All work and no play makes Cori a sad panda

Not much new on the crafting front because I've been working on nothing but the flowers for my wedding. I'm getting close to being done, though. I have about two and a half bouquets left to make and five boutineers (which involves just one flower), so I'm almost done!!! YAY!!!!

Here's what I have done so far:

It's my little crocheted garden.

But I've decided to take a teeny break because of the upcoming holiday, "Hallowmas" (read previous entry for details).

I've managed to make a deal with a few people (who are also hurting for money) that we will not get eachother anything for Christmas (as all you traditional Christmasy people call it) and just enjoy eachother's company, the way it's supposed to be.

As for the rest of my peoples, I have no freakin' clue what to do. Except for one. And I don't think she will read this so it's probably okay to share. But just in case:

***WARNING FOR RACHEL SLISKO***

Do not read this or it will ruin the surprise!

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Ok, I think it's safe now.

She likes the show "Firefly" and the movie they made based off of it, "Serenity," and I just happened to find this:

It's a "Serenity Illusion Scarf"!!! Yay!!! Illusion scarves are awesome because if you just look at it straight on, it just looks like stripes, but if you look at it from the side (like on the picture), you can see a hidden picture. I made a similar one for myself with alien heads. Here's where you can find the pattern for the "Serenity Illusion Scarf":

http://docs.google.com/View?docid=ddc3xndf_0dz359fgx or

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=phP32_Qt6sw8SHZZf4lwcVw

It's nice to be able to knit for a change. I was starting to get crochet-ed out, if that's possible.

As for my sanity, it's starting to wear thin. I think I need to bake something. Maybe this weekend.

I'm having a hard time getting out of this lazy mode that I got into when Jess and I went to Arizona for Thanksgiving. The only thing I could work on out there was the illusion scarf, and I can only work on that for so long. It doesn't help that I'm not feeling really well right now. Oh well. It'll pass.

I was really glad I got to go this year. It's nice to be able to see family that you haven't seen in years. Jess and I have been together almost ten years and the only family on my Mom's side that he's gotten to meet (prior to Thanksgiving) was my Grandma and my Uncle Kent and Aunt Gail.

Here's Kent picking on me:

This time he got to meet two of my cousins, Josh and Shane, and my Uncle Curt. We both got to meet Shane's new wife, Roxanie (sometimes Shane calls her Roxie).

From left: Roxie, Curt, Shane, and Josh.

We had a lot of fun and ate a lot. Curt is hilarious and kept us all entertained. He's missing part of his pinky finger, so he's able to do this and make it look real:

My Dad took Jess and I to the Arboretum. It was beautiful there:

It was fun, but it's always good to come back home.

But it's hard to get out of that lazy mode. There is so much that I need to get done but all I want to do is play videogames and be lazy. Oh well, I get there eventually.

I better get some work done. Have a good day!!

Ten little things that make me happy today

Free Lunch – It’s only fair that I get a sandwich too, after the guys at my work forgot to tell me that they had this big meeting today and I had to scramble to get lunch for them.


People named “Kermit” – Seriously. I got a letter today at work from a man named “Kermit.” That’s awesome.


The thought of going to see my family – Jess and I are going to Arizona for Thanksgiving and he finally gets to meet some more of my Mom’s side of the family. My Uncle Curt will be there, my cousin Shane and his wife (whom I’ve never met), and possibly even my cousin Josh. Jess hasn’t met any of them yet and I'm excited!

Friends coming back from other states and distant countries – Yay friends! I've missed you!

Vetoing a money-induced Christmas that starts before Halloween is even over – That was ridiculous. It was the day before Halloween and some of the stores I went to were already taking down the Halloween stuff and putting up nothing but Christmas stuff. What the crap?!? So, Thanksgiving doesn’t even count anymore? There are still people who buy Halloween stuff the day before Halloween. I would be dorky enough to do that.
Because of this and the fact that the radio is already playing Christmas music (and because we are extremely broke), I am going to spend as little money as possible on Christmas decorations and paraphernalia and make my own. Plus, I don’t have to have Santas and reindeer and all the other overdone symbols of Christmas and just make spooky decorations so that Halloween is three months long instead. Ha! Take that Christmas!! But my “Hallow-mas” is awesome because you not only get candy, you get presents too!!!
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t like Christmas. It’s just that the stupid stores, radio stations, T.V. commercials and everything else that starts with the Christmas sh!t way too early have a tendency to ruin it for me. It’s overkill, and you know the only reason they make such a big deal about Christmas is so that we’ll spend more money. That’s not what Christmas should be about. Oh! I forgot about all the people in my family who are Scrooges and big downers and ruin the whole thing for me too. My family is not that big and the Scrooges outnumber the non-Scrooges. I think it’s probably because we don’t have any little ones in our family. It’s too bad that grownups need children around to get them in the holiday spirit.


Finding friends who share the same interests – The internet is an amazing thing. Without it, I would truly feel like an outcast. Who knew there were so many weirdoes out there just like me who love to create and make things out of paper, thread, paint, yarn, buttons, etc., who love to cook and bake like I do, who love all these obscure bands just like me, who know and love movies that not many people have heard of, and who still are a bit on the childish side. And oddly enough, a lot of them have birthdays in October too. Weird!



My kitty sleeping (and purring) at my side or in my lap– This is the first pet that's been mine and only mine. My other pets belonged to the whole family, not just me (well, technically, Sally belongs to Jesse too, but he's my other half, so it counts). I never knew how comforting it is to have a purring kitty at your side until I had one. It’s meditative, like knitting. She's so sweet and loving and mischievous and bratty, just like me ;)




New projects -Don't get me wrong, I love my current projects. But when it comes to crafting, I have a form of ADD. I am easily distracted, especially when I find a really cool pattern for a scarf or get it in my head that I need to play with sculpy right now! That would be why I have so many unfinished projects. *sigh*



Soup – I love soup. Especially Jesse’s homemade potato soup. It’s never the same every time he makes it. Sometimes it’s potato and leek soup, sometimes he uses sweet potatoes, sometimes he adds celery; but every time it’s scrumptious. With so many varieties, I could eat it for every meal and never get sick of it.


Ghost Hunters - I am addicted to that show now. I blame Brian. It just gives me more reason to believe in ghosts. Like I really needed one ;)

Not too tired to be inspired, but too lazy to do anything about it

There is The Westin Hotel across the street from my building at work. Occasionally, you will see naked people hanging out (literally) in their rooms. You would think that they would realize that there is a very large building across the street with windows, so someone can probably see them in their birthday suit. I guess they don't care.

The mood I am in today is just so wonderfully weird.

I read on a blog somewhere that there is a tag you can get online (as in "tag, your it!") where you grab the book that is closest to you, turn to page 28, and post the third paragraph on your blog. Sounds interesting. Of course, the closest book to me is "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Carroll because I am re-reading it for inspiration. Page 28, paragraph 3; here it goes:

"I'm sure I'm not Ada, " she said, "for her hair goes in such long ringlets, and mine doesn't go in ringlets at all; and I'm sure I can't be Mabel, for I know all sorts of things, and she, oh, she knows such a very little! Besides, she's she, and I'm I, and - oh dear, how puzzling it all is! I'll try if I know all the things I used to know. Let me see: four times five is twelve, and four times six is thirteen, and four times seven is - oh dear! I shall never get to twenty at that rate! However, the Multiplication - Table doesn't signify: let's try Geography. London is the capital of Paris, and Paris is the Capital of Rome, and Rome - no, that's all wrong, I'm certain! I must have been changed for Mabel! I'll try and say 'How doth the little - ' " and she crossed her hands on her lap, as if she were saying lessons, and began to repeat it, but her voice sounded hoarse and strange, and the words did not come the same as they used to do: -

Well, that's all of paragraph 3. But I bet you're curious as to what she was about to recite. Would you like to hear the rest? Okay, here you go:

"How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!

"How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in,
With gently smiling jaws!"

I love this book. It's full of nonsense. Yay!!!! Tag!! You're it!

Last night Jess and I went to his haunted house (he had the night off) and went through it with our friend John. He comes out here every October to work at the Asylum. He is leaving tomorrow to go back home to the U.K. so we wanted to hang out with him before he leaves.

We also went to another haunted house called Frightmare (where, incidentally, Jess used to work); I realized how much better the acting at the Asylum is than Frightmare. The guys at the Asylum (including Jess and John) emphasize the importance of the actor's performance and not just rely on props and weapons. Frightmare's setup was awesome, but (some of) the actors just seemed really lethargic. No energy; I didn't even pretend to be scared. No pity scream for you!

Afterwards, we went and saw "Quarantine" at the Promenade. I really shouldn't have stayed up that late, but the movie was awesome. I'm just really mad at the people who made the previews, though, because they showed a vital part in the freaking preview! You're not supposed to show too much. It gives the end of the movie away! Jerks!!

Now I am tired. And my mind is wandering.

Ah, crap! I just spilled water on myself.

When I woke up on Sunday morning, I was greeted by crepe paper streamers and balloons. Jess had stayed up late after working the haunted house to decorate for my birthday! He is irreplaceable. And I'm pretty lucky, even though sometimes I want to shoot him with my point-of-view gun (watch "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). It was very sweet, but the next day he was very sleep-deprived. Poor thing!

I only have two years till I am 30. I got up out of my chair a second ago to get some water and my hips and both knees popped all at once. I feel old.

Is it 5:00 yet? I really want to go home and take a nap.

I really, really despise the phone. I know that is horrible, considering I am a receptionist. But I don't care. All day long, the phone keeps ringing, usually while I am in the middle of something, and nine times out of ten it is some solicitor or person who hardly speaks any english and I can't understand a word they are saying. I wish I had a device that only allowed "real" calls to come through. It would save me so much trouble.

I have made (as in crocheted) quite a few friends and am anxious to make some more, possibly from my own designs. If they are popular at all, I will have to make quite a lot. I should make some for me as well, because I can't give them all away. I should probably make some scary ones, because Jess has said he doesn't want the wedding to be too girly. Hence, scary stuff. Of course, I have to admit that I don't find my little vampires that scary.


Argh!!! There goes the phone again.

I am so tempted to go in to the empty conference room and take a nap under the table. I wish I could, but I think I would be missed. Especially if the phone keeps ringing and I don't answer it. Meh.

It's 4:00!!! Tea time!!

I really feel like I should be doing something right now. But I don't really have a lot to do. Expect this stack of files to be proofed that Juli told me to take my time with. What's that you say? Don't worry about doing it right now? Go ahead and goof off on your blog? Well, Ok. If you insist. My job is so hard sometimes *giggle giggle* That is until the phone rings for the millionth time.