birthday booty, weekend plans
my birthday seemed to last a week, what with different celebrations that have occurred here and there. i'm pleased to say that most gifts were really spot on:
dan's brother gave me a gift certificate to a local sushi restaurant - yum!
our other housemate gave me a lonely planet travelguide to alaska , as dan's sister whose husband is in the army just moved to alaska. it looks very enticing, but we'll have to wait until dan has some vacation time before we go on any big trips. in the meantime, i'm lending it to dan's folks, who have already scheduled a cruise there in september. he also got me stitch n' bitch nation - i'm giggling at the thought of john poring over the knitting books, trying to figure out which would best suit me. and, i suddenly feel a part of this ubiquitous stitch n' bitch cult club, seeing as i now own the book that everyone seems to reference frequently. it's not a book i would have chosen out myself, but it's certainly a good reference and has some cute patterns. in skimming through it, i already learned a good tip about making my own yarn bras (little harnesses to keep the yarn from tangling everywhere) out of cut up pantyhose or the mesh bags in which garlic is often packaged in the supermarket.
my coworkers pooled money and gave me a gift certificate to michael's - so much better than numerous windchimes and other things to take up space in our already-too-crowded house. i'll spend it as my craft needs arise, but i already bought some more row counters (i officially have too many WIPs if my existing row counters, albeit only 2, are occupied) and a knitting nancy - especially useful because my current project requires a long ribbon thread through eyelets. if i can't find a matching ribbon, I'll make an i-cord, just as soon as i figure out how to make my cute little new contraption work. i found a tutorial today, so maybe i can put dan's niece to work on it. haha, free child labor).
in further news, dan has a gig in nyc saturday night, and a few friends are gonna cram in the back of gryphon and come spend part of the weekend with us. on the agenda: make hula hoops & fancy cupcakes & perhaps other fun snacks to bring to our friends' bbq on sunday. i'll have pictures if the projects are successful. also on the agenda: attend bbq, cram in some knitting time on the dress i'm trying to finish for my friend's daughter before i go see them in houston next weekend, and, of course, some general hanging out down near the cottage time.
hurray for long weekends! although it's particularly painful that the work week is cut short on both ends: i have a big looming deadline and not enough time to do it. bah. further work frustration (as if the massive damage control i had to do after an upgrade earlier this week): it looks like they're opting for an older candidate for the new position in the office. and here i was hoping this would be an opportunity to lower the average age a bit. plus, this candidate isn't hugely versed in computer skills. i'm worried - that was a problem the last time they did some hiring. i'll give her the benefit of the doubt, though - some people do pick things up well.