Ingoring

for the record: I have not been ignoring everyone...I have been ignoring life outside of the academic tunnel. Ya'll know the one. Last minute papers, failing French translation test, graduation stuff, and a trip to Knoxville. What does that mean? Well, 44 new emails, delayed correspondences, and a pile of papers on my desk that I have no clue what they are for.

Major Highlights

Cable is now hooked on catnip, in fact, she gets high on it.

I am looking forward to Knoxville, and Puppy might come with me.

we'll know tomorrow if I can walk on Saturday (failed French exam means summer classes that I need to resister for).

this great new bag came in just before the Maternal Grandparents and I left for our trip. Every[knitting]one loves it. Turns out my Pirate Librarian friend sent it as a graduation present. It so rocks!

I like small needles. Lace. Socks (good stars! I cannot believe I just wrote that). Ok, so I've redone the heel of My Socks three times...and it is only the first sock. It will hit me soon enough.

Tabula Rasa

for those among us who are a little rusty in their Latin, it means "clean slate." Usually, this refers to a child, especially one starting school. Their minds are literally a blank page to be filled with knowledge by teachers.

in my case, Tabula Rasa means my jumpdrive broke today. Thankfully, it was after my Power Point presentation on Ophelia. It contained every paper I have written since my High School Senior English paper and all the horrible poetry every teenager writes. All of it, gone. Tabula rasa.

I know, I know. I should have backed everything up at least five times. Next time I will.

thankfully, my thesis is turned in. An extra copy on the correct paper is in my car, as is a copy in the cheap, mass-purchased paper. Because the most up to date draft was on the jumpdrive. My Shakespeare paper is not due until next week, so that's no big. I need to start at the bottom again anyways.

oh, my car. Funny thing about that. It died again. Not even a week after a new battery. Mommy had to take me to school. The Maternal Grandfather picked me up, but did not take me to my LYS.

obviously, this was not a good day.

is it over yet?

nope. Not by a long shot.

I wanted to visit the Paternal Grandmother this past weekend but I was emotionally drained and had high levels of anxiety (thank you neurological chemical imbalance). It didn't help that my battery died Thursday night, no worries now I have a new one.

Saturday I worked at my LYS all day; very last minute deal. It helped to get away from life and help other knitters.

the "can you translate French?" test was today. I thought they wanted a word-for-word transliteration and spent two hours struggling over half the passage. I tried so hard to give her a near perfect translation. This was difficult, seeing that my French is worst than I thought (which wasn't much to begin with). Oh well. It's out of my hands now. Deep, cleansing breathes.

I also intended to turn in a re-formatted thesis today. Printed it off in a computer lab. Took it to be printed on the special paper. Paid for 4 bindings at the Burster's office. Then I realized I had left the page of signatures at home. You know, the one that says everyone liked it enough for me to graduate next month? Yeah, that one.

obviously, today was a lesson in letting things go. I am an examine supervisor this week for the local public school. Lots of knitting time as I walk around to check on people. I get paid to walk around and knit. Naturally, there are some kids that just don't get:

1. how important the test is
2. how to manage time
3. the value of taking as much time as possible
4. how to write neatly

like I said, this is just another lesson about letting things go.

before I sign off for the night, Sister and her Boyfriend are still here. She is sick and he is taking care of her. This means there is no parking in the carport and I am having control issues. Thanks panic disorder, I really needed the help.

it finally happened

...I caught myself looking at sock yarn and thinking, "That would be pretty on my foot." Then, I flipped through the recent issue of Simply Knitting (it's a UK published mag) and there was a pattern for a toe-up sock on four double-point needles (dpn). My first thought, "Ooooo. I wonder what it would look like in green."

sure, I've knit up socks before (4 pairs) and I'm working on the 5th pair now. But they've all been knit for my Maternal Grandmother. I have smaller feet, and would be promoted to carry a sock project around if it were mine....There I go again! New subject.

I should be able to finish up my Pooka Gloves today. And, I finally cast on the second sleeve of my Lent project. I've also come to the conclusion that Lent 2009 will be charity knitting.

in other news, I take a French test (to complete yet another piece of paper that will get me a degree. Strangely enough, a degree is a piece of paper) on Monday. Then present on Hamlet on Wed. Visit doctor on Thursday. And work every morning either at the Public School as an unbiased adult for yearly exams or as a receptionist. Fun stuff.

needless to say, I am running away this weekend. Haven't done that in ages. Well, at least not since early in the semester. Warning to all future Grad Students: Thesis suck the life out of you.

lookie! Pictures...

The Scarf Tree/Arbor/Whatever


For one of the members of my Thesis Panel


For another member of the Panel


Yarn I bought to celebrate Thesis Defense...don't look at the price

A scarf for Thesis Adviser


Cable likes knitting

I would give you violets, but they withered all

besides being a part of my Shakespeare semester project, I like this line.

actually, I feel like this line. The de-stress after the thesis defense, lack of sleep, and other stuff has left me feeling very much like Ophelia these days.

I've picked up Daedalus again (the Icarus shawl from Interweave Knits) and so far we are flying well. My Pooka gloves are also coming along quite nicely. For some odd reason, I just cannot work on my sister's birthday gift. Maybe it will be Christmas instead of birthday.

but, I'm off again. This time to research Shakespeare.

Big Paper Trumps All

ok, so apparently when you pass a defense you have to spend four or five days revising it. It is still not where I want it, but my Thesis Adviser is willing to sign off on it. I am not sure how I feel about this, I'll talk to him about it via email today.

I finally bought StepSister no. 1's graduation present yesterday. It became one of those errands I needed to do but could never remember to.

now I must go get my homework done. The non-thesis kind I've been putting off.