Tag Archive for ‘albuquerque’ at adam knits!

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Ok, I Can Calm Down Now 19 Dec 06

Jeez, I was beginning to worry a bit! See, my job eligibility is directly tied to my GPA…which is a fantastic way to drive your stress level through the roof. Basically if I don’t get a 3.2, I get one semester to bring it up or lose my job. Nothing like becoming a broke college student again to motivate you eh?

These past few days were a bit nerve wracking because I had 2 of my grades in, and I needed a B+ or better in my final class to get the required GPA. While I was very certain I had an A in the class going into the final, it was difficult not to let the “what-if” scenarios play out. “What if I bombed the final?” “What if my professor suddenly doesn’t like me anymore?”…And many other similar questions. Needless to say, my fears were just nerves, because I got an A+ in the class :) (Seriously, A+? That’s so crazy! Whatever happened to a good old fashioned 4.0 being the highest?)

Now I feel a whole lot better, like my break can actually start…now that I have job security for another semester. I really can’t wait until I have my MSEE and actually have benefits and the whole nine yards. That’ll be the day.

In an attempt to divert your attention from the fact that I have no pictures to accompany today’s blog post, I give you a lovely picture of M Mountain (found on Flickr) with a slight dusting of snow. For my non-college buddy readers, my former school New Mexico Tech sits at the base of M Mountain. Snow is a rare sight in Socorro (this picture was taken in 2005, and I don’t think there’s been that much snow since then), so all the students pretty much go crazy when it falls. Classes are ditched, whiskey flasks are filled and sleds abound on the slopes of the golf course. **Ah, the college days.**

Sledders and ‘M’ Mountain, originally uploaded by jclarson.

I figured a picture of snow was fitting, since Albuquerque has yet to be doused in it as the weatherman has been predicting. The ominous clouds lurking overhead have proved to be somewhat impotent thus far, but all that could still change. (And I hear there’s some snow on the West Side.) Here’s hoping that maybe Sandia Peak might actually have a decent winter this year.

In knitting news, I’ve come to the realization that The Project That Shall Not Be Named will definitely not be done for Christmas. I suppose it’ll be gifted still on the needles with a picture of the final product. At least I got a few other things for said recipient to open. I suppose I should start gigantic projects like this more than 2 months out in the future huh? Oh well, it’s the thought that counts…

Finally, I just want to say thanks to everyone for making my special Snow Angels yarn a success! I sold all but one skein, which I decided to keep for myself as an early gift. It’s just so lovely, I couldn’t resist. So thanks, you guys are awesome, and enjoy your yarn!

5 Minutes Later:

hey, I’ll take what we can get, even if it is lame.

I stand corrected. I looked out the window and got a lovely surprise! The clouds have decided to flex their muscles and give us some snow. Yay! Maybe we’ll have a white Christmas after all ;)

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Adam

in albuquerque, gifts, grad school, knitting, shop, unm, vacation, work and yarn nerd

Chicagoland 05 Dec 06

9 Comments

This’ll be a long one, so it’s time to bust out the lists!

Wow. What an amazing trip! It was the perfect way to spend my birthday, one of the best ones I’ve had in years. Thank you all so much for your birthday wishes and comments, they all made me smile. :)
- Thanks for all the high guesses! It’s nice to know that there are people out there who don’t assume I’m 17 right off the bat. Without further ado, here’s my real age.
- I was born in 1984 (proud to have the same birth year as the Macintosh), which makes me 22 years old!
- There were 14 correct guesses, out of a total number of 47. (Most comments ever!) I decided to pick 2 winners instead of one, and with the help of MATLAB’s Random Number Generator, they are Joanna and Jess! Congrats to both of you! Skeins of Snow Angels in my 1500 MHz Sport Sock Merino will be on their way soon.
Ok, let me first make a confession. I’m a bad blogger. I didn’t take one single solitary picture while I was in Chicago. I just never even thought to take out the camera. (Ok, the real truth is that I have a thing about looking like a tourist. I hate it. So I usually don’t take pictures when I travel.) So sorry, but I suppose you’ll just have to use your imagination.
Chicago was fantastic, I had a wonderful time! It was definitely cold but I had a bulky scarf and lots of coffee to help me stay warm.
- Mostly I just walked around and enjoyed the city, stopping to eat some deep dish pizza, drink delicious espresso and do a little shopping. Ok fine, I bought a lot of yarn at Loopy Yarns, but it was all so gorgeous! Definitely check back on Friday for some juicy yarn pictures, there’ll be plenty to show off.
- I also made friends with the L (why can’t Albuquerque have one of these? Oh Wait…) and did plenty of knitting. Probably way too much knitting if that’s even possible. (Nah.)
The concert was definitely the highlight of the trip, it was amazing!
- I got there early and was one of the first people in the door, allowing me to secure a spot at the very front and center of the venue. I could literally reach out and touch the band. They played for what seemed like an eternity, and the set list was amazing. I literally stood there for the whole show, completely entranced as I listened to Karin sing and watched Linford play the piano, guitar and accordion. It was so beautiful to finally see them in person, and hear the music that I’ve admired for so many years.
- After the concert, I hung around and was able to meet both Karin and Linford in person. I gave them their scarves, as well as the very first skein of Snow Angels that I had dyed. And just in case, a introduction to knitting book along with some circular needles for hat making. They were both very sweet and wonderful and it turns out that Karin’s Grandmother has shown her how to knit before and she has been considering picking it up again. How cool is that? I picked up a signed copy of Snow Angels and a Shirt for myself, so I was a happy camper when I left.

I came home feeling very rested, relaxed and ready to conquer my finals next week. (Ok, maybe not so much conquer as get them over with.) The morning after I woke up, I looked outside to find that my backyard was a Winter Wonderland!

It appears that the solenoid valve that controls the sprinklers froze into place overnight, causing the sprinklers to run all night in freezing temperatures. I’ve since turned off the water and drained the pipes, but all the ice is still there! Dallas and Emma quite love to chew on the icicles though!

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Adam

in albuquerque, contests, gifts, knitting, vacation and yarn nerd

Take Two 02 Dec 06

2 Comments

Alright, let’s try this again.

“I’m leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again.” (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

The weather seems to have cleared up over there in Chicago, so I’m ready to go. I was nervous when I got to the airport this morning, but my flight isn’t cancelled, and I’m sitting in the boarding area with a boarding pass in hand (gotta love the free wi-fi). Yay!

Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes and guessed in yesterday’s contest, you guys made my birthday awesome! I had a very nice day yesterday. I spent a few hours dyeing some yarn, then I had a nice dinner with some family. It was nice just to take a day off and relax, and I’m looking forward to the next two, especially tonight!

The contest is still open, you have until Sunday to guess my age. Now if I could only convince everyone else of how old you all think I am! ;)

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Adam

in albuquerque, contests and yarn nerd

10 Hours Of Torture 29 Nov 06

4 Comments

Thanks to Lime and Violet for their hilarious mention of me on the recent show. I almost spewed coffee all over the place when I heard the show!

And the Snow Angels yarn is up…adamknits.etsy.com…Get yours today!

Phew. Glad that’s done. I spent 10 straight hours at UNM yesterday “finishing up” my take home test. Yeah, it took 10 hours just to put on the finishing touches and wrap up the proofs nicely. It was horrendous. But it’s over now, and my birthday is coming up, so I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel now!

I was working on the test until around 9:30 PM, so sadly I didn’t make it to SnB at Flying Star. I was sad, since I really wanted to knit instead of work on a test involving complex Markov Chains, but I had my own knitting group once I got home.

that's right, I have a personalized beer stein.

Yup, that’s right, I have a personalized beer mug. Super Classy.

That’s Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake from Flying Star in case you’re enticed. I’m glad that they still have Pumpkin stuff after Thanksgiving, because Pumpkin is pretty much my favorite dessert flavor EVER. Mmmmmmm.

In knitting news, I’m still working away on the Irish Hiking Scarf. It’s getting close to the end, but I’m reminded of why I don’t knit scarves too often, cause they take a long time. Technically, it’s probably just a little more work than a pair of socks, but socks have a bit more variety because of all the different parts. I shouldn’t complain though, this scarf has helped me pass many boring hours in classes these past few weeks ;)

There was also a nice little surprise outside when I woke up this morning. Snow! (Although, in true Albuquerque fashion, only about 0.00005 inches of it.) If you look closely in the pictures, you can see the snowflakes falling…just barely though. The dogs quite love to play in the snow…for about 5 minutes, then they start giving puppy eye looks and shivering. Such babies, and wonderful actors to boot. Needless to say, I always succumb to their charms…which is why my sheets always seem to be dirty.

Coming up tomorrow, I’ll announce my birthday contest, open the guessing and start begging for yarn presents. Fun times.

Published

Adam

in albuquerque, dyeing, gifts, grad school, knitting, nerdy, schnauzers, shop, unm and yarn nerd

Apple Mania! 04 Nov 06

9 Comments

Alright folks, this post will be filled with me fawning and gushing all over the place like a total fanboy…so you’ve be warned.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, here we go.

We have an APPLE STORE IN ALBUQUERQUE!!!

For those of you who aren’t Apple crazy (leave a comment so I can harass you to buy a Mac!), here’s a quick indoctrination guide.

Apple Nerds are fanatics
Big Apple events (such as the Macworld Keynote, or an Apple Store Opening) are akin to these other life changing events, including, but not limited to: college graduation, turning 21, getting married, having kids, buying a first house, …
The lines to get into new Apple Stores are often hours long, and the people at the front of the lines are often bestowed with lots of swag, and bragging rights among the Apple Elite.
Apple Stores are traditionally reserved for cities where Apple feels that they can make a significant market impact, and it’s a huge deal that Albuquerque gets one. We’re pretty much officially on the map now.

If you’re still perplexed, I recommend the excellent book The Cult of Mac. It’s a great book with lots of insight as to why a computer company has such a devoted following.

Indoctrination Complete. Let’s continue with the gushing.

This past Wednesday, the Apple Store in the new ABQ Uptown Mall had it’s grand opening, and yours truly was there for all the action. The store opened at 10 AM, and I showed up bright and early at 8 AM to secure my free t-shirt (for being one of the first 1000 people) and my place in line. Please note that I did go by the night before with the necessary camping supplies, but at 9 PM there was no one there and I figured I’d be safe to go in the morning. It was pretty cold, otherwise I’m sure there would have been a bunch of overnighters.

the glowing beacon of hope

I ended up being about number 20 in line, so I hunkered down to wait. I met tons of fellow Mac nerds, got a bunch of requests to duplicate my Apple tote for other Mac nerds, drank coffee, knitted a bit, checked my e-mail, and had a generally lovely time. I wouldn’t have minded if it had been a bit warmer but I was able to power through for Apple.

the employees were just as psyched as we were!

And was it ever worth it! That was quite the experience! When they opened the doors people begin to rush in, and the employees had formed a human tunnel and were giving out t-shirts, high fives and lots of screams. It really was like being at a Beatles concert, except with nerds.

oh yeah, there's a genius bar in my city now

I’m pretty excited that ABQ has a Genius Bar

Definitely a very fun day, and a good excuse to take off work ;) Although, my wallet is totally doomed now with both the new Village Wools and the Apple Store here…it could be dangerous.