Random Thursday

I've been sick for nearly 2 weeks now, and as a result I am behind on absolutely everything, blog posts included. So I've rounded up several never before seen pictures from my camera and present them to you here in roughly chronological order.

Abbie in the leftover sock yarn basket at Stash.


My finished Chiton Pullover in action. It is very warm!


Abbie and some distant relations at Laughing Planet.


Abbie is impressed by my meal at Laughing Planet. So was I, considering it was vegetarian.


Abbie on my cubicle buddies' very large ball.


A new art installation on Campus. It's...interesting...


A blast from some of our past.


Abbie and Kevin eyeing one another at my desk.


Abbie at the fist Stash Fiber Day. Can you spot her in all the color?


Abbie pretending to be fiber.


Abbie checking out the medical equipment at Student Health.


Abbie helping me with a breathing treatment.


That's all for now. I'm finding no small amount of comfort in the fact that despite being sick and feeling really bad (the flu turned into bronchitis and my lungs won't give up the ghost), I still maintain my sense of whimsy and will photograph Abbie in the oddest places. Take that, microbes!

Things I Learned Today

1. Quarters are no longer the gold standard at the local laundromat.

2. Standing and typing makes me antsy.

3. It takes less than 30 minutes for my duvet to dry in a commercial dryer, and the spot came out even without detergent (which I forgot).

4. The coin machine at the bank eats money (I brought in $2.75 of carefully counted nickles and dimes and the machine said I had $2.55).

5. I shouldn't book things while in a vegetative state. Note to self, cancel study room for Friday, I'm already busy during that time.

6. Theses don't write themselves, no matter how hard you think about it and wish for it.

7. You can't get at a person's innermost workings through two vague questions.

8. I have the willpower to resist free popcorn while doing laundry. This will come in handy when I start doing my laundry here weekly.

Ode to Buffy

It's Monday, and I'm back in the lab (no, I haven't moved in, and I've only got 2 hours today). I can't watch movies in the lab during the week, so I thought I'd give you all a run down of my favorite things about my favorite TV show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I watched Buffy from the very first episode to the final battle. Sure, there was that period during Season 6 when it had switched to UPN and we didn't really get UPN on our TVs, but I watched it all snowy anyways. I watched in in college, and even got my best friend hooked on the show so we could watch it together (because my roommate didn't want it on her TV). I've read essays written by serious people about the show and it's many messages, I've seen every episode ever made multiple times, and I own all 7 seasons on DVD. I've watched the interviews (but not commentary, I don't like people talking while I'm watching TV) and I've got my favorite episodes that correspond with my many moods. Following is a list of my many favorites about the show.

Favorite character: Xander. A close second is Tara.

Favorite love: Willow and OZ.

Favorite Buffy love: Buffy and Angel.

Favorite season: Three

Favorite episode: "Dopplegangland"

Favorite Halloween episode: "Fear Itself"

Favorite pick-me-up episode: "Prophecy Girl"

Favorite birthday episode: "Helpless"

Favorite scene: in season 2 "School Hard" where Buffy is fighting a vampire outside the Bronze so that Spike can assess her, and she sends Xander in for a stake, and he's going through her bag and pulls out a yo-yo, then a tampon, at which point he kind of freaks and filps it around, then pulls out the stake. The look on his face and his reaction to the tampon are priceless (at least to me).

Favorite rivalry: Angel vs. Spike. In fact, this is what redeemed the show Angel for me in it's fifth season. They play so well off of each other, and their petty bickering is hilarious, like an old married couple, they know how to push each others buttons.

Favorite character growth moment: Season 5, when Buffy puts the stupid Watcher's Council in it's place and tells them what they're going to do for her instead of jumping through their stupid patriarchal hoops.

Favorite supervillan: Caleb, cause I like Nathan Fillion and it was very gratifying to see Buffy split his misogynistic butt in half.

Favorite minor villan: Vampire Willow and Xander

That's all I've got for now. I've got an hour left here in the lab, I'm going to see about knitting another baby blanket square (got three done yesterday).

Random Thoughts

If the Yarn Harlot can do this, so can I.

1. Working 3 hours over a four hour stretch means that I was bored and stuck on campus for an hour.

2. I read faster than I think I do, which is saying something because I think I read fast.

3. It smells like gravy down here in the computer lab.

4. I now want gravy. And meat. I wish there were Luby's in Oregon.

5. I neglected to bring the !@#$%^& hat that I'm working on (yes, that is the official name I've given it. I love the yarn, I love the needles, but I hate knitting hats at such small gauge.)

6. Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine rocks my socks (even though I don't have hand knit socks on today, they were all in the wash).

7. Graduate school is not conducive to knitting time. Or yarn budgets.

8. I got my floor stash of yarn organized into one bin so it isn't collecting dust and leaves and tripping me anymore. Pictures forthcoming.

9. I need a knitting project that is knit on needles larger than size 3 US. It'd be nice to feel like I was making progress in some aspect of my life.

10. This gravy smell is getting out of hand.