sweaty and gross. I was driving around in Mr. C's 1980s Jeep Scrambler without any form of air conditioning- thought I was going to die. I knew it was time to get out of the car for air conditioning and a cold drink when I caught myself saying, out loud, my my best Scarlett O'Hara voice, "Ah am uhf thuh upinion thayat it ius the unique cahmbinaytion of heat and huooomiditie thayat maykes suhthuhn wehmun so dayum crayzy."

Yeah. Heat stroke? That would be me!!!!

Five days in Texas and my southern drawal is back with a vengeance, even when not whining about the humidity. I have to remind my family that I spent 4 years in Virginia and 4 years in Texas... Ya'll is a permanent fixture in my vocabulary and no, it is NOT hilarious when I say it.

It is so hard to have one foot in one town and the other foot in another. I love Austin, I love my friends there, but I don't live there anymore. I love New Mexico, I love my friends here, and I'm glad to be near my family, but I may not live here after law school. There are things to love about both towns, and things to hate about both towns. Right now, New Mexico wins on climate alone, but maybe that will pass.

Um, probably not.

I was struck by how similar Albuquerque and Austin are. Both towns have great old neighborhoods tucked behind fairly ugly and generic business/industrial streets lined with strip malls. Both towns have lots of building, both in town and sprawling on the outside, which means cool local establishments are getting razed and replaced by Starbucks.

It's hard to drop in to town and have meaningful interactions with old friends. It's all catching up. My life has changed dramatically, but each of them is doing pretty much the same old same old. Makes it hard to have a real conversation because we don't share the same day to day background information any more. I LOVED just hanging out, but it's not easy when you're just dropping in for a quick hello once every 6 months.

Again, I am starting school in the midst of turmoil. Last year, I had moved and left my friends and had JUST broken up with Mr. C. This year, Mr. C. has JUST quit his NM job and, as of Thursday, is temporarily(?) back in Texas. I'm trying to be ok with it. Right now I am. Thursday night I. was. NOT. ok. with. it. Ask me again tomorrow. He says he'll be looking for a job here, and I need to decide if I'm ok with our relationship if he gets a job in Austin. Because really, our future together probably hinges on that question.

I had some great realizations about myself this week in relation to Mr. C. If he is the one, then I have to stop saying things like, "Well, we haven't broken up YET," and, "We'll see if he stays in New Mexico." If he's the one, then we BOTH have to commit to making it work, and compromise generally means that neither party gets everything they want. I can't do the self-protective it's-all-in-his-hands bit anymore- I have to take an active role in the relationship and take ownership of how I feel.

This all sounds really heavy, but it was a really uplifting insight.

Anyway, school starts Monday. As in 36 hours from now. Yikes. I still have to read the Blue Book for law review- basically 250 pages of how to cite legal sources. Riveting, I tell ya. Absolutley riveting.

A little humid.

Good Lord,it is humid in Texas. Felt good for the first few minutes, now I'm just tired of being sticky. Ah well.

I'm driving Mr. C's 1981 Jeep Scrambler this week. THAT'S an adventure, let me tell you. Makes me appreciate the luxury mobile that was Helga. Speaking of which, still haven't bought another car. Must get on that.

I brought two travel knitting projects, both scarves. One is a simple garter stitch on size 19s. The yarn is brown slubby yarn with rainbow and gold sparse eyelash. I really like the way this is turning out! The other is a corkscrew spiral scarf from Scarf Style in my plum Misti Alpaca. Divine.

Meg, if you're still working on your scarf, we should do a compare and contrast when I get back. This pattern isn't quite what I thought it was going to be, and doing a side by side with yours might be interesting.....

Adios, Amigos. I'm off to eat more TexMex. Ooh, or maybe BBQ.

A couple of WOW days

I spent Thursday and Friday at an Art Law CLE in Santa Fe. It was a fascinating conference.

Speakers shared their knowledge about art world scandals, gossip, lawsuits, and personalities, as well as personal collecting preferences. I learned a ton. Most of the attorneys present started off as corporate litigators and eventually quasi-retired to do art-related cases. Most of the attendees were attorneys, but there were also gallery owners, art appraisers, and auction house people. I think I was the only law student.

Art law is basically a hybrid of business law (contracts, negotiation) and intellectual property law (copyright, trademark, licensing), with the added bonus of dealing with a very creative and eclectic group of people. I was particularly interested in the talks on how digitalization/the internet is/will affect the art world- this is an area ripe for development in the next several years.

The CLE was fantastic from a law student's point of view because I got to see a bunch of people doing wildly different things in very different environments. Kinda makes me want to move to New York and work for one of the big auction houses. Or Seattle to work for Corbis- they are doing some REALLY interesting things with licensing of art and personalities. Very very cool.

Anyway, it was a very stimulating couple of days!

I'm going to be in Austin, TX, all this week, so posting may be light.

Pictures!

So, here is a lovely headless shot of the Ice Cardigan:


Pattern: Ice from Rowan 27, Cardigan Version
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Eease, under 5 balls
Needles: Size 8 Crystal Palace Bamboo (that have seen better days)
Changes: Lengthened the body (glad I did! look how short it is!) and shortened the sleeves.

Verdict? I like it!

I decided it was time to start the hourglass sweater, so I got out a skien of Pakucho and started winding.

You know a project is cursed when it looks like this within the first 2 minutes:


knitting

Good times in knit land.

Yeah, yeah, no pictures yet. But there are some mighty hilarious things going on in the world of knitting.

Last night's knit night was a blast. We had a good group of old timers and we had pretty much taken over our usual corner of the coffee shop. All 15 or so of us hot young things were chatting it up and having a jolly good time. There was a sudden lull in coversation and poor S continued on quoting the portion of a popular rock song that goes, "my *#$& is bigger than your @*#$" (for those not present, *@#$ is a part of the male anatomy that rhymes with kick...). The man next to us got up and left, mumbling that something about needing a cigarette. Priceless.
THEN, when he came back, we were all talking about Bush/Kerry bumper stickers. Well, with all the bush euphemisms, you know how that ended. Poor guy will never think of knitters the same way.

Then there was the poor Yarn Harlot's post from yesterday. I cried while reading it, I was laughing so hard, then I dreamt about it last night.

Let's hope I don't dream about THIS tonight. P is obviously deeply in love with this woman as he KNEW the pictures would end up on the web... That's a good man.

Maybe I can get C to model the Ice cardigan....

knitting

Finish finish finish

I finished the Ice cardigan! It's cute, but I'm not sure how much I'll use it. Glad it's done, though! I have pictures and will hopefully load them tonight.

I also finished Harry Potter last night. This one was really good- enjoyed it immensely. I think Rowling did a great job of telling a wonderful story AND of setting up the next book (which should be the last?)

So, in right around a week I finished Orangina and Ice, AND Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter.

I am exhausted. I know I can't sleep in on Saturday, but I've got my fingers crossed for Sunday...

la de da de da

You know what is a baaaad idea? Running over a giagantic power cord that is plugged in to an electric lawn mower with said electric lawn mower. Just thought I'd share.

Actually, it wasn't that bad. I'm fine, the mower is fine, and the cord is shot. But it's definitely on my "don't do that again, stupid" list.

I'm ALMOST finished with the Ice cardigan I started waaaay back in early May. I finished the body by early June but haven't touched it since. After Orangina, worsted weight yarn on size 8 neeedles FLIES! I've got half a sleeve to go, then button bands. So... Close... I want to finish it this weekend...

The SockaPalTwoZa Mermaid Socks are coming along really well. I had to rip because they just weren't big enough around, but now I have 3" of the leg done. I LOVE the way they're turning out.

Other than that, my house-sitting gig ends today! That's IT.

knitting

I DID sell Helga!

YAY! For more than yesterday's guy offered! YAY! And I have the cash, he has the car, so it's final! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!

Nevermind

Nevermind about THIS- the buyer backed out. But there's hope- 3 people coming to see it today and tomorrow...

Congratulations, Meg!

Our own MEG has published her first pattern! Check it out, then visit Meg and congratulate her!!!

knitting

A moment of silence...

I just sold my Helga.



Helga, thanks for the good times, the bad times, and everything in between!

AND, this is my 200th post! WOOHOO!

Confessions of a Yarn Hoarder

Ok, there's just TOO MUCH for me to take pictures of all the yarn I've bought this summer. But I need to confess and get it off my chest.

In no particular order, since May 1 I have bought (ignoring books, needles, notions, spindles, or fiber... just YARN):

• 4 skeins of Knitterly Things Vesper Sock Yarn from KnitPixie, one each of aqua melon, sweetwater, algae, and knit and tonic colorways. Destined to become socks. (DUH!)
  
  
• 1 skein of Tilly Tomas Disco Lights in Bluebell, also from KnitPixie. Destined to become a spectacular scarf.
  
  
• 1 skein of a pink rayon thick/thin yarn with colored slubs from Textiles A Mano at the Fiber Arts Fiesta. Destined to become a scarf.
  
  
• 1 skein of a DK weight 50/50 wool silk yarn in variegated pinks/oranges/reds/yellows, also from Textiles A Mano at the Fiber Arts Fiesta. Destined to become the pashmina cowl out of Last Minute Knitted Gifts.
  
  
• 6 balls Rowan Cotton 4-Ply in White that has already become Orangina.
  
  
• 15 skeins of Pakucho Organic Cotton in Natural from elann.com. Destined to become the Hourglass Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.
  
  
• 14 skiens of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in off white from eBay. Destined to become a cardigan... I think. Maybe a pullover. I feel like I HAD a pattern in mind when I bought it, but now can't think...
  
  
• 4 skeins Misti Alpaca in a deep plummy color from Miriam's Well/Santa Fe School of Weaving. Destined to become Ruffles from Scarf Style.
  
  
• 1 skein of a random brown slubby yarn with rainbow eyelash, also from Miriam's Well. Not nearly as awful as it sounds. Destined to become a scarf.
  
  
• 4 balls of Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport, 2 white and 2 red, to make Norweigian mittens for my Mom (already in progress).
  
  
• 6 balls Lion Brand Cotton in process of becoming a cardigan.
  
  Is that all????
  
  EDITED TO ADD:
  
  
• 1/2 pound of gorgeous white pima cotton slubby stuff from Good Fibrations
  
  
• A whole lot of stuff at my Mom's yarny estate sale. I know I got a cone each of pale beige laceweight, very lightweight boucle in red, a bunch of tealish aranish weight tweed, a skein of tealish thaki donegal tweed, and maybe something else.
  
  

Holy crap, that's a lot of yarn.
knitting

Old School New Mexico Architecture

I love New Mexico. My Mom had an estate sale a few weekends ago in a stunning house right on Rio Grande. For those not from Albuquerque, Rio Grande is a magnigicent boulevard with extraordinarily pricey homes (think million pluss...)

The house was designed by famous New Mexico architect John Gaw Meem in 1937. The family will be restoring the house according to his original plans.



It's over 6500 square feet, adobe in the Territorial Style, on 10 acres just off the river.



While it needs some updating, it is spectacular. All the proportions are right. It's not too pretentious, but when you go inside, it all feels perfect. This is what you see when you go in the front door.



There's a formal dining room to the left, along with the kitchen and a large family room. To the right is a large living room, and a wing with 3 or 4 bedrooms. Straight ahead is a spectacular breezeway.



The tacky sliding glass doors will be replaced with French doors, as designated in the original plans. The light fixtures are original tin work- gorgeous. At one end of the breezeway is a fantastic example of a kiva fireplace.



And here's a close up of the details built in to the fireplace.



It was fabulous to be in this great old house for a day. I really enjoyed watching te people who "got" the house- they were awestruck. Pretty darn cool, if you ask me.

So bad

Just gave my end of summer notice at work. I am AWFUL at breaking up with jobs and boyfriends.

This has really been a phenomenal summer. I have the utmost respect for the firm I've worked at- these people are smart, kind, balanced, and professional. I'm coming away from this summer knowing (1) I can do this kind of work and (2) I'm really going to LIKE doing this kind of work. And I genuinely like every person in this office. Way better than how lots of other law students feel coming off their summer jobs.

Done with Orangina!!!!!

I'm done with Orangina!



Specs:
Pattern: Orangina by Stefanie Japel.
Yarn: Rowan Cotton 4 Ply, as the pattern called for. Used about 4.5 balls, which means I have a full ball to return to the yarn store for credit!
Modifications: None, really. Did the ribbing on size 2 needles instead of size 3. Other than that, knit as written.

Verdict: I love it! The picture is kinda crappy, but I like the way this shell fits. I even have it on over a tshirt in the picture (I was too lazy to run over to my Mom's to find a camisole...) The lace is open enough that a cami is necessary.

It's very form-fitting, which means (1) it will go well under a suit jacket, (2) it's less likely to roll at the neck because it's a little more stretched across the top than a looser version, and (3) there isn't lots of excess fabric floating around.

If I were to make this again, I'd go another 3 inches or so on the lace and cut back on the ribbing. This was a really well-written pattern!!!!

knitting

It's all about MEME!

I'm having trouble focusing at work today, so imagine my delight on getting tagged by MEG! I'm not tagging anyone, though. Cause I'm a party pooper.

10 years ago...
That was quite a summer. My parents seperated, I went to visit my then boyfriend for the Ring Dance at the Naval Academy (worst weekend of my life), spent the summer being a head counselor at Hummingbird Music Camp , my all time favorite place, and got ready to go to college in Virginia.

5 years ago...
this weekend I was moving to Austin, TX. A girlfriend from college was moving to Austin to be with her boyfriend, and I decided to join her. Good Lord, it was HOT. My Mom and baby brother drove with me, and we stopped at Carlsbad Caverns.

1 year ago...
I was about to start law school. I'd had an intense summer- moving, relationship drama, and was very, very nervous about starting school!

Yesterday...
I mowed the lawn, read the NY Times, knit, read, shopped (new bra- whee!), then met up with a friend for dinner with her family and then we saw Fantastic Four.

Today...
I found out I made law review! I am also having a really hard time focusing at work. I have a ton to do, but am not quite up to doing it.

Tomorrow...
is Knit Night! Hurrah! I get to model Orangina!

5 snacks I enjoy...
Fruit! Chocolate! Peanut Butter! Ice Cream! Potato chips and Albertson's Green Chile Dip (and, while I'm thinking about it, Kerby Queso... queso with guacamole)

5 bands/singers that I like...
Oh Lord. I am so out of the loop. They Might Be Giants, Barenaked Ladies (lets see what that does to my google status!), Aimee Mann, Beatles, and Carbon Leaf. There are lots of others, but I'm pretty out of touch with what the kids are listening to these days.

5 Things I would do with $100,000,000...
Pay off my Mom's house and buy houses for myself and my brothers. Buy a newer car. Donate lots of money, not sure exactly what causes. Probably quite a bit to NPR/PBS, maybe some arts foundations, the law school (public institution, not great budget situation), and maybe my college (though they have a larger endowment and don't need it quite as badly), medical research, possibly start a public policy institute to fix the health care situation in this country. Save/invest for retirement and my non-existent childrens' college funds. Have a fabulous round the world vacation, and take a year off to do it. Maybe expand vacation to include a trip to the moon.

5 locations I'd like to run away to...
England. France. Northern New Mexico. New York City. Safari in Africa. um, and Australia. That's 6, I know.

5 bad habits I have...
I bite my fingernails. If there is food near me, I will eat it. I forget that I usually get what I need if I just ask for it. I like people to think I'm smart/perfect, and don't like admitting that I'm wrong/I don't know. I am horrible at saving money- my expenses always seem to match my income.

5 things I like doing...
Knitting. Cooking. Talking with my Mom, girlfriends. Downhill skiing. Being with Mr. C, regardless of what we end up doing.

5 things I would never wear....
Tube top, ultra low rise pants, leather pants, scrunchie, thong.

5 TV shows I like...
Antiques Roadshow, BBC America's What Not to Wear, Sex and the City, That 70s Show, Will and Grace, the A Team.

5 Movies I like....
Amelie, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Special Edition), When Harry Met Sally..., Bridget Jones's Diary (Collector's Edition), So I Married an Axe Murderer

5 famous people I'd like to meet...
Shakespeare, Bill Gates, Tom Hanks, Katharine Graham, Mabel Dodge Luhan.

5 biggest joys of the moment...
Knitting as a group sport, reading a good book, having a vacation to visit friends booked, knowing I'm doing well in school and laying a strong foundation for my professional future, and not *quite* being back in school yet.

5 favorite toys...
Knitting needles and yarn, skis, eBay, my hand-carved wood cribbage set that was an anniversary gift from Mr. C, and Scooter the cat.

BUSY busy busy

Slammed at work, so this will have to be quick.

1. Finished Orangina. YAY! It fits! Photo shoot tomorrow.
2. Bought yarn this weekend. YAY! Meg and I went to Needle's Eye and Miriam's Well/Santa Fe School of Weaving in Santa Fe. Really liked Miriam's well- but nothing was priced, which was irritating. Attention New Mexico Knitters: Needle's Eye has a TON of Koigu....
3. I made Law Review! Whee! I'm going to be swamped this semester! Ack!

COOL! Stitch n Pitch!

I want to live in Seattle! Apparently last night was "Stitch n Pitch", a knitter's night out at the ball park. HOW FREAKING COOL! Thanks to Rose Kim Knits for sharing!

Meg,, it's time to knit in public here in Albuquerque! Boldly go where no knitter has gone before!

knitting

Well no wonder!

Did you know that Starbucks makes their mochas with HALF AND HALF? No wonder they taste so rich. No wonder America is obese.

The woman behind me this morning ordered a grande half and half latte- why would anyone want to drink 14 ounces of half and half? Yikes.

WHEW!

I love it when things are busy at work. I do way better with time management when there just isn't any time to waste. Today started off a little slow but by 9 I was slammed. It's now 10:00 at night and I'm just wrapping up. Took an hour break to eat around 6 and went back to it. Tomorrow is going to be crunched, too- have some stuff due at 5:00 tomorrow and it's a long way from done.

A couple things I have learned this summer:
1. NEVER, ever represent yourself. Hire an attorney. For the love of all that is holy.
2. Don't put your loved ones in nursing homes if you can possibly avoid it.
3. Don't blow off exercise! It's the key to sanity. Especially when you've been on your kiester working for 13 hours in a single day. And eat some fresh vegetables!

law

Fabulous New Mexico Restaurants!!!

I've had some great meals recently and wanted to share with you!

We went to the ORIGINAL Range Cafe in Bernalillo the other night. The Range has recently opened restaurants in Albuquerque, but the branch locations are just plain awful. That's all there is to it. The original, however, if fanfreakingtastic. I had the spinach salad topped with chile-rubbed shrimp, jicama, and red bell peppers with apple vinaigrette. It was a great mixture of flavors and textures. Mom and C each had the fajita chicken enchiladas, which looked really good. I can't stress this enough people: avoid the in town locations and make the drive to Bernalillo- it is SO WORTH YOUR TIME.

C and I had a date on Friday and we went to the Turtle Mountain Brewing Company in Rio Rancho. Warning: they do not have air conditioning. You know what? I didn't care. It was phenomenal. Best pizza I have ever eaten. Their crust is really thin and crispy, and everything has SUCH great flavor! I had the El Capitan, which had fresh zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions. Wowza. The beer was great, too. I had the Left Coast Pale Ale, which was great. Fruity, a little bitter, really nice. We will DEFINITELY be going back out to Rio Rancho for another meal here.

Finally, the BEST sushi in Albuquerque isn't in Albuquerque at all- it's past Turtle Mountain Brewing Co at Noda's. Oh my GOSH. The fish is amazingly fresh, the preparation is both traditional and incredibly innovative, and the flavors! I should write an ode to Noda's. There is nothing I can say that will do this place justice. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Meg, when do you want to go back?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

food

Good spinning books

I ordered two books from amazon.com and they are both great resources.

Spin It: Making Yarn from Scratch is great. I've only read the first 3 pages because there is so much information there. The pictures are great and the instructions are helpful. I sometimes feel like the author is using terminology in an "insider" kind of way, but it's easy enough to figure out what she's talking about. I think this is a great intro to spinning book.

A Handspindle Treasury: Collected Works from the Save the Sheep Exhibit also looks really, really good. Again, good pictures, interesting articles, a treasure trove of information!

knitting

Knitting Book Haul

I may have mentioned that I got some knitting books recently.

I splurged on eBay and treated myself to a copy of <Alice Starmore's Book of Fair Isle Knitting. Wow. This is going to take some time to digest. There's fabulous, fabulous material in here- history, motifs, charts, how to choose color, and several patterns. I'm so excited!!!!!

Since I'm recently obsessed with fair isle, I also bought Nanette Blanchard's book called Stranded Color Knitting. This is a great primer on how to work with more than one color. I can see myself relying on this as a quick and dirty reference as I learn more about stranded knitting. A bonus is that all proceeds go to charity- Four Corners Bunnies. How CUTE!!!!

When Mom was in Seattle a couple weeks ago, she brought me a copy of Traditional Scandinavian Knitting. This is another really dense book. It contains lots of background on the development of various knitting techniques including two-ended knitting, two color fair isle, and information about the patterns and motifs that appear in pieces from the area surrounding the Baltic. There are charts, too, which is pretty cool.

knitting

Are flowers appropriate?

My Dearest, Sweetest Helga,

I am so sorry to have slandered your name all over the internet yesterday. I have just discovered that your ailment was caused by my neglect of the level of gas in your tank. Please accept my most humble apology and rest assured that I will not be so careless in the future. In my defense, you have apparently decided recently that you will become empty when your gauge reads 1/8 tank, you gave me over 75 fewer miles than a normal tank, and I am saddened that you didn't communicate your needs by flashing an empty light.

I remain your faithful and humble servant,

Embarrassed Goofball.

(Editor's note: anybody wanna buy an apparently mechanically sound car? first $3500 takes it.)
(By the way, I am horrified at how stupid this whole thing is. I have never run out of gas before and I feel so dumb for yesterday's post. DOH!!!!!)

Major Enabling Going On

Meg and I had a yarny expedition today- we met up for Dim Sum at Ming Dynasty (pretty good, but not Amerasia!) and then headed east to Good Fibrations in the east mountains.



Since I'm a big dork, I got a picture of Meg taking the above picture from a different angle- simublogging!!!



Nice little yarn shop! Colors were a bit weird, and there just wasn't much that screamed "YOU MUST HAVE ME NOW!!!!!" Never the less, I brought home this:



Half a pound of gorgeous pima cotton slub yarn. It's soooooooooooooooooooo soft. And was only $12. Not bad.

Good thing I was somewhat frugal, because I think my Helga* is dead. I had been sticking up for her when others were critical because she had never stranded me before. But today, she turned on me. Fortunatly Meg stayed around and was able to give me a ride home. THANKS, BABE! Helga, the traitor, stalled out and just couldn't get her diesel purr back. I'd show you a picture of Helga, but she's stranded in Four Hills right now and will be visiting my mechanic tomorrow.

Helga and I have had a troubled relationship- I was, shall we say, abusive when we first met, but I tried to make it up to her by purchasing every thing she needed- over $15,000 worth of work all told (over half of that was insurance when someone rear ended Helga and pushed her in to the car in front of us). And this is how she repays me! I give, and give, and give.... I'm at the point now where, if it costs more than $500 to fix, I'm not doing it. I will say goodbye to Helga and start a new life with something more appropriate for a student- I've got my eye on Lola- a Corolla. I think we can be very happy together....

*Helga is my 1984 dark silver Mercedes turbo station wagon with only 247,000 miles. I thought "Helga" implied old, large, grey, and German- a perfect name for an (im)perfect car?

knitting

Perspectives

Had a great mojito and even better conversation with a fellow law student Wednesday night. I really respect and admire this person. It was fun to talk about our summers, that we're both excited to see that we can in fact be successful at this law stuff, and our excitement at watching our new careers unfold over the next several years. Even though neither of us is "young" in the way most law students are, we're both giddy with excitement at the possibilities. It's pretty cool.

law

SPINNING! WHEEEE!

YAY, Spinning! I am addicted!!! I spent just a few minutes tonight practicing what Meg taught me at knit night last night (check out the pictures that HedgeBlog took!)

Anyway, I'm hooked. My stuff actually kinda sorta looks like yarn! This is what I was making when I first got the spindle and roving: Crap.



And now, it's yarn... Crap on top, yarn on bottom.




Here's my colored roving. It's all wool. The blue is pencil roving that I bought from eBay seller SplitRockRanch after reading THIS post:



And I have the really good 80% llama and 20% silk, but it's over at my Mom's house. It's just off white- not very exciting to look at right now, but should make spectacular yarn. When I'm ready.

knitting spinning

Yarn Diet? HAH!

Be still my heart.... I am in love with this sock yarn. But I will resist because I am drowning in sock yarn right now. But... it's beautiful...

knitting

Desperate Times...

So. It has come to this.

Meg and I discussed the possibility of a yarn diet last night. We both acknowledge that yarn accumulation has maybe gotten a little higher recently. (Speaking of which- yesterday was a very good mail day, if you know what I mean- I promise to post pictures of everything that has arrived at my house in the last week. Hehehe. It's a wee bit obscene, actually.)

To be PERFECTLY honest, the only reason I'm considering a yarn diet is so that I can go HOG FREAKING WILD at the Taos Wool Festival in October. I'll be a broke student by then and I should save my pennies now. Fat chance, but it's a nice thought.

Meg gave me a spinning tutorial last night and I feel like I improved 10 fold in the few minutes we worked together. Now, that's not saying much at all, but I think I'm hooked. Pictures eventually, I promise.

Now, I get to spend all day trying to understand the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act. WOOHOO! Good times.

knitting

Tricky Marketing....

I bought some of the new Olay Quench for extra dry skin last night. It's ok. The scent is a little strong (C asked if I had used a new lotion because the scent was so noticeable). The annoying thing is that the lotion has lots of itty bitty irridescent flakes. I don't look shiny or anything, but they're definitely there. And I'm a little peeved. If I wanted shimmery lotion, I would have bought shimmery lotion. None of the marketing materials mention anything about shimmer or shine or any thing else that would indicate to a normal person that the product would make me all irridescent! OH well. Just a little mid-afternoon holy-cow-it's-only-4:00 rant.

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.