A Bump in the Rear

This morning on my way to school, I was in stop and go traffic. At one point, I stopped but the car behind me didn't. Crunch! I got totally rear ended. Everyone was OK. And luckily, it was a pretty low speed hit. But I'm still going to need a new bumper. Not the best way to start the day.

Fortunately, we started Health Assessment class today. This one is all about examining the patient, taking a history, and trying to learn as much about them as possible. Much more fun than the theory class. In lab we covered hand washing and taking vital signs. My upper arm has what looks like hickeys from having my blood pressure taken about 20 times. Can't wait to get to injections!

I should explain that, in my program, we take 2 classes at a time for 5 weeks. Then, 2 new classes and so on. The 2 classes I'm in now are meant to get us ready to do clinical rotations starting in July. That's 1 month. Yowzah!!! That's pretty quick. Lots to learn before then. But today we started what I consider to be the fun stuff. We're actually doing medical practices instead of talking about it. WooHoo!!! This is what I've been waiting for. And it made up for the crappy start to the morning.

I promise I'll have some more knitting content this weekend. And thank you again for all the encouragement! It really helps a lot when I'm getting anxious or freaked out. You guys totally rule!

The First Day

I had 3 hours of Intro to Professional Nursing today. It rapidly became a question and answer session about what to expect this year. It made me a little more comfortable to know that lots of people were having the same fears I am. I also think this is one of the only "non-technical" classes and they're using it to give us a 5 week pep talk about what great nurses we're going to be. I'm not convinced yet. Maybe by July. Tomorrow starts Health Assessment I. Bring on the technical skills!

As much as I'm not in love with my first class, I am in love with getting out at noon 2 days a week. I got my oil changed, bought a bookshelf and 2 sets of extremely white scrubs. You do not know embarrassment until you're in the scrub store asking the lady to look at your butt and see if your underwear shows through. And when her answer is, "Well, they are white and they are going to be a little sheer," it doesn't really inspire confidence. Luckily, I was her only customer at the time. And I'm almost positive that this is the least of the embarrassing situations I'm about to face. I'll keep you posted. There was mention of a catheter today. I'm sure that'll be a million laughs!

Just so this isn't ALL about school...



Look! My Habu Kusha Kusha Scarf Kit!!! It's superfine merino in chocolate brown and silk wrapped stainless steel in eggplant. The colors came out a little dark in this photo. But, trust me, the combination is going to be lovely. I called the Church Mouse Yarns and Teas when I saw this kit on the Yarn Pirate's blog. I've been stalking this kit for a while and knowing exactly where to find it sent me running to my phone. They gladly sent one my way. Thanks, ladies! I love it!

BTW- BalletMommy, leave me your blog address. I love that you tagged me but I can't find you! And if I know who you are but I'm too bleary eyed to realize it, I'm sorry!

Last Day Off

I've been home for the last 5 days. And I'm definitely raring to get going tomorrow morning. As for today, I made a monster trip to the grocery store so I have everything I need to pack my lunch. I packed my backpack. And I picked out my outfit for my first day of school. What? You didn't do that each year before the first day???

With the important stuff out of the way, I'm doing laundry and enjoying one of these.



Yummy Mojito!

I just wanted to say a quick Thank You!!!! to all of our service people, past and present. You make this country safer and more free. I truly appreciate everything you do. And stay safe!!

All Clean and a Goals Update

Well, mostly clean. The bedroom is the only place I haven't gone through the contents and thoroughly scrubbed down the whole place. Cleaning is so satisfying. The house looks great! When I get to the bedroom, a new dresser will be purchased and all the clothes will be off the floor and put away. Yes, I live like a college kid in spite of being 8 years beyond that stage of life. Jillian over at sknitty bought one of these a while ago. I think I'll be a follower on this one. It's a tad bigger than my current (broken) dresser. I may have to get 2 as Brian doesn't have anywhere to but his clothes. Brian told me he doesn't need it but I'd love it if we could get everything organized.

It's so funny. I'm really nervous about school and I'm totally trying to control everything else. I keep telling myself that I'll feel better if I'm all organized. But I know I'll actually feel better when I start class on Tuesday. Even my skin is reacting! I'm seriously broken out. And I have wrinkles. I find the combination of my skin issues particularly annoying. Wrinkles or zits, OK? Not both. So unfair.

Needless to say, not much knitting is happening. Mostly I'm working on hats for Sheri's Q2 Loopy Challenge. I re-read the last Harry Potter book yesterday and today. I wanted to get it done before the new one comes out. And soon, any reading time will not be devoted to HP.

As for the Goals, there's not much to tell.

1. Thin for Thirty- I have a new plan. Once school starts, I'll be brown bagging it. I have no extra money to buy lunch every day. That's going to do a lot for my weight. I'm convinced not having Mexican food twice a week will really help. More fruit, veggies, yogurt, and a PB sandwich. That ought to do it. 30-35 pounds need to come off.

2. Knit from the stash- Well, there's no money for yarn either. And I may not have time for knitting. I'll pause while you regain your composure. Ready? OK... I have more than enough yarn to keep me busy for the next 5 years. I'm going to try not to buy yarn for the whole time I'm in school. That's 1 year. It's going to be hard. I won't be able to go here. Or here. Or even here. But I do think I can do it. After all, I went almost 27 years without buying yarn before I knew how to knit. And I'll go shopping in my stash. Isn't that why I have all this yarn? To knit it??? In the spirit of full disclosure, I have an outstanding custom order from the Yarn Pirate. But other than that, it's game on.

The rest of the goals are completed! Not too shabby for the end of May.

I also wanted to encourage you to visit my friend Emily's Etsy Shop. She makes the cutest baby burp cloths and hats. And her project pouches are too cute. Check it out!

So Much Dust

Seriously, when you don't dust for 6 months a LOT of dirt accumulates. I know this is an obvious statement. But seeing as how I spent all day cleaning the living room, I just thought I'd throw it out there. I went through an entire package of Pledge wipes on the bookshelves and DVD's. Phew! It was a lot of work but that house looks so much better already. I still have a ways to go. The kitchen in particular needs some lovin'. And my dresser has been broken for a least a year. I'm going to have to replace that pretty soon. It might just be me but I have an obsessive need to clean when I'm starting a new part of my life. In college I'd even procrastinate by cleaning my room.

I've really been enjoying getting back to reading the blogs and commenting more. You all have a lot going on. I also watched Pan's Labyrinth. So good. Not for kids as it's pretty violent. But really amazing and gorgeous fantasy film.

I also was lucky enough to score a couple great things last week.



Ashley made these awesome wristlets. As you can see, it matches my Heineken perfectly. It's the perfect size for going out and the wrist strap means never having to put down your drink. YAY!



Pam was doing a little destash because her car had some health issues. And I was lucky enough to score this Moss Seasilk. The color is perfect. (Are you picking up the green theme today?)

I also got some tea from TeaNoir. I'll be brewing Mojito for a big pitcher of iced tea this week. It's going to be pretty hot this weekend and I think this minty, limey blend will be just the ticket.

Self Absorbed

I feel like I should apologize for the self important nature of this blogger lately. I've been so busy, anxious, and stressed that my reading of other blogs and my frequency of commenting has somewhat diminished. Well, I'm unemployed as of today. My last check is in the bank. And there's beer in my hands. Yes, both of them! (Sale on Heineken at Safeway!)

And I cannot wait to read what's been going on in YOUR life lately!

Goals Update- Week 20

I has a lovely afternoon with my older sister and her husband. We had lunch outside and then went to look at houses. My sister is a lawyer at a fancy schmancy firm on the peninsula near Palo Alto. And she's looking at million dollar houses. I'm not saying this to impress you- quite the opposite. Her million dollar house is potentially a 2500 square foot condo. And, apparently, the $600,000 houses are places you really wouldn't want to live until you put a LOT of work in. California real estate is so ridiculous. We live in the East Bay and prices are a little better here. But it just baffles me. This nursing thing is going to help up move a little farther away from the immediate Bay Area. Maybe we'll be able to buy then. Sorry for the rant. But I grew up in the Midwest and my (semi) frugal nature won't allow me to buy a million dollar condo. That's just crazy.

My older sister and I don't always get along. Unlike my little sister and I, we aren't as close as I'd like. But today was lovely. She even bought me a career change present. Something that was totally unnecessary but very much appreciated. Hopefully with time, we'll get back to a better relationship.

Anyway.... Goals....

1. Thin for Thirty- UGH! To be honest, I'm not trying. And I really need to try.

2. Grad School- Classes start in 9 days. Squee!!!!! Can't wait. Books from amazon have shipped. I got a great deal on a sports watch with a timer. Things are lining up. My last day at work is Wednesday. I'm going to clean the house and throw/donate lots of stuff on Thursday and Friday. Long weekend. Then school!

3. Save Money- This one is getting dropped from the weekly updates. Since I get my last check this week, it's just not realistic anymore. I'm proud of what I've been able to save. And I'm in good shape for the next year. This hasn't ever been my strong suit. Brian's the saver, thank goodness! So I'm really happy with what I've been able to accomplish.

4. Knit from the Stash- There's going to be a relaunch here as well. I'm going to try to go the whole year I'm in school. I'm not sure it's realistic. But I certainly have enough yarn to keep me busy all year. With no money coming in, I have to really be smart about yarn buying. No $3 lattes and no yarn. I think it's doable. Besides, I have sock clubs coming every other month or so. That's almost like buying yarn. Or at least, that's what I'm telling myself.

That being said, I did manage to score a little more Yarn Pirate before the ban goes into effect.



Patience



Mermaid



And the much stalked Malamute. She's also taking special orders on 8 colors at her shop. Hey, if I can't buy it, you should!

Friday Baseball

That's the best I could do for a title. I'm watching the A's play the Giants. Battle of the bay. Good times. Currently. the A's are winning. I always find it charming when the team with less respect and less payroll wins. But really, as long as the Tigers are winning, I'm happy.

This week has been crazy and I'm thrilled that it's Friday. Work's crazy. There's tons to finish before I go. Brian's been asking me how my days of internet surfing are going. But really, I've never been more busy. I just really want to leave things buttoned up. They interviewed candidates for my job today. Kind of weird.

Anyway, there's been knitting around here.



This is the progress on Clapotis. I love it. The STR Lucy is knitting up just as I wanted. The colors aren't pooling or turning striped. It's delightfully random.



The Vesper sock is not random. The plain vanilla socks are coming along very well. I know the color is Astro but it looks like Watermelon to me. Perfect for summer.



Finally, here's the Yarntini Pomtini that landed in my mailbox this week. (How am I going to go a whole year without buying yarn????) I snagged this beauty from Pure Knits. It's lovely. Just like every Yarntini yarn I have.

Seriously, too much yarn and not enough time.

Thanks again to everyone who visited and patronized the shop! Every order has shipped and I really appreciate the support!

No White Shoes Required!

I had a full day of orientation today. It was informative and a little overwhelming but good. I confirmed that all my ducks are in a row. All the paperwork is done and I'm ready to go. Going back to work tomorrow is going to be tough. I'm ready to move on.

Seriously though, I'm exhausted.

But the best part of the day, uniform clarification. White scrubs. But my shoes do NOT have to be all white!!!! I know it's an insignificant detail but I don't see myself as a white Croc girl. If you love your Crocs, please don't flame me. I'm too tired to defend myself. I'm sure they are very comfortable. But something about shoes you can clean in your dishwasher freaks me out. Although, I concede the ballerina flats they make are kind of cute.

I ran right out and bought new New Balance sneaks. They're white and navy with additional gel insoles. Probably still not my first choice but much better than the all white orthopedic shoes I was imagining. By the way, I bought size 11 men's shoes. I know New Balance run small but good grief! The Converse I had on were size 9 men's which is pretty typical.

On the knitting front, I'm about 1/2 way through the foot on my first magic loop sock. The Vesper Yarn is gorgeous and knitting up pretty quick. So hopefully I'll have good pictures for this weekend.

But for now, it's sleepy time.

Tagged!

2 Quick Things-
1. Thank you for all the support of Brown Bag Soap! I'm shipping out 4 order tomorrow and I couldn't be more thrilled!
2. Happy Mother's Day to all of you who have kids. And especially to my mom who I miss more than I can adequately say here.

OK- on to the fun!

Trish tagged me.

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.
Here are my facts:

1. I will still eat candy until my stomach hurts. It makes no sense because I know my limits. But I just love it so much!

2. I played volleyball in college. Fire it up, Firedogs!

3. Of all the household chores, I hate vacuuming the most. Probably because it scares the kitties and it seems like a big chore to haul out the machine.

4. I'm terrible and golf. And I'm a poor sport about it. The best thing about golf for me is the beer cart.

5. I'm scared of frogs and toads. No really. I hate them. I can't be near them. It's the unpredictable jumping and that quick tongue. YUCK!

6. My favorite drink is a martini- gin with extra olives.

7. I routinely have bruises I can't identify. In spite of what you might think, this has nothing to do with liking martini's.

If you weren't tagged but would like to play, feel free to snag the rules and post on your blog. I'm tagging:

1. Jen
2. Valerie
3. 5elementknitr I didn't know if you use your real name!
4. Carrie
5. Stacey
6. Sparkles Again with the real name thing.
7. Jo

Brown Bagging It

Today I started my first magic loop sock using Vesper Sock yarn of Astro. I'm liking the new technique. I'm not sure I'll give up my dpn's yet but I'm liking this one needle thing. And the yarn is pink, green, and striped- Socktopia and Project Spectrum in one!

And progress is happening on the Clapotis.

But the big news for today is that I opened the soap shop- Brown Bag Soap. I figured I'd be brown bagging it a lot in the next year. And the name seemed appropriate. Check it out! I have a little of this...



this...



this...



and this for sale...



Thanks for all the support from my testers!

You're the Best

Thank you so much for all the well wishes!!! It really means a lot to me. And it helps when I start to have doubts. It's been a little weird the last couple of days and the rumor mill starts to run rampant. I'm getting a lot of visits from people all over the office.

On the knitting front, I started my Clapotis in the STR heavyweight- Lucy. I'm on the even rows and I know I'll be there for a while. Maybe a progress picture this weekend... By the way, did you see the new colors they have???? Repeat after me, NO MORE YARN! Seriously!

I really need to get going on my striped socks for May's Socktopia theme. Maybe that'll be my TV project tonight.

And I really need to get a walk in today. Which means, I gotta go!

I Did It

I resigned. It was a tough day. But my boss took it pretty well. She was completely blindsided. Hopefully, tomorrow she'll be in a decent mood.

My old boss was extremely supportive. Thank goodness. She told me I had to do what was best for me. She's so wonderful and I'm really grateful for that. I hope to keep in contact with her. She's been an inspiration and so unbelievable supportive of me.

In certain ways I can't believe this is really happening. I've been going to night school for 3 years to complete all the pre-requisite classes for my program. For a long time, this has been a hypothetical situation. And now, it's very real. In 2 weeks, I'll be unemployed. It's scary. And also really, really exciting.

Thank you so much to Diana who commented that quitting and going back to school was the best thing she ever did. I needed to hear that. You don't know how much that helped.

Regularly scheduled yarn and knitting goodness to resume soon.

Goals Update- Week 18

There's more than the goals to talk about today. This is going to be long and picture heavy. Sorry 'bout that!

Friday was the mail day to end all mail days. I received 3 (!) sock club packages and the new Interweave Knits. What a great way to start the weekend.

First, the Sunshine Sock Club.



The yarn is called Airy. And the pattern looks like cloud wisps! Dani does a great job of changing up her colorways. Such a pretty blue.

Next, the Petals Collection from Sundara Yarn.



It's called Dahlia and the color is amazing. I got a splotch of yellow in my skein to break up the orangey-red. I just love it. And isn't it cool how it looks just like the picture of the flower. Sundara certainly has a gift when it comes to color.

The first installment of the Yarntini Sock Club, which is run through Pure Knits, really delivered. At first I balked at the price of this club but this package was so fun to open. It never seemed to end!



The yarn is self striping in the Pure Breeze color. I love the two shades of blue playing off of each other. There's a project pouch from Misocrafty in the great Amy Butler fabric, stitch markers from Sarkasmo, SOAK wash in the aquae scent, lip gloss, and Lucy Neatby's book Cool Socks, Warm Feet. Now, I know this is the intro package and it has more swag than the next ones will. But what a way to start out.

The only problem I'm having is which yarn to cast on next!

And, I'm allowed to cast on because I have an FO! The Moorish Lattice Socks are finito!



Yes, my feet really are that big!



Pattern: Moorish Lattice Socks from Sensational Knitted Socks. This book never lets me down. I've made 2 or 3 pair from here and they always fit perfectly.
Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino Sock- Blue Lagoon from The Loopy Ewe. Seriously, Sheri is the best. If you haven't bought yarn from here go now!
Needles: Addi Bamboo DPN's in US#1
Mods: I couldn't do as many toe decreases as the pattern calls for because I was running out of yarn. But the socks fit just fine. So that wasn't a huge issue.

I love this yarn. The Fleece Artist is so soft and the colors melt together so well. I did notice that one sock is a lot greener and the other is more blue. But, since it's all one ball of yarn, I think it's the way the colors landed in the pattern. These might be my favorite socks so far!

OK- on to goals...

1. Knit from My Stash- I've been thinking about this. And since we all know I'll be more or less broke for the next year, I'm restarting the yarn diet when I start school. I've been basically ignoring the fact that I'm not supposed to be buying yarn that this goal has become almost a joke. So on May 29 there will be a new yarn diet with new rules pertaining to completion of school goals. Sound good? Good. Because I have one more skein of Yarntini headed my way and I don't want to be a cheater already.

2. Grad School- Classes start May 29.

3. Thin for Thirty- Again, I think this being broke thing is going to help. And not breaking up my workday with lots of snacks. I'm up to 32.6 on my Runagogo mileage. So I'm good on the exercise part. Just not the healthy eating part. Although, I did buy a Menu-Mailer from Saving Dinner.com. I think we might have a better chance of not living on cheese quesadillas if I get food prepared ahead of time. Big thank you to Miss Violet for the link to that one. Now I just have to go out and get all the stuff and assemble it. Maybe next weekend...

BTW- did you know Lime & Violet opened their own shop? Go over and get registered. The first update will be tomorrow.

4. Save Money- I'm good. YAY!


Last but not least, Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband! We were married 1 year ago today in San Francisco. I love you very much. We celebrated last night by going to a fancy restaurant to which my wonderful co-workers gave us a gift certificate as a wedding gift. The food was wonderful. The wine was very tasty. And the company was one in a million.

Ravelry

Just a quick post to let you know I'm out of invites. But definitely sign up on the site. They are getting people set up pretty quickly!

Happy Friday!

New Toys

You may have heard about this new toy I've been playing with... Ravelry! It's an online knitting notebook. You can keep track of your stash, needles, projects, FO's, and everything other knitters are doing. Read more about it in this post from Freckle Girl Jess's blog. She and her husband created this awesome new website. I've been fortunate enough to be a beta tester and let me tell you... I love this website. It keeps track of everything I'm doing or want to do. No more scraps of paper and craft lists hanging around everywhere. Definitely check it out! (I have a couple of invites. So if you want to give it a whirl, let me know.)

Yarn Pirate opened her shop today! And, although I had technical difficulties at work, the shop is great and worked fine once I got home. (That'll teach me to shop online at work.) But really I want to say Congratulations to Georgia who has recently become a full time Yarn Pirate! I'm so excited that she can dye yarn full time and make a living. What more could you want??? Best wishes to one of my favorite Indie dyers!!

That's it for today. No pics. No yarn p0rn. I went to the dentist for a cleaning yesterday and I came home with a new filling. My old one actually came out when he poked it with that metal pointy thing! So today, my jaw's a little sore. Hopefully it's just sore from being messed with and no return trip is necessary.