Still can't find uploader thingie

I am seriously useless without it. I want to tell you about grad but I have photos to accompany the story and without them... what's the point of telling you? I'm sure I'll find it tomorrow. All in all, grad was good. And I got a funny shaped hat out of the whole scenario so woo!

I will distract you from the lack of substance in this post by showing you photos of my cat. Ahhh... the timeless kitty photos.

Here is Spike taking full advantage of me changing the covers on my daybed.

No I assure you, there is a cat in there.
And now I go to bed. Seriously, napoblomo was not a good idea for me.

Sims Sims Sims

If I had known how long it was going to take me to get these photos organized.... sheesh.

Anyhoo here is my Sims2 Family Third Generation. Bear with me here as I go through the backstory: I started a family once on my sister's laptop with the brand new Sims2. I called them the Fables and it was Ashley and Milla. But it was my sister's computer so I didn't play them all that much. Then my sister got a newer laptop and some more expansion packs to sims, so I started the Fable family again but again- it is my sister's computer. Than I moved out with the first laptop and was playing the Fable family there but the old laptop struggled with Sims, especially with the expansion packs. Then... I got my new computer. Aaaahhhhh. And the sims- they be mine. All mine. I can *so* get addicted but it comes and goes. Without further ado:

The Aesop Family.

This is Angel and Milla. You might notice in further photos I changed Angel's look right away. They started out as strangers but eventually....
.... fell in love and got engaged. Here Angel is proposing to Milla in their tiny house.
Then they started to procreate....
and even more (adoption too)...
till the family tree looks something like this: Mathius, Spike, Renn, Brenda, Quirk & Harry (twins), Boo, Alon (only boy), Parker & Jamieson. All children are either adult or young adult right now. Only Mathius, Spike, and Brenda have graduated from university because OMG could university take any longer? I kinda think eight semesters is TOO much! Angel is a Police Chief and is kinda like a superhero- he rocket jets to work, and Milla is... Chief of Staff? Can't remember, she graduated anyways. Anyhoo, here are some random shots and facts about the Sims family.

Here is... Quirk I think. She's making out with her professor which improves her grades. I know. So wrong.
Here is the eldest, Mathius, with her kid- Jackson- whose father is the maid, Steve. Mathius is the Hand of Posiedon and Jackson is a progedy child. He's already maxed out three skills and he's only just a teenager- creativity, logic, and... cooking? Something like that.

This is Spike, who is nothing like her namesake, and her partner, Wren, who is serenading her. In the bathroom. Wren is a mascot so most of the time his head is a Llama which freaks me out.
Here are Parker and Jamieson who are now in University. They were the last of the children so by far had the richest childhood which means they are really skilled sims.
Ah... the lone boy Alon. He was adopted and I was going to stop once the family finally got a boy but Milla was already pregnant so he wasn't the last. He's in a frat house right now which is fun because I'm being evil to the other frat boys because I didn't know you had to play the other frat characters when your sim got into the frat house. So annoying. I'm trying to kill one of the frat brothers by making him tinker with electronics or fix electronics and he has low mechanical skills. So far he just keeps electricuting himself so he's all singed and his clothing is burned off but no death. I'm also leaving a lot of dishes in his room so he may get swarmed by flies.
Brenda married Greg and has adopted Brittany and Grant but is pregnant right now. I'm also trying to get Greg abducted by aliens by looking through the telescope all night long so he can have an alien baby but so far he just has really high logic skills.
Milla and Angel are old now but still like to have public woohoo.
So that's it. My geekiness is now and forever branded upon me. I'm trying to get all the kids out of university- Boo will be graduating soon- but geez it takes forever. I have also started my own neighbourhood for people in real life but we'll see about that.

Things that make me better

Can't find the photo cord thingie so now photos of my new project just yet. 25% done though! Here's a list of things I am doing/should be doing that make me more sane. Some of these things are very recent. May have even started some of them coughnumbertwocough today.

Things I Do:

1. Email/phone my Grandparents
2. Set the timer for 15 minutes and clean like a banshee every night before I sit down to knit/read/play sims
3. Use the budget folder my sister gave me to organize all my finances and important crap
4. Take calcium and vitamen C
5. Speak French to my students

Things I Should Do:

1. Some sort of exercise where I get to stretch afterwards- I love stretching
2. Drink more water
3. Organize my walk in closet with those fabric thingies so I can actually walk into it and not have to iron everything cause it's all on the floor
4. Find more ways to engage Spike in play
5. Pay someone to do something about my eyebrows

And here's a photo of me and very, very good buddy. I miss her lots as she traipsing around central america. It's amazing how someone can talk about leaving for months but it's not until the day before they go where you actually start to realize and freak out. I was totally blindsided. I miss you! Take care of yourself! See you... in a year! Love love!

Well screw that idea

I had no idea what to post but then decided to do that one where you take a picture of yourself right then and there and post it and after about five photos I realized that no matter what angle I take the photo I will look tired, pissed off, and shiny. No photo.

So I'll do the 'Five Things You Want Your Kids to Know Before They Grow Up' wank of a meme. Of course I don't have any kids but use your imagination.

1. High school ends and it isn't really all that important. Seriously.
   
2. Just because something is hard doesn't mean it's not worth doing. Math? Sure, but what if you grow up and want to be an architect? Just suck it up, do it- ask me and we'll find a way to make it interesting and it will click and your possibilities will be endless. Don't limit yourself because something is challenging.
   
3. Fibre is our friend. Know it. Love it. You'll be knitting sweaters before you can walk- Plying before you can speak. By the age of five you'll be felting your own stuffed animals and picking out fleece at the fair. Then get your own sheep. Start raising goats. Get into the politics of developing countries and goat herding. Do amazing things while still knitting. In other words- be creative and don'tstop yourself at what your parents know. This one is convuluted but I get it and I'm sure future kids will too. Or they'll lie and say so just so I won't scowl.
   
4. Take care of others, volunteer, be generous and compassionate- but don't become one of those kids with no friends in their age group because they spend all their time at the senior citizens home (where even the residents tell them to get out more) and thinks TV is for brainless zombies who don't have anything else better to do with their time. You all know the kids I'm talking about.
   
5. 'A lot' are two separate, distinct words.
   

Kapow!

Maybe I shouldn't leave blogging till the end of the day. Then my blog entries may at least have the potential of being interesting. Bah- who are we kidding? I can guarantee that tomorrow entry will suck. Unless I get inspired at take and then download some knitting photos for you all. I cast on a new project tonight. Cause I didn't have enough on the go apparently. It's nothing exciting.

I did buy this yarn last week or so at BC Creative Expo. Which was not worth the ticket price FYI. They could take a page out of the IPE when it comes to setting up exhibitions. This yarn is Kauni and is gorgeous. I want to show you a finished sweater but I'm so paranoid about photo copyright I'm scared. The skeins are all the same colourway- it's just a very long and gradual colour change. I'm thinking a form fitting sweater with some sort of fun fair isle, like stars- I'm predictable like that.
Well, I'm going to get to bed. I had a very good dinner tonight so I have an awesome lunch for tomorrow. I hope when I wake up my hair is not doing the thing it's doing right now. *Poof*

Oh- and would you all find a post about my sims interesting? I can never tell if my interests will relate well onto a blog entry. I mean, knitting we know is always interesting, but computer games? I'm not sure. Opinions please!

eta- I reread this just now and found a kabillion grammatical errors but I'm keeping them. I feel it goes along with the whole 'I'm tired' theme of my blog for the month.

Grad

I grad next week. Woo. I don't even know why I'm going to the ceremony but alas I signed up. I think I want to just get there so I can have some time to knit. I need to cast on for socks for my dad and then my brother in laws (thick yarn- actual woo!) and will just bring them. I'm getting the photo of me receiving my doo-hickey so I'm also going to see if I can get the yarn in the photo too. So basically I'm going to grad for all the right reasons.

Today I worked coffee shop than voted than went on a vain search for a better kitty litter box which resulted in me trying to find Spike a vet because it sounds like he might be sick but he needs a check up regardless. Voting was fun. I laughed at the 'secrecy sleeve' and kept on saying it with air quotation marks~ I mean, I had this sheet of paper with me with all the people I was voting for that I left open on the registration table and was carrying around. Also the 'secrecy sleeve' was a file folder. Oooohhhhh. But it was nice to vote. Than I got a phone call from a teacher asking if I had voted so that was nice to be able to say 'yes.' Maybe I should turn on the radio and see how the results are doing. Polls closed... only 20 minutes ago! Oh god, it's only 8? Freak I thought it was pushing 10! Sweet, I'm playing sims.

Pictures of Leaves? NO WAY!

I'm getting so lazy with my posts. 'Here's 18 billion photos- enjoy! I'm going to bed.' I taught day two of a four day posting today which was so nice. The kids are learning my name and saying hello to me in the hallway. I'm doing prep so I'm in all the classes from k-5. It's also a multi-grading school which rocks my world.

I'm listening to Rihanna right now- SOS. Heh.

And back to the photos....
So all of these are of Van Dusen Gardens where I went last weekend with the Jolene. We were only there for an hour but it was a good time. It would be a great place to go knit. The flowers aren't as prominent but there were still lots and very green and lush.

Here's some creepy black flowers. The photo focused on the background but just go with it.
Jolene and I were wondering how much those apartment on the lake cost cause they would rock. There were some fun ducks on the water too who refused to be photographed. I would love to have ducks as a neighbour. Which reminds me- there was a falcon (!) in front of my window the other day and when I tried to move Spike so he could see it he just attacked me.
Jolene beside a big tree. Now that I'm away from the dear I realized how many photos I took but hanging out with Jolene it felt like I was taking no photos. She took photos constantly. When she's in my photos she mostly taking photos herself.
An island in one of the ponds (which they called a lake but I'm like 'maybe in Calgary but in BC- that's a pond').
I am so naming my firstborn this! I don't even know how to pronounce it but it rocks! I call it!
Um... a tree. No island, no Jolene. Just a tree. I really need to come up with some new material.
Oh- this one is a waterfall with no water! Just threw this one in here to jazz things up a little.
um.... yeah I got nothing.
Okay this picture rocks. I love this tree. It was above the creepy walkway (seen below) and hovered over you like it was going to eat you at any second. Grrr.
Creepy walkway.
Oooohhhhh......

Freeform Knitting

Our palette:
Erin (thank god she was there) concentrating hard:
Erin taking risks with colours and stitches:

Me making a hot pink mess:
Why didn't anyone tell me about my hair?
Our awesome instructor Janet:My mangled swatch of freeform goodness:
Freeform is a lot nicer than what I knit- this was pure experimentation. And some crazy novelty thrown in there for good luck.

High School Blues

Nothing like misspelling words in front of a group of high school students to make you feel like a winner! Anyhoo-

The List as of 8:22pm on the Day Of

The Five Star Category....

Email Grandma and Grandpa- check! I be a good grandaughter!
Email Julia- check encore! I be a good sister too!
Knit 6 scarves- um.... so far I'm at one.
Do 2 loads of laundry and handwashables- two loads of laundry completed and one of them was delicates so this one gets a half check.
Unload dishwasher- I rule! Not only did I unload but I also loaded it. Wow.
Go to the free lung testing thingie- got called out for an afternoon so this was a no go.
Make lunch for tomorrow- done!
Go to bed by 10pm- at this point I may be in bed before nine. Check and check.

So that is... 5.5/8. Not bad!

The Four Star Category....
Vacuum- some. So this is a half check.
Clean under couch- totally dude.
Put away CDs and DVDs- um... no.
Get groceries - yes! Yes I did!
Read - I promise to do so before bed!
ETA (7:30am):Drop off applications- again with the working
ETA (8:20am): Deposit coinage at bank (seriously- 43 dollars in coin)- it's so annoying I added things that I wasn't able to complete. I need to not self-sabotage.

The ETAs only count as halfers so this is a 3.5/5.

Three Star Category...
Organize knitting- um... I think it got worse.
Organize and put away books by bed- yeah no.
Create work CDs - sadly, since this would have been fun, no.
Download photos off of camera- yes! Finally.
Complete one pattern repeat of Malcolm's sweater - Hahaha- this one was so unattainable.
ETA (7:30): Clean out purse- Yes! Woo for four dollars in change!

1.5/5.5

Two Star Category...
Bring out xmas lights - no. It's too messy in here.
Take photos of shiny new ring- Yes! I did. And then the stone fell out and down my drain! Life sucks!
Take photos of knitting- Yes.

2/3. Pretty good.

One Star Category...
Get hair did - no.

0/1

And even though I don't think this makes any sense... here is what I did...

Each section got a number according to the star (5 for 5- you get the point) and then I added the numbers to get 15 (5+4+3+2+1). Than I figured out the percentage of each sections (5.5/8 =68%) than figured out what that was related to the number (68% of 5 is 3.44) for each category than added them together to get a number out of fifteen (8.39) which percentage wise is 56%. So you know- I'm pretty happy with that! 56% of a list where I had to work for a majority of the day and argue with my landlord about fishing rings out of drains (it's still in there fyi- I'll deal with it tomorrow (I'm not using the water) ) is a pretty good percentage.

This whole number crunching list thingie could become addicting. Hm...

Maybe I'll see some of you at knitting tomorrow? Fun times!

It's a List

Don't know if I'm going to teach tomorrow but detailing it's midnight and I don't have a lunch prepared or any clean cleaning I think I may *not* be able to go in. Maybe if it's an afternoon jig. Anyhoo- today was freaky unproductive. I got lots of things done coughsimscough but was so not house-productive. So here is my list for tomorrow (which is today) and than hopefully I will come back on tomorrow (today) later and tell you how I did.


Email Grandma and Grandpa
Email Julia
Knit 6 scarves
Do 2 loads of laundry and handwashables
Unload dishwasher
Go to the free lung testing thingie
Make lunch for tomorrow
Go to bed by 10pm


Vacuum
Clean under couch
Put away CDs and DVDs
Get groceries
Read
ETA (7:30am):Drop off applications
ETA (8:20am): Deposit coinage at bank (seriously- 43 dollars in coin)


Organize knitting
Organize and put away books by bed
Create work CDs
Download photos off of camera
Complete one pattern repeat of Malcolm's sweater
ETA (7:30): Clean out purse


Bring out xmas lights
Take photos of shiny new ring
Take photos of knitting


Get hair did

Remembering

I don't know anyone who fought in WWII~ my paternal Grandfather did but I didn't really know him. My father was impacted by war by being an Army brat, he has boxes of slides from all over- Germany, Italy, Korea. I don't know anyone in Afghanistan. It's hard to find your place on Remembrance day when you have no rock to say 'this is who I am remembering for and who fought or died'. I also struggle with showing support but not making it about showing. For a long time, I didn't get In Flanders Fields and it didn't matter how many times I read it- until I had that moment I wasn't going to really get it.

And sometimes I feel overwhelmed. One of the reasons I became a teacher was so that history wasn't a joke- a wash. We learned all about WWII and the Underground Railway but it wasn't until college that I learned about Canada's interment camps, how we kept slaves, residential schools- and when I did I hated Canada. I felt so betrayed. Now I don't hate Canada, but it's not the brainwashed love I had when I was young. I love this country so much and I am so proud of being Canadian. I could list things I've done to prove it- but again, this isn't about showing others. It's about remembering. I know that it's ALL Canadians that are remembered today~ those who fell at Vimy Ridge, and those who fell on our ground here.

And, I'm getting choked up here so if the cheese factor gets too high I'm not to blame, my rock is my family. I remember because of them. They teach me empathy and compassion in everything they do.

Ugh

let's pretend yesterday's blog entry never happened okay? My original idea was to put nothing in the title and then just write 'brain melting' and leave it at that which I didn't think would be appropriate but now I'm thinking it would have been better than the massive quiz entry. I may modify it because it's showing up wonky on my computer.

Today is a review of the Duffy concert I went to with Sheena (Hi Sheena!) on Oct 16 at the Orpheum. It was really good and we had an awesome time~ I LOVE the orpheum. (More about Duffy here). It was interesting because she's still a new singer and so her band, while awesome, wasn't strong enough- and she didn't have any real back up singer so songs like Mercy, which is one of my favorites on her album, fell kinda short comparatively speaking- but songs she did mostly solo, like Syrup and Honey (my absolute favorite hands down), ROCKED! She's a very old-school performer, made me think of Patsy Cline, and was very personable with the crowd. This new video really shows off how she performs- down to the pointing, poising, and clapping (minus the guys doing back flips) but the shoes with the killer heels and the outfit were very similar too.

It was great and I was so happy to be going out and doing stuff!

I have lots to write about for you (knitting workshops, birthday parties, Kung Fu Panda) and hopefully I won't be so zombie. I love Jolene, I really do, but that girl has way too much energy and I still had to work nearly every day she was here (coffee shop) AND my feet were wet all weekend. I'm thinking of not really getting out of bed tomorrow. I'll let you know how that goes.