In which she gets incredibly busy ..

.. and copies the trend of people styling their post titles after Friend's episode titles. :) But hey, it works!

Anyway, yeah. It has been busy here at Casa Tygher. And yes, admittedly, a lot of it is because of Wolrd of Warcraft, but I have been knitting. I've finished the second pattern repetition of my candleflame shawl, and it's really beginning to look like more than a bundle of yarn. I'm also getting close to done with my second red scarf .. which is good, because I only have another 5 days or so to mail them off.

My pretty candleflame shawl on my lovely Destiny circulars. Ahhhh.

Oh, the delight of reading a psychology textbook.

Classes started on Wednesday though, and that is what's been taking up the rest of my time. I'm taking 18 credit hours, and I'm determined to keep the 4.0 I earned last semester. But the classes are more difficult and more reading this time around, so it's taking a lot more time from my day. As I type this I'm skimming through my Psychology reading for a first go-round, and trying to figure out what I need to remember for the exam, which is due next Friday. I also need to finish my Spanish work for the first chapter .. that's due Sunday. But that's much easier than all this reading. I also have to read the first chapters for Amercan Government and State & Local Government .. and several stories for my English class. Whee!

Everyone should go check out the photos of Comet McNaught on Spaceweather.com. I didn't get a chance to see the comet because .. well .. we were busy and such, but the photos are simply amazing.

They changed the program .. new journals! Yay! And ooh, they're bigger!

Oh. We're back at Weight Watchers, and I'm back On Program. I gained 8 pounds in the two months we weren't going, but I managed at least to maintain last week. Good, since I didn't count a damn thing.

I leave you with an utterly adorable shot of Isis from yesterday.

And then some ...

First of all, I know it's Monday, but I took Saturday Sky pictures this weekend, and I just never got around to posting them. So .. here!






The top two are of a high-tension power line tower being used by vultures to cool off, it looks like. They were perched with their wings outstretched .. rather creepy if you ask me! The other two are of a house not far from Brattonsville that's in the process of being restored. It was just a really cool house, and I had to take pictures.

So, yeah. I'm alive. I'm not entirely over whatever it is that's got me coughing all day long, but I'm better than I was this time last week. I've been eating cough drops like candy, and drinking more water than a body has a need to, but I'm feeling better, so there's got to be something to it.

I've also got weight loss to report. I have, as of Saturday morning, lost 10% of my starting body weight. 20.4 pounds, to be exact. In Weight Watchers, you get a little keychain to celebrate that milestone, and mine is currently sitting on my keys, where it will stay as a constant reminder of my progress. I'm not going to let it slip now, that's for certain. I've been able to buy clothes in a smaller size, which is a delightful change, and people have begun to notice I'm getting smaller. Pretty soon, I'll be able to wear my own hand-knits!

Speaking of knitting, I have a bit more progress to brag about. I've finished the knitting on Brandon's Mini-Booga, and it's ready to be felted. I've also knitted two skinny scarves for my nieces, and finished the Mid-month KAL dishcloth from last month. I haven't yet had time to work on the 'mystery' cloth from this month, though I'm about to start working on one.

I'm spending the afternoon trying to catch up on all the blogs I read. If I've been noticably absent from commenting, it's because I've been sick and busy busy with work and school. Things have levelled off with both though, so I should be posting and commenting more regularly.

Countdown 'till the SAFF: 47 days and counting! Yay!

(SAFF, for the non-initiated, is the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair, to be held in Asheville, NC at the end of October. Jason, Brandon, Larissa and I are going .. I believe we already have the house rented and everything, and she has her plane tickets. And .. shit! I forgot to send the check! Gotta Priority that tomorrow!

Dinner, pink scarf and Booga!

I've been slacking again. I'm actually way behind in reading blogs too, which is something I'm trying to slowly slog through this afternoon. This morning and lastnight my 'net was having issues .. well, actually, many issues. More like subscriptions. But is seems to have stabilized now, so I'm able to post and such.

I went out on Tuesday with my friend Neely .. the one who won't learn to knit. She's -such- a snob! But I went out with her anyway, and took Brandon along .. the one who I taught to knit, and who loves it and is as much a knit-dork as I am. We went to get pedicures at the nail salon she likes in Charlotte. It was nice too. The little Asian girls were darlings, and didn't seem to talk about us too much. And the pedicure was so relaxing. I knitted on the pink skinny scarf all the way through. And they even do a paraffin dip for your feet .. all for $25! Wahoo, pampering!





After the pedi, we went to lunch at Panera bread, and then to Target for something for Neely .. and I ended up getting Zoo Tycoon 2: African Adventure. Yay! Yes, I am also a computer game dork. I already had the Endangered Species expansion, so I had to get this one! And after some annoyance with the installation, I finally got it installed and running, and I've already played it some. I'm still trying to get through all the campaign games ... they're tough!!

After the trip to Target though we went to Hoby Lobby to pick up some yarn for Brandon to make dishcloths for some friends of his and for Neely to pick out yarn for her own. She wants some that match her bathroom. And good friends that we are, we offered to make some for her. But they only had the right color in chenille (sp?) so I snapped off a small amount from the skein and I'm going to find some in a cotton or something more durable to make her some. And I'll likely be paying it out of my own pocket. And I'm used to that.

Now, I should explain something about Neely. Neely is selfish. Extremely and often uncomfortably so. I love her. She's a wonderful friend. But I don't spend a lot of time with her because of this. Neely isn't the type to do something out of the goodness of her heart. She has a motive, always. We tolerate this in her right now, because she's had some life changes .. though they are her own doing. She left her husband of 3 years for a fling relationship with a guy she met online through Adult Friend Finder, then started a relationship with the man she's renting part of a house from. She doesn't make the best decicions. But I love her, and think she tries as best as she knows how to be a good friend.

So it doesn't surprise me when I have to buy yarn for this for her. Even though I'd really rather not buy it, because she's snooty enough that I can't just pick up some everyday cotton. She wants it to be soft. But, that's the price of friendship .. at least in this case.


Anyway, we left from there to drop her off at her and Keith's house, and made plans to meet her at a restaurant local to us for dinner with she and Brandon and Jason and myself. Keith wouldn't come because Keith is a chef and is too snobby about food to eat anywhere like *gasp* Applebees. Even though we're all on Weight Watchers (Jason, Brandon and I) and that's one of few places we can go to eat and not have to worry if we have enough points. And when he cooks, he doesn't think about such things, and honestly, his food is often too 'cuisine' for me to enjoy. He overdoes everything .. he can't just make a simple meal when we go over for dinners, and it frustrates me because every time, I get sick with stomach problems. You'd think he'd get the hint.

So we get to Jason's work, and he's busy. And we're early to boot. So we sit in the car and knit. No big deal! I worked more on the scarf while we waited .. and we thought 'Hey, we should call Neely and let her know we might be late." So we call. She hasn't even left yet .. she's watching TV. *ahems* Did I mention she's a little self-centered? It didn't dawn on her we might be waiting for her.

Anyway, dinner was had, and it was nice, and we chatted and we did our duty as friends, and we went home and were content. Oh, and at dinner I finished the scarf. It's as long as I am tall .. think that'll be enough for a little 5-year-old? I love it to pieces, the feel of it is perfect. If only it weren't pink.






Lastnight I spent watching tv with Jason and Brandon, and I started my Booga bag finally. I'm not using Noro (I know, gasp away. But I'm on a yarn diet this summer, and have all this wool I can use instead.) And though the whole picking up stitches along the edge thing was wierd, I finally got through it, and I have now gotten through a good ten rounds of the sides. And if I do say so myself, the fuscia looks really good with the grey-brown handspun I'm pairing it with.