Blog Things @ knitswithcats.blog-city.com

Love (memes, some days) Thursday

knitswithcats — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:28:00 GMT

So my computer / monitor / camera / cell phone / PDA / iPod are all giving me fits today. They're refusing to connect, hold a charge, whatever. The planets must be mis-aligned or something.

On days like this, a meme can be a Very Good Thing. (Thanks to Knitnana for this one!)

The Recipe For knitswithcats

3 parts Magnetism
2 parts Happiness
1 part Boldness

Splash of Charisma

Finish off with an olive

What's the Recipe for Your Personality?

The Recipe For diann

3 parts Flair
2 parts Craftiness
1 part Glamour

Splash of Giddiness

Shake vigorously

What's the Recipe for Your Personality?

First things

knitswithcats — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 04:39:00 GMT

Sallee posted this, and it was such fun - different from many other memes. (It's about all my medicated brain can concentrate on today, too.) Her answers are so good!

Who was your first prom date? Steve, the older brother of my steady guy. Steady was 2 years younger and not eligible for the prom. Steve was cool, and we dated for a few months after Steady and I broke up. (Funny, I'd almost forgotten Steady's name: Robert, not Bob. Never did forget Steve's name...wonder what ever happened to him?)

Do you still talk to your first love? Nope, but our parents still exchange holiday cards and I keep up with him in a minimal sort of way. You don't really expect these affairs of the heart to last when you're 5!

What was your first alcoholic drink? Creme de menthe over crushed ice at my Granny's house when all the adults had cocktails. I was 12. (Gag! I thought I was quite sophisticated at the time.) It was considered a good thing for a girl to "learn to drink" at home before she started dating.

What was your first job? Babysitting for Daddy's insurance agent. Timmy - 4, Terry -2 and Christa -2 weeks. I was 14, and sat for them until college.

What was your first car? 1965 Plymouth Belvedere, white over Schlumberger blue. My Dad's old company car, just like all the other Schlumberger kids. It was a tank, and it ran - which made it much in demand with my friends.

]Who was the first person to text you today? I'm not much into texting...

Who is the first person you thought of this morning? Mr. Ken
Who was your first grade teacher? Can't remember her name, but I remember 2nd grade was Mrs. Tautfest (I told my parents her name was Mrs. Talkfast, and asked how it was possible her name described her so well). I thought she was so old she was going to die; my mother swears she was about 28, and incredibly elegant. My mother was 25 or 26 at the time.

Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane? From Lubbock, TX to Albuquerque, NM to spend the weekend with my first husband. I was still in college in Lubbock and he was at a convention in Albuquerque.

Who was your first best friend and are you still friends? First girl best friend was Stephenie, and no, we aren't. We moved, friendship drifted away.

What was your first sport played? Don't make me laugh! I didn't ever play sports. Dance classes, band and such were my thing, although I did learn to sort-of play tennis as an adult.

Where was your first sleepover? We had a couple of sleepovers in Brownies.

Who was the first person you talked to this morning? Mr. Ken

Whose wedding were you first in? Friends of my parents asked me to be their flowergirl when I was 2. I'm told I cried "I want my roses, I want my roses" and the bride carried me down the aisle with her! I looked lovely in my long white dress though.

What was the first thing you did this morning? Let SparkPlug and LiveWire out.

What was the first concert you went to? Three Dog Night at the Ector County Coliseum in Odessa, on a triple blind date. I'd never heard of Three Dog Night at the time, too into Classical music, but have fond memories of the concert, even though none of us ever dated these guys again.

What was your first tattoo or piercing? One hole in each ear. Boring.

What was the first foreign country you went to? Mexico, just across the border from El Paso.
What was your first run in with the law? I got a warning for failing to make a left turn from a left turn only lane in El Paso. I realized it would put me in a bad neighborhood, and saw that it was safe - if illegal - to go straight, so I did. Right in front of a cop. Started the ticket, I explained my logic, he made it a warning instead.

What was your first detention? Still waiting....I was a good girl! Like Sallee, I was a teacher's pet, and proud of it.

What was the first state you lived in? New Mexico
Who was the first person to break your heart? Stephenie, the former best friend, because she initially didn't want to be my friend. Ric, first fiancee, who went on to become a minister (probably for the best, since I became Jewish).

Who was your first roommate? My sister until college, then Pat, my best friend forever even if we hardly ever talk or see each other.

Where did you go in your first limo ride? I was a "grooms person" a couple of years ago in Albuquerque, so we went from the hotel to the church and back to the hotel for the reception. When Mr. Ken and I married, we hired a limo for the whole weekend to ferry guests from the school parking lot to our house and such, but we never got to ride in it! I just remembered my very first limo ride: from the LA airport to the home of my ex-husband's cousin. She didn't like LA traffic so she sent a limo to pick us up and bring us to the Hollywood Hills where she lived.

Heroes and Villains

knitswithcats — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 02:34:00 GMT

Your results:
You are Supergirl

Supergirl		90%
Superman		85%
Spider-Man		80%
Wonder Woman		80%
Green Lantern		80%
Robin		75%
Iron Man		70%
Hulk		65%
The Flash		55%
Catwoman		45%
Batman		35%

Lean, muscular and feminine.
Honest and a defender of the innocent.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

That's pretty funny! I was hoping for Wonder Woma, because I knew my childhood wasn't traumatic enough for Batman.

Your results:
You are Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy		69%
Mystique		68%
Dr. Doom		62%
Apocalypse		59%
Lex Luthor		57%
Venom		57%
The Joker		56%
Green Goblin		56%
Kingpin		56%
Magneto		54%
Riddler		53%
Mr. Freeze		53%
Dark Phoenix		50%
Juggernaut		48%
Catwoman		44%
Two-Face		12%

You would go to almost any length for the protection of the environment including manipulation and elimination.

Click here to take the "Which Super Villain are you?" quiz...

I'm sure my fellow Green Task Force members will find this amusing and appropriate!

I'm Very Superior

knitswithcats — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:39:00 GMT

As a 1930s wife, I am

Very Superior

Take the test!

Actually, this is pretty funny!

Mr. Ken often refers to our cats as our kids, so the first time through, I answered all the questions pertaining to children as though I had some, and then entered "12" when asked how many. (Yes, we do have 12 cats. We used to have 16, so this is an improvement.)

That was a mistake, because the test accounts for the number of children by increasing or decreasing the score accordingly, and my first score was 155!

I'm good, but not that good! I did admit that I like to gossip, and I sometimes wear red nail polish, but those are such minor transgressions compared to correcting my husband in public and such.

A to Z Meme

knitswithcats — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:34:00 GMT

Accent: None, most of the time, except when I say “Wichita Falls”. If I’ve been home or visiting relatives, it will be somewhat Southern or Texan for a few days, and I can turn a Southern accent on at will.

Breakfast or no breakfast: Breakfast, please.

Chore I don't care for: Scooping the litter boxes, and doing the complete litter box wash and clean.

Dog or cat: Cats, obviously.

Essential electronics: Computer, printer. Cell phone and home phone are negotiable, iPod is as well.

Favorite cologne: Champagne (YSL), Beautiful (Estee Lauder), Lovely (?)

Gold or silver: Gold

Handbag I carry most often: Coach Classic in black.

Insomnia: Practically never.

Job Title: Senior Technical Project Manager – IT Infrastructure

Kids: None. Nieces and nephew are great substitutes.

Living arrangements: With Mr. Ken and 12 cats in a single-family 3 bedroom house on a ½ acre lot in Silicon Valley.

Most admirable trait: Sense of humor.

Naughtiest childhood behavior: I was a perfect angel as a child.

Overnight hospital stay: Appendectomy when I was 12.

Phobias: Some claustrophobia, acrophobia (pretty funny for a pilot!)

Quote: "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." Albert Einstein

Reason to smile: It’s spring, my garden is growing, Mr. Ken, good friends, cats…

Siblings: one younger sister, 2 younger brothers

Time I wake up: 5:30 am during the week, by 7:30 am on weekends

Unusual skill or talent: Finding abandoned kittens

Vegetable I refuse to eat: I’d rather not eat beets unless they’re pickled, but I do make this kick-ass roasted winter veggie soup that has beets as a base – so I probably don’t refuse to eat any of them.

Worst habit: Starting too many projects of all types.

X-rays: Dental, and I hate them.

Yummy stuff: Movie popcorn, cheese, chocolate, cherries and other fruits in the summer

Zoo animal I like most: Polar bears, bears, great apes, giraffes

Reading...or not

knitswithcats — Wed, 07 May 2008 04:10:00 GMT

Seen at Dr. Steph's and Erica's today...

What we have here is the top 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing’s users. As in, they sit on the shelf to make you look smart or well-rounded. Bold the ones you've read, underline the ones you read for school, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish. The ones that are just waiting on my shelves are asterisked*.

Here are the ones I've read/not read/have on my shelves, with comments as appropriate.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell *
Anna Karenina
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi : a novel *
The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
The Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin *
The Kite Runner *
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations (I had to read this 3 times for school: junior high, high school and college – and I absolutely despised it every time!)
American Gods
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Atlas Shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books *
Memoirs of a Geisha *
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West

The Canterbury Tales
The Historian : a novel
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Love in the Time of Cholera *
Brave New World
The Fountainhead

Foucault’s Pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A Clockwork Orange
Anansi Boys
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible : a novel
1984
Angels & Demons
The Inferno (and Purgatory and Paradise)
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver’s Travels
Les Misérables
The Corrections
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dune
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury
Angela’s Ashes : a memoir *
The God of Small Things
A People’s History of the United States : 1492-present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Beloved *
Slaughterhouse-five
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The Mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake : a novel
Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed
Cloud Atlas

The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything *
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an inquiry into values
The Aeneid
Watership Down
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit (my college roommate loved this book; I forced myself to read it.)
In Cold Blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences
White Teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
The Three Musketeers

I read a lot, mostly to relax now. That means mysteries; science fiction and fantasy have never held my attention. I cannot properly suspend dis-belief (at least that's what my deceased first husband told me, and he was a college English literature professor).

Nuts!

knitswithcats — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:38:00 GMT

You Are A Peanut

You are popular, even with people who tend to have picky taste.
Kids love you, as do dogs. From rednecks to snobs, most people have a place for you in their hearts.
As popular as you are, there are some people who can't be near you.
Don't take it too personally. There's just a few people you rub the wrong way.

What Nut Are You?

Pretty much on the mark!

Friday Foolishness

knitswithcats — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:14:00 GMT

Friday is feeling a bit random this week too, so here are some random bits.

1. We have tickets to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band tomorrow night in San Jose. I bought the tickets the day they went on sale, the date has been marked on the calendar since the tickets arrived - you could say we're excited about this. Today (and Wednesday too) I received email "reminders" from TicketMaster so I wouldn't forget the event.

2. Dentist visit was fine. No cavities, no extra dental work needed and just the usual reminder to floss every day, not every other day. X-rays were taken (which I hate) but they have new digital x-rays which are much more fun to look at!

3. Some of you know Flylady ; I've been using that as a guideline for deep cleaning the house (we have a weekly housekeeper) for years. I mentioned the need to declutter earlier this week and started a daily 27-fling boogie with the hall bathroom. (This is embarrassing, but I'm saying it anyway.) The first fling took place in the vanity drawer where I keep nail polish and all the doo-dads required for a manicure. I gathered nail polish bottles from every room, then checked them for color and consistency. I flung 27 bottles of nail polish! The embarrassing part is that I still have 46 bottles of nail polish left, and at least 10 bottles of base coat, top coat and such left. And, there's a basket of emery boards and files. Still, it's better than it was.

4. The violet part of the Roy G. Biv garden border is done. (Roy G. Biv = Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet) I'm looking for indigo and blue flowering perennials now, and suspect that the Red-Orange-Yellow sections may be somewhat larger and the Indigo-Blue-Green sections may be smaller than the planned 7 x 3 foot space for each color. Photos after I mulch; some of the purple foliaged plants don't show well against soil.

5. At least 2 tomato plants and 1 pepper plant already have blooms. Silly plants! It's not been warm enough during the days, much less the nights. for the blooms to set! At least they seem to be happy in the raised beds.

6. Startitis is flaring up again! I want to start new projects - lots of them - especially after flipping through my pattern collection last night. So far, I've not started anything new, but my will power isn't usually that good!

And just because, first seen at Erica's :

Your Celebrity Boob Twin:

Anna Nicole Smith

Who's Your Celebrity Boob Twin?

Well, um, whatever!

What have I done? (knitting stuff, that is!)

knitswithcats — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 01:24:00 GMT

This has been going around blog-dom for a while, and certainly fills a need today! In fact, it's been sitting as a draft since June 2007, so it should certainly be ripe now. I apologize in advance for the funky formatting; it was edited in Word, and looks fine there. Indeed, it looks fine here until it's saved. I give up!

Bold for stuff you’ve done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you’re not planning on doing. I've made one addition to this: things I've tried and failed miserably at are RED.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch

Knitting with metal wire
Shawl (I’ve started several, and have at least one on the needles right now. Oh well.)
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down

Socks: toe-up (I gave up after 3 failed attempts. This was several years ago; perhaps it’s time to try again.)

Knitting with camel yarn

Mittens: Cuff-down

Mittens: Tip-up

Hat

Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL (The KAL ended 3 years ago and I’m still less than half-done. It will be done someday.)
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns (I certainly made a mess! Next time will be better.)

Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn

Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffitti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street) (i see a naked stop sign near by!)
Continental(I tried several times; I do want to learn how, but should get through my UFOs first, in case my gauge changes drastically.)

Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dyeing with plant colours
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone elses handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit

Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dyeing yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars simultaneously Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener (I must try again, but it’s always been a miserable mess before.)
Bind Off
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail Cast On
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Addicted to blogging?

knitswithcats — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:46:00 GMT

Not that you'd know it, or believe it from the recent dearth of any blog posts at all, but here's how I scored on this little blog thing:

80%

The end of a very long week is in sight, and both knitting and blogging should get back to something resembling normal.

Santa, baby...

knitswithcats — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 05:20:00 GMT

You Were Nice This Year

You Were 35% Naughty, 65% Nice

Okay, so you weren't *entirely* nice this year
But Santa doesn't expect a modern girl to be perfect
You were good enough - and you'll be rewarded for it

Were You a Naughty Girl or Nice Girl this Year?

Found at Champagne and Chocolates . Guess I must try harder next year!

Red

knitswithcats — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 05:23:00 GMT

You Are a Red Crayon

Your world is colored with bright, vivid, wild colors.
You have a deep, complex personality - and you are always expressing something about yourself.
Bold and dominant, you are a natural leader. You have an energy that is intense... and sometimes overwhelming.
Your reaction to everything tends to be strong. You are the master of love-hate relationships.

Your color wheel opposite is green. Green people are way too mellow to understand what drives your energy.

What Color Crayon Are You?

This is too funny! I've always believed that red is a basic color, and green is another favorite. I love red and green together, but not at holiday time. Go figure!

4 Things MeMe

knitswithcats — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 03:05:00 GMT

Four things about me that you may or may not have known, in no particular order.

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Technical Project Manager
2. Director of Technical Services
3. Newspapers In Education Coordinator
4. Salesclerk in auto parts store

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. When Harry Met Sally
2. Steel Magnolia's
3. Rear Window
4. North By Northwest

Four places I have lived:
1. Roswell, NM
2. Midland, TX
3. Las Cruces, NM
4. San Francisco, CA

4. Four Shows that I watch:
1. 2 1/2 Men
2. CSI: Miami
3. Numb3rs
4. ER

Four places I have visited:
1. Nairobi, Kenya
2. New York, NY
3. San Antonio, TX
4. Salisbury, UK

People who e-mail me (regularly)
1. Joan
2. Bruce
3. Marcia
4. John

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Boiled shrimp
2. Okra
3. Lemon anything
4. Apricots

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Working in the garden (it's dark now, and cold)
2. Maui or Cayman Islands
3. Getting a massage almost anywhere
4. Reading a murder mystery in my favorite chair

Things I am looking forward to in 2008:
1. Losing weight and exercising more
2. Taking out the white carpet and putting in bamboo or hardwood
3. Final payment on my car
4. Traveling with my honey and my parents

If you decide to do this meme yourself, please leave me a comment so I can go check out your answers!

Wayback Machine

knitswithcats — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 08:00:00 GMT

The contest that KitKatKnits had is over, but the idea intrigued me. Using the Wayback Machine, like Sherman and Mr. Peabody from Rocky and Bullwinkle, go back to your blog for November 11, 2006 and see what you were knitting then.

I didn't have a post for 11-11, but in the days around then I was knitting this:

In the post closest to 11-11, I mentioned knitting the 2nd sleeve.

As it turns out, I love this sweater and wear if often. It's perfect with black slacks or a black skirt, a white blouse and black boots or clogs for work, or with jeans for weekend wear. It's not my best green, but the threats I've made to overdye it have come to nothing so far!

Thanks, KitKatKnits, for this little walk down memory lane!

Expression Number

knitswithcats — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 01:06:00 GMT

Your Expression Number is 6

You have an outstanding sense of responsibility, love, and balance.
You are helpful and inclined to comfort those in need.
You have many artistic and creative talents, but you only use them to better others.

You are loving, friendly, and appreciative of others.
You have a depth of understanding that produces much kindness and generosity.
Openness and honesty are apparent in your approach to all relationships.

Sometimes, you can be too demanding of yourself.
At times, you tend to sacrifice yourself for the welfare of others.
At other times, you have trouble distinguishing between helping and interfering.

What's Your Expression Number?

Thanks to Bess , who finds the most interesting blog-things!

Cupcake

knitswithcats — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 04:49:00 GMT

The parade of blog things continues, because this week is sucking all my energy and time, not to mention my very soul.

You Are a Cupcake

Cute and fun, you never take life too seriously.
People are constantly surprised by how delightful you are.

What Dessert Are You Most Like?

My Muse

knitswithcats — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:00:00 GMT

I took the "The Nine Muses" quiz on gURL.com
		My muse is... Urania Urania is the patron goddess of astronomy. Her name means "Heavenly" because she keeps her sights on the stars. Often depicted with a globe, Urania can elevate her followers to great fame. Read more... Who is your muse?

Woman Warrior

knitswithcats — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 04:50:00 GMT

I took the "women warriors" quiz on gURL.com
		my woman warrior is lozen If you're like Lozen, you probably follow your gut when it comes to making a decision, even if that means going off the safe and steady route. Lozen was also known for ability to give great advice. Read more... Which woman warrior are you?

As seen at Fillyjonk's ...

Idealist

knitswithcats — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 03:44:00 GMT

Your Personality Is

Idealist (NF)

You are a passionate, caring, and unique person.
You are good at expressing yourself and sharing your ideals.

You are the most compassionate of all types and connect with others easily.
Your heart tends to rule you. You can't make decisions without considering feelings.

You seek out other empathetic people to befriend.
Truth and authenticity matters in your friendships.

In love, you give everything you have to relationships. You fall in love easily.

At work, you crave personal expression and meaning in your career.

With others, you communicate well. You can spend all night talking with someone.

As far as your looks go, you've likely taken the time to develop your own personal style.

On weekends, you like to be with others. Charity work is also a favorite pastime of yours.

The Three Question Personality Test

Some of this is really right, and some is so clearly "not me". In reality, I'd make a good hermit most of the time. It's all I can do to be around people at work all day, and yet I miss that when I work at home.

Did this mention the contradictions?

S'mores

knitswithcats — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 04:27:00 GMT

You Are Smores

Unusual and unconventional, you make your strange ways work for you.
You've got personality - no one's denying that!

What Dessert Are You Most Like?

Bess saw this first! Thanks, Bess!