Ya know…
…I ought to figure out how I put the post tags on the posts instead of just in the cloud on the side. Hmm…shouldn’t bee too hard.
Also, I finally got a WordPress iPhone app so I can blog on the go. Wheee.
Hubert update!
As of today Hubert is 22.8 pounds! Wheeeee.
My scale is the kind that tells you your body fat% and whatnot (is it 100% accurate? I don’t know but I figure if it is consistently inaccurate then at least comparisons are valid-ish) and on day 3 body fat was 45.8%, day 10 it was 43.5%, and today it is around 38%. Muscle % has risen slightly. Today I did the percentages in the evening so I’m going to try again in the morning to get a “Day 24″ number.
I start the stabilization phase late on Wednesday so that will be awesome. On that phase for 3 weeks you eat the amount of calories that you should eat for your size but no starch and no sugar. I’ll still weigh everyday and ensure that I do not gain or lose more than 2 pounds. The point of the phase is stabilize your weight where it is and also I think get to know what sorts of things tend to cause your body to go into abnormal fat storage mode.
I checked a calendar and I have enough time between the knitting retreat in July and BlizzCon in August to do another short round of hCG so the plan is to get that ordered.
Still here are behind on things as usual!
So I’ve have a really slow start getting back into the swing of things since I arrived home from LA and Portland. OMG Portland was gorgeous!!
So really what I need to do is go into list mode and start ticking things off the list. My fabulous sister is coming for a visit in July squeeee so I really want to get this place cleaned up!
Let’s see, in other news…my friends were way to generous to me on my birthday this year. Birthday presents like mad and I didn’t quite know how to thank them enough. It wasn’t so much the material stuff (which was fab and all totally me) but just that people put so much thought into giving me something that I would like. Silly me needs to get used to the new way of thinking, that I am someone worthy of that.
And in other news, C and I started a new diet. Well, diet sort of, more of a staged approach to eating better. One of the stages incorporates a hormone treatment that gets your body to burn and use your abnormal fat stores as fuel (flushing out the toxins in them as well as providing your body the nutrients locked in them), which when coupled with a low calorie diet for a short period of time allows you to lose weight but not in a scary you are going to hurt yourself kind of way. Since my body is using the fat as energy I’m not even hungry (I would be ravenous if I was eating so low cal normally as my body would be freaking out!). So far so good and I am down just over 11 pounds (I’ve named my lost weight Hubert hehe). You can get the supplies and administer it yourself but to be certain we had good information and following things properly (the protocol was developed over 40 years ago and is well researched and established) we are working with a Dr. I haven’t had a soda since I started on Monday…and I am not insane yet! Very weird. That, and I actually like tea now. Hmm.
Enough blabbering, off to list making I go!! charge
So…tired….the walking
Those who know me know how lazy I am so yeah this post will be a tad short, or not, who knows. I am writing to you from the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
Friday: Arrival. I got to the hotel and checked in after my flight. They almost could not find my reservation but that was because I am an idiot and forgot that when I booked TechEd under my maiden name (hoping I’d have that done by now) that went for the hotel too. I fixed it with TechEd but forgot the hotel. I am really dumb at times, poor lady at the desk must have thought I was so daft. Oh and then I didn’t call and tell my CC company so when they saw the hotel charge they put a hold on my card so I had to call them too. After that drama I got settled and headed to Little Tokyo with some new friends from the This is Blythe forum. The meet was fun and I tried mochi ice cream for the first time. Um yeah…yummy! Fun was had by all and dolly photos galore! It is always great to meet other people who are in to Blythe and hear about what do and whatnot. So many different walks of life and such kind people. Lois is such a kind woman and so creative (you should see the stuff she’s made). Her husband and granddaughter were equally kind. Wendy was awesome, I love her fun photos and holy crackers she is good at customizing her dolls.
Saturday: Meet Day part dos. Saturday started with a ride to Union Station. The metro was super easy to ride and I was only two stops on the Red Line from Union Station. There was a Breast Cancer walk downtown and it was National Train Day or something so there was a good size crowd around. I met up with Paula and a few others and had an amazing lunch at Phillipe’s, home of the original french dip sandwich. The line was crazy (see previous sentence about the events in town) but well worth it. We then walked to Chinatown, checked out some shops, scored a good deal on lace trim, took photos, and generally chatted. Paula and Linda are amazing knitters so it was a treat to meet them. And Melissa and Paul are insanely creative as well so it was pretty much amazing to be hanging out with these people.
After that, Betty and her daughter picked me up at the hotel where we headed to Little Tokyo for another meet. They have collected a variety of dolls for quite a long time but are newer to Blythe. They brought along all 12 of their girls so that was a treat to see so much variety. We met up with Dollster there who brought his Rosie. He also has been a collector or other dolls in the past but bought some of the early BL releases and never deboxed them until last Fall. If know know Blythe I’m sure your jaw just dropped. Lauren and her DH (what a trooper) showed up as well so I was able to meet her two dolls and get to chat with her. It is really cool after ‘knowing’ people via Flickr, Twitter, and so forth to actually meet them. On the way back to my hotel Betty and her daughter spotted a shop that they have been wanting to go to but is always closed…and it was OPEN! So they were able to check it out and I was able to get some cute hair clips and some other stuff.
Microsoft TechEd starts tomorrow so I headed down to the convention center to pick up my stuff today. The bag this year is pretty nice, score! I’m off to knit now and rest my poor tired feet. Right foot is still acting up but I brought the brace dealy thing so maybe that will help. Tonight will be spent on some work stuff and getting all prepped for tomorrow morning and waking up EARLY. Me + early = RockStar needed. Like an IV of the stuff.
Packing packing packing!
I leave tomorrow for Los Angeles so of course I am crazy packing and cleaning tonight.
This weekend I am attending not one, but two Blythe meets (well three but one is knitting\Blythe people)! Hurray for awesome Blythe people!
Then during the week I am attending Microsoft TechEd to get my geek on and learn ton. I attended a could of years ago and can’t wait!
And then…after that I am taking a train up the coast, the Coast Starlight, to Portland. I will be there for one night where I am hoping to meet up with some Blythe people for donuts. Then I get back home on the 18th.
Whew!
Yarrrrn!
Hello everyone! Just wanted to give a few updates about my current knitting projects. I’ve been sewing some dolly bags a well, but knitting is much more conducive to catching up on my DVR so I can stop running out of room.
First up the February Lady Sweater. I am getting close to finishing up the first sleeve, which of course leaves the second sleeve. So far so good. I’ve become quite practiced at fixing the gull lace parts when I mess up.
The other main project is fair isle fingerless mitts. Last weekend Candace and I took a fair isle class and started on these. They are knit in the round and we will steek them (yes, CUT the knitting eep!) and have two mits. I had the hardest time at first with continental knitting (with fair isle you knit with two strands of yarn, one in each hand usually) but found that I was wrapping the yarn the wrong way around so of course it was hard.
I’m also finding that I am acquiring more yarn. Really, it is just leaping into my arms and there isn’t a thing I can do about it. Did you buy that? Okay so yes being on my own is driving me a bit mad. Last Sunday Candace and I tried to go to Scottsdale to check out the hyperbolic crochet reef exhibit but turns out there was also a culinary festival so no parking for us. So like good little girls we went home. Ok I lied, we went shopping. First we checked out this yarn shop called Jessica Knits where I found some sale yarn and some yummy alpaca silk (it jumped at me really it did) and then we went to JoAnn’s there I proceeded to buy fabric. I have no idea if I’m doomed to be alone forever so I guess I’m just stocking up on stuff to do.
Which now leads me to today. The yarn shop hosted a stash sale today. Tables were rented to people wanting to sell off some of their stash. The table rental plus some that a generous person gave with the proceeds of their sales went to Ronald McDonald House. About $250 raised! So I was kind and helped some people lighten their load. $160 some worth of cotton cashmere for $80! So yeah, now I have like 3 more sweaters worth of yarn. Maybe the aqua should be kitchen stuff.
Pixie Cottage Update
Just heard from the house painters and they are dropping off some paint samples today. So now I get to slap up some paint and see which one I want to choose. There is a lot of whining done about Pixie Cottage (okay so that whining is done by me) but this will be one more improvement to make it better.
And I might be able to add Flickr photos to posts form work even though I can’t see the images since the WordPress function still works, I just see the titles and not images. Let’s give it a whirl…
Alpacas bay-bee
Last weekend C and I headed over to Gilbert to see some people about some Alpacas. The fantastic people at Mesquite Valley Alpacas had an open house so we were able to meet and greet with some nice people and some nice animals. The rain didn’t start up again until after we left so it was a good time had by all, with the exception of my back. The alpacas were very sweet and quite interested in the bucket of food that C got to hold. As for purchases, I bought about 4 ounces of fiber from a nice Alpaca named Cal and some laceweight from an unnamed Peruvian alpaca I have dubbed Pepe. As much as I like knitted lace I think my brain would seep out my ears if I tried it so I think the laceweight will be something to ply with the singles I spin from Cal.
Yes I’m still here!
I keep meaning to blog, but then my mind wanders elsewhere. Then, I decide to blog but I am here at work and as such cannot insert my Flickr pictures.
Things I need to blog about and show pictures of: * Hiking in Los Angeles (I neglected to take any other photos of the weekend trip) * Visiting Alpacas in Gilbert * My knitting and related insane spending * Upcoming trips and travels
So there is my ‘to do’ list.
I have been working on more Blythe Dolly Carry Bags for the shops. I’ve been a tad ‘woe is me’ (seriously, I’ve been alone in the house for far too long and I think I’m going nuts) again so that went a bit slower than expected. There are about 40 in the works so hopefully there will be a nice and steady stream. For those going to Blythe Con I won’t be there as a vendor as I’m far too excited about meeting people and don’t want to be all shy and stuck at a table.
And for those of you wondering why I am blogging from work, really I am working I promise. It’s just there is a process running so rather than lose my train of thought on that I’m in another window writing this. 
Let’s see, what else…
I have been working some more on cleaning the house. I’m a terrible pack rat you see, so there is stuff everywhere! Over the past couple of years since I’ve been alone I have organized more and slowly it is getting better. Another piece of furniture in the living room was eliminated this weekend. It is one of those shelf units for stereo components that I just had candles and photos on. Well, I put all that stuff in other places and put the shelving thing in the garage. Now just to figure out what the 3rd bedroom should be. Guest room? Office? Dolly & litter box room (its current state)? Closet? Emptied out? Ideas and design suggestions always welcome, for reals, I’m hopeless it seems at putting things together sometimes.
ArtFire Shop is Operational!
I listed my first two items on ArtFire last night. It took a bit to get used to the interface but I think I did it correctly. It’s sort of like having a brick and mortar shop and opening up a second location across town. It did feel good to finally get some things listed, it had been weeks and weeks! It was a combo of lazy, messy, and distracted.