Rochester, and Rochester again!

Monday, August 3, 2009 at 10:13 p.m.
D'Arcy and I went to Rochester yesterday to check out that apartment. it sucked. Also, we failed at getting any other places to look at. Therefore, we are going BACK tomorrow. Because 6+ hours in the car a day is fun!

Tomorrow, we've got three places lined up, and dammit, we will take one of them!

Did'ya see the better photos I took of my Liesl?

Liesl

365-44: Liesl, again

...see, knitting content. It's getting regular again! Just in time for September, and grad school hell to start again!

In weird news for today: last night I had a dream that I was at a house party with some vampires from Buffy, and suddenly, the Cullens walked in, and the Buffy vampires all scoffed, and were like, "meh, we're outta here." it was bizarre.

More car time tomorrow. weee! can't wait.

Last Day, Lists, and Lace.

Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 10:36 p.m.
Today was my last day @ the ROM!
I had a great time at my internship, but I've got so much freaking things to do this month, that I'm happy it's over.
Well, I'm going back on Wednesday to have lunch with my supervisors, but that's it.

On Sunday, my roomie D'Arcy and I are going to Rochester to check out an apartment. It's furnished, reasonably priced, and close to Eastman House. Fingers crossed!

Now, A short list of things I need to do in the next month. (to make me keep my ass in gear!)
1. Figure out what the hell I'm doing with my Canadian cell phone plan.
2. Make sure that there will be no problems bringing Sirius across the border.
3. Find out how to get my OSAP early, since I'll be in Rochester by Sept.
4. All the visa crap (paying the fee, dropping it off @ Eastman House, whatever else comes up.)
5. Apply for the library position @ Eastman House, so hopefully I can make a little money this year.
6. Figure out what the hell I'm bringing with me.
7. Pack.

I'm sure there's ten billion things more, but that's all I got right now.

And lastly, I finished a hat.

Grace Lace Beret

Details here.
Oh how glad am I that hats fit me again. This is one of many coming up!

Work tomorrow and Saturday, Rochester on Sunday, then I've got Monday and Tuesday OFF! Bliss.

FO's, computers, and Rochester

Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 11:32 p.m.
I got my mac back!!!!!!

365-36: Reunited at last!

It works great, and I couldn't be happier! (well, i'd be a little happier if it hadn't wiped out some of my iTunes purchases, and my Adobe licenses.) Hopefully, this is the end of my bad technology luck. fingers crossed.

In other news, I finished Liesl today:

365-38: Liesl

Better photos when it's actually daylight out.

This knit up in six days! out of three balls of Cascade 220! Honestly, those two facts alone make it an awesome sweater, but I love it, and I think it looks great! I just need a few cool brooches to wear with it now. Time to go shopping!

One more week at the internship. I've had a good time, but I'm ready for it to be done. I need to find an apartment still, and figure out what i'm bringing with me. Also, I need some time off before the hell that is Grad school starts again.

The ongoing saga of my computer.

Sunday, July 19, 2009 at 12:43 a.m.
So....
We get dave's computer back, and when I looked at the repair sheet, I found out that they had replaced the whole logic board.
Dave and I have the same computer. Bought on the same day, same make, model, everything. If his computer had a faulty logic board, chances are good mine did too... right?
So I took off to the Apple Store, again, to see what they thought. The guy at the genius bar agreed that both computers failing within a week of each other was pretty sketchy. So he ran the graphics card test on my computer, which of course, didn't work, because with a fried logic board, it won't even start up. He gave me the number of Apple customer relations, and told me to give them a call and explain my case, since, without the record that my computer failed the graphics test, he couldn't authorize a replacement of the part.
So I called. I explained my case to the guy, and he said he'd look into it for me.
Yesterday, I got a call back from Apple, telling me that since the test on my Macbook was inconclusive, they were going to AUTHORIZE A REPAIR FOR FREE!!!
I took it in today. It'll be ready in a few days. I'm thrilled! I just saved myself 2,000 dollars by doing some research, and standing up for myself.

Apple has amazing customer service. Even if they didn't replace my part, i would have been satisfied with the service I got. The genius bar people are always friendly, honest, and helpful, even though they must see many pain in the ass people. The guy on the phone actually listened to my issue, which is rare for customer service people. Then, once they OK'd the repair, they arranged it all for me. I am so impressed. Not that I was EVER planning on switching to PC, but this experience has just left me feeling even better about Macs in general.

A few more days... then I'll have a computer again. Just like a real person. Dave will be very relieved!

grrrr....

Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 11:15 p.m.
So, I got home on Tuesday evening, and Dave tells me that his computer isn't working. It's not. I couldn't get it to work. It was starting up, but the display wasn't coming on. Apparently, I'm a technology jinx, or the gods are punishing me for not buying applecare, but Dave's computer wasn't working.
Off he goes to the Apple Store on Wednesday after work. The verdict : some faulty graphics card on the logic board thingy. Luckily, this is a manufacturers defect, so it's getting fixed FREE! (which is all we can afford right now.)

So, we're 3-5 days without a computer. This is day five actually, and it has been TORTURE. we're not sure if weekends count in this, so it could still be two more days. IT IS HELL.

I'm blogging right now, courtesy of my dear, darling, amazing, wonderful sister, who lent me her computer for the night, since she saw how desperate I was getting. as we speak I'm downloading Torchwood - which it's been KILLING ME not to watch all this week! But i've got to give it back to her tomorrow night.

Today was my Dad's fiftieth birthday party. I finished the sweater in time, and it fit, which is the most important part:

DSC03306

Terrible photo, but you get the point!

Anyways, more in 3-5 days, when we get Dave's computer back!

This week:

Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 12:09 a.m.
Another week. Four left at the ROM, then I get three off, then I move to Rochester. We've started apartment hunting, but there's not much available for Sept yet. (In case you didn't know... we doesn't mean me and Dave, Dave is staying here : ( We means me, and my friend D'Arcy, roommate to be, and classmate.)

In other news though, Today at the ROM, I switched focus. I have thus far been working with the Chinese photography. Today, I began working with the Indian photography. So, I'm back to researching, learning what I can about Indian photography in the 19th century. It's interesting.
Also, after work today, I wandered around the ROM for two hours. They're open late all week, for the Dead Sea Scrolls. It's interesting that what interests me in a museum isn't where the crowds are. I mean, the dino's are cool, but what I really like are the European, Greek, Egyptian, and Canadian galleries, and those were all empty except for your token morons laughing at Greek statues penises and staring at the mummy then leaving, without learning about anything else. grr.
I liked finding spindles in the gallery of Cyprus, and looking at the Death of General Wolfe painting, and looking at the Book of the Dead - paper that is over two thousand years old! That's preservation! Yes. This is why I'm a museum nerd.

In further other news, Tomorrow is my Dad's 50th birthday! I've knit this much sweater for him:
365-18 Sweaterwatch 2009
and the party is on Sunday. I just might pull it off.
I just finished reading Sunshine, by Robin Mckinley, and found it... alright. Nothing special. I just started reading Gods Behaving Badly, and even though I've only read 20 or so pages so far, I've already LOL'd once!
I also caved, and bought the next two Sookie Stackhouse books today. shhhh.
Oh, and in Nerdy news... the first part of Torchwood was awesome! despite me being very apprehensive about it. Can't wait till tomorrow.

Meme. iPod shuffling!

Saturday, July 4, 2009 at 12:48 a.m.
Yvette Tagged me!
1) Turn on your MP3 player. (2) Go to SHUFFLE songs mode. (3) Write down the first 15 songs that come up--song title and artist--NO editing/cheating, please. (4) Choose some people to be tagged. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about your musical tastes, or at least a random sampling thereof.

1. Which Side Are You On? - The Dropkick Murphys
2.The Dundee Cat - Shanneyganock
3. The Imploding Voice - The Smashing Pumpkins
4. Harm of Will - Bjork
5. Space Oddity - David Bowie
6. Say it Ain't So - Weezer
7. The Workers Sing a Song of Mass Production - Matthew Good Band
8. This is the Best Day Ever - My Chemical Romance
9. California Sun - Rancid
10. Appels + Oranges - The Smashing Pumpkins
11. Clumsy - Our Lady Peace
12. Shame and Scandal (in the family) - Unknown Artist
13. Imagine - John Lennon
14. My Hotel Year - The Ataris
15. The Torch - The Dropkick Murphys

I am surprised that in 15 songs, no Wizard Rock came up, especially considering the huge amount I have!
anyways, I'm not tagging anyone, but if you read this, consider yourself tagged!

365-16 Beer Friday!

Happy Friday!

Canada Day Spinning

Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 12:10 a.m.
Today was Canada Day. Really, to be honest, it just means a day off. I'm not very patriotic, I don't like fireworks, or crowds, and in fact just wish all the people would get out of my neighbourhood.
However, I do appreciate a chance to sleep in! Also, I got in a few great hours of spinning!

This is a roving braid from Dyed in the Wool Handmade. I seriously love spinning up her stuff - it's so easy to spin, it's like butter!
I split the braid in half, and spun half onto each bobbin. When I was finished (after Zoolander, half of Battlestar Galactica: Razor, and one episode of Blackpool) the singles looked like they came from two different braids:
DSC_2836

I plied them together, and this is what I got:

DSC_2848

150-ish yards of worsted-ish weight yarn. It's pretty!
DSC_2849

I've decided to do the Tour de Fleece again this year, and my challenge is just to spin a little every day, as thin as I can. I'm aiming for a nice sock yarn.. we'll see.

Tomorrow I have off as well, and I'm so thrilled about it. Another day to sleep in!!!!!

Also, I need new books to read. The library isn't bringing in my holds fast enough. That, or new fanfiction. Most of mine is (sadly) stuck on my Mac. : (

Niagara Falls!

Sunday, June 28, 2009 at 10:59 p.m.
Today mom and I went to the Falls. Since I'm "working" at the ROM, I get in free at lots of Ontario attractions, through the reciprocal program.
First, we went to the Skylon Tower.
365-11 The Falls!!!

It wasn't very busy, which was nice, though it was raining.
We also saw a lame-ass "4-D" movie, which was lame, and we were glad it was free.
Then, we went on the Whirlpool Aero car.
Aero Car!
It was also really cool. We went over the whirlpool, and apparently crossed the Canadian-US border 4 times in the process.

Aero Car!

Then, we attempted to go to the butterfly conservatory, but they told us that we could only use the pass Monday to Friday. So we walked around the botanical gardens. It was fun, but since it had stopped raining, I wished I had a better camera.

bushes

Mom

mom

Trees

All in all, really fun day.


RIP

Saturday, June 27, 2009 at 7:51 p.m.
My laptop died.

I tried to start it up on Wednesday night and nothing. Well, something, a little light, which I suspected was worse then nothing. (This was what happened last time my laptop died.)
So, off to the Apple Store genius bar on Thursday after work where the very nice guy confirmed that yes, it's the logic board. The fucking logic board, that costs a thousand dollars to replace.
i. am. so. screwed.

So, I walked out of the Apple store, barely keeping it together. My laptop is very very important to me. As a student/photographer/internet addict/ravelry addict/designer/technophile I use it all the time. And now I can't. I'm broke, I'm working at an unpaying job the majority of the time, and I can't afford a new laptop (or the part, but let's face it, a new one is a better deal) until September when my student loan money comes through.
So anyways, Cheryl and I walk to Pickle Barrel, where she treated me to dinner, in a quiet booth, where I started crying. The waiter came and took our order, pretending he didn't notice I was just crying, and then later, i realized that we were eating at almost the same time that news broke that Michael Jackson died. The waiter probably thought I was just a REALLY big Michael Jackson fan; crying over dinner at the news!

So yeah. No computer till Sept. It's going to be an even longer summer now!
I'm currently on Dave's, but he's very possessive of it, and I can't use it for long. Cheryl is going to lend me her 8 year old G4, but i don't know how well it'll work. We'll see.

boo. I suck.

365, books, and such.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at 10:53 p.m.
Not much going on here. I'm feeling sick, and should really go to the doc tomorrow, but I feel guilty calling in sick to my UNPAID job. WTF? 

In other news, I've started Project 365 - in which I take a self portrait every day for a year. I'm on day 6. We'll see how this goes, but I think it would be cool, especially when I'm all the way in Rochester and everyone I love is here in TO. 
Check out my 365 pics on my Flickr page - you can just click through from any photo.

365-6 dinner
Today I finished the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  it was a good book. I was smiling on the streetcar on my way home tonight reading the ending. This seems to be a theme with me: making an ass out of myself on public transit whilst reading. 
Anyways, I do recommend it. it's a great book that really gives a sense of the time (post WWII, UK) 
Also, please don't ask me about my knitting. it's not coming along so well. I realize I have deadlines, and I need to get going on them! 

Going to bed now. I'm feeling poopy, and tired. I'll see how I feel in the morning, maybe i'll go to the doctor after all.

Hey Look! I lost five pounds!!

Friday, June 19, 2009 at 9:56 p.m.
....of hair!
From this yesterday: 
Before!Before!
To This today!
365-2 new hair!

It was a long process! First we had cut them short, since I wanted a short cut anyways. then we had to soak 'em, then I sat there, knit and watched movies (Mulan, 10 Things I hate About You) while cheryl yanked on my hair for three hours. She put deep conditioner in each one as she got to it, and then eventually I had hair again!
this is the halfway point.
during!
It feels so weird. but I am very excited to wear hats again!!! I haven't had regular hair since i've been a "real" knitter!
Off to Ravelry now to look at hats to knit! I've got some sportweight bamboo, and I think a slouchy hat is in order!

sneak peak...

OMG.
more tomorrow! 
the worst part

woah

we're so cool it hurts.

Monday, June 15, 2009 at 11:02 p.m.
Cheryl and I are nerdy. This is not surprising to anyone who has known us for any length of time. Especially if you know both of us, and have witnessed the way that we speak to each other. It's half normal talk, and half references and inside jokes so obscure no one but us can understand it. (for example, I am sure that the image of a pizza slice does not send you into uncontrollable giggles when thought of alongside the new Star Trek movie.)

We have had some new highs of nerdiness however, and the other day we decided to pose with a few of them. This is Cheryl and I attempting to act badass. 
DSC02983.JPG

Note the cliched graffiti background, and the way Cheryl's intimidating nature is brought out by her Starfleet insignia.
DSC02986.JPG
Same goes for me, except with a much more awkward pose. There is a reason I'm a photographer, I'm hella-awkward in front of the camera. For this reason i'm thinking of starting a 365. But I'm most definitely scary and intimidating as a member of the Colonial fleet.

Not much else is new. I finished re-housing all the photographs at the ROM:
DSC02971.JPG
and am now scanning glass slides.
I'm working on the neverending black raglan birthday sweater of doom for my father.
I just finished reading Deathly Hallows (sob)
and I am about to start reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society on the recommendation of several people.
Also, Dave has been working at Nestle, and I swear, if he brings home any more chocolate bars I'm going to kill him.

One year.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at 10:28 p.m.
DSC_2789.jpg

One year ago today, our beautiful, amazing kitties, River and Gabby started living with us.
River and Gabby are sisters, who have had a number of close shaves in their lives that they are blissfully unaware of.
They were found, abandoned at two weeks old, too young to really remember I'm guessing. The woman who found them brought them in, took them to the vet, and took care of them for eight months. They were spayed, had all their shots, and as far as I know were taken good care of.
DSC_2794.jpg

Then, their owners decided to get rid of them. They placed an ad on Craigslist, which admittedly, let them bypass the shelter, but since they were given away for free, they could have ended up with anyone. (crazy medical testing, for instance) I happened to be trolling Craigslist obsessively at the time, looking for some kitties to take home. Their old owners cited allergies as the reason for getting rid of them. I believed them, because they seemed like nice people. We took them home, changed their names (really? Molson? Phoebe? who names a cat after a corporation?) and in less then a week they were completely comfortable with us. I later checked the Facebook page of one of the people who had given them to us (I was looking for photos of them as kittens) and it turns out that the day after they adopted out the kitties, they got a puppy. Looks like they weren't allergic after all, they just wanted to "upgrade"

DSC_2790.jpg

I named River (after River Tam from Firefly) and Dave named Gabby (after some character from Xena?) and then they chose their favourites themselves. River is Daves kitty, for sure. She climbs all over him, meows at him in the morning, and wraps her paws around his leg when he's standing up. She hardly ever comes near me. Gabby on the other hand, follows me around the house. When I get home, if I don't sit down and pet her for at least five minutes, she gets upset. She waits until I'm awake in the morning, and climbs up onto my chest, purring.

DSC_2792.jpg

They were really lucky. They have passed through unfortunate circumstances without really noticing. We will never abandon them. They are our kitties, and we love them to little tiny pieces.