Archive for July, 2007Page 2 of 2

The Family That Bowls Together 13Jul07

Has it really been 9 days? Yeesh, bad blogger, no cookie! I was reminded of my extended absence by my Mom, with the kind words, “Hito, you need to write a new blog post, it’s been a week!” Ah, just like the days when we had to do journal assignments for school, what fond memories. ;) Anyway, here you go Mom, I’ll try not to neglect the blog for so long next time…but there are only so many “I’m working on gift knitting and reading books” posts that you can do without becoming tragically boring. (Not that all my posts are eloquent prose, but there’s a fine line that differentiates a mundane post from one that is capable of causing your eyes to hemorrhage.)

So what could I talk about that won’t cause your eyes to hemorrhage? How about a family evening of ruthless competition good fun?

See, last night was the weekly family get together, and we had decided to go out and do something, but were somewhat at a loss on what to do. Movies are expensive (and deciding on a movie everyone will see is nothing short of a miraculous feat), I’m really the only one who likes Indie Rock shows in small dives, and my Mom was swimming pooled out since she’s been taking my cousins a few times a week. So what do you do in Albuquerque on a Thursday night with 6 people, once swimming, movies and concerts are ruled out? Apparently, you go bowling!

all suited up
how about these shoes for eye candy!? I think I’d even wear these as normal shoes!

Now I was a bit reluctant initially, since I was in a grouchy mood, and I’m as good at bowling as a fish is at flying, but I was persuaded by one phrase: “but you could have a beer at the bowling alley!” I’m not sure it’s a good reflection on me, that I was enticed to go bowling by the promise of beer, but what can I say? I’m a beer geek! ;) I did make sure that everyone agreed I was allowed to photograph them bowling, so that I could have something to show off to the Internets.

And without further ado, may I present my parents, the bowling champions!

going for the split that's a spare!
look at that form!

Now I didn’t really know what to expect, but I figured that I might be able to school my parents, even with my meager bowling skills. Well was I ever wrong! They were awesome! I guess that just means you get better at bowling with age, ha! I was pretty proud of myself too, since I broke my all time record of 50 points (I told you I was awful!) and got a 64 and then a 73. Not quite my Dad’s high of 150 something, but not too shabby considering my bowling history. (I’ve managed to throw the ball backwards and trip and slide down the lane before…) My Mom thought I would be really good since, “you can understand the math behind it”, but I had to remind her that understanding the physics and translating that into movements are two different things. At least for my uncoordinated body they are!

I think now that we’ve gone bowling, we’ll have to go to a math competition or something next, so I can beat everyone at something! You hear that family? You may have beat me at bowling, but it’s on like Donkey Kong!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog post.

Be sure to go check out Yarn Nerd this weekend, since I’m having a 15% off sale! It was originally supposed to last through today, but I think I’ll extend it through Sunday to help clear out some more stock for next week’s update. I’m not sure on the date yet, but it will most likely be Thursday at 10 AM MDT. I’ll post more details when I know them.

And in exciting blog news, I bought a new camera! It’s on it’s way here now (DHL may ban my IP address since I’m refreshing the tracking page so often…), and it’s a beaut. A Nikon D50 with 2 lenses that I got for quite a lovely price on eBay. I did a lot of photography when I was a teenager (that’s so strange that I can refer to my teenage years in the past tense.) and am really looking forward to getting back into it. I’ve been saving up and searching for a good deal, and when this one came along I couldn’t pass it up. Plus, I’ve been using cameras borrowed from friends and family up to this point, so it’ll be nice to have something of my own to play around with.

Alright, I gotta go, time to check the DHL page again! Have a great weekend everyone :)

PS: Have you seen what Carole has sitting in her office? OMG! I offered her free sock yarn for life if she just nipped me one copy, but she has more moral fiber than I anticipated. Anyone else care to mount an assault?

Happy Independence Day! 04Jul07

Happy 4th of July everyone! I’m off to the family cookout, to enjoy tender steak, tasty beer and a swim in the pool. Oh, and this little festive cheesecake I whipped up today ;) Looks pretty good huh? I think so!

it's a wonder I haven't snuck a slice yet!

I hope that whatever you do today, you get to relax and enjoy the company of friends and family, while celebrating the wonderful things that make the US a great place to live. Like fireworks! Have a great day everyone!

Being Ambidextrous Is Hard! 03Jul07

Thanks to everyone who left me well wishes on my burned hand, I appreciate them! Let’s just say that it’s not wise to touch the lawnmower exhaust 5 minutes after mowing the lawn…because this will happen:

ouch!

I spent Sunday evening holding an ice bag and attempting to do mundane tasks with my uncoordinated left hand, because my poor fingers hurt so bad. Let’s just say I hope I never break my arm, because it’s down right impossible to eat with my left hand, as evidenced by the stains on my shirts and shorts from that day. But thankfully, it doesn’t hurt anymore and I’m able to once again eat without looking like a 2 year old. Oh and reskein yarn too, cause that’s a fairly important task.

I haven’t tried to knit yet, but I think I’m gonna attempt some work on the secret stranded project tonight, since the herald of July signals that I don’t have too much time left to finish this one. I tried to enlist Dallas’ help to do a few rounds, but he seemed to be all thumbs when it came to holding both colors. And not to mention that he wasn’t too keen to be featured in another blog post after the last photo shoot. (My entreaties of “you’re an Internet superstar now, your public needs you!” didn’t seem to perk him up either)

dallas gets in a bit of knitting before bed

I guess that leaves it up to me to complete the hat on time ;) It shouldn’t be too bad though, I’m definitely getting better at holding one color in my left hand, and everyone’s tips were super helpful. For me it’s been a matter of just getting my left hand used to having some form of structure so I can tension the yarn, rather than sitting there like a limp noodle that occasionally pushes stitches forward. I’m able to wrap the yarn on the left without using my right hand to thread it now, so I’m making progress.

Speaking of progress, I’m also super proud of myself in the bike commuting arena. I managed to ride in 4 days last week, and would have done 5 if my legs didn’t collapse into a pool of Jell-O when I woke up on Thursday. But I’m getting stronger and losing weight (3 pounds last week!), so the results are very encouraging. It’s a bit hot for the ride home these days (today’s commute will be extra sweaty since it’s 97 right now!), but I seem to have managed so far. If anything, all the sweat just adds up to a pound here or there ;)

summer colorways

Be sure to go check out the Yarn Nerd site soon too, because this week’s shop update is live and ready for the taking. The new colorways above are inspired by some of my favorite summer time treats, and I think they’re pretty awesome. There’s still plenty to be had, but it might not last too long, so go check it out!

And tomorrow’s July 4, woo-hoo! I’m hitting up a BBQ/Pool Party and then checking out some fireworks, how about you? Whatever you do, make sure there’s knitting, and be safe!