Summer Day

Today was really hot outside. And of course that means that today was the day we decided to go mini-golfing. At a "Revolutionary War Themed" course, no less. Mike kicked our butts, but I'd like to think that the rest of us (Kerri, Michelle, Gus, and I) took it gracefully. Next weekend Mike and I are going to Cape Cod to meet my family, so it looks like I'm getting my fill of outdoor activity.

As for crafting, I have managed to stencil another couple shirts and sew a tote bag. I'm actually really proud of the latter, because it's the first thing I sewed with a lining that didn't come out totally warped. And I'm almost finished with the first sleeve of the Skully, which means I only have one more sleeve to go before it's done.

Celebration

I passed both of my generals. Yay for being done with my first year!! And because I haven't shown much in the way of yarn content lately, here's a pic of another crochet clutch I made. It's the In Bloom pattern (again) from the Happy Hooker.

Rainy Day

Just sitting about listening to the rain outside. Figures that once the weekend comes, the rain arrives too. Sandra from craftster has asked me to knit her a Skully Sweater from SNB. In return she will make me a bunch of needle felted goodies and a One Skein Wonder. I'm going to swatch for that today. Otherwise, I've been reading Zorro by Isabel Allende (gasp, Gloria is reading something besides a historical mystery!), which is quite good. She has a wonderful way with words and situations, a sort of dry humor. I wish I was fluent enough to read and appreciate her in the original Spanish, but my skill isn't accomplished enough to really get the flow of her work. We used to have to read her in AP Spanish, but it's slow going compared to reading the English translation.

I'm back

After a weekend spent at my parent's house (which included an unpleasent car trouble surprise, but it's all fixed now), I'm back in Boston. I start my summer job next week, but I'm taking it easy for now. I've been crocheting some, but I can't share because it's for a secret santa type swap at Craftster. But, I did do some stencils for some other swaps (Kill Bill, The Cure, Wonder Woman).

Done!

I'm done with generals!! (Though I have to wait a couple of weeks before I know if I passed.) So now I can just sleep and relax. I am very happy right now!

Current test status

Here's the update:

Econometrics Final: Done. Mild surprise over the last question, but it wasn't too bad.
Micro General: Done. That was hard. And it took forever. Fingers crossed.
Macro General: This coming Tuesday. I can't wait to be done with this!

Present for my sister

Pattern from here.

When Pigs Fly.

Pattern from here.

11 Hours

11 hours of studying yesterday. OMG.

What WOULD Jane Austen Do?

I am still studying like mad. I sat for 10.5 hours yesterday, and I am going for the same record today. I have allowed myself 10-15 min study breaks here and there, but that's it. Argh! But the final on Saturday was fine. Not amazing, but alright.




These are some pics of a t-shirt I did for the Jane Austen Swap on craftster.org. I want to make myself one now.

MY HEAD HURTS!

Last day of classes. Which means I have a final on Saturday and Generals in two weeks. I have been studying into the evening every day, and it's already getting old. The next two weeks are going to suck. I only hope I make it!

Currently Spinning

http://www.hotfreelayouts.com/music.php

Idea courtesy of I May Be Knitting A Ranch House.

Study, study, study! (And some book reviews)

So I have an econometrics final in two weeks. It's on a Saturday for some mysterious reason (does Harvard even know about Shabbat?). Which means I need to study. But wait, I also have general exams in May, which cover a whole year's worth of material from two courses. Which means I really need to study. Guess what I'm doing today and tomorrow?!

In other news, I read the third installment of the Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery series, North by Northanger. The author actually managed to sort of explain why she named the book that (it appears in a line of the text). The wierd thing about this series is that it doesn't deal with murder mysteries. This is odd because I would say the bulk of mystery novels are about murders. I don't mind the change, but it does feel different. This installment bounced between some odd conspriacy involving Northanger Abbey and the drama of Elizabeth's pregnancy. The balance between the two wasn't always there. But the characterization remained compelling. I am still wondering if this series will have to end when they run out of Austen books to spoof in the titles. I give it a 6.5 overall. My previous reviews of the first two books in this series are here.

(This paragraph will mean nothing to you unless you read mainstream comics.) I also read DC Comic's Identity Crisis. Damn that thing is wordy. Almost Bendis wordy, but without that extra polish. It was good, and a nice set up for the current havoc in the DC Universe (ie Infinite Crisis). The art was enjoyable too. I think Mike is trying to get us to buy the 52 year-long special super extended series. At this rate, it might happen. Might.

Good News

I have something to do over the summer! I got a job with a great research project at the Boston Federal Reserve, so I am excited. But, I have to pass my general exams first. It's time to study!

In crafty news, I have continued with the crochet, and I made the "Fit to be Tied" purse from the Happy Hooker book. It took about one skein of Lion Brand Woolease worsted. Plus, I lined it with patterned fabric for once (as opposed to felt). I like it a lot.

A Book Review and a Movie Review

I finished up the last two entries in the Jane Austen mystery series by Stephanie Barron. #7 is Jane and the Ghosts of Netley Manor and #8 is Jane and His Lordship's Legacy. Spoiler....




As you can guess from the second title, something tragic happened to Lord Trowbridge in these installments. This saddened me greatly, but I hardly expected him and Jane to live happily ever after. These two books were a fitting and well-crafted end to their relationship. I have to say that the mystery fell a bit by the wayside in #7, eclipsed by the Jane/Trowbridge characterizations. Nevertheless, I found this to be a worthwhile read. #8 was even better. In it, Jane receives a trunk of Trowbridge's papers from twenty years before, which hold the clues to a mystery facing Jane right now. Barron includes the text of several letters, giving readers a chance to examine the evidence themselves. This entry is well-paced, and allows readers to commiserate with Jane over the loss of Trowbridge.

In other news, I saw Thank You For Smoking last weekend. It was CRAZY. But in a good way. Aaron Eckhart plays a wiley Big Tobacco lobbyist who must face down the challenges of Senator Finistirre (William H. Macy), a tree-hugging type politician who wants a skull and crossbones printed on every box of cigarettes. Then a whole bunch of looney stuff goes down. There really isn't a plot, but it doesn't matter. All of the actors embrace the their parts with bravado, reveling in the smarminess. These performances combined with Jason Reitman's spry direction make this film a hilarious and dark look at what goes on behind the curtain in American business and politics.

Stash Flashing

You can't stop me now!

I have been crocheting like mad this week. The end result is these two hats. The pink one took less than a skein of Caron's Sayelle in the color Cotton Candy. I used a pattern from Family Circle Easy Knitting Holiday 2004. (I love how now I can use the crochet patterns sprinkled throughout my knitting magazines!) The red one took about a skein of Lion Brand Wool Ease Chunky, and the pattern can be found here, on this other site. Both took me about a day of work each. I love how fast crochet is! But I can definitely see that it takes more yarn than knitting (I made a hat similar to the red one in knit using way less than one skein of WE Chunky).

New hat I've been working on

I have been trying to work out my own cloche pattern. I knit four versions, and this is the latest. I finally got Mike to take a picture. I'm not sure if I should change the brim. And the fingerless gloves pattern can be found here.

"Spring Cleaning" (sung a la Rocko's Modern Life)

It's gorgeous outside. Sunny, warm, perfect. I wish Boston was always like this. Not too hot, not too cold. It makes me want to organize and clean. There is so much stuff sitting around the apartment that I need to get rid of. But things are still basically under control, despite the fact that I let things get away from me during midterms.

Also, for whatever reason, there is a glich in my blog code. Sometimes my text in the most recent post doesn't load. If you want to see it, just scroll down and then scroll back up. I have no idea why that is happening, and I don't have enough time to figure it out right now.

I finally saw Brokeback Mountain. It was superb. I've been really spoiled by good movies lately. Now I am only one movie short of seeing all 5 Best Picture nominees from 2005. I guess I'll have to rent Capote.

I do have some new knits to show off. I'm hoping to con Mike into photographing them soon.

Another Year

Yup, it's my birthday. Which means I have a midterm this afternoon. I feel fine about that; I just want it over with. But guess what Mike gave me for my birthday. The photo is a hint. That's right, a ball winder!!!!! And a swift. I feel so cool. Which probably makes me a dork.