Guess who's back in the blogosphere...

I am going to start blogging again.  I am also going to go back and delete a bunch of posts that are TMI.  I was getting divorced, give me break!

It was Miller Time...

I said the other day that I was going to go get my crochet on while sitting on the porch outside the bar and I have proof! Kathleen, the scarf exists! Everyone was like, "What the f are you doing, Grandma?" Ohhh, but it was soooo nice out. I never understand how the bar could have people in it and the porch is empty! When the weather is like this, the only people inside should be the ones waiting for a table outside! You can read all about the yarn and the scarf I'm making in this post.

I finally gave up on crocheting under the influence when I started making boo boos. Fear not Kathleen, it has been frogged. It was no biggie, though because I was only about 4 shells past the screw up.

It's Miller Time.

I'm on my way to go sit outside on the porch of the bar J and I work and finish my friend Kathleen's one-skein scarf that I started in April. Just a couple hours of double crochet and it's done! I also have work to do for the museum, so I'll have my laptop with me too. Will I get work done? Probably not. Will I crochet and drink Miller Lite? You can count on it.

 

I love technology

Picture me singing that like Kip from Napoleon Dynamite. I just got an iPhone and boy do I feel dumb. I'm trying to set it up now, when I should be doing my laundry. I wanted to set the Apps before I threw my laundry in, cause I was going to play with it while I sat at the bar next to the laundromat.

Fast forward: Okay, so now it's two days later. I was going to finish my post, but I was about to be locked out out of the laundromat. This phone is rad. It does everything. It was funny because Mr. Flight played with mine and bought his own the next day. It's even funnier because he's the "I don't have cable" variety. I'm really glad though because that means I can just ask him how to do stuff rather than have to figure it out myself. I mentally check out around electronics. The downside is Mr. Flight hasn't looked up from the phone since he got it in his hot little hands. It's kind of cute though, he's all super jazzed about it. The phone also takes really good pictures and ever since I moved into my new apartment, I haven't been able to find my camera. (Note the the lack of pictures on the ol' blogger lately.) So problem solved on the lost camera for now.

I'm starving to death. Kubiac eat now. (Parker Lewis Can't Lose, anyone?)

Shameless plug for Joan and Victor!

Because I met two extremely awesome people last week, I'd like to give them a little plug. And yes, I do mean little. (I know how many people read this blog, okay?) They are the founders of the Carbon County Cultural Project and generally amazingly interesting and hospitable people. Here's a description of the CCCP ganked from their website:

Located in a former wireworks factory, the Carbon County Cultural Project (CCCP) is the destination for people who enjoy unique spaces, modernistic design and contemporary American cuisine. As home to FLOW restaurant, we are proud to have become the premiere Art and Food destination in northeastern Pennsylvania.Built c.1850 as a wire mill, and later home to a silk mill and dressmaker’s factory, the Carbon County Cultural Project has undergone extensive renovation from its industrial origins to the present art gallery facility. The CCCP gallery space features emerging and established artists and Stabin Morykin Gallery offers a permanent collection of paintings and limited edition prints by famed international artist, Victor Stabin.
The CCCP also offers workshops that can be taken for Act 48 credits. Here's the most current one:

J and I went up there last week to eat and I had such a good time. The building itself is so, so neat.
See:

So go! Eat, learn and look at art.

I hope I can finish this post before my brain explodes.

post deleted. TMI

Say my name, say my name...

So every time I hear my last name it makes me want to hurl. Walking around with my soon to be ex-husbands last name is grossing me out. I need to change it, but I don't want to use my maiden name either. My maiden name (like from back when I was a fair maiden? What a stupid archaic thing to call it) is my father's last name and my mom and him split when I was a baby. He is total degenerate and I haven't seen or heard from him in over 15 years. When I was about to get married I was thrilled to get rid of that name, but I cannot stand to use my ex's name for much longer. When I give tours at work and I say my name it's hard to get out of my mouth. I stopped calling myself "Mrs." which was a weird feeling. Do I say Miss? I think that since I was married I am a "Ms." by default.
Anyway, I decided to use my mother's maiden name. It's a cute name and sounds very British. (Well, because it is. It reminds me of Miss Moneypenny from James Bond.) I have been digging around for my birth certificate and I hope that is enough to change my name. My concern is that I'd be changing my name to something I've never been called before, and I don't know if there are extra steps I have to take. Oh boy am I looking forward to fun filled day at the Social Security office! What a horrorshow that place is. I can't wait to get a new driver's license! I never thought I could feel so good, so soon after something that I thought was supposed to be traumatic.

I've returned from restructuring.

So, where have I been? I'm getting divorced. 
Rest of post deleted. TMI-8/18/13

Life is short.

post deleted. Divorce TMI 8/18/13

Wordful Wednesday

This was my last pack of cigarettes.

I've decided to quit smoking. I've done it before and I think this time it's going to stick. I started smoking around 4 years ago and I quit after getting sick last February. I was laid up in bed with a horrible virus and by the time I stopped puking, it had been 3 days since I had a cigarette, so I figured I quit. It was not hard for me to get over the initial quitting, but it was hard for me to stay quit. My husband smoked around me all the time and eventually, I caved. First it was one or two a week, then day, then I was back. I didn't start up again until July, so it's only been 8 months. Hopefully that helps. What I think is going to help the most is that this time, my husband is quitting. He decided to quit on his own, which is a positive thing because I know you can't quit til you're ready. We need the money. It costs between $400-$500 a month for a couple to smoke. That's fucking stupid.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVED smoking. I truly enjoyed it. I just like money more. So, it's been 9 hours and thirty two minutes since my last cigarette, and I feel fine. Mr. Fight and I decided we are going to treat ourselves with gifts equal to the amount of money we would have spent on cigarettes to keep us motivated at first. I'd say, "Wish me luck", but luck has nothing to do with it. I'm a tough cookie and I refuse to let something like cigarettes be the boss of me. I know I'm stronger than that.

For more Wordful Wednesday vist Angie at:

Give me your web address, url or whatever it's called!

Arrg. I just took a look for the first time at the person's blog who has the url (is that what it's called?) I wish I had. I was attempting to link to my blog and I accidentally put in fightorflight.blogspot.com and I finally saw the blog that uses that address. Mine is THEfightorflight.blogspot.com, because what I wanted was already taken. She hasn't posted anything to this blog and it hasn't been active since 2002. That doesn't sound that long ago, but how cow, it's seven years! I wish there was a way to get it from her, but I can't bear the thought of redoing my widgets anyway, so I guess it wasn't meant to be. It's too bad that inactive blogs with zero posts don't go back into the system at some point. Say, after six years.

New yarn...YUM

I went to the Kraemer Yarn Store today! Always fun! I love to shop there since they are so knowledgeable and helpful and always polite to newbies. I have never felt put off or intimidated to ask questions there. They have a clean, bright, well organized store, with an amazing discount bin of off-weight skeins! The purpose of my mission was to pick up a skein of Tatamy Tweed DK, in the taupe colorway. I am making Kathleen the One Skein Scarf from the Stitch 'n Bitch: The Happy Hooker book. The pattern is also available free from the Jo-Ann's website, so go forth and make one-skein scarves! It is the best pattern evar!

So I picked up a nice skein of the taupe color but soon noticed a discount bin calling my name. I saw that it was a full bin of the very yarn I was holding! The discount bin holds yarn that doesn't weigh quite what it should, either too little or...too much! Typically the Tatamy Tweed costs about $6, but the sale priced balls are $3.49! I found a sale priced skein of the exact color I needed and when I took it home it actually weighed in at 115 grams, or 1.15 skeins! For less than what I would have paid for 1 skein. Awesome!

Here is said yarn:

Tatamy Tweed DK, Taupe
(Look Kathleen, I got you one with a LABEL. Fancy!)

But of course I couldn't stop there.

Tatamy Tweed DK, It's a girl, $3.49

Weighing in at another amazing 110 grams or 1.1 skeins!

These next two balls came together:

Tatamy Tweed worsted, Navy Tweed

Weighing in at 71 grams, .71 of a skein!

Tatamy Tweed worsted, Flannel Tweed

This ball weighs in at 100 grams or a full skein!

This and the navy ball were $3.49 TOGETHER!

And I couldn't resist more of the black colorway, of which I already have some stashed:

Tatamy Tweed worsted, Black Tweed

Weighing in at 157 grams or over a skein and a half!

Did I mention it cost $3.49?

Ok, so I saved the best for last. Sitting all alone in the sale bin was this beautiful ball of Fountain Hill Brushed Mohair. Are you ready to hear what it cost? ONE DOLLAR. I took it home and weighed it and I was shocked. It was the deal of the day. A full skein of this yarn costs either $10 or $12 dollars and weighs 100 grams. This ball weighs 93 grams! For a DOLLAR.

Fountain Hill Brushed Mohair, Surf's Up!
93 grams!

I love new yarn! Sure it'd be nice to buy whatever I wanted at full price, but I got all that yarn for $14! The Tatamy Tweed is a dream to work with, it feels so cool and soft moving through your fingers. I like to make small things, too, so for me it works to have small quantities of stuff on hand. However, they also have beautiful bags of "sweater quantity" in the discount bin too, also for rediculous prices. Thank you Kraemer Yarns! I love you!

Stash bags, con't.

Remember a few posts back when I mentioned I was going to take the stash bags down to the tobacco store to see if they wanted to sell them? No dice. The guy was polite, but clearly not interested. He obviously liked them, because I could see him reacting as I was pulling them out of my bag. He seemed to like the rasta one the best as it warranted a smile.


Maybe he was feelin' irie. Then again, maybe not, since he basically told me where I could put them.

I'm a 21st century digital girl!

I got my laptop! Whoo-hoo! I had no clue how to use it for the first few days and my husband has been consumed by his new software for burning dvd's and making new covers for them, since apparently our new computer (or something in it) lets you take screen shots from the movie you are watching. He is starting up a little cottage industry where he will be distributing rare horror and punk concert movies and he is thrilled to be able to make jazzy new covers. When he is ready to go public, I'll post a lot more info. But anyway...I'm back!

I also got a new banner and button! The button is so cool you should put it on your blog! (How did you say? Just copy my code on the sidebar!) My always fantastic friend Kathleen from Katydid and Kid made them both for me and she can make you one too! She will make them for cash or reasonable trade, so if you want your blog to look rad like mine (I know, I know, I get a new button and my head swells) head on over and ask her to hook you up!

Thanks Kathleen!

Computer go boom.

Moments after publishing my last post, my computer apparently broke. I went out to buy printer paper, which I haven't bought in what seems like years and I came home to my computer making a horrible noise. It was fine that morning while I was writing the post, but I guess things often seem fine until the minute they break. Since I obviously have no resources to get my computer fixed or buy a new one, I figured this was the end of computing pour moi. Amazingly, my awesome mother offered to buy me a new computer for my birthday, which is actually months away. I try to be extremely self sufficient, but sometimes I let myself take a handout. I picked out a laptop, which should be here tomorrow! (I am writing this from work- shame, shame.) So if you tried to email me or reach me via computer somehow, I should be back up tomorrow.

Some finished Stash Bags

The one in the back didn't photograph well, but it is the black "felted" bag from the post below. The tan one is my fav and I'm still working on the rasta one.

We'll see if this is lucrative.

Felting-sort of.

I took a bunch of pictures as I was making my first crocheted-then-felted project, but somehow they aren't on my camera. In lieu of the photos, I'll give you the blow by blow.

I started out with Jo-Ann's Sensations Kashmira yarn, 100% wool. I needed to hold two strands together, but I hate working from either end of a skein, so I decided to make some center-pull balls. I did take pictures of this, but just use your imagination.

How to make a center pull yarn ball:
Take the tail end of your yarn, about 6 inches or so and make sort of a fist around it with the four fingers on your left hand so the tail hangs out the bottom near your pinkie and the other end is coming out the top above your index finger. You really just want to keep the tail end out of the way. Next take the "working end" of the yarn, the end that is coming out of your fist near the index finger and begin wrapping it around over the top of your thumb, keeping the wraps loose enough that you'll be able to get your thumb back out. You are also still holding the tail end in your "fist". Now just keep wrap, wrap, wrapping until you look like Little Jack Horner. You can pull your thumb out if you want, but just keep your thumb sort of in the hole, so you don't wrap over the hole where your tail is going to come out. Amazing!

Now that I had my two balls wound, I started off with a simple pattern for making a "stash bag". I just chained 13 with my H hook, did my first row of sc, sc into the "butts" of all base chain stitches and kept spiraling around until it was as long as I wanted. Then I chained like 12 or so to make the little loop and sl st to finish. I will add a button for the loop as soon as it is dry. Unfortunately there is now no picture of the bag pre-felting. Wahhhh....

Then I took it into the bathroom and filled the sink with hot soapy water (I used plain old dish soap) and rubbed rubbed rubbed until I could see the stitch definition getting fuzzier and the holes between my stitches had fused together. I didn't want total stitch definition annihilation, so I stopped there, but I can see how rad this would be with a washing machine.

Submitted for your approval:

Ok, now that I uploaded this picture, I'm a little disappointed. It looks pretty normal and un-felty. I swear the stitches were all big and open before and now they've closed up. Whatever. Don't believe me.

I was thinking about making these and taking them to the store down the street that sells glass "tobacco" pipes to see if they want to sell them so the potheads don't break their bowls. I mean, "tobacco heads". If I could sell them one for like 5 bucks and they could maybe sell it for 10 bucks, that would be sweet. I can make one in like an hour, so that's about what I'm used to getting paid.

Superstar!

I was tagged by Kathleen over at Katydid and Kid to be a part of the Rock star club.

Here's how it rolls:

1) Go to Wikipedia and hit the random link on the left sidebar, under the navigation heading. The first article you get is the name of your band.

2) Go to the website The Quotations Page. The last four or five words of the very last quote on the page is the title of your album.

3) Go to Flicker's Randomizer feature. The third picture, no matter what it is, is your album cover.

4) Use Photoshop or another photo editing software to create your album cover.

5) Post your album cover on your blog, along with this text. Be sure to nominate at least 5 friends (by leaving comments on their blogs with a link to your post), and tag me, Fight or Flight, by leaving a comment so that I can see what you've created.

Drum roll please....

For those of you wondering what PARD6B is:
Par-6 partitioning defective 6 homolog beta (C. elegans), also known as PARD6B, is a human gene. And I know I was only supposed to use the last 4 or 5 words of my quote, but I couldn't do that to Kurt Vonnegut. I am quite please with my new band. I play the cowbell. I've got a fever, you know, and the only prescription is more cowbell.

My rock stars:

Amoena @ It's About Me, Amoena (as usual! I can't help it, I frakking love her blog!)
Karrie @ Knit Purl Gurl
Laura @ I am a refined young lady!
Victoria @ suffering from nostalgia (as usual!)
and in an attempt to help a friend revive her blog which she hasn't been posting to lately...tsk, tsk
Rebecca @ youer than you

Have fun!

Fin!

With my husband anxiously looking over my shoulder, I finished the "Priest Zombie" last night:

I redid the eyes that I burned (see yesterday's post for more on the priest zombie) and decided to needle felt the white collar thing, cross and blood.

Here's the "Priest Zombie" and the "Corporate Zombie" at home on a shelf in our kitchen:

As long as we're talking priests here, you may have noticed the nice picture of the Virgin Mary below the shelf:

Or was it Jesus?

It's basically the sweetest Jesus/Mary hologram ever, courtesy of the Pennsauken Mart (read: dirt mall in Jersey). When I went to my friend Bonnie's house for the first time years ago and saw the same Jesus/Mary hologram thing on the wall, I knew we were soul mates.

Zombies!

My husband purchased me the book Creepy Cute Crochet, by Christen Haden for Christmas and so far I had only made the Grim Reaper for my brother:

Apparently my husband actually only bought me the book because he wanted an army of creepy cute zombies in our house, not because he thought I would really like it. Which I do, so it worked out for both of us. he has been begging for more creepy cute monsters, since the only one I made, I gave away. I finished the "Corporate Zombie" two days ago, with a few modifications. This is what the real corporate zombie looks like:

This was made by Ravelry user RSPS (you will need a Ravely account to view link).

I left off the hair, per my husband's request and changed the skin color to green. I used Lion Brand's cotton yarn and the colorway for the face is Avocado:

The pattern calls for the tie and blood to be cut from store bought felt, but I decided to needle felt the tie and blood instead, since I had the stuff at my house to do it that way. the eye is made from white and black polymer clay and the eye and mouth are in embroidery floss.

After I made that one, my husband was full of ideas for more zombies. His next request was a priest zombie. I think he wants me to make all the main zombies from the Dawn of the Dead or Day of the Dead. I'd have to watch the movies again to see what accessories would be required to distinguish the different zombies. I finished most of the priest zombie in a few hours last night.

I had to improvise on the jacket and collar, but I like how it's coming out so far:

I can see I've crocheted some cat hair in too...oh well. I made the eyes and the white "priest collar" thing, too:

But I was blogging while they were in the oven and I forgot about them, so now they're burned garbage. I might use the eyes anyway, since a zombie might wave torn up eyes, assuming he's been through a lot that day. I will either remake the "priest collar" thing out of clay or needle felt it.

If it stays in one piece that long: