#11: Go to the dentist

I have successfully completed #11: go to the dentist. While I've had dental insurance for the past 3 years, I have avoided the dentist since I was about 18 or 19. I'm fortunate and haven't had any major problems or pain in the past 8 years, but I knew it was time to face my fears and go. The initial appointment was much easier than anticipated, although I still had some bad news: I have some cavities and all 4 of my wisdom teeth are impacted. The good news, however, is that my gums are fantastic! I need to look on the bright side of things with all the upcoming dental work I'm facing. At least it's one more thing crossed of my list!

#67: Find a same species friend for Frida

When I originally wrote this item on my list, I was generally thinking this would entail a friend or acquaintance who had a dog that Frida got along with, who we could meet up with at the park for doggy play dates.  A few months ago, my sister and brother in law began fostering Zelda, a french bulldog, and one day we introduced her to Frida.  

From the first time they met, they were thick as thieves. To be honest, I'm not sure there's a dog out there that Zelda doesn't get along with; Frida, however, has a harder time making doggy friends so we were very excited they got along.  It was a little sad, though, knowing she was just being fostered and would eventually be adopted into a permanent home. Well, we solved that problem....


...by adopting her ourselves!

Oh, hello there!

Yes, it's been over 3 months since my last post, but I am back! Since I've been away from blogging for awhile, I kept thinking that my first returning post should be super exciting and full of awesome, and then I'd think I didn't have the mental energy for a super post and basically just kept putting it off. So today, I am here to tell you, I am back. And hopefully, I will be having more energy to blog after work, and can check off another item from my list because...

I started a new job! (Task #3.) I'm still with the same company, but I am no longer in case management! I am starting as a group facilitator and will pretty much be observing for a little while, but am very excited. I'm hoping this will be a less stressful position, in which case I'll not only be more willing to keep up with my blog in my spare time, it'll also be easier to take some classes since I've also been working on task #1 (but more on that one later...).

Updates (#26 in progress, #56, #58, #61 completed)

While I haven't had a whole lot of time recently to sit down and blog, here are some additional tasks I've been working on:

• #26 Try 5 New Restaurants: I have 3 more to add, bringing my total to 4 new restaurants, and I'm not sure I mentioned the first one on here yet. The restaurants are Bai Thong, Tino's Pizza, Fronimo's Greek Cafe, and El Geuro Canelo.

• #56 Devise a better shoe organization system: Honestly not the hardest one on here since my last "shoe organizing system" wasn't so much organizing as  taking-off-my-shoes-as-soon-as-I-get-home-and-leaving-them-in-a-haphazard-manner-by-the-door. I now have a hanging organizer in my closet which I am now (mostly) using.

• #58 Roll loose change and depost: done, not too much to say there, except the total was seriously close to $100, which was pleasantly surprising.

• #61 Find a Labyrinth and walk it: There is a labyrinth at the Desert Museum, which I hadn't even realized until I went there with my sister while she was visiting. 

#39: Go to the Beach completed, #99: See 3 live music shows in progress (picture heavy)

Things have been pretty busy here for the past month or so, and I realized that I've completed a few list items that I haven't had the chance to blog about, so I'm hoping to catch up over the next week or so. 


The first weekend in February David and I visited our friends Jess and Frank in L.A. The trip was great, and pretty packed. We drove in on Friday, and went to an art show at one of their friend's comic book shop in Silverlake. We also got to peek in to Home Ec, a craft store Jess' friends owns and where Jess works on the weekends.


On Saturday, we saw the Pee-wee Herman stage show...





...which was amazing. We originally bought tickets when the show was supposed to be in November, however it sold out so quickly they changed to a larger venue with new dates. Everyone who bought tickets for the original show was able to stay after the show for a Q & A with Pee-wee! So much fun.


Sunday we hung out in Santa Monica for a little while for a superbowl party. David and I left the party early so we could head to a They Might Be Giants show. However, before we left Santa Monica we went to...

Progress (or lack thereof)

So, I didn't finish my Knitting Olympics project in time, but I'm actually really okay with that.  I didn't exactly plan ahead, like picking out a pattern in advance and swatching, so I didn't realize the lace pattern I picked didn't have any rest rows. This is the first time I've knit lace w/o rest rows, and I didn't realize what a difference that can make. Also, I didn't really think ahead to the fact that the last week of the Knitting Olympics was also going to be the last week my parents were going to be in Tucson before moving back to New England, so...I was much more interested in spending time w/family who I might not see for a year or so than hole up knitting in my apartment. 

However, I am very excited for the project once it's done. The Malabrigo Lace yarn is amazing....soft, squishy, gorgeous. The whole scarf just looks like it's the knitted embodiment of Spring, with the bramble leaf stitch pattern and gorgeous bright yellow with it's slight varigation....Now that I no longer have a time limit, I've decided I'm going to do about 20 repeats of the center pattern instead of the recommended 16 (I've completed 16 repeats already, and it is way too short as is) plus knit the wide borders.  

Citius, Altius, Fortius

Last night was the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics, and also marked the beginning of the Knitting Olympics hosted by the Yarn Harlot.  For the Knitting Olympics, one casts on a new project during the opening ceremonies and must finish that project by the end of the Winter Olympics.  I consider myself to be an intermediate to advanced knitter, but I do not happen to be a very fast knitter. So, I wanted to chose a project that was technically interesting but not too long. Looking through my queue on Ravelry, I quickly chose to knit the Raha Scarf by Nancy Bush from the book Estonian Lace Today. The book was a gift from my sister and I haven't knit any of the patterns yet, and was really looking forward to finally getting a chance to knit one of  them.

So Friday rolls around and I select the Malabrigo Lace yarn in a gorgeous, bright yellow from my stash, get out the gorgeous wooden size 5 needles I received along with the book (it only seemd appropriate) and go to my mini knitting library so I can make several photocopies of the pattern and...it's completely missing. Every other knitting book I own is in the same spot, except for this one book. I quickly look through all other bookshelves, check the living room, bedroom, but to no avail. Running out of time, I quickly review the other patterns in my queue, looking for a comparable pattern that would be challenging enough to complete in 17 days but not impossible. I finally settled on Scarf with French Trellis Border from Weldon's 1890 and Bramble Leaf Center by Jane Sowerby.  However, for the Olympics I am eliminating the wide borders and just knitting the Bramble Leaf Center as that seemed a little more comparable to what I was intending on knitting originally.