My Name's Not Nancy

The heat has returned, and I cannot say I welcome it in the least. Kansas heat is so heavy and makes it hard to breathe.

It's Monday, my day off. I mostly just sit around and feel sorry for myself. I thought about going to the movies, like a repeat of last Monday, but I sat on my ass instead. I need motivation. Inspiration.

But how do you get out of a heavy funk?

The only thing that I can get motivated about is faith. I need to learn to quell my mind long enough to meditate. I've always been shit at meditating, but I hear it helps. Who knows?

All I know is I'm dreading work, and I need a drink. I drink too much and work too little. I like my job. It can be a lot of fun. I'm just so fucking eternally lazy.

Sometimes, I can't stand myself.

I should learn to find the beauty in things. To be thankful for what I've been given in this life.

Eh.

Sincerely,
Negative Nancy

Artichokes and Solitude.

It's been so cloudy and stormy and moist lately, I love it. I can wear all the lovelies I've knitted. I'm currently working on the hugest basket weave blanket. It's my first. It's so long that I can hold it up to my tits and it still hits the floor.

I'm supposed to be cleaning up my living room, but I'm typing this up instead. Everything is so very messy and cluttered. I want a clean life. I tend to make piles, tossing things on top of each other until they're ready to fall over.

Maybe the solution is watching Hoarders on Netflix. That show always makes me clean.

But no, instead I'm watching an old Brittany Murphy movie. Love and Other Disasters. I happened across the most wonderful indie movie she was in, Ramen Girl. Then again, I love any movie where food is a central element. She's just so silly. I'm sad she's gone.

Speaking of FOOD, I had my first artichoke the other day. They were a dollar at the store, so I snatched up two and (thanks to the internet) cooked them up. I can now truthfully say that I love artichokes.

Monday was my day off, and I spent the whole day at the Theatre. I watched Inception on a whim, for the third time. When it was over, I figured why not watch Machete. And after THAT, why the hell not watch Takers? I'm catching up, so that when people ask me, I can voice my opinion.

I like going to movies alone. Only when it's not busy. I can fidget, sprawl into as many chairs as I want and take my shoes off. It's like my living room, only with a really, really huge screen.

Now. I swear, swear, swear I'm going to clean.

Scout's honor.

Pink Shrimp, Blue Shrimp

Two things are making it hard to write right now. I'm trying to watch a movie with subtitles, AND I have a really pushy twenty pound cat trying to lay on me.

Okay, pause and push him off.

It's been a lovely day. It was dreary out, so sailed off to work in a comfy cardigan. I love cloudy days. Unfortunately, due to the severely unpredictable nature of our weather, I know it's going to snow very hard, very soon. With little warning. We got a freak snow in April a few years ago. Such is life.

Yesterday was very hectic--I worked both jobs. Got off later than expected on the first, had to speed shower, but was overjoyed to how slow it was at my night job. I work in a movie theatre, and we sold just over two hundred tickets. The whole day. Which, for a three-thousand-ish seat theatre, is pretty ridiculous.

After work, Haley and I went to the liquor store and picked up cat litter. We got back to my house and made an incredibly delicious (and obnoxiously american) paella.

Paella, apart from yarn and cats and wine, has to be my favorite thing ever. Ever. It's a spanish rice dish usually prepared to feed an army. I overcrowd my 13" skillet and eat it for days.

Unfortunately, all my peppers and onions had turned, so I had to use whatever was in the pantry, haha. I probably shouldn't say "unfortunately." It was actually quite delicious. Walmart doesn't have chorizo, so we used spicy american sausage. Tomatoes, onion, hot peppers, garlic, mushrooms and... water chestnuts?

I love water chestnuts. So crisp, so refreshing. They don't belong, but somehow, it worked.

I had a quite funny conversation with Haley while arranging the raw shrimp around the bubbling pan.

"You're not going to cook them first? Isn't the rice done?"
The rice and remaining broth will cook the shrimp.
"How do you know when they're cooked?"
They'll turn pink.
"How will you know when they're pink?"
... They'll be pink?

She's blonde. Brilliant with grammar, terrible with cooking apparently.

All in all, a very good night in. And I still have spicy sausage left over from the paella. :)

Where Troubles Melt Like Lemon Drops

Standing in my backyard, looking at snow and smoking, I heard eerie music. Slow and creepy flute. Then I recognised the tune. Sooommee day I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behiiiind me..."

I guess when you're just learning the flute, even the sweetest song can sound like a horror movie. I think Somewhere Over the Rainbow is Kansas's actual anthem. Screw Home on the Range, I don't see any deer or antelope.

It's got me feeling antsy, this creepy music.

Anyhow. I finished my fan and feather beret. Then! I finished the All-Day Beret in an obnoxious blue.

I really should post photos, but I haven't showered and I'm really lazy.
So I started another Fan and Feather beret, so I can become bad ass at using double pointed needles.

So far, so good.

I want to be this crazy:



It
looks
sooooooo
fun.

On the Needles Nowish.

Oh wow. Start a blog, don't update it. Story of my life, I swear.
So it's snowing outside. Obviously time to knit!

I've been working on the Fan and Feather Slouchy Beret, free pattern from Violet Green.
I'm enjoying it bunches, mostly because I got paid to work on it. One of my jobs is in a movie theatre, and on weeknights people bring books to read. I figured I might as well bring my knitting, so I got paid to work on this beret for five and a half hours. Nice.





Oddly enough, in looking at this photo for the first time since I copied the pattern on paper for portability reasons, I'm realizing I used pretty much identically colored yarn....



Then again, I REALLY like purple.





I've got a lot of those supposed WIPs that I will never finish. BUT! I am working on a MASSIVE throw in a basketweave pattern. Got my first circular needles and just went to town, making it up as I go. It's long enough to stretch from the floor to my belly button. I have to house it in a laundry hamper because I don't have a knitting bag big enough. :)








Oh, by the way, I'm Paige. It's nice to meet you.