i do a very good impression of myself.

life changing? perhaps. week changing? uh, yesh.

2010-02-03T07:16:00.000-08:00

i have been challenged to a duel:
how healthy can you possibly be this week?
and let me tell you, i plan on being disgustingly healthy. it might be outrageous. this being the first morning of the first week of the being healthiest fucking person i can be, this is why im posting.

at the end of this week, i want people to HATE me for being so healthy.

my strategy?
1. NO cigarettes. this will be tought, and i've been trying to quit, but i keep rewarding myself for doing so well at quitting by having a cigarette. like i deserved it or something. welllll, not this week. sorry smokey, not this week. is it strange that as i'm typing this "have a cigar"-pink floyd, just came on on pandora? coincidence? no. temptation of the junkfood devil? yes.
2. Eat Healthier. This means more fruits and veggies (which wont be hard because believe it or not, those are 2 of my favorite food groups) less storebought meals, and since i know that i simply cannot resist the nightly midnight snack, i will make it at least a semi-healthy one. (banana de peanut butter a la chocolate chips, anyone?)
3. Drink Healthier. dear mountain dew, you know that meeting we had scheduled for this week?, yeah, im sorry, im going to have to cancel.
4. Excersmash. thats right. some, everyday. including today. and tomorrow. and those other 5 days that im going to want to say "i'll do it tomorrow". maybe i'll gain some killer abs or something that will make it worth it.

anybody else in?

lemme explain.

2009-08-28T16:22:00.001-07:00

The idea of blogging weirded me out during the summer. I prefered to spend my time outdoors, smoking cigarettes, and playing croquet, rather than drudgin it out on the world wide web.
BUT, for a quick rundown of everything that happened in my quiet, humble, hippy life, i've created a Eight Things I Did This Summer list!

1. Traveled to the Great Smoky Mountains with some of my best friends in this world. We had the best time ever, and my camera broke. So i have no proof. You're just going to have to take my word for it.

2. Picked up a job. Yes, thats right. I now work as a waitress in one of the craziest restaurants in the world. no literally. ever seen the movie "Waiting"?. its similar in oh so many ways.

3. Got a new bike!! My friend J got a new one, and just gave me his old one! its amazing.

4. Got a KITTEN!! oh and she is soooo cute! Her name is appropriately: Sunshine J. Lovecat. pictures to come. promises.

5. My boyfriend and I traveled to Chicago to see one of our favorite bands Dr. Dog. The show was killer.

6. Became a Business Major. I have quit the university life and traded it in for the deluxe community college experience.

7. Knit. Alot. photos to come in a few days. and boy-baby-jesus do i have alot of crafty-ass projects to unleash.

8. And last but not least. Smoked cigarettes and played croquet, but of course, you knew that.

oh and one last thing... im stashing up the works to start my own business soon! so keep an eye on me. i just might do something great.

peace for now, pictures for later.
beatnik

oh dear me.

2009-08-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

it sure has been a while.

well just a quick update, and then im off to work!

im currently planning on knitting a new mystery pattern by Nancy Bush for the SKA group on Ravelry, and look at the gorgeous yarn i have to work with!:

This would be Louet Gems (sport weight) in Golden Rod. Im anxious to try out a new brand... i love new sock yarn.

and of course, i love you too.

have a wonderful friday!

beatnik

dear worthless remnants of snow:

2009-04-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

please be aware that you have overstayed your welcome. it is now april, and april is no time for snow. it is now time for flowers and green-green-grass, and warm weather to take the stage, so please exit to your left or be yoinked off stage by a cartoony looking cane.

sincerely,
beatnik

by the by: i will post the last of the iowa trip pictures when said shitty weather goes away: until then, i boycott all things pseudo-productive and continue to knit like a mad hatter.

Beatnik goes Geek: part deux

2009-04-01T23:00:00.001-07:00

As promised, part 2 of beatnik goes geek:
After the museum, we went to check out a quarry in buffalo which was…

Beautiful? Maybe not.

But with a closer look…

The circle pieces of lighter material are crinoids stems!

::better known as Indian beads

Then we took a stop at the Klien Quarry near iowa city,

Where rocks are rusty:

And tons and millions, as well a kajillions of brachiopods, which are sort of like prehistoric clams:

That's all of for tonite folks, I'm going to set an alarm

and hopefully wake up tomorrow bright eyed and bushy tailed…

Peace

Beatnik goes Geek:part 1

2009-03-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

This is the first post of many concerning my trip to Iowa, because, frankly, i went camera crazzzy, thus; i have a plethora of beautiful geek pictures for you.

Preface: I am currently a geology major, and taking a paleontology class, which is inherently interesting. We focus on invertebrates, so any sea creature you can think of that lived more than 300 million years ago, i am studying it. Lets get on with the pictures:

The first stop we made was at the ever-lovely Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois where we met the man who led an expedition to Antarctica and stubbed his toe on this:

In 1990, Dr. Bill Hammer (i met him!) found this full skull, along with various other body parts and named it crylophosaurus, and its 200 million years old.

Then, the curator of the Fryxel Museum led us into Augustana's repository where they keep specimens they use for teaching purposes, score!

tiny sea horse.

This is how they make pearl buttons....

and one of my personal favorites:

the original tye dye.

this is actually petrified wood that has had many minerals flow through it, giving it its quite distinctive reds, yellows, and blues (sorry the picture makes it look black)

this concludes part one of the beatnik goes geek series, but i have a giveaway planned for the end of the ioway posts, for sure.

check back with me

peace for tomorrow

la la la IOWAAAAA

2009-03-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

yes yes, i am going to IOWA tomorrow!
iowa? you ask....

yes. i am going to be traveling around the southeastern side of the state with my paleontology professor along with 4 other gentlemen (including boyfriend!) and we're going to trek around, snooping in quarries to find what experts have hailed iowa as being:

fossil lagerstatten

translation: fossil bonanza, yo

so i'll have some sweet pictures for the blog by the time i get back, hoorah!

baby brachs, stromatoporoids, calcified corals galore, and of course, the occasional elusive trilobite perhaps....as we delve into what is the beginning of the giant illinois basin.

oh good god, im excited!

not to mention, its probably going to rain on us all weekend, which means skanky motels! and most importantly,BEER!

personally, im voting for pbr.

peace be with you

mess

2009-03-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

im a mess today, kind of.
i see my grades, and i know they are bad, and im ashamed.
none of my classes interest me, which makes me sad.
i love to learn, i really do, and i consider myself to be a competent person
i love reading, and discovering, and gathering knowledge.
it seems, lately, classroom learning just isnt doing it for me.
i feel like im wasting time.

and i know that from the outside, it just looks like laziness, and that kills me.
it seems like there is so much more to it than that.

im going to go enjoy a cigarette with my roommate now.
woot.

robots:0, beatnik:1

2009-03-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

much blood and oil was spilled, but i have come out on top! so without further adooooo....

Who is this handsome devil?

This is florida's native snook, seen from and underwater glass room!

This is a hippo.

The tortoise and the tortoise.
racing.

Many many flamingos, chillin.

GATOR!

The preserve that we went to takes in injured manatees and nurses them back to health in hopes of releasing them back into the wild!

manatee lunch, which looked alot like my lunch....
(lettuce, peppers, apples, carrots, bananas, and sweet potatoes!)

some very pretty orchids at the local farmers market

and this is a picture of what serenity and peace of mind looks like in my head

i think i give the new camera an A.

peace

this one is called: kill the camera software.

2009-03-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

i had a wonderfully photo-tabulous blog planned out for today, but alas! i go to try and figure out how to get my pictures off of brand new cameraaaa and if i could physically rip the pictures out of the camera with my mega-strong arms, believe me, it would have been done by now. but i coax and cooo at them, and they wont come out. ffffffffff.

also, ArcSoft PhotoImpression 5 can kiss my white ass. your software sucks major donutholes.

maybe later, you will get to see florida vacation in all its shining glory.

angry post ending now.

south

2009-03-10T22:08:00.000-07:00

dear blog readers:
for some unexplained reason, i feel the need to tell you when im going to be gone...
strange, i know. maybe its partly because i am sooo killer excited that i cant sleep.
tomorrow morning i will wake at 4:30 and drive to the airport and get on a plane to go see my Pappito (my gramps!) in Florida!!

YAAAARRRRR to warm weather.

oooh and good news for you guys...

i got a new camera today!! finally! i just shut my eyes and paid for it. so there will be killer pictures of said warm weather upon my return to maybe help coax spring out of its freakin shell here in the midwest.

happy days
until i return
the happy beatnik

beatnik gets an A for her wit, which never fails her.

2009-03-07T21:44:00.000-08:00

i would just like to announce that i have recieved a A (+++, im sure) in Walking and Jogging 101, probably because i have this special talent that i like to call "extreme charm". seriously, i can charm the pants off of an already pantsless man. (no sexual connotation intended. promise. just making a point.) during said class, we had to turn in logs of our exercises and such, and i emailed mine to the teach friday, getting this email in return:

[beatnik],
Thanks for writing such insightful Log Recordings. I shall retain them in my records as examples of how to properly record workouts in order to amuse the pseudo-professor.
Thanks and have a nice break.
[teach]

heh.

on another note: im officially on spring break! w00t! i think i will spend most of my time knitting as many stitches as i can, baking delicious goods that will undoubtedly cause the band on my jeans to be a bit tighter, and completely disassemble my record player, because right now, it plays like everyone took singing lessons from alvin, simon, and theodore.

right now, im knitting on a few projects such as:
the beech wood cowl which i have only modified slightly, casting on 160 stitches instead of 108 and i am using size 8 needles, which is making it more flowy and loose, which i dig on. im also knitting it in a gorgeous "old rustic red barn" colored alpaca, which is a dream.

gentleman's shooting stockings, rewritten by the lovely nancy bush. these will eventually be a graduation gift for the history buff in my crew. he is dear friend and i think he should have fancy new socks to enter the real world in. these are being knit in trekking pro natura in a fantastic heathered forest green.

dollar and a half cardigan, which has been on hold for about 3 months now, but i am to take a chunk out of over the week. it is being knit in frog tree meriboo in a killer teal colorway. im sure it will look great when i finish it, but i've been lacking motivation as of lately.

and mad props to my momma who recently went on a yarn crawl with her newly formed knitting club (grand total of 4 fantastic ladies). they call themselves "the hurricane knittrinas" which was brought on by the drinking of many hurricanes (made by one of the ladies husband :) good man.) i am SOO proud of her for learning to knit that i could just bust at the seams; when i came home yesterday, she showed me that she has learned to knit on dpn's and has successfully started knitting socks all by herself!!!! i have spawned another sock knitter...

on that note, i am going to bed to wake up to the fresh smell of coffee and some soft alpaca in my hands.

may you have inner peace on sunday mornings.

fail. grumble grumble.

2009-03-03T09:11:00.001-08:00

i went to my first day of work today.
too bad my shift was yesterday.

i wanna know, where does the time go?

2009-03-02T23:16:00.000-08:00

the varied airs of spring is not what i expected, nor what i want. at this point in my very young life, the last thing (exaggeration, but im leaving it) that i want to read is about is a lady that acts like the people i see on a daily basis, shuffling their feet with their uggs on, and complaining about how the light switches are placed inconveniently on the walls. i do not need any more brats in my life. i see about 400+ a day as it is. ilka chase can just...go back on my shelf.

today, boyfriend told me "i cant wait until we live in the apartment and you get sick, so i can take care of you." i think that might be the best thing anyone has ever said to me. i dont know what i did to deserve him.

we also bought a panini press for $3 at goodwill on saturday, and already he's planning what all he could put on it... i had to break the news to him that no, you cannot put spaghetti on a panini press. at least, i think you cant... i'll let you know.

oh jeez. its 1:57 am.

6 mere hours until i must wake, slap myself in the face, force myself to get out of bed, and trudge across the street to go listen to the she-satan try to tell us about the 1960's.
i imagine her brain is like swiss cheese, and she probably doesn't even remember the 60's because of the mass amount of mescaline and adrenochrome she had to have taken during her college career. this is not an exaggeration. the woman can't finish a sentence without uh, well, no, well, sputnik, uh..the cold war?

it should be fun. i think i'll get there early, so i can sit in the back, knit, and enjoy the show.

have a wonderful tuesday

i hope that we can go to where the sun and the moon collides.

2009-02-25T22:04:00.000-08:00

i've been listening to an immense amount of meadow flow lately, and its put me in the mood to pick up a book. so i went to my little crate of happiness to pick out my next read, and what do i see staring me right in the eye?

ilka.

the varied airs of spring, by ilka chase (picked up from a library clearout sale because the cover of the book is sweet.) is what i chose. because i just simply cannot stand another day of cold. old man weather keeps changing his mind, and im sick of cold, warm, cold, warm, bitter.

i need to read a book about good times in africa, italy, greece and spain.

all hosted by the lovely lady pictured to the left.

i cant wait.

have a nice thursday,

as always

beatnik

$2.

2009-02-22T12:19:00.001-08:00

so i've been rolling my own cigarettes for a while now, and i'm pretty good at it, i must say. last night though, we went to our friends house, and i was out of rolling tobacco: cue dramatic music: so i broke down and bought a pack, leaving me with $2. total. $2. jeebus. but good news is: cue hopeful upbeat music: i started work yesterday and should be rolling in the moolah shortly.

HUZZAH!

also on my mine lately: there is a informational session on the Peace Corp on March 18. i want to go to it. the only thing holding me back is the fact that i'll probably want to join. and also that i made a promise that i wouldnt run away (which im typically known for). im starting to think i need a change of scenery. soon. and its scary and fun and exciting all at the same time. and now that i've decided to not return to "said university" i feel like im being let out of my cage, and i want to fly away as fast as possible as far as possible.

but seeing as im signing a lease in a week, i suppose that will keep me grounded and chill for maybe just a little bit longer.

im just afraid that when i go, he will stay.
that makes me saddest of all.

well im off to do some mad knitting so i can finish the monkey socks i've been working on by Cookie A.

peace peace peace corp?

porn:

2009-02-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

ravelry

coffee

sock knitting

new knitpicks mag

cinnamon/pecan strussel.

happy friday.

I hate college. suprise, suprise.

2009-02-19T12:14:00.000-08:00

well actually, i shouldn't be spiteful.
i take it back.

what i mean to say is, i dont know what i want to do with my life, and the "you must be done by 4 years" saying is taunting me unmercifully. i dont know that i want to be in college anymore, and i know for sure that the university that i attend is not for me. everytime i think of something i may want to do, i realize, it doesnt take a college degree.
huh. go figure.

i would love to knit on commission. no college degree necessary.
it would be fabulous to open a bed and breakfast on the appalachian trail. no degree necessary.
i would love to open a small shop. business classes would be a good idea...

do you see where im going here?

its not that im lazy. im not. i've had a solid job since i was 15. i am a hard worker.

but as of lately, the workload of classes is neverending. no matter how much i get done, there is always something else that i could "work on" or "study for". its daunting. and im tired. and unhappy.

so, i called up momma josephine, and told her i was unhappy with geology. i told her that it wasnt for me. i told her that i didnt know what to do anymore. i told her i'd lost my way.

she said: do what you need to do to be happy. you're 20 years old, and i think its crazy that they expect you to know what you want to do for the rest of your life at age 18. come home if you want or go to community college there and take a bunch of random classes until you find something you like, or just take a break and think about things for a semester.

i have the very best mom. ever.

thanks for reading the rant of the century.
peace

all over the map.

2009-02-16T18:14:00.000-08:00

I have found a boy that must truely love me. On Valentine's Day (which we dont celebrate, by the way), there was a station set up in my dorm that you could paint a flower pot at! And so he sat there with me, and we painted flower pots, in which will grow our love buds... I put "magic beanstalk" on mine, he put "AWP+EKH foreva" on his. Jesus, i love that boy.

Next we have the fish that nearly f-ing(edit) killed me today. I was trying to find DeIonized water in the back of the Geology lab today (so i could change the fishes water), and when i thought i found it, i began to fill up my nalgene. I put about an inch of "water" in the bottle when i thought, "hmmm, this is coming from a chemical lab, i better make sure its water..." i then proceeded to stick my nose in my bottle, take the biggest inhale evvvverrrr, and then wished i was dead. Huffing 100% pure acetic acid feels like having 10,000 scorching hot needles burning out your nose hairs and poking your brain at the same time. (for reference: 5% acetic acid is household vinegar. yeah.) At first i thought i was going to cry, then i thought my nose was going to bleed, then i felt like i was going to pass out... so i just went down 6 flights of stairs and smoked 2 cigarettes. Needless to say, the fish is still residing in filthy water.

I also finished these socks today, for the record, they are more of a "country blue" than "electric blue". Im going to send them to my loving mother tomorrow.

And last but most certainly not least, this is my new poster. it was 25 cents and as it turns out, the band is pretty cool. Blitzen Trapper. check em out on youtube or somethin.

oh and the peace bracelet is still available to whomever may want it. So if you claim it tonight, i'll put it in the mail tomorrow with the socks. and the letter. and the 2 coffee cup warmers from ages ago.

i never claimed to be prompt. dont hate.

peace.

today's giveaway is sponsored by the letter H.

2009-02-11T22:49:00.000-08:00

So i was reading today about Spirit Cords and how they are supposed to send the energy in which the maker puts into them, to the reciever of the cord.

(or at least from what i gather...)
and then i started playing with a favorite medium of mine.. Hemp.

I think thats pretty sweet. So i give you my version of the Spirit Cord:

i would've hired a model, but as you may remember, im broke. the giveaway spirit cord is the yellow and purple with the peace sign.

Made from 100% recycled stuff, this bracelet is made of beautiful hemp that i rescued from my boyfriends spring cleaning rampage, the peace sign charm i found on the sidewalk (it used to be an earring..), and the wooden beads i sacrificed from one of my own necklaces. I listened to my favorite album while i made it, and had a capri sun. complete peace vibes all around, ready to be passed on. and it could be yours....

all you have to do for a chance to enter is: tell me who your favorite musician is and what your junk food of choice is.

(even if its phil collins with easy cheese, no shame, just comment.)

have a great thursday.
peace.

edit to say: it looks like im missing a thumb. heh.

if i was a good girl...

2009-02-09T13:59:00.000-08:00

i would do my homework now, instead of later.
i would put my clean (notice, not dirty) laundry away.
i would be genuinely interested in fossil assemblages.
i wouldnt listen to my music so loud.
i wouldnt smoke. anything.
i would always wear shoes.
i would keep my thoughts to myself.
i would always brush my hair before going out.
i would always be nice.
i would eat candy in moderation.
i would reserve the love i have to give.

alot has happened today that would make me question my way of life, the way i am.
being terrified of being picked apart until there is nothing left.
but i realize that in the event i am torn apart by a wild savage looking to make me feel like shit...

i know who i am.
maybe not where im going, or what im doing...
but i know who i am, and what im not.
and im ok with that.

inner peace, outer peace
or just peace

february?

2009-02-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

any denyers of climate change can kiss my white ass.

it being only the beginning of february, i was naturally dumbfounded by the 60 degree weather we've had here in northern illinois.

but im not one to complain about beautiful days, so we took the opportunity to go out to the lake for the afternoon and enjoy the weather and capri suns.

we lauged, smoked cigarettes, and carved pictures into the layer of dirt on this picnic table.

i carved a trumpet with music notes coming out of it, boyfriend doodled a tree, J did a lamp post and a mushroom while D did an angry face.

beautiful, beautiful day.

the end.

oh wait, no, not the end... i started my "give a hoot" mittens today, and im already half done with the first one! pictures to come later. promise.

peace,

and get out there and enjoy the weather if you're able to!

beatnik gets thrown violently into the "real world".

2009-02-04T13:59:00.000-08:00

i can just see it now. the headline for all tomorrows newspapers.

so i went to my job interview wearing the only "professional" outfit i have; black slacks, and a black sweater with a grey shirt underneath. i get there, sit down, and realize that there are people in "professional" outfits sitting on the same couch. i looked least professional of all. then i find out they are interviewing for the same job as i am.

so fast forward, my interview gets cancelled because the interviewer is sick. so now, im completely concerned that even if i beat out all the other "professionals" i still just have one nice outfit. (and i dont think that tiedye and corduroy count as "professional", otherwise, i would have that shit covered.) so, now, interview is officially tomorrow, and to be completely honest, i dont care if i get it anymore. because it will cost me my whole paycheck just to buy more clothes to wear the next time i work. i put such little value on money as it is, and i'd rather be broke from not having a job than broke from spending all of my money so i can go to work.

so the lesson learned today is (well actually there are several.)
1. jobs with dress codes blow, and i would hate to enter the world knowing that i have to work at a place like that for the rest of my life.
2. i have said in the past that i could never have a career in which i had a boss, and this is now lithified (heh, geology). i will be my own boss when the time comes.
3. i feel really good about myself today because of this experience. i think it has tested my ability to resist consumerism at all costs, and i think i have proven worthy.
4. although a new camera would be fantastic, i can wait.
5. this blog makes me feel more sane sometimes.

take or leave the job
take and leave peace
beatnik

envy is a nasty thing.

2009-02-03T00:03:00.001-08:00

but lately i cant help but envy everyones beautiful pictures. pictured at left...

<====================

is my camera. my jalopy of a hunk of love.

(it doesnt like to have its picture taken...)

its an hp photosmart M525 which really means it was free. i love it, dearly, i do. but there comes a time in every electronic relationship when a girl knows she can do better.

so im now officially in the market for a new camera and i'd love to know what all of you think of yours and what you have. since, i am in fact, a dirty, broke, hippy of a college student, im shooting for economical, but not compromising the quality. i have a fantastic Nikon film camera at home that is approximately 25 years old (and badass, might i add!) in perfect working conditions, but in the digital world today, (and the fact that i am extremely hard on all things electronic), i need something that has no sentimental value attatched already. but i would loooooove a nikon.

so tomorrow, when i go shopping for "professional clothes" for my job interview on wednesday (!) i think i'll check out the camera store too.

alright. sleep is now in order.

peace.

what a nice day

2009-02-01T11:03:00.000-08:00

oh superbowl sunday. puke a little. everyone keeps asking if im watching the superbowl, but i think i'll just skip it and go for a looooong walk instead. i cant even get excited about the commercials anymore. i dont really like tv very much anymore. (except for the game show network)

other news: the thursday giveaway cup warmers have been claimed: the yellow cascade one has been claimed by the lovely rachel . danae, and the animal friendly warmer has been claimed by Nicola over at NicolaKnits! congrats to both of them!

now that my schedule is a little more concrete, i will most definately be continuing to do this every week, so be sure to check back next thursday for your chance to win 1,000,000 dollars!!!

(exaggeration. but next weeks will still be pretty sweet!)

ok well, im off to enjoy the fabulous weather we're having here in the northern mid-west.

peace,
beatnik

thursday giveaway

2009-01-29T09:16:00.001-08:00

hey hey!

happy thursday!

since i'm an advocate for the environment, and its well being, i thought you guys might like some coffee cup warmers to reduce the need for those little wasteful cardboard ones! plus, these feel waaaay better on cold hands! so this weeks giveaway (well actually there are 2) are handknit to-go cup sweaters! pictured at left is one made out of cascade 220 wool in a fantastic bright yet undertoned (does that make sense?) yellow, and the other is a gorgeous deep purple from Ms. Vanna White's collection, for those of you who are all for cruelty free products! (i would have taken a picture, but the color just looked brown, so i decided against it.)

so to win one, all you have to do is comment on your favorite way to spend a lazy thursday morning!

i hope you all have a great day and i'll post the winners tomorrow night!

peace

beatnik

goodies for tomorrow!

2009-01-28T15:33:00.000-08:00

ooh my good friends, because i've been such a slacker the past couple of weeks with my crafty thursday giveaway, there will be 2, yes 2 prizes tomorrow!

1 for my woolly loving friends, 1 for my cruelty-free friends.

so tune in tomorrow and ch-check it out.
peace
beatnik

excercise smecercise.

2009-01-28T08:21:00.000-08:00

i consider myself to be a relatively healthy person. lets start off with that.

i eat relatively well (aside from midnight snacks...).

i walk approximately 10 miles a day.

and i drink a shit ton of water.

however; when it comes to excercise, i lack in that department.
i only run when if im being chased.
i smoke alot of cigarettes, and drink alot of coffee.

im not very graceful sometimes. (like last night when i fell in the snow. it was a bummer. funny, but a bummer)

none of this stopped me from signing up for a "walking and jogging" class for 1 credit this semester though.

the trainer that runs the course claimed to have us running 3 miles by the end of the first 9 weeks... i laughed in his face.

im not laughing any more. in fact, im pretty sure he was being serious.

today in class, we played with stability balls though! however much fun they are, they still require a certain amount of balance. i do not have this balance.

most people in the class looked like this today:

i looked more along the lines of this:

haha get that picture in your head.

i also have no tennis shoes, only red converse high tops.. so when my feet went up over my head, it was almost as if i was waving a flag proudly, bridging the gap between dirty hippies and sweaty jocks. jesus, i should get Ambassador of the Year.

all of this excercise has just made me realize that i have toothpick arms, no muscle, and really no desire to do anything about it. i think i'll skip the bodybuilder/superhealthnut/gymshoes way of life, and stick to knitting.

speaking of knitting, i just turned the heel of my Charade socks (in berroco comfort dk, light blue)

im getting ready to start a pair of mittens for myself, because its unworldly cold here. im going to knit the Give a Hoot mittens (in Wendy's peter pan, tan, poet, didnt know it.) with a few modifications that im not sure of yet, but i'll let ya know when i do it!

and also, yesterday, i bought a skein of Trekking pro natura in a heathered green to make the Gentleman's Shooting Stockings for a good friend (super-intellegent gent, who is gradutating in May, and should go into the real world with a good pair of socks on his feet).

so that is the current line up for my knitting projects, and i'll post pictures and updates as i go, of course.

Edit to mention: i got a truckload of sweet ass iron on transfers from VeganCraftastic and im going to be super homey and embroider on a bunch of stuff for my new apartment(!) (coming in may!), so when i get started on that, i'll post pictures of that as well!

I hope you all have a fabulous Wednesday

peace

beatnik

in the loop

2009-01-25T13:01:00.000-08:00

so in late december i started these socks, the pattern is Froot Loops by Kristi Geraci, which by the way, is my default sock pattern. It never fails me and the socks always turn out gorgeous! I would highly recommend that you try them. The yarn, however was a total steal, it LaMer Rhythm, and i got it at Big Lots for a dollar a skein. Its 100% acrylic, and super soft!

Here they are finished, but the 1st picture is a better representation of the true color. I have a shitty camera and i live in the dorms where lighting is 100% fake.

until next time,

happy knitting,

peace,

beatnik

i bet you thought i died.

2009-01-22T14:02:00.000-08:00

but i didnt.

school began, and since then, i've been supa busy being the best damned student on the face of the earth. i do my homework, i go to class, and i even eat my vegetables! (har. joke. vegetarian.)

but i do want to take some time to say, that i have been very busy with things other than school as well! since i've been back, i've finished a pair of froot loop socks, a flashlight case (for my boytoy), 2 baby hats for the local hospital baby center, and been fervently knitting on my dollar and a 1/2 cardigan!

i've been a fiend, lately. cant get ahold of enough fiber to catch a fix, i guess.

i finally received my copy of "socks a la carte" and let me just say, i had to appoint a knitting coach to keep me on track with my sweater (i cant knit anything else until i finish the cardigan...) who is kindly but firmly telling me "no" when i say "OOOOH I WANNA KNIT THAT NOWWWW!!" but as soon as i finish the cardigan, im unleashing myself and knitting a sock for every foot within grabbing distance!

peace,
em

hey!...i want that!

2009-01-06T08:36:00.001-08:00

There are 494 kajillion knitting books out there, and very few reach out, and kick me in the face in order to get my attention. and i just got kicked in the face.

Socks a la Carte by Jonelle Raffino (of SWTC) is a genius concept that separates the three parts of a sock, the cuff, leg, and heel/foot/toe. The pages of the book are separated into 3 sections and you can mix and match to concoct the perfect sock! Im so excited about it! probably because im ~~a heel snob~~ really picky about the heels of my socks, and i only like ones that are done how i like them, which hinders the amount of patterns that i like.

did i mention that i think this book might be perfect?

we'll see, i think i might get it in a couple of days! eeee!

peace,
beatnik

im bummed

2009-01-03T14:54:00.001-08:00

first person to comment on this blog wins the bracelet.
peace,
beatnik

Crafty Thursday Giveaway!

2008-12-31T13:35:00.000-08:00

Ok, so i know its wednesday, but the boyfriend is coming to visit this week for new years! so i'll choose the winner on friday morning, but in the meantime, check out the prize this week!

its part 2 of i think 5 (maybe 6) in this bracelet series. the charm says "LIVE"
so all ya gots to do is comment on one of your favorite things in life!
good luck!
peace and a happy new year!
beatnik

please forgive me, love called.

2008-12-29T16:08:00.000-08:00

so very sorry i missed the thursday giveaway! but i think you'll understand that i missed it because i got to make an unexpected trip up to see the boyfriend after not getting to see him for a whole 2 weeks! excruciating, i know! but he informed me that he had not turned on a computer since the end of the semester, if that tells you anything about the technology use when i go to visit! but anywho, i've decided to just wait until next thursday to get started again.
peace
beatnik

umm... eureka?

2008-12-23T18:03:00.000-08:00

ahHA! i am not the only one who believes that gifts are not the most important thing during christmas! in fact, you all know his stories, probably by heart, and this phrase must have been ingrained into my mind at a young age:

perhaps christmas doesn't come from a store.
perhaps, there's something more.
-dr. seuss, how the grinch stole christmas

i am celebrating the "something more".
i feel better now. now that seuss is on my side.
happy soul. peaceful mind.
my christmas psychosis is cured by the good doctor.

oh and be sure to check for a post on thursday for a tre-cool surprise!

peace,
beatnik

may i just say, i am not a scrooge!

2008-12-22T13:48:00.000-08:00

oh holy baby jesus. i love christmas, i love the holidays, i love being with family and friends, I DO NOT LOVE THE CONSUMERISM ASSOCIATED WITH THE WHOLE SHEBANG. so what did i do? last year, i decided, no gifts. no gifts given, no gifts recieved. it was fantastic! we used the money we saved on all the unneccessary presents to accumulate a months worth of party food and drink and we threw a month-long party for all of our friends and family. it was such a happy, stress free time, and since there are no children in our family at this point, it was completly acceptable. But, this year, the plan seems to be crashing and burning like a 747 full of fireworks hitting the ground from a free fall at 3000 feet in the air.

the boyfriend (of 10 months) loved the idea just as much as i did when i told him that i did not celebrate christmas with gifts. i sighed with relief. his parents, however, cannot wrap their heads around the concept, and now, due to inadequate explaining, must think i am a terrible terrible, christmas-hating christmas hater.

so boyfriend calls me today, and this is how it went:

me: hey! hows the day goin?
him: pretty good, me and my parents have been squabbling a bit though.
me: really? what about?
him:.....

foock. at this point its pretty obvious. me.

him: my parents still dont understand why you wont let anyone buy you any gifts.
me: its not that i wont let anyone, its just that i dont want them to think they have to, and i wanted them to know that they wont be getting anything from me.

him:....
me: im not a scrooge, and i hate that they think that.
him: they dont, they just dont understand, and i cant explain it, because i dont really even understand it.

wtf! i thought he did! i thought he was totally down with the idea! guess not.

the conversation continued on in a back and forth motion and nothing was accomplished.

i just dont want to step on anybody's patent leather christmas shoes, so i've been making small things to give out to the ones who dont understand my ideals the most (my grandmother, boyfriends parents, cousin 1 and cousin 2). so, i have unsuccessfully carried out my plan of a no gift holiday season. and boyfriend is aggitated because i "went back on my word" of no gifts.

am i completely wrong? arent you tired of buying key-finders for people who never loose their keys, and yet another coffee mug for co-worker cheryl too?

i wanna hear your thoughts on the idea of no gifts on christmas. am i as crazy as everyone seems to think? or does this idea have the potential to start its own cult?...

peace,
beatnik

how i celebrated sunday.

2008-12-21T16:38:00.000-08:00

these are my first 2nd generation socks. i bought a quite large 100% wool sweater at salvation army for $3 a couple weeks ago, spent forever disassembling it, and then used the recycled yarn (1 of the sleeves and 1/4 of the front piece) to knit these killer socks for my cousin for the holidays. (the pattern is the Ragg Hiker from 2 socks on 1 circ, but i did them on dpns, because in my opinion, circs suck. there are good patterns in that book though, i gotta say.) i only finished them about 3 hours before the extended fam left to go back home to the south. it was a close call. but needless to say, i have enough blue wool to knit about 4 more pairs of socks!
i put a bow on "little girl's" head. she wasnt happy. at all. (note: demon eyes) heh.

and finally, i watched the chickens and the guineas run around the yard and search for bugs and seeds in the grass, while i smoked the only cigarette i've had since yesterday. (props: to me)

the chicken closest to me in the pic is Princess, and i swear to god, she really does think she is the princess of the coop, its weird.

peace, and a happy sunday

beatnik

...and we have a winner!

2008-12-19T15:14:00.000-08:00

to fairly do this, i picked out 6 beads (all the same size, shape, and such.), assigned a name to each bead, put them all in a cup, closed my eyes, and let my fingers do the picking! the green bead came out....
Wendy wins the bracelet!
so wendy, if you could comment to me your address (i wont allow it to be posted to the list of comments though, dont worry!), i'll get your christmas prize to you in the mail tomorrow!

im so glad you all played along! dont forget to at least check up on the blog every thursday, because that was so much fun i have to keep doing it now!

i hope all of your wishes come true.
peace on earth,
beatnik

real quick

2008-12-19T07:24:00.000-08:00

hey guys, i"ll edit this later, but i just wanted to say that i didn't forget ya, i am just running around like a chicken with my head cut off. we just found out my aunt and the whole fam are coming to visit today, so lots to do before they get here at an undisclosed time...

so i'll post later with the winner of the bracelet!
check back!
peace

crafty thursday give-away!

2008-12-18T07:55:00.000-08:00

since it is the holiday season, i thought what a better time than now to start a weekly thursday give-away!

so today, the gift of the hour is a bracelet i made last night just for you!

one of the little charms says "wish", so all you have to do for a chance to win, is leave a comment telling me what you wish for!

good luck and i'll post on friday who the lucky winner is!

peace,

beatnik

its been a long long long day.

2008-12-17T16:09:00.000-08:00

to say the least, i have bad luck with cars.

in my 4 years of driving i have gracefully managed to daisy duke a grand prix into a corn field, flip a camry end over end, drown a chrysler in a flooded road, and purchase the biggest lemon on the face of the earth.

but today i feel a change in the wind.

tomorrow, i will trade in the lemon for the vehicle of my dreams: a red jeep (eeee!!!)

oh buddy is it a dandy, like the color of expensive lipstick worn by the prettiest girl at the party.

and oh my, i cant wait to put the title in its glove box and drive with all the windows down (ok maybe just cracked, because its below freezing out) and take a first drag of the sweetest tasting cigarette ever.

it seems as if there is something magical, and freeing about owning a vehicle. it gives you the feeling that you can go anywhere! do anything! and to be quite honest, this red piece of magical metal might be just the thing i need to get me started on my journey to a new life in a new land.

im going to do something special for the people that read my blog tomorrow, so check it out, and maybe win something neato!

peace,

beatnik

Prelude

2008-12-15T17:40:00.000-08:00

this being my first post, i feel compelled to explain to you what its all about:

its about taking a step back, and looking at things from a different view.

its about the fact that i have no idea what im going to be doing in a month.

its about what i do, between now and then.

its about the people i will meet.

its about me being me, because that is what i do best.

so now, i think what should come next is,

why should you read it?:

because I dont even know what im going to do next.

And i have one wish for the holidays.

please comment, so i dont feel like im talking to myself.