Thursday, October 21, 2010

Cute little box --> cute little pincushion

Inspiration: tin can pincushion.

Materials:
a cute little box I had but didn't know what to do with
a small scrap of fabric
polyester stuffing
hot glue gun

Results:


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Poor Kitty


Last weekend, my parents' cat, Socrates ("Socks" for short), got in a fight with a neighborhood cat. She walked away from the tussle with a pair on incisor-shaped punctures in her hind quarter, which, according to the vet, threatened to fester. In order to prevent infection, she was prescribed ten days' worth of antibiotics, the fur around the wound was shaved off, and she was fitted with a heavy-duty plastic cone around her neck. Poor kitty.

So, until the wound heals, this mostly outdoor pet and top-notch mouser is confined to life as a house cat. I watch her meander meaninglessly down the hallway. She stops in the living room and stares straight ahead for ten minutes. She stands up and walks around again. Restrained. Uncomfortable. Helpless. And I feel a pang of sympathy.

She is me.

For the last twelve days my life has been less than thrilling. I returned home from a great two weeks on the road, seeing new places and visiting old friends, and now I'm back to the drudgery of living with my mom and dad and having no job, no friends, nothing to look forward to. Like my feline invalid friend, I spend a considerable portion of the day walking aimlessly around the house. I check facebook obsessively. I make dinner for my parents. I watch shows on Netflix until I fall asleep. This can't go on much longer.

Soon, Socks' wounds will heal and she will be allowed to go outside and live her life as usual. As bad as I feel for her, her situation gives me hope: it reminds me that we all have "blah" moments in life, but that these moments inevitably must pass. Though I may feel anxious and unsatisfied now, I know I won't always be unemployed and living with my parents. Things change. Eventually, the cone comes off and it's back to pooping in the garden, killing birds, and breathing the sweet air of freedom.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Progress Report

One function and purpose of this blog is to keep me accountable to the cyberworld in regards to my progress on certain aforementioned goals for the year. Of these goals, perhaps the most potentially significant (and, thereby, also the most psychologically daunting) is the purported intention to set myself in--or on the path toward--graduate school.

That being the case, it is my duty to you, readers of this blog and citizens of Infinity, that today I registered to attend "Prospective Student Weekend" at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena for this upcoming Friday-Saturday-Sunday. There, I will have an opportunity to interact with current students and faculty and get helpful information about Fuller's Masters program in Intercultural Studies*.

*This is me feeling anxious about having been out of an academic setting for the last four years and now having to prove myself to new people.

I'm happy to be finally taking baby steps toward furthering my education. It is a desire that has been shifting about impatiently within me for quite some time. And, by golly, it feels all sorts of good to finally be doing something to move me in that direction.

Monday, October 18, 2010

We're going to slice a face on his belly!

The grass is always greener on the other side. Unless, of course, you live in San Diego and the grass is insipidly lush all year round. But in Japan right now, I know that the leaves on the ginko trees are turning a stunning yellow. And that knowledge, paired with the gloomy-rainy weather we've been having in Southern California the last few days, puts me in a happy, autumny mood.

It was in such spirits that I took a paring knife in hand this evening and went to work on a lovely sized pumpkin with a perfectly gnarled stem. Lindsay sat beside me at the kitchen table, working magic on her own bulbous gourd. The results were two gnomish visages, appropriately reflective of Lindsay and my respective styles. Dad was able to guess whose is whose right away. Can you? (*answer below)


And now I sit, enjoying handfuls of freshly roasted pumpkin seeds, the delightful aroma of which has filled the kitchen and living room. The only thing missing from this picture is a mug of steaming mulled wine, an omission which is scheduled to be remedied tomorrow evening.

Happy autumn, all!


*Jack-o-lanterns: the aghast one on the left is mine; the inanely pleased one on the right is Lindsay's.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Could it get much better? Do you wanna dance?

I just finished listening to a 25-minute song and found myself wishing that it were longer. It's probably not since the release of Sufjan Stevens' Illinoise in 2005 has an album left me feeling so immensely satisfied. I'm starting to feel giddy with excitement in seeing Sufjan play at the Wiltern in Los Angeles a week from Saturday.

I heartily and confidently recommend The Age of Adz to anyone who might be reading this. I was lucky enough to snag the full mp3 album download off Amazon yesterday for only $3.99! You can still buy it from Amazon for $6.99 today, which is currently the least expensive option for just the mp3 download (as opposed to purchasing the CD or LP).

And while I'm on the topic of things that leave me giddy with excitement, I was so pleased to learn that my dear friend Danica just opened up an Etsy shop, featuring her very own hand-crocheted organic cotton cephalopods!

I was honored to receive my own adorable set of octopus, squid, jellyfish as a birthday gift, and I get a warm feeling inside knowing that these cuddly ocean critters are now available to be enjoyed by anyone in the world!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

That's hat.

As I finished up the somewhat disappointing third season of Heroes on Netflix (I haven't surfed the Nets to gather common sentiments on the subject, but the story line is starting to feel a bit bumbly; that whole story about Angela's sister was boring and mostly pointless), I also finished up another little crochet project that I've been slowly working on for the last few weeks, this banded, buttoned, crochet hat.


The pattern I followed can be found here, though I did end up making a few minor adjustments on account of the fact that I was running out of yarn. Nevertheless, I'm very pleased with the results and hoping to make some further modifications that will translate into a line of Christmas gifts.

I've just remembered that I had some library books due today and I'm presently dashing off to return them!

Praise for "twenty-five"

Danica says, "Your blog is darling, darling! Please don't stop!"

Ashley says, "this is great!"

Returning from a nearly three-week hiatus, I'm proud to share a recently completed creation, this "beary cuddly iPod case."


Last Thursday I returned to San Diego after a two-week road trip up to the California Central Coast and Valley. Coming home after spending so much time in the constant presence of good friends is a bit of a bummer. I found myself in love with every place I visited, planning out how I could move there and what type of apartment I would try to rent. San Francisco, Napa, Davis...even the "Cowboy Capital of the World," Oakdale...all charmed me beyond expectation. Some photos from the trip can be viewed here, but below are a few of my favorites from the road.