There's something about the end of August. Something unpleasant. Summer is slowly dying, with September just around the corner, filled with changes and decisions and living... Something in my brain chemistry/physiology makes my body decide that the end of August is a good time to flip out. Every year just like clockwork I have some sort of nervous breakdown.

This year I've been mostly all right, but I have been having some awful nightmares. First my bed was invaded by moles (of all things), then the house was invaded by giant wasps. Last night I dreamt I accidentally shoplifted something (wandered out of the store and forgot the thing was in my hand) and was going to be fired.

I would really like this to stop, or at least for my brain to explain what's up with the moles. (I *like* moles. But two of them were trapped in my housecoat and I could feel them biting me! ugg! )

Can it be September now?

Hamster in a video game maze!



EDIT: Why did I think there was a 'p' in hamster?

You can not knit something 22 inches around on 28 inch circular needles. I tried three different ways of knitting myself a hat before I realized that. Bah.

In happier knitting news, check out this fabulous blanket: The Pratchgan! It was made for Terry Pratchett by the Ankh-Morpork Knitter's Guild (Motto: "favete linguis, ego numero" shut up, I’m counting) They've got a group on Ravelry. ^_^

Off to Chicago for a week. Don't burn down the internet while I'm gone!

Went to see Hellboy II with my little brother yesterday.

First, they had a trailer for a zombie movie that freaked me the hell out. By the end of it I had my fingernails dug into my brother's arm, and he was hissing in my ear "It's ok! It's not real! It's just like 'The Blair Witch Project', they made the whole thing up! Oh God, my arm!"

Wonderfully patient, that boy.

( Onto The Movie! )

In conclusion: Really cool movie, see it on the big screen for full visual goodness.

Internal monologue while dusting the Erotica section:

"Ok, I can do this. I am calm. I am mature. I am a calm, mature adult, and I can do this. And I don't need to pick up the books with the tips of my fingers, or make weird faces, or scrub my hands afterwards. The people who shop in this section are perfectly normal people, with healthy adult - ohhhh is that The Year's Best Gay Erotica? NO MUST FOCUS."

Why is it that EVERY SINGLE TIME I got for a walk, some jackass tries to run me down with his car? Are the drivers around here blind and dense, or are they doing it on purpose?

I say all pedestrians should be issued a baseball bat, and if some jerk tries to run them over they can smash in their windshield. Or maybe a long metal spike so we can slash their tires...

I need to figure out how to work the digital camera, so I can post pictures of my knitting projects. So far this month I've knit:

- 2 toques
- 1 mitten
- a felted handbag
- 1 stuffed animal
- 1/2 a hair-band

What I really want to make is a hat/scarf/mitten set, but I neglected to find out whether the yarn I bought was warm enough. Any way to check the insulation quality of wool?

I've ripped out and re-knit the hair-band several times, 'cause I keep getting the edges wrong. But my little stuffed kitten turned out great! I'll post pictures when I can. ^_^

The Many Deaths Of Waspinator:



God, I used to love Beaties. Or Beast Wars as you bloodthirsty Americans called it. Anyone else remember this show?

Poll #1212065 The Kissing Game
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

You are on a date, and it's going well. Towards the end Date leans towards you and asks "May I kiss you?"

This was inspired by a conversation with my co-worker. She thought her date was weird for asking first, but me? I think it was rather sweet.

Scottish Jews Get Their Own Tartan

"Big Sexy" Dinosaur Fossils Found In Utah

Interview With Terry Pratchett:

Inuyasha always reminded me of Mermaid Forest*- a horror story with a engaging premise, cool characters and a strong opening, that quickly disintegrates into pointless running around. But Inuyasha was the show that got me into anime/manga, and I've always had a soft spot for it. Even when it was *terrible*, it was still funny, at least in a fodder-for-snarky-comments sort of way.

As for the ending? Well, whatever mistakes the author has made, at least she stuck the dismount.

( cut for spoilers )



*also by Rumiko Takahashi

I was going to go bowling with my friend tonight, but I came home from work and promptly had a panic attack/asthma attack. So I had to cancel, which sucks. My mom thinks it was an allergic reaction to my allergy medicine (which I have reacted to before), so I have to stop taking it and drown in phlegm for a week. Which also sucks.

I just feel really awful about canceling on my friend like that.

Ps. And *then* I got a paper cut and now there's blood all over my keyboard. ARG!

The last six weeks have *not* been fun.

- We are trying to sell my grandmother's house, and it is actively driving my mother insane. It's hard enough packing up you childhood home in the first place, but on top of that my grandmother is not taking moving into a retirement home well *at all.*

- Me and my aunt were planning a 25th anniversary party for my mom and dad. We were three weeks into planning it when my aunt from the other side of the family called say that, while this is a really sweet idea, we did know that the 25th anniversary is next year, right? Well, no. No we didn't.

- My little brother is in grade 11, and he's got some really hard end of the year projects, plus exams to study for.

We survive the aborted party, a complicated garage sale to get ride of my grandmother's stuff, and The Harriet Tubman Essay That Wouldn't Die, only to have the entire family come down with the flu on Victoria Day weekend.

Yes, my baby cousin strikes *again*. I am thinking of changing her name to Typhoid Mary. (It is a *darn* good thing you're cute, kid.)

So my dad's still not feeling well, my brother is freaking out about school, and my mom is just freaking out. She responds to stress the same way I do- she flails about wildly, and when someone does something in a way she doesn't expect she flips out. Which is how I got a fifteen minute lecture on pillowcase folding the other day. Giving credit where credit is due, she is much more focused and task oriented then I am, and her flailing actually gets stuff done.

As for me? I've been trying to run support detail (which has been somewhat successful) study for my driver's test (not so successful) and apply for school in September (don't even ask).

Anyway. Enough moping! Let's talk about fun things that's happened in the last six weeks!

- Saw Iron Man and it rocked the house. My favourite part? The fire extinguisher robot.

- My baby cousin is has turned into The Littlest Bookworm. After ten seconds spent in her presence she will hand you a board book and attempt to crawl into your lap/climb your leg while making very insistent noises at you. I've read Three Little Kittens about five hundred times, and I don't care. Apparently I was just like that at that age. ^_^

- My rock garden survived the winter well, and looks *great.* I barely touched it. I just cleaned out the leaves and branches I was using for winter cover and BAM: all my perennials popped up beautifully. There's a tiny bare patch in the corner I could maybe plant something in, but after that it's done.

- One Piece just hit 500 chapters and is still going strong. This makes me very happy.

- The stories are self-contained one shots, which means you don't need to know decades of back story to decipher what the hell is going on.

- It's funny.

- Stuff blows up real good.


But the main reason I've gotten into MA Iron Man as oppose to any other superhero comic:

The women are not drawn like hoochie-mama! Look at Pepper- her skirt goes down to her knees! She doesn't thrust her butt or her cleavage at the camera! She looks like a normal person! I'm so happy I could cry. ^_^

When I heard about this Open Source Boob Project , I immediately thought of this essay.

And I thought to myself, gee, wouldn't it be nice if the world really worked like that? If we had a day where we could strip away all the cultural & emotional baggage we have about our bodies and just walk up to a person, say "You're beautiful. Can I touch you?" and connect. If we had some sort of signal or secret handshake - a small green button, if you will- that meant "Ask if you can touch me. It's ok."

I know the world doesn't work like that. But a part of me still wants a t-shirt that says "Human Contact- Ask Me How!"

Still feeling a little sluggish, so I spent the weekend knitting and watching Friends. I turned out a new change purse (felted! \o/) a sunglasses case and a pair of slippers that ended up too big, so I gave them to my brother.

Tomorrow's project- doilies. Be afraid!

This is the best song EVER:

Four month I've been trying, but today I finally did it- I called and made an appointment with my psychiatrist! *


In celebration: Dennis Lee!

Alligator Pie
by Dennis Lee

Alligator pie, alligator pie,
If I don't get some I think I'm gonna die,
Give away the green grass, give away the sky,
But don't give away my alligator pie.

Alligator stew, alligator stew,
If I don't get some I don't know what I'll do.
Give away my furry hat, give away my shoe,
But don't give away my alligator stew.

Alligator soup, alligator soup,
If I don't get some I think I'm gonna droop.
Give away my hockey-stick, give away my hoop,
But don't give away my alligator soup.

________________________________________________

*blues and parinoia, nothing major.