Glass Jar

Glass Jar

Ugh... see that gunk under the metal rings? Well, tonight I figured out how to get the rings off... and then spent another 40 minutes scrubbing the gunk off. I also took two photos (top and side) to make sure I can get the rings back on the right way. ;)

Kitchen Towel

Kitchen Towel

So, here's the button I ended up going with. It's not the prettiest, or most exciting button, but it's the one that matches the towel the best.

The towel is *so* nice and soft! The Bernat Organic Cotton has also survived the first wash looking and feeling as good as new. I'll let you know if that changes after a few more washes.

Yarn Prize!

Yarn Prize!

Yay! This is the awesome prize I won at Ram Wools' "count the sheep" contest at their grand re-opening. There's eight balls of Mission Falls Cotton yarn, a pattern booklet (the yarn makes one of the patterns in the booklet), and a lovely basket. I love it! I've wanted to try Mission Falls Cotton for ages. :)

Saturday's Shopping

The weather was miserable on Saturday too. I looked out, and asked myself, "do I really want to go out in that?" As it turned out, I did indeed go out... and it's lucky I did! I won a prize at Ram Wools' open house!!! (I'm not sure what yet... they called while I was out, and I have to wait for the store to open before I call back.)

My first stop was on my way to Ram Wools... a fun little antique shop on Main Street. Previously I had seen a cute little Wade hedgehog figurine, but hadn't bought it. Recently I've been wanting to try my hand at a terrarium, and I thought that hedgehog would look adorable in one. I've decided that I can only create the terrarium *after* I finish my desk and have it in my office (I plan on placing the terrarium(s) along the back of the desk... an antique hobby for an antique desk), and buying the hedgehog would be a reminder of my incentive to get the desk done. However, they were out of hedgehogs. *sigh*. However, they *weren't* out of cute little Wade figurines. I ended up with four:

A leprechaun "tailor" (he's actually darning his own sock, but he's referred to as the tailor), the Queen of Hearts, the house that Jack built, and a giraffe. Here they are from the other side:

I have yet to give the tailor a name.

Looking at other Wade Whimsy figurines online, I'd still like a hedgehog, I love the frog, and I'd love a "cat and the fiddle"... that nursery rhyme is special to me, because of a quilt my great-grandmother made. However, I plan to be good and not buy any more... at least, not until these are in terrariums. ;) (The giraffe might not end up in one... an African savanna creature would be rather out of place in a tropical terrarium.)

I think it would also be fun to make some of those mushrooms with the red caps and white spots to go with the hedgehog, and perhaps the tailor too. But, no Fimo/Sculpey buying until the desk is done!

After the antique shop, I went to Ram Wools where I entered the contest (and won! Yay!!!!), bought some sock yarn for heels and toes to make another ball stretch, and sold some stitch markers, cards, and magnets to a friend. (Yay! I earned more than I spent at the previous stop... but not as much as I spent at the first two stops combined. *sigh*)

Then I went on to the next antique shop to check out that chest of drawers (not as enthralling in person, but still nice... and $110), and wandered around the store to see what else was new (to me, at least... antique shops are so cluttered that you can't possibly notice everything). Ironically, I saw the same little tailor, but for $5 instead of $8. (He was the most expensive of the ones I bought at the first shop, the rest were $3 or $4 each.) Oh well... I had gotten a deal on the Queen of Hearts and the house that Jack built, since the clerk told me $4, and the other nursery rhyme figurines with stickers all said $5. (I did point it out, but she said she'd stick by what she quoted me.) I made it out of this shop without spending a dime. (Yay! Willpower!)

Then I continued south to the thrift shop with the 50% off sale... only to discover that I was too late, and it had already closed. (It was 5:30 by then... I hadn't been sure if they closed at 5 or 6... although, I suppose they could have closed even earlier.) Instead of getting off the bus (I saw that the "open" sign was off before I rang the bell), I continued on to the other thrift shop which didn't have a sale, and charges more in the first place. I figured I might as well make use of the trip, and see if they had anything I needed.

Not only did they have the Visions pot I've been looking for (yay!), but they also had a small muffin tin I wanted (for when I have just over a dozen muffins in a recipe... I can't fit two full sized tins in my oven), a really cool fish/whale sponge holder, and some really awesome glass jars for pretty decent prices... perfect for terrariums! Since you can never be sure what will be in stock at a thrift shop, I snapped them up while they were there. For $32, I came home with the following:

Oh... right, there was the giraffe bookend too. I've been needing more bookends. I was disappointed that the ears were broken off... but I liked it better, and it was cheaper than others I've seen lately. Since you can't see the whale's fins in the above photo, here's a better shot:

Isn't he cute? I think he wants to be called Thesselonius... don't ask me where that came from. (Even with the crazing, I suspect Thesselonius is relatively modern, rather than vintage. I love him anyway, even if he might be made in China.)

Any suggestions on a name for the tailor? I might go with Bartholomew, but I'm not quite sure.

Another Clue?

I'm starting to think the green and blue glasses *aren't* actually by the same company. I was checking out this list of Jennette Glass, which seems pretty comprehensive, and the blue knights aren't in it. Then, while wandering around a thrift store today (not the one with the sale, I didn't get there before they closed), I found these:

I loved the Japanese ladies, but I didn't buy them for several reasons... they don't seem as well made as mine (no gilding, and missing parts on the transfer), I already have enough glasses, and they were $5 for the set of three. However, they did have a mark on the bottom:

Flipped the correct way around (as would be seen while drinking), we see a script L in a circle between the numbers 4 and 5:

This mark is different than the one used on some Jeannette glassware, which is a J, sometimes in a square. (Jeannette glassware is frequently unmarked, as are my glasses.)

Now, I did see one etsy seller with my pattern being sold as Jeannette, but that person could have been mislead by the similarities, as I was. Given that I've now seen patterns by at least two companies, I suspect that it was a somewhat common style during a certain period, sometime in the 1950s. (That's the date range I've seen associated with the Jeannette pattern.)

Soft Stitch Markers

Interestingly, your ideas of "reasonable" correspond roughly to what I wanted to have the retail price be... around $10, so I'd get $5.

Here are some other things that cost around $10:
• a pair of wedding cards not bought at the dollar store (when did cards get so expensive?!?)
• a paperback book
• lunch at a food court
• a set of dpns
• a nice ball of yarn
• a first-run movie ticket
• postage for a tiny parcel from Canada to the USA
• a yard of print cotton fabric
I really don't think $10 is out of line for a set of handmade, snag-free, sturdy, cute, warm, soft stitch markers is really out of line.

Here are the soft stitch markers in use:

I didn't have anything on the needles that would do well at showing off the markers, so I cast on the above. For scale, that's worsted weight yarn on US 5 needles. Now I *finally* have something to send to Knittah for her Botswana project:

(Yeah, I missed this collection deadline, but I'm sure there'll be another. And don't you think those colours will look handsome on a black kid? Or possibly a red-headed kid, but I imagine they're somewhat harder to find over there.) Knittah: Non-machine-washable wool is fine, right? Also, please keep poking me until I *finally* get to the post office. *sigh*

I've now used up nearly all of the orange and Noro yarn given to me by another knitter. Cleaning up leftovers is very satisfying. :)

Rain

It's raining today, and it's supposed to rain tomorrow too. So much for my plan to pull dandelions from the apartment lawn, and other gardening tasks. (Anyone who suggests gardening anyway has not experienced Red River gumbo.) I had left Sunday relatively unplanned, so perhaps I'll get to garden then.

On the bright side, the rain should keep Mr Party-Of-One indoors.

The question, now, is whether the rain will keep me from going out and running errands I had planned for today? My errands:
• Call WW to see if Mona is in, and bring a sample of the stitch markers by.
• Stop in at the antique store my bus goes by each day, and check the price of a chest of drawers that matches my desk. (But do not buy it.) If possible, get some details about it, in case they also apply to my desk.
• Stop in at the Salvation Army Thrift Shop, since they're having a 50% off sale today and tomorrow.
• Stop in at the hardware store for a few things I need.
• Make another attempt at finding a replacement pair of sandals. (I've worn through the outer sole on one foot, and am probably not that far off on the other. I don't think they're the type that can be resoled, plus they're a $30 Walmart pair, and so have probably reached the end of their life anyway.)
If I don't go, the plus side is that I won't be spending money... both on things I need, and things I get tempted by. The downside of not going is that I'd miss the sale, and also have to wait longer for the things I need. Of course, the things I need aren't urgent, which leans towards just having a lazy day at home. (Possibly catching up on some of the stuff I want to do here.)

Bingo!

IMG_1761.JPG

Success! Found it! I finally got a lucky break with my google-fu. :) (It was searching for "Wedgewood blue" that finally gave me the break.)

The glasses are made by the Jeannette Glass Company. The green glass pattern is "Hellenic Green" (or possibly "Grecian Hellenic Green"), and the blue pattern is... dang, my google-fu has run out for tonight. (The Hellenic pattern is suspiciously similar to a Wedgewood pattern... I wonder if it was "inspired by", or if they were in collaboration?)

Another useful keyword: Jasperware.

To do: find out the name of the blue pattern (I found a listing on Etsy given Jeannette as the company, but without a pattern name), and a date for both. The date appears to be 1950s, but I'd like a better source.

*yawn*

I keep track of the people I help using tick marks on the board. If someone leaves and then comes back with a new question, they get a new tick mark. However, I frequently let them stay if there's space, and those who stay only get one tick mark. Yesterday, by the end of the day, I had nine tick marks on the board. Today, so far (I have another 35 minutes to go), I have one... and that one was solved in under five minutes.

I'm having trouble staying awake. (Yes, I'm keeping busy at my computer, but that doesn't keep me alert they way helping people does.)

*blink* *blink* *blink*...

Thermometer

When I got up this morning, it was rather warm in my bedroom. I wasn't quite sure if the AC was still running, or if the fans I was hearing was just the two fans I have to circulate the AC around the apartment.

By the time I was in the hall, I could hear the AC, but I went in the kitchen to check the thermometer anyway.

*blink* *blink* *blink* ... what is this "40" I see? Is that a temperature? F or C? Inside or out?

After a moment, I woke up enough to realize that was indeed a temperature, it was for outside, and it was due to the sun shining on the outdoor temperature probe. (The probe is on the north face of the building, but the summer sun in Winnipeg is quite northerly in the morning.)

Of course, by the time I grabbed my camera, the impressive "40" had dropped to "39", and kept dropping. (That makes me wonder what it said before I saw it, though.)

Soft Stitch Markers

This is the set I passed around:


Here's all the sets I've made so far, minus one set loaned to Ram Wools for consideration:

(They thought minimum wage was too much too.)

1. What outrageous price do you think I was asking? (Remember there's retail mark-up on top of what would make me minimum wage.)

2. What price would you think acceptable if you saw these in your LYS? Etsy? (If those two amounts are different, why?)

Fascinating Clouds

Fascinating Clouds

This morning the clouds looked like something out of a van Gogh painting.

Half way to work there was a brief but heavy rain shower. When I got to work, though, the sun was shining.

Miscellany

Feeling anti-social tonight. I had a nice time at knit-night, except for one thing... I showed some stitch markers I had made, and which I was going to ask the shop if they were interested in stocking. The store owner wasn't there, so I passed around a sample to the knitters, to see what they thought. They thought they were cute. I said what the selling price would need to be in order for me to earn minimum wage for my time. The general consensus seemed to be that the price was absolutely outrageous. I can't expect to earn minimum wage, don't be ridiculous. I need to do it for the love of it.

Needless to say, I won't be selling them in the local shop. (I'm not going to bother asking the owner now... much of her clientèle is the knit-night group, and so if they're not going to buy them, they won't sell.) No, I won't consider lowering my prices. I feel that they are well made, and worth the amount. I could make them a faster way, but the quality would drop considerably.

1. I won't sell a product that I would consider inferior and would be disappointed in if I purchased myself.

2. I won't sell a product at a below minimum wage rate simply because people believe it's not worth it. Doing so devalues the item, and also prevents others from earning a reasonable wage for their work.

3. If I'm going to do it "for the love of it", I'll make them for myself, or for gifts... not some unknown buyer.

My income this summer is lower than expected, and so I had wanted to earn a little "fun money". "Love" does not buy yarn, food, or even pay the electric bill.

After I take and post a photo, I'll quiz you on what you think I was asking for them, and what you think they're worth. After I get a few responses, I'll post the answer to the first question, and then compare that price to other items people frequently buy. (Unless you want me to stuff a sock in it, in which case don't post comments with guesses on the photo post.)

The other thing that is getting me occasionally down this week is the downstairs neighbour situation, my dream of one day owning a house and how that's not very practical right now, my unpaid time in August, the fact that I only work half time... basically how I am not where I had imagined I would be by now. (But then, who is?)

Contest Alert

Enter to win some awesome KaratStix goodies! (I found the contest on Penny's blog, and she has links to two more contests.)

Message From Below

Message From Below

A note about the sewing: I had specifically asked him if the sewing machine bothered him, and he said no. I then asked him to let me know if he changed his mind. Regardless of how he behaves, if he had said *anything*, I would not have used it after 10 pm.

I'm Not Crazy

Update: I got a call from my landlord. He thinks Mr Party-Of-One is being childish, and my landlord would like both Mr Party-Of-One and the chain smoker lady who also drinks to move out. (But he would prefer not at the same time, since he's only allowed to renovate and increase rent on suites at a certain rate.) My landlord is hoping Chain Smoker Lady will move out first, because her smoke is getting into another tenant's suite, and that tenant is understandably upset.

Mrs Chain Smoking Lady also regularly pays her rent late, which can be used as grounds for eviction. (Her chain smoking is grandfathered in.) Mrs Chain Smoking Lady and Husband are apparently pissed that the landlord sent them a letter, asking them to not smoke in the suite.

Anyway, back to Mr Party-Of-One. My landlord called and left messages with both him and his dad. Mr Party-Of-One (understandably, given his childish misbehaviour) doesn't answer the phone when the landlord calls. The landlord is hoping the father will do something, since the father owns/manages(?) several rental buildings.

Oh... and the music continues. Mr Party-Of-One isn't in the car at the moment... I haven't checked to see if he's back to sitting beside the back door, or if he just left the radio on to piss me off.

Why couldn't the vandals who broke his car window have stolen his stereo? *sigh* (Yeah, his car was broken into several weeks back.)

Ass

I don't know if he stopped temporarily (I managed to sleep for a bit between 3 am and 5:45 am), but he's *still* at it! Stubborn ass.

Jerk.

So, the music got louder. Then some sirens roared down the front street, and the music stopped. After a bit, it started up again. It stops whenever someone drives past, or when he's on the phone.

When it got quiet for a bit I went to check to see if maybe he had packed it in for the night. He was on the phone, and I could hear him talking about me. Whoever he was talking to, he was calling me crazy, and saying all the neighbours hate me. (I know the heavy smoker hates me, and that the caretaker has decided to not like me too, but I know that the other two people on my floor *do* like me, one lady is timid and probably has no opinion about me and probably dislikes him, and the final lady, if she doesn't like me, she does a good job hiding it. So, if anything, I have him outnumbered.) Anyway, he's assumed I called the cops on him (yes, but this is the first time I've done so, the other times it was a different lady), and he's specifically trying to annoy me.

Eedjit.

I gave up.

At 10 pm I asked him to turn it down. At midnight I asked if I could please stop listening to it now, and offered him my spare headphones. At 12:30 I called the police non-emergency line. The lady heard the music over the phone, and agreed it was definitely excessive. I told them about him drinking in the vehicle too. Hopefully the cops aren't too busy tonight, and actually have time to deal with this. *sigh*

Tempted...

I'm *really* tempted to wait for Mr Party-Of-One to go in to take a bathroom break, and then switch his station to CBC Radio One. (In other words, if I have to listen to his radio, why can't I choose the channel?)

Mr Party-Of-One

Mr Party-Of-One was at it again today, blaring his music in the parking lot behind the building. It seems like he's stopped now (11 pm), but basically, all day, every weekend, he dictates the music listening of three and a half apartments (half of mine is okay, on the other side of the building) besides his own, and whatever of the other building and houses that are near enough. What is considered "acceptable"? If I were sitting in my office when his music was playing, I wouldn't be able to listen to my own music or podcasts, or have relative silence if I wanted it. I don't think it would bother me so much if this were only an occasional thing... but all weekend, every weekend?

*sigh*... I spoke too soon. Now he's playing his radio. It's as loud in my apartment as if I were playing my radio for myself. But I'm not playing my radio, and even if I were, it would be a different station.

I've already asked him (at 10 pm) to turn down the radio in consideration of the kids who should be sleeping. (Although I think they may be at their granparents'... I think the mom may have given up trying to get them to sleep here on weekends.)

Anyway, back to my question. I'm complaining about him dictating what I listen to... but if I force him to do otherwise, that means I'm forcing my listening on him. When do my rights outweigh his? I feel justified complaining about him, but am I? Or is it just because I'm me and not him? Am I being unreasonable?

Well, I'm heading back to the far side of my apartment. If he's still at it when I go to bed, I'll get ornery then. :P (I'm going to watch the late news first.)

AC

The kitchen is now quite nice, but the AC unit is struggling to have an effect on the rest of the apartment, even with fans. I'm not sure if the unit is low on freon (the air coming from it is cool, but not exceedingly so... and I did drop it last fall), or if it's just due to the size and temperature that I'm expecting it to deal with.

I'm debating about a bedroom unit... a newer unit would hopefully be more energy efficient and quiet, and having one in the bedroom would be lovely. However, except during heat waves, it does tend to cool off here at night, and I don't have money to spare in the budget... so it would come out of my savings. Decisions, decisions.

Ahhhh!!!!

AC installed. *heaven* (Or it will be, once it catches up.)

What a bizarre dog!

During a break washing dishes, I happened to glance out the window. I saw a really bizarre dog being walked by. I think it might have been a cross between a boxer and a dalmatian. The dog was white with a very few black spots (that weren't really noticeable from the distance), had the head of a boxer, and the body of a dalmatian. I didn't happen to notice what the tail was like. I think the thing that made it so strange is that it was very close to looking like a purebred dog, the head was the head of a boxer, but the body was "wrong" somehow. Strange.

Well, back to sweating in the kitchen. :P (I'm looking forward to a cold shower afterwards!)

Apple Blossoms

Apple Blossoms

Something to cleanse the mind, after that last post.

Disgusting!!!

Warning: don't read this post if you're easily disgusted.

Ugh!!!!

So, I was finally getting ready for bed when I heard something outside. I looked down to see what was happening, and see one guy holding the door to the building next door open, while another guy walks towards him, hitching his shorts up. Then the first guy walks towards my building, directly under my window, and starts doing something. I call down in disgust, asking if they're peeing. "No, I'm just spilling some seed. On the lawn, not against the building." "Can't you use a toilet?" I ask. "Someone was in the shower." They apologized with a "sorry lady" when they went in... but still! What makes them think it's okay to do that in the building's yard? Either hold it, intrude on the person having the shower, or don't do whatever caused it while someone is showering! There are kids in the building that play in the yard! Ugh!!!!!!! Plus, it's not what I want to see people doing when I look out my window!!!!!!!!

I've let my landlord know, and asked if he knows the owner of the building next door so that I can complain. Grrrr.

Decisions...

It's late, and I should be in bed, but I'm enjoying the cool evening air for a bit first. :)

I finished knitting a towel topper for a kitchen hand towel tonight. Front:

(Don't forget that you can click for biggy view.) Back:

I like the design I came up with, if I do say so myself! I like how the stripes in the towel are echoed by the 4x4 ribbing, and how the decreases cause the towel to fold neatly into thirds.

Now, which button to choose? Since buttons can be pricey, and I'm starting to collect some nice ones, I thought I'd start out with my stash. (It just occurred to me that I have some more that aren't in my button tin, but I'll finish this post tonight anyway, and search those ones out later.) Here are the choices I think work reasonably well:






To review them all together, side by side:

Now, I know which I'm leaning towards and against, but I thought I'd check what you think before telling you which I'm favouring. I have two towels (well, after finishing the second one) that need buttons, so I can pick the top two choices. If the dark brown one is the clear leader, I happen to have three of it. (The rest are all singles. I'll only have one towel out at a time, so it's fine if they don't match.) So... what do you think?

Heat Wave

Dang it... I just realized this sweltering heat is my fault. Why? Because I committed an act of weather magic, and knit a tuque:

Whenever I knit something for cold weather, the weather gets warm. Whenever I knit something for warm weather, the weather turns cold. (Murphy and I are great friends.) I had thought this wouldn't apply if I were knitting a tuque in the summer (after all, I didn't expect to wear it until late fall anyway), but I guess I was wrong.

Thanks Murphy. *sigh*

PS: Unless I'm forgetting something, this is my first stranded knitting project. The floats near the brim are on the tight side, the design doesn't show up as well as I had been hoping, and it's rather long... but on the whole, it's a good hat. It will keep my head warm. The chart is basically the one from EZ's Knitting Workshop.

PPS: Do you think the farmers would lynch me if I started knitting a tank top? I have one in my stash that I've been meaning to start...

Holy Diagnosis, Batman!

I think I have mild psoriasis! (Note: this is a self-diagnosis, I haven't gone to see a doc yet.)

I've had an itchy rash on the right side of my chest for a couple of months now. At first I thought it was related to buying some licorice (my brother reacts to red food colouring with a rash, so it's an obvious suspect), but it didn't go away even well after I had eaten all the licorice. Then it changed a bit, and the itchy spot on my back (that has been bothering me on and off since last fall) manifested as something visible, and the two looked the same. (Ah ha! That means it's pre-licorice.)

I tried Aveeno hand cream, which normally alleviates my rashes somewhat. This rash just stung more when the Aveeno was applied, and didn't go away.

So I tried some expired corticosteroid cream that my mom had. It seemed to help somewhat, but, although the rash lessened briefly, it came back full force, and the cream says to not use it for more than a week. (I've been meaning to make an appointment with my doctor, but I keep not getting around to it.)

Since I have both, recently I've also tried swabbing the rash with rubbing alcohol and/or hydrogen peroxide. I figure if it's caused by germs, the rubbing alcohol might do something, and it also says it reduces sweating. (Bonus!) Hydrogen peroxide supposedly promotes healing by stimulating white blood cells. I figured that, at worst, they were unlikely to make things worse. (And I'd stop if they did.)

Although the rash changes occasionally, I would neither say it is noticeably better or noticeably worse... just different. Sometimes it gets scaly, sometimes it goes back to red dots on smooth skin, sometimes it itches like crazy, sometimes it's just visible.

One of the knit-night ladies suggested heat rash. I don't think it's that, although I did get something that I suspect might be heat rash recently. It went away after I washed and cooled the area... unlike the mystery rash.

Another knit-night lady suggested psoriasis, but I forgot to google it until tonight, when I saw an article on a psoriasis drug in my CBC news feed.

Looking at Wikipedia and this site, not only am I convinced that I have psoriasis, but I suspect it might explain my mystery arthritis that my doctor has never been able to diagnose! (I've always called my joint pain arthritis, but my doc tested me and says I don't have arthritis.) Although I don't want psoriasis, it sure would be nice to have a diagnosis for the mystery joint pain.

Symptoms that I think might be psoriasis:
• occasional severe joint pain that I've been getting since high school
• mystery rash on my front that I've had for a few months
• itchy spot on my back
• sometimes horrible dry, thick, cracked skin on my elbows (attributed to winter before)
• coin-sized dry "pebbled" patches on my upper arms that come and go (I first noticed and asked my doc about these back in junior high or high school... doc called them dry skin, although they don't respond to moisturizer)

Note to self: go see the doc, see if she disagrees, and find out what to do about the annoying itchy patch on my chest. :P

Found on Flickr

Sheep embroidery

I know I've blogged this embroidery artist before, but her sheep designs are just too adorable! I've also discovered that she sells her patterns and publishes an online magazine! At some point I'm going to have to buy one of her sheep patterns. :)

Found on Flickr

Frosty Night - Felt art handbag

Lovely!

Found on Flickr

Gnome Home for Antique-Rose Dryad, Ooak

How sweet!

Found on Flickr

Large buttons on folksy!

Gorgeous!

Found on Flickr

Buttons

Awww! What adorable buttons!

Found on Flickr

Sumptuosity quirky birdie

Ha! Fantastic! These quirky birds are terrific. :) (Be sure to click through to check out all the other awesome buttons in Sumptuosity's photo stream!)

Found on Flickr

Songbird Pie Button 2

*Love*!

Found on Flickr

Fabric covered sketchbook / journal

What a great idea!

Found on Flickr

Fat chicken quilt

Hee! I love this chick! :)

Found on Flickr

Maionese

Awwwww!

Found on Flickr

Dandelion Dragon

Adorable! The blue eyes go great with the white ruff. :)

Found on Flickr

Emerald shiners sculptures

Adorable, and so realistic looking! I shall hug them and squeeze them and call them George! (Did I ever tell you the sad story about the very first fish I caught? It was too small to eat, but I was a little kid, and I loved it to death. Literally. I am now older, wiser, more practical... and less fond of fish slime.)

Found on Flickr

there is something in the air tonight....

Gorgeous! I love the use of buttons. :)

Found on Flickr

Candy Stripes front

I love these wonky pink and purple log cabin stripes. :)

Found on Flickr

peelable orange 1

How cute is that! A peelable crochet orange with individual segments inside! :)

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!

Yikes... over the weekend the weather has switched from a reluctant, late spring to full-on summer, and I am *hot*! There was a strong breeze earlier (judging from the papers blown around and the tipped-over plant), but now the air is dead. Could someone please turn the breeze back on? I'd like to take advantage of the cooling outdoor temperatures, please.

Speaking of temperature, I forgot to blog this in my last random post. Remember the wonky thermometer? Well, after warming up to it's fresh batteries, it's acting completely normal. How bizarre! (Nice, but bizarre.)

It's 27 C in my apartment. :(

Well, I think I'll catch up on my "Found on Flickr" posts, then see how many dishes I can wash before melting into a little puddle. :( (I hate washing dishes when it's hot out. And no, I don't have my AC in the window yet... it's still in the basement. Did I mention that last week it was still only spring?)

Tagged

Penny tagged me a *long* time ago. (Do you have the same problem, where you have way more to do than time to do it in? I have a bunch of e-mails to catch up on too, plus a gazillion tabs in my browser to read or do stuff with. *sigh* My computer is running *so* slow again... time to deal with those tabs, and close as many windows as possible. I *really* need to get more ram.)

Anyway, back to the meme. Do you want to be part of the Rock Star Club? If so follow these instructions.

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, by leaving a comment so that I can see what you've created.

My band name is "Robert D. Gaylor" (I must be a back-up singer), my album is called "Whether I Win Or Lose", but my album art is all rights reserved, so I won't assemble the cover.

Anyone who would like to participate may consider themselves tagged. ;)

Contest Alerts

June contest: leave a comment to say what you're knitting.

Win a sock blocker keychain here, but hurry, because the deadline is tomorrow.

Both contests were found via Penny's blog (which gets updated with these things far more often than mine does, these days).

*sigh*

Mr Party-Of-One is at it again. He has his car-jukebox blaring songs with mother-f*(#ing language... punctuated oh-so-gracefully with a beer belch.

What is this? He turned the volume down! Shocking! Perhaps he burst a brain cell with his belch? And now the music is off. Yay! Hopefully it'll stay that way. :)

*Screech* *Pop*

Today's window entertainment appears to be bumper cars. Two sets (a pair and a triple), probably related, but a block apart.

1. How stupid is it to drive away (after the proper exchange of information) with an airbag hanging from your steering wheel?

2. I am *so* (not) looking forward to the additional traffic that will be coming this way when the Disraeli bridge closes for construction. (When will that happen? It's a mystery.)

In other driving craziness on this two block street, the other day some eedjit in a pick-up nearly caused a high-speed head-on crash when he was in the on-coming lane in a reckless attempt to pass. My street is four lane, but the two outer lanes dead-end at the bridge (one lane each way), and the bridge is at a slight angle to the road, limiting visibility. *Why* would you drive at high speeds in the oncoming lane, heading towards a two-lane bridge that you can't see onto? The oncoming traffic didn't have anywhere to go! (The near-accident happened right at the road/bridge joining.) Thankfully everyone's brakes were in good working order, because that could have been really ugly. Did the eedjit stop to apologize? No, he screeched off. (The vehicle who was nearly run into pulled over to the side street, then *everyone* waited ...either in shock, or in support... while he turned to follow the eedjit, presumably to get the licence plates.)

I'm creating a new post tag: eedjits. Sadly, I think it may get used a lot.

Miscellany

1. WTF is up with the weather? Where is summer? On the news just now, they said we've had below normal temperature weather for six months now! Today was definitely on the nippy side, and we have a frost warning tonight! A forecast of -1 C! In *June*! (Looks like I might get away without buying a quiet air conditioner for my bedroom again this year. Right now I just have a noisy one in the kitchen.)

2. Holey cannoli, Batman! I used one of my bags with the padded handles today, and those handles are *shaweet*! They'll probably be awkward if you want to carry several bags in each hand, but with only one? Bliss!

3. Today the Estate Store was advertising an oak desk somewhat similar to mine, and it gave me some new terms to google mine. I found this one that looks like a twin to mine! Well, mine isn't a "partner's desk", but it looks enough like mine that could have come from practically the same tree! To me, that means that mine is probably made circa 1920, by a company in Calgary, Alberta. Given the damage to mine, the missing trim and kick-plate (or whatever the back piece is called), and the fact that it's a regular desk rather than a partner's desk, I'm guessing mine wouldn't be worth anywhere near $10,000... but it's fun to imagine that it is worth a decent amount. ;) (It's worth a bunch to me, and that's what counts. I still can't believe that some idiot painted it. *sheesh*) I must e-mail that place to see if I can find out anything more about their desk that might apply to my desk.

4. While googling desks, I found bookshelves that I fell in *love* with! (In perusing local antique shops, I haven't found much in the way of bookshelves.) One day, I'd love to have something like these (check out the leaded glass!) or these (check out the spring-loaded mechanism on the doors). This bookshelf is way more ornate than what I'd want myself, but the detail is fascinating. You just don't see stuff made like that any more.

5. On the same website as above, check out the great hall tree. I love the square detail at the bottom. :)

6. I finished another painting last week that I can't show you yet. But I love it. I can't wait to show you the secret set!

7. The painting workshop last weekend was lots of fun, and I learned some great stuff... however, I have yet another half-finished painting now. *sigh*

8. I got caught up on my dishes today. Yay! Then I went and dirtied some more eating dinner. *sigh*

9. I took five pairs of shorts to WW to sell on consignment. They shrunk over the winter. (That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.) Could they please sell for enough that I can buy yarn? (I got an absolutely pathetic amount for the blouses I took in last fall... something less than $2 for the pair of them.) I actually had a total seven pairs of shorts that shrunk, but one pair has a few light stains that would disqualify it for consignment, and I really like the fabric in the other, so I think I'll save it to make something from it. I'm thinking of playing with the stained pair... adding a bit of embroidery over the stains, and adding "expansion panels" to the sides. It depends on whether I have the time between all of my other projects. ;) (The colour is right to use leftover "peace & love" fabric for the expansion panels, so it's not like it'll cost me anything besides time.)

10. I bought the single size E hook that WW had in stock. That brings me back up to three, with the one my mom found in her car. (I thought that might be where the second lost one disappeared, but I hadn't been able to find it myself.)

11. Deluca's is *evil*. ("Evil" in a good way, of course.) I had planned on wandering over to Ram Wools to say hi, since I was in the neighbourhood anyway, but I stopped in Deluca's to buy the makings of a sandwich... and ended up with many other tasty treats. By the time I came out, it was nearly 6:00, so I didn't continue on to Ram Wools. (I think they close at 6 on Fridays.)

Contest Alert

Contest alert: go here to enter to win an adorable little apple pincushion! (I won a tissue holder last year from her, and it's *awesome*)

PS: I'm defective today. You wouldn't believe how many tries it took me to correctly copy and paste the link! Sheesh!

Weather

Huh... this morning the weather was beautiful, warm, and sunny. I wanted to leave the windows open more (they're just cracked now), but there was a chance of showers forecast.

"Showers" sounds so innocent compared to what's going on outside now.

When I went to the bathroom a moment ago, I noticed the atrium was quite dark... dusk dark. Dusk doesn't happen these days until after 9 pm. (I'm not sure exactly when, but I do know I've been gardening until 9 a few nights recently.) So I took a brief jaunt over to the stairwell to have a look out a window. It looks like it's coming down pretty heavy and at a definite angle. I can also hear the thunder from my office in the middle of the building.

From Environment Canada:

City of Winnipeg
4:08 PM CDT Monday 1 June 2009
Severe thunderstorm warning for
City of Winnipeg issued

A thunderstorm moving through the Winnipeg area is producing wind gusts to 90 km/h. The thunderstorm is moving east at 50 km/h.
This is a warning that severe thunderstorms are imminent or occurring in these regions. Remember that some severe thunderstorms produce tornadoes. Listen for updated warnings.

I have an hour before I head outside... I hope it's a fast moving storm! (Thankfully I did bring my coat, I have my regular sized umbrella, and with the direction of the wind, I shouldn't be getting too much rain on my windowsills.

Hmmm... looking at this radar map, I should be fine by 5:30.

Remember?

Remember "Where the Wild Things Are" and "The Very Hungry Caterpillar"? I want birthday cakes like these! (But made with my mom's cake recipe, because it *tastes* the best!)

Found on Flickr

mmbb collection

I love the combination of the "ball band" bricks with the plain garter, giving it such a great modern feel!

Found on Flickr

Clothes pin mushroom pin cushion

Aren't these pincushions fantastic? They're designed to perch on the edge of a container. I'm hoping these will show up in her Etsy shop...