darkly dreaming

I'd intended a few times to blog. And then I was all keen on NaBloPoMo, a sister project to NaNoWriMo (a project I would still like to participate in sometime). Clearly, I have not done either.

There are semi-good reasons for this. Those reasons being a)beginning a new job and b) Christmas gifts still to churn out. I'd love to spend evenings writing, but I'm having a hard enough time working on personal journal entries (my goal to write at least once a day) in addition to spinning up some lovely yarn creations for members of my family (and, by extension, catch up on all of that TV I've been missing).

New job (at old job) is fine. The staff who I am working with are great, and I already feel much better working at a place that is devoid of eggshells (there is one ego, but I'm his superior in title. Also, I've made a fine game of being unimpressed every time he attempts to shoot off his cocky mouth). However, I'm totally bored. I'm learning old computer systems that are really terribly designed, and spend most of my time counting money and directing staff to change labels. It seems said company has made it rather difficult to manage its products (which I suppose is one of the problems with carrying so many different vendor products in the same place). It's not a hard job, but it's a dull one.

Also, I was finally given an invite to Ravelry, an online knit and crochet community that is fabulous. You can document all of your projects, including yarn, needle size, pattern, modifications, and post pictures, and because everyone is documenting their knit goods, it makes it SO easy to find patterns based on things like yarn weight (which is the size of the actual strand of yarn). This makes it excellent for stash busting (yarn stash is extra yarn you've got lying around. Every knitter has it). You can even document your stash, tag patterns you'd like to try in the future, get feedback on patterns and yarns from other knitters... it just makes me very happy. I like when handcrafts and technology work so well together.

Also, this means I probably won't be talking about knitting on here much anymore, so yay for you non-interested readers, and also boo, for there goes half of my source material.

I've FINALLY watched all of season one of Dexter. It is such a fantastic show - this is the show CSI wishes it were, except with a lot more blood. I was most impressed by Michael C. Hall's performance: he completely inhabits the skin of a sociopathic serial killer while still remaining wholly likable. After Six Feet Under, I was wary that he would always be David to me, and Dexter has proved that he is a chameleon like no other (unless he actually is Dexter, which wouldn't surprise me). Apparently the execs had a hard time convincing him to accept the role, so am I ever glad he did. Also impressive is Jennifer Carpenter, Dexter's sister. Considering her major role before this was as the titular Emily Rose in that crappy exorcism movie with Donald Sutherland, she brought a believability and originality to a character that could easily have been played as a thoroughly damsel part. All in all, fantastic series, beautifully shot, wonderfully casted (with Darla! From Buffy!).

Amanda

Edited to add: want to know the joy of intarsia?
(Click on the pink ball to start. If you're ending a row on the right, press right once more to start the next row (same for left). Don't forget to set your yarn colour!