The Scarves are with my Akri!

I spoke on the phone with my akri for a good 20 minutes yesterday... And he informed me that he is now home again in TN, from NY and the New York Comic-Con, and had picked up the package before he went home. He also updated me on a situation I discovered dealing with a website that allows users to upload and download ebooks for free.

I had discovered a site that allowed what is stated above, and all of Sherrilyn Kenyon's books were available up-to-date for free. This kind of thing upsets me, especially since I understand how bad piracy can be when it comes to books. However, I was surprised by what my akri told me. He said that in the case of romance authors, such piracy is actually in some ways free publicity. This also led into a discussion in which he told me that Sherri had fought long and hard to get St. Martin's to even allow the free book giveaway that took place over the Cons last year... (Sherri had my favorite book in her series, "Seize the Night," set up with a special cover as a freebie for each Convention she went to last year to help promote the series) - Basically even the current piracy is good free publicity for romance authors, but usually only for the genre... Not sure I understand how that works exactly, but as it is, IF it's ok for authors that I hope to someday be in the same league as, then I'll let it be. I guess I'm just business savy enough to wonder about the profit loss, though... *shrug*

Now, back on topic with my scarves. I got a call only a few minutes ago. He told me that he LOVED the scarf, and so did his wife. Then he asked how much I charge for them... I'm hoping that this means that he's gonna be promoting the hell out of my scarves to others... Akri also told me that he loved how they curl up into circles (I use the circular loom seen in one of my previous posts, and that causes the reaction, along with gravity...) and that the fact that they curl makes him warmer...

I am so beyond thrilled that akri and his wife both like their scarves! To me, that's the most important thing!

Not the Best Day Ever...

The picture tells part of my story today... Ok, not really a story, but the telling of how crappy today was.

First, it rained today. No, not when I first got up at 6:30 this morning, but after I arrived at school... I just have no idea when exactly it started. What I do know is that by 9:15, when I left to head over to my classroom, it was pouring, and I was in a t-shirt, light pants, a light jacket without a hood, and FLIP FLOPS. Yes, those damned flip-flops. Hey, I'm a California girl all the way, and those shoes are part of the lifestyle and school dress code when you're in college out here. However, being a California girl also means that I usually take any warnings of rain with a grain of salt, especially since it does rarely rain out here...

Well, that was my loss. Since I had no idea where my classroom was (the class is History of the Middle East), my darling friend Kayla was laughing at my meager attempts to protect myself from the rain. In fact, she went so far as to say, and I quote, "It could be worse..." Now, I'm sure most of you know that saying that is NEVER good... In fact, it almost always leads to something worse happening. Yep, that would be the case today. As soon as Kayla said that, it started raining HARDER!

So, not too long after that, I'm sitting and shivering in a lecture room with the AC on, nose running like crazy with no tissues to help, praying for my teacher to just let us go so I can get home and change.

Eventually, we did finish, and by then, I thank my lucky stars that the rain had let up, so that I was able to get to my car and go home to change. After all, my next class after that one wasn't for a couple of hours.

Well, to make a long-ish story a little shorter, I managed to get through that and got back to school in better close-toed shoes and socks, with a warmer pair of pants, a raincoat, and a new sweatshirt with me... Then my next class went just fine. I got in and out without much rain damage to my person (my hair - totally another story. Moisture in the air and my hair just don't mix!), and got back to the car and home safely.

HOWEVER, when I got home... I got the mail. Waiting in the mail for me was an innocent envelope. Or so I thought. Happy almost freakin' birthday to me. That envelope, well... It was my first Jury Duty Summons. And of course it wasn't for the courts near me... Oh no. It's waaaayyyy out of town. Damn it all! This would be why I hate Zeus' guts, and I hope that Hades and Persephone blast the hell out of him!

After all this, I just hope I don't get more sick since I seem to be on the path to mending, minus the whole drinking tons of tea every day, coughing, and having a stuffy/runny nose...

Being Sick Sucks!

True story, and I'm writing this as the last of my brain cells give up on me...

Ok, last Saturday, I'd been feeling pretty under the weather... You know, the full body ache, the head that's too big for your body, sinuses that are completely CONSUMED by the pressure building on them... Yeah, all that and more. So, I do the smart thing. I go to the doctor. Well, that's great, right? WRONG! The doctor I go to does a quick check, then says that what I have could either be viral or bacterial, and if I don't feel better in a couple of days, here's a prescription to fill... Well, the prescription... Uh, how do I put this nicely? I'm IMMUNE to the damned medicine! So...

I still feel sick on Thursday, so I go back to the doctor again... And by now, I just wanna DIE I feel so horrible. I'd woken up that morning at 2 FREAKIN' AM, with a throat so sore that I couldn't swallow... The doctor I see is one who I usually have a better time with... And he again tells me that there's not much he can do, but he offers to give me a shot of some medical steroid to help me get on my feet, along with some horse-pill prescription to go with it... And me, sick as I am, accept the offer, even though I HATE shots... Well, a nurse is brought in for the shot, and guess what? It's a booster shot... So now I have to do the "lower the pants and show nothing off" game so that I can feel better...

Somehow, I succeed and win the game, hell, I didn't even notice getting the shot, and in a few minutes, I'm already feeling TONS better! Great, right? WRONG! I wake up again Friday, and my throat is still sore, but not nearly as bad. However, I've basically lost my entire voice, which I had had at the doctor's the day before...

Now, I was supposed to have plans Friday night. However, they fell through since I didn't feel like going out, especially since it was RAINING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA and my throat hurt like the dickens... So I somehow managed to choke down the horse-pill I need to take to go with that shot I got... And I somehow let myself think that if I go to bed early, I'll be soooo much better in the morning...

NOT SO FAST! Oh no... I wake up at 7:30 this morning, throat still sore, less voice than before, and other than an achy head and stuffed sinuses and sore throat/lost voice, I'm great! So now, though, I realize that the cough that I've had (you all know that infamous "seal bark" that people have when they're really sick, right?) seems to have moved INTO my chest, since I'm now wheezing as I cough. I've also realized that the only thing that makes my throat feel better is either VERY cold string cheese or very hot tea...

How much fun is that? *sarcastic* It's absolutely NOT! Plus, when I cough, I can totally taste the sick when I cough - GROSS! Anyone know how to get over this heinous thing? I have school starting on Monday, and it's a whole new semester! I have to be there! ARGH!

My friend Laura's first Sonogram!

I'll be sporadically posting new information about my girlie Laura, who recently found out that she's pregnant. When I last talked to her yesterday (before my migraine drew me away from the bright intensity of the computer screen), she was soooo excited to show me her first sonogram picture, which I'm posting here as well...



According to Laura, the baby is due around September 27th... Congrats, again babe! I'm so excited for you and your hubby!


Also, happy early birthday to you! (Laura's gonna be another year older on Feb. 12.)

Totally Meant to Do this Yesterday...

New blanket update! I've got a couple more squares done right now, which would have been up yesterday but for the fact that I've got whatever bug has been going around, and I was sooooo punchy yesterday and couldn't even bear to look at a computer due to the migraine I had...

Anywho...

New blanket square #6


This square is the Lion's Suede® in "Seacrest"



New blanket square #7


This color is called "Mountaintop"

Let me know what you think!

What I've Completed Today...

Today was yet another busy day in my life. I discovered that a beloved elementary school teacher has moved from CA to TN (near Nashville, I'm told), to continue to raise the dogs he rescues, I made 5 dozen chocolate chip cookies for my class for tomorrow's potluck, I finally took pics of my Akri Erin's awesome finished scarf (technically finished yesterday night, just before midnight), and finished Akri's wife's scarf as well (it also looks awesome!). Plus, there was also the Stupor Bowl... Yes, I watched, groaned at the commercials, and tried to ignore my mother's squees during Bruce Springsteen's half-time performance. Either way, in all honesty, it was kind of boring, since I'm not a sports fan, and I just don't get the point of American Football.

However, I did catch a few mins. of my fav. ghost-hunting shows, 'Ghost Hunters' and 'Ghost Hunters International,' which both showed some spooky findings... Oh so cool! Other than that, I've discovered the secret to perfect (well, in my opinion anyway) Chocolate Chip Cookies. However, I'm not sharing that information, because I want to be able to sell them and have people wonder at what I do to make them so yummy!

Here's pics of the outcome of my cookie making:





As for scarves #9 & #10, those are now going to be packed up and mailed out to their owners....

This one is for Akri Erin (colors used are Caron Simply Soft® Emerald, Navy Blue, and Red):




And for Akri's wife, who I'd love to meet some day... (colors used are Caron Simply Soft® Black and Purple, with Lion Brand Micro-Spun Yarn® in Blue):

LOLcats

I'm sure that most people by now have heard of the website Icanhascheezburger.com - If not, basically, it has funny pics of all sorts of stuff, but mostly animals, and really amusing captions on the pics. I've decided to post a few that I've downloaded from the site in the past....










Again, the website to visit and see more of these cute pics is http://icanhascheezburger.com/

More Yarnwork Updates...

Yes, I've made even more blanket squares, and finished yet another soft, fuzzy scarf. (If anyone wants to purchase one, PLEASE let me know!) So far, I'm now up to 8 completed scarves, with #9 two-fifths of the way done, and #10 already planned... Both of those will be very thick, soft, warm, and non-fuzzy. When complete, I'll again put more pictures up.

But for now, in order...

Blanket Square #4 - "Vineyard" Lion's Suede® Yarn



Scarf #8



and finally

Blanket Square #5 - "Scarlet" Lion's Suede® Yarn

Update to Yesterday Night's Michele Lang Post...

All right, I've gotten an email back from Michele Lang, in which she offered me a .pdf of her book, "Mists of Manhattan." Of course, I'm happily taking her up on her her offer, but I also wish to help her in return. I hope that she takes my advice about offering the two books, "Ms. Pendragon" and "Mists of Manhattan" as free egifts to people, then uses that offer to promote an enhanced version of both books as Print On Demand books. I think that's a good way to get more fans to her books and promote herself well. I know that if Michele follows my suggestion, I'll be right there on various messageboards and promoting the hell out of the books, since I believe in them and the sheer enjoyment just reading "Ms. Pendragon" has given me. I really do believe that one good turn deserves another, and as I'm one of those "obsessive" people who is quite literally addicted to a good story enough that I'll read it hundreds of times over just to get every nuance I can from a story, I really want to help share the love of a good book.

I Hate Not Being Able to Find What I'm Searching For...

Well, here's a fact about me: I'm a huge reader, especially of romance novels. So long as they're not types that I've (mostly) outgrown *cough*Harlequin*cough,* I'll happily sit down and devour or redevour several of them a day. However, there can be a negative aspect to being so addicted to romances...

The complete down you get when you search for a book only to realize that it's out of print (OOP) and you can't even find a copy of it on Amazon.com or eBay. Well, that's what's happened to me over the last rereading of a book I really enjoyed.

First, the book that I do have, which is also the first book of the two. It is by Michele Lang, who is quite the talented author. The book is "Ms. Pendragon," and tells the story of Gwen, a modern woman who is the reincarnation of the Guinevere of Arthurian legend. She is being haunted by Mordred, the son of Arthur Pendragon and his half-sister Morgana. After putting a holding spell on Mordred (by sheer luck), Gwen runs down to the business of her dearest friend, who is a Wiccan priestess. While there, the one and only fabulous Merlin shows up. Basically, Gwen is sent back in time to prevent something bad from happening. There is a lot of action, and heaps of adventure, but the ending is one that simply satisfies, yet still leaves the reader wanting more. To top it off, the first chapter or two of the sequel is also included.

And THAT, is where my problems begin. I had brought the book to my Sociology 101 class the other day, to quote a line that went along with the topics being discussed that day. When I got home, I searched for the sequel, "Mists of Manhattan," only to discover that Amazon did not have any copies for sale, even used. After that, I went and searched eBay, once again with no luck, and then finally giving up and using google to do yet another search. Yet none of my searches yielded any fruit, and now I'm left hungry for more and unsatisfied. I even went to the length of going on Michele Lang's site and searching for more information, only to discover that the company that had published and owned the rights to the books had gone under, which leaves Michele with the rights to her stories. I wonder why she won't at least be her own publisher, since many authors can now go that route with POD (print on demand). It seems to me that this would be a good way to both satisfy fans and still make a profit off of older books....

But oh man oh man do I want a copy of "Mists of Manhattan!" That first "Ms. Pendragon" just got me hooked, and I'm just going crazy trying to find more about the world that Lang created!

Ghosts can be Annoying...

Yes, my house is haunted... I've got it all, but most of the time, my ghosties are really sweet and stuff. However, not today. Today, since I got home from class, all I've gotten is tormented. I think they're bored. So far, I've had several non-breakables thrown at me from upstairs. Since I am on a desktop computer with open space behind my back, I must make an excellent target. Sadly, all the baubles thrown at me are things from my room, including my favorite day-glow orange football shaped stress ball, which got me straight in the back. I'll update this post later with pics to help explain...


As for now, I think I'm going to the other room to watch a movie and invite the ghosts to join me. Maybe then they won't be so antagonistic....

UPDATE:



This is the view behind my back while I'm on the computer I'm currently using. See the area above the white door? That area up on the second floor is what hides my room, where my possessions were taken and thrown at me.

Here's the rest of the view:


BTW, maybe it's just me, but I think I may have caught a dark gray orb in the second picture... Let me know if you spot it!

Scarf # 7 is Complete!

I finished that scarf a little earlier today, and basically, it's the same as #3 would be, except that it has a purple base instead of a red one... It's just over 5 feet long, and I look forward to sending it out to my beloved akri's wife... Should my akri read this, here's a pic of what your wife is getting! I want you to send me a pic of what she looks like wearing it, ok?

*hugs to my akri and his family*


Also, I've mentioned here previously that I'm making a very nice blanket for myself and my family. So far, I have 3 squares, which are somehow all magically the same size (yay me!) that are complete so far... Now, it's up to fate to see when I can afford to buy more of the amazingly soft yarn I'm using... Lion's Brand® Lion Suede yarn - it retails for $5.99 plus tax here in Cali...

Here are those squares!

Teal:


Crimson:


"Vineyard" (multicolored):

The Quintessential Teen Angsty Rant (While I'm Still An "Official" Teenager)

Just shoot me already. Seriously...

Bad day doesn't BEGIN to cover it....


First, yesterday, my beloved laptop Simi gave out on me. Now, for those of you who think that means that my computer is dead, think again. What I mean is that the ac charger connector in the laptop is kaput. Dead. And with a clunky old battery like mine that has very little power and doesn't store charges well, that means that my laptop is unavailable to me, unless I shell out a LOT of money to get it fixed or save up enough to go buy another computer.

Here's where the big problem begins, though. I injured my hand in a stupid incident last January, as in 2008, and it screwed up the muscles in my right hand, so that it hurts to write consistently. Well, I'm in college, and many of the teachers at my school think it's just GREAT to have quizzes and tests that are completely handwritten. I can't get exemption from those - and I've tried to get such teachers to let my type my quizzes and tests to no avail. So, that leaves me with issues with note taking as well. I type all the notes I take in classes. Without a computer to take notes on, I'm pretty much up shit creek without a paddle.

On to the rest of the story - I spoke with dad via webcam, and we argued over how to either fix my computer or get a new one. He wants me to find a job in this economy - NOT gonna happen, unless you can work full time and have a college degree - I have neither... STUDENT = current job! Seriously, I really need to have a laptop available to me, and he won't let me use my college money to pay for it, even though it'd be for school.

Soooooo, if anyone has any suggestions to help me find a way to fund a new computer purchase, I'd be delighted to hear it.... If you have a part time job offer with flexible hours, that'd be great too, so long as it's in Santa Clarita...

One of the Best Days of My Life!

I've been singing all day long... "Ding, Dong, the DOUCHE is GONE!"

Now, that may show my political view, but it's also something that makes me happier than I've been in a very long time. I will never forget this day.

While in my spring intercession class today, everything was postponed a day with our assignments so that we all could watch the inauguration of Barack Obama. I sat in class, tears of joy in my eyes, as I watched Barack take the oath of office. The things he said in his speech resonated in the minds of my classmates and myself. We found ourselves nodding along with many of the comments made in Obama's speech, and also focused on what we all considered to be a gaffe. However, there wasn't a dry eye in the classroom as we watched the inauguration unfold.

As to the gaffe, Obama spoke in his speech about how America is made up of patchwork, referring to people of all shapes, colors, and sizes. From there, though, he also mentioned several religious as such: "Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers..." THAT caused issue in the class. While we all understood what Obama meant by what he said (that people of every faith make up America and can all work together), we all agreed that that comment could have been set up SOOOO much better than that. It was the only issue most of the class had with his speech.

On the other hand, the class listed things that Obama talked about in his speech that made us feel that we were veering off the path of fear that President Bush had put us on, and that we were being put back on the path of hope and faith. Obama discussed health care, education, following the rule of law, and living with a living constitution, among many other things. He reaffirmed to America that it takes work to get anything accomplished, and with the help of the country, many wonderful new things will be fixed and set up anew. All we have to do is work with him, and let him know what we want.

No one yet knows how Barack Obama will do as president, but all I can do is hope for the best, work hard, and let Obama know what causes are important to me to get the issues I care about taken care of, be it ending the genocide in Darfur, pulling our troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan, or just making sure that there is more funding available for education.

Obama as our new president not only represents a new chance to be better than we currently are, it also gives our country a chance to open its arms to other countries in peace and find new ways to solve global conflicts.

Good luck, President Obama. You're going to need it, but I have faith it will be there for you, and that you and Michelle will help make the world a better place.

Scarf Pics!

This is shot #1 of my favorite work station in my house.



Shot #2 of the same workstation...



Scarf #1 that I finished, which happened while I was in NY over my winter break...



Scarf #2 - This one was started while in NY, but finished once I got home...



This is scarf #4 that I finished. #3, which I will post a pic of as soon as I am able to, was a gift for a member of my family, so I didn't have it when I took these pics.



Scarf #5 - As you can see, I really enjoy doing stuff like this...



Scarf #6 - I just LOVE the teal under the flame-colored yarn..



Currently, I am working on scarf #7, but after that, I'm taking a break to make blanket squares from Lion's Brand® Suede Yarn, so that eventually, I'll have a multi-colored blanket for my favorite couch at home... Pictures of each square will be posted eventually, along with a pic of the final result whenever I finish it...

HELP!

I've started making more and more scarves, and I'm starting to work on a blanket... The problem is, I'm out of yarn and money, so my attempts are going down the drain... I'll post pics soon to show you what I've accomplished so far, but for now, if you're at all interested in a new hand-made scarf that is soft, warm, and cute, or interested in me making you a blanket for not too much money, please let me know with a comment!

I PROMISE TO POST PICS OF WHAT I'VE DONE SO FAR LATER TODAY!

Avatars - Part 2

This is my nymph muse. She's rather annoying, as she's a special nymph. In fact, she's a nympho!



This is santa's favorite diva... The missus!



A dark and cranky mermaid... She's more likely to torment you than to sing to you.



A dark witch. Don't mess with her - she makes the Wicked Witches of the East and West look like seductresses!



Snake woman. She loves her hair and tail - such a vain creature!

Avatars - Part 1

A young princess - waiting for her prince charming...



Spider princess - she loves to "weave" her love spells around those who aren't guarded against her powers.




A kooky mermaid - she enjoys swimming with the dolphins.


These are more avatars I've made. Most of these are just fun ones I've made for myself, not Dark-Hunter based. Since this site is being obnoxious, I'll have to do several posts to show all of these... Hope you like!

Just straight up good news!

One of my girlfriends (*cough* MzAmethystCrow aka X Wikki X *cough*), who has been trying for a while to have a baby, is PREGNANT! Congrats, Laura babe! I couldn't be happier for you! Make sure to continue to update me with how it all goes!

Laura, may your life continue to be blessed with happiness! *hugs* Much love, babe!

Well Well Well

Hmmm... Just started a blog, even though I'm positive that somewhere out there I used to have another one that I just can't find. Not sure that it really matters, though.

Either way, all I have to say right now is that I'm tired and I have a migraine, so I'm going to continue making scarves as I've been for the last several days. Eventually, I'll post pics, and possibly even sell them, if it's at all possible. I'll probably do the same thing with the bead jewelry I make.

Yes, I'm just creative like that....

Anyways, I'll sporadically update this blog when I feel like I have something to say, which is rather often. Just not this moment.

I'm probably going to now attempt to backdate old blogs from other sites like Livejournal and Myspace. If that works, I'll be impressed. If not, whatever. The moral: If this isn't the first post you see, know that my backdating works.