Unfurnished Brooklyn

Coretta

I'm ready for 2007

2006? Kinda strange so far. And I can't even believe January is almost up.

First off, to those of you who think I'm ignoring your emails: I'm not. I'd love to reply, but it's hard to do without a keyboard. Cheburashka-> juice-> keyboard-> aargh. So now it's like that scene in The Half Blood Prince when Harry was frozen under the invisible cloak and couldn't do anything while he watched that whole thing unfold? Yeah, just like that. (Whoa, I just geeked out there.) I can read my email, and even check Bloglines, but I can't reply. Sucks.

I'll spend this weekend with my sister (full computer access! yeah!). Until then, I have to fight the kids for computer time at the library. And I'll fight a kid....

By the way- what does one do for a killer cough that won't go away? I'm avoiding seeing the doctor, but I'm thinking I should before I lose a lung. Which is not even all that funny, as my very young nephew is now in ICU with a collapsed lung (asthma. runs in the family. not fun). If it weren't for the humidifier I'd get no sleep at all.

I'm about to get booted. See ya when I see ya, peeps.

C-I-L-L My Landlord

As expected, I emerged victorious from the 5th circle of hell known as Housing Court. To quote the judge, "This should have been over with long ago. I don't even know why you're here." Amen, sister.

But what's even better is that Wednesday night we had a meeting in the building lobby; apparently someone got fed up and called a tenant's right organization and they're helping us set up a meeting with the landlord. I've been here almost four years and I've finally learned his name. I'm collecting the list of complaints for my floor and I'll be attending a meeting with the landlord and some local politicians. I have my own complaints about the building but others pointed out problems I was not aware of. Big ones.  Later that evening I went door-to-door handing out the complaint list and Cheb went with me (she also attended the meeting). She helped me translate, as my Russian kinda sucks. She's totally into this organizing thing.

Today Cheb had her school play. I almost missed her big moment: instead of getting the video camera ready the night before, I decided to set it up in the school lobby. I checked the battery, cued up where I wanted to start on the tape, and found a good seat. I started taping and got through the introduction and then saw TAPE END. Damn. Luckily, I grabbed a blank tape just before I left home. Only I couldn't remember how to eject the old one. I managed to figure it out and change the tape just in time to catch Cheb saying her Big Line. Whew. She would never let me hear the end of it if I'd missed that.

My cold is gone but for some reason my lungs are on fire. I dragged out the humidifier I forgot I had and that helps at night. If it continues I'll see the doctor on Monday. I'll leave you with this bit of advice: always ask someone you love before you put anything in your mouth. Don't believe me? Ask them. (Totally, completely work safe. And catchy.)

I shot the sheriff

But I didn't shoot the deputy.

I shot the sheriff. But I didn't shoot the deputy.

And I shot the sheriff. But I didn't shoot the deputy.

(Oh, come on. I'm not the only one who watched American Idol last night. Am I?)

Anyway. I'm feeling pretty silly today. Which is good, as I've been feeling kinda crappy lately and tomorrow I'll be at housing court duking it out with my landlord. (Which reminds me: someone left flyers calling for a tenant meeting in the lobby tonight but no one knows who called it. Should be interesting.) Also: today I had a really, really good job interview (which pretty much guarantees that I won't get the job) despite the fact that I spilled tomato juice on my interview clothes and had to completely change and the rain fucked up my hair so badly that I went into a wig shop and held a fake ponytail in my hand and seriously considered it and it may still happen since my hair is at this weird in-between length (in between what you ask? damned if I know) and you know what? I may have had too much coffee.

Another good thing: long-lost friends are popping up. And they have babies! Mwahahaha!

I love the Internets

Really. It brings the world together, it does.

Some of you may know that I have a strange fondness for the dancing banana emoticon. I don't know why- I just do. Last night Saturday night* I'm on my way to meet some friends at the Brooklyn Museum for the First Saturday** shindig, and I get this stupid song in my head. I saw it on Family Guy (I love that show); one of the characters dresses up in a banana costume and sings "It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!" Cracks me up.

So I was asked where that song came from (I was singing it all night), and decided to look it up on my old pal Internets: turns out that's it's from an old Internet craze where someone took an actual song (yes, someone wrote the lyrics "peanut butter jelly with a baseball bat") and combined that with the dancing banana. How did I miss that? You can see the original dancing 'nana here. If you're at work, you might want to turn the sound down.

* I wrote this on Sunday and somehow never posted it. Crazy week. And today I'm sick. I'll spend the whole day snuggled up on the couch watching crappy daytime tv. It's chicken soup and mint tea time!

** The free First Saturday events at the Brooklyn Museum are tons of fun. Check it out if you can- and bring the kids! Or not, so you can drink and whoop it up on the dance floor. Or do both. It's possible.

How ya gonna keep'em down on the farm...

...after they've won the OTBKB Award for Best Brooklyn Knitting Blog with a Great Logo?

I dunno. But hey- lookit! As much as I'd like to take full credit, the logo was actually designed by Missa over yonder at Midnight Knitter. Check out her other banners. But I managed to actually get it onto the site despite being a techno-moron, so that's something right?

I am the god of hellfire

I've been wanting to say that all day. Never got the opportunity.

I have the first FO of 2006! I don't care if I started in this December- fresh for '06, suckas!

The Bed & Breakfast pullover, modeled by Cheburashka because I didn't block it and the ribbing pulls in and exposes the fact that getting rid of this belly should have been my resolution for this year, knit in- wait for it- Lion Brand Wool-Ease. Told ya I was tearing through the stash, people. I'm finding yarn I didn't even know I had.

Forgive the craptacular photo; the yarn is kind of a heathery oatmeal thing. With a chestnut contrast. The ball bands are long gone- I've had this yarn at least 4 years. I used 6 skeins and a #7 needle to make the 41" size. It could've ended quite badly... but I didn't want a roomy sweater.

Here are the colors, from the Lion brand website.

You're gonna run right out and get it, aren't you?

The pattern was easy enough to follow, once you get past the first few rows. I nearly didn't, and kept ripping back. But once you get to the main cable repeats it goes pretty quickly and after a while you don't even need to look at the chart. I ran into a problem at the neckline and it seemed that the numbers were off (could've been me), but I got past it. I just didn't cable at the neckline, and kept working the pattern straight.

And I finally did something so simple, something every knitting book tells you to do: bound off with a larger needle. Makes quite a bit of difference, esp. since I'm one to bind off too tightly.

What's up next? I made a hat yesterday, based on something I saw in a local shop. I felted it, but it didn't shrink enough so I need to try again tomorrow (but so far it looks okay). I also have an idea for an original hat that I've been kicking around; now that all the gift knitting is done I can focus on ME ME ME. (Some family members may be surprised to hear that: I was hella drunk a wee bit tipsy at Christmas and at one point offered to knit a hat for everyone in the room. Hopefully they were all equally soused and no one will remember.*) I also want to start the jacket on the cover of Interweave.

*Hopefully they will forget all the silly things I said: "Wow- they look alike!" (About twins) "They're so wiggly!" (About the 6 month old twins) "She's so grandpatherly." (About my sister) All this after only two drinks. I'm such a lightweight.