a blogging resolution.

there are days that i just don't have much to say, so the facebook status update seems to be the best way to let you all know that yes, despite the frigid tundra in which i live and work, i am alive. but i feel that i have been cheating you of my witty nonsense that only this blog can deliver. i apologize. i can't make any promises, bu ti will try to be a better blogger in the new year. this is my resolution. no diet that i won't even stick to for a week, no cutting out caffeine (as if!) or sugar, just trying to be better about keeping in touch - here, with phone calls, letters, emails, and yes, even on facebook, if i have to.

I like words

as some of you may have noticed, i like words. i'm kind of a linguisitcs fan-girl. i get an awesome email every day called "A Word A Day" which, as you may have guessed is a new word every day, with definitions, etemology, pronunciation and examples. there is also a 'thought for the day' at the end of every email. today's was "A man who uses a great many words to express his meaning is like a bad marksman who, instead of aiming a single stone at an object, takes up a handful and throws at it in hopes he may hit. -Samuel Johnson, lexicographer (1709-1784)." i highly recommend the email, because it's just fun to read. every week, there's also a digest of responses to each word. this one made me giggle a little:
Subject: mendicant
Def: A beggar.
Mendicant is one of my favorite words. When I was a boy, my father would meticulously record expenses. One day, looking at his notes, I saw "gift to mendicant" and asked what that meant. He explained and I remember thinking how nice it was that he had given money to someone in need. Only later did I learn that "gift to mendicant" was his code phrase for my allowance!

and i found this one very interesting:
Subject: gimcrack
Def: Something cheap and showy, of little use.
The old song De Blue Tail Fly comes to mind. There has been much debate over the meaning of "Jimmy Crack Corn". To note, in the original version the lyrics read "Jim crack corn". "Jim crack" has traditionally been used in reference to shoddily built items. Additionally, "corn" is considered an American euphemism for "corn whiskey". Other possibilities include:"Gimcrack corn" cheap corn whiskey; That it refers to "cracking" open a jug of corn whiskey;

anywho, words: i like them

too funny to passover

http://9a4440c5.fb.joyent.us/haggadah/ultraModern2.php

i laughed... a lot! yay for facebook and for people with too much time on their hands. :)

this weekend

i went to Ides of March this weekend in Huron. lots of fun! doom has already detailed much of the event on her blog, but i'll just add to it, saying a good time was had by all, even if i was still a bit sick (stupid cold - hanging on forever). svein was there, and happened to have a spare "for the good of the land"cd, so i bought it and listened to it on the way home. my car has a 6 cd changer in the trunk, but since i've got my ipod, this is only the 2nd time i've used it. good to know it works. anyway, the cd is filled with wonderful songs and peoms of the sca type, and that made me want to listen to more sca-ish songs, and i happened to bring my handy little ipod along, so i scrolled through the music and found the songs by wyndreth. svein had given me a cd with some of her music on it quite a while ago, along with a cd of icelandic sagas and a sequentia cd as well. anyway, as i was listening, i heard a song that gave me goosebumps. it was written over 10 years ago, but is very applicable to what is going on in north dakota right now, so i thought i'd share the lyrics. from http://www.savagedaughter.com/Floodsong.html

For Those Who Fight the Flooding

(copyright 1997--karen unrein kahan)

Word reaches us on higher ground

of kinsmen wyrd-and-water-tossed,

of rivers raging from their beds

and fordings, dams and bulwarks crossed

Chorus: My heart, it builds the longship

that my thick hands wish they could

to carry you and all you love

on wings of wind and wood

to where your anxious kinsmen

pace and pray for you

and rail the fates and wish that

there was something we could do.

We know the water's faces best

as sleet and ice and blinding snow.

When it comes as furied flood,

where shall our kinsmen go?

Chorus

All acorss the Northshield lights

burn in the dark of stead and hall

all and every evening as we

strain to hear you if you call.

Chorus

Those of us on higher ground

keep the guest-cups full and warm

and dream--when we can sleep--that you

are with us, safe from harm.

Chorus

Our thoughts ride waves to stand with you.

Our voices sing your names out loud.

Our hands dream that they can turn

the water's unforgiving wrath around

Chorus

two stormy nights... and then some

monday, march 2, 2009:
i was not feeling so well. i think i was coming down with a cold - the boss kept looking at me and telling me to go home and go to bed. i didn't want to give in to that evil virus, so i fought it off as best as i could.

tuesday, march 3, 2009:
yup, had a cold - and it kinda won. didn't drive to the fort for a half-day of work like i thought i would. instead, slept and drank fluids as my voice started to trickle away. i think i had a fever, but was afraid to confirm, so i didn't bust out the thermometer.

i was on a quest. i was going to see not only my little sister, mother, one of the adopted sisters and some of my friends at home, but also one of the most awesome bands. ever. i was headed to see Gaelic Storm. that's right. two nights in a row.

i left the frigid north and ventured down to meet up for supper at little italy's, first making a stop in h2otown for the thing that saved my life: tylenol severe cold and sore throat blue liquid miracle drug. after i finally got out of walmart and took a swig, i felt almost 100% human again, and continued the drive. i met up with kaia and aethelflaed in sf and continued home. we picked up my mom & dad, went to town for dinner (the chicken fettuchini alfredo was delicious!) with doom and hagan. doom gave me the hat she made for me: it's awesome!

after dinner, we dropped dad back at home and headed to akron for the first concert. it was at the old opera house, and i had a blast! this was my first GS concert, and i can't even tell you how excited i was. the band was awesome - they put on a really good show, and really get the crowd involved (though i think the opera house crowd was a bit different from their usual - more sitters than dancers etc..). i know i had a great time, and i'm glad that my mom got to come along. here's a photo of two of us crazy fan girls, my mom, and some random passers-by in front of ye olde opera house:

wednesday, march 4, 2009:
after spending the night at mom & dad's we headed into town and visited with doom, hagan and doris at the u before we had lunch with tom at whimp's. two hours of lunch and chat with tom, we headed to omaha; the scene of the next concert.

we got there in time to meet dyetara at knitting night at whole foods, so we got in some good fiber craft time. i started a scarf, and i think i may have helped aethelflaed start her fingerless mittens. we all grabbed some whole foods supper, and then headed to drop the kids with the sitter and then to find the venue for the concert.

this one was at a 'music cafe' *read: bar* as much fun as the first one was, this was even more so! they had a local bluegrass band open for them, and that was ok, but i think that maybe kaia was not so fond of them. they all sang and played into one mic, and when you could hear them in balance they were fairly decent, but i think if they'd have each had their own mic (or at least not all 5 of them on one) it would have been way better. anyway, after a few sets from them, Gaelic Storm took the stage.

they played most of the songs they had done in akron, plus some, with no intermission. the crowd was very excited, and there was all kinds of dancing and shouting and clapping. it was awesome! i had made sure to take some of my magic blue tylenol liquid stuff, so i was feeling pretty good as far as my throat and coughing went, and i think i may have embarrassed kaia with my enthusiasm. we were in the front, right up by the stage again, and i think it was aethelflaed who said 'i could touch gaelic storm!' :) anyway, after a couple of hours of singing along to every song and dancing and clapping (and seeing a friend from high school), the show was over (2 encore songs as well). and then, we did get to touch gaelic storm.

we decided to get our shirts signed, and after kaia, aethelflaed and dyetara had their signed by pat, i said somthing like, 'i'll just have to shake your hand because i chose the black shirt,' and shook his hand. to which he said something like, 'there's a perfect spot to sign!' and i guess there was. the screen print of the snail worked perfectly. most of them even signed on it. (twigger had some issues with it, but that's ok). when ryan signed it he said 'you're making me work really hard on this one!'

then we became even more fan-girl-esque and got our pictures taken with the band.

Steve Twigger:

Patrick Murphy:

Peter Purvis:

Jessie Burns:

Ryan Lacey:

(we decided that he reminds us of 'animal' from the muppets when he's drumming. it's fascinating, really)

before we left, we took the time to attempt to squeeze the four of us into a photo booth, but i don't have the pictures from that - i think kaia does. it was an adventure. those things are not made for four women.

on the way back, we stopped in at dyetara's new house and saw how it is coming along. it's turning out really well, and i can't wait to see the finished product. we spent the night in the old house, and the next day, did some hanging out around the old market:

the weather was so nice that there were people just hanging out on the street corner with hula hoops, and ava joined in, as did kaia. we even stopped for ice cream before we headed back north.

sorry for the lengthyness of this post, but i could have gone on much longer about all of it. there are more photos on my flickr page, if you want to see them.

my first album

here's the cover for my first album: what kind of music do you think i sing? or am i just in the band? what do i play?

have fun!

1. Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random”or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.
2. Go to "Random quotations"or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3 The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.
3. Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.
4. Use photoshop or similar to put it all together (You can use picnik http://www.picnik.com/app#/home/welcome , it's free and easy to use).

covered in bees! socks and note

so, i've have these for quite some time, and i know you're all dying to see them, so here they are. i LOVE them! the are sooooooo warm, and not too thick or crazy or anything! thank you alpaca wacka for knitting them, and big sister for dyeing the yarn!

here is the requisite "blog modeling photo (the only good one):"

Miniature Knitter

if the video isn't showing up, here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT5MFdAB7fI

Um, I am amazed! I love Neil Gaiman and all of his books, and the books of his that I have seen in movie form as well (aka Stardust), and am really excited to see Coraline, so i went to the website, which is really fun to play around at, and I found this. Enjoy!

and here's the pattern for the sweater: http://www.coraline.com/images/sweater_pattern.pdf

for the time being

Your result for The Princess Bride trivia Test...

Westley

Inconceivable! You scored ###!

You live it, you love it, you lost track long ago of how many times you have seen it. You have been known to wish someone luck by hollering "have fun storming the castle!" You scoff at people who cannot recite the entire 'battle of wits.' You are a true fan.
Thank you. Its people like you that give me hope for humanity.

Take The Princess Bride trivia Test at HelloQuizzy