Busy, busy

I found my cell phone the day after I lost it, which was a great relief. I felt really naked without it.

I had a pretty busy social weekend this weekend. Friday night I went to a Japanese restaurant for Anna's bachelorette party (she's in my grad program). I had udon, which always makes me happy. We sat around and talked for awhile, and had lots of fun. I didn't go out with them afterwards, partly because that's not my thing, and partly because Scott and I had plans to go to Rocky. The show was ok, but I was pretty tired. I saw someone else knitting, and I made extra sure to point out to Scott that I wasn't the only person that carries knitting around with them.

On Wednesday I headed out to Threaded Bliss to pick up some yarn for warshcloths and for Grandmommie's sweater. I've slacked off on the sweater a little bit due to work and wedding shower knitting. It's still in the plan to finish (hopefully!) before Christmas. I was the only customer at the yarn store, and I ended up staying until closing chatting with Shelia and David. I really like going in there, and wish I had more time to go hang out during their Stitch 'n Bitch. Maybe that'll be possible next semester. I did manage to finish one warshcloth for Anna's wedding shower (on Saturday), so that was good. The other one is in progress.

On Thursday Scott surprised me with a video game. He bought The Sims: Pets for me, and I'm definitely addicted. I made myself and Riley, and the real Riley stared at the screen and growl-barked at his 3-D self. It was pretty funny. Scott tried to take a pic, but it didn't work. I've definitely played it more this week than I should, and it's been an easy distraction from the papers I should've been working on.

Today I went to the flea market (not flee market, like they have in Illinois) with Riley, Julie and Jana. I got some stuff for my dad, as well as a candle that smells like coffee. That's the second candle from this seller, and it smells soooo good. Riley did really well, too. I like having him in high traffic areas, because it helps me know what I need to work on with him. He did very well, and probably just needs more experience in those situations. After I got home I took a nap. My mom came over a little later, and we went to OpryMills to search for a dress for this Friday. I'm going to Scott's office's 50th anniversary party, and it's really formal. I luckily found a dress that I really like, and it was 50% off. I also managed to find a necklace, earrings, and hair clips to match. I have so little dress up stuff that I have to get everything when I have a special occasion. I think it'll look nice though, which is all that matters.

A House marathon is on right now, which makes me want to stay up until it's over (even though I can tivo it). I'm really tired tonight, and I figure part of that is because of the time change. It's amazing how much an hour can really throw off my schedule. I'm probably going to head to bed now and take advantage of the fact that I'm tired at a normal hour.

15 down...

Weigh-in today went well. I have officially lost 15.2 pounds. I got a 5 pound star. Woohoo!

In other slightly sad news, I've lost my cell phone. I have a pretty good idea where it might be, so hopefully I'll get it back tomorrow. If not, then I guess I'm getting a new one a little early (I was hoping for Christmas sales). It looks like I can keep my number, which is good. I don't have a house phone though, so I feel pretty cut off. It's quite difficult and irritating. I keep looking for it, or want to call someone to tell them to call my phone so I can find it. Weird.

I started on my DSM case study today. It was kinda complicated.

I finished Scott's mom's scarf. Hurray for not being swamped with Christmas knitting! I'm hoping to make some warshcloths for a bridal shower this weekend, but we'll see if I have time to pull it off.

Now it's time for bed. I'm really tired.

So...it's absolutely crazy how fast time goes when you're in grad school, working, and doing an internship. It doesn't seem like almost 2 weeks since I last blogged.
Since then, I've gotten new couches! They're dark blue, and Riley seems to like them. I found a greenie hidden in them the other day, which means that they're "official." Riley likes to put bones and greenies down in the corners, and I usually find them when I'm looking for the remote control. Riley seems to like the couches (and my jacket), which is good. I like them a lot, too! They're really wide on the sitting part, so I can sit cross-legged with no problem. Not having to deal with the back cushions is *awesome* as well. My old couches have found a new home in a condo my dad is renting to some of his friends.

Knitting wise, things have gotten a little crazy. I "finished" the back, and moved on to the sides. I have quotes because although I did my bind off and everything, I'm going to go back and frog most of it. I didn't do the best job of measuring, and it ended up being longer than it should've been. In turn, this caused it to use up a whole lot of yarn. I intended to make it a little longer than the pattern said, but I've now realized that the pattern length will be fine, even though the sweater measured for my grandma was a couple of inches longer. Plus, this should hopefully keep me from having to buy too much more yarn. I'm going to finish the front panels before I go to the back, because the front goes faster. I'm not looking forward to winding the yarn into balls though. I'm asking for a ball winder for Christmas, so hopefully I won't have that problem for too much longer. =) I'm really hoping this sweater turns out looking nice instead of just like a big pink blob.

In internship news, I had to call DCS yesterday. It was my first time to make a report, so I guess I'm fully initiated into the school system now. Let me tell ya, I'll be perfectly fine if I never have to do that again.

I have recently rediscovered Lois and Clark, the New Adventures of Superman. I remember watching this show religiously when I was in middle schoolish, and still remember how excited I got during one season finale (I can't wait to see that episode again!). I had (*cough*have*cough*) a huge crush on Dean Cain, and now I'm catching humor that I probably missed when I was younger. I also don't think I've seen any of the first season, because I only saw the ones with the second person playing Jimmy, and these have the original guy. And yeah, I'm a dork, but that's ok. I'm just excited that I have something that I really enjoy to watch while I knit. I have two seasons right now, and I know more are out. I may not be a big movie watcher, but I really like watching TV shows on DVD.

In Riley news, his screening is getting closer. It is now officially under a month away. That's kinda scary, and I know this next month will fly by. I ordered some grooming stuff for him, and I *love* the Mars Coat King stripping knife. It was kinda expensive, but it's so worth it. I can get handfuls of hair off of him in just a few minutes, and he doesn't seem to mind it very much. He still tries to eat it when I'm working on his front legs, but his back legs twitch when I brush on his sides. I think he looks a lot better after just two days, because I was able to thin out his leg hair. Hopefully this will help keep leaves outside where they belong. I think Riley was bringing in a tree a week with all the leaves that got caught on his legs and belly.

So I guess that's about it. I'm thinking about going to Vandy homecoming tomorrow, depending on the weather. If it's cold and rainy, then it's not gonna happen. I'll probably spend the morning knitting and watching Lois and Clark, and walking the puppy. I've slacked off on my walking this week (because of the cold), and I really need to get back into it (and get some warmer clothes).

Weigh in comes up again on Monday. Total weight loss so far is 13.4 pounds. We'll see what Monday brings!

More knitting and puppies!

I just finished up with the 3rd ball of Grandmommie's sweater. It's still a big pink blob. I'm getting close to arm hole shaping, but I'm not there yet. I tried to take a pic with the tape measure on the sweater, but that wasn't exactly possible. My tape measure looks like a sheep, and Riley tries to eat it when he gets the chance. So I have the pencil again as a gauge of how big it is. Riley also refused to move when I was taking pics, so he modeled again.

Today I officially made my 10% goal at Weight Watchers I got a lovely keychain that's a lot better than what I was using, so I switched everything over. I'm really proud of myself. Yay me!

And last but not least, I'm getting new couches tomorrow. Tonight is the last night I'll have to deal with these saggy back cushions that take up half the couch. Tomorrow I'll have a fancy *matching* couch and loveseat, complete with attached back cushions. I can't wait!

Knitting and puppies!

I just finished the second ball of Grandmommie's sweater. It basically looks the same as it did yesterday, just longer. This is the part that'll be the hardest for me. I'm working on the back, and right now it's just basic knit and purl until it is 14-15 inches long. It's probably around 8 inches now (see pencil for size). It's a great TV knitting project though. I love the fact that I'm making a sweater. It's still a weird feeling, since this is only my 2nd sweater. Riley was hanging out on the couch, so I decided to make him model. He's nice and clean, since I gave him a bath tonight. He's still in the fluffy and kinda wet stage, so he looks like he has lots more fur than normal.


I have a video of Riley from when he was younger, and how he looks after a bath. I can't help but laugh every time I watch it. He might be older and bigger, but he still reacts the exact same way.
Riley after a bath

And here's a pic of the crazy guy after his bath tonight.

This is the hat that never ends...

Knitting
I have finally conquered one of my knitting monstrosities. I have no idea why this hat became a monstrosity, but it did. I've been wearing it for most of the night because I'm so glad it's done. The yarn is Cascade 220. It's more purple in person. The flash on my camera tends to wash things out. (And yes, I am wearing clothes in that pic. It just happens to be a camisole, and my hair just happens to be long enough and in the right place so you can't see the straps. Oh well.)
I have also re-started on Grandmommie's sweater using a different yarn. This time I'm using GOA, which is a German yarn. Pretty cool, since my last name's German. The yarn is 50% cotton, 50% acrylic. Now, I usually tend to stay away from the "a" word (being a yarn snob and all), but this sweater needs to have minimal care since Grandmommie lives in a nursing home. This yarn can be washed in the washing machine if it needs to be, which is a plus. It also was on major sale back when Threaded Bliss was having their crazy 2 year anniversary sale. I got a bag of 10 balls for a little under $40. It's squishy, and feels good to work with. It's also fat, and seems to be knitting up quickly. I hope to document the sweater ball by ball. I started and finished the first one today. It's going to be my watching TV knitting for the most part, since a lot of it is just plain stockinette. I really hope I can have it finished by Christmas!

School
School is still good and crazy. I totally slept through (or forgot to set) my alarm last week, which was bad. I really like what I'm doing, so that's good. I also saw a pay scale last week, which made me really excited. It's more than I expected, and if all goes well then I could be making real money at a real job next August!

Kitty
So on Sept. 28 I came home and heard a meowing outside my door. Instead of coming in and making dinner like I planned, I spent the night trying to figure out what to do about a skittish orange kitty that was outside my door. The cat wouldn't come up to me, and would kinda run away if I moved too much. It did come up to me and rub its head on my finger, which made me happy. I finally decided that I would try and get it to come inside (while Scott and Riley waited in my room), have my dad come get it, and see if he could keep it for a few days. Long story short, I finally got the kitty inside and then into the cat carrier. It was really hungry, so I gave it some cottage cheese (and cat food, once my dad brought some). I was hoping to find a home for it, but I was told that the kitty took off when the door was open (one of my dad's renters was keeping it). It's too bad I didn't get to find a home, but I'm hoping someone else finds it and gives it a home. I did what I could. I was convinced it was a girl, but I really have no idea (which is why I was calling the kitty "it").

Other
In other news, Riley is still his crazy self. He's sitting on the couch behind me right now (I'm sitting on the floor) and periodically sticks his nose in my ear. He likes to "help" when I knit, too. This usually consists of him lying right in the middle of my lap (where my yarn is) or lying right by my legs. It's really funny, because he twitches if the yarn or a needle touches him while he's sleeping. This happens fairly often, too. I need to see if I can get a pic of him when he's being my knitting buddy.
In Weight Watchers news, I've lost 12 pounds. I have my next weigh in on Monday, and I'm hoping that I've lost another pound. I'm really close to my 10% mark, which is the first really big WW goal. But if I don't get it this week, there's always next! I'm really glad I decided to do this. I feel so much better physically and mentally after losng that 12 pounds. Only 16 more to go!