Life of Amy

CogSci, Knitting, and Other Shenanigans

the little things! October 29, 2007

Filed under: college,links,music,rant,videos — Amy @ 11:37 pm

Whoa … I won this contest over at I AM FUEL, YOU ARE FRIENDS (which is a rockin’ music blog, by the way), and I’m getting a copy of the soundtrack for the new Bob Dylan biopic, I’m Not There. Excuse the linking and all, but essentially, I won myself a CD of Dylan covers, and I’m thrilled. Dude … I never win anything … right?

Along with that, bare: the album is releasing tomorrow! (See previous posts.) Thrilled yet again. 🙂 It’s all well and good … except I have no idea how much it costs.

And, to top it all off, I’m trying to work on a draft of a paper, to review tomorrow and to turn in on Thursday. I also have a test. So I’m going to see the professor. And I have to plan Bible Study, and I want to check up with people, and I need to study, and, Christ, it feels like there’s just no time in the day for all the things I need to do.

Halloween’s on Wednesday and I’m leading Bible Study. I have a test and a paper due the next day, so all work and no play makes Amy a dull girl … but perhaps a smidge more successful. Wish me luck!

 

now and then

Filed under: college,photos,random,travel — Amy @ 1:48 am

Last year, I was in Barcelona, hanging out with Irene.
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This year, I was cooped up in San Diego, hoping to God that we weren’t going to burn.

Needless to say, I’m very much alive, but due to the fire, we canceled an entire week of class. We’re now behind, and it was both a relief and a stress. Now, I’ve got a ton of stuff due this coming week, so it’s just go-go-go for me. Can’t win ’em all.

Oh, and if that weren’t depressing enough, “American kids, dumber than dirt”?

I really do need to make more time for blogging. 🙂 I enjoy it so.

 

flashback October 18, 2007

Filed under: college,travel — Amy @ 5:36 pm

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San Giovanni in Laterano (St. John the Lateran)

Almost a year ago, I wrote this in my LJ:

All right, so I’ve been a slack at posting. We still don’t have internet at the residence, so I’m using the internet at the study center. Talk about a pain in the butt. To that end, if you call me on Skype, I’ll get it on my cell phone? So call away people, but let’s keep it short, because my phone credits always run out fast.

Okay, so life has been crazy. Not too much drama, I suppose, but I have found that I tend toward one roommate more than the other. It’s natural, I know, and this situation pales in comparison to freshman year at UCSD, so really, I feel like I’m doing well. I haven’t been sleeping well, though, and everything that makes me stress out gives me a nervous stomach and I can’t eat. Gah, I just need to get over these nerves. Right in the middle of my stay. Honestly!

That brings me to another thing. We have passed the halfway point. It’s hard to believe that we have less than two months left, and it’s equally hard to believe that over two months have passed. It’s more surreal than anything else, and I’ll miss Rome when I come home, but I don’t think it’s the love of my life. It’s just not quite me, but hey, I’m working on it. There are days when I wish the world around me would stop … but that’s not going to happen anytime soon.

Anyway, midterms were this week. I had two yesterday, and there’s one more tomorrow night. Then it’s off to the soup kitchen. Thursday morning, I have a group oral exam in Italian, and then I’m done.

So … the exciting part! Thursday evening, I depart for Barcelona! I’m staying for three nights with Irene, then on Sunday evening I depart for Budapest. In Budapest, I’m staying through until November 2, then it’s off to Berlin for the last leg, then back home to Rome on the 5th. At … oooh … 7 in the morning. That will suck. Other than that, I’m relieved to have a break from Rome, as lovely as it is. I’m just so stressed right now, and I feel like I’m doing all right, but I just want to push myself harder, and I feel like I’m at the point of breaking. I know I can’t break, and I know I just have to hold on and breathe, but there are those moments when I feel like I’m suffocating. Those moments pass, though, and I’m just back to being me.

Life is crazy. End of story.

 

looking forward

Filed under: college,dance,music,theatre,videos — Amy @ 12:50 am

– bare: the album (buy it here on October 30)

– being done with the first round of papers/exams
– pie night with my bible study
– ballroom dance on sunday

 

Multimedia message October 14, 2007

Filed under: photos — Amy @ 12:29 pm

Autumn in La Jolla

 

awake and alive October 13, 2007

Filed under: college — Amy @ 10:28 am

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From this summer, we went out for sangria … and lollipops, apparently.

So, what have I been up to besides diggin’ on that new Andy Samberg/Adam Levine track? I’ve been in school, that’s what. Between work, school, and extracurriculars, I feel like I barely have any time, and for that time, I save my knitting. That said, my classes are pretty challenging, but I can handle them. This quarter (10 weeks, baby!) brings me Distributed Cognition, Neurology/Neuroanatomy, Intro to Int’l Relations, and Nationalism & Ethnic Conflict. A pretty full plate, with some papers, some tests, and a pinch of stress. Hopefully, I can continue to be productive and kick some ass with this stuff, but I guess I’ll have to see.

Today, I’ve got a speed reading & comprehension class back at school. I’m hoping it will improve my skills for that grad school push a year or so from now. By no means will I be able to read all the material in grad school, but the more I can fit in and the more I can understand, the better my chances of success are. Apparently, yes, I am preparing myself for success, or so says my sister.

As for plans for this blog, I’m hoping to put together some thematic mixes … especially for holidays, but seeing as that is a long way off, I have time to plan. I also have time to eat a good breakfast this morning. What a thought! I suppose I had better jump on that.

 

pick-me-up October 9, 2007

Filed under: humor,love,music,politics,videos — Amy @ 9:31 am

Butter-pecan thighs, anyone?

 

Project monogamy? What’s that? October 7, 2007

Filed under: WIP — Amy @ 8:11 pm
Tags: , , ,

Okay, so I’m feeling the lace itch, and I’ve decided that the best way to solve this is to knit up Icarus with that most beautiful Stone Blue Malabrigo Lace. However, I haven’t even blocked my Swallowtail! Oh dear … I just feel like there’s no time. I think I need to weave in all of my ends and just get it all prepared. Maybe I’ll lay it out tonight. I’m not sure yet.

Mmm … every time I see the Malabrigo I get excited. It’s all balled up and raring to go. I wonder if I should at least start up Monkey #2, as Monkey #1 is very nearly completed, save for weaving in ends. Socktoberfest is ON! Pictures to come.

Not too many knitting stories lately, other than that my knitting essentially takes over my life, and I forget to pay attention to my other work. However, knitting and baking are the only two things that allow me to relax nowadays, and I’m running nonstop on weekdays. Well … going going going. I need to reorganize my yarn. My queue of projects is ever-growing, so I’m just constantly stash-busting. It’s so much fun, though, and I’d rather have too much yarn than too little. 🙂 Now then … no time for words … more time for knitting.

 

swinging in the trees October 6, 2007

Filed under: photos,WIP — Amy @ 6:06 pm
Tags: ,

I totally didn’t mention that these are my Socktoberfest socks!

Anyway.

I’ve found the solution to my photo problems! I take my knitting to school anyway, so why not photograph it on campus? It’s so brilliant, its a wonder I never thought of it before. I’ve been going kind of crazy on the monkeys, so I keep knitting them, and the photos I am posting are … how you say, always behind.

This is what they looked like yesterday afternoon before I went ballroom dancing.

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Just working my way through this big ball of yarn. Monkey #2 is coming out of here, too. 🙂

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Close up on the picot edge.

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Look ma, another sock!

And I am really itching to start up Icarus, because that Malabrigo Lace is calling my name!

 

big, fat, traveling updating October 5, 2007

It’s almost embarassing how little I post. Seriously, I should be able to muster up more than this, but no, I post in spurts. It’s been two months! Tragic, really. Since I have so much catching up to do, this post is going to be rather long and a bit photo-heavy. Bear with me, please — it’ll be worth it!

Anyway, as an update, I’ve been bailed out of that volunteer knitting. I guess the Christmas stockings weren’t urgent. I should make woolen Christmas stockings, though, that would be fun … but kinda scary.

Speaking of socks, I’ve been knitting Tropical Monkeys with this:

Oasis Yarns Aussi Sock in colorway WS21 Spanish Fiesta.

In the skein, it looks like this:
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I wish the reds showed up more clearly, but I’ve been having that problem with all of my yarns, alas.

In the ball, the Aussi Sock looks like this:
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Can’t you see that it totally matches my patio lights? (I would post pictures of my sock-in-progress, but I am always home when the light is bad, and I can’t bring myself to take more low-light inaccurate-color photos than absolutely necessary.)

So, where did I buy this beautiful yarn? Two weeks ago, I headed out to New York City to visit Chelle, buy yarn, and visit NYU. I managed all three, and came back with the goods to prove it. First, we headed over to Seaport Yarn. The selection there is amazing, but there is one drawback. They only take cash and check — no cards. Alas, I was short on cash and had not thought to bring my checkbook, so off to the janky ATM in the Duane Reade it was. I came out with not only the Aussi Sock but also 12 skeins of Lily Chin Park Avenue in maroon for the Minimalist Cardigan from Interweave Knits Fall 2007.

Is that yarn not gorgeous?
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The next stop was Purl, where I picked up some exclusive purple and cream self-striping Lorna’s Laces sock yarn. It says to me: ribbed socks, perhaps toe up. (At their fabric associate, I also bought some fabric for the quilting side of the family.)
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After that, the final stop on our marathon yarn run was Downtown Yarns, where I picked up some delicious Malabrigo Lace in 99 Stone Blue. It’s going to be Icarus from Interweave Knits Summer 2006.
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Oh, and I totally forgot, on my first, incredibly jetlagged day, we managed to hit up Habu and School Products before seeing Spring Awakening. (That was one amazing day.)

There was so much to choose from at Habu that I simply couldn’t decide, but at School Products, after much hemming and hawing, I decided on some Lace Merino, which I felt compelled to knit into the Swallowtail Shawl from Interweave Knits Fall 2006.

This is what it looked like a few days ago:
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Alas, it resembles a moth, ever so slightly. Anyway, I’ve finished the kntting, and now it’s on to the blocking, which I think I shall do this weekend. This is my first shawl, so I’m way excited.