I finished the big, scary test. I probably won’t rest well until I find out the outcome. I feel like since I left my house to go take it, I have been going non-stop. I finally got home last night after working doubles all weekend and didn’t realize how bad my body ached and what a pig sty my house had become. I intended on resting for days, but my chore list is too long and there is now way I can possibly relax for some quality knitting time until I have cleaned everything up. I have two very important projects to finish before I go on vacation on Monday. One is a drawstring bag that will part of a present that I am putting together and the other is a felted camera case because I am currently carrying around my smaller camera in a sock. While very effective, it’s just not very pretty.

Friday after my test I went to go listen to Jeff Arnold preach at a Pentecostal Church camp. I attend a Pentecostal church, mostly because I really like the energy there. Sitting in the churches that I used to go to now makes me want to beat my head against the back of the pew. I tried to go back, but I just couldn’t. So, anyways, I went to the camp with my friends who have been Apostolic Pentecostal for their whole lives and I felt sort of like I entered the twilight zone. I stuck out like a sore thumb. There I was in all my short-haired glory and a face partially full of make-up and I just obviously did not “fit”. I have never seen so many women with such long hair in my life. Most of them had it in big style with lots of swirls and curls. It was interesting to be sure. I just can’t imagine the upkeep of that kind of hair. I stopped people watching when the service started, but the singing portion was so long (two hours of singing, for real) I was worn out by the time Reverend Arnold took the podium. However, his message was so worth the wait. He was funny, inspiring, relevant, just amazing. I am glad that I went, and I would gladly go see Reverend Arnold preach again, but I don’t think I will return to Pentecostal church camp. It is a little over the top for me. My Methodist upbringing still resists a lot of what happens in uber-lively churches. I guess I just need to keep my middle road. Lively without being obnoxious. That’s for me.

Tomorrow is round two of the culmination of all my graduate work. I failed this exam horribly once before (well, I am not too sure if it was horribly, but I know I failed it) and have prepared for many many weeks to take it again. Tomorrow morning. At 8:45 am. And I am a nervous wreck. I have done all the preparation I can possibly do; if I wanted to do any more that would just be too bad. There is no time left for me. At least this time I don’t have Peru in my eyes.

I have exactly one week of work left and can’t wait to do ridiculously relaxing things. I just hope I don’t have to repeat this test a third time. I really just want to be done with school.

Time is truly escaping me. I have 3 days until my big test and the only thing that has been on my mind is working and studying. At this point I am truly a ball of angst. If I am not spending every free moment with my face in my notes then I feel as if I am wasting time. I feel like I have spent innumerable months like this when the “next big thing” reveals itself to me and I must work like a maniac to accomplish it. I look forward to a time when I can just relax. The only thing I want to trouble me for a bit is whether or not I will nap before or after Baby Daddy Maury.

The only thing I am sure of at this point is I will probably lay in bed for 6 days after the test. I know that is probably not going to be possible because I still have a week left at my job, so I am definitely shooting for sleeping (mostly by the pool) for those 6 days after my final day of work.

I love Thursdays. I typically have them off. Unfortunately for me I have to study my pants off. Another unfortuante thing is my camera’s flash went out. I dread getting it fixed. I feel like it is going to cost me an arm and a leg. I don’t really dig the camera itself though. It’s big so I can’t put it in my pocket. The lens cap doesn’t stay on, which is annoying when I put it in my purse. There is no macro setting which would be nice. I always wanted one of those. I have had it for 2 1/2 years so I am trying to decide if fixing the flash would be worth it. I am thinking about just keeping it for sunny days. I have a smaller camera that I can use for all other times. I will have to get an estimate and see.

So, here is what I was working on before my flash went kaput:

A finished Hot Lava

I WILL finish this sweater.

I have actually been working on this for about a year. I had to rip the collar numerous times, then I was on a roll until this final sleeve. I actually got to the ribbed bottom portion of the second sleeve when I realized I had been using the wrong needles the entire time. I put it down for a little while because of my school and work madness, but I am committed to finishing it after I take my big exam. I am quite certain that I will be able to wear it by this winter. Unfortunately, my track record for attaching buttons is bad, so I have to make sure I do that in a timely manner.

WIPs

This is when my poor flash went out. I have been working on these for awhile too. They are my first embroidering project. Unfortunately I didn’t make the transfer that dark on the current towel so I am doing it “freehanded.” Should be interesting.

on so many levels.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been super super busy. I have some school things to take care of and study for, I have been picking up extra shifts at the hotel that I work at because it is so slow over the summer, and of course I have grandiose plans for exercising everyday that I totally haven’t been doing. There are a handful of other things that I haven’t been giving them the priorities that they deserve: Bible Study, praying, fasting, and crafty pursuits, because I love them so. I just feel like I can’t really indulge in my craftiness until I feel like I have satisfactorily studied for the exam I failed so miserably. I can always find some time for the other things.

I did start some socks while waiting for the plane to Lima and had worked diligently on them. So the other night I was surveying my work and noticed that one of the cables is completely messed up. So, I just ripped the whole thing. The only thing that I managed to accomplish was embroidering the cute little towels that I want to give to my sister for her birthday.

So, as far as photos are concerned, since the friendboy and I have different parts of the pictures of the trip, I am trying to coach him to post the pictures to a communal photoblog. I figure that will be the best way so we can comment on our pictures, and so that he can remember that which I forget, is to start the photoblog.

Hopefully, I can convince him to help me finish it by the end of the week. He’s a bit of a luddite.

I had a wonderful trip to Peru, of which I will write later. It seems so strange to be back in the states. I never really realized how manic my life is and the state of perpetual panic the media is in. I spent four days hiking and got a chance to get quiet. I feel completely agitated every time I turn on the tv. So, I decided not to do it anymore. I don’t care much about celebrities, care a lot about the presidential campaign and am fairly concerned about everything in between, but I decided to get my news online from here on out. I feel assaulted.

I have to say that one thing I did miss terribly are good public restrooms. On the hike we were lucky if we got “flushy holes” and that is all I will say.

For the next couple of days I have to work a couple of double shifts and complete many items on my to do list. I am going to be pretty busy. It always happens that way after a lengthy vacay.

This weekend my parents were in town and we discovered Columbus. The city is actually pretty enjoyable. I have never been able to view the city except through academia lenses. I had a really great weekend. My parents had done some research and were adamant to visit German Village. We spent the morning shopping and looking at the beautiful homes. I love to look at the tidy homes and manicured lawns. We visited the Book Loft which was pretty overwhelming. I love a good bookstore but I think that was a little much. Nevertheless, I spent a small fortune in books. One thing I can appreciate is their amazing puzzle collection. Afterwards we had a delicious lunch at Schmidt’s. Amazing! I really enjoyed the lively atmosphere there.

On the second day we didn’t run around nearly as much as the previous day but we did have dinner at Morton’s Steakhouse. It was absolutely delicious! I enjoyed dressing up and going out with my family.

I packed for my trip on Monday morning and was out the door to Illinois for some R&R. We had an extended ride back because of thunderstorms in Indiana. Part of a freeway was closed for flooding so we took a detour. We traveled in from the north, but it didn’t change the scenery much. Very green fields. Not a lot of trees except by the buildings, homes, and cemeteries. I am still not used to the wide open space. I can remember riding with my grampa in Georgia and looking into the forest trying to see past the treeline and discover anything wonderful like a deer or grown over structure.

So, I started to knit some socks after a certain point of the ride. I had wanted to keep them for the flight to Lima but then decided that was completely unreasonable. My mother bought me a beautiful hank of sock yarn which I thought would be best for traveling. So I started to knit some socks that the friendboy helped pick out. I will post pics of progress soon.

Well soonish. I leave for lovely Lima tomorrow and my last remaining hours before heading to Chicago will be filled with manic reviews of my packing list. I hope I don’t forget anything else.

I am really very relieved to get back to the things I like to do. It is a different feeling to not completely dread each activity on my list. I made one helluva list and knocked out most of the chores I had to do so that I can relax and get back to doing what I like to do. Which of course involves yarn glorious yarn!

I have finally finished spinning my first two skeins of yarn! I am super excited. They aren’t perfect, but I don’t care. I am basking in the glow of my accomplishment. I really can’t believed something is completely done.

Witness:

I bought some roving off ebay (I wish I could remember the seller) but I do remember that the color of it is “Fruit Salad.” I think this photo shows its colors the best. As I was winding it, I was reminded that when I was spinning it up I was watching The Descent and Dawn of the Dead. I hope I don’t always associate those movies with this. I think that it is unavoidable though.

I forgot completely to count the number of rounds on the niddy noddy to figure yardage but I did remember to find the wpi. I have 7 so that means that I have some bulky yarn. I don’t have very much so I am not to sure what I can do with it. I have to figure something out; it’s a matter of principle.

This skein represents my first try at spinning. There are parts that are probably spun too tightly, some too loose, some broken and knotted, some absolutely perfect. For this one I know I got 50 yards but I forgot my wpi. I did it during my spinning class and as I recall it was bulky. eh.

Since I am trying to finish up things that have been started during the school year, I think I will attach buttons to Hot Lava. That, mis amigos, would be revolutionary!

• NF vanilla yogurt 2.49
• red pear .83
• 2 navel oranges 1.00
• 2 roma tomatoes .58
• banana 1.02

total 7.91