The infamous job interview...

...well, it turns out that they are waiting on a grant announcement. So I won't know whether I am hired or not for a few weeks. So please don't stress about it and please don't ask me too often whether I have heard or not. I don't want to pin my whole life on one interview. :) I think it went okay. It is hard to tell if you knock things out of the park in an interview sometimes. I think I started off well anyway.

Meanwhile, I am debating putting in for another job. We will see.

A little nervous again...

I am interviewing for a position today. It is with a local nonprofit. It is an unexpected opportunity that I stumbled across, and I think I am the last person they are interviewing. My fear is that I may be overqualified or not the right fit. I do have the right education, and some of the right experience. All of my experience will be applicable. But the position may be intended for someone without an MBA, for someone who is starting out. The job description seems a little ambiguous that way. And I have not interviewed in quite awhile, and I fear that all that time crunching numbers as affected my eloquence (that is a bit true...I fear language centers atrophy when you spend all day working and discussing numbers. :) ). I really shouldn't be so nervous. I am fortunate enough that I don't have to work, but I would like to work doing something that I love and enjoy doing. And let's face it, no one particularly likes being rejected. :) So, wish me luck. Think positive thoughts.

I have finished my husband's first sock, all except for the kitchener stitch on the toes and weaving in the ends. I want him to try it on first before I seal it up. One of the suckiest things in knitting is frogging a completed kitchener stitch (I have done it a few times). I really would like to avoid that. :)

Great friends and mentors are precious things...

...I owe such a debt of gratitude to friends and mentors that I have been fortunate enough to have in my life. I have lived many places, worked many jobs, been on many adventures and volunteered many hours. And when I look back on some of the great people who have been in my life, I get a little verklempt. Misted up. So many "adoptive" moms, dads and uncles out there, spread across the states. People who have been there in my times of need, times of joy. Please don't think that I did not notice and soak up all the little moments. (The Army taught me to do that...in the midst of the chaos, anticipation or the mundane, to notice beauty in small things.) I just want to say a big "Thanks" to you all. Thanks to your big hearts. I will never forget you, and you can call on me at anytime.

Bless you.

Did you ever notice...

that friends and family call you more when you have alot of work to do? Not that I don't want my friends and family calling, but it is like they have a sixth sense of perfect timing to call at the most inconvenient times. Especially when you have just stepped out of the shower, are way late in watering your flowers (it is 11 am already!), and have to get going on your market research before you have to go do your other volunteer hours!

I really can't talk too much about the market research I am doing. I know I have told some of my friends in person, but I don't want to get everyone's hopes up about what I am working on. I am just doing some market research and feasibility analysis for a local nonprofit I am involved with. It is good to do free business "consulting" as it keeps my skills going without having to start back at work just yet.

However, I am getting antsy and may start applying for some jobs here. I have tried before to get back into engineering by apply to just a few jobs, but I did not get any takers. :) Oh well. It is not easy when you are in a town that is close to the state's best engineering school, you have been out of it awhile, and your experience is in other states that have different regs. Not sure why employers think that the same skills you had 3 years ago are all of a sudden gone. The same skills that helped you learn your job and do things well so quickly in the past. :) But enough about that.

I am still working on that sock for my husband. Slow going with all of my volunteer work. They are the garter rib socks from Sensational Knitted Socks. I like the garter stitch trim on the heel.

Where has the summer gone? Time has just flown by. I have been so busy, but it is as though I can't remember what I have really been busy doing. I am spread between so many things. :)

And if you haven't already heard, drinking more than one soda a day can kill you. At least, that is how the journalists are reporting these stories. But it seems more research needs to be done before we all panic. I think I already knew that drinking alot of soda was bad, as I have tried not to drink more than one a day my whole life. I agree with the journalists though, basically consuming anything with calories can kill you. So why eat? :)

Oh crap! And now I just saw a report that low bad cholesterol may increase cancer risk. Who can win?

Quiz-o-rama!

This is too funny. The first one is right on with a Meyer's Briggs test I took in school. But the second one says I am introverted. The truth is, I am in the middle on E and I (slightly leaning towards E) and the same with J and P (with leaning towards P).

You Are An ENTJ

The Executive You are a natural leader - with confidence and strength that inspires others. Driven to succeed, you are always looking for ways to gain, power, knowledge, and expertise. Sometimes you aren't the most considerate person, especially to those who are a bit slow. You are not easily intimidated - and you have a commanding, awe-inspiring presence. In love, you hold high standards... for yourself, for your relationship, and for your significant other. While it's easy for you to impress others, it's hard for you to find someone who impresses you. At work, you are organized and good at delegating. You understand how to achieve goals. You would make a great CEO, entrepreneur, or consultant. How you see yourself: Rational, calm, and objective When other people don't get you, they see you as: Inflexible, controlling, and overbearing

What's Your Personality Type?

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have low extroversion. You are quiet and reserved in most social situations. A low key, laid back lifestyle is important to you. You tend to bond slowly, over time, with one or two people. Conscientiousness: You have medium conscientiousness. You're generally good at balancing work and play. When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done. But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it. Agreeableness: You have medium agreeableness. You're generally a friendly and trusting person. But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism. You get along well with others, as long as they play fair. Neuroticism: You have low neuroticism. You are very emotionally stable and mentally together. Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly. Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is high. In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas. You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits. A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.

The Five Factor Personality Test

Daisy love...

I love gerber daisies. This is my first summer growing them, and they last a week when you cut them.

Not quite crocheting, but close....

The last few days I have been doing something pretty interesting. It is called rug hooking, but I am doing it with fabric scraps.

See the rug hook needle? Looks like a crochet hook with a needle eye at the end.

It has been quite fun, and something mostly mindless to do while watching TV, or needing a break from knitting the plain ole ribbed sock for DH.

Since I am making the loops bigger than the pattern intended, I have ran out of fabric and need to go back to the store today.

I have also been spending some time cleaning and organizing my sewing room. It feels good. I tend to carry my projects and books up there and just dump them in a pile before guests come over, so every now and then it gets out of control if I don't keep up with it!

Oh! And I am so excited! I got into my interior design class! What happened was there is an "intro" class that is not really required but strongly recommended, but a bunch of us had signed up for that before signing up for the "beginning" class. Because, you know, some of us follow the order of things and really don't have the cashflow to sign up for a whole semester's worth of classes in advance! It turned out that during the intro class, our instructor told us that the beginning class was already completely booked and that half of us present were not in the beginning class. You could tell alot of us were annoyed that we were already blocked out, and that alot of those who were signed up for the beginning class were not in the intro class. So I became first on the waitlist (since I oh so craftily woke up early the next morning and called the college right when they open at 8 am to get on the list). I was hanging on the hope that one of those people who blocked us out would decide to drop the class. So I got lucky and it happened!

I hope to go to some knitting groups this week. With all of my HOA and volunteer work, I have not been to one in weeks.

Manos made me weak...

I have been waiting forever to buy Manos del Uruguay. But when I went up to Northwoods Fiber Farm's shop (formerly Goodwin's) to pick up a bag that I had ordered, there it was right in front of me...solid Manos on sale 33% off. I had been wanting to make the petrol sweater vest from Knitty.com. Honestly, I was going to make it for myself, but my DH has been laying on the guilt thick. (I know, I know, it is a men's vest...but I have a long history of wearing men's shirts and sweaters. I love masculine colors and styles.) So I bought the only truly masculine color left. Thank goodness he loves it! I pointed out the exact same color to him in the evening sky last night. :)

What is that? More Yarn?!

Color #36.

Oh, and I am such a tool. I have already packaged up the swatches for Lesson 1 of the Basics course. And I totally forgot to take pictures. But be proud of me! I finally blocked the swatches!


I gotta run. Tonight we have a kick off meeting for evaluating whether we want to open up a local organic food coop. Should be interesting. And who says because I am not working that I am not busy doing worthwhile things? That my head is out of the business world? Hah!

Movin' along...

I am so happy....I have finished my first Christmas 2007 present...the modified Father Daughter Hat for my dad. I just hope that it really is big enough to fit his head the way he wants it to.

Pattern: Father Daughter Hat

Yarn: Alaskan Alpaca, sport weight
Source: I can't remember, my mom
Needle: Size 5 16" Addi Turbos

My lovely model, Bruce, decided to model it for me. It is not blocked, but I don't think that would make a huge difference in how it photographs.

I have also finished the 5 swatches for my Basics course. I still need to block them, label them and do their write ups. So, there is much work to be done still.

And I have given in to the guilt trips. My DH is so sad that I have still not knit a pair of socks for him YET. He says he has been so patient waiting for me to knit something for him. I am a bit of a selfish knitter...So I *had* to cast on a pair. I could not find my Lorna's Laces to knit the boyfriend socks for him. I don't know where the heck that yarn is...usually my stash is pretty organized, so I don't know where it is. So instead, I casted on the Mountain Colors Bearfoot in the Sweet Pea colorway and am doing the garter stitch rib from Sensational Knitted Socks.

I feel like my knitting progress is unimpressive (which it is! :) ). I may break down and hire my old PT as a personal trainer for a few days a month. Because I feel a little desperate after the last few weeks. Since my hives, I have been consistently working out, but the lower back pain is persistent. I have even made a cranial-sacral therapy appointment. If anyone has experience with cranial-sacral, let me know. I hear great things about it from several friends.

And now some time for viewer mail.....

Fiberitis said...
Beautiful roses. Are you still planning to do the Master Gardener program?

Yes. I have so many interests, that some other schooling may either overtake or be squished in with the master gardener program. So I am going to have to see how things develop here. Either way, it is still on my mind.

Oh, and of course, the japanese beetles are still attacking my roses. Fortunately, only one at a time. So I go out there and start wacking my poor rosebuds in effort to get the beetles off. So I cut one of my new white ones early. I hope in a few days to take a picture of the white rose bush with a few buds in bloom. Then I cut them and take them inside to protect them from those pesky beetles!

A bird has made a nest in my crepe myrtle. So I don't know if I can spray it for the beetles without getting an aerial attack. It got a little risky a few days ago just spraying the myrtle with soap water! :) I heard enough fluttering and chirping that I decided I better head inside before my head got pecked. I love birds, but they can be a pain when one is trying to maintain their trees.

I heart rainy days...

Today is a lovely, gorgeous rainy day. You know, the kind of slow, long, drenching, drizzley day. I like days like this because the plants get the nice rainwater they need to really make them perk up and bloom, and I get to stay inside drinking coffee and tea and organizing my messy house. :)

On the Father Daughter Hat, I just need to draw the last 8 stitches together and weave in the ends. Yes! I will have ONE Christmas Gift done.

And I need to get back to my Basics course. I need to finish the second swatch. I am a little miffed at myself. I think because I am using the old straight needles, my knit and purl rows are uneven. I have already frogged it once, and might do it again. Why is it this uneveness only turns up when you are doing it "for a grade?" :)

I received the latest Sundara Yarns kit. Such gentley variegated blues...I am in heaven. It is gorgeous and she is amazing.

It is hard to not start knitting socks with all of the sock yarn I have been receiving. But I really need to get that Basics course done. I need to maintain discipline!

And my Tiffany Roses are blooming! This picture is from yesterday. I cut about 5 of the blooms off since then. I like to do that so they mostly bloom in my bud vases, and it keeps me from having to run outside to battle japanese beetles.