some days you just feel like a burnt bread

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Do you know this feeling?  This feeling of being just like Kogepan, a cute, yet very burnt, bread.  

Things have been really crazy, and now, in the middle of it all, I'm left feeling like poor Kogepan.  I'm not really sure what happened...October was looking pretty manageable, then bam!  Insanity.  Work has been crazy busy as we've been short-staffed and seemingly endless deadlines are drowning everyone.  As my co-worker cried out yesterday evening, '..... I just want my life back ....!'  

For the past few weeks, every day's hours seem to fly by and I have no idea where the time goes.  And then, it just feels like there's never enough time for everything.  Good to be busy, not good to feel like we're just rowing around in a circle because we only have one oar.  Ha. 

Things just feel really endless right now, and it's not helping that I have a ton of stuff due on Thursday so it feels like a big weight on top of me.  I'm hoping that after that day, I can breathe a big sigh of relief.  It'd be nice to get my life back in order considering there are a lot of things coming up, too.  It's totally not helping that my hormones are out of control this week (hello, weepy emotional mess), Matt ran off to Arizona for his annual (and very unfortunate) trip, and I've been feeling super homesick lately.  Not sure why, maybe because things feel crazy and I miss that "stability" that only home can bring.  I felt so crazed for a taste of home that I made a really bare bones/cheat version of hot and sour soup tonight with random things I had lying around.  It really hit the spot in a way, but also made me more nostalgic.  Whoops.

There are some fun things to look forward to coming up, if I can survive until this weekend.  The firm's Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Light the Night Walk in Woodland Hills is next weekend (the Hollywood Walk on Oct. 1 apparently went very well) and of all things, apparently the Woodland Hills Walk is carnival themed!  As in, carnival games and the works.  Could that be any more perfect, considering Matt's love for such games?  Rumor is that we might even have our own game booth but no official word yet.  Hopefully it won't be something like a dunk tank...  After that, my parents come to visit for USC Parents Weekend and considering the current state of things (see above), this couldn't be coming at a better time.  It'll be good to be able to catch up and spend time with everyone - as even Matt's parents are planning to come down that weekend so we can all go to California Adventure and Disneyland together, yay!  I've felt like such an absentee daughter lately ... or, well, absentee everything.  I have a few days off in November, and before you know it, it'll be Thanksgiving and Christmas!  I love that *magical* feeling of the holidays, and really, I sure could use some of that magic right now!  I'm really looking forward to getting back on the right track and feeling 'normal' again.  Even if just a little bit.  (I spent some time last weekend knitting a portion of a jumbo version of the knitted monkey pattern, and it was so fun!  Felt good to just release some stress/tension.)

But, it's one day at a time for now and I really need to keep reminding myself.  And you know, if going to USC has taught me anything, it's that you just have to keep fighting on every day, good or bad, rain or shine :)  So let's not forget it!  Here are some reminders:

monkey madness

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If you know me, you know just how much Matt loves monkeys.  Like, LOVES.  When Rebecca Danger - whose monster patterns I absolutely love as well - made the pattern for Jerry the Musical Monkey, I knew I had to have it and make him for Matt!

I've attempted to knit him up before and it's been a struggle.  First, I used a crappy set of knitting needles and it just didn't feel right.  I also seemed to have forgotten, too, that when I learned to crochet, it was also hard at first but then I got the hang of it.  Something about knitting has frustrated me every time I've tried and tried again, and as a result, I've found myself with a whole lot of started and stopped projects with no real progress.  What gives?

Last night, I took another look at Jerry and I'm determined to start and finish him this time around.  I'm never going to learn, or even get good, at knitting if I don't keep trying and practicing, right?  I even bought a skein of blue wool yarn a few weeks ago specifically for this little guy.  So far, I'm 10 rounds in and I'm liking my progress!

I really like the way knitted pieces look and feel, all those neat little stitches and with a lot of stretch.  Also, I learned that knitting uses a lot less yarn than crocheting, go figure.  

I'm using Patons Classic Wool yarn in Royal Blue on size 5 Knitpicks Options circular knitting needles.  They're part of a set I bought that's interchangeable - and lemme say, Knitpicks needles are sharp!  Not bad enough to cause injury but they do pinch after a while.  Rebecca really advocates using the magic loop method on circular needles to knit in the round rather than using double pointed needles.  I had previously used double pointed needles on another project and they drove me crazy, having to switch between them constantly and then I'd drop stitches so often - UGH.  I wasn't sure if I could figure out how to do the magic loop method but after some Youtube videos (a godsend for learning how to do crafts, lemme tell you) and experimenting, I've learned it's really easy and simply amazing!  

I have 30 more rounds of knitting in the round before I have to start messing around with increases/decreases and other things.  My Stitch 'N Bitch Knitters Handbook is also amazingly helpful.  Knitting is actually fun again...especially as I wind down from a crazy day (of which there are many these days) and in front of the TV.  Hopefully I won't any more major snags.  *knocks on wood*

This is obviously the start to Jerry's body, I'll keep you posted on his progress as I continue knitting :)  I hope to become good enough one day to crank out endless cute things and scarves, etc.  Then I can look back and laugh at how foolish I was to give up so often now.

oh-so busy...and ready for fall!

Sometimes Mondays make me a little crabby......

Heehee.

Actually, today wasn't so bad but it was definitely Bizarre - yes, with a capital B.  Things have been hard with our team since a lot of people are gone, thanks to surgery, maternity leave, and just plain ol' quitting.  Just a few of us are left to run the show and it's definitely been interesting.  I was anticipating a busy week and then a bit of a breather...until a pile of greens (the discovery questions I need to respond to from defense counsel comes printed on green paper) about 3 inches thick found their way into my inbox.  I took a quick glance at one of the 10+ documents and there were 229 questions alone for me to respond to in just that one document for one client.  Hmph!!  I think there are at least 1,000 questions to object and respond to for a plethora of clients and they're all due by mid-October.  Awesome.  Thanks a lot, defense counsel!  You can guess who's on my #$@! list these days.

The above photo was taken by me in the wee Saturday morning hours on Virginia Beach during our vacation to the east coast in July.  How cool is this little guy, just sitting on the sand and chilling?  That trip was hot and humid as hell, but I do miss being on vacation right about now.  

This past weekend was less busy/hectic than usual but I still have no idea where it went!  Friday was pretty bad - not only was I exhausted from the week, but Matt had a day's worth of work in San Diego - where he even commuted from LA to San Diego and back.  In the end, he was up for nearly 24 hours, yeesh.  Saturday was devoted to USC football of course and thankfully, the game was later in the day.  In the end, in the words of Dr. Bartner:  "Band...........we killed 'em!!! ............ We're 3 and 0!!!!!" 

Sunday had no plans whatsoever so we weren't quite sure what to do with ourselves.  We ended up at a card shop of sorts so Matt could buy more baseball card supplies to organize all of his cards, then we stopped by the mall since it was nearby.  It was a total zoo, but fun to just walk around a bit.  Plus Matt finally got his hands on an Angry Bird plush in a claw machine, too.  Don't know Angry Birds?  It's this amazingly addictive puzzle game where you launch angry birds (some have special abilities, too) at structures where evil pigs (who stole their eggs) are hiding out.  Sounds silly but it's totally fabulous and actually really cute.  The Angry Birds eluded us in the claw machines in Vegas (they're too round to stay put in the claw usually) but Matt managed to snag one this time around.  I never knew but his favorite bird is the bomb bird, and when we saw this guy in a store window in passing, he had to have him!:

Please excuse my awkward face, haha.  I still have patterns I found online for creating all of the Angry Birds and I'll get to them eventually.  There's just too much going on with work, studying, and crafts.  If only there were more hours in a day (and more energy to go along with it)!!

Weather has been cooling down here and it's reminding me of all the great things to look forward to with the arrival of Fall:  football; baking; wearing sweaters, hoodies, and boots; my parents' visit for USC Parents Weekend; our annual trip to Arizona; crisp cool weather; Disneyland decked out for Halloween and later, Christmas; being able to drink hot tea again without melting into a puddle; and the holidays just around the corner!!  I'm not sure where the year went per se and it's all gone so quickly as of late, but it's definitely my favorite time of year at the moment.  Gotta enjoy every moment you can!

What are you excited for this Fall?

oh yay!

Things sure have been busy around here...hmm, I wonder why? :)  

It's football season yet again!  Oh yay!!

Edit:  I just noticed this is my 100th blog post, too.  OH YAY! :)

pillow pet love, disney style

 

Could they be any cuter?

(Photo taken with Instagram - love that Apple app!)

a surprise for me!

Look what I got in the mail!

Unexpectedly, I received this awesome keychain from the San Diego Zoo today.  I thought it was some more nonsense Matt bought that was being delivered but it was a package for me! :D  A few weeks ago, I donated to Yun Zi’s Wish List gift for a tree (my second time donating to the Wish List; I made a donation in Matt’s name for a marmoset snack toy a few months ago) and got not only a lovely e-mail a few weeks ago thanking me for my donation but now, I received this surprise treat!

This keychain used to be an enrichment item for a San Diego Zoo critter, and now it’s been recycled into a keychain for me!  How cool is that??  As if I wasn’t obsessed enough with the Zoo before, now I have a piece of it here with me!  I wonder what animal used my enrichment piece…there sure are a lot of scratch and gnaw marks, heehee.

I think it’s time to donate another amount in Matt’s and Daf’s names now!  Heehee.

You can donate here and wish Yun Zi a very happy birthday month! :D

teeny-tiny mochimochi

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Have I ever told you about my love for mochimochi?  Anna is this amazingly creative knitter who makes these awesome knitted toys, her mochimochi.  I first discovered her when looking at books in Borders (RIP Borders, sigh) and I saw (and subsequently bought) her first Knitting Mochimochi book.  Then I found out about her awesome website and blog where I could purchase even more adorable patterns.  And Anna is a total sweetheart!  Between the awesome knitted monsters of Rebecca Danger and Anna's adorable Mochimochi, I knew I had to learn how to knit just so I could make some of these adorable new friends!  

Admittedly, my knitting is still in its early stages and I find that I'm just learning as I go.  But one day I hope to make all of the great patterns I've collected from all of these talented ladies.  I used to think crochet was really tough, too, and now it's a breeze, so I hope I'll be equally good at knitting before I know it!  You know how I love me some cute handmade critters.  Anna's designs are super adorable and whimsical - where else can you find patterns for all sorts of cute animals and, oh I dunno, a happy toilet?  Love them all!  (Reading her old posts about all the cute stuff in Japan makes Matt and I want to go, you know how we love us some claw machines and the prizes overseas are WAY better than the stuff we get here.)

Anna's been challenging herself to make tiny knitted items through the years and that's the theme of her newest book (pictured above) which came out yesterday!  I've been waiting for months for it to come out and was *thrilled* to see that the book even includes her pattern for tiny monkeys.  AND they're clutching tiny bananas!  How cute is that??  I was considering picking up the book at Barnes & Noble last night but decided instead to buy from Anna directly so I could get an autographed copy.  Unfortunately, she lives in NY so I wouldn't be able to make it to a book signing so this is the next best thing.  I can't wait until my book comes so I can check out the rest of the patterns and jump back into knitting!  Maybe these tiny mochimochi will be just the thing to get me going so I can soon be drowning in a sea of knitted fun! :)

(Have I mentioned lately just how much I love crafty cute things?)