Tag Archive for ‘music’ at adam knits!

Tag Archive for 'music'

Letting Out My Inner Bum 28 Feb 08

Let’s just pretend that two weeks hasn’t gone by ok? Moving right along ;)

Anyway, I’ve been up to my usual tricks, including work, homework avoidance and lots of orchestra practice. I had a big concert this past weekend, featuring some of the most difficult music I’ve ever played in an ensemble. Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances may sound nice, but man is that thing a beast! The tempo is pretty much the equivalent of a Mack truck barreling down the highway at 120 MPH. In the end though, I got most of the notes, so I was fairly pleased with myself.

As far as knitting goes, I have no proof I’m actually knitting anything, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. My primary project right now is top secret, but the big reveal should be soon. I also have a lovely sock going, but at this blogging speed, you’ll probably see a finished sock by the time I get around to the pictures.

I had a small Yarn Nerd shop update last week, including a lovely new merino/bamboo/nylon yarn I’ve termed 900 MHz Bambylon. (Try to type that 10 times fast!) The small batch I put up went fairly quickly, but I will have more on the way soon, so don’t despair, there’s plenty of bamboo yarn action to be had.

Also, I will be receiving a shipment of some new yarns soon, including a Superwash Merino DK Weight and a Merino Sport Weight. Both yarns are absolutely lovely, and the DK Weight is a great replacement for my older 1500 MHz Merino base, which I had to discontinue. So look for a future shop update with those yarns, I think you’ll really like them!

I’ve been fighting off a bit of a bug this week, and so I whipped up some soup to soothe my tempestuous stomach. Nothing like a delicious chicken and rice soup made with wild rice and rotisserie chicken to cure what ails you.

Thankfully, I’m mostly on the mend, save for a pesky sore throat that just won’t go away. I wouldn’t mind if the deep sexy voice stayed around for a bit longer though. Anyway, it’s a good thing I’m feeling better, since I’m off on another snow excursion this weekend.

I think a weekend spent ripping up the mountain with my Dad, Uncle and little Brother will definitely do me good. Maybe not my throat, but definitely my inner ski bum. You gotta shirk that responsibility and play everyone once in a while right?

So whatever you’re doing this weekend, make sure to take a least a few moments and let our your inner bum. Lay around, knit a bit, watch TV or just sleep in a little longer. Because all work and no play turns Jack into a raving lunatic.

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Adam

in a nerd's life, family, knitting, music, school, snow, weekend!, work and works in progress

Musical Interlude 21 Nov 07

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Oy vey, where does the time go?! It’s already been 11 days since the last post, and Thanksgiving is looming in the foreground like a 30 pound turkey. Also looming is the impending deadline of my final project paper for my Multiuser Detection class, but we won’t discuss that…(shudder).

I’ve been busy knitting, and am almost ready for the big unveiling of my first sweater. I have a few finishing details left this afternoon, but I’m almost there, and I’m happy that I can wear it for Thanksgiving tomorrow! (And that a cold snap just moved in, cause I really don’t want to wear the sweater if it’s still 70 degrees!) It will also come in quite handy for a weekend trip to Chicago this Friday, in a repeat of last year’s trip. I’m going out with both of my brothers, and am actually going to see Over the Rhine play a double header. I’m super excited to see them again, and to have a weekend to explore Chicago with both of my brothers. And yet again, I will completely ignore the fact that finals are in 2 weeks. ;) Now let’s just hope that there’s not massive amounts of snow in the next few days like last year…

And to disguise the fact that I have no actual knitting content until the sweater unveiling, I’ll distract you with a bit of trivia about myself.

Have I ever mentioned that I play the violin?

I’ve been playing since I was 8, and it’s something I really love. One day when I was in 2nd grade, a middle school orchestra came to my school, and I was enamored with the violinists. I actually walked around for a few weeks with a ruler and pencil, pretending I was a famous violinist, so my Mom figured she should enroll me in lessons. Now 15 years later, I still love it, and hope that I’ll be playing well into my senior years. Just this week, I joined the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra, a local amateur orchestra that plays just for fun. I’ve been wanting to join this orchestra for a while, but it hasn’t worked out with my schedule before. It’s been almost 2 years since I’ve played with an orchestra, and I really have missed it.

So who else plays an instrument? I’m thinking it’d be awesome to start a traveling group with knitting musicians. ;)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving this year! I’m looking forward to the big gathering at my parent’s house. I made my own pumpkin puree last week, and will be baking some pumpkin pies, pumpkin cheesecake and roasting pumpkin seeds for the big meal. I can’t wait for my big baking session tonight, it’s gonna be loads of fun. There’s so many things I’m thankful for this year, and so many things God has given me, that it’s really hard to pick one thing. So I think I’ll just try to be thankful for all the simple pleasures, such as pumpkin pie, classical music and sweater knitting. Not to mention a great time of hanging out with friends and family.

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Adam

in a nerd's life, brothers, cooking, holidays, music and vacation

The Mothership’s Siren Song 30 Oct 07

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So the Leopard release was quite spectacular. I was one of the first 20 people in line (and was actually in line with some of the same people from the Apple Store opening!), so I did get a t-shirt, and my copy of Leopard. I was glad I went early too, since half and hour before the store opened, the line went all the way around the block!

It was certainly worth it too, because Leopard is pretty sweet. I’d highly recommend it if you are on the fence about upgrading. I also gave into the siren song of the iPod while in the Apple store, and picked up a shiny new toy. I’m so weak.* ;)

I’ve been iPod less for a while now, and the combination of a big screen, WiFi with Safari, and the ability to banish my car radio turned out to be too much to handle. Maybe someday I’ll get an iPhone, but for now, the iPod Touch is close enough for me. It’s a bit easier on the wallet too, especially since I barely ever use my phone.

Oh Apple, why must you exploit my weakness for shiny things?

In other news, I just sent all these lovelies off to The Loopy Ewe today. Phew! Look for it sometime soon, in one of Sheri’s infamous sneak ups. Keep an eye out too, because the last batch went crazy fast! (who knew nerdy yarn could be so popular?) There’s a few new colorways in there, and all the yarn is my new 850 MHz Merino sock yarn.

Between finishing up the yarn dyeing and other things this weekend, it was pretty crazy. I ended up spending an hour cleaning up black yarn dye on Sunday, after tipping over one of the containers I was using all over the floor and onto Dallas, who happened to be laying right under the table. The poor guy jumped up, sending yarn dye flying all over the creation. Luckily it didn’t really damage anything, and after a long scrub Dallas was no longer all black (good thing I didn’t spill warm water and vinegar on him too!), but it was quite the detour from my dyeing plans that day.

I also had a big family occasion this weekend, as my Grandparents celebrated their 60th Anniversary. I admire my Grandparents profusely, and hope that someday I can have a marriage as strong as theirs. It’s not always easy, but they’ve stuck by each other through everything for 60 years, and I think that’s so cool. So Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa, I love you both!

Well, that’s about it for me peeps. I need to get to bed before it gets too late, so I’ll catch you later. Next time I can show you how I just re-organized my office with a yarn shelf. Yup, I have a yarn shelf now…it’s a slippery slope.

Oh, and beware of those Apple stores!

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Adam

in apple, dyeing, family, macs, music, shop and yarn nerd

Life Resumed 29 Jul 07

20 Comments

Well that concert turned out to be just the ticket. Karin and Linford sure know how to soothe a troubled soul with music, because their music definitely calmed me down. I might have even forgotten about the Emergency Vet bill for a few minutes! ;)

I picked up Emma last night after the concert, and she’s doing very well. Although probably a bit irritated, since I’ve probably taken about 100 pictures of her today. She did insist that I not show her one shaved leg in photos (from the IV), so I tried to only get her cute side. That turns out to be a pretty easy task.

Needless to say, I’m super glad that she’s feeling better…a feeling I might have manifested in a few extra treats throughout the day. :) I’ve also hatched a plan involving multiple dog gates to keep her inside during the day; since I’m not willing to risk her getting another bug bite while I’m at work. There’s so many bugs in my yard during the summer, so I think it’d be better for her to stay inside.

Dallas won’t be too happy about this new plan, but I think he’ll learn to survive for a few hours. He can be very destructive when left to his own devices (he ate an arm of a leather couch in the first 5 days I adopted him!), and I can’t really risk him destroying stuff since I have roommates. It’s one thing for him to get into something of mine, but another thing to chew up someone else’s stuff.

Emma confirmed to me that she was back to normal this evening, when she climbed up on top of Dallas’ dog crate to sleep on top of my newly laundered sock pile. That’s her special talent, making a bed out of anything on hand, as long as it’s just a bit soft. It’s making me a bit teary just seeing the picture, so let’s just move on before I get all emotional.

I did capitalize on the remainder of the weekend to get a bit of yarn dyed up. I cooked up some great new kettle dyed colorways, I think you’ll really like them. Here’s a sneak peek! There will be a shop update sometime this week, with all these new colorways, plus a bit more roving. I’ll be going on vacation to Seattle this Friday, so I thought I’d get the shop nice and stocked for ya. Oh, and I’ll be having a killer back to school sale, so stay tuned for the details.

The last thing I have to share is this great shot of the Sandia Mountains that I got tonight. I was over visiting Scout, and I pulled over to grab this shot. Pretty sweet huh? Her view of the Sandias is so spectacular, you can’t help but be just a bit jealous!

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Adam

in a nerd's life, albuquerque, dallas, dyeing, emma, music, shop and yarn nerd

Running With Music, Not Scissors 18 Jan 07

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So school has started, and I’m starting to settle into a rhythm with my schedule. I’ve made it a big goal to cook healthy meals as often as possible, and it’s been paying off thus far. I feel a whole lot better and am running farther everyday. Here’s my progress towards Runagogo thus far:

I’m hoping to close in on 20 miles by the end of the weekend!

Warning! There is a lack of blogging material ahead. Author will attempt to fill a post with music instead of pictures and actual content. Please use caution when continuing!

Some people have asked for this, so here’s a list of some of the music I’m grooving to while running these days:

Andrew Bird - This guy is amazing. He’s a classically trained violinist turned indie rocker, and his sound is so unique. His music combines violin, whistling and other cool compositions in ways I’ve never heard before. It’s pretty chill and is nice when I’m running longer intervals because it gives me a good pace.
Arcade Fire - Another indie fave, I really love the song Crown of Love. The violin and guitar combo at the end is amazing.
Muse - This band is my crazy music when I need something to keep me going. Their beats are nice and fat and get pretty frenetic. Good stuff!
Okkervil River - Very dark and brooding, yet so expansive and complex. This band is like a very stout beer or a piece of bittersweet chocolate. It’s kick you in the crotch good.
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Just as funky as the name, this another great band that keeps me going and helps me focus on something other than my aches.
Starflyer 59 - One of my long time favorites, I can always count on Starflyer to give me something fun and catchy to workout to.
U2 - My all-time favorite band, I can always count on Bono to inspire me and make me feel like I’m running for the good of humanity.

Those are some of my favorites, albeit some esoteric ones. What do you like listening to? And don’t worry, I’ll still talk to you if you say Justin Timberlake. Well, maybe.

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Adam

in cooking, exercise, music and school