Wow.. it has been a while, hasn't it?

I decided about three weeks ago after my first day of college that the whole experience is very much like buying tampons for the first time. Everyone remembers that first nerve-wracking trip to the drugstore - you feel like someone's ripping your uterus from your body and all you want to do is get in and out. Inevitably though, whoever you're purchasing them from has to go all 5 o'clock-after-school-special on you and make some inappropriate comment that embarasses you and send you out the door the color of a tomato. That's college, in a nutshell. Grinning and bearing it doesn't work.. and someone is always going to make that inappropriate comment.

My classes are fantastic and the opportunities are endless - I can only hope things will improve for me socially. I will admit, I'm having a bit of a hard time relating. I suppose that will come with time.

In crochet news: I received my Octopussy from SquidHead!!
Isn't it adorable?!?! ::squee::

I'm also almost finished with my Halloween crochet patterns - I'll have them posted this weekend! ;)

In swap news: I'm making serious progress for my partner.. I really think she's going to love her stuff and I can't wait to show all of you!! :D

College is insane but I'm going to try much harder to be around more often. It's no fun doing this alone.

It's all down hill.. er.. down river from here.

They're here.....

Or at least I am, for the moment. Vacation was fabulous and, surprisingly, hurricane-free (with the exception of Bill, of course, who we seemed to just miss.. funny how those things work out).

School begins for me in a week. I have an orientation on Saturday and one again on Monday which includes a picnic and alot of implied bonding time with my peers, who happen to be a year younger than me and, according to USA TODAY, completely oblivious to history and culture before MTV and the Internet (big suprise), but, I digress... Things are going to start getting crazy around here (yes, crazier than they already are) and I have alot to begin, finish, and fiddle around with in a very short period of time. The Tom Baker Season 12 Doctor Who Scarf, finished size: 10'10" long, 10 1/2 inches wide, has a due date in mid-October. My Swap Partner's multiple goodies all need to be birthed and sent by October 9th. Oh.. and did I mention I have yet to finish and type up the Halloween Patterns for my shop? The last one should be done, all ends tucked and snipped, by tonight, and then I'm hoping to get them all posted very, with a capital "Hurry Up!," soon. So many babies, so little time.

I wish I had pictures of the completed Kitschy Halloween projects to show you all, but I'll get them added to the post later. I will be running a "Purchase a Halloween Pattern, Get $1.00 Off Any Other Pattern" Sale so keep checking back here for dates. In the mean time, wish me luck, the seas are going to get choppy, there are pleanty of sharks in the water, and, here I am, trapped in a skiff without Starbucks. Oi.

By the way.. Who wants to buy this for me? ;)

I'm Actually Going on Vaca This Time!

Isn't it exciting?! Every year, for about 5 years now, my Father and I have driven down to Florida and spent a few days in Disney World. I always look forward to it, and it's always fun.. well, as much fun as anything can be when you stick two people who are too much alike in a car for 8 to 10 hours a day. The one saving grace of the whole trip is that the two of us have the same attitude about Disney World - there's no rush - which means when we get there (if we manage to get there without maiming each other) we take our time, go on the same rides a billion times because, really, it's impossible to go on Haunted Mansion too many times, and eat our way through each park. I'm about 5 pounds heavier by the time we get back, but, remarkably, not a bit tanner. ::shrug::

I'm leaving tomorrow and won't return until the 23rd of August. I will have a computer with me, but only for weather checking purposes and making sure I keep in touch with my Craftster Swap Partner - don't want her to think I disappeared on her, especially now that I actually have viable ideas! [I'll give you a hint: It has to do with this tutorial, a cryptozoological creature, and granny squares. I know, I know, it doesn't mean anything to you, but to me, it's a million dollar idea - Trust Me. ;) ] The only thing I regret about this trip is that I'm going to miss my daily Golden Girls fix. I suppose I'll have to start getting used to it, college stops for no Bea Arthur fan! Unfortunately..

It's Hot and Sticky Out and I don't approve.

It's Tuesday? Really.. Jeeze. Where does the time go? This last week seemed to slip right by me, which, I must admit, is mildly disturbing. I'm having lunch with a close friend of mine today, who I have lunch with every Tuesday, and it seems like I was just sitting across a table from him yesterday! I don't know, I guess I've been so busy, time just melted away.

It was my birthday on Sunday! Happy Birthday to me - I'm officially the ripe old age of 19! I went on a mini-shopping spree at Anthropologie and got a few beautiful, cuddly sweaters to pump up my winter wardrobe and went for lunch with my Father at this fantastic fish restaurant in Princeton. The day before, I spent with my Mother, watching old episodes of Hercules:The Legendary Journeys and drinking way too much punch. It was a fabulous birthday, and, frankly, I don't know how I got to be so lucky.

I also managed to get some crocheting done, shocking as that is. I finished the Whale I'm going to be swapping for one of SquidHead's Octopussys. So Cute right? ::squee:: I can't wait!

I also finished a Custom Order for CupcakeInferno. A Strawberry & French Vanilla Ice Cream Cone and a Strawberry Cupcake:It's hard to not love the two of them together - they're like a match made in crocheted dessert heaven.

And I'm not finished yet. I have a Doctor Who Scarf that needs to be done by Mid-October that's going to make me a good bit of money (Check out the one I made for myself here) and I'm also doing a Craftster Swap, a massive Craftster Swap, that ends October 9th. Did I also mention I have Halloween Crochet Patterns that need to be finished and tested so they can go in the shop soon? Oh. and College starts in less than a month. Why, yes, I did bite off more than I can chew. But that's why I'm a rockstar.

It's Monday and I think we all need a laugh

I leaf through a lot of crocheted toys, patterns, and the like so to see something that not only suprises me but makes me laugh, is as shocking as it is delightful. SquidHead runs an adorable little Etsy shop full of crocheted octopus plushies that I am completely in love with. And, perhaps because I have a bit of a screw loose myself, her Octopussy is, by far, my favorite. Now before you all run off screaming things like "That's so lewd!" and "I'm reporting you to the Better Business Bureau!" take a moment to appreciate not only the humor but the creative genius behind this little baby.I mean, c'mon, if that doesn't tickle your funny bone, you're either dead or a Televangelist.

So, in conclusion, I think you should all wander over to her Shop, check her out on Flickr, or just go buy something for Christ's sake because she's obviously fabulous.

[Update!: SquidHead and I have agreed to swap a custom Moby Pete plush for an Octopussy! ::squee:: I feel like a little kid on Christmas!]

I thought I made it very clear I was hiding in a corner this week.. hrumph!

Yay! It's officially Friday! Bring on the It's-a-fabulous-friday-let's-go-crazy, fruity, girly drinks and Golden Girls marathon that always accompany the end of the week bliss, or at least, should accompany said end of the week bliss, especially after a week like this one has been. No matter how hard I tried to hide under my desk underneath tons of wrinkly old blankets and eat my cookies and wallow in miserable Etsy failure in peace, something always seemed to come up, to require attention, or to bump up against me like a Shark trolling for food (okay, that last one was the cat). Now it's finally Friday and I can take really and truly take a deep breath.. or lots of shallow ones. Quantity over Quality really isn't as bad as people make it out to be.

I know I should be sleeping but I'm too busy now making a list of things to do tomorrow. I had the rather unfortunate luck of running into my own doorframe in my kitchen tonight and I'm now sporting a rather fashionable bruise on my right hand. Black and Blue is all the rage. Trust me, you heard it here first. I really should give my hand at least 4 days minimum before I jump back on the crocheting train but I know my head will simply explode with boredom in that time so I'm giving it till Saturday and then I'm picking up the next project. Period. Anyway, this entire round-about anecdote (eerily reminiscent of one of my Grandmother's lengthy, strung-out stories to the point that I'm almost uncomfortable) was to explain why I'm fervently list-making: I have a free day tomorrow to do all of the little things that have been piling up of late... I can organize my new index cards, clean my desk, pot some Spider plant babies, tend to a rather ornery Snake Plant [AN: I didn't realize until just now how many of my plants are named after creepy things in the Animal Kingdom and I don't think I want to really read too much into it], take a yarn inventory, mend some vintage blankets and, of course, watch some Golden Girls. Oh, and even though I'm poor, perhaps I'll splurge and treat myself to this shirt.. Crazy Dog Tshirts has it for a semi-reasonable price.. Then again.. maybe I'll just continue to oogle it for a while. You have to admit though, it's pretty damn snazzy. Ooo.. I can just see it under a Cardigan!
And, yes, I secretly am an old lady. That's why cats like me so much.

Maybe I'll make that shirt my treat when I complete my first custom crochet order.. which, (cross your fingers) if it works out, will be quite a substantial amount of work along with quite a substantial amount of money. That shirt can be my pie in the sky! Mmm. Pie.

Anyway, my list is done, my hand is iced, and I'm off to sleep. Happy Weekend Everyone!

Oh, and as an aside, if you do decide to check out Crazy Dog Tshirts, be sure to check out the Halloween Costume page. I hate to say it but, as usual, Jim Gaffigan is right, Halloween is just an excuse for grown women to dress like sluts.. I nearly choked on my water (yes, I'm off the DoubleShots) when I saw the Strawberry Shortcake costume.. Yikes! Holy Hooker, Batman! (and don't even get me started on Ghostbusters Girl...)

"I AM taking deep breaths.. I think.."

It seems like I'm not going to be able to get through this week without some serious multi-tasking. It's only Tuesday and my head is already spinning with patterns that need to be finished, corners that need to be cleaned and dusted, doctor's appointments and engagements I wish could be avoided.. I'm muttering mantras like "chain stitch, fasten off, need some lunch, call the doctor, check email, call doctor again, check email, chain stitch, cat puke!, take pictures, nap, check email, pimp self out on twitter, is it really 11 'o clock already?, chain stitch" under my breath while trying not to overdose on Starbucks DoubleShots and Snow Caps. Once again, my life is completely in the hands of someone else and their time schedule and wrapped up in their problems and I feel as if I'm hourly banging my head against a wall trying to motivate them to get their head out of their ass and it's more time-consuming then I can afford right now.

The one thing I did manage to get wrapped up today was the posting of a new pattern in the shop! Meet Moby Pete, the Great Off-White Whale, the lesser-known brother of Moby Dick. He's perfect for a new baby or make a set of them (one with a flower and one with a top hat) for a newly married couple!
You can find him nestled in the shop here and purchase him for only $4.00. So pop on over and check him out!

In other news, the Grand Prize Winner of my Excitable Embroidery Giveaway, Biologie, blogged about her winnings over the weekend in a post entitled "Hurray for Crochet." I would definitely recommend her blog; between the recipes and stories about her family, it's worth a read.

I'd love to stay and continue to chat, but I have a doctor's appointment in a few hours (big suprise) and I still have to try and fix the Toshiba I'm using so that CTRL+C actually works and brushing the touchpad doesn't send my pointer off into no-mans land. It's going to be a long day... so much for cutting back on the DoubleShots

xoxo