Mission 101

I'm participating in Mission 101, a project where you make a list of 101 things that you want to have done in the next 1001 days. Many people, myself included, are starting this on January 1st. I'll be updating on my progress here and on my Livejournal and I recommend that people give it a look. We're probably going to get a group up on ravelry as soon as we have enough interest, so if you're participating, let me know!

My list:

Hygiene/health/body

 

1.  Loss weight to 110 ibs  (100) (90) (consider complete if 100)

2. Drink 32 ounces of water a day for a month (0/30)

3. Mouthwash every night (4/1001)

4. Take a vitamin every day for a month (and on) (0/30)

5. Shower once a day for three weeks (0/21)

6. Use my eye drops as directed every day for six months (and on) (0/180)

7. No soda (except in alcohol)

8. Eat only one candy bar/equivalent a week (as reasonable)  (1/143)

9. Stop eating when I’m not hungry

10. Wear make-up at least three times a week (2/429)

11. Join the Y

12.  Eat breakfast every day for three weeks (0/21)

13. Whiten teeth with Whitestrips

14. Get salad at lunch every day for two weeks (even if it’s chicken finger day) (0/10)

15. Try more foods/ be less picky

16.PRIVATE (5 /1001)

17. Get rid of unhealthy food in room/don’t get candy

18. Keep both legs from getting swollen as much as possible by using pump as soon as swelling starts

19. Straighten my hair every day for two weeks and keep going (0/14)

20. Use retainer consistently for a year (at least) (4/365)

21. Buy comfortable shoes

22. Only eat popcorn once a month or less

 

Friends/Spiritual

23. Go to a party and have a really good time

24, Call my friends from home, one once a week (0/’142) (quite obviously not in effect when I AM home)

25. Go to church every Sunday for two months (0/8)

26. Be nicer to my father/call him semiweekly

27. Join a knitting group and go on my own

28. Write in my LJ at least three times a week (2/429)

29 Blog at least once a week (143)

30. Go to Bible study at least once a month

31. visit friends in NYC

32. Make plans to go out with friends at least twice a month

33. See one of my Avignon friends again

34. Buy/wear a cross that I really like

35 Go to swing dancing twice a month in the summer (0/18)

36.. Go to therapy

37. Speak in a more classy way/more intelligently

38. Be better at keeping up with pen-pals

39. Print pictures more consistently/add to albums

 

Experiences:

40, Dye my hair at least four times (0/4)

41. Get cartilage pierced

42. Relearn to swim

43. Learn Italian

44. Travel all over Europe (Rome, Amsterdam etc)

45. Get my tongue pierced

46. Get my first kiss

47 Have a private dance party in my room once a week

48. Learn to sing better

49. Get something different every time I go to Starbucks for a month

50. Start Carly and my web magazine

51. Buy something from my Amazon wishlist once a month for a year (0/12)

52. Wear skirts at least once a week (1/143)

53. Buy pretty tights to go with skirts

54. Try one new recipe biweekly (alternate baking/cooking) (0/64)

55. PRIVATE

56. Do something with all stash yarn so that I can buy prettyful new yarn.

57. Use MARTA more than once a year

58. Go to concerts of artists I like when they are in town

59. Make my wardrobe reflect me more

60. Learn how to spin

61. Write to JKR

62. Buy a new laptop

63. Get recipe book made

64. Bake bread from scratch

65. Make one significant donation to a charity (>$20)

66. Have a psychic reading

67. Get album art on all iTunes

68. Knit five pairs of socks for myself (0/5)

69. Use more creative swear words

70. Knit three sweaters (0/3)

71. Learn to double-knit socks

72. Make a list of the places that I want to see in my life

Books:

73. Write and polish four presentable short stories (0/4)

74. Edit ’07 NaNo

75. Pick a manuscript and edit it and work exclusively on getting it publsihed

76. Get a manuscript in the hands of an agent

77. Read a book a week (not for classes) (2/143)

78. Write in a journal every night for at least three months (0/90)

79. Read Anna Karenina

80. Finish all the books I have to read before buying new ones

81. Write something once a day for a month (not NaNo) (0/30)

82. Memorize one Shakespeare verse a month (0/32)

83. Memorize one Bible verse a month (1/32)

84. Memorize four poems (0/4)

 

Important things:

85. Listen to all the songs in my iTunes and delete any I don’t want any more

86. Get my driver’s license

87. Apply for a service dog

88. Put at least $100 dollars in savings every month for a year ($1200)

89. Pay off my credit cards

90. Get a 4.0

91. Apply/get into grad school

92. Get social security figured out

93. Order out less/spend less when I eat out

94. Vacuum room once a month

 

95. Saved for 2009

96. Saved for 2009

97. Saved fir 2009

98. Saved for 2010

99 Saved for 2010

100 Saved for 2010

101\. Make a new list

 

 

 

 

So That Was Christmas

Christmas is over, and it was probably the best one I've had in years. I did not ask my parents for anything, and they got me everything I would have asked for.

Knitting-wise, all I got was a copy of The Knitter's Companion which is pretty awesome. I got several books off of my Amazon list, one of which is Small-Batch Baking which I'm excited about, because it will let me try new recipes without having loads leftover.

The best gift in my whole family, though, was Holly

She was a gift for my little brother, who was so convinced that Santa would bring him a puppy that we couldn't NOT get one. She's precious, and he's learning how to play with her. I have to watch out for her though, so she doesn't accidentally bite or scratch me, but thus far she's just been very loving. She howls when she's in her crate though, and I have difficulty tuning stuff out, so that's not cool. Oh well, such is the life of a puppy!

I tried to start my friend's Odessa today, but I need bigger beads. So, tomorrow I guess! :)

Book Review: Enchantment

Enchantment by Orson Scott Card

I first read this book in my sophomore year of high school, after my Chemistry teacher lent it to me and bought it for myself this week after being reminded of it by the new movie Enchanted. Very far removed from Card's Ender series this book still shows his calling cards especially in the beginning when the reader is introduced to Ivan, a precocious ten-year-old. The rest of the story, though, bears little resemblance to the space-based world of the other tales. Card explores a different world in this tale, the fantasy what-if of: "What if Sleeping Beauty was awakened in Russia in 1992?"

What I find amazing in this book is the incredible mix of Russian folklore, Jewish and Christian history, contemporary politics and just good story telling. The classic Russian arch-nemesis, Baba Yaga is after the kingdom of the gorgeous princess Katerina. Ivan, who just happens to be a scholar of ancient tongues, understands her proto-slavic, and is taken back to her time, 900 AD, to become her husband.

A modern athlete, but not suited for medieval living, he works hard to fit in with her time while also wishing to go home. He is not immediately attached to his fiancée either, and they do not really fall in love until he brings her back to the US in 1992 where his family emigrated. They make the plans needed to attempt to defeat Baba Yaga's army with the help of his mother (a witch, which he only finds out when Katerina recognizes it)

Although some of this feels a bit contrived, within the novel it works well, is woven together with just a hint of mystery at the end to imply that there is more under the surface that the reader is not allowed to know. It may be the case that Card himself didn't know, but let's give him the benefit of the doubt. I love this book for it's wonderful mix of fairy tale and modernity and highly recommend it.

Book Review: Pledged (The Secret Life of Sororities)

Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities by Alexandra Robbins

I picked this book up the other day, buying a copy for a friend for Christmas and then buying one for myself, just to read it.

It focuses mainly on West Coast sororities, at big schools which I don't doubt are party schools in the first place. The book follows four girls, three in the same sorority and one in another, through a year of school. Throughout the narrative, the author cites different accounts and studies also having to do with sorority life. It seems to be a well-researched and in-depth description of sorority life.

Except... not much of it rang a bell with me. I'm a sorority girl, yes. I party more than some college students, maybe. I have chapter once a week, ritual, recruitment. There's girl drama, of course, but... we don't haze. We have eight girls tops in the house, not a hundred. We dn't turn people down because they're not tall and blue-eyed, or if they're disabled. We have girls of many nationalities, we have girls that don't drink.

Even the one sorority on campus that probably most closely resembles the ones in the book has girls that I adore; that work hard in school and aren't necessarily just party girls. And, really, the service, co-ed, fraternity that I pledged this year had more work for only pledges to do, and more that could be seen as "hazing" than my sorority did.

So while I am sure that the book is a good investigation into many sororities, I did not find that it is a good generalization of all Greek life. So, don't judge us all by Legally Blone, or this book either.

Happy Times and an FO

The hat still needs pictures, but on the way home from school I finished this:

It's Rowan Cotton, and it started out as Quant from Knitty, but the drape wasn't right. I kept the i-cord and the triangle increase and decrease and then just garter stitched the rest. Worked nicely. I may make my sister one for Christmas out of the leftover yarn



I'm home for Christmas, and it's fantastic. The last few weeks were full of drama, both over classes and friends. To put it in knitting terms, the hat I was working on since Thanksgiving and was only about a quarter done, was finished in two days of having nothing to do.

It's funny, normally on holidays my family drives me nuts, but so far so good and I've encountered most of them. My sister moved today, from the low-income housing the mental health facility had her living in to a nicer duplex across town. We drove off to help her and mom and my brother loaded all of her bags and boxes and the washer-dryer into Brother's trailer. Helping, were a guy named Jonathon who had on a Superman shirt, and six little kids playing in the parking lot.

My brother is a boat captain, who has a huge-ass pick-up truck and listens to country music. He has a six year old, who's too smart for his breeches (that's a technical term).

We went and saw my nana, who's gotten so she doesn't want to leave the house (except to go get her hair done every Friday) in her old age (which she often reminds everyone is eighty-two, similar to the Eddie Izzard sketch, which I would link to, but it seems to only be on this cd: Definite Article track 4)  and this is sad, because she was always independent.

Mom is amazing, if a product of her one-town Southern roots. My baby brother wants a puppy from Santa, which is precious. Our house smells like Christmas tree, a rather good feat for our tiny tree.


Maybe it's because I don't want anything but payments on my cards for Christmas.... (I'm definitely going to London and want them paid off from last year). Mom insisted on buying me stuff from Amazon, but that was her call. I'm just happy to be home with my bear nativity in the bathroom:


And time to read and knit.

I think I want to learn how to double knit socks.... just a thought.

Being home has never been so happy.

Yarn Packing

Going through my stash to pack for home has been interesting. (I'm sitting here in my finished-but-not-blocked hat and my pajamas. It's classy). I'm destashing, trying to get rid of odds and ends so that I can purge and start my stash with yarns I really like.

So in my backpack is the yarn for the hat I'm making my friend for Christmas (didn't have the needles for it up here), two one-skeins for headbeands, one sock yarn and some yarn that I need Mom to wind.

When I get back I'm going to give some stuff I'll never use away, make a scarf from the Phildar yarn that isn't enough for socks and then probably knit the Central Park Hoodie from the yarn I got for that. I have some really bright sunset-y sock yarn that I got in a swap and I'm not sure if I'd ever wear it, so we'll see where that one goes.

Gotta go get the laundry and finish packing for home!!!

Book Review: Starbucked

Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce, and Culture

I'm not too into non-fiction, not gonna lie, but I decided to read this as soon as I saw it, because as many know, I am addicted to Starbucks. This book was very interesting, and I learned a lot about the history of coffee and about the company which was mainly why I bought it. It was clear in reading it that the author, a journalist, set out rather biasedly to speak against Starbucks, but was not really able to succeed.

Yes, there were a few things to speak negatively about, free trade, expensive coffee, paying mostly for milk and so on. However, he had to admit the differences between Starbucks and other chains such as McDonald's and other things that were mostly ambiguous. It definitely would not stop me from getting Starbucks and it was educational as well.

Book Review: Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha
I know, who hasn't read this, what with the movie and everything, but I admit that I hadn't. I borrowed it from a friend in September and have been reading it off and on since. It's a good book, and a really good introduction to a culture i didn't know much about. The characters are well developed and interesting, and it's not too confusing. It had been a while since I saw the movie, but having seen it helped me picture things well too.

However, I lost interest a little bit in the book at the same point as I had in the movie, around the part when they are worried about Chiyo's virginity. the action dies down a bit, but I really liked the ending. It definitely fit better than the movie.

Overall, I liked the book, but it's probably not one I'll reread too many times, but it was a good read.

FINALS ARE OVER!!!!!

Y'all are going to see a lot more of me over the next few weeks I do believe. Finals ended this week, and I would have updated earlier, but I was fighting this beast, which equals what happens during finals:


And in that picture you cannot even see the huge pile of dirty clothes against the side of the wall because my clean ones were in the hamper. Anyway, that battle was fought and I spent today knitting. I've been working on the Cable and Bobble hat from Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter and it's funny because knitting it during classes I'd get a few rounds done. Today I got up to the decreases.

I also finished the headband I was working on a while ago, and here's teddy bear posing with it.




I've also discovered the joys of having Windows media Player open and sticking on top of all windows. I'm watching Look Who's Talking :)

I am also a dork. My reward for finishing finals was watching DVDs of The 1900 House and tomorrow I'm gonna watch The Muppet Christmas Carol - Kermit's 50th Anniversary Edition

Finals went okay, there were a couple of hitches with a paper, some drama with my friend the night before two major finals but other than that things went okay...

More when I finish the hat and such. :)

Book reviews soon too

Finals

Dear Carly,

School is eating me. I've got so much to do, and of course have to be careful not to completely wear myself out. It's a difficult balance that people don't always understand. I mean, I'm sorry if I don't want to go to something after dinner, but it means having to walk further to get to my room.

And what I am really looking forward to at the end of the semester is no longer having to climb up three flights of stairs every Tuesday and Thursday morning to get to class in a building sans elevator. I know, I know, that's a battle I should have fought. Trust me, I know. But sometimes it is more trouble than it is worth. I've made it, and if I had not I would have spoken to my professor. I save my battle-fighting for getting study abroad money and enrolling in ridiculous amounts of classes.

Forgive me for wanting to make an impression with my academics and not just be the girl with a disability who causes trouble. For some reason I just cannot see how that is more likely to get people to make changes. I feel like I should make a wonderful impression the first way first and then be like, by the way it would make things better for me if, and then people would be more likely to accommodate.

What are your thoughts on this?

I should go study!

Chelsey

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Crazy school work= not much knitting.

I'll be in the corner working on my Nano-novel while my crazy family does odd things.

PS. My new name is Chiclee, thanks to an awesomely mis-spelled Starbucks cup.

FO: Newsboy Cap

Finished the Newsboy Cap from Stitch 'n' Bitch Nation. I actually finished knitting it a few weeks ago, but it was not until today that I got the stuff to put in the brim, :-/

It's Jo Sharp Aran Tweed, received from the Ravelry Summer Cap Swap. It took almost all of my two balls.

I love this! It's rather floppy and kinda big (oh swatching, why don't I do thee?), but I like that as I have big hair.... I liked the yarn, although the tweed is thick and sometimes difficult to work with.

I love newsboy caps though, and will possibly knit this again. I'm naming it my pretentious and indie cap, thanks to something one of my sisters said whist I was knitting it!

Book Review: The Pinhoe Egg

 

The Pinhoe Egg

I first discovered Diana Wynne Jones when I was twelve and shelving books in our middle school library. There I found Witch Week which I love. Since then I've read and reread all of the Chrestomanci books, and several of her other books, and always loved them. She's a fantastic author.

The Pinhoe egg is very good. It explores more of Chrestomanci and Cat's worlds, it has griffins and magical creatures... but honestly? After the others, it is a bit of a let down. The action takes a long while to build up, and then climaxes quickly with no real "the characters figure things out for themselves" per say. No real danger in a typical way for her books. So, whilst I liked it, I don't find it comparable to her other books.

Automobiiiillleee?

Dear Carly,

I know, it may seem like there is only a "Chelsey" in this, but Carly is a senior in high school and thus her school work eats her. Please forgive.

Yes, that subject up there is a reference to Sixteen Candles. It is also what I am planning on begging my parents for in the near future. They will receive a detailed, several page reaoning, but for now let me just say that:

My campus is VERY small. But I live on Greek Row, at the very end. Whenever I want to do something after classes, I stand a very small chance of getting a ride without making myself pathetic and whipping out the phone which invariably takes longer than it would for me to just hoof it. Said hoofing it takes me longer than anyone else, with my bag (which is heavy) it is worse.

My back hurts when I do it, from my books, my legs hurt and it cannot be good for my bad knees. A car would eliminate this and possibly back problems later in life. I would be able to keep books in there, and thus not even carry them to lunch etc. I could even take them back to my room in between classes (=more sleep at night)! I could do work between classes for the classes the next day without having to carry all of that with me!

Even if they don't want me driving off of campus, it is much easier to say: "Want to go to Starbucks with me? We can take my car," than, "Um.... could you please maybe drive me to (my dorm/class/lunch)". Better social interaction!

My body would be less run down, my legs less swollen and I would be less tired. Less dependency. Win-win!

London Calling (Again!)

I'm going back to London this summer; hopefully to study Shakespeare! I got accepted into three-week program with the University of Westminster through the CEA (Cultural Exchange Abroad). I'm ridiculously excited!

I have been knitting a bit, but my Newsboy Cap has not been sewn up yet. I knit a headband for one of my best friends who is in the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan, but I forgot to take a picture of it before I sent it off. It was for her birthday, which was Sunday, but she probably won't get it for three weeks, :(

I'm doing NaNoWriMo, which is going well, but may get harder over the next two weeks in which I have a test, two papers, initiation, lit mag and heaven knows what else to do! I've also been spending too much time on the Big Issues Debate Board on Ravelry!

Our knitting club has yet to talk to Why Knot Knit yet, because my poor friend who has been going to take me keeps having rather awful stuff happen to her, so hopefully we'll go later this week.

Anyway, homework to do. Remember when mid-terms were supposed to be confined to the MIDDLE of the TERM? They lie....

To Go With Our Subtitle

Dear Carly,

Blue parking spaces. The main actual benefit to having a disability, yes?

Then why doesn't the rest of the world realize this? On Halloween night I went out with some friends. We had my permit (of course), and thus we used it. When my friend's boyfriend commented that "he needed to get himself one of those" he didn't understand why I said I'd kill him if he did (that wouldn't work very well, really, he's large.)

Okay, so, I can walk. Lots of people with permits can't, and there are days when I can't either. When even the handicapped spots seem far away from the door. And then Sonya left it in Eric's car. So we didn't have it at the mall today. And that's not cool.

My favorite thing, though, is when I'm with my friends and one of them hops out of the car first and everyone around us looks at them, and then back to the permit hanging on the windshield, and then back at them. And then I get out.

I also hate when people who don't have a disability, are not picking up anyone with a disability or anything of the sort pull into a space and are surprised when I leave them a note that says: "where's your permit?"

I mean, really. What do they think, that we just park in them because we're lazy? Please.

Please Regard

Spock sings about hobbits. Wish I could make this stuff up.

Now then. My winter copy of Interweave knits came in today, and I am very excited :D

Also, my best friend and I are planning to save the world and we need web design help and photoshopping to do it. Can anyone advise?

Let's Get It Started

Welcome to Sense and Disability! This is a blog co-written my myself and my best friend Carly. Aside from being teenagers who love various and sundry things such as Grey's Anatomy, books, purses and cell phones we both have disabilities.

So this blog is about us, and our adventures! :D

This blog has been created for multiple reasons. First of all, it's a place for us to share our experiences, cooky as they may be. Second of all, it's a place that will be used for details on a project that we've been working on, more details later.

But before any of that you should know who we are! I'm Chelsey. I'm eighteen, a sophomore at Oglethorpe University, and I have a disability. It's called Dermatosparaxis, which is a form of Ehlers-Danlos that causes easy brusing and tearing of the skin. It also causes other lovely side-effects such as short stature, (I'm a whooping 4"6'), low vision, joint infections and other fun things.

I'm also a writer, I speak French, I'm obssessed with London and Shakespeare, I knit (check my knitting blog) And I'm best friends with my co-blogger, the wacky Carly. So, that's our world. Welcome to it!

Pink Hair and a Nose Ring

I'm so that girl. It's awesome.

Dyed my hair pink for Hallowe'en. Actually, it's more pink highlights, but still really cool. I was Nymphadora Tonks, and will now answer to Tonks if anyone would just pick up calling me that, lol.


I have also fallen in love with tights. Striped, preferably.

And today I went to Little Five and got my nose redone. I'm very happy, as I missed it a lot, but annoyed because now I have to do the antibacterial washing and seasalt soaks again for a month or so. Annoyingness.




I need to get to a fabric store to get mesh to put in the brim of my latest FO and then it will be posted :D

FO: Wicked

I finally wore my Wicked today! Actually, Thursday, but the internet hasn't behaved until now!



Better pictures when it's not raining out. I didn't want to wear it in the rain, but was so determined to finally wear the damn thing that I gave up caring. It's done in two (yes two) skeins of Arucania Natural Wool with my row gauge a little off. I put in the pocket and knit a little more to make it longer. I'm not happy with the BO edge, it's too tight, but to lazy to rip out.

The headband is with the same yarn, with the Wicked crossovers and a cable.

Yay!

Book Review: Elsewhere

Elsewhere (Ala Notable Children's Books. Older Readers) by Gabrielle Zevin

Okay, so, I write Young Adult fiction, and so I am always on the lookout for good examples of it. They're not always easy to find. This is a genre that needs some serious attention, because among all of the ridiculously pointless and out there fantasy (and I do like good fantasy) and then the chick-lit, popular girl titles there is precious little of weight. Greats like Tamora Pierce, Madeline L'Engle, Dodie Smith and others are, in my opinion, under appreciated.

I even think that most middle reader books are better than YA. But this review isn't about my views on writing. It's about Elsewhere.

I picked it up because the author wrote another book (Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac) that I want to read, but then I couldn't put this one down. It's incredibly creative. Even though the "dead teenage girl coping with death" thing has been done and even the alternative to heaven is reminiscent of The Lovely Bones: A NovelI still found this book very original because of the little details.

In it, Liz is a fifteen-year-old girl who is killed when she is hit by a cab driver. When she wakes up, she's in Elsewhere, a kind of otherworld where humans spend time growing backwards, until as babies again they go back to Earth. I doubt it's never been done, but I like the way Zevin deals with it. She also manages to put a sweet love story in it, and says a lot about the nature of life and time.

There, are, though, some elements that I could do without. The dead communicate with the living through.... water. Original, but a little odd for me. Also, the insistence that Liz was, in life, "a normal fifteen year old", just because I don't think such a thing exists.

But other than that, I really enjoyed this book. The aging backwards when you came to care about the character was painful, and I admit to crying at the end. I wish there had been a little bit more of her family's dealing with her death, and, well, I won't ruin it, but a little more detail on her choice to make a certain decision.

But, as much as I liked it, I can't let go of the similarity to The Lovely Bones.

Halloween Carnivals

This past month I've volunteered at two carnivals in neighborhoods in Atlanta.One wasn't really for Halloween; it was a neighborhood bake and craft fair in the area where the charter school that my school has an affiliation with is.

I don't know what income the housing area is, but my guess would be low. The fair consisted of several rented carnival games, with dollar store prizes. The food was homemade by the neighbors and varied in quality. It was good, but it made me miss festivals at home with my brother catering with his huge grill. Still, the kids there had fun and the neighborhood had a good time.

Today I volunteered at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Georgia's Halloween carnival at Marist. It was obviously better sponsored, prizes from TV stations (we had to remove the "So Sexy---Court TV" wristbands from the prize options!), Mellow Mushroom pizza, ice cream (no sugar added).

I don't even think it was a higher budget thing, because my guess is that much of it was donated, although the insulin pump display people may have paid for their tables. It was just interesting to see the difference between the two carnivals, both of which were for very good causes with very cute kids but in very different neighborhoods with extremely different demographics.

I have to say, I have a great empathy for the kids with diabetes. My sorority sister who has it (the instigator of this project) and I often commiserate about the woes of healthcare problems, but she was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of eleven, so she wasn't affected as a young child. But these kids know their health problems as well as I knew not to play rough at recess. To watch out for stairs.

But they'll make mistakes. Eat the wrong thing. Fall down. And their moms will learn that they can't always look out for them. And they'll one day, maybe at eighteen in a dorm room somewhere, have the realization that while it may never go away there will come a time when managing it becomes second nature and things will be okay.

And my heart breaks in the same way it does when i speak to the mother of the little boy who has Dermatosparaxis, because I wish they didn't have to do it.  But, then again, maybe they too will have that little bit of pride that comes from learning how to better take care of a body that attempts to foil your every move, you know?

This blog started out being about Atlanta neighborhoods and demographics, and it turned into disability-ness. What do you expect from the gimp kid? :D

FYI, my cough's much better and my arm is almost better. Still swollen, but the lack of pain sings the praises of the antibiotic! Woo!

Keep Breathing

What did you do with your Saturday?

I met Ingrid Michaelson



Yeah. That's right. Featured on Grey's Anatomy and Cast-On. And the Old Navy commercials. Best music ever, my Live Journal layout, my ringtone, my idol, Ingrid Michaelson.

So, the story. A few weeks ago, I was on her website, seeing if she had a blog about the Old Navy Commercial, in case people said she was selling out (people are idiots). And I saw that she was touring with Matt Nathanson. On the page I looked further and saw that she would be in Atlanta. So of course, I had to be there. It wasn't really a choice.

I texted Sonya to see if she'd go with me, because I am, unfortunately, unable and unwilling to go to concerts by myself, too many crazies. She said she'd go, so I bought the tickets. Doors opened at eight, no seating assignment on the ticket confirmation. I figured, hey, we'll play the disability card, get up close and that'll be good.

When I called the Box Office yesterday they informed me that it was standing room and they'd do what they could. Well, I wasn't willing to give it up just because of that, but I was slightly disheartened. Standing for long periods of time is not something that works well with me.

But, Sonya picked me up and we went up to the venue. In the parking garage they demanded $15, which we did not have, so we went up in an attempt to find our way out. Two guys who "worked there" answered our queries about handicapped parking with a "you can park near the elevator". No shit. They also told us they had keys to the elevator. We were not comfortable with their chaperoning skills, let us say, but by the time we parked near the elevator they had left.

We got out and went into the place, but had to go back outside and around the block to get in line. We were in between a very dumb girl and her friend and two gay guys who were there in the hopes of getting in. Oh. And there was a very large black man going up the line asking to buy tickets, (who Sonya christened Bubba) who had a pale pink and purple Jansport backpack.

Eventually the line moves inside, up some stairs (more fun for me!) and into the venue. Where the stage is on one side, the bar on the other and a million people between. We decided to hover near the edge so that I didn't get trampled. A woman told me I had nice hair and touched it, always a plus.

But then Ingrid came on and started with Far Away, my favorite song, and I could not stand in the back unable to see. Just no. So, in the way that I get first in line for Harry Potter books I took Sonya's hand and started to maneuver. There is something to be said for people who like the music of Ingrid Michaelson, they seem to be nice people, as I ended up about two rows of people back from her without getting hit or stepped on.



She sang Far Away, one song I didn't recognize (and I have both albums....), Breakable, The Way I Am, Overboard and Keep Breathing. I would have been happy if the entire show were her.

When she was done, Sonya and I were starting to leave, because as good as Matt Nathanson may be (I have no idea, having never heard him), I could not stand that whole time. When Ingrid said she'd be there for people to meet etc I thought it would be after the show. But then we ended up in a line near the selling of stuff place. And when we asked what the line was for a woman (not to patient, but whatever) said "To meet Ingrid".

So we stayed in line, in front of three girls who said that it would have been far better if she had sang the whole concert (as I agreed). And then we met her. And all I could say was "I'm Chelsey and I love your music". Didn't even think to mention Cast-On. But I met her. And took a picture with her. And it's amazing. I've never been the star-stricken bumbling girl (well, maybe with the Harlot), but this was awesome. And also only my second real concert.


So, worry about not even getting to go, being late not so great with the standing, and the almost getting hit by a purse (pursed, as it were) in the head, and the lameness of the venue (shady, downtown Atlanta). But I ceased to care, because I saw her, met her, got pictures. And maybe one day this kid in a dorm room in Atlanta will inspire another girl who aspires to be something. If I become a writer or something. Pass it on and all.

The only thing I'm sad about is I have to wait and order a t-shirt online. They didn't take cards. (Who carries cash any more?). That and $!5 plus ATM fees for parking.

Tomorrow I get to volunteer at a kids' Halloween carnival with my sisters, and get the looks and the questions. But whatever. My weekend is made. Heck, my month is made. :D

Book Review: The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren

The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren


If you read my book reviews you're probably going to get some odd ones in here. I'm interesting like that.

This book caught my eye.... No, actually it found me, walking past the shelves that are never looked at in the library, the ones I past while walking from the computers in the back, the ones that people only use when the main ones are full. Don't ask me why I pulled it off the shelves, but upon flipping through it I knew that if I didn't check it out I'd end up being late for class, and I am the type who goes to class.

Not many college students would be interested in a married couples 1959 study of schoolchildren's habits, but I have odd fascinations from time to time. At nine it was Titanic. Twelve, the Romanovs. Fourteen, Harry Potter.

So I checked it out. And in it found variants, I kid you not, of every rhyme and superstition I knew as a kid. Some were noted as coming from the US, but others were widely known all over the English speaking world.

And tonight? There it was, the rhyme my grandma had told me, to my delight, over and over as a child: "What's your name?" I'd ask, persistantly? "Pudding-and-tame, ask me again and I'll tell you the same."

It's weird, but fascinating, to know what you share with other children from centuries past. And I, who am in a weird phase between child and adult, found this book a fascinating rumination on the nature of the child.

It's out of print, but if it ever calls to you from a shelf, give it a whirl!

Why this isn't an FO post

I've been sick. Going to the doctor today, actually. I had a sinus thing, and now an infection in my arm. Call me odd, but I just haven't felt like modeling my Wicked under those circumstances *sigh*

I also had a psych test in the middle of the week and got about four hours of sleep the night before it.

But, assuming my doctor's appointment today goes well, this weekend should be awesome. I'm seeing Ingrid Michaelson in concert tomorrow and volunteering at a kids' hallowe'en carnival Sunday! :D

Nose Pierced? Knitter

I am temporarily unpierced. Odd? Yes. Yesterday morning I woke up and my nose ring had fallen out. But, I found it, no big deal, so I can just put it back in, yes?

Er.... No.

Couldn't find the hole. School nurse couldn't find the hole. It has scar-tissued over. Over night. So I have to go back to where I got it done and get them to look at it, and if they insist on piercing the other side instead because of scar tissue or whatnot I'm screwed because I CANNOT SEE OUT OF THAT EYE!

I like my nose ring. I want it back *pouts*

In other news Wicked is drying in my bathroom. Blocking is the devil. Magic, but the devil.

In the mean time, I'm working on the Newsboy cap from Stitch 'n Bitch Nation out of the Jo Sharp Tweed my Summer Camp Swap pal got me.

And I'm making good grades, which is the reason for the lack of time for blogging. I'm top in two classes, which is ridiculously awesome.

Anyone up for another bookswap?

Time

I'm not sure where it goes. Suddenly it's past the beginning of October and some balls have just started rolling. Our knitting club should get recognized by student government on Wednesday, and then we can start meeting and then take stock of people's abilities, things we'll be doing and so on.

I have an almost-FO, but it still needs to be blocked and the accessory I'm making to go with it needs to be done :D. But soon. Hopefully it'll all be done by Thursday, which, if the forecast doesn't lie to me, should be the first day that the high drops considerably (to 70, but still).

I made banana nut muffins today, and they were pretty darn good, I think :) The probably could have done with some brown sugar, but they were a recipe using Splenda, so I didn't want to up the calories with another sugar.

Tomorrow I meet with both the study-abroad coordinator and Financial aid to see about going back to London for a few week this summer :D

Oh, and my podcast listening is finally up to only those released in the past week. It's kind of a miracle.

More very soon!

Just avoided danger!!

My friend just called me after I'd been back in my room from my honors meeting for about fifteen minutes:

"Chelsey, did you leave your knitting here?"

".... probably so."

"Is it purple and in a plastic bag?"

"Uh huh...."

Wow. How lucky am I that she found it??

The Beat Goes On

So, today I was a bit bed-ridden because of an infection on the back of my leg, which kind of sucks, but was very good for knitting. I've finished the pocket for Wicked, so all that remains is the bottom and sleeves. Hopefully will finish it next weekend. I've also caught up on a lot of podcasts.

Sonya and I were at Junkman's Daughter, in Little Five Points (kind of the alternative area of Atlanta) this weekend. I had just had my dad order Stitch 'n Bitch Nation for me, because I want the Newsboy cap held within. And on the bookshelves of Junkman's, there it was. But Amazon was $5 cheaper.

The also had an awesome book of A MidSummer Night's Dream paper dolls, which I dorked out over because the Changeling Boy was in it. Awsomeness!!

I really want to go to the new SnB in Buckhead tomorrow, but I can only go if Sonya will drive me. Because of my leg I can't really walk to MARTA as Rie and I were planning. Sadness.

More news later! :D

Of Harlots and Cupcakes

YOU GUYS I MET THE YARN HARLOT TONIGHT!!!!!!!!



She's just as amazing and hilarious and fantastic as she seems on her blog! And I gave her a cupcake!

Before I get into the cupcake story, though, let me apologize for not having updated for a long time. School has been ridiculously time-taking. As in, I had to take psychology flashcards to the Harlot's event and the only reason why I wasn't reading Locke's The Second Treatise of government during the knit-in was that I accidentally left it in the car.

Okay, back to the cupcakes. The first unofficial, but informational meeting of the campus knitting club was today, and Rieddhi and I made cupcakes. They were similar to the marzipan cupcakes, except that we couldn't find marzipan, so we bought cake decorating stuff.


They were awesome. We also have several new people recruited to being interested in the club, and I will take it through student government as soon as possible! Yay!



(Mini Fetching!!!)





We had to not bake in my sorority house's kitchen, because during recruitment there was an oven fire and maintenance hasn't gotten the fire extinguisher stuff out of the oven yet. So, we trekked over to Rie's dorm, and it's common room kitchen. Very college-ified.


So of course I had to make one of these cupcakes for the Yarn Harlot.



There were sooo many people in the theatre by Knitch (one that is behind a Ben and Jerry's that is attached to a Starbucks it's ridiculously fantastic). I had no idea that there were so many knitters in Atlanta!

My mom is visiting, which makes me happy:



And I like this sign. So wasn't obeyed:



It was lots of fun, and I'm so excited to have met one of the knitting giants (er... so to speak).

I'm definitely going to update this more. Thwap me if I don't!!!

Donate, Please

Over at Tangled Fingers Diary, she's hosting a donate button for the Ehlers Danlos National Foundation. Her sister was diagnosed with EDS type 4. For every $5 you donate you will be eligible for a drawing for 5 skeins of Jaeger Roma.

This means a lot to me, because as many of you know, I have Ehlers Danlos type 7c (aka Dermatosparaxis). Ehlers Danlos itself is incredibly rare, and my type exceedingly so. I have the EDNF to thank, though, for the contact I have with a mother of a ten year old boy who also has Dermatosparaxis.

So, a very worthy cause, in my opinion.

Bad Blogger-- No Cookie

Hi guys.... It's been a while, neh?

I'm sorry, and my readership has probably plummeted, but school ate my life this week. I didn't even pick up the needles until last night. First classes, scheduling problems, catching up with friends, first parties of the year, my determination to get a 4.0 this semester and such have totally eaten me.

But I bring you an FO!

 Knitpicks Seaman Scarf:

(pictures coming. Flickr hates me)

I knit it with a couple mods; two cables instead of three, and six repeats. Also, more ribbing than called for in the pattern. Also, I cut out the four rows of garter stitch at the bottom.

I'm also really proud of myself, because on my first time doing Kitchener I figured out how to do it on a 2x2 rib. Not that hard. I don't really see what everyone is complaining about to tell the truth.

The yarn had been sitting in my stash forever, so I was glad to finally knit something with it, ya know? Of course, it's no where near scarf weather.

Seemingly, I don't remember these still-hot weeks of August/early September from last year. I had no friends then, and it was all just very stressful. I didn't tune in again until about a week from now, when I was going through rush and had the possibility of a social life. The best day I had was the 21st of September when it got cool again. Sigh.

The rest of today I plan to spend writing a couple of letters (my faux-big sister (different sorority) is in Kazakhstan for the Peace Corps) and then listening to podcasts and knitting.

One of my friends is having an 80s party, and the asocial knitter in me wants to stay in again tonight, but since I have all of tomorrow off for Labor Day, I'll go. I have a love/hate relationship with college parties (how ironic is it that the song on my iPod right now is Brad Paisley's Alcohol?) I go, and I drink. But I don't like it, necessarily, I prefer the European way of drinking, just sitting around and talking, maybe clubbing. But here it's all so "only opportunity, breaking the rules" thing.

Sigh. Apparently, though, I'm cute when I've been drinking, and my adoration of hugs comes out in full-force. Not a bad thing.

And that's all. More when my life gets at all interesting.

Short Story Writing Month

Because I really don't have any time on my hands, I've signed up for Short Story Writing Month it's kind of a prelude to NaNoWriMo and it should be fun. I'm trying to write more.

I got my Ravelry Summer Camp Swap package today, but I can't find the doodad that makes my camera and my computer be friends at the moment, so pictures tomorrow! :D

Oh, and I think the second volume of the Bookswap will start off around the 21st of September, so be thinking. (maybe a back-to-school theme? So classics?)

LOLCat

Your Score: Sad Cookie Cat

54% Affectionate, 27% Excitable, 57% Hungry

You are the classic Shakespearian tragedy of the lolcat universe. The sad story of a baking a cookie, succumbing to gluttony, and in turn consuming the very cookie that was to be offered. Bad grammar ensues.


To see all possible results, checka dis.

Link: The Which Lolcat Are You? Test written by GumOtaku on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Book Review: Water for the Elephants

Water for Elephants: A Novel

This novel does what many novels fail to do: it combines several different, and distinct themes and time periods in a way that is incredibly natural. Jacob Jankowski is the narrator, although he narrates from two very different perspectives, himself at the age of ninety (or ninety-three) and twenty-three. At somewhere over ninety, he is in a nursing home being cared for and condescended to in a way that he does not care for at all. At twenty-three he is own his own for the first time, his parents dead and having run away from his veterinary school exams.

In switching between both points of view, Gruen creates two different worlds, both of which have their own population and vernaculars: the circus and the nursing home. I had never thought of the particulars of a nineteen-thirties circus and found her descriptions to be absolutely fascinating and achingly brutal at times. In particular, the emphasis of the prohibition interested me, simply because I'd never really thought about it before.

Although the plot within Jacob's circus years can seem a bit contrived at times, particularly the climax scene, it's not entirely too far-fetched, and a nice love story.

The nursing home scenes open up another world of honesty, and I thought the overall message about treatment of the old, who had once been so independent was brilliant. The foreshadowing and interlocking of the two worlds was also well done.

I listened to this on audio, (audible link: and the narrators were fantastic. They gave Jacob two voices, but at the same time, kept him the same person. I would definitely recommend listening to the book.