Expanding My Computer Knowledge

Since installing Ubuntu on Doug's laptop, that is all we have been running on it.  Windows still sits in the background, taking up a large part of the hard drive.  Just in case though, I don't want to delete it entirely yet.  Little has been saved to the computer as of yet, so I don't know if I can share files between the operating systems, though I am sure there is a way.  Afterall, the first computer I saw Ubuntu running on was a Mac laptop.  The guy had the Mac OS running at the same time as Ubuntu, and could switch between the two without restarting.

The latest homemade change was to the hardware of his laptop.  After spending hours getting Vista reloaded I learned that the "/?" key was no longer working.  Doug said that it had been giving him some trouble in the past, but that it always worked eventually.  After an entire weekend without that key functioning, I looked around online for a replacement part.  I found several do-it-yourself ways to take apart a keyboard to get tiny pieces to fix it, but that seemed way beyond my ability.  Then I found that Amazon.com had a keyboard for the computer for $15.  A whole lot cheaper than the Dell website.

Sure, the warranty can be voided by not using the proper parts, but it isn't under warranty anymore anyway.  And the fix was easy.  One panel to snap off, and two tiny screws to remove.  Now the computer has fully functioning buttons again.  Still not sure how much I will actually use it for school, but it has been getting lots of use since I got it running better.

New Plants

I've started growing a couple of different things. The first is broccoli.  I really like broccoli, and have been eating it in bunches. Good thing Doug likes it too.

I'm not really sure what is growing in this pot:

First I tried planting some herb seeds. The package I had was mixed, but I pulled out a few seeds that all looked the same, hoping for basil. After a few weeks when nothing happened, I decided to try bell pepper seeds instead. I figured that maybe the reason the last seeds didn't sprout was because my watering skills were junk. So I was better about watering. Instead of getting sprouts though, I ended up with moss.

Before trying anything else, I decided to see if stirring up the dirt would help.  It seemed rather compacted, so I figured it wouldn't hurt.  And now, a few days later, without planting anymore seeds, these two little guys popped up.  Guess I'll keep watering them and see what they become.  Hopefully I can tell soon, don't want to waste the pot on weeds.

Where Does the Time Go?

I look at the last time I posted and I wonder where all the time in between went. I'm staying plenty busy, which would seem to give me more to write about. Perhaps I forget my friendly internet soapbox, where I can stand proudly and show off all I have done. Or maybe I am always in such a hurry to get started on a new project that I forget to post pictures of the last project that was finished (and gifted as the last few have been). Silly really, I live 2,500 miles from my nearest relatives, and I bet they think I am horrible about calling. Mostly because I am horrible about calling. I always think I'll do it this weekend when the time difference won't matter, and then I find myself at 7:30 local time Sunday evening without a phone call made.

Even though I've managed to sit in front of the computer long enough to get something written, pictures will have to wait. I'm at school, which means no camera. And it is likely that there aren't photos in it anyway of the projects I have been working on. But I will fill you all in a little bit.

The wedding dress is one step further in production: I finally bought the fabric that it will be made out of. Turns out Doug was HUGE help in the fabric store. I was worried he would be slightly annoyed at spending part of our time on the mainland at JoAnn's, but he didn't seem to mind it all that much. I had inspiration walking past some lace on a bolt while looking for white linen. I imagined building the dress with a lace overlay to give the dress some texture, and also more of a wedding feel for those who have a hard time with the idea of a wedding dress built out of natural fibers. I stayed on my search for the right white fabric, but kept the lace at the back of my mind. After finding the right white (which turned out to be high quality cotton muslin) I went back to the lace isle and showed Doug what I had in mind by laying the lace over the white. He agreed: it did look nice. But he didn't think it looked quite right. Thus began our search through the lace isle, pulling out every white lace to lay over the bolt of white. I wasn't looking all that seriously, thinking I would buy the one I had found first, but Doug kept looking until he found the perfect lace to use as an overlay. And he was right, the one he eventually picked was the best one.

*Side note: Doug doesn't like the way the real story sounds. He thinks it makes him sound like a sissy. So, in his version, he beat up 3 ninjas that were out to get little old ladies shopping for quilt fabric, saved an infant from the back of the store where a 4th ninja had started a fire for distraction, and the right lace appeared when he randomly grabbed a bolt of fabric to tie up the 4 ninjas, thus saving the day. The end*

So now I have the muslin and the lace. Both are in the bag I brought them home in, needing to be washed before I do anything else. We've only been back just over a week though, and I still need to buy thread and a zipper. Then experimentation will begin. So far I have a pattern for the skirt part of the dress, but I am struggling with the bust part. I know what I want, but the patterns I have are for something else. Time to put my skills to the test and make a pattern. All new territory for me. Should be fun.

I've also been going strong on the knitting. Working on hats that I can't go into much detail on yet, a pair of socks that are over half way done, and my favorite project right now is a cabled sweater that I am making with my friend Red's homespun. Hopefully I have enough yarn for that, but just in case I have already been thinking about putting on a collar instead of a hood, and possibly making short sleeves. I'll just have to wait and see how much yarn remains when I finish the body. And in the event that I have leftovers when the pattern is complete: pockets!

Think this will be a good place to stop. Don't want to make the post too long. And I'll have to dig around for the camera so I can put up some new pics.

Works in Progress

I've always known that if I were ever to get married, I would make my own dress. Well, maybe not always. The decision probably came around the time I made my first dress, back in Creative Clothing in high school. Somewhere I still have that dress, and though it fit last time I tried it on, I doubt I would ever wear it again. What looked cool to me at 14 now looks like a print from a picnic table cloth. The dress wore to my Mom's wedding at 16 will likely never be worn again, as I knew much less about fibers at 16. Turns out flannel is better suited to quilts and boxers than summer style dresses. I really liked the print though.

Four weeks ago today Doug proposed, and I said yes, so now I get to make that wedding dress. We both want a beach wedding, so a long dress seems rather silly to me, as I don't need a dress full of sand. The so-called "traditional" dress fabrics are out too: none seem well-suited for saltwater and I can't guarantee I won't get wet in it. I would also like it to be washable, so I can wear it to the mainland receptions we are planning. And it would be nice to wear the dress again in general, though I'll likely dye it another color to do so as white tends to be a poor color choice for me in everyday clothing.

I've started making a dress. Not the dress, but a prototype of what I eventually want to have for the wedding. Good thing too. The patterns I have chosen are resulting in a dress that is far too loose fitting. I say patterns because I was unable to find just one I liked. So I am merging two. We'll see how that goes in the end. Below is a picture of the work in progress:


Also in progress are knitted baby items. Not for me though. One is for a friend who is expecting in October. The other is a sweater for Doug's (and in the next year mine too) niece. All three projects are fun, and all three have been going together easier than I anticipated. But right now I am really excited about getting the pieces of the dress put together, so I have been working on that for the last two days.

Not sure how many more free days I'll have to spend at home working the whole day. It's only the second week of school so there haven't been many calls for subs yet, but with another semester's tuition and the wedding coming up, my bank account is demanding I take every call I get for work. The upside to subbing is that weekends and evenings are still mine, so around homework I should have plenty of time for these and any other projects I decide I must do.

My Car and a Hammer

Today I finally got around to doing some work on my car. It was much needed after hitting that last deer at the end of March. Turns out that much more work was needed than I could do. But I got one light working again, that was a plus. I also took off my nose panel, but then couldn't put it back on because it was too bent. So I had to order a new one. Funny thing about that is that the shipping was twice as much as the part. Arg. And I'll still have to take it somewhere, since I can't get the metal that holds the headlight bent back. I tried, but my hammer wasn't doing a great job. I suppose they aren't really meant for that, but the hammer was useful for breaking some plastic of the old light out of the way. Hopefully my car will start to look a little better soon, since I plan on taking it to Seattle. Then again, if it looks terrible, maybe no one will want to break into it again.

Busy All Day

Yesterday I made this bear:

So far it has no face, and maybe it never will. Mostly I was just looking for something to do with left over yarn a friend gave me, and this used up some of it. And I learned a bunch of new things, like how to use double point needles and how to pick up stitches. Maybe I should call him Scrappy, since he is all left overs. Even the stuffing is left over batting from a quilt I made a couple of years ago.

Speaking of quilts, I began working on one that has been a work in progress for about 5 years now. I bought all the fabric when I moved into my current apartment in GJ. About 3 years ago I got it all cut up, and started the sewing. Today I returned to the sewing. It would be nice to finish it in the next week or so, since I would like to find a home for it before moving out of my apartment. I might make it into a couple of throws instead of a queen size quilt.

I even started going through my clothes today. But that was incredibly boring, so I only went through the shirts. Now I have a pile of "discards" on the bed, and the closet isn't much emptier. I think I need to move more often than every 5 years. It will help me accumulate less stuff.

And the part that will be the best when I eat something later: I made bread too. This time with flax seed. Mostly the flax seed made it in there because I saw it in the fridge when I was pulling out the yeast, and it needs to be used. I think most of the seeds are still whole, I should have left them in the coffee grinder for a few more pulses. Owell, at least it looks cool.

To Find a Job or To Not Find a Job

Top 10 Reasons I Should Never Consider a “Real” Job:
1.I never want to look forward to going to the dentist, just so I can skip some work.
2.I hate driving in traffic.
3.Business offices are boring.
4.I already have health insurance.
5.There would not be enough time for things I really want to do.
6.I would need to take a vacation from regular life just to feel good.
7.Someone else would tell me what to do.
8.I can't afford work clothes, nor do I want to wear them.
9.I wouldn't be able to listen to the music I like.
10.I fear drones.

Top 10 Reasons I Should Consider a “Real” Job:
1.Regular paycheck.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

That's all I got. So far, the benefits of not working far outweigh the benefits of working. Now if only I could get my unconventional working self paid.... At least I know that if I were ever to become a trophy wife, I would have more than enough things to keep my day full, and that would be with the husband gone (hopefully out of town - permanently) and no kids to look at.

Money sucks. We should find more mentally healthy ways of doing things.

Three Full Days of Work in One Week?!?!

Just when I've started to enjoy all my personal time at home with no one complaining about my lack of paid work, I find myself working 30 hours this week. Plus, I babysat earlier in the week, bringing the grand total closer to 35 hours. And everyone was worried about how I'd spend my time once school was out.

But really, I like my time home alone. I don't just sit around and do nothing. I have been working on projects that were half started, either a week ago or 5 years ago. There is an abundance of things to do around my apartment, and that is all inside stuff. Then there are all the things outside I want to do...

See? "Real" jobs are a waste of time. Sure I can't afford the latest junk you feel inclined to buy, but I'm happy :)

Selling on Ebay

Since I plan on moving in the next couple of months, and I don't want to move all my stuff, I have given Ebay a try. Today I listed 8 items, which took quite a bit longer than I expected. They were all Partylite items, things I had bought a few years ago and never got around to using. Bummer too, I'm sure they'll sell for less than I paid for them. I suppose I spent the money long enough ago though that it will feel like I am just making money.

And on that note, here is another I have found that claims to make you money:

It could possibly be the slowest way to earn $25. But it doesn't take much time out of a day, so if you think you might be interested, you could give it a try.

Enough of that though, I should find the next thing to get to work on. Like the Pampered Chef stuff that I bought but will be not keeping. More ebay.

My First Knitting Project

I finally finished the first thing I ever started knitting today. It is a tiny purse, about 5 1/2 inches wide and 4 inches tall. I even lined it to keep it from over-stretching or from things falling through. I'm sending it to my sister for her birthday (which is today, guess that'll be late). It seems as though it took forever, since I could only do a row or two at a time. And I learned that 100% nylon yarn is very hard to work with. I think I might avoid that in the future.

I hope she likes it. It's a little crooked, but it is the first. Maybe once it gets broken in a little, it'll look better. I've already got a good start on the next project: a scarf. Though the yarn is acrylic, it's bulky, and I like the way it feels as it goes together. My colors aren't quite the same, but I am in it more to learn to do it, and my friend gave me the yarn for free.