Just Keep Swimming

As you may have already heard, if you live on the east coast, particularly the Mid-Atlantic to New England area...

NEMO FOUND US.

And he's coming to get us.

If you've been watching the news at all, you know we're in for a 'historic' blizzard that will possibly dump 1 to 2 feet on us.

For the record, this is NOT historic. This is the fucking Northeast, guys.
I distinctly remember a Christmas Day when I was a teenager where we got THREE feet. In one day. That's a historic blizzard, since I'm still talking about it today.

While I would pay to see the panic on the faces of the Long Islanders (and I can say this without offense, because I'm from there) we will survive this. I promise.

I'm all set. I've got a new scarf:

First Growth Scarf. Project 2 of 13 in 2013.
The yarn is Tintagel Farms Merino/Kid Mohair blend. Color: Driftwood
Pattern is Mae Geri Scarf, a lovely easy lace pattern that was perfect for my first go at knitting a lacy pattern.

I'm very pleased with how this came out.

In addition to a new scarf to wear in the snow, I have a pair of socks on the needles (no picture yet, sorry) and a massive to-do list all ready for me to work on while if I'm snowbound.

To Do:
-personal statement for grad school applications
-preliminary bibliography (this one annoys me. I'm potentially paying to go to your school, and you want me to design my own curriculum, too? Why, exactly, do you deserve my money?)
-pitch for the Book Doctors NaNoWriMo Pitchapalooza
-Smell of Rain character sketches
-blog post

Be brave, Northeasters, in the face of this latest blow.
Remember the wise words of the little blue fish:
Just keep swimming.

My Turn: Color Affection Affliction

So awhile ago the Yarn Harlot posted a warning on her blog about the Color Affection shawl. Pattern can be found here.

Clearly, I didn't heed the warning.

In fact, the Knit Picks catalog with all those lovely neutrals on the cover came a few months ago and I had a fit of excitement at all the Color Affection combinations I could make with  two neutrals and a bright splash of color.

This one is for my mom. I'm still trying to pick the right colors for me. Stay tuned.

Score: Color Affection/Affliction - 1     Me-0

Fortune Cookie Speaks The Truth

Recurring weather conversation:

Me: It's STUPID cold, here. There is no reason for it to be 'highs of single digit temperatures.'

Ben: It's cold in Philly, too.

Me: I know that. I wasn't thinking that I wanted to be in Philly... I was thinking that I wanted to be in Hawaii.

For the record, it IS stupid cold here. It was -5  or more last night, and there's a high of about 7 degrees today. The wind is whipping, but at least it's sunny. That might make it feel like 9 degrees. Hooray.

This means that it's a great day to stay inside and work on cozy projects like that lace scarf that I started:

It's also a great day to finish the book I've been reading. I'm currently loving Markus Zusak's I Am the Messenger or, by its original Australian title, The Messenger.  Don't read the whole wikipedia plot summary- you'll ruin it for yourself.

What I love about Markus Zusak are his little one-line phrases that are absolutely gorgeous. One that comes immediately to mind is the final line of The Book Thief: "I am haunted by humans."

I should be writing, or at least applying to grad school programs, but I think for today, I'm going to take a day to relax and work on some quiet things. But before I do, I have to share the greatest fortune I've ever gotten out of a cookie:

Thanks for clearing that up for me, fortune cookie.

Whooo Are You?

Who, Who.

An ever-popular pattern with the people in my life: Owl Mitts. They're adorable, they're easy, they're warm. Win- win for everyone, really.

In fact, I have two more pairs that I need to make. As my mother pointed out when I posted this picture on facebook, she doesn't have a red pair. She has one in every other color.


In other news, I had a lousy job interview today. Why would you wait until the end of the interview to tell the candidate that the position has been filled, but that they should keep checking back to see if something else opens up?

Honestly, I'd have liked to have known beforehand. Especially since there were THREE WEEKS between when they scheduled the interview, and when I actually had to call them. You'd think they might have called and said "Hey, this position is gone, but would you like to do the interview anyway so that you're in our system and next time you apply you can skip this part?"

Sure, fine. Do.

But to wait until the very end? So frustrating, guys.

Finally, I'm looking at low-residency MFAs. My three to look at right now are, in order, Bennington College, Vermont College, and University of Southern Maine. As I'm sitting here staring at my pad of paper with my notes, I'm thinking about applying to Goddard too. It's only an extra $20- that's a stupid cheap application fee. Most undergrad app fees are more than that. The rest of them are in the $75 range, which makes me cringe a little.

And no one needs GRE scores. Which sucks because I paid all that money to take it, but is also good because I was again, perfectly average. Well...above average on the verbal, but every else was middle of the road.

First, I'm going to send an email to a professor that I really liked at Bing, who also went to Bennington, and now teaches creative writing, and see if she has any words of wisdom offer. Also, to see if she'll write me a letter of recommendation.

Then, writing and crossfit. I still have to be dragged to Cross Fit occasionally, but I'm liking it once I'm there. I back squatted 55 pounds the other day. That's like, half my body weight. On my way to becoming an ant-like ninja that can lift twice my weight!

Win. 

Tea Stains and Socks

I just missed my mouth with the last bit of tea in the bottom of my mug. Now there's a wet spot on my pants and an empty mug. Do I go make the second cup of tea that I was planning?

I'm going for it. These pants are shot anyway.

...

Now that I've returned with a cup of tea, we'll get to the socks. Here's another Christmas present, this time for Ben.
These are an Alpaca blend yarn that I got at the Central New York Fiber festival this summer, in the Globe Trotter Socks pattern by Jodie St. Clair. It's a great pattern for a slightly dressy sock, especially in a dark color like these:

'Paca Pepper Socks

I really should be editing. I'm determined, while I'm unemployed, to seriously work on the revising and writing that I've been neglecting for a long, long time.

I've been super unproductive, and now sitting around all day means that I need something to keep me occupied. There will be knitting, for sure, and there will be job hunting, but there will also be progress on the several novels that are currently lurking around my bookshelves, hard drive, and brain.

Maybe the effort to blog regularly will help me to write regularly as well.

Being regular is healthy.

I've even dug out an old Scribophile account.  If you're on there too, let me know. We can be friends.

Now, to some writing. Stay tuned for more Christmas presents. Maybe even an excerpt from something if I feel like it's ready to be read.

New Year, New Look, New York!

As you may have already noticed, with the exception of red/green colorblind people (and for those of you, I'm sorry that it looks the same) I have revamped the blog for the new year. I can't say for sure whether this will do anything in the way of making me post more, but we'll see. I may also be starting a different one, soon. A real 'writer's platform' kind of blog.

I am currently unemployed again, and back Upstate, both sort of against my will. The boy took a job back up here, and I couldn't afford to exist in Phila without him, so I came along, even though I didn't want to. Also, I was ready for a different job, but I would have waited until I had another lined up, in a perfect world.

Whilst I am on the hunt for something to do up here that won't make me want to hurl myself into traffic, I am going to make a conscious effort to be a writer. I might as well- I have no money, a bottle of tequila that was gifted to me by a coworker, and all the time in the world.

Seems like the right recipe to me.

I also need to start putting together Grad School applications.

MFA in Creative Writing program suggestions? I'll take them. Right now, Bennington College's low-res is my top choice. But I have to do a little more research and then start applying.

I've decided to screw it all and go do what I want. I can't be in any worse shape career-wise than I am right now. What's a little more debt that I'll probably spend the rest of my life paying off? No money is the new black.

In Yarny news, a pilgrimage to WEBS in Northhampton is in the works, and I have an abundance of Christmas presents that I haven't posted about. Perhaps if I do it one at a time, then that will keep me posting regularly.

Here's the most recently finished present.
Ex Parrot Scarf.  Yes, from the Monty Python sketch.

Made for Ashley, from the Fleece Artist Nyroni yarn, which is currently discontinued. Not sure of the colorway, since I'm having a hard time finding the yarn online.
Pattern is Abigail Phelps' Why Knot.

Stay tuned for more woolies and Grad School updates.

I've Really Got to Stop Saying "Hopefully..."

As in, "hopefully it won't be another two months before I post again."

Because, clearly, it was.

And that's generally the case.

What I really need is a shock collar for when I do things like putter around playing Words With Friends or reading FanFiction (yes, guilty, but not the dumb Twilight kind. The good, occasionally by people I know, kind) instead of being productive and writing.

 Hoping....er...intend to set a new routine for myself as I need to start writing a sample for this round of Grad School applications (maybe I've figured out what I want to do with my life this time) and studying for the GRE along with knitting Christmas presents and don't forget National Novel Writing Month. I'm hoping determined to win this month.

In other news, we came through Sandy unscathed. Didn't even lose power, and spent a fairly pleasant hurricane on the couch with some wine, and some nerdy Sci-Fi shows.

On the Yarn Front- I DID finish my Rhinebeck sweater in time to wear it to Rhinebeck. Here it is:

I'm calling it the Blue Marble Sweater, and I'm exceedingly pleased with the way it turned out. I've never made something like it before. Boosted my confidence in my crochet skills.

Finally, I've finished a couple of books in the last week or two.
First, Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness, second in the Discovery of Witches trilogy. I read the first one for book club last year, and was surprised by how much I liked it, especially since I thought reluctant witch + dashing vampire = new and equally dull Twilight.

Not exactly. It's fluffy, for sure. But it's fun, and the characters are better. I particularly like Ysabeau, the vampire matriarch.
Also, I know a dog named Ysabeau, but that's sort of (completely) irrelevant.

Last night I finished Animal Farm, and loved it. It makes me curious to learn more about Trotsky though, because I really don't know much about him.

Now, off to think about characters and plot for NaNo.
Hopefully I'll try to post more frequently.
Happy Halloween!