underwater.

i 'm drowning in a pile of unfinished christmas gifts.

i can't stop making these coffee filter wreaths.

(i have already made four.)

i should be knitting like a (insert something that moves quickly; a hummingbird?) .

instead, i am glue-ing coffee filters to paper plates.

sometimes, i get obsessed with things.

someone, please, take away my glue gun.

______________________________

bucket list.

i want to knit a complicated sweater.

I want to build a blanket fort, and read a book inside with a flashlight.

I want to take one picture each day for an entire year.

I want to rip out every page of a book I hated and use those pages to make confetti. I will use the confetti to cheer up people who seem like they are having a bad day.

I want to ride an elephant.

I want to interview strangers from my neighborhood and ask them questions about their day, and then submit the interviews as editorials to the local newspaper.

I want to tape record old people singing.

I want to go canoeing, all by myself and eat sandwiches on the boat.

I want to leave made-up notes in public places.

I want to wear the aforementioned complicated sweater and hope someone notices me.

_________________________________

some girl dances to new order

concrete.

i had to write a concrete poem for my literature class.

i'm not good at drawing.

feel free to make fun of it.

i had a dream.

mason by coreyolsen, on flickr.

last night, i had dream that a nun taught me how to pray.

we were fully clothed, but leaning over the edge of a bathtub.

she said it would have to do, because there were no pews in my house.

i didn't understand the concept of prayer.

she said that if i could get it right, that i would wake up to find a clean house.

i had canned peaches before i went to bed, so the kitchen was a mess.

i was willing to try anything.

once i had fully understood the process, the nun left through a window.

when i woke up, there was still heavy syrup all over the counter

and the sink was still full of peach pits.

i filled the bathtub, put on a record, and hid underwater.

i pretended that i didn't see the mess.

________________________________________

pictures of success.

yesterday was miserable.

i think i may have 'seasonal affective disorder'. i'm probably just looking for excuses.

i developed a scale to determine how shitty i felt. 0 is severly depressed, 9 is the maximum amount of happy. i hate double digit numbers. i was at a 3 for no reason. i was probably just trying to look cool/interesting. anxiety.

i am so lame.

my friend sam took pete and i to the conveinence store to buy grapes and cheese. her car had a pile of hoodies in it. i wanted to lay face down in them and go to sleep. i wondered if they would have thought i was weird. facework. i didn't lay down in the hoodies.

on the way back to school, sam put rilo kiley on. i forgot they existed. i was at a 5 now. by the time we parked the car, i didn't feel shitty at all.

i went to class. my comp102 professor is a conservative republican with a lot of opinions. there is an unnattractive couple that sits across from me and holds hands under the desks, a pregnant girl in scrubs, and a 'little person' in the class. it's overwhelming.

the only thing that got me through the remainder of my day was humming 'pictures of success'. well, that and the grapes.

book #10: wonderful tonight.

i bought this book for $1 because the cover looked nice.

i read it almost entirely on the toilet.

i don't even really like the beatles.

whatever.

______________________

i don't know if my dad is a smiths fan.

i don't know my dad.

i hope he isn't.

book #9: everything here is the best thing ever.

fo: superfancy potholder loop rug.

ravelry link

8/31/10: the cable is ‘sort of’ broken; the lack of vapid reality television has forced me to knit a rug out of potholder loops.

9/1/10: one day project!!!!! i am elated.
my couch is covered in furry little bits of fluff.

9/2/10: i’m going to put tape on the cats feet; they’ll work like tiny lint brushes.
i can’t afford a roomba.

-------------------------

kate nash + billy bragg - foundation/a new england.

assignment #27: take a picture of the sun.

learning to love you more

mays landing, nj.

"Take a picture of the sun. Just a picture of the sun, nothing extra or fancy. Please make sure the sun is visible in the photo, we won't accept reflections of the sun or photos where the sun is not visible. Please be careful not to look directly at the sun through your camera's viewfinder; looking directly at the sun could damage your eyes. If you need to, just point the camera towards the sun and shoot the photo."

___________________________

(thinking of moving into a lighthouse.)

RE: Josh Pyke - "the lighthouse song"

boiled peanuts.

last week, we accidentally bought raw peanuts.

they don't taste very good.

i roasted them in the oven.

this week, i bought them on purpose.

the bag has instructions to make 'georgia-style boiled peanuts'.

i vaguely remember them from my childhood.

i jumped right into the two-day process of brining and boiling.

while they were soaking, i did a little research, as i have become obsessed with 'american heritage'.

"No one knows just why southerners started boiling peanuts or who was the first to boil them. However, it is believed that boiled peanuts have been a southern institution since at least the Civil War (1861-1865), when Union General William T. Sherman (1820-1891) led his troops on their march through Georgia. As a result of General Sherman's campaign in Georgia, the Confederacy was split in two and deprived of much needed supplies.

Contemporary writings are full of complaints of lack of bread and meat. The great concern of the Confederate government was to feed the army. When troops of the Confederacy were without food, peanuts were an important nutritional source. Since cooking facilities were scarce, soldiers roasted the peanuts over campfires or boiled them. It seems to be lost in history as to who came up with the idea of adding salt to the peanuts when boiling them. What they were doing by boiling in salt, is an ancient preservation technique. It was discovered that these boiled peanuts would keep and not spoil in their kits for up to seven day. The salt works as a preservative, and the boiling kills impurities and bacteria. This produced a high protein ration that could be carried by the soldier. As salt was also scarce during the Civil War, history doesn't tell us how the confederate soldiers had enough salt to use, unless salt meat, a large part of the army ration, was used somehow." -what's cooking america

I've been telling the story to anyone who will listen.

god, i'm so lame.

ATTN: DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYES WHILE EATING THEM!!!!! THEY WILL BURN!!! IT IS REALLY HARD TO GET YOUR HEAD UNDER THE FAUCET.

this guy will show you how it's done (best accent EVER):

JallaPEnUS. JApANEENAS. BoY. i love this man.

assignment #37: write down a recent argument.

i was given a script typewriter today, and couldn't wait to use it.

if you find it hard to read, larger sizes are available on flickr.

learning to love you more.

(the next time you have an argument, write down what you and the other person said to each other. Write it in script form,... Try to be really accurate, capturing the real words that were used... the argument need not be long or dramatic, it can be brief and seemingly petty. most important thing is that it be an accurate record of the exchange.)

book #7: the bell jar.

when esther releases her clothes into the wind, it seems to symbolize an emancipation from inhibition. this reticence defines her 'insanity'.is it really insane to free yourself from the restraints of 'polite society'?

book #8: cognitive-behavioral therapy.

i always visit the hamsters at the pet store across the street from my house.

the hamsters never use shampoo.

i may smuggle in a travel size bottle of pert plus the next time i stop by.

they would like that.

wip wednesday.

multi layered tube scarf/shawl. (ravelry link)

frogged the first attempt:

addi natura’s were a horrible choice, but i was working with what i had. the yarn would not move and kept getting stuck on the join. i remembered reading somewhere to put mohair in the freezer. nothing happened. i should have known better.

cast-back-on:

knit pick’s nickel plated are working perfectly! the project seemed quick and effortless and but has become quite an achilles heel. i look at the half finished scarf, packed up in it's gallon sized ziploc bag, and cringe. i don't know where this feeling has come from, but i intend to work through it. when did i become such a masochist?

should i cast on a sock to free myself the monotony of this mohair tunnel???

midnight purls has sent me a giant bag of spinning things. maybe i should play with those for a while.

____________________

'lo, in the leaves - happiestlion

this is my absolute favorite thing right now. caleb is amazing. you can download his new album for $1 from here.

"the dirt became a river and carried me away. it felt so natural."

book #6: cold spring harbor.

yates really understands people and relationships.

this book dealt with themes similar to 'revolutionary road', but i liked it more.

the characters are so 'human'.

imperfect. awkward. repressed.

this book was flawless.

===================

girls- morning light

book #5: during my nervous breakdown i want to have a biographer present.

'during my nervous breakdown i want to have a biographer present'

by brandon scott gorrell

abstract review:

anxiety/alienation/depression/facial expressions.

i taped the book to the wall and took a picture.

i feel photographically 'uninspired'.

--------------------------

pavement - shady lane

book #4: eat when you feel sad.

i read this book outside under a tree.

a girl named sam was there.

she likes keroauc, i think.

sam was reading 'into the wild'.

this boy walked up and told her that the protagonist dies (re: into the wild).

she put on her jacket.

the same boy asked what this book was about.

i said 'whatever' and went to get some tea.

ΔΔΔΔΔΔΔ

mal blum - my name is earthworm

sunday crush.

happy easter!

this week i'm crushing on:

1. found photo groups on flickr.

i find it fascinating that there are so many unclaimed photos, floating around thrift stores and yard sales, that no one wants anymore. i'm almost embarrassed by our 'disposable' heritage.

is it weird to feel nostalgic towards things you've never experienced?

Helen Ireland

Do you still wear that shirt?

2. mayer hawthorne

i was watching some interviews from SXSW and this guy stood out among all of those neon indians. he's been transported here from the 1960s to remind us of what good music is supposed to sound like.

Mayer Hawthorne- I Wish that it would Rain

you've really got a hold on me.

i didn't wear socks yesterday, i didn't have any clean.

on my way to school, i spilled coffee all over my shirt.

all of the seats on the bus were taken and i had to stand.

i'm pretty sure my math test gave my a peptic ulcer.

i'll know when i start coughing up blood, i guess.

i dropped my pens and pencils in a sewer grate.

i shared my lunch with someone who didn't have anything to eat, so i was really hungry.

defeated, i found a bench and sat down.

i flipped through my ipod hoping to find something 'happy'.

i never really listened to smokey robinson until then.

i wasn't even sure who smokey robinson was.

it didn't matter.

at that moment; the sun peeked from behind a tree, a few leaves spun around in a windy circle, and ol' smokey breathed new life into my rotten day.

the cold breeze on my naked ankles finally felt refreshing.

thank you smokey.

book #3: the gates

i've made it to number 3 without giving up.

book #3: the gates by john connolly

i found this book disappointing. last December, i read "the book of lost things" and was blown away. i may have expected too much when i started reading "the gates".

i think the fact that connolly approached the subject of the "gates of hell" with a sense of humor actually may have weakened his ability to blend child-like fantasy with adult fiction in a effective way.

this was a rather boring read.

i did, however, learn a few things about physics.

________________________

hazel - day-glo

(i want to be in this video. forever.)

sunday crush.

i'm going to start a column called 'sunday crush'.

it will include, but is not limited to etsy sellers, old movies/music, artists, photographers and whatever else i can think of because it's my blog, and i'll do as i please :-)

this week i'm picking two.

first we have a new etsy seller:

10thAvenueEast

this shop is a carefully curated collection of vintage gems.

it has been open for less than 3 months, and really deserves a round of applause.

(by "round of applause" i mean, go buy some stuff)

(please don't buy this bowl. i'm going to decide in the morning. lol)

and second is:

Ghost World

i know i'm nine years late for the party, but i brought enough juice for 8 people. i don't know how this movie could have possibly slipped past my radar, but i'm in love.

"This is the story of Enid and Rebecca after they finish the high school. Both have problems to be related with people and they spend their time hanging around and bothering creeps. When they met Seymour who is a social outsider who loves to collect old vinyl records, the life of Enid will change forever."-imdb

the trailer:

__________________

mohammed rafi - jaan pehechaan ho

(from the movie GUNAAM and GHOST WORLD)

everyone at work is now obsessed with this song and the lady in the gold dress. we will never be that funky.

i want a goose who lays gold eggs for easter.

(i'm still learning how to properly use my holgaroid)

'crafternoons' are bliss.

we painted paper eggs with expensive glitter.

it's still all over my house.

i'm not mad about it.

in fact, it was well worth the sparkle-y mess.

martha's 'glue for glitter' is insanely 'chunky'.

but her glitter is remarkable.

i'm not expert, but i think it's the 'bee's knees'.

i'm currently contemplating a glitter wall somewhere in my house.

maybe behind the bed? could you just imagine the sun sparkling off of the wall when you wake up?

____________________________________

the klaxons - golden skans
(this is is EXACTLY how we applied the glitter to the eggs)

black velvet cake.

instead of those shoes, i bought a polaroid back for my holga.

i couldn't wait for the flash to come and wasted most of my first pack of film.

not to mention i was digging in the garden yesterday, which i sort claimed eminent domain on...

*(i'm not positive if it's ACTUALLY my property or not.

it's kinda right outside of my front door, and no one has planted anything there in at least seven years. there's a lil' cement lined flower bed and everything. either way, i've bought some heirloom french marigold seeds on etsy and i'm going to plant them).*

...dropped the camera,

and wasted not one, but TWO exposures.

i don't know where 'clumsy genes' come from, but i intend to find out and blame the appropriate parent.

-----------------------

cold war kids - audience

(i've been listening to their new EP for at least a week, uninterrupted)

book #2: the tortilla curtain

i enjoyed boyle's composition. the opposing stories of the haves and the have-nots are are blended together seamlessly.

the ending was shocking, but also disappointing. not because it was sad, maybe just written hastily? i feel like boyle was grasping at straws to pull all the loose ends together.

the characters seemed boring and one dimensional (with the exception of delaney), and i'm pretty sure i hated all of them.

i have no idea how i finished this book.

-------------------------------------

*off topic*

i didn't buy those shoes.

i promised myself if i didn't get 10 comments, i wouldn't.

i bought something wayyyyy better.

but, i'm not gonna share yet.

-------------------------------------

shoes.

hey.

do i want these shoes?

i really feel like a do.

they break my >$50 rule.

but, i've been thinking about them since i first saw them.

should i just buy them?

what are you coveting?

____________________________

michael buble - haven't met you yet

(not really my scene, but my cousin posted it on facebook. the video is rilly cute)

book 1: revolutionary road.

i'm going to try to read 25 non-school books this year.

i may give up.

i alway let these flickr challenges fall through.

my feelings on revolutionary road:

i could join the mobs of housewives and simply call this book 'depressing'.

i could be a lit. snob and compare this to some other, more obscure novel.

instead, i'm just going to fear feelings of complacency and shun conventional thought patterns for a while.

i don't want to turn into frank wheeler.

i cried when i was finished.

not because i was finished, but because i was nervous.

(i was going to include the trailer for the movie, but it seemed.... whatever.)

_________________________

the carpenters - rainy days and mondays.

knitxcore.

meh.

i usually drink coffee in the bathtub.

this morning, that was not an option.

a few days ago, someone hit a pole and our whole neighborhood lost electricity for a couple of hours.

since then, there has been no hot water.

after boiling 6 pots of water on the stove, i only had about 6 inches of water to bathe in.

so now, mr. hot water heater and i are NOT friends.

an open letter to my hot water heater:

hey.

i can't believe you ditched me.

we've been friends for over five years.

i don't want to play with you anymore.

i think it would be best if you gave me back my he-man 'guys' and my skip-it.

i don't want you to have fun if it's not with me.

i'll bring your POGs to school tomorrow.

there is no need to get our parents involved.

robbie.

P.S. i unraveled all of your queen tapes.

if i had to listen to 'bohemian rhapsody' one more time, i swear i would have beat you up behind the laundromat

_____________________

the monkees - pleasant valley sunday

(it makes me smile)

randytravis.

my grandma thought randy travis was a 'dreamboat'.

we used to listen to him in the car on the way to kmart.

she didn't live that far away, so it was only one or two songs.

unless there was a sale at caldor. in which case, we would listen to half of a cassette.

it was ok.

sometimes, we would stop by a takeout restaurant and get tiny chicken sandwiches.

it only took one or two bites to finish them.

there is nothing more fun than singing along to 'deeper than the holler' with a mouth full of fried chicken and bread.

_____________________

kappa danielson - deeper than the holler (randy travis cover)

-i couldn't find a good quality original-

review: the little prince

existential masterpiece!

disguised as a harmless children's parable, Exupery contemplates the loss of 'the child' in man. "the little prince" rivals both Camus' "the stranger" and Bach's "johnathan livingston seagull".

certain passages still seem relevant to contemporary society (i.e. 'men have no more time to understand anything. they buy things all ready made at the shops. but there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends anymore.'); a difficult task for a book written over sixty years ago. if i could only read one book for the rest of my life, i would pick this. not because it was a 'nice little story'. but because it forces 'grown-ups'to live deliberately.

read it. it's good.

i found my copy at a dirty charity shop. i was supposed to be christmas shopping for my co-workers. they were having a 50% sale.

i bought a mountain of 'things':

4 highball glasses

a plate with a big-eyed girl on it

a tiny honeycomb paper santa

an elvis record

a buddy holly record

the 'mary poppins' soundtrack

2 cookbooks

'the little prince' first edition (1943)

'the silver nutmeg' (1956)

2 little handsewn cat toys made by the lady behind the register.

all for a total of $15!!!!

the store was pure magic. i would live there, if they'd let me :-)

<3

robbie.

patience is a virtue.

i started these charade socks (ravelry link) in march.

i just finished them this morning. lol.

i tossed them in a basket and forgot about them for a few months.

yesterday, i picked them up and just plowed through the second sock.

tofutsies it the splitt-iest(?) yarn i have ever used.

the sad part is the finished socks are so comfortable, that the splitting isn't even a deal breaker.

i *might* use it again. one day.

i picked the worst colorway webs had on purpose, but it really grew on me.

after a few sizing issues, i ended up casting on 72 stitches and then just followed the pattern 'as is'.

i'm so happy to have an FO to share!!!!

what are you working on???

_________________________________

the wannadies - you and me song

<3

robbie.

we declare world contact day

i've been in a dayquil induced haze for at least a week now.

i feel disgusting.

my nose is running in my sleep.

every morning, i wake up to a snot covered pillow.

i have absolutely no appetite,

and have eaten nothing but christmas cookies

from the time i open my eyes until i pass out on the sofa.

i downloaded the carpenters 40/40 album right before i got sick

and have listened to it almost exclusively.

i can barely squeak out a whole sentence without coughing,

but i now know every word to 'calling occupants of interplanetary craft (the recognized anthem of world contact day')'.

i'm sad that i have never bothered to listen to the carpenters until now.

they are absolutely one on the best bands to exist, ever.

and that's not just the dayquil talking.

__________________________

the carpenters - calling occupants of interplanetary craft (the recognized anthem of world contact day)

<3
knitxcore.