Contents may be shocking for those living under rocks

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Donut crumbs from the biggest baddest most icing-covered masterpiece

Rawr. Listening to fuzzy-head's podcast after about a week of delay (technical issues, beyond his control he says). Unfortunately, I did all my mindless internet checking stuff before I remembered I wanted to listen to it, so now I have to find things to do on the interweb while I listen.

Only 5 minutes into the podcast and already there is a shout-out to my humble little stitch n' bitch posse! Hi-five!

J'adore Starbucks Gossip. This is how I find out about all the upcoming things at sbux. Items I have learned about today:
-rumors that we're going to back pouring shots directly into the cups. Espresso excellence was clearly a PR sham
-poor Vivanno sales = discontinued product?? I hope so. Bananas are BALLS.
-there is a small group of die-hard Starbucks Gossip-ers who pretty much run that discussion board. I feel like a little fish in a big sea, and I rarely add my comment. I'm more of a message board lurker. A creeper if you will.

Fuzzy-head told me that my blog about the Beck concert was too negative. It's true, I was being unfair. The concert was just fine, I got to see Beck real close up, and if I cared even a little bit about MGMT I would brag about seeing that mullet-headed weirdo up close, but I don't. There were plenty of good things about the concert, but I just had to focus on the bad and tell my readers why I can never see a concert again. Beck's guitar-playing girl was gorgeous. I love her, I want to be her. More than anything, I think I just liked her hair. It was wavy and texture-y, pulled back into a loose bun thing. If I could stand having long hair, and if it would behave like that, I would do that to my hair. Also thinking about going a bit darker with my hair. Thoughts?

I am going to knit tonight to protest the family Thanksgiving I was not invited to. Here's the background: We never plan Thanksgiving in a timely fashion. We get told where we have to go, usually a few days before. Either my uncle or my grandparents host my beloved holiday celebration strictly because they have enough room to fit the 15 or so people in my family. My mom inquired about where we were going this year, and she got told my uncle (really and truly my aunt's decision) was having a small family thing at their house, with just their family. That's all fine and dandy, except they also invited my grandparents, and one of my other uncles (not the other one because he can't play nice with the first uncle). If we play a little game of family math, we will see that my family was the only group left out. THEN, my grandma found out we were mega-pissed about it, and she bitched at my uncle. We then received a pity invite. No thank you. I will wait for my own family Thanksgiving tomorrow.

Working tomorrow 8-4:30. Please please please holiday Monday, be nice to me!

Onward,

vrock

Sarah Silverman, keep your bra on

I don't like concerts. Now, hold back your shock and criticism for a moment, and I will explain why I don't like them at all. I went to see Beck last night with Dan, he had been looking forward to it for at least a month, this is his all time favourite artist after all. We were pumped, we made a day of it, drove to T.O. and had some dinner and went inside. We learned from our earlier experience last summer at a Muse concert that rushing to the stage is not all it's cracked up to be. We got over heated, and people were jerks, and other people smell funny, and we eventually moved to the side (where we still had an awesome view of the stage because Arrow Hall is an airplane hanger and there was tons of extra space). Not so much last night. We were at the Sound Academy which is considerably smaller than an airplane hanger.

We originally found a sweet spot in front of a pillar, where we could lean and not block any one's view. It was similar to the super sweet parade watching spot Slim Jim and I had at Disney World:

But as more people came inside and moved to the stage area, the gap between us and the stage mob got smaller. There was a nice aisle right in front of us where people were walking to get to the bathrooms, but more than one person would come and stand in that space thinking they found a sweet spot, and then get shoved around by the bathroom-goers, most getting pushed into us.

So we moved. We decided on the side area with a bitchin' view of the stage. It was fine during the opening band (ps. MGMT had some really intense mullets. Just because it's stylized and/or you're famous, doesn't make it cool), we had lots of room and all the other concert goers were smooshed in the stage mob. Then there was intermission while they set up the stage for Beck, and then the fun began.

I have personal space issues. I don't like other people touching me when I can't control it. A crowded concert setting makes me uncomfortable. At first it was fine, we stayed in our sweet spot, but then other people realized they didn't have to be mega-smooshed if they just moved to the side of the mob, where we were. We eventually got completely surrounded, but that wasn't the worst of it. Alcohol should not be allowed at concerts. I don't drink, therefore I can willy-nilly take away their precious booze without feeling bad. I know this is the money maker at concerts, and that hurts my soul. Concert drinkers should have their own section where they can spill drinks on each other and sway to the music away from me.

And then there were the security freaks. They went postal on anyone who tried to take a picture. They rushed into the crowd after a girl standing near us tried to take a picture, and I'm pretty sure the guy made her delete the pic. Then there was some obnoxious girl who pushed her way in front of us to record sound on her camera. They hauled her away, ha. Towards the end of the concert, more people thought it was OK to shove in front of us, where we had been standing for hours with a decent view of the stage. Ick. No more concerts.

Also, the parking lot after was awful. Pedestrians should not be allowed to go anywhere near cars or parking lots if they want to stand around and block cars.

I think I've got all the rants out of my pants now. No more concerts again unless there are seats. I'm just fine buying the CD.

Onward,

vrock

Surgery chairs

My glorious mitties! I've been wearing them for the last two days, even though it's only barely cold enough for mittens. My business banking lady Karen even commented on my winter-y attire when I came into the bank. She said she was dreading snow. I'm glad I didn't share the carefully stitched message of the mittens with her.



In other news, check out my newest project:

Tammy doesn't know how to read my blog so she'll never read this and know this is her Christmas present. AND, there's even a chance I'll finish them in time for Christmas. Hot damn! These are the mittens from the cover of the Fall Vogue Knitting that my let it snow mittens came from. Look at the cables! And the bobbles! And the glorious sock yarn! I'm really diggin' my sock yarn and double pointed needles. It's the only way to fly.

And still more pictures! A few choice pics from Tuesday knitting where two separate sets of old people complained about us sitting in the comfy chairs. The first lady was rather large and had recently had surgery. Our coworker told us she said we should be knitting at home and letting recently surgery-ed ladies such as herself sit in the chairs. The other complainer was a couple that recognized us as employees and said we shouldn't be sitting in the chairs. Hmm. I paid for my drink just like any other customers, and I am entitled to sit in that chair just like any other customer.

Anyway, Catherine and Anonymous were present, and we had a short visit from Bates (who did homework instead of knitting), as well as Valantina (she's the one doing homework). She joined us after her workout, and also didn't knit. School-aged kids are big into homework I guess. WHERE ARE MY FELLOW KNITTERS?















Anonymous looking sad because she dropped a stitch. This is face we watched for a good 20 minutes as she tried to put things right again.














That's all I got for now.

Onward,

vrock

Duggers: please stop multiplying

Last day of September. Hello Fall. I am excited about the chilly weather you will provide me with for romping in corn fields, choosing pumpkins, and wearing knitted wears. Yesterday I wore a scarf and mittens to work, but no jacket, just a light sweater. It's really not jacket season, just accessory season. I will be working on the new pink mittens tonight at knitting party. I've also been talking up our weekly knitting fun to some new co-workers, and I've got a few takers. I think they might show up tonight, but showing up again might not happen. Where are all the passionate knitters and crocheters who want to craft in public?!

Coffee seminar was wonderful, we had a nice turnout. I was worried that since it was on a Sunday, we would get nothing but people stopping by for 5 minutes and then leaving, but that wasn't the case at all. Catherine did a marvelous job of promoting the event and a lot of our attendees were there because of her. We talked about growing coffee, and processing, and then we tasted coffee and food, and sent everyone on their merry way with some at-home brewing tips.

Erg. It's 9am and I need to get dressed and do something with my day. I don't know where my family is, as far as I knew, they didn't have anywhere to be first thing in the morning. I will get dressed and ready for the day and hunt them down.

Onward,

vrock

ps. Fall Phase II launches today!

Our good pals the wookies

Hello my loving readers!

Large news in the knitting world! Two things actually. One: the let it snow mittens are complete! And I mean completely complete. As in I sewed in the tassely ends and fixed up the massive holes between mitten body and thumb. Awesome! Two: I hosted a Star Wars knitting party. Imagine those two things separately, and now imagine them together, and yes, it was that awesome. Catherine and Anonymous found my house in the back woods and we enjoyed 4 of 6 episodes of Star Wars. We perhaps could have watched more, but that was a long time to sit and my hands were firmly in the double-pointed needle claw formation after 8-9 hours of knitting mittens.

Other wonderful news: coffee seminar today! Catherine and I will be entertaining and educating customers for one glorious hour. We'll be treating it a lot like an intro to coffee tasting, to hopefully get a core understanding down before we launch more intense coffee seminars. We were thinking a later seminar could be called "chocolate - the around the world coffee tasting bringer-together-er of the coffee world" That's a working title.

I now have to go and plan a bit of an outline for the seminar so I can not look stupid in front of strangers.

Onward,

vrock

You are Lisa Simpson

I am ridiculously attached to the gas stations I use. Since switching in my ol' gas guzzler for my sweet new ride, the smart car, I am suddenly very aware of my gas station anxiety. My sweet little smart runs on diesel, so already, I am limited in which stations I can visit. Every time I'm driving through an area with gas stations, even one I know very well and have driven by a million times, I crane my neck as I go by to see if they have diesel. Then I make a mental note, leading to a mental map of all the places I can't go use to get diesel.

Once that stage is complete, I have a list of a few places with diesel, usually larger chains like petro-canada. However, I have major difficulty going to a new station. I regularly use the two closest to my work, and I plan my refueling to happen when I'm already going that way. What is wrong with my brain? I went to the movies this week in a different part of town where I know there is a diesel station, but I couldn't use it; I drove a bit out of my way to my old favourite stations instead. I've never liked gas stations, especially when it's super busy and I have to negotiate for a pump. It's worse with diesel when there's someone else using the pump because there is only one. I hate being the jerk who sits by idling and waiting impatiently for my turn. So, instead of possibly looking foolish trying to navigate my way around an unfamiliar station where I don't even know where the diesel pump is, I stick with what I know.

Knitting night went on a mini vacation to Stacy's house yesterday. We hung out in her pool house and listened to Hawaiian music and talked about weddings. And then a giant spider tried to eat me and I left shortly after. All in all, a good time. Star wars knitting coming soon!