August? Really?

Ok, so I still have a few days, but it’s coming! I’m both excited and shocked at its early arrival, despite the fact that it’s right on time. My presentation for work is on Thursday, and I think it’s actually coming along nicely. The slides at least. I’m sure that once I stand up there in front of all those people, I’ll blank. Hopefully no one will laugh at me if I bring a little note card up to help me if I need it. Friday, the first day of August, is the company summer outing. It sounds fun, mostly, but I’m not sure if I’m going. Being stuck at some place all day with few people I know, and lots of people I don’t doesn’t exactly sound like the most exciting thing.

This week’s big news, though, is Ty finally receiving some more concrete information on working in South Africa. Since they had started to talk about it, he found out that he would probably be sent down before Christmas, for two years. Now he knows that he’ll be going down in about two months (still for about two years). And no, I am not happy about this. So far, the only good thing to come out of this is him getting in one more visit to Boston in August. We’ve also been discussing me going down there for spring break, and possibly studying there for the summer, or finding an internship. He doesn’t know how much time he’ll have off, and therefore how often he can come back to the States.

Strangely enough, one of the things that’s been on my mind the most, is getting engaged. Because in my eyes, we both have to be in the States for that, it can’t happen in South Africa, simply because then it would be me going back to my parents and telling them alone. And we both know that we can’t wait until the two years are over. Of course one of the things he mentioned is that one of South Africa’s biggest exports is diamonds, and therefore they would be much cheaper down there, which I completely agree with. I’ve had fantasies of him surprising me with a ring on Labor Day when I’m moving back to school with my parents, but I’m almost 100% sure that that’s not going to happen, especially with the comment about diamonds. He also mentioned that he could just announce it when he’s up in Vermont with me and my parents, in two weeks. And as much as I would love that, the bottom line is that I don’t want to know about it. Because I won’t be able to handle worrying about it until then, or any other time. So even though I really want to get engaged before he goes (making him being gone a little easier), I need to have in my mind that it’s not going to happen, whether or not that’s true.

On a more light-hearted and knitting note, I’ve finally finished the first peacock sock!!! After multiple attempts and many weeks, it is done. And I’ve even started the second one, and I’m practically at the heel! Pictures and the pattern will be up soon. I’ve been so antsy to start new projects recently, which is why I want to finish this one so much. I finished another front panel for my peacoat, but am very apprehensive about felting it. Perhaps I will be up to the task tonight. I’ve pretty much decided that this is a definite no for submission to knitty, but maybe I’ll get something else done in time? September’s coming fast.

Another Bad Day in the Land of Dana

Go figure that everything that would make me a little less happy ganged up on me for one day of miserableness. Hormones, work, bad weather, my book, and probably something I’m forgetting. I won’t completely vent, cause one, I did that already, two, it’s useless, and three, I’m too lazy. But I’ll just quickly explain all of them. Hormones – I’m a girl, it’s pretty self explanatory. Work – nothing to do, except worry over my presentation next week. Bad weather – I empathize with it a lot; it’s stormy outside, I’m stormy inside. My book – the main character was being lied to and betrayed by the woman he loves while running from the foreign government, and, I don’t know why, but I empathized with him. And of course the obvious ones, like that I miss Ty terrible, and that I’m rediculously tired.

But fortunately there were some ups to my day. These included looking at wedding dresses and looking at engagement rings. And I know, it might seem a bit early, but it’s not premature. Ty and I are there, have been for a while, but unfortunately feel the need to wait, because of not only the suddeness of it all and the shock it would bring to most people around us, but because of our (my) age as well. And the fact that I’m still in college. So we were looking at engagement rings last night, and of course there’s the funny yet horrible situation that Ty has got himself in. He knows that it would be easiest if I basically choose it on my own. Because then not only am I assured to like it, but he doesn’t have to do anything. But the funny/horrible part is, that being the hopeless romantic that he is, he can’t let himself do that, he wants it to be a surprise. So I figure that it’s a good thing that we can look together now (despite being in different states, the internet is awesome). I can show him what I like, and what I don’t like. Although I’m sure a lot of that will change when I actually see the rings on my finger. I’m really simplistic when it comes to jewelery. I hate all the gawdy rings that stick a half inch off the finger. Although I’m not sure that I’d want just a band with one diamond. I was just randomly searching the internet for them, whereas Ty was going to specific jeweler websites (and no, not Jared’s, hell no). And he was the one to jokingly mention Cartier. So he looked, then I looked. There was one ring that was absolutely gorgeous, and of course the price was “available upon request”. Ahh, a girl can dream. Well, not really, cause I’d kill Ty if he spent that much money on me.

Anyways, I haven’t been knitting too much, cause of my book. Whenever I start a book, I don’t do anything except read it until I’m done. Every minute that I can spare, I read. I think it took me about a week to read a 850 page book. Up Country by Nelson Demille. If your interested in the Vietnam War, or you like spy/suspense novels I’d definitely suggest it. I finished it last night (at about 12:30) and now can hopefully get back to a slightly more sane life style, and my knitting.

I was on the T yesterday, and when I walked in I saw that the woman next to me, on the seat, was knitting. It alwasy makes me happy when I see people knitting in public , but I also get a bit nervous, cause I don’t know what to do. But I grabbed some courage and ask this woman what she was making. A cardigan for her little niece. I told her that I’d be so bored on the commute if I didn’t have my knitting. I always feel like I have to tell other knitters that I’m a knitter, because I know that if some random person asked me what I was making, I wouldn’t be to elaborate with my answer unless I knew they were a knitter as well. I started working on the second front panel for my peacoat, despite the first one not working out. But hopefully this one will. And if it doesn’t I’ll only have wasted a couple of weeks and five bucks on this peacoat. Although I will be really bummed, and definitely looking to buy a winter coat before I get back to school.

I’ve really been looking forward to school recently. I think I miss all the people, and the constant change of tasks, and the city atmosphere. I like walking places, or taking public transport. And I definitely like not living at home. A lot of this might be the whole grass is greener on the other side thing, with work and the commute making it a long day, but I don’t think all of my wishing for school is because of that. But I do know that a lot of it has to do with the fact that it will be easier for me to visit Ty, and for him to visit me.

Peacoat Update

I kinda had dropped the peacoat for the last few days because I wasn’t sure of the shaping, and I wanted to have an example in front of me. I was waiting for my friend to lend her peacoat to me, but she kept forgetting. So I just let it sit and worked on my sock (which of course I mis-crossed a cable and didn’t realize until more than an inch past it, and I’m too angry with this sock to fix it).

But it finally occurred to me, why don’t I check the downstairs closet for a peacoat, there’s got to be one. And voila! there was! The pieces are a bit different than I want, but that’s easily overcome. The collar was the only part that I was really worried about, simply because it’s worked in different pieces, and folds, so it’s hard to tell from a picture what the piece actually looks like.

I’m thinking that I make this one piece at a time, felting them as I go, just in case. The knitting is pretty fast, because it’s just stockinette, and on large needles. But I’m kinda worried about the shaping, because it will change when I felt it. And even though I’ve calculated it all, and it should work out, I’ve had plenty of experience with things going wrong, particularly swatches, so I’m nervous. But I guess this is why I bought so much extra yarn. Which so far has turned out to be a really good thing, because just the one front piece I have so far is basically taking an entire 292 yd skein! Good thing it’s so cheap. And fortunately there’s a ton more to buy in case I really miscalculated the yardage, or I screw up… That’s the unfortunate part about felting, you can’t undo it!

I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to sew it up, or make the button holes, or if I want a lining. But I guess I should have more than one piece before I start worrying over that. But I do hope that I can get it done in time for the Knitty submission, and therefore the start of school. Besides, if I don’t finish it before I get to school, I won’t be able to until thanksgiving! Because I wont have a top opening washing machine that I can stop and start, or a sewing machine. I guess the crunch isn’t on quite yet though.

Speaking of crunches though. My presentation is looming ever closer, and I’m only slowly doing anything about it. I’m sure I’ll be fine, and it helps that I have to explain the basics of the study design to people who don’t know much about out department, so that will kill some time. Part of my worry is the conclusions. I haven’t really made any yet, but when I do I’m pretty sure that they’ll be obvious, and therefore seem stupid. But I guess obvious is good, because then my audience will agree with me? I dunno, I’m nervous, even though I have a few weeks left. I don’t like making presentations…