Ch-Ch-Changes!

This is how my hair has looked for the last few months.

This is my hair now!

Jacquelyn changed up my 'do' yesterday, and I love it! I've been wanting something new for a while, and my life-long friend and hair stylist extraordinaire Jacquelyn is the only one I trust with such decisions. I put decision power in her shears, and she went to town. Thanks, Jacquelyn!

Oh, and I was freezing, so I grabbed my scarf and created this look. I think it says, "I'm going a little Arab today," or, "I'm ready for a ride in a convertible with Grace Kelly." When Sarah asked me what I was doing (a question my siblings often pose to me) and I told her I was being Arab, she asked me, "Who's Arab?" That gave me a laugh.

Skills

I feel like I'm finally working myself out of my post finals, unemployment funk, and am using my new motivation to blog to provide an update on my new found knitting skills and love of yarn and colorful fibers.

The Tools

Though my needle collection is far from complete, I have two standard needles, five double-pointed needles, and a set of circular needles, all size 7. I plan on building my arsenal one set at a time, using the 40% off coupons we receive frequently from Joann and Michael's. (What's great is that Joann takes any competitor coupon, so if I don't mind braving Wadsworth in my un-air conditioned car this summer, adding new sizes of needles to my stash shouldn't be too much of a problem.

The Yarn

I. Love. Yarn balls. There's just something about the feel of a yarn ball that makes me want to toss it and hold it. They seem so classic and timeless to me, and I just love them. More than handling them, I love making them! I love untangling seemingly impossible knots and wads and creating something as round and wonderful as a yarn ball. I just can't get enough of yarn balls!

The Projects

I started with a washcloth pattern I got from Michelle (but of course, I get most of my patterns from Michelle; she is knitting inspiration to me!) and have some for myself and have given several away. In Vail, I made a hat and muffatees. I also made a quick sock for my phone, which will probably end up being pretty helpful, seeing as I'm prone to bringing many of my electronics to their sad ends. I'm not sure what I'm going to attempt next, but it feels good to have some finished products.

I love this hobby and can't wait to use new yarns and techniques. I looking at patterns, I'm finding that I have much to learn, like how to slip and knit from the front and back.

*What hobbies are you enjoying right now?

Soggy Dogs and Moldy Sandwiches

When I'm home, I love helping out with household chores. Give me some Clorox and rubber gloves, and I'll make your bathroom shine; I can go to town with a bucket of hot, Murphy's Soap Oil and a rag; I can clean out corners and dust the dining room like nobody's business. I was expecting to perform these and many more such chores this summer, but since being home from school, I've performed a couple that I wasn't expecting.

Yesterday, while Mom was having a meeting with some ladies from church, Charlotte and I were assigned the task of giving Moosey a bath. Poor Moosey hates being wet, but she's a good sport and doesn't seem to hold it against me that I was the one to put her into the tub. I didn't mind scrubbing down our beloved dog, except for the fact that my hands smelled like Moosey's "Ocean Breeze" shampoo for a few hours afterward.

On the complete opposite end of the pleasant scale was the task I undertook today. Last night, Sarah realized that her lunch box had been sitting in seldom-cleaned corner of her room, housing a nasty old sandwich and family of maggots. Yes. Maggots. (Insert gagging sounds and looks of disgust here.) Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew. We threw away the entire lunch box, but today was the day for Sarah to examine the remainder of her room for larvae. (She actually put on her cleaning to-do list to "look for larva.") For a while, Charlotte and I sat in the kitchen, enjoying a our books and a pleasant breakfast accompanied by intermittent screams from Sarah as she discovered more eggs and larvae in her bedroom. Sarah was holding up OK until she found a particularly gross patch of nasty; she didn't scream this time, but rather walked slowly into the kitchen with me and Charlotte and started crying. Sarah cries a lot when she throws her tantrums, but rarely does she cry in this truly heart-wrenching manner. It was then that I decided that nobody should have to clean up maggots alone.

Armed with galoshes and latex gloves, Sarah and I began to uncover new eggs and larvae. They were mostly confined to the corner where she lunch box originally festered, and we soon cleared the premises of all maggots. (Or at least we hope we got them all.) Hopefully, Sarah learned her lesson that she should never leave food in her room, and I learned my lesson that maggots are as gross as I always thought they were.

*What's been your most disgusting household chore?*
*Have you ever encountered maggots?

Of Late

-I'm suffering from job-search-induced feelings of inadequacy. I read lists of requirements that I don't have. I've only received one response to an application, and sometimes I feel like giving up. Too bad that would result in my not being able to afford school and, well, life. Shammit.

-I've taken up knitting as a way to fill my days of unemployment. I bought a book to help me get started, and Michelle helped me get the hang of the technique and stitches. Michelle also inspires me with all of the great patterns and varieties of yarn she tries. I have worked with normal, circular, and double-pointed needles. I love finishing a project and knowing that said piece started out as a ball of yarn. Pretty cool. We stopped by a cool yarn shop while we were in Vail, and I bought some nice yarn to work with soon. ("Nice", meaning of finer quality that the $2.99 a skein "Vanna's Choice" yarn that I've been using to test out some new patterns and techniques.) I'm making practice pair of "muffatees" (wrist warmers with a ruffle at the end) in my "Vanna's Choice" before using my mustard yellow, nicer yarn.


-On Friday morning, I had my first piano lesson since last August. As I've mentioned in previous posts, Vicki Duckworth is one of my favorite people, and piano lessons with her are one of the best parts of my week. She gave me all new music this week, which have given me fresh motivation to practice again. I love all the music already, and appreciate so much her ability to choose pieces she knows I will enjoy and from which I will benefit. Playing was something I missed this last school year, and it feels great to have music to work on and to be able to play again. I don't feel like I lost too much of my ability, either, which is something I was worried about. I'm picking up where I left off, and loving it.

Help Needed?

My daily schedule has drastically changed of late from trying to fit in as much studying and packing as I could into as little time as I had, to being home, doing nothing academic. My prime objective now is finding a job, but that's pretty tough currently. I've been applying to several places, and am excited for when I finally find something, because then I can start psyching myself up for spending 40 hours a week there. Yippee.

Some of my top picks for employment are:
-Mountain Vista Retirement Center
I applied for a housekeeping position there that I found on Craig's List. It's a 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. shift, Monday through Friday, and though it would feel like getting up for seminary again, at least it's close to home, and I would be finished early and could do some part time work in the afternoon/evenings.
-King Soopers grocery
Colorado grocery workers are currently negotiating their contracts, and I was hired last week as a temporary worker in case they strike. The pay is good, and I think it could be fun to be a checker at my favorite Kroger retailer. Unfortunately, contract negotiations are going smoothly, so I will unlikely have any work. I did get my very impressive paycheck of $18.23 today for the training I completed last week. I am living large, baby. I did decide that every time I'm shopping at King Soopers, I'm going to sow seeds of discontent with the employees. Subtle comments like, "I can't believe the terms they're trying to get you to agree to!" and "I would never accept that excuse of a contract; you call those benefits?!" and "I can make help you guys make some pretty sweet picket signs, if you know what I mean."
-Moosehill Cantina
This is a local Mexican restaurant. I've never dined there, seeing as my Mexican money always goes to Senor Burritos, but my friend Hannah works there, and can maybe get me a hostessing position. It wouldn't be too many hours, and the pay is minimal, but it's something, and I'd get free burritos.

Dad emailed me some links to Census and federal job opportunities, so I'm going to take a look at those tomorrow. At least I have a few cleaning clients (my Grandparents included) whose employ keeps gas in my car.