lost in fife...

Well, as you may or may not know, I can't follow directions to save my life. I strategically leave an extra 30-45 minutes early, just so if I get lost I can keep on looking for whatever it is I can't, for the life of me, locate. This happened on an earlier occasion that left me stranded under an overpass with a flat tire while in search of the Tacoma Convention Center. Not fun.

Today, I was supposed to meet Shobi (Shades of blue, the school singing group. We call it shobi because S.O.B. has some...shall we say negative conotations) at formal images to pick out new dresses for this years group. It's an 18 minute drive according to mapquest (not a helpful website, despite it's many claims.) and I left 30 minutes before I had to be there. Not a problem. I made it to Pacific Hghwy no problem and spent the next five minutes trying to decide which lane I needed to be in. According to the choir teacher, it was across from the harley delearship, which really didn't help, since the stupid thing is in an unmarked warehouse with an entrance facing the oncoming traffic. It also shares this warehouse with a landscaping-type company and something that involves large trucks. (I'm not sure what, there were just trucks.) I turned in and thought that I was at the wrong place, so I turned out, then realized I was at the right one and couldn't turn around. There were no other driveways. No other streets to use. Nothing. So I went on a15 minute jaunt trying to find a Megan-proof place to turn around. (it happens to be a cul-de-sac) I left 15 minutes early, showed up 5 minutes late. I love my life.

So I hate maps. And driving. I'd rather be knitting my happy orange boucle sweater. that is all

Much Love.

Life after Vacation

Well--
I caved. I worked on my shawl most of my vacation instead of reading my book, and when I ran out of yarn for the shawl, (because I am a blooming idiot and didn't bring an extra ball, even though I knew I'd need one) I went to the LYS and purchased a sweater pattern and yarn for a sweater and started knitting that. (I'm done with everything except the hood and sleeves. Seriously, I need to read my books) I have 14 rows left on the shawl which is between 7 and 10.5 hours of work. (which I should sacrifice for reading. but probably won't)

The sweater is worked in a German yarn, Bella (a german company names their yarn in Italian. I am entertained. I thought only America stole words from the romance languages) from some company that I can't remember the name of to save my life. It's knit from the top down, then the sleeves are tied off to be knitted later and you work the whole body in one fell swoop (it's zip up, so I'm constantly trying it on) and then pickup for the hood and grab the stitches off the yarn (which I tied them off with about three days ago) and knit those babies too. All st st. (except about 15 total rows of ribbing for edges). I really wish I could read and knit at the same time, but alas.

We went to Cannon Beach Christian Conference Center (henceforth to be refered to as CBCC) and even though it sounds like watching paint dry, God lives there and it's more fun than you can shake a stick at. The youth program was much better than two years ago (where the group that I chose to hang out with included a pot-smoking alchoholic and the girl who promised to make out with him if he'd hang up the booze. along with other gems of society.) This year we had huge spiritual discussions and the theme was authenticity, so the leaders talked with us about everything, from the knit-picky to the globably important (my favorite question is 'why does God love us? think about it. It'll blow your mind) Good times

I've gone from working a 3 hour day to a 6 hour day, to an 8 hour day, to an 8 hour day where I'm stuck at the freaking clinic for an extra 2 hours because my parental units decided to put off the paperwork to some ungodly hour. Basically I have 0 free time. It's fabulous.

I've been doing some theatre pondering lately and am trying to decide if I want to do 1,2,3 or 4 different plays this fall. (to be fair, 1,2 and 3 are one acts at school, so it's basically do I want to do all that and a dinner theatre where I'm a main character) this is a thought that's going to take some more time for two reasons

1. I'm taking 3 AP classes (English, Calculus, and Biology. I'm such an overachiever.) and Mr Cleavanger's American Government. I have about 3 hours of homework a night.

2. Aside from that my schedule is pretty solid. No free time. Especially since this is my senior year in voice and piano and I want to do a full blown aria from an Opera this year for musical (with the cadenzas and the two octaves above middle C and the runs and trills and the crazy jumps. I want it all)

So is it a good idea to be memorizing 4 scripts on top of all this? (probably not, but it doesn't mean I won't try)

I jsut realized how rediculously long this is. Have fun.

Much Love.

PS--I may get my musical--Clue (I know, It's a musical? but right now I'll take anything)

Gauge and other lies of society

Well, I finished the peapod sweater minus the buttons and the blocking and it has turned out extraordinarily adorable. I have pictures (whether or not they actually make it to the internet is a whole different matter) and I love making clothing for small people.

Since I finshed the little sweater and didn't want to read my book, I, like any rational knitter with 16 in process projects, cast on something new. I've been wanting to make this dressy jacket from Vogue Knitting (winter '05) and I had this epiphany (these come in wonderous moments of glorious light, but are easily confused with sheer idiocy.) that the yarn I had purchased off of ebay (a 3000 yard hank of brown not quite finger weight chenile so big that I wind it in hour sessions and it still is being held by two yard sticks.) would make a lovely substitute. Recognizing that almost fingering weight is not a 4 in the vogue knitting standards of yarn measurement, I held 2 strands of it together and made a swatch, counted rows and stiches (very tedious with yarn that turns into one giant brown mass) and the gauges miraculously matched. So I cast on the left front of the jacket (because screwing up on a smaller panel is better than the huge back panel. 150 st my eye.) knit 6 rows and measures. It was 2 inches bigger than the pattern called for. That's 8 inches in the whole project and enough room for a second person. Not okay. I mean, I never ever check gauge and the one time that I knit a swatch, things go south in a matter of moments (the knitting gods have decided smiting me with the inabillity to complete projects the normal knitter way is fun...) I AM ANGRY. My baby sweater was a guessing game and it turned out exactly right. GAUGE IS ALL LIES!!! gah...

Crime and Punishment may kill me. If Raskalnikov had a sudden urge to commit suicide and end the psychological trauma 300 pages early, I would have narry a problem. I wouldn't shed a tear over his murderous, psychopathic soul. I might even do a little dance (I'm a wee bit morbid) I can't do Russian. It's to depressing. And twisted. It's like people wrote out of the gulags (spelling)...gah...again

Much Love.

Wild Waves and Musicals

Well, yesterday I went to wildwaves. Yeah for the extortion of a park with two coasters and 6 waterslides charging $40 a person and $17 to park. Extortion. I applied sunscreen at least 3 times everywhere and once before I left but to no avail. I am sunburned as all get out. Not okay. (for those of you who don't know me, my skin clings to its northern scandanavian heritage like a round hairbrush to curly hair. I burn through 35 spf.) But I went on 4 rides even though I hate them. I rode the carousel (my personal favorite) and the swings, the parasail thingy and the slide (okay, so it doesnt really count as a ride but I love the giant yellow slides. They're my favorite.)

My drama teacher has actually admitted to the possibility of a musical next year. (there are cries of hallelujah reigning down from heaven) It'd be clue. It's either clue or Deathtrap next spring. Either way I am rejoicing. And I purchased The Drowsy Chaperone and I love Sutton Foster. She=amazing. And I'm listening to The Last Five Years. (I could chew on tin foil for a spell, I could get a root canal in hell, but it wouldn't be as swell as this summer's going to be...) I can't believe I've never heard of it before. It's so amazing. And Norbert Leo Butz (poor, poor man) is such and incredible singer.

In knitting news, I'm hanging up the shawl until I finish my summer reading for school. It takes a half and hour to do a row and I have 1000 pages to read still. I am knitting the pea pod baby sweater from happy acrylic yarn because I'm cheap. (red heart super soft) I love to knit, I love yarn, I hate to pay for it. Also I taught my darling friend to knit before shipping her off to Arizona or Texas or NewMexico or something like that. She such a doll. I miss her a lot. Much Love and more later...

Megan.

Weddings

Today, my choir teacher got married and asked the choir to sing. (not exactly the most brilliant move. We suck. A lot.) It was a cute wedding and the church was gorgeous. It was also about 90 degrees in there. NOT OKAY. I wanted to keel over right there on the bench but resisted the temptation.

I've only got chart 4 left on the shawl so expect news of it's finishing anytime in the near future. I've also started a baby sweater. And adorable baby sweater. It's the pea-pod one from interweave. (I love interweave) I just stare at it because it is so cute.

Other than that nothing is really going on right now. I'm done house sitting, my cousins are back in Missouri and life is good. Much Love.