Tuesday, January 22, 2008

it looks like this at my parent's house quite a bit:

funny pictures
moar funny pictures

The Birds 2

first, please accept my most sincere apologies for not having my (shiny new) camera in hand when the the story I am about to tell actually happened. second, I am very happy to be working for an educational institution which shuts down on major national holidays (I had yesterday off).

as I've probably mentioned before, I have a pair of lovebirds ("lovies" as they're called in some circles), which are by nature little feathered clowns. if they will stay still for long enough, I might post a decent picture of them sometime. however, Bitty is alarmed by most anything inanimate that is brought near him, and flies away with a high-pitched call of alarm. Pip is quite the opposite. well, over the weekend I had the lovies out quite a bit to play - Bitty seems to think he is actually a help when hanging up clothes for some reason. well, Bella (the cat) decided to observe. she's learned that the birds are off limits (although she still isn't left alone with them), and after dragging a cage over on top of herself once, she doesn't bother that either. well, the birds aren't so passive. they decided to fly down to where Bella was curled up and began chewing on her. ears, whiskers, fur - it was all fair game. almost immediately Bella tried to get away from her feathered terrors, so I stepped in, but it was still quite a sight.

the lovies seemed to wonder why their "toy" had been taken away.

I also cleaned cleaned cleaned, cleared out more things I don't need, clothes I NEVER wear, etc. I'm trying to avoid a major purge cleaning, because I usually end up throwing out things that I really need to keep, and that's no good. I also needed to clear some space for the new tumbler that I ordered last week. I had been putting off making any chain (jewelry) because polishing without a tumbler is at the very least problematic, and at the worst at the cost of one's limbs (literally). seeing as I like my hands attached to my body, I needed a tumbler.

oh . . . it snowed over the weekend, only none of it stuck. however, several Georgia reservoirs are back up to normal winter levels, and some are even at regular normal levels.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

what happend?

so yesterday we got some snow. SNOW! big soft white flakes and clumps of flakes flying every which way (but mostly down), and they even stuck in a lot of places. lovely. and then it started sleeting. and then it started RAINING. so all that was left this morning was patches of slushy stuff here and there . . . *sigh* . . .

at least it's January and we have time for more. last year there wasn't ANY.

oh, and there were predictions of a warm, dry winter . . . HA!

happy moment

Funny Pictures
moar funny pictures

Monday, January 14, 2008

new year, new things

I'm beginning my second week off of sugar, and it's AWESOME. no, I'm not kidding. I've done this before, and it worked, but I stopped probably because I didn't know enough about body chemistry. or whatever. so how am I feeling? awesome! and a little wired, which I wasn't expecting. but I FEEL so much better, and my skin is loving the break because it looks amazing. it's actually not that hard, and I'm finding that I don't even WANT sugary stuff. now I might enjoy a slice of Cecilia's chocolate cake, but I don't want to waste my time on a ring-ding. no thank you.

I've been looking at tumblers lately (for jewelry polishing), and I think I'm going to order one by the end of this week. it's all part of the "get-the-business-full-time" plan. and I found a non-toxic acid pickle solution (for cleaning metal). score!

more new stuff happening, so more later . . .

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

on St. Nick

Relevant did a piece in their 850 Words newsletter, and here's an excerpt:

The original Saint Nicholas was a Christian bishop in 4th-century Myra, geographically located in modern-day Turkey. As an adult, Nicholas gained a reputation as a generous man and the protector of innocents. These saintly traits largely arose from two horrific legends, both of which eventually led to his canonization.

The first is said to have occurred during a terrible famine. A local butcher, in need of something to sell, lured three unsuspecting boys into his shop. He killed the boys, chopped them into pieces, then stuffed their remains in a brine tub, hoping to cure them enough that he could sell the parts as ham. Nicholas was visiting the afflicted region at the time of the crime. Somehow Nicholas became aware of the butcher’s wicked deed. He visited the shop, uncovered the crime, and hastily reassembled the three boys. They came back to life, a bit salty but otherwise in good health. Despite the happy ending, it’s not exactly the kind of story that gets told at the Christmas Eve candlelight service.

In the second legend, a poor citizen of Myra had three daughters, but not enough money to afford a dowry for them. No dowry meant no marriage, and unmarried women in those days generally had one career choice: prostitution. The father was less than thrilled by this possibility, but too proud to ask for help. Nicholas discovered the family’s predicament the night before the first daughter came of age. Not wanting to embarrass anyone, he approached the family’s house late one night and tossed a bag of gold through an opened window. He did the same thing the night before the second daughter came of age. Both gifts were enough to cover the dowry, and both girls were spared the consequence of their poverty.

Before long, the third daughter was ready to marry, and the appreciative father wanted to find out who was behind the lavish gifts. When the time came, the father hid next to the window, hoping to catch their anonymous benefactor in the act. Nicholas learned of the father’s plan and improvised: Instead of lobbing it through the window, he dropped the third bag of gold down the chimney.

It wasn’t long before people began to suspect that the kindly bishop Nicholas, who had inherited money from his affluent parents, was behind these mysterious actions and a great many other secretive gifts to the poor. After he died of old age on December 6, 343 AD the people of Myra continued providing for those in need. In fact, they made a practice of giving gifts anonymously, always attributing them to the late Bishop Nicholas.

Before long, the bishop — who had worn liturgical robes of red and white — was canonized as a saint. Saint Nicholas became venerated as the protector of innocents, the patron saint of children, and a secret giver of gifts.

Of course, the traditional American idea of Santa Claus — along with his British/Canadian counterpart, Father Christmas — originates in the stories surrounding Nicholas of Myra. As far as saints go, St. Nick was especially venerated in the Netherlands, where he became known by the Dutch variant Sinterklaas. When the Dutch came to the New World and settled in New Amsterdam (today’s New York City), they brought with them the story of the now-anglicized “Santa Claus.”

Monday, December 10, 2007

hahahaha

ok, let me preface this by saying that I am a HUGE fan of sci-if & fantasy. I even enjoy some of the stuff that's not even that well written. that said, I hated the Golden Compass trilogy. I wasn't aware of Pullman's atheistic tendencies, or his pure hatred of all things Narnian & C.S. Lewis. whatever. the books were just horrible.

then comes the movie.

for months nothing but barrages of ads (and the awful pop-up floaters) for The Golden Compass. ugh. granted, it was the best of the three books, but that's still not saying much. AT ALL. this morning the news reports were listing weekend box office grosses, and while the GP was No. 1, it only grossed about $7k a theater. Juno, on the other hand, grossed about $60k per theater. that's hilarious.

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Prince Caspian

the teaser/trailer is out.

see it here.

ok, I had to come back and edit this post. you know the weird Scifi Channel commercials where the things pop, turn into something else, etc.? well if I was one I'd turn into an explosion of happy little firework sprays that go dancing all over the place because I'm that happy/excited about the newest Narnia movie.

insert perma-grin & happy dance.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

elf-ish

I would love to be blogging about some Christmas present projects right now, but unless you're on Ravelry . . . . you probably won't be hearing about them here. just on the off-chance that the person I'm making the thing for actually happen to read this blog. it could happen. must . . . keep . . . surprise! ugh. I really want to blog about it!

I think I might have figured out my dad's Christmas present this year. it's not easy - he just goes and gets exactly what he wants (computer, book, e-book, etc.) most of the time. but I think I figured out Christmas AND his birthday, which is Jan 1st. we've never done both together in the same gift for dad, which is tough. this year both should be great though. woo-hooooo!

oh, my friend Steve was interviewed for an article. you can read the article here.

Monday, December 03, 2007

WARNING:

MAY CAUSE INVOLUNTARY OUTBURSTS OF LAUGHTER . . .

click here to proceed . . .

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Christmas trees!!!

I love Christmas. it's my absolute, hands down favorite of the holidays. yesterday was a tree hunt that turned into a comedy of errors, but all ended well. mom and I went and found the "family" tree at Lowe's (GREAT deal, btw!), and that went surprisingly smoothly. I think it took us all of ten minutes to find our perfect tree. I finished getting the lights and ornaments this evening, and we'll add the star once the pruning shears are tracked down. here's a night shot:




Now MY tree on the other hand . . .

first of all, I've been collecting ornaments of various shades of blue for years now. the big white trees that are everywhere would look great with the collection, and be perfect for my bedroom. however . . . the 7 or 8 foot pre-lit white trees are way too big for my space. so I started hunting for a 4 or 5 footer. well, Target seemed to have a white, pre-lit tree in-store when I checked online . . . perfect! so when mom and I went shopping friday I looked around. all I could find at the moment though was one (the only one left) 2 foot potted one. so I bought just in case. well, we got home and it was just too small. so, I headed back out to return it and check Hobby Lobby. no 4 foot white, but there was a 4.5 foot silver, un-lit. so I bought the silver Hobby Lobby tree. well, back to Target to return the 2 foot white, and grab a couple of things I had forgotten on the first visit. as I looked through the holiday section what did I find? the 4 foot pre-lit white trees! maybe some group was huddled in front of them the first time, who knows. so then it was BACK to Hobby Lobby to return the silver tree that I had just bought. after that a very tired me headed home to start decorating. here's the result:

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hop everyone is enjoying a drowsy turkey coma . . . I know I have been! my mom and I made dinner for everyone this year (especially after the last Columbus turkey-spam debacle . . . shudder.), and it was great. my grandfather was there (dad's side), my grandmother and her husband (mom's side), and a family from Kenya. it was a lovely meal.

tomorrow is the first Black Friday in YEARS that I have not had to work. THIS IS VERY VERY EXCITING FOR ME! I plan to sleep in, and then go see what sales are still going on. I also plan to be exceptionally nice to all the salespeople . . . no sane person likes working that day. be nice to your salespeople - having to be at work at 3am (at least!) to face screaming lunatics (because a lack of sleep can do that to you at 4am) fighting for "deals" at 4am isn't fun.

Toya posted another blog entry over at blackgirlslikeus, and I feel the same way about her post as I did about Tia's. one of my best friends used to be a stripper/dancer, and we share very different values when it comes to sex. HOWEVER, we both respect each other, and value the other's opinion. just sayin' . . .

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

well said

I was checking out my friend's blog today, and it pretty much sums up how I feel about this issue, so I'm posting it for you here:
Can I just say...- Tia

that I am constantly floored by how lackadaisical people are about sex. I'm sure I'm opening up a whole can of worms here but right now I just don't care.

I just don't see how another person being up in your body or you being up in another person's body can NOT be a big deal. I'm sure I'm coming off as sanctimonious and self-righteous. But if you really think about it, I mean truly take a moment to think about it, sex is a big deal. And just doing it with anyone just doesn't seem right. Making that HUGE of an emotional commitment to someone is so serious. And I'm astonished that people seem to think that because I don't want to just have any ol' body up inside my body that I'm uptight or old fashioned or that I need to "live a little." Eff that. I know how attached I can get from just kissing someone I'm in a relationship with. Don't let me fool around and sleep with someone and then they leave. I would be gutted. I would be an emotional mess for a long time.

Forget what you heard. If you want that level of commitment from me then you damn sure better be willing to wait for me. And I mean wait until we have the same last name. If you just want to get laid, stroll the eff on. I know me. And I know that I'm worth waiting for. And if you can't wait for me, then you don't want me. There's no love loss. We just aren't supposed to be together. And I'd be full of bullshishery if I said that waiting was easy. But there aren't really any alternatives for me. You do what you have to do and hard as it is, I'll do what I have to do...which is wait. But I'm not just going to let you up in my body because you want to be there. Child, PLEASE.....

This concludes my soapbox rant for the day.

you can visit the original here.

signs

when you can't find the other Netflix dvd AND your current knitting project . . . it's probably time to re-organize. they're there . . . somewhere. I know because I JUST HAD THEM, but this morning they were not in sight. bah. time for more storage containers and trips to Goodwill.

I started a blog for my Etsy shop. I had considered just blogging about projects and such here, but then things would get mixed up in the posts. and since I've started blogging about my knitting projects, I don't want to confuse customers. knitting has become a hobby for me - there's no way I could do it for profit, but I still love doing it.

I finally got to see Amazing Grace this weekend, and it's excellent. in fact, it will be added to my dvd library very soon.

Monday, November 19, 2007

bunny love

here's the little sweetheart . . .

Sunday, November 18, 2007

maybe this is it

I visited Athens Church this morning (they meet at the Classic Center theater but they are NOT Athens Church of Christ). it was great. definitely one of those, "wow. this fits . . ." moments. the small group intros start again in January, which is perfect. it gives me a few more weeks to check them out some more. this morning they were talking about clean water in Africa, which I think is something we as Christians should be at the very least aware of. it's great to send out missionaries, but if people are dying from the water they have to walk miles to get, then how are they supposed to learn the gospel? it was refreshing to hear a pastor in my town talking about something I've been caring about for a while now.

they're taking next Sunday off for the holiday, but I'll definitely be there again in two weeks.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

and now I'm a little scared

(from overheardinathens.com)

  • Sorostitute: On the way from school I popped both of my tires. This like might be a stupid question...
  • Guy: Shoot
  • Sorostitute: Do tires like, cost money?

really, what is going to happen to some people if they're suddenly actually cut off from their daddy's money? and who did they pay off to get into college??

Monday, November 12, 2007

men in black

for all of last week the buzz around campus was that Coach Richt had made a call to all UGA fans to wear black to the Georgia-Auburn game on Saturday. that was fine by me. the "blackout" sounded like a fine idea.

then came Saturday.

the stands were black, with the exception of a few red dots (a few didn't get the memo?). the cheerleaders were in black, and even UGA VI had himself a little black jersey on. the team was warming up in usual red. then they all went inside and the captains came out for the coin toss. nothing unusual so far, right? then it happened . . . a team in black came streaming out of the Bulldog's tunnel onto the field. the red-clad captains pealed back there jerseys to reveal the new black jerseys. and meanwhile the fans were going nuts . . . everywhere. cool would be an understatement. the team had no idea that they were finally getting the jersey's they had been asking for for years now until after the pre-game prayer in the locker room.

they went on to beat Auburn 45-20 on Saturday, and the campus is still electric.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

vampires beware . . .

the butternut squash soup at Five Star is tasty, but they did NOT skimp on the garlic. it was obviously fresh too, because the soup had that slightly-sweet squash flavor that powdered garlic does not enhance. mmmmmm . . . autumn . . .

the first pair of socks are DONE! I used a different cast-off than I had first planned on, and I think I like it better. we'll see how it wears though. (link to the other way here) I've already started on a striped pair. yes, my name is Meredith, and I'm a sock knitting addict. :-)

Friday, November 02, 2007

new project!!!

ok, so I almost did a cheezy title involving socks . . . but it's early and there's no need for that.

I am almost done with my first pair of hand-knitted socks! toe up, short row heel, and I'm hooked!



the picture is a bit blurry, but it was late last night when I took it. I did manage to get one of my moon-face stitch markers in there though. the toe was done with the Magic Cast On, and Wendy Johnson's Generic Sock Pattern. Cosmispluto's short-row heel illustrations were also very helpful. it IS possible to do a whole sock start to finish on one pair of circulars, but I moved mine to double points so that I could do two socks at once.

turning a short row heel wasn't bad, and I ripped out enough stitches so that now I can get them back on the needles pretty easily. a few more inches on the cuff, and a little ribbing, and then the socks are DONE.

To cast off, I'm planning on using a binding method I found here.