Of Mice and Men

What I planned on doing today:

• riding lesson
  
• clean bathroom
  
• clean kitchen
  
• take out recycling
  
• straighten room
  
• knit
  
• read three chapters of my book
  
• go to the gym and kick my own ass
  

What I will Most Likely End up Doing Today:

• read half a chapter of my book and fall asleep
  
• attempt to straighten my room and give up half way
  
• curse a lot
  
• attempt to knit and discover that your middle finger is really quite required for the whole process
  

And the reason my to-do list will end up so very NOT to-did?

But there's a valid reason for drinking before noon on a Thursday:

You see that line about a third of the way down my nail?  It was bent backwards - and STUCK - at that line.  I managed to rip off a large portion of my nail during my lesson this morning.

Doesn't it look pretty?

Good thing I went bowling last night, otherwise I'd be bowling left-handed.  Also, that happens to be my middle finger, so I've been walking around like I'm giving people the middle finger.

Yesterday, I was bucked off.  Twice.  By the same horse.  I had bruises by the time I got home.  They look funny (but don't photograph well - believe me, I tried) because the surface of the ring is uneven, so I have "dotted" bruises.  A couple scrapes as well and some really nice and sore muscles to boot.

I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow when I ride.

In knitting news, I tore out the majority of Sizzle.  I tried it on again and finally convinced myself that it is too short, too wide, and not something I would wear.  So, back to the seed stitch border to start again.  I went down a needle size, figuring that will help with the "too wide" part.  I also knit an extra inch before starting the decreasing darts and will knit an extra inch or two in the shoulder straps, I think.  Also, I knit that back when I was twisting my purl stitches by purling incorrectly for the way I knit (or vice versa, depending on how you want to look at it.)

I finished the sock I started while watching Knocked Up and offered the pair - once I finish it - to my sister.  I'm knocking around ideas for my sock pal's socks, but I want to start at the toes and knit my way up.  And use little to no lace.  I'm thinking of modifying the Bayerische pattern to use the two cable patterns that I really like.  I think I'd have time to finish them.  Right?

Catching Up

I still need to block Branching Out. I'm waiting for a day that I wake up (and GET up) early enough to be sure that it is dry by the time I go to bed, as I think I have to block on my bed. I'm uber excited though, since blocking lace is magic! After I block it, I have to figure out where it shall live. I'm thinking TheBoy's mother shall be able to find a good use for it.

I'm not sure about the color, though. I loved the color online, but now it looks rather ... blah. Maybe I'll knit a swatch with the VERY LITTLE I have left over and see how that works.

In other news, I've been given Timmy for the summer - the horse that can jump 4'6" with no problem. He's awesome and I'm having a blast, even though I'd rather not sit again for a few days. There's talk of doing an A rated jumpers show in July, which is already scaring me. Those turns are gonna be TIGHT and Timmy is either fast or nimble and both are needed to do well.

Tomorrow, I plan on attempting to find a sock pattern (or to create one) for my sock pal. I also need to figure out my next "big" project. I have to finish my sister's second Bayerische sock and I started a new pair of socks the other day - I'd finished the monkey socks and we were going to a movie. You know it's bad when you think you twisted the join during your cast on and PLAN ON CONTINUING to knit ANYWAY, just so you have something to do during the movie. (I didn't twist, but I did get some 4.5 inches of cuff done during Knocked Up.)

For now, to bed with my lap top and PSU's subscription to Practical Horseman.

Random Thursday

I am done. DONE. No more finals, no more papers. I am currently waiting for grades to come in, but at this point I can't do anything about it, so who cares?

Reasons why today rocked:

• I slept until I woke up. I know, I know. But I woke me up, not the alarm clock, not the trucks emptying the dumpsters (very loudly) at 8am. This is a new and novel concept and I enjoyed it very much.
• It rained today, a pouring torrential downpour. I had already shut the windows of my car, so I just enjoyed the rain storm, thunder included.
• My riding lesson was awesome. Timmy was calm, collected, and focused throughout ... oh, let's be honest - throughout the beginning. But he was very fancy for those 10 minutes of warm up.
• I'm realizing that my confidence level has skyrocketed, as I didn't blink at Earl's .. creation of a hogback jump using the ring fence again. Of course, I still grab a few handfuls of mane as we approach that jump, but that's ok
• The baby was in a very frisky mood, cantering, rearing, and bucking. So cute to watch! She's gonna be a handful as she gets older, as she's so independent already. Lady has to call the baby back, since the baby has no problem wandering away.
• I only had one final today and I barely had to study for it. All told, I need a 95 on the final to get an A for the class and I'm pretty sure I pulled that off.
• I have 9 pattern repeats and the toe to finish up the waffleweave socks. I think that might happen tonight.
• I bought yarn! I shall share details later.
• Grey's Anatomy starts ... now.
  

Four Reasons I won't Be Blogging:

Warning: Not for the Squimish.

My schedule for this week:



My left pinkie:



My left middle finger, the first side:



My left middle finger, the second side:

(that's a blood blister. That one doesn't hurt nearly as much as the others, but is just as annoying.)

I rode 6 miles in 1 hour and 21 minutes yesterday. It was supposed to only take us 1 hour and 27 minutes, but we went a little fast. In my case, we went a little fast AND sidewise, which is why all the blisters are on my left hand. Also, the left side of my body is a) sorer and b) sore in more places then the right. Thanks, Timmy, for demonstrating that you are a left-sided horse and for cantering in place, sideways, for that hour and 21 minutes. (Even with all that, I had a blast and would do the same thing this weekend if I had a chance.)

Random Saturday

Yeah, so I missed random Thursday. We're gonna blame that on spending some .. 3-4 hours at the barn, a two hour Grey's Anataomy special, and Special Topics in Calamity Physics, which is my current book.

• the first Bayerische sock is completed!
• the second sock has been cast on. I'm still on the ribbing, but that's ok.
• I'm past the heel for the second waffleweave sock. Maybe I'll finish this thing by mother's day. Maybe not, given what I have to do between now and then.
  
• I have an 8am final on Monday
• I have a paper due at midnight on Monday
• I have another paper due at 5pm Monday
• I have not yet started either paper
• I have to be at work at 7:30pm on Monday
• I might be going to a paper chase tomorrow, early like
• I'm tired, my feet hurt, and I have to be at TheBoy's in an hour to go to a party hosted by his 70 year old proffessor. Apparently, everyone wants to meet me.
• I ought to try to work on a paper between now and 5pm.

Here's what I did for part of those 3-4 hours on Thursday:


It looks really easy, but that's cause Timmy is awesome.

I think the world's trying to make up for the last month or so. I only think, however, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

First off, I did well on all papers/exams that I was either sure I had failed or too sick to remember how the test went to know if I had failed or not. (Does that sentence make sense? I took the test and was too sick to remember anything after I handed it in, so I couldn't tell you if I was able to answer all the questions or not.)

Second of all, I have a riding lesson on Thursday. I'm a tad nervous about this, but all excited, since I drove out to the barn today and took a quick look around. They have a nice indoor and outdoor, the guy in charge seemed really nice, and there was a super-cute little boy, bout 5-6 years old, getting ready to get on his pony. And also, they have foals every year. BABY HORSES. Riding always manages to keep my head together and it will be good to ride, hopefully to do a lot of jumping over the winter.

Third of all, I started Ryan's hat. He's afraid it is going to look "too girly" what with the slightly-pale yellow. Personally, I doubt that, but he better change his mind before I finish cause I think this thing is gonna take me a while. Size 1 needles? That's a lot of stitches, folks. And I need to come up with a new pattern and chart it, since he doesn't ski. I'll prolly figure that one out when I get to it.


See, Tina's sock: I may or may not finish both of these by Christmas, just as she may or may not finish my quilt by Christmas.


Proof that my camera rocks:

I was some 30 rows up in the stands and holding my camera above my head. And still, I got shots like the above. AWESOME.

I think I owe a few pictures

This:

Now looks like this:


The socks I started a long long time ago, at school, now look like this:

I'm about halfway done knitting the foot, so the end is in sight. I'd kinda like to finish this before I go back to school....

And because I'm insane, I started this:


I was bitten by a really nasty fly (no idea what kind, either) and my left ankle swelled up something akin to a balloon, resulting in this:


This is the first of the long promised pictures of the apartment:

my bed. Doesn't it look comfy?

This is the bathmat in the bathroom:


And this is what I spent Saturday doing:


I started this within the last week:

Wendy's Sizzle. I am LOVING this yarn (Karabella's Zodiac) and the pattern.

In other news, I move in about ... 30 days and have yet to start packing. I want to finish the one pair of socks, the scarf (so that I can give it to my boyfriend's mother when she moves back into (or near) town, cause that's not weird at all. Right?) My boyfriend will be here on Sunday or Monday, we're both hoping for Sunday. I need to go grocery shopping cause I've heard that eating on a regular basis is a good idea. I want to buy V for Vendetta. I need to buy text books online, at least the ones I was able to get ISBN numbers for from the student bookstore. Tina needs to finish my quilt so that I can take that to school.

My computer remains propped against my printer, my back is killing me as a result. I'm competing again on Sunday. It is hot here, but I have the pool. Of course, that requires walking outside, which is NOT benefiting from my A/C. So that doesn't always happen as often as it could.  

And that might be the last you'll hear from me until I move into the apartment at school- around the 30th.