Left Brain, Right Brain

I have decided - just now - to NOT bring my bike to Burning Man after all. Last year, every time I rode bike somewhere on the playa, I just got annoyed at having to find a place to park it and then lock it up everywhere I went when I got off of it. Additionally, there were times when I really really wanted to hop on a mutant vehicle, and I couldn't because I had my bike with me.

I had more interesting experiences when I was on foot - it made it easier to just meander into little places that I would have to park/lock a bike at otherwise, which is really a hassle when you just want to be spontaneous.

I am still glad that I bought the head and tail lights for my bike, and the basket that I mounted on the front. I use them a lot anyway.

Well, I said I'd post pictures, but I only took one. (  So click here to see picture. )
It's on a flexible needle there. That's my living room carpet under it. Jon and I have both been so busy with preparations for Burning Man and moving and all that, I never got a chance to show it to him until last night. He was VERY impressed and proud of me, and he said it looked "swank." ^_^

He also said the legwarmer I was working on last night looked swank too. I wonder when he started using that word so much...

I will post images of the legwarmers once I finish them. I am about 2 inches away (or maybe less?) from being done with the first one - but here's a "teaser" image to keep you interested (maybe):
( Legwarmer? )

I am so proud. I decided to knit a practice swatch to learn cabling. And it looks AWESOME! \(^o^)/

There are some parts that are a little wobbly-looking, but it's my first time so that's to be expected. Will post pictures when I get home tonight.... But it looks kinda something like this:

--------->  <--------- (those are the knitting needles)
x||//\\||//\\||//\\||x
x||\\//||\\//||\\//||x
x|| // || // || // ||x
x||//\\||//\\||//\\||x
x||\\//||\\//||\\//||x
x|| // || // || // ||x
x||//\\||//\\||//\\||x
x||\\//||\\//||\\//||x
xxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx

I don't know what reminded me of this, but I want to write it down so I don't forget. There is a house half a block away and across the street from our new house (well, the one we'll be renting and MAYBE buying in the future), and this other place recently got sold for - I kid you not - $449,000!!!!!1111oneoneone omgwtfbbq!!!!

It's nothing special! It's just a 1-story rambler with a double garage! Ack! I mean, it looks like it's a pretty nice place, and it's got a nice yard and stuff... But W-O-W. frino just told me that the nicer houses in the little town where she lives right now are $80-$100K!!! Someone smack this town!! What is the DEAL with these prices?!!! I bet I could go just 20 miles away and pay half that for the same home. Then again, I wouldn't be as close to the Cities, and I guess that's something you pay more for.

Eek.

Sad Sad Sad.... Turns out that the Walken for President thing IS INDEED a hoax... created by some people on the "General Mayhem" forums... I believe they first mention this particular hoax on about the 4th page of the discussion I just linked.

WHY, GOD?? WHY?????????

Last night I was woken up at about 3:00 am. The fire alarms in my apartment building were going off, and so was my smoke detector. This happened several weeks ago at about 11:00 pm, just as I was going to bed. Last time, I crabbily wandered out into the parking lot in my pajamas with all the other tenants, waited for the fire department to show up, and then went back in when they told us it was just a faulty detector that caused that alarms to go off.

This time, I was DEAD asleep, and not at all pleased. I live on the ground floor, and my patio door opens right onto the grass, and then I can take a few steps into the lot. I scowled to myself, still half-asleep, and decided to stay in my bed. If there was a real fire, I'd get up and throw on a robe and go out my patio door. But until I smelled smoke or heard people outside yelling about flames, I was going to stay put. Plus, I was sleeping naked and did not particularly feel like putting anything on if I didn't have to.

So I stayed in bed scowling at the noise. I saw the lights of the fire engine flashing through my blinds when it arrived. I heard firemen go stomping up the stairs. I continued to scowl.

Then the alarms stopped honking, and my smoke detector stopped squealing outside my bedroom door. I didn't hear any sounds of panic. I didn't smell smoke. I stayed in my warm bed, waiting for a signal. A few minutes later, through my bedroom window, I heard a fireman go back outside and tell the suckers out in the parking lot that they could go back inside. That was all I needed to hear. It was now after 4:00 am, and I fell back asleep immediately.

This is ridiculous. I swear it has only been about 6 weeks since the last time this happened... Yeah, that's right... last time it happened the night before I started my new position here at work, and that was June 16th. I am SO glad to be moving out of that building soon. Overall, it's been a nice place to live, but now that I know I'm going to be moving into the house on Lydia Avenue, I'm feeling less and less satisfied with my little apartment. It's just like when I got the promotion - in the weeks before I transferred over to the new position, I found myself starting to dislike my old position a lot, even though I had previously liked it. I guess when I know for sure that I won't have to deal with something in the near future, I stop being vigilant about seeing the good in it. Huh. Interesting.

This is an update to this entry.

I ultimately decided to go with the color Jade, because although I think I technically have blue eyes, they often look more green (due to the yellow ring around my pupil... was that there before I became a werewolf? I think it was...) depending on what I'm wearing, or the weather, or my mood, or the general lighting... Also, Jon has AMAZINGLY beautiful blue eyes, and next to him, mine ALWAYS look green, never blue.

So I went with Jade, which I think is a pretty shade of green that most closely matches the green of my "blue" eyes.

Thanks to all of you who gave way too many great suggestions and made it absolutely no easier than if I had just decided myself! heehee ^_~
( Other notes & news )

Today I am craving feta-stuffed olives. And capers. Capers in ANYTHING. I almost bought some of the olives last night, but I am really trying to watch my budget carefully right now, with the vacation coming up, and the move after that. And feta-stuffed olives are not exactly a cheap treat. Nor are capers. But ooooh, I would make good food with them... luscious, piquant capers... I love them so.

OK, I know I've cluttered my journal up with too many of these darn quizzes, but I'm posting it so that *some* of you can take the quiz yourself, cuz you might like it. ^_~
( What kind of knitting needles am I? )