sometimes you gotta work hard for it

I waited to post pictures of this finished hat, because I figured the recipient should have been gifted before seeing their new headwear pimped out to the web.


This hat is a result of the exact same pattern as my teal hat I had finished earlier this summer. The weight of the yarn was heavier, and a fluffy cream wool (a brand called Highlander, I believe?) that I found buried on a shelf at Romni (my favourite yarn store), and it resulted in a much larger hat. A beret, more like. The one real change I made was that I decreased more near the top, which resulted in the pretty star pattern. But I think it's pretty fabulous. The amount of time I was able to knit it in was also pretty fabulous (under 2 weeks). I'm getting better folks.

Christmas presents are hitting the needles now. As much as I'd love to make stuff for everyone, I'm not going to be able to. I can't move THAT fast, and also, I'ma selfish bitch. Knitting things for my family is enough time dedicated away from projects for me. I have big things in store for this year.

I've been new resolution making lately. I suppose that's supposed to be a January thing, but I've always hated making resolutions halfway through the year. And it is halfway through the year by my inner clock, because escaping school does not mean escaping your conditioning.

But I'm resolving to take a bigger interest in interesting things. Sounds simple, I know, but living in a place that leaves me relatively disconnected means I must also be more self-directed. It's been too easy for the past few years to simply pacify myself. I think this motivation is what university was supposed to teach me (rather than the best methods for slacking, in which I was eventually a star pupil). However, I'm going to start setting some goals for myself, especially creatively. I've fallen out of the habit of creating. I think for a while I was hung up on being "inspired" but that only happens when you're in practice enough to be thinking creatively in the first place. I'm stuck in a rut, and I don't like it. So for the first time, I'm going to work to get myself out. And luckily, for you readers, this will mean some more interesting reading material.

But all of this will have to take a backseat for an hour while I watch the Heroes season premiere. Yeah, I'm excited. Based on the finale, I shouldn't be, but I have a feeling the massive outcry from the fans will have lit a fire under everyone's collective asses. This is hopeful, but also necessary if this show is going to remain as interesting as season one promised. Up, up, and away!

Amanda

thought 1

Isn't it strange that IMDB has forums specifically for actors and that they appear on their profile pages? Where folks can go and exclaim the virtues/sins of their beloveds/despiseds? (A word? Perhaps not.) How odd would it feel to read a thread dedicated to yourself?

body break

- Disney World was awesome.

- I was skeptical about Batman Begins, and then I was as impressed as everyone else when it came out. The Dark Knight Returns looks as though it plans to deliver much of the action that fans of Nolan's treatment crave. Additionally, it looks as though the film follows an integral plotline from the graphic novel "The Dark Knight Returns", of the mob ("mutants") following a deranged criminal and taking over Gotham. I suppose Harvey Dent won't show up in this, and, disappointingly, there will be no showdown between Superman and Batman. Batman Begins did similarly in taking its basis in "Batman: Year One" But I doubt they'll doll Bale up in old man gear for this. That was part of Batman's bad-assed-ness in "The Dark Knight".

- I've finished Megan McCafferty's third in the Jessica Darling series, "Charmed Thirds". This is probably her weakest novel yet in structure, as only Jessica's breaks from school are covered by her journal. However, Jessica's blossoming into an adult felt threateningly close to the reality of being in a program you're not sure really suits you, living in a place you feel an odd sense of home-yet-not in, and the fragility yet ultimate strength of the relationships that matter. I didn't like it structurally, but I didn't like how honestly it portrayed that transitional period that I still feel ensnared it. It made me uncomfortable, and that isn't a bad thing.

I'd write more, but I don't feel up to it right now. Work is killing me right now; 7am mornings and 6pm finishes while sick are taking their toll. Luckily, there is a glimmering light in sight, and it looks awfully familiar....

Amanda