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Monday, January 19th, 2009
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I'm trying to knit a lace shawl. Omg, lace knitting is hard. It seems like it should be really easy, just a combination of knit, yarn over, knit 2 together, etc. But I keep making mistakes, and unpicking the kidsilk haze is a horrendous nightmare. I've just now tried to knit row 29, and realised when I got to the centre stitch that I'd made a mistake and unpicked half the row twice. Then I counted the stitches and realised I was missing 2 and that I must have missed not one, but 2 yarn over's in the previous row but one. So I have just unpicked my purl row and then unpicked row 27. I should now have 73 stitches and should be able to now knit row 27, then my purl row, then row 29.
I've learned the following.
1. Always have a ruler or paper under the row of stitches you're knitting so you don't get mixed up about what bit you're reading.
2. Always count your stitches at the end of an increase/decrease row, before you purl, cos if it's wrong it's even more to unpick.
3. Be aware of your centre stitch cos it's easy to identify by that if you've made a mistake.
Today I've actually spent as long unpicking as I actually have knitting the damn thing. My eyes are sore, and the light is on here, but the kidsilk haze is basically knitting with fuzzy thread.
I'm stopping now, no idea what my stitch count is, but really I just can't concentrate any more.
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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Wednesday, August 13th, 2008
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Anyone else been watching Bonekickers on tv? If not, I highly recommend it, it's laugh out loud funny, ludicrous and just plain stupid! The last episode has just made me laugh so much! Do you think the bbc thought this was a serious tv drama!
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Comments: Read 3 or Add Your Own.
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Saturday, February 2nd, 2008
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There are a number of people I know and on my friends page who don't like February and are worried that bad things happen in February.
I'd like to take a minute to defend February. Someone needs to stand up for poor old February. I would like to argue the following points in Feburary's favour.
1. February is further towards summer than January and the days are now longer, it doesn't get dark till around 5ish.
2. February contains Valentine's day. If you're like me, this is a lovely chance to have a couplely evening. I like it, you can have dinner and drink champagne. Lots of people dislike the tat associated with Valentine's day but I ignore that.
3. February is nice and short, so if you're very skint after Christmas you get paid pretty quickly from the last pay cheque.
4. February is kooky and weird, mostly it has 28 days - weird enough most months have 30 or 31, but sometimes February has an extra day like this year and it's even more exciting, it's a free day you only get once every 4 years! Babies born on this day have weird birthday celebrations.
5. My birthday is in March and February is like a run up to my birthday. By the time it gets to the end of February I'm getting pretty excited.
So, lets have no more slagging of poor old February. Other months suck too. I think January is probably my least favourite month, I'm on the sad side of Christmas and it's dark and cold. Probably my birthday month and September are my favourite months. September is lovely cos it's usually as warm as the summer, and festival madness is over and the city is sane again.
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Comments: Read 3 or Add Your Own.
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Saturday, November 3rd, 2007
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Yesterday I kept note of how much I expressed in 24 hours. People on the internet are variously claiming they express 800 mls which seemed like a huge amount. I added up that yesteday that I expressed 940mls. That's nearly a litre! Wow. Yesterday I made 2 pints of milk. No wonder I'm so thirsty all the time.
And my tiny baby daughter ate/drunk all the milk I made yesterday, and overnight I had to give her 100mls of formula because I ran out of EBM. So she is drinking over 1 litre of milk. She's only about 4.5 kilos or so, so Baby is drinking almost 1/4 her weight in milk every day.
Ha, I make you dizzy with my maths facts.....
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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Thursday, July 20th, 2006
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Thursday, January 26th, 2006
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| Time: | 1:59 pm. |
| Mood: |  sore. |
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broke arm skiing
huh
typing hard and annoying
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Comments: Read 13 or Add Your Own.
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Wednesday, August 31st, 2005
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you guys are all at work...
and I'm going to bed....
.... whoa....
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Comments: Read 5 or Add Your Own.
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Thursday, July 14th, 2005
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so, should it be "normalising" or "normalizing"?
chamber dictionary which everyone helpfully pointed out last time, has "normalize or normalise" but only "normalizing".
Is this definatly a British English spelling reference?
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Comments: Read 12 or Add Your Own.
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Thursday, June 16th, 2005
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my tutor has just replied to one of my emails by saying "try not to worry too much"
and yes, I understand that she's a nice person and is trying the best she can for her student, but I'm having to bite back a reply of
"ok, I'll have to schedule a time to not worry. This will be wedged in between, trying to finish an essay on which my whole degree depends, working at my management placement full time, applying for a job, and trying to get married in three months"
not worrying is something I plan to do in India, when hopefully at least I'll have a job, if not a final degree result.
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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I'm reading "The Separation" by Christopher Priest. It claims to be a sci-fi book, and indeed Priest is a sci-fi author he's appearing at Worldcon in August. However, I'm 130 dense pages into it, and it's entirely sci-fi free. It's about WWII and the only sci-fi links are that it's briefly mentions a mass re-settlement of the Jews on Madagascar after the war, which, to the best of my knowledge, didn't actually happen.
Anyway, I'm enjoying the book, Priest is an excellent story teller, and I'm really into it. It's making me think about how different our generation is to the one in the book.
The author speaks about patriotism, and about his need to fight the war with Germany and the Nazis. He talks about the Blitz spirit, and his main character, when offered a cushy office job by Churchhill, decides to go back to flying planes and bombing german cities, and risking his own neck for his country.
I suppose it's part of Priest's skill as a writer that this is brought across so well as a reasonable position. Because actually I find this type of thinking so distant to how I think that often I find it difficult to understand. I don't really relate very well to concepts of patriotism, or fighting for your country. I'd fight for my life, for my family, for my friends, for people I love. But I don't feel that way about this weird concept of country.
And C was talking yesterday about selfishness and how our generation differed from previous generations. And I think this is another way in which we're different. Because we haven't been shaped by a nationwide war. We haven't been really forced to do without basic things. We haven't experienced members of our family en masse dying fighting another country.
It's probably a good thing.
I don't think I really understand what it meant to HAVE to fight a war, and if we're going to talk about "just" wars, then the war against the Nazi's has got to be up there.
Related to this is a rant on palliative care, dying at home, and why people of this generation are proud and independent.
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Comments: Read 7 or Add Your Own.
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well, I'm pissed off. As anyone who's known me for any length of time will know, I've been an ardent anti-smoker for years. It's just horrible, and smelly, and disgusting. I've also been pretty sure that smokers have been a bit useless about quitting something they know is so bad for them.
However, over the last month I've been researching an essay, and have totally changed my view on smoking. I've realised how much social pressure is on people to start and maintain smoking habits. I've realised how totally addictive nicotine is. I've realised how outrageously evil (and I don't use that word lightly) tobacco companies are. They have given out false information for years, and confused the picture. They've known for 20 years that nicotine is addictive, and it is only in 2000 that the Royal College of Physicians finally decided it was indeed addictive. All this has put smoking cessation back years, because it's only in the last decade health professionals have realised that smoking is addictive, and that smokers who want to quit need more help that a good shake and a telling off.
So, I'm writing this essay about how addictive nicotine is and how we can understand why smokers start and are unable to stop smoking. Then today, some wanker of a judge refuses a claim against a tobacco company.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4593571.stm
The judge "did not agree it could be argued that smoking was more addictive than cocaine." There is actual research to prove this is the case, from the Royal College of Physicians, not some one funded by the tobacco companies. He said that it was social/peer pressure that had made this guy start smoking, completely ignoring the fact that the tobacco industry spends millions normalising tobacco use, and making it look cool/rebellious. There's a reason why teenagers start smoking ciggarettes, rather than start excessive drinking of orange juice. It's because cool people in movies and on tv smoke. And they get sponsoship deals from tobacco companies.
It's possible that tobacco companies may take over from 4x4's as my biggest bug-bear of the minute.
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Comments: Read 3 or Add Your Own.
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| Time: | 5:10 pm. |
| Mood: |  pensive. |
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The other day I was watching a tv programme that was retro-spective on Aparteid in South Africa. As I was watching it, I thought, oh my god, this was 12 years ago, but look at how the world has changed for the better. Now it seems impossible that whole groups of people would ever be so institutionally put down. I can't believe that anyone was ever prejudiced against someone for the colour of their skin.
I thought, look at how the world has moved on. No one ever suffers from this kind of racism.
Then a few days later I thought, actually that's just complete crap. I saw this today on the bbc webpage, which made me think about it all over again.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4592697.stm
And realised that again, I've just been hopelessly naive and that the world hasn't really moved on. If people are capable of treating women like this, then we're certainly capable of treating people of a different race just as badly.
Really, we have a long long way to go before female equality. Not just in Afganistan, but everywhere.
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Comments: Read 3 or Add Your Own.
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why can I not spell "alchohol"? Was I cursed in a previous life?
And who invented America anyway, with their stupid online dictionaries that don't spell the same way as you're meant to for academic courses?
Oh all you internet people - is there an online dictionary which knows British spelling?
And while we're on the topic, I can't remember how to spell "authour". I'm pretty sure it's like that, but Abiword thinks it's "author" and dictionary.com thinks it's "author" and even google thinks it's "author". Now I've looked at it so many times, I have no idea how this stupid word is spelled.
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Comments: Read 5 or Add Your Own.
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well, just got back from gym. I managed to do 10 minutes on the running machine, at 8 km/h, but I have to stop after five mins and walk. C wants me to go running, but I think she's much better than me, and I would be totally knackered and possibly collapse! However, I do find running in the gym a bit boring...
It has, though made me think of a new idea to cope with boring placement. Previously I've moaned about having a whole hour off for lunch in the middle of nowwhere with choices of things to do being wander round suburb, or sit in staff room listening to conversations about the youth of today. Today had coffee with B and realised that I could go for a run during my lunch break. Was revalation. This is a brilliant excuse to get out of horrible surgery for a little while. Only drawback is that I may be sweaty and of course there's no shower, but hopefully lots of deodorant can cope with this problem.
I don't post that much in my journal, because I'm not really sure what it's for. It is a general announcement forum? Cos I don't really want to use it as a journal, where I write all my most private thoughts. I have paper for that! and I don't really want to share. And I don't feel like i have amazing life thoughts that are super and brilliant. And what's the point of writing in something like lj if you don't want to share. And I don't have brilliant insightful review of books or movies. Then I realised that some people use their journal as a way of generally chatting to friends. I realised that I was generally chatting on other peoples journal on their comments..... So I've kind of realised that I'm much happier with this concept. It's like going for coffee with everyone on my friends list all at once. Except we're not having a normal linear conversation, and you don't always answer me back.
But on the up side, we're not all tempted to have cake.
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Comments: Read 7 or Add Your Own.
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Thursday, April 21st, 2005
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Well, today I lodged an AP1 form with the registry office, and booked a registrar for our wedding date which is now less than five months away. I've never been to India buildings before, and I have to say, it's pretty intimidating. It's very formal, and this has been the first very formal thing we've had to do so far. Even for someone as confident as me about getting married, I was still a bit cold-feet-ey in the registry office.
I have to submit loads of details about the things we'll be doing during the ceremony. I have to tell them if we're having a reading, what the reading will be, what the song will be. All of this is to make sure that you aren't doing anything religious.
Next thing I have to do is 4-6 weeks before the wedding, we both have these big forms to fill in declaring we are indeed british citizens, and are not married to anyone else. At India buildings they have these computer screens showing the names of everyone who is getting married, because it has to be announced for the public to see, once you've submitted the big forms 4-6 weeks before. In August our names will be constantly scrolling down on these screens announcing we're getting married.... how weird.
In better wedding news, we booked our honeymoon!!!! I'm sooooo excited! We're off to India for a month! We're staying in Goa for 11 days, then touring round Northern India, going to Dehli, Jaipur, Agra, and Varanasi.
And my placement is dead boring. Wound care is possibly the least exciting nurse-y job. Lots of nurses love it, but I'm just a bit fed up. However, 2 weeks down, only 4 more to go.
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Comments: Read 8 or Add Your Own.
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Wednesday, March 2nd, 2005
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well, I did really well in my modules!!!! I got a merit for all four subjects!!! I'm so pleased, and just relieved that the waiting and stress is over!
Thanks so much to everyone who was nice to me and you may now all say "I told you so!!"
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Comments: Read 5 or Add Your Own.
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Monday, February 28th, 2005
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I'm in total agony waiting for my degree results. They're due out Wednesday at 11am. I check every day to see if they've been released early. I'm desparate for Wednesday to come, but at the same time, I don't really want to know, cos what if I haven't done well?
I'm sure my standards are too high, and that if I just relaxed a bit, I wouldn't be putting myself through this. A few days ago, I was able to tell myself that I'd had good reviews of my essays by tutors, and a good grade for my seminar and exam, which count for 20 and 30% of one module, respectively. Still, I'm hating this. It seems to have been the longest wait of my life. I'm sure that I waited longer for my higher grades, but somehow this has been worse. Maybe I'm getting more nervous and worked up as I get older.
Remember how I got first in my class at the end of second year? Now I wish I hadn't got that grade, because if I hadn't done that well then, maybe I wouldn't have such high standards now, and would be more relaxed.
Soon I'll know what I got and hopefully will look back on this and feel that I was stupid. However, honestly, this is the most I've ever worried about grades. how sad is this, it probably won't even make any difference to what kind of job I get. And I know lots of people who are likely to do not as well as me. These facts somehow fail to make me feel better.
The only vague good thing is that A has gone snowboarding this week, so is not here for me to moan at and for him to get annoyed. Cos moaning is not going to make Wednesday come any quicker.
Ok, I'm off to quilt, and hope that Wednesday comes soon.... (or not)
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Comments: Read 8 or Add Your Own.
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Tuesday, February 22nd, 2005
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Hi,
I'm sure people have posted here previously about their sewing skills, so apologies for the repeat posting. I'm looking for someone who'd be able to make a couple of bridesmaid's dresses. I'd like them to match my wedding dress, which is quite a straightforward style, vaguely medieval-ish. I'd like them to be made in a heavy velvet, probably in a dark green. My sisters are two very different sizes so it has to suit both of them too.
Does anyone make dresses like this or able to recommend a dressmaker? My sister's live in Ayrshire so a time would have to be organised when they are both in Edinburgh.
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Comments: Read 11 or Add Your Own.
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Wednesday, February 2nd, 2005
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| Subject: | music |
| Time: | 7:53 pm. |
| Mood: |  accomplished. | | Music: | all 1670 songs!!!!!. |
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Have spend the last couple of days off and on, ripping all of A and I's cds to mp3. We have 1670 songs, 5 days worth of music and 9.74 gigabites. Amazingly 333 of these songs are mind (what a nice round number!) Who knew I had so much music? I think I've found music I'd forgotten about.
Today I had another horrible journey to Livingstone, and didn't even get laser treatment when I finally got there.
So far this year I've read
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
Trudi Canavan's Magician trilogy
and Sophie Kinsella's latest chick lit.
The Magician trilogy is pretty good if you like fantasy. I found the first book a bit predictable, but very readable. The second book was good and really found it's stride, but the third book was far and away the best. I thought I totally had figured out the plot, and I hadn't really. My only moan about these books was that they cost gbp8 each?!!? What a huge amount to pay for books now! I thought a few years ago, book sales were deregulated which was meant to bring prices down. I don't think it has at all.
On Monday, I start a placement in the IVF clinic. I'm there for 3 weeks and I'm going to see all the procedures like oocyte donation, ivf treatment, implantation, and all the conselling that goes with it. I'm really looking forward to it! Happily they wear surgical blues in the IVF centre, so no ghastly uniform!!! woo hoo!
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Comments: Read 5 or Add Your Own.
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Tuesday, January 25th, 2005
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well, I've been to the doctor's this morning, and I have a viral infection of the glands in my face, which may or may not be mumps. They've taken a swab, but those results don't come back for a week.
Now I have a dilema about whether or not to sit the exam tomorrow. If I don't and submit mitigating circumstances, I have to sit the resit in May, which will be inconveinient as I have plenty of other work in May. However, if I do sit it and scrape a pass, then it will really affect my overall grade for my degree - ie, if I don't get a merit, it may screw up my chances of getting a merit overall.
But I do feel better today, and I have studied a lot for this exam. I think I probably will sit it tomorrow, and submit the form, in case I fail.
Thanks for everyone's get-well thoughts!
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Comments: Read 4 or Add Your Own.
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cristobel's journal
giggly.
sleepy.
worried.
aggravated.
energetic.
bored.
relieved.
drained.