Kimi Land

We've Moved

2005-05-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

No, not to Lexington. I have become fed up with blogger. I have tried posting multiple times in the last week, which results in nothing but error messages. Hopefully this one will go through.

Here is my new home:

Chef Messy

I (heart) Susan's Branching Out Scarf.

2005-05-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

Ah, it is so nice to be done with school. I forgot that life could be so relaxed. Life has been so chill, in fact, that I have had nothing to blog about. Actually, that's not really true, my camera has just been in my brother's car in Idaho, and I wanted to wait until I could show you pictures of what I've been doing!

KNITTING

Here is my latest finished project, Susan's Branching Out scarf from Knitty.

This is my cute mom, who has always looked like Barbie and been mistaken for my sister. The scarf was a Mother's Day gift. (Thanks for letting me post your mug on the internet, Mom!) Anyway, Susan's pattern is super-fun and fairly easy to knit up. I was quite surprised how quickly I was able to finish this. I used the Knit One Crochet Two Douceur et Soie recommended by her pattern on size 8 straights. She also told me at Stitch and Bitch that I might not want to use the whole ball, so I didn't. I think I did 30 repeats. Thanks again for the fun pattern, Susan! Mom loved it!

Currently, I am about 2 feet away from finishing the Fair Isle Jazz scarf from Scarf Style, so be expecting that FO soon. My goal is to finish it by the middle of next week. I'm also working on the Aggie scarf, which has a sad story to go along with it, and a sweater for Matthew, which from the looks of it, he will be able to wear when he's 5.

SCRAPBOOKING

I have also, for the first time since Christmas, had time to scrapbook! I am finding that I am 3 times slower than I used to be, and less patient with the details. This could be due to the fact that Matthew has to "help." So, either he's helping, or I'm doing it at midnight. Hopefully I'll get it back. At least I'm getting it worked on. Here's my latest layout:

LAW SCHOOL

Thanks, everyone, for your input on the law school decision. I wish I could say we had a clue what we're going to do. We are not good with decisions. Here's an example of how decision-making goes at our house: Last night, we decided to go out to eat.

Kimi: Where do you want to go?

Ryan: I don't know, where do you want to go?

Kimi: I don't know, what sounds good?

Ryan: Hmmm....I don't really know. Should we just drive around until we pass something that sounds ok?

Kimi: OK

On the 5th trip from one end of Logan to the other, we MIGHT finally pick a restaurant. But usually it's the 6th! So, you can just imagine how well we're doing trying to decide between BYU and Washington and Lee. Another problem is that Ryan is still on waiting lists at 6 top-ten schools, and he has decided that he is just not content to settle for the places he's already accepted to, so he sees no point in deciding between the two (even though deposit deadlines are coming up) until he knows for sure that he's not going to get accepted somewhere else. So, maybe the week before school we'll decide, or something!

OTHER STUFF

iTune of the week: Anyone who downloads MP3s needs to check out Ryan Adams' cover of Wonderwall. No seriously. Go do it.

Cooking: I slacked off on cookbook of the month, but there is one. I will blog about cooking on Sunday.

2 Things Worth Blogging About

2005-05-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

Number 1 Thing:

8 years after graduating from high school, I am FINALLY finished with college! Whoohoo!

The girl next to me in the procession asked me what I plan to do now that I'm finished. Maybe it makes me a complete loser that I have no plans, but I have really enjoyed these last couple of weeks of having nowhere to go and nothing to do. Matthew and I have played at the park, watched movies, visited relatives and friends, and just played. And my house, for the first time in months, is clean. And I'm not even exhausted. And we have not resorted to fast food even once in the last two weeks.

While we were visiting one of my favorite professors the week before graduation, he was trying to convince me that I ought to think about applying for law school, or maybe a master's program. I told him, "You know, I just don't have the desire to write another paper or open another book again for a really long time!" He looked completely crushed, like he had completely failed. I laughed and explained that it was not his fault. I just am not the academic type! I also think it will probably be a full-time job making sure Ryan stays sane during law school. But truthfully, I wonder how long I will be able to stay away. I have never known life without school! Ryan says he's going to laugh when, in six months, I start writing research papers just for fun.

And the other thing: Something worth graduating for:

A graduation gift from Ryan. 20G of fun. Had I known I was going to get an iPod, I would have tried to graduate much sooner!

All you happy people scare me.

2005-05-05T21:35:00.000-07:00

I had to check this out after seeing it on Isela's blog. Apparently, I am a Goth sheep.

Which flock do you follow?

this quiz was made by alanna

"You are a -
Goth Sheep!
Black is the new black, don't you know. All you happy people scare me."

Not what I was expecting, though I do love black...

Oh, and Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone!

10 Reasons to Move to Lexington

2005-05-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

Maybe this is evil of me, but after some research on the city of Lexington, VA, I almost HOPE Ryan's other waitlist schools don't call...

1. It's not Provo.
2. Lexington looks like this:

3. We could rent a 2-story house in the woods with wood floors, a loft, and a huge deck for what we are paying for our apartment right now.
4. Bike trails. Lots of bike trails.
5. Movies in the park, free Friday concerts, and a surprisingly great arts scene.
6. As far as one of my relative's previous accusation goes about how I will have to Internet-shop for the entire 3 years of law school, Lexington is approximately:
2 hours from D.C. (Nope, no shopping there)
5 hours from NY (Don't even get me started)
45 minutes from the nearest Target
2 hours from IKEA
7. And Lexington is also only 2 1/2 hours from the beach.
8. Has anyone seen Sommersby (which was filmed in Lexington, and the only change that had to be made was to add dirt to the paved roads)? If you have seen it lately, I probably don't need to say any more.
9. This chocolate store.
10. The obvious reasons: law school ranking, scholarship, all that good stuff...

Academic Apathy

2005-04-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

Is it bad that I'm doing the happy dance, even after getting a C- on my VERY LAST FINAL?!?!?! Wahoo!!!

End of Semester Desperation

2005-04-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I'm in the line at the grocery store, talking to my mom on the phone, purchasing my NyQuil, a magazine, and a bunch of bananas. And I can't help but noticing the guy in front of me keeps looking back at me, smiling, and pointing at my stuff. I'm thinking he must be annoyed that I haven't put down the little bar that separates his groceries from my groceries. I get nervous, hang up my phone, put the little bar down and I say, in my froggy bronchitis voice (yes, it seems to strike me at finals week every semester)"Sorry, you probably don't really want to pay for my NyQuil."

He responds, "Hey, I'd be happy to buy you some NyQuil...I was just thinking that there are a lot better ways to self-medicate."

Then I notice that he is buying nothing but beer, and, still nervous, I respond, "Yes, that's probably true..." You have to realize I have not flirted, even harmlessly, with a single guy since I started dating my husband back in 2001, so I'm seriously lacking in flirtatious skills.

At this point, you must prepare yourself for one of the worst pick-up lines I have heard in my time on the planet...

He says, "You sound beyond the possibility of being helped by NyQuil. Maybe you just need someone to come over and take care of you for a while..."

My first thought, after the initial disbelief at the lameness of what he has just said, is, "Idiot! Can't you see I'm wearing a...a...crap, I'm not wearing my wedding ring." I mean this guy was cute, but whatever happened to subtle flirting? Feeling stupid for both the guy and myself, (I mean, how could he possibly know that I'm married and buying bananas not for myself but for my toddler's breakfast) I smile and start nervously thumping my fingers on the counter in front of me, relieved that he has to turn his attention to the cashier to pay for his beer. She is apparently his friend, and they get into a conversation about how having a USU card can save you 5% at Smith's Marketplace, and whether or not he would like to come hang out at her end of semester Rocky marathon, which he declines, explaining, after glancing back to see if I'm paying attention to him, that he may have other plans for the night.....

When he starts loitering at the end of the counter while I pay for my groceries, I start to panick. Its not like I can say, "Hey, stop flirting with me, I'm married." Because what if he wasn't flirting, but just being friendly? Or worse, just talking just to be talking?

I start to leave, and he says, "Hey, you're sick, I can carry that for you if you want." What? My 2 pounds of bananas and my Nyquil? Do I look like that feeble? Am I going to die?

I thank him and tell him, "No, that's ok, I think I can fend for myself. . . .Well, See ya...."

The funniest part to me about this story is that I looked like complete crap because I had pulled an all nighter the night before. There I am, with no makeup, in yoga pants and my USU sweatshirt, my hair falling out of a ponytail, red eyes, in all my full finals week glory.

Do you think maybe college guys just get desperate for action at the end of the semester?

Ryan, when I told him this story when I got home, laughed, but seemed oddly proud.

Happy Day

2005-04-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

I just finished the last big paper I will ever have to write at USU. You have NO idea how happy I am about this. The best part is that I didn't start it until last night, and I finished it four hours before the deadline. All 20 pages. What can I say, I work well under pressure. I really should become a journalist or something...

In other news, just after I posted the final law school update, Ryan got his first waitlist acceptance. (Wahoo!) So now, we can add Washington and Lee to the to-consider list. Not only did they accept him, they offered him a half-tuition scholarship, which I thought was weird since they didn't initially accept him. They must of got word about how freakin' hot he is...

Anyway, even though it would end up costing quite a bit more than BYU, its also ranked about 19 spots higher. So, what can anyone tell me about Lexington. Of the people we know who know anything about it, there seem to be two camps of thought. One, those who claim it is the best small town in the U.S., and two, those who exclaim, "Uggh, it is out in the BOONIES!" and then ask me how about how I feel about doing all my shopping via internet (This, for me, might be a good thing. I am much more restrained when it comes to internet shopping).

Boonieville or no, I think I would be happy just to get out of Utah. It's not that I don't like Utah, I just am ready for a change, for an adventure. But I'm just not sure how much adventure can really exist in a town of less than 3,000 people. But I hear it has great bike trails! And they have movies in the park! And, FYI, Sommersby was filmed there (the only change they had to make to the town to make it look like the 1800s was to add dirt to the street!). Anyway, I will keep you updated as to what we decide, but if anyone has the inside scoop on Lexington, PLEASE fill me in!

No more stalking the mail man.

2005-04-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

I have exciting news. After MONTHS of waiting, we can finally stop being mailbox vigilantes. Of the 22 law schools Ryan applied to, all 22 have FINALLY responded!

Here is where we are at right now, along with the school rankings:

Acceptances:
George Washington-20
Washington University in St. Louis-20 (+Scholarship)
BYU-34 (+Scholarship)
University of Utah-47 (+Scholarship)
Southern Methodist University-47 (+Scholarship)
Indiana University-40 (+Scholarship)
Temple-? (around 50, I think) (+Scholarship)

Rejections:
NYU-5
Columbia University-4
Duke-10
University of Texas--Austin-15
UCLA-16

Wait-lists:
University of Chicago-6
University of Michigan-7
University of Pennsylvania-7
University of Virginia-9
Northwestern-10
Georgetown-14
Vanderbilt-17
Washington & Lee-23
College of William & Mary-29

There is one school I can't account for, but I can't remember for the life of me what it is. But anyway, there you go. So, phase one of waiting around to find out where we're at in life is OVER! I can stop stalking the mailman.

Now begins the fun part: Phase 2, the wait-lists. The problem with wait-lists is that they can call Ryan anytime from now until the first few weeks AFTER school starts! So, now we become telephone vigilantes. True story: we know someone who, on a gamble, started attending NYU, where he was on a waiting list, instead of the school he was accepted to. The third week, he got in! I told Ryan not to get any ideas...

At this point, I think Ryan is leaning towards BYU, just because it's too good a deal to turn down (he'd pay less than he's been paying at USU for his undergrad). But I think if he's accepted off almost any of the waitlists he's on, that's where we will go (6 of the 9 are top ten schools). Which means our odds of living in Provo are probably pretty slim. This is, of course, a good thing and a bad thing.

Anyway, that's my big news for the day. Now, I'm off to finish my term paper, which is due in less than 20 hours, and I have only written 2 of the 20 pages required. Some day I will learn to stop procrastinating.

This is how I feel about finals...

2005-04-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

Actually, this is how I feel about finals, term papers, research, and school in general. Someday I will have a life again...

Love is in the air at the Hogle Zoo...

2005-04-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, we took Matthew on his first trip to the zoo, where we attempted to keep him from seeing this:

and in the cage next door, at the very same moment in time, Meerkats in love:

Apparently there is some spring fever going on in that zoo. I'm sure you all really appreciate that I shared that with you...

In another fit of weekend madness, I came home with this:

In my defense, this wasn't just a mad case of stash enhancement. This is all for specific projects. Most importantly, the Aggie scarf, pictured at bottom right. You think that will be manly enough for an old guy?

And I also accomplished some cooking. The weekend pick from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook comes from the appetizer section: Hummus, on page 46.

This recipe is SO easy to make. It involves dumping ingredients into a food processor and turning it on. We made it as an appetizer for homemade pizza. To be honest, it turned out too salty, too garlicky, and too strong in general for my taste. However, not wanting a perfectly good bowl of hummus to go to waste, I decided to monkey with it a bit. 1 tsp. of sugar (I have no idea why this works when salt is involved, but it does) and a bit of olive oil later, the hummus was quite tasty. I also served it with some chopped tomotoes (the first really red ones I've seen yet this year), which really makes it tasty. And again, this is better after sitting in the fridge a day or so. The flavors seem to settle down a little bit.
The recipe:

Hummus

2 cups chickpeas, liquid drained (reserve 2 Tbs.)
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt (I used finely ground sea salt, but that could be why it ended up too salty)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
6 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons--please don't use that nasty faky juice!)
2 Tbs. liquid from chickpeas (or water, if you dumped the liquid, as I did)
8 dashes Tabasco sauce

Put all ingredients in food processor fitted with steel blade and process until hummus is coarsely pureed.

Makes 2 cups.
Enjoy!

The next recipe I will try is the coconut cupcakes, pg. 175.

Flower Power

2005-04-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

KNITTING STUFF:

My friend Miriam told me I should have little side projects for when I get sick of the sweater I'm working on. Well, as you can see, I'm making a lot of progress on these side projects, and not much progress on the sweater. Currently, I have five projects going, plus two more that are going to be started in the next couple of days (Hey, I have to start some graduation gifts!). I think I may have caught Margene's Startitis!

Here is my latest little project. It is a washcloth from Weekend Knitting, accompanied by my little bathroom duck, Pato Otimista (yes that is his real Lladro name).

I used the recommended Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille, which isn't fun to knit with because it has zero stretch to it, but feels nice when it's finished. This is possibly going to be a gift for a family member.

Other projects currently on the needles:
The Om Yoga Mat Bag, which just needs put together.
Super Mittens, missing one thumb.
A sweater for my toddler.
Lucky wrap sweater for me.
Mini socks, also for my toddler.

And today I shall get what I need to make Susan's branching out scarf, an Aggie scarf which will be a graduation gift, and the Fair Isle Jazz Scarf from Scarf Style, which is supposed to be a gift, but probably I will just end up keeping it.

BLOGGING STUFF:

I have added a few new links. I have two new knitting links to fellow Loganites, gracias a Miriam. I've also added Shanda World, the brand new blog of my cute little 13-year-old sister. She's going to hate it that I called her little. Shanda, even though you are entering high school, you will always be my baby sister.

COOKING STUFF:
I am really liking the Barefoot Contessa cookbook. Along with some great recipes, there are tips in the margins to make things easier and point you in the direction of great sources for different types of food. I also love Ina Garten's introduction to each chapter and her chapter on the importance of using really good, fresh ingredients, which can be tricky to find, but are really worth it.

As promised, the Filet of Beef Bourguignon (recipe follows) review:

I had to borrow the pic right out of the cookbook because mine just didn't turn out so pretty. (The tasty food in my kitchen is rarely pretty.) I chose this recipe because the boys at my house like beef, and this did not disappoint. I used some nice beef ribs, as my grocery store did not have a good filet, and it still turned out alright. I also wanted my beef a little more well-done than the recipe calls for so that I could feed it to the little person.

In my opinion, there are three things that make this recipe good: The sauce, which HAS to have the fresh thyme and the wine(Some of my more conservative bloggie readers might balk at this, but I promise the alcohol cooks out!), the bacon, and the pearl onions (I don't know why, they were just tasty with the sauce). And I would definitely serve this with some boiled red potatoes (I got some from my dad's farm). I also served some crusty artisan bread from my local bakery. By the way, you may want to have extra beef stock on hand (mine thickened up a little to quickly). Also, this dish is tastier the second day after the sauce absorbs a bit, so make extras and have leftovers.

Here is the recipe:
Filet of Beef Bourguignon

1 3-pound filet of beef, trimmed
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3-4 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 pound bacon, diced
1 1/2 cups dry red wine (Burgundy or Chianti)
2 cups beef stock
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1 sprig fresh thyme (I actually used two because I really like thyme)
1/2 pound pearl onions
8-10 carrots, cut diagonally into 1-inch thick slices
3 Tbs. unsalted butter at room temp.
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms

Cut filet crosswise into 1-inch thick slices. Salt and pepper on both sides. Saute over medium-high heat with oil until browned on outside and very rare inside, about 2-3 minutes each side. Remove from pan and set aside on platter.

In same pan, saute bacon over medium-low for 5 minutes, until browned and crisp. Remove the bacon and set aside. Drain all fat but 2 Tbs. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.

Deglaze pan with red wine and cook over high heat for 1 minute, scraping bottom of pan. Add beef stock, tomato paste, thyme, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Bring to boil and cook uncovered over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Strain sauce and return it to pan. Add onions and carrots and simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes, until sauce is reduced and veggies are cooked.

With a fork, mash 2 Tbs. butter and flour into a paste and whisk it gently into the sauce. Simmer for 2 more minutes to thicken.

Saute mushrooms separately in 1 Tbs. butter and 1 Tbs. oil for about 10 minutes, until browned and tender.

Add beef slices, mushrooms, and bacon to pan with veggies and sauce. Cover and reheat for 5 minutes until heated through. Do NOT overcook. Season to taste and serve immediately.

Serves 6-8

Yippee. I have socks.

2005-04-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

It's official. I am a sock knitter. I am the proud new owner of these happy stripy things:

The striping ended up slightly different. I knew it was a good idea to start each sock with the same color, but I did not realize that it was important to pay attention to the LENGTH of the color until I started the second sock (I didn't want to waste all the yarn until the next green section, either). I thought that it was more important for them to be the same size, which is why one toe has more green than the other. Oh well, knowledge for next time...

Oh yeah, and they were knit on size 2 dpns, from a basic sock pattern I borrowed from one of the Logan Knitter's Night ladies, out of Fortissima Socka Colori yarn in...um...some nice colors.

The Cookbook club:
Don't worry, you don't have to buy a book. I will pick one or two recipes a week and share them and then let you know how they turned out at our house. That way you can decide if you want the cookbook or not. And if you have it, you can play along. This week, I pick Filet of Beef Bourguignon on Page 123, because the boys at my house are beefeaters. I will let you know how it goes.

In other news, I would just like to share that I have recently joined weight watchers. At the end of week 1, I am down 1.5 pounds. If I keep this up, I shall be at fighting weight by somewhere in the middle of swimsuit season.

And notice that I now have links! Is it pathetic that I had to ask an 11-year-old boy how to do this?

Kim's Cookbook Club.

2005-04-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

Since, in blogland, many people have WIP of the week, or Fashiony post of the week, or Book of the month, etc., I am starting to feel left out. I do not knit fast enough to have WIP of the week, or read enough to have a book club, nor do I know a thing about fashion. But cooking...now that's something I do every day. And I seem to be acquiring a ridiculous amount of cookbooks. So, I am going to have my very own Cookbook of the Month club. This month will be The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, which I just bought last week.

I will explain how this will work tomorrow, for all 3 of you which read my blog.

Have a nice day!

The Road Trip Academy Awards

2005-04-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, it has been two weeks since I promised this post! Forgive me, besides being sick, I have had two horrible awful Spanish exams and lots of other school stuff. (I can't even tell you how bad I have senioritis right now!) And then there's the law-school decision-making fun, which I won't even get into today.

But I will post all my favorite things I saw in Texas! Here are my Texas Road Trip Awards and Statistics:

Days: 5 1/2
Miles added to José (our Honda): 4,000
Major cities covered: Dallas, Austin, and Roswell, NM
Time it took to get there: 23 hours there, 27 back (due to Roswell detour)
Most essential road trip item: Sirius Satellite Radio (I will NEVER, EVER travel without it!)

Ugliest part of drive: New Mexico

Prettiest part of drive: Texas Hill Country (Austin to Fredericksburg. You can buy fresh peach cider along the roadside. I was driving, so there are no pics, but it is featured in this month's Cottage Living.)

Funniest thing I saw the whole trip:

Better watch out...apparently Jesus is watching you somewhere in New Mexico.

Also slightly funny: New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, where Ryan went to High School. (Roswell, in itself, is a funny place. I was bummed we didn't have time for the alien museum.)
Ryan has the record at NMMI for marching the most hours (marching is the NMMI equivalent of detention) without being expelled.
Average marching hours: 15
Average student kicked out at 80 hours.
Ryan's hours: 208
Somewhere inside my practical, responsible guy there is indeed a wild side.

Best place to escape Logan winter (I should mention that it is snowing TODAY! That would make this our 7th month with snow):
Dallas Arboretum
Where you can see these flowers:

and this cute little cottage:

Best shopping: Dallas
Best thrift-store shopping: Austin

Best music festival in the West which we just happened to show up for: SXSW Austin
Bands playing at SXSW that we tried to see: Kings of Convenience, Ed Harcourt, Phoenix, a couple british bands that I don't remember their names, some EMO bands...
SXSW concerts that we actually got into: 0
Local wannabe bands playing the same night that we got to see: 3
Local wannabe bands that were actually good: 2

Biggest yarn store: This place in Austin on Congress:

This place had 6 rooms just like this one. I just fondled the yarn. I didn't actually buy anything.

Best city slogan: "Keep Austin Weird" (And yes, it is weird, but kindof cool)

Pinkest State Capital: Austin

Best bakery: Doughmonkey Dallas

The desserts might even be better than the name:

Best restaurant: La Duni, Highland Park, TX

Best thing I have ever eaten in my whole entire life:

At La Duni. I want to eat this right before I die. I would move to Dallas just for this cake. I'm not exaggerating. I would pay thousands of dollars for this recipe, and then I would cook it for every birthday for the rest of my life. And then I would eat it right before I die. Maybe we will have to make another trip....

Best food in general: Dallas (though it might help that I have a major foodie for a brother-in-law. This is a guy who waited on a 6-month waiting list at a restaurant in San Francisco and then made a special trip just to eat there when his name finally came up. If we move to Dallas, he will be my new best friend.)

Biggest caves: Carlsbad Caverns

Note the road trip hat, started in New Mexico on the way there and finished in New Mexico on the way home.

Family member most traumatized by separation: Kimi, who called home 5 times a day.
Family member least traumatized by separation: Matthew, who barely noticed we were gone. (Matthew, couldn't you have missed me just a LITTLE? Oh well, I'm glad he's independent!)

Place were maps do not correspond to actual roads: Navajo Indian Reservation

Prettiest Law School campus: Southern Methodist University (Ryan is accepted there with a 3/4 tuition scholarship. However, since we went to Dallas, SMU dropped into the second tier rankings, which means we probably won't go there, pretty or no.)

Not-so-pretty Law School campus: UT Austin (who sent Ryan a rejection 2 days after we got home anyway) which is decorated in lovely shades of pumpkin and avocado green.

Funniest knitting conversation overheard in biggest concert line at SXSW:
Good-looking young man: Hey, wow your sweater turned out great.
Good-looking young man with girlfriend: Thank you! I just blocked it yesterday. Did you finish the scarf in time for your sister's birthday?
Good-looking young man: No, but I decided to give her the one I finished last week anyway.
Good-looking young man with girlfriend: Oh, the grey alpaca?
Good-looking young man: Yeah. I was going to keep it for myself but Sarah said it looked more girly.

This was right before the girl wearing the pink kittyville hat walked past (the SAME kittyville hat I knit on the road trip). I had heard knitting was the IN thing everywhere, but I really had no idea.

Bleggggghhhh. I want to die.

2005-03-23T15:03:00.000-08:00

I have a fever of 102 and don't feel like doing anything, including writing a blog of more than one sentence, so the Texas report will have to wait until tomorrow. Have a nice day.

Just when I thought every last spontaneous urge had been squashed....

2005-03-21T20:54:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, 6:00 p.m.: Ryan asks, "So, what do you think about moving to Texas?"

Kimi responds, "I don't really know. I've never been anywhere but the Houston airport. Maybe we should go see it."

Ryan asks, "Yeah maybe......when should we go?"

Kimi responds, "I dunno....how about today?"

7:00 p.m. Baby Monkey is dropped off with his grandma, and Kimi and Ryan set off on a grand adventure.

Monday, 9:30 p.m.: Kimi and Ryan return from grand adventure. Full details tomorrow. I am exhausted.

I hate her because she lives in Paris.

2005-03-16T08:57:00.000-08:00

This blog REALLY makes me want to move to France. It is holding a strange power over me.

Toothpick Knitting for the Non-Toothpick

2005-03-14T17:45:00.000-08:00

Here is one problem with visiting my mom in Idaho: Chocolate. Everywhere. Now why, you would ask, would I consider chocolate a problem? That is just the problem. I don't consider it at all. I just eat it. And eat it. And eat it. I have no willpower. Is it possible to be addicted to chocolate? I mean literally? I've been wondering. Anyway, because of this, plus the fact that I sit around the whole time I'm up there, I feel like a hippo. It's not so much that I have instantly become fatter (though it's not outside the realm of possibility). I just feel fatter. And yuckier. Somehow, despite the presence of disgusting amounts of chocolate and other yummy garbage for the hips, my mom somehow manages to stay the size of a toothpick. Uggh, it makes me sick. This means I'm going to have to start over on my get-healthy plan, which is pretty much what I do every Monday, but then it only lasts until Thursday.

In the latest knitting news, I finally picked a knitting project: A springy sweater (like the season, not like springy sproingy) called Lucky out of Stitch n' Bitch Nation. Maybe I am losing my mind because it is knit in clover lace pattern on size 2 needles with this skimpy little baby yarn (and keep in mind that I am not a seasoned pro and that this is only my 10th project), but I like it anyway. I just couldn't bear to think about chunky winter clothing any longer. I hope I don't hate it when it's finished, and I hope I won't be too fat by then to wear it. Due to the "toothpick knitting," as the salesperson at the Pocatello yarn store described what I have planned, you won't be seeing knitting news or pictures from me for a LONG time (except for a picture of a Yoga Mat bag, which just needs stitched together). After a weekend of knitting, I have 5 inches of sleeve done. Go me.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

I'm sure there is some mom out there who can appreciate this.

2005-03-08T07:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, upon finishing my blog, I turned around to find this:

Mr. Matthew, in the bedroom, with Black Pigment Ink.

The Crammin'

2005-03-07T12:32:00.000-08:00

I am chubby and borderline diabetic and really need to do something about it for reasons of both fashion/vanity and health. So, today is the beginning of Self Challenge Week 1. My sister and I both decided we would try it again this year. Week one involves 3 days of cardio (which I already did today!), 2 days of strength training, and eating 90% healthy food. so of course, yesterday had to involve lots of junk food (the crammin' before the famine, as my sister called it). Part of the farewell to bad food involved this recipe (I'm sure this will do wonders for the blood sugar!):

Gateau Breton

Glaze:
1 tsp. egg yolk, from your 6 (see below)
1 Tbs. water

Cake:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. sugar
1 cup plus 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into cubes
6 large egg yolks
10-inch springform pan, buttered well

Preheat oven to 375. Mix glaze and set aside.
Put flour into bowl of free standing mixer, stir in sugar, add butter and egg yolks. Blend with dough-hook attachment intil dough is smooth and golden. Scoop dough into pan and smooth top with floured hand (dough will be sticky). Brush cake with glaze and mark a lattice design on top with prongs of fork. Bake for 15 minutes, turn oven down to 350, and bake for another 25 minutes until top is golden and cake is firm to the touch. Cool completely before serving. Serves 8-10.

It has become one of my favorites because it is super-simple to cook. It is also a lot more subtle than a lot of sweets. Not so gooey and sugary. And I can have it with tea and pretend to be English classy.

Just for your info, the recipe is from this cookbook, which I had to have not just because of my baking obsession, but also because of the great name:

Enjoy.

Oregon Tote FO

2005-03-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

Well, it's true. Felting will hide all of your screw-ups. Here is the finished Oregon Tote, (in Brown Sheep Bulky LP Spice and Sunwashed Gold, or something like that, to answer Shannon's question) which I am happy about because I now have something besides a grocery bag to pack projects in. It's shorter and fatter than the sample I saw at Black Sheep, for some reason, but it will serve its purpose.

And also, because I never bothered to post the pic, the Sparkle Hat, with no sparkles, because I'd feel silly wearing anything with sparkles. Matthew is a cuter model than I am, but the hat is mine.

My mom has just informed me that the ballet wrap will indeed make me look fat. This has inspired me to do 2 things:

1. Self Challenge 2005 (I swear I start this every year.)
2. Pick a different project (indecision, indecision...)

And to answer yesterday's question, the book nearest my computer is How Democratic is the American Constitution, by Robert A. Dahl, which I am reading because I have to. I am taking a democracy theory class from Federal Judge Ted Stewart, which is interesting, but would be a lot more fun if I knew more about political theory and less about foreign policy.

Book Meme

2005-03-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

Just a funny little addition for the day, passed along by a friend:

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't search around and look for the "coolest" book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.

"But two questions immediately arise. First, is political equality a realistic goal? Second, is it really a desirable goal?"

And yes, this is actually a book I am reading. Can anyone guess what it is or why I'm reading it?

Nice Knitters

2005-03-01T09:35:00.000-08:00

I have discovered one nice thing about blogging about knitting. There are always wonderful helpful souls like Susan and Margene around to help you out, answer your probably-silly beginner's questions, and help you feel at ease about whatever mistakes you may have made. Thank you, experienced knitter/bloggers. Today is Margene's one year blog-o-versary, so pop on over and wish her a Happy Blogday.

The lovely group of Utah knitters/bloggers makes me wish I could go to SnB more often. (It's a 1 1/2 hour drive for me). I have missed two weeks in a row, which makes me sad because they are a fun bunch.

The Oregon Tote is almost finished. I just bound off one row of knit cord and have 2 more to go, plus the straps. In an attempt to break away from my pattern of finishing projects in book-order due to indecision, I think my next project will be the ballet wrap on the cover of Interweave Knits, which I really hope will not make me look fat. Am I getting in over my head? Maybe. Sweaters intimidate me, but I figure I can always frog it if it ends up in disaster.

Lazy, lazy, lazy.

2005-02-27T22:19:00.000-08:00

I have just spent a completely unproductive, relaxing weekend at my Mom & Dad's house in Idaho. Not everyone can say that they have relaxing weekends at their parent's house. I, on the other hand, have a toddler who likes his Grandpa more than he likes me:

This means said toddler does not want to have a thing to do with me or anyone else besides Grandpa the whole time we are in Idaho. This equates to lots of time to knit, read, make cards, waste time. Today I was a complete, lazy slug. I stayed in my jammies until noon. Ah, I love it!

Knitting news, in which Kimi explains that she is not a complete waste of skin: While at my Mom's, I finished a hat and more than half of my Oregon Tote, which is coming along nicely, I think, except for that I'm second guessing my contrast color. Do you think light orange goes ok with red? I'm so color challenged. For that matter, I am also double pointed knitting challenged. I had read it was like "wrestling with an octopus," but jeez, I had no idea! After ripping out the whole thing several times (my tension was so tight that it would have looked like I had some kind of growth coming out of my head) I got the hang of it, I guess. The other thing I did not really enjoy: trying to figure out how to pick up stitches from a cast on edge. I really hope I did not completely screw it up. I guess I'll find out when it's all said and done. One way or another, I'm going to have to get someone more experienced than I to show me how to do this. Hopefully I will be able to go to SnB this week and can have someone help me not be dumb.

Unfortunately, I have not had time to take pictures, so the hat and half finished bag will have to wait. I have no idea what to work on next.

And, on a side note, tonight was the Oscars, and I was able to keep my track record of only missing one out of the major six categories (Clint Eastwood for Best Director...I predicted Scorsese). Ryan laughs at me that I even care about getting them right, since I don't particularly care about movies. What can I say, it's an odd obsession.

Just for fun: The checkbook cover I made this weekend. So cutesy, but I love it anyway:

Neglected Hobbies

2005-02-24T07:31:00.000-08:00

On occassion, I actually do something besides knit. Card Art:

Now maybe instead of knitting, card art, and blogging, I should clean my house.

Because I just took a test and really don't want to talk about it, 10 things making me happy today:

2005-02-23T10:41:00.000-08:00

1. I have new Demeter Cinnamon Buns Perfume from Anthropologie that I got for half off. (If I had a fortune, everything I own would come from Anthropologie.)
2. I weigh 2 pounds less than I did a week ago.
3. I'm getting new scrapbook supplies in the mail today.
4. My house is clean.
5. I have enough bright red yarn to make the Oregon Tote.
6. Ben's Cookies---Triple Chocolate. Yummmmmmm. (so much for those 2 pounds)
7. Ryan forgot his satellite radio so I get to listen to it all day.
8. There is sun in Cache Valley today. (We should throw a party.)
9. I get to go visit my mom tomorrow.
10. My piano is in tune (for the first time in MONTHS!) and I can finally get back to work on "Un Sospiro."

Because I'm still holding out for Chicago: The Windy City FO

2005-02-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

Well, the good news and the bad news:

Good news: Ryan got accepted to BYU law.

Bad news: Ryan got accepted to BYU law.

While I would be somewhat relieved to stay close to our families and would love to live in Salt Lake (I would rather have my eyelashes pulled out one by one than live in Provo...this is another topic...moving on...), I would also be extremely disappointed to not move somewhere fun (i.e. different, new, far away). Luckily, we are still waiting on 18 other schools. 19 if you count Northwestern, where Ryan is on the waiting list. I am still holding out for Chicago.

So, I present the Windy City scarf, which I finished on Saturday. The picture isn't the greatest, but you get the idea. Just in case you can't tell from the picture, this scarf has a hole in it. I'm learning new things every day.

Anyone who is familiar with the Stitch n' Bitch book may wonder why I am finishing the projects in order. This is because I have decision-making issues. For lack of knowing what to do next, I just do whatever comes next in the book. So my next WIP will be, of course, the Alien Illusion scarf, which I intended to start over the weekend, but then discovered I had bought the wrong yarn. This is the sucky part about living in Logan....no great yarn stores.

Hope everyone had a fabulous long weekend.

Musings on El Che.

2005-02-19T10:10:00.000-08:00

A conversation with my Uncle, a die-hard Pennsylvania conservative, circa September 2004:

Uncle: Your mom tells me you're writing your senior research paper on Che Guevara.

Kimi: That's right.

Uncle: Of all of the things you could study, why Che Guevara?

Kimi: Because I need to focus my paper on some aspect of Latin American foreign policy, because he's a fascinating character to me, and because my mother-in-law worked for the Barrientos regime and can give me a lot of interesting information that might not be in the books. (FYI, for those who may not know, Barrientos was the president over the Bolivian army who tracked Che down in Bolivia and executed him.)

Uncle: Well, you know who Che Guevara really was, right?

Kimi: Tell me uncle, who?

Uncle: He was just a spoiled, rich creep.

And so ended the first simplified description of Che Guevara that I've heard over the past six months. I love this uncle and I'm always amused by his cynicism. A later conversation:

Uncle: Did you hear that Robert Redford produced a movie about Che?

Kimi: Yep. I heard it was excellent. I'm dying to see it.

Uncle: You mean you're actually going to watch that communist crap?

Kimi: Absolutely.

And I did. Last night. The movie is called the Motorcycle Diaries.

I would recommend it to anyone even slightly interested in Latin America, Cold War politics, Che Guevara, or traveling in general. Now before anyone starts accusing me of being a red, let me say that I am not, as my uncle believes me to be, a die-hard Che fan (though it's certainly easy to understand how he and so many other South Americans came to hate the U.S. during the Cold War, I hate to admit). I don't believe him to be a Rebel-God, and I'll be the first to say that the man hardly lives up to the legend. However, I don't believe him to be the communist devil, either. As with most intriguing historical characters, you have to take the good with the bad. And I was happy to see a movie that, in my opinion, celebrated the true goodness of Che. In the legends of Che, both good and bad, the motorcycle journey through South America that formed his idealism is often mentioned only as an anecdote. You don't hear in foreign policy analysis that he gave up the last of his own medication to bring peace to a dying women, that while hungry and ill he gave his last $15 to a poor family who he believed to be worse off than he was, or that he was one of the few souls willing to bring kindness to a leper colony. You don't get to see "nice" Che.

To me, the real tragedy of Guevara's life was not his capture and execution, but the fact that somewhere along the line he lost his humanity. Here was a guy who in his youth was good, kindhearted, honest and only wanted to help others. At the end of his life, the only answer was coldblooded, violent revolution, and anyone who got in the way was to be viewed as an enemy to the cause and then executed.

Even more than the movie, I love this book, by Patrick Symmes:

The reason I so enjoyed Chasing Che is because it paints such an interesting picture of Latin America, and it's one of the least-biased books on Che I have found. Plus, it's an easy read. Back to the subject, it's writer asks the same question I have: When did people become the means and not the end? When did the revolution itself become more important than the people it was supposed to help? The whole time I watched this movie, I just kept thinking how unfortunate it was that a person with such great potential, humanity and kindess could turn into such a "creep."

Well, I'm sure the true die-hard Che fans would argue with my interpretation of his life, but in my opinion hatefulness is never the answer. Take it or leave it.

And by the way, my only issue with the film was the statement that the CIA had a hand in his death. I know the CIA has had their hand in a good number of skeevy deals, but this was definitely not one of them. Here's where my Bolivian-by-marriage nationalistic sentiment will shine through: Those Bolivians are no dummies, and even though they may have had some U.S. army training, it's important to note that there was not a single U.S. shot fired in the execution of Guevara (in fact, the CIA thought the execution was "stupid" because it would make Che a martyr, which it did. Even my favorite commy professor agrees. ). Don't ever mess with a Bolivian. Those guys are tough.

Well, that's enough Bolivian foreign policy for one day, right? Have a great Saturday.

Scialle Rustica

2005-02-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday before SnB I went yarn shopping at Black Sheep in SLC. I have an odd fascination with winding my yarn into center-pull balls (which is lame, because once I wind them, they're always too tight to pull from the center). I guess it reminds me of kittens, which I have begged for since I married Ryan but will never have because of his allergies. But who needs a kitten when you have one of these:

The black and the green will become an alien scarf for my brother (who got back together with Fluffy yesterday, by the way. Some break-up, huh?), and the purple yarn will go into the stash for later. My next WIP is the Windy City Scarf, which I'm making out of yarn (drum roll please) called Peace Fleece! I am going to call this yarn "rustic," which really just means it will probably be really itchy. But I couldn't resist because of the name and the gorgeous color combinations. Apparently the company helps with post-Cold War European development and helps historic enemies cooperate and prosper through trade, though I don't really know the details. One way or another, I can say I have a scarf made of Peace Fleece and can tell my liberal friends at USU that in my own small way I too am socially conscious and making an effort to contribute to global development.

Also, I did not have time to post this Wednesday, but Shanda's muppet scarf is completed (right on time too, because she has been very sick and is in need of a pick-me-up and this oughtta do it). If you are wondering why I have muppets on the brain, here are two reasons:

Yes, I live in a land of Elmo and Cheerios, and I love it.

A Poli Sci Tale

2005-02-17T10:20:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there was student called *Pretty Girl in Kimi's political science class. Pretty Girl was friends with *Vile Violet, who shall appear in later tales. Though Pretty Girl seemed like a not-so-nice person, Kimi decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, as pretty girls are often unfairly judged.

This changed one cold Wednesday evening when Kimi overheard Pretty Girl making not-so-nice comments to Vile Violet in the bathroom about several other students in the class, who had just given a well-spoken and well-researched (in Kimi's opinion) presentation on the political motivations of James Madison. "We are prettier and smarter than everyone in this class. How can they possibly appear intelligent or well-spoken compared to us? We are so much better than everyone, and our presentation will make them all look as stupid as they are" was the basic theme of Pretty Girl's not-so-nice comments.

Kimi pondered the not-so-niceness of what she had just heard on the way back to class. "Pretty girl must not be as intelligent as she thinks she is if she is making such comments in a public bathroom where other students may be lurking." Kimi reminded herself that she would graduate in May and would no longer be subjected to such lameness and breathed a sigh of relief.

Kimi's suspicions of said girl's not-so-niceness had just been confirmed, but one question still remained: Was she not-so-nice AND not-so-smart? Kimi looked at the floor to discover that Pretty Girl's pink Steve Madden platforms were ON THE WRONG FEET!

The moral of the story: If you're going to be snotty, you ought to make sure you have the brain cells to back it up.

The end.

*This story is based on true events. Names have been changed to protect the not-so-nice.

El Romantico Desesperado

2005-02-15T09:24:00.000-08:00

So, here's the story. My brother Logan has been dating this girl. We will call her Fluffy, since that is what my family calls her. I don't know how she came to be known as Fluffy, as she does not have fluffy hair or any such thing. Anyway, Fluffy broke up with Logan on Sunday, the day before Valentine's Day. Here's the thing: he was crushed, but I don't know if he was crushed because he had just been dumped, or because he had just spent $60 on groceries to cook Fluffy a romantic Valentine's fettuccine dinner. (A Ben Folds Five Song comes to mind: "Give me my money back, I want my money back, you @#*&!") Well, I can't heal a broken heart, but I can cook fettuccine alfredo. So, doing the only thing I could think of to help, I bought all his groceries from him and cooked Fluffy's romantic dinner for Ryan. It was suggested that I should not cook my valentine a tainted dinner, but I just figured our love could redeem the break-up fetuccine. All I have to say is that Fluffy should have waited a week or so. Fluffy missed out. Her loss:

And yes, even the candles and the flowers were his idea. Oh, my poor sad, cute, hopelessly romantic brother... He is available now, you know.

Here is Logan's Fettuccine Alfredo recipe, which wasn't half bad:

12 oz. uncooked Fettucine
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Cook pasta and drain. In small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; stir in cheese. Add cream. Blend well. Cook just until boiling and remove from heat. Stir in parsley. Toss hot pasta with sauce.

Shanda's muppet scarf is halfway finished. I will have to bring it to SnB tonight. Even though I never thought I would become a fan of hairy yarn, I have to admit I think I'm going to have to make one for myself.

Redneck Woman

2005-02-14T10:48:00.000-08:00

It's official. I am a white trash mom. After getting back into Logan last night at 1:00 a.m., I woke this morning to discover during the breakfast scramble that there was no milk in the house. So, as my child sat happily eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in his diaper, I poured him a sippycup full of Tang. I suppose it is a step up from Kool-Aid (barely). The evidence of my white-trashyness:

However, I will be redeemed as soon as anyone sees me in project #4, this completely lovely "Ribbed-For-Her-Pleasure" Scarf, knit in Brown Sheep Co's Lamb's Pride Bulky 80% wool 20% mohair scarf, which I finished yesterday. On the other hand, it sheds; if I leave the house without it, they'll probably just think I live with a big hairy dog that I don't clean up after. White trashyness everywhere. Oh well. Give me a big "hell, yeah".

The next WIP (I really need to figure out how to do those WIP progress bars I keep seeing everywhere!) is for my sister Shanda, which she will love because she's 13, and 13-year-olds always love weird things. It is called the "Coney Island Fireworks" scarf, but after knitting about a foot in this funny eyelash yarn, all I can think about is muppets.

And after that I'm going to make something for my sad little brother, who just got dumped by a girl who he was considering proposing to. More details on that sordid story later. I am not yet at liberty to divulge, not that anyone probably wants to hear about it anyway. Do you think he'd like an alien scarf? I'm also debating something Harry Potterish, as I just found this great site.

Since I will be all alone today having a big anti-Valentine's party with baby Matthew while Ryan is at school, I figure I will have lots of time to get some things done. Happy Heart Day!

Cabin Fever

2005-02-12T12:08:00.000-08:00

Every time I set foot out of my apartment all I can think about is that I wish we lived in Chicago. Or even Austin. Or anywhere civilized. It's not that I can't handle the cold, though four months of snow with two more to go can certainly leave a girl somewhat depressed. And it's not that I don't love the small country charm of Logan. But how can there be so little to do in a town, even a small one?

Last night we spent two hours trying to come up with something to do. Since winter started, we have seen every movie (both on video and in the theater) that we care to see, so movies were out. There were no sports events going on. As I was to the point of settling for a night in, Ryan started getting engrossed in "Oh my darling Clementine" on TV. This was not a matter of boredom or desperation, he just honestly likes those old lame cowboy shows. I, on the other hand, was bored but not that desperate. "I'll go get my coat. Let's see if we can find a restaurant we haven't tried out yet."

The amazing thing is, though Logan's got some decent dining options, we have hit EVERY SINGLE RESTAURANT IN TOWN over the last six months! I was dying for French food, or at least something different and unusual. We went to Quiznos and ate salad with fake blue cheese.

Next, the typical Friday night date: BORDERS. Here's how the conversation usually goes:

"What do you want to do now?"

"I don't know, what's still open?"

"Borders and WalMart."

And so we always end up at Borders. I have to laugh because every time we go to Borders, we always run into at least 4 or 5 people we know. We're not socialites. We don't know that many people! Apparently we are not the only citizens of Logan short on entertainment options.

Yesterday Lance Armstrong was on Oprah, which made me want to be out on my bike SO bad. I want to live in a city that is pedestrian-friendly, where you can take a stroller without worring about getting hit by some jacked-up truck or plowing it through a drift that hasn't been shovelled. And once I go out walking, I want there to be somewhere to walk TO! An aquarium, a museum, a coffeeshop with poetry readings, ANYTHING!

If anything can provide temporary relief for cabin fever, it's chocolate. (I'm such a foodie, you know?) Here is yesterday's to-die-for form of self-medication (gracias a Martha Stewart Living). These are called truffle cakes, but I prefer to think of them as Death by Chocolate. I do not even want to know how many calories are in these. Try some out. You can thank me later:

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE

5 Tbs. unsalted butter, plus more for muffin tin
1 Tbs. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
14 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (please do not even THINK about using ghetto-cheap chocolate for this!)
2 Tbs. sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 375. Butter 6-cup muffin tin and dust with flour.
2. Melt chocolate, butter, 1 Tbs. sugar in medium heatproof bowl over pan of simmering water; whisk occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool 3 to 5 minutes. Process eggs and remaining sugar in food processor until pale and doubled in volume, about 2 minutes. Sift flour and salt into egg mixture; pulse to combine. Add chocolate mixture 1/4 cup at a time; pulse each addition until combined, about 10 times. (Batter will be thick.)
3. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tin, filling cups three-quarters full; swirl tops with back of spoon. Bake until tops are springy to the touch, about 18 to 20 minutes. Immediately turn out onto wire racks; reinvert, and let cool.

P.S. These are best chilled or at room temperature. Don't worry that they're doughy. That's how they're supposed to be.

And just to prove I've been making good use of my cooped-up-in-the-house time, here's knitting project number 3, the kitschy kerchief, which I started and finished yesterday. I know it's simple, but I'm still trying to learn the basics. I think I made it a little too big. Would a felted kerchief be stupid? One way or another, it will be great to have after yoga class.

The End of Shopping.

2005-02-11T08:12:00.000-08:00

A thought from Ryan on knitting:

"You know, Kimi, now that you know how to sew AND knit, you could probably just MAKE all our clothes, and there's no reason to ever go to a mall again."

BWAHAHAHA. Don't I have a funny husband?

2005-02-09T11:22:00.000-08:00

This is me.

"Kimi, you should get a blog."

2005-02-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

That's what I keep hearing. I only recently discovered this whole blogging thing and have dabbled with the idea of getting one. The apprehension comes from not really knowing what to blog about. I don't think I could possibly limit myself to just blogging about photography, or knitting, or food, or any of the other things I so dearly love. Miriam, a knitting buddy I recently met who I already adore, says to just blog about random anything. So, welcome to my random anything blog.

Last night Miriam and I went to the Salt Lake City Stitch n' Bitch. This was my second week. I was happy to have someone to drive up with, and even though I don't know Miriam all that well yet and have no idea what she thinks of me, I can honestly say I had fun the whole hour and half drive up and back from SLC. Miriam tells me she is a weird girl and a bad member of her religion but I find her to be an extremely kind, thoughtful and normal (in her own fun, zany way, of course) person. I hope we will be friends.

Stitch n' Bitch is a hoot. They pride themselves on being "witty, opinionated feminists." I have met some charming funny ladies, though I always fear if they discover my conservative ways I will be booted out. I have studied political science at USU for the last 4 years, so I'm no dummy. Even though I have liberal professors who I dearly love and conservative ones who I really can't stand, I have my reasons for my right-wingness. However, I am horribly shy and never well-spoken. And I think that an outspoken liberal could probably eat me alive. Hopefully I will not be booted though. Thus far they seem like a friendly enough bunch.

Here is the thing about blogging. I am going to have to make a rule that I can't do it until my house is clean. And my homework is done. And my toddler is fed. As I was chatting about blogs with Ayla, Jessica and Kate last night, I predicted that if I got one, my toddler would starve, my husband would leave, I would flunk out of school (in my last semester, I might add), and at the end of it all I would have left would be a blog. Ayla's response was "But maybe you might get a following!" I had to laugh at that. With that said, I'm off to clean my house, and finish my homework, and feed my toddler.

The end.

Kimi