House of Pain

Well, at least House of Body Aches and Fevers...

I've been knocked on my duff for almost a week with a sinus infection and assorted yuckiness. Today's the first day since last Tuesday that I've felt human again. Cue Hubs to enter with flu-like nastiness today. Bleck!

C is for Chumby

My Chumby

Chumby is my wireless internet appliance that acts as an alarm clock, internet radio, electronic picture frame, YouTube browser, white noise generator, and general interwebs awesome-ness viewer. Hubs gave me one for Christmas, and I love it! Allessia the Chumby lives on my nightstand. The photo above shows half of my morning info channel; it also displays current local traffic conditions. The virtual Chumby below shows my news and information channel. I really like the fact that I have a lot of information at my fingertips without the need to turn on a PC or TV in the morning. :)

Taming the Beast

Recent cold snaps have been chilly enough for me to rescue my Saffron Cables afghan out of the bottom of the works in progress basket. The first pattern repeat is completed and the second is nearly halfway there, too. I've finally been able to find the pattern's rhythm and haven't had my eyes glued to the pattern charts. It makes for great TV knitting - lots of episodes of Monk and What Not to Wear have been sucked into this blanket. Bandit is trying to lay claim to it - every time I work on it, Bandit's on my lap with at least his head cuddled up to the completed work. Very cute, but it makes an all ready heavy project feel like it's made of lead! Sunday, I hope to be able to log a bunch of knitting hours on this between doing loads of Mount Laundry. :-/

Favorite Concert Piece

In the spring of 2001, Purdue's Symphonic Band tackled David Holsinger's In the Spring, at the Time When Kings Go Off to War. For weeks, I disliked rehearsing it; all the weird vocalizations that depicted a battle scene were a bit too "out there" for me. Eventually, after we learned to trust in our director and really go after the vocalizations, the song quickly became one of my favorites. The huge chord at 1:21 in this video used to send chills down my spine. That chord and the ones at the end of the song won me over, and I loved performing this piece.

Seven years later, I'm kicking myself in the pants because I was too cheap in college to buy recordings of all the Symphonic Band concerts. But thanks to the YouTubes and a renewed longing to play bass clarinet again, I have unearthed a concert recording of a different band playing it. Enjoy!!

B is for Bandit

As if you didn't see this one coming for my "B" in the ABC Along. :)

Bandit's patented "pet my belly" paw move

Life's not always been roses for our rather spoiled little guy. He started off his life at ~4 weeks of age abandoned in a cat carrier with his 7 brothers and sisters in the countryside on a hot Labor Day weekend. His luck turned when found by a postman, and he and his littermates were taken to a few local farms - Hub's father's house was one of them. Hubs met Bandit before I did, and he called me to ask if we could get a puppy. How could I say no? He was less than 5 pounds when he came home with us that night. I couldn't find a dog collar or halter small enough for him, so here he is in a kitten halter that was small enough to fit.

Bandit and me in the fall of 2002

Now, he's our ~70 pound lap dog, and we wouldn't want him any other way - spoiled, sock-eating, calzone-thieving, constantly shedding Bandit. :)