Sweater Wizard

This may look like a decent sweater with one sleeve unfinished but really its a very sad sweater because I've decided it may not live for much longer. The Sweater Wizard is a computer program that lets you plug in the dimensions and choose from several styles to create your very own sweater pattern. Great concept but this monster is what came from it. It's way too big in the upper part of the sleeve and too baggy around the waist because of the excessive length. You would think that my problem is the gauge from the overall hugeness but you would be wrong. I protest! The sleeves fit perfectly in the lower arm and the shoulders fit nicely. I know the gauge is right! Anyhow, this is a very sad sweater that the so-called-wizard created. I love the yarn too much to let it stay a monster so when I gain the courage to frog it....

In other news I'm knitting away on x-mas presents (sorry, that's not really "other" news)...

Dav and I moved to our own little spot. No more roommates! You don't realize until you got it (or I suppose just lose it) that it's nice to be in control of your home. Quiet, clean, and organized the way you want it! I do miss the company when Dav is busy but I'm still more comfy in my own little place. We went to the old stompin' grounds for Thanksgiving. Yummy food.

Can't wait for my little x-mas get-away. I'm taking off two weeks to visit my extended family in Illinois and Indiana and then back into the northwest to be with the close family for a few days. Dav is meeting me there and then we will drive back down to Berkeley in the pick-up that my parents are selling to us. Lots of ground covered but I think it'll all be pretty pampered and relaxing.
(Sorry, no other exciting pictures other than the monster wizard sweater).

Upcoming Activities

Starting in December, I'll be helping out with a class called "Draw The Feeling (DF)" that was developed by Pamela Davis at Stanford University. Don't know what all I'll be involved in, but I do know I'll be modeling movement for artists to draw.

Here I am

Also, in other news: I'm officially an electrical apprentice waiting to be dispatched. It could be up to two months before that happens though. Winter months are slow and there are 20 people ahead of me on the list.

On the knitting front: I'm working on boring scarf samples for the store so I can have free yarn/store credit. Also working on "Snickets" knee high version socks and the Icarus shawl from Interweave Knits. I really need to start a sweater 'cause it's getting chilly and it would be nice to have something warm I've made to wear to work.

Part of the Workforce Again

(grrr. computer freeze so this is the second time writing this)

I'm back in the system. I'm working at a fabric store in Berkeley called "Stone Mountain and Daughters". The store is gorgeous and the workers there are fun to be with. Mostly what I've done in the past week is organize yarn and re shelve bolts of fabric. It can get a little tiring, so I'm excited when I get to start working behind the counter this weekend, ringing people up, cutting fabric, and answering phones. It seems that my boss will be able to give me a decent amount of hours/week. I'm working 36hrs this week.

This Thursday I'm going in to ABC (American Builders and Contractors) for an orientation. I've officially been accepted into the program and now this orientation is for me to decide if this program still seems like a good idea is right for me. After that step, I wait for a contractor to pick me up as an electrical apprentice. I have no idea how long that will take, but I feel that the sooner the better. Financial stability and work satisfaction sound like good things to get going on!

This previous weekend I went with Dav and some of his Feldenkrais friends, Michele, and Amber, to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was nice to have a long relaxing walk with nice people on a beautiful day. However, the bridge is not something I would enjoy walking across again. Once is enough. The view is spectacular and the bridge is classic but the traffic noise was deafening not fun. I had to talk like I was in a crowded bar. It was still a nice walk though. I'm such a whiner.


sorry about the sideways pics
my computer hates me

Chashama

This performance was a while ago (July 23) but now I have nice pictures to share with you. This was with Human Kinetics Movement Arts directed by Yana Schniztler in New York City, Manhattan.

    

In the knitting front I finished this awesome sweater! The pattern is called Sahara by Wendy Bernard  and published by Stitch Diva Studios. I used four balls of Be Sweet's new Bamboo yarn. The yarn bled a lot when I washed it so I put a little bit of vinegar in the wash but it still seems to be coloring the towel a bit. Hopefully it will get over it's need to bleed and not make my shoulders red after wearing it. Besides this new discovery I find that this yarn is the most soft and beautiful I've worked with yet (I tend not to spend too much on fancy yarns, although I have a substantial amount of sock yarn lying about). It's drying as I post so I only have this crappy picture of a damp and flat garment to share with you. I will soon take a picture with it on and in good lighting.

technorati tags:chashama, human, kinetics, yana, performance, dance, be, sweet, bamboo, sahara, stitch, diva

Progress

Things are progressing. I've had an interview at an old folks home retirement community and the lady I would be working under has kept in touch with me and wants to schedule another interview with me so I can meet her boss. Good sign! If I end up working there I will basically be planning fun stuff for old ladies all day and being happy and dressing up in silly costumes and taking them to the movies and out for dinner. Sounds good right? It seems pretty emotionally demanding at times though. I think I can handle it with my super human powers of patience. I will still apply for the electrical apprentiship program and just see how things pan out. Hopefully all will come out happy in the end. Especially me.

technorati tags:plant, good, luck, bean, job, search, interview, retirement

Slow Progress

Finding a job sucks. I feel like I've filled out a million applications. I haven't received any replies yet and I'm hoping it's because they aren't hiring until the college students are busy (next week). Anyway, my "Good Luck" bean is growing well. Thanks Grace!

Home (picture heavy)

I am finally home sweet home. Yesterday was my first day to wander around the neighborhood. Dav and I walked around a bit and purchased a few little things for our place (bath mat from the thrift store, light bulb, copied the key, a squeegee for the shower, and food). We went to the original Pete's coffee shop for breakfast. Yum yum! The train is a little further away than we thought but biking here is so easy that I'll be in super god shape and maybe save a little on train fares. Dav found out that Feldenkrais Resources is literally around the block from us. He will be able to take workshops and teach there soon. If his session in New York is canceled because of low attendance then he can easily join the group that's training here around the block. There is also a nice little cafe around the block that is cheap and vegetarian friendly. We are hoping to conserve money as much as possible so we will be cooking and packing lunches mostly. The place is really weird. I think it'll work well for us. It's a big warehouse converted into a group house of about 7 rooms. Dav and my room is the most removed and has its own shower and sink. I still have to put something on to go visit the toilette in the adjacent room. There are two kitchens and two laundry set-ups and I think 4 bathrooms in total. The skylights in most of the building are great. They let in tons of light! For most of the day I don't have to bother with turning a light on in the room 'cause it's so bright!

Enough with the chit chat and on with the fun stuff. Pictures! For the most part the trip across country was enjoyable but the last part going to Zion was the best part. I have pictures from Arches and Zion to share. We also stopped off in Vegas and gambled away $5 on slots and then had an awesome Japanese buffet for lunch after walking through the dry 118 degree weather! (no pictures from that).

Can you see me? Arches wildlife

The heat!

Angel's Landing trail (all the way to the top!)

Hang on! We're almost there.

Wasabi and a loaf

Check out my flikr page if you want to see more. meghanballog is my user name.

Ciao

Half way

Dav and I are in Dallas TX with some friends/business partner. We've had a good trip so far. The weather has been fairly mild so far. It got a little hot while going across Tennessee and Arkansas. Lots of mosquitoes one night sent me a little over the edge but Dav was able to calm me down again once in the tent. I think I got close to 40 bites while setting up the tent!

The car has a little troubles with the hills but we took it to a shop today to get fixed. We were afraid it was a bad transmission but it ended up being something much more simple and cheaper to fix. Thank God someone or something! We also mailed the green bins to improve the aerodynamics. DHL was only 70 bucks for the both! These were taken in the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia.

We went to Graceland, Memphis and went through the King's mansion. He was definitely a king of rock 'n' roll. I have a few pictures but they are a little fuzzy because of the prohibiting of flash inside. The jungle room was awesome but I also enjoyed seeing the funky old kitchen.

I'm sure I will have plenty more pictures after the Grand Canyon and Zion. Later.

The Brooklyn Beach!

I was on a walk with Dav where we had decided to head for the waterfront and we found this little summer phenomenon.

It's a man made beach with a floating pool. It's all free so the the line is incredibly long. You can kinda see it under the white tent in the background. The pictures are a little fuzzy because they came off Dav's camera phone.

technorati tags:brooklyn, summer, beach, foatingpool

The last (probably)

This is Dance Place. I took the picture after my last (probably) performance there. I hugged co-dancers Ilana, Erika, Roxann, and Nellie bye and waited for Dav to pick me up. I will have fond memories of DC even though I don't feel like the city was the right match for me in the end. Who knows? I may be back some day. For now we are shacked up with Malina in good 'ol Brooklyn (pictured below).

New York activities

Maybe this is a little extreme for my taste but I'm sure Dav and I will have some fun doing uniquely New York things while we're there.

This is an activity advertised on Nonesense NY:

NYC Chinatown Garbage Taxidermy TourYou're invited on a free tour of the New York City Chinatown garbage.Did you know you could make art out of dead animals? Yes! I am goingto show you how to collect dead animals from the garbage in Chinatownto make your own personal taxidermy. You will learn how to dig in thegarbage for dead animals. You can make art out of these animals. It'sreally cool. I've found everything from sharks to frogs to plain oldunidentifiable crap. Sometimes I find nothing interesting, but thatis what makes it fun. You never know. Rain or shine.My name is Nate Hill, a Brooklyn artist who makes new animals fromdead animal parts. I sew together random animal parts to make a newanimal that doesn't really exist. Many of the parts I have used overthe years have come from Chinatown's garbage. I will be holding an8x11 sign that reads Chinatown Tour.I suggest wearing clothes you don't mind getting dirty. Long-sleeveshirts are also good to keep your arms clean. Also fully enclosedshoes are recommended. You may want to bring a plastic bag if youwant to take a souvenir with you. You may also want to bring aflashlight, though I've never used one. I search by feel. Thefollowing items will be provided: latex gloves, first aid kit, wetwipes, and antibacterial gel.
Are we going to dive in dumpsters? No sorry. We prefer not to getthat dirty. We just dig our hands in trash containers. We're notgoing to be walking far. The tour consists of my favorite spots thatare just within a few blocks of each other.
After the tour is finished, I invite you to drinks at the bar HomeSweet Home (a taxidermy themed bar).
Southeast Corner of Canal Street and Lafayette Street, Manhattan9p; $freehttp://stoproadkill.org/chinatowngarbagetour.html

NOTE: Ladies and gentlemen of the press, we know you lift storiesfrom Nonsense all the time. That's fine. We're happy that you readclosely, and most of the people here want the attention. But weactually went out of our way to warn this kid that you'd descend onhim like pigeons poaching rice from one of those old Chinese ladiesat the park. We told him that his event is so absurd that it actuallysounds like a prank -- specifically the old San Francisco Cacophonyprank where they roasted squab in Golden Gate park and told everyonethey were eating, yep, street pigeons. He pointed us to the photos onthe web and said he was ready. So, have at the story. But if youthink about it, maybe send us a note and say thanks, or namedrop usin your story for once. We like to take the high road, but everyonelikes a little nod every once in a while.

So, on a different note, I'll share a few more pictures from the rest of the Ocean City trip.

Beach Critters

Morning ride on the boardwalk

(action shot from the bike)

Mini Golf Medieval style with Dav, Steph (Dav's sis), and Steph's friend Sam.

Dav likes to make fun of my camera toting so this is what he takes when I put him in charge. At least it's proof that I was there.

Thursday matinee at the movies was entertaining but left us both a little less than satisfied.

Look. Real life transformers!

We received a refund the next day but had to leave for DC without seeing the last half of Transformers. Oh well. Now the question is do we pay a full price to see the end in the theaters or wait for Netflix?

sand and wind

Lots of it! The fireworks were postponed 'till the 5th because of tornado warnings further north of here. This worked out well for us because we were on Assateague Island National Park with Steph, Dav's sister, and we wouldn't have seen fireworks there anyway. The island was beautiful with lots of wildlife. There are wild horses roaming all over the island and we probably would have seen more if the weather had permitted.

The next day we went to the ocean city beach and saw the fireworks show. More later.