J is for Japanese Cooking

I'm a little bit obcessed with Japanese food. Hands down, it's my favorite 'type', and I could easily eat sushi every day of my life. Of course, neither my pocketbook or family members would allow me to do that, so I have spent the last couple years trying to perfect my skills in my own kitchen.

No, I'm not rigging up a Hibachi grill in the ol' apartment, but I'm pretty darn close to getting the rice just right and my tofu noodles kick some a*s. Seriously, an old roommate of mine got me a pound of Ahi as a birthday gift one year and it was the best EVER.

Ok, so that's another thing I miss about the Bay Area. Buying FRESH seafood right off the boat in Live Oak Harbor!

Is it lunch yet?

Nothing Says "Good Morning!" Like a Puking Cat

Thanks for the suggestions on the baby items. I actually do love knitting them because they work up so fast! and Chris - I wish I was talented enough to draw that; I think I found it in an online clip-art directory.

So onto today. I woke up to a pleasent surprise this morning - Viva hacking up a hairball next to my bed at 5:10am. Nothing like going to town with a wad of paper towels and some Resolve to wake you up.

Of course, I didn't get to bed until like 11:30pm because the completely annoying band of 18-year-olds living and partying it up 6 nights a week in their first apartment my new neighbors decided it would be a fun idea to climb the cherry tree right outside my bedroom window with flashlights at 10:30pm. I felt like the cranky old lady at the end of the street as I slammed my window shut and added this shinanigan to my running list of 'things to report to the management' but hell, a working woman needs her sleep! I really hope I didn't bring this sort of headache to anybody during my wilder years...

Anyways, I actually have knitting stuff today.

Here's Aline's back and fronts sewn together. I had to crop the photo because I looked like absolute hell despite 90% of my head being covered by the camera. I need to block this and actually put some [ahem] supportive undergarments on to make this fall right.

Cathay splits like hell. Viva got a nail stuck walking oustide today and let me tell you, it is beyond repair. I also can't tune out and knit on this because of the same problem. sigh.

I've also been slowly working on the Prarie Tunic in between the baby mania items. I realized what it is that I don't like about this yarn.


While everyone else is dying their yarn, I'm bleaching mine out. I think this tank will look MUCH better (for my tastes, anyway) after a good bleaching. So that's the fate. Here it is when I got to work this morning:


Note to self: Do not throw a project in your purse when you are 1/2 way through a lace panel. Just don't.
P.S. I have no idea why my hand looks orange.
Earlier this morning, since I was up oh, an hour early, I sat outside and knit a baby bootie. It was actually pretty nice sitting there in a blanket, with some tea and rice cakes, watching morning creep up. Of course, I had to seriously fight the urge to go climb the Cherry Tree with a bullhorn and shout "GOOD MORNING WORLD!" in the immediate direction of the sleeping 18-year-olds window.


Assorted Wool Cotton from Rowan & Debbie Bliss. Adorable pattern here.
So that's Wednesday AM at the Casa. Back to ploting how I am going to stake revenge on the neighbors.

No Creative Title Today

Today is the start of "summer hours" on campus, which is why I am typing this at the un-godly hour of 6am [well, for me anyway]. We change our workday from 8-5 to 7-3:30 to accomodate the summer heat in the afternoons [ironically, it's raining and 55 degrees right now]. There are two things in this world I will never be 100% capable of doing - 1)Handling a snake or 2) Waking up early. Everyone says I will LOVE this schedule, but even after 8 1/2 hours of sleep last night, I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a mack truck. Even a COLD shower wasn't helping at all.

Enough whining. Thus is life and I will make the best of it.

---

Saturday I was in Capitola for the 1st Annual Classic Car show, where we got the VIP access to the 'suite' party. Excellent.
Sunday my nephew Garet turned 1 year old. I can't belive it's already been a year - he's already walking and talking and getting himself into all kinds of trouble!

I didn't knit him anything this year - But I'm planning a sweater for Christmas. However I did start Crumpets, for my friend Danielle's daughter Arden. She had requested a knit summer dress awhile ago, so I am working this up for her baptism in a couple weeks. I'm in the VERY long, dull stretch of st st for the skirt, and the Cotton-Ease is hard on my hands, so progress is going slowly. For relief I go back to work on Aline sweater, which is now two completed fronts and 1 completed back. On to sleeve island! I am still deciding if I am going to do them from the top-down, although my experience with straying from patterns has never turned out well.

I've also got about 4 pairs of baby booties I need to get cracking on. Why is everyone getting pregs at the same time? I need some new baby books...