help me get an ipod

Help me get an ipod. Maybe get yourself and ipod or some iTune money. You know you want to.
free ipod

It is really easy. Just complete an offer- I signed up for Blockbuster.com, get 5 friends to complete offers and viola, you get an ipod.

OK so show some love and sign up for an offer.

I started my reading list. It is on the side bar, check it out. I know that adding a reading list isn't exactly rocket science but it was one of the things that I wanted to do.

My non-fiction selection of the week is really good. It is about math and infinity. Math and numbers are so universal. Unlike reading a book which lends itself to different interpretations for different readers math is concrete. A number has a concrete meaning that is the same everywhere and to everyone.

The second fishnet is getting close to being done. I have to knit a couple more inches and then do the ribbing at the top. Then they will both be ready to stitch up the seam and block.

My big accomplishment today was going through some of my disks with pictures stored on them and "recycling" pictures I didn't need anymore.
I had to keep this picture, of course.

yo quiero taco bell 

I was knitting along on Barb's other fishnet and I don't have stoppers for the ends of my needles when I am not working on something. I guess the knitting tote had been toted around too much that week and the fishnet fell off the needle. Due to the "window pane" stitch I was unable to figure out how not to have to frog it. So I started over but they are coming along.

I am thinking of keeping track of my 2005 reading list on this page somewhere. I won't get to it tonight or anything but I'll add it soon.

Today my credit card company called to offer me life insurance. They told me they would give me $15 in free gas. The thing that gets me is I told them less than a week ago that I wasn't interested in their offer. I mean do they think that they will wear me down if they keep calling. From now on I am just not going to be home when they call.


Pimp my Ride- Ancient Greek Style 

Kitty chase

Lately I have been concerned about the amount of activity my cats get. Mostly I am concerned about Snoop because he seems to get the least amount of activity. Lucy will chase the toy mice and play with all the toys but Snoop doesn't do that as often.
Anyway I had been thinking about trying to get Snoop and Lucy to go on walks. So I went out and bought them collars today. Snoops is one of those harness collars and Lucys is just your standard kitty collar with a bell.
The bell is where the comedy comes in. So I put on this collar with a bell and Lucy begins going crazy trying to chase herself and get this bell. It was crazy. Like a dog chasing its tail but better than that because she was actually trying to catch her neck.
The "walk" was unsuccessful. Snoop was kind of nervous so we just kind of smelled the outside a little and watched this squirrel who had managed to get a hold of an entire bagel. I tried to take a picture but the squirrel made a getaway across the alley before I could get a good shot.

Is it really free?

I have this theory as to why we have had a realatively mild winter in Minnesota this year. I think it is because of my broken heat valve. I have to have my windows open in my condo to keep it from being 85 degrees in here. With all the windows open I can get it down to 75 degrees. But clearly all that heat from my house is going outside and keeping it to warm to snow or anything else. Perhaps everyone who is just wishing for the white stuff could call my condo association manager and complain.

I am reading The Broke Diaries by Angela Nissel and it is hilarious. She writes these diary entries about all of her misadventures of a broke college student. OK some of the things she goes through are hilarious. I feel a little like it is a flashback to college. I have been out 6 years so some of the things are like distant memories. The credit card companies that give out "free" stuff to get you to apply for their card is pretty funny when she discovers that the "free" mints are going to cost her much more in interest and finance charges.
I almost fell for the "free" thing gimick last year at the winter carnival when I had forgotten to where a hat. I could have bought a hat from a tent at the winter carnival for $25 or I could have gotten a "free" NHL hockey team hat. In the end I realized that filling out the application would require standing in the cold for five more minutes without a hat so I decided to continue trying to wrap my scarf around my head while I walked closer to the car. Now that I can knit I will never be without headwear again.
So here is the picture of my moms knitting bag. I got her a fun thick yarn that she can make a thick chunky scarf out of and I got her that sugar and spice yarn so she can make potholders or something. The bag is totally cute. I made it myself and it has two little pockets on the inside for needles. The one I saw at the crafty planet had pockets on the outside but I like inside pockets. That way it is much harder to lose your needles if you bump up aganist some thing or set you bag down. If they fall out perhaps they will fall to the inside of the bag first rather than the floor of the bus.


Mom's knitting bag 

I have cute pictures of the present I made/bought for my Mom's birthday. She knows what I am gettting her cause I asked her if she would like that so that I wouldn't get her something she totally hated and wanted to return or regift. If she does regift though I hope she regifts it to me cause I totally love some of the stuff I bought her. But I know that my mom reads my blog and would like to be a little suprised about her present.

Snoop has now figured out how to eat all of his food when I am at home so that he can have more food. He meows this pathetic little meow and walks over to his empty bowl. When I am away at work he is perfectly capable of rationing his food to last the entire day.

Sound money

That is the name of the show that I listen to on MPR that gets my brain thinking about money every week. Lately it is about this social security thing. I am not sure how many Gen-Xers Bush talks with on a daily basis but I think that this whole thing that he is on to sell an overhall of the Social Security Program is way too much. I think we are wasting a lot of money for him to get the word out about something that isn't really a crisis.
It probably sounds like a crazy idea and perhaps a little obvious but first off stop taking money out of Social Security to pay for other stuff.
Second off everyone in other generations knew that Social Security was just a buffer and you had to save money in addition to that. They usually worked at the same company for most of their careers and were able to build up some money for retirement. So my advice to the people my age that Bush is trying to target with this reform is to start saving.
Our generation is different and many of us have come out of college and worked at several different jobs before finding the perfect one. We are targeted by credit card companies all the time and many of us have stacked up debt more than we have worried about saving.
Just making a small adjustment in spending can make a big difference over time.
But really if you don't have a 401k or a job that gives you that then start putting money away in an IRA cause it is a start and it is better than nothing.

I wish that I brought my camera to work yesterday. There was a great photo-op but of course all I can do is learn from this lesson and bring my camera along on my daily travels more often.

Speaking of photos here is a picture of those fishnets I keep talking about. I finally finished one and was able to start the other one. These have been a little bit of fun because there is a different stitch to learn and well there are two of them so now that I have finished one I have to make the other one in order for them to be useful.

2-needle fishnets 

In other knitting news my mother has decided to take up knitting so I am thinking her birthday present needs to involve a couple items to get her started. I saw a cute little tote bag at the Crafty Planet
the other day and I was thinking I should make one for her and put some yarn and needles in there for her. I guess I should call her and see what she really wants.

Martha audition tape

I am making two cow costumes for a show and I think that I should tape some footage for my Martha audition tape. I don't know that it shows me to be a business mastermind but it may show my potential and that is really what they are looking for.
There is one thing holding me back from making this audition tape and it is that I don't want my footage to be hanging out in the reject pile. Like when they show the reject audition videos of people who didn't make it onto The Real World or when they show all the footage of all the people who don't make it onto American Idol.
Watching American Idol this week I decided that being Paula, Simon or Randy during open auditions for Idol would have to be the worst job ever. I mean there can be nothing fun or rewarding about spending 8 hours a day listening to hundreds of people who think they can sing and then listen to them beg for another chance when you tell them they are going home. I know it is a highly rated show and everything but I still feel that listening to all those horrible auditions would be the worst job and I am not sure that it would be worth the money.

Martha's Apprentice

After reading the news tidbits today I am going through the list of anyone I know with a video camera so that I can send my application tape in less than a week to be- Martha Stewart's Apprentice.
I realize that she is more than just her crafts but she has built an empire around crafts, decorating, cooking and organizing.
I probably wouldn't make very far because the way I do things would not be at all the way Martha would do them.
I'm a little more "organic" than Martha. What I mean by that is I can't really always be bothered with the exact way of doing things. Sometimes you need to put a mountain of whip cream on something instead of a dollop for example.
But I may still apply. I mean you can't win if you don't play, right. I just have to track down a video camera.
Cool.
How awesome is it that Martha will do the work release part of her sentence on realitly TV. She is such a smart, powerful woman- that is why she needs and apprentice.
I would have to be a much neater person if I was going to be on her show.
OK I'm going to go buy some break and bake cookies to make for my post office. Perhaps if I give them cookies when I go to pick up my mail tomorrow they will be happy to see me.

catching up

I have been busy but this is my most recent finished object. They are cute. From the Stitch and Bitch Nation book of course. I just have to get cute buttons for them and then they will be ready to go.
Still working on Barbie's fishnets but I am getting close to being done with one of those.

cute baby booties 

Last night was the first time that I have been at home before 8 pm in ages. OK I think a week really but I was done with all my work and stuff by 5 and so I got to watch movies and deal with the pile of laundry on my bedroom floor.
Dealing with the laundry meant that I also changed my bed. Snoop loves to help with this household chore. Snoop sits on the bed while I add the sheets and blankets. I try to "get the lump out" of the bed. Sometimes Lucy plays too. Her job is to help me move the lump.
So anyway here is a picture of Snoop hiding under the sheets on the bed. Snoop!


cute Snoop  

Music to knit to

OK so the current is still just the best little radio station ever. The music they play makes me so happy.
Yesterday Mary Lucia had been talking about music to clean to which made her ask what music you listen to while doing certain activities. She said today that someone knits to the Outkast. I have never tried that. But after listening to the current for a while today I feel like I might need to knit myself a Joey Ramone doll from the Stitch and Bitch Nation book. Just to be my listening companion for The Current. Or maybe I should knit a Joey Ramone doll for The Current. Sort of like an awesome music mascot.
I'm sure that since it is listener supported radio that they would rather have my cash money but they may get a Joey doll until my mailbox gets fixed and the paychecks that haven't been reaching me get hear.
I have not gotten a couple pay checks through the mail and I am a little ticked. But it looks like fixing the mailboxes will happen. I saw the boxes containing the new mailboxes in the hallway today. No one works on weekends around here so it will probably get done next week sometime but at least after living here for 6 weeks I should start being able to receive my mail.

all about the music

OK really I have to continue professing my love for 89.3 the Current. As soon as I get some funds worked up I will profess my love finacially but for now I'll just write about it here.
It is so awesome to listen to awesome dj's a and a great mix of music. It was so wonderful tonight cause there was this total punk vibe going on but mixed with Willie Nelson and Duke Ellington. The 2-7 DJ Mary Lucia was so awesome today when she talked about how some drivers want mellow but some want to rock out. She had played some mellow but now it was time for some guitar.
I spent my teen years hoping that I would grow up to be Jane Pratt and run an awesome magazine like Sassy. Today I decided I want to be a DJ or be the lead singer of a band. Blame it on the awesomeness of the station but I am just like yeah, it's about the music.
The kids I baby-sat last night wanted to watch The Who- The Kids are Alright. The 2 year old gets this little pint sized electric guitar and starts playing along with the band. See what I said- All about the music.

A crisis. Really?

I heard the word crisis used to describe the situation with Social Security. That it will run out by 2075 and so it is this huge crisis facing America.
To the folks trying to sell this crisis I want to know is something that my happen in 2075 really a crisis? Why are we running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to revamp the system.
Social Security running out in 70 years seems like we totally have enough time to address it without trying to pivatize it right away.
I think that instead of freaking out someone needs to open the floor to suggestions of how to encourage people to save money.
We debate for hours of who should teach children about sex and evolution/creation, but no one ever talks about who teaches their kids about money. Just as much as any other value the way people deal with money gets passed on to their children.
If you walk onto any college campus today chances are that there are people standing around using t-shirts, cd's, hats and other prizes to lure people to sign up for credit cards. When was the last time you saw someone giving away prizes for starting an IRA, savings bond, mutual fund or other such investment.
There are many other problems facing our country today. Perhaps we should be running around trying to fix the health insurance situation or trying to come up with alternative energy sources. Nobody runs around freaking out because if we don't start using alternative energy and stop contributing to globabl warming Minnesota is likely to look like Kansas in 50 years.
So that is my rant for the day .

sometimes you want music

I love music but commercials drive me crazy. For the most part I feel like I spend more time changing stations to avoid them. So I listen to MPR- Minnesota Public Radio.
Today was an exciting day. The launch of MPR's new music station 89.3 The Current. Being a news junkie I listened to Bill Kling talk about it the other day on Midday and again on a re-broadcast this weekend. So I was a little excited about a MPR station that would play the kind of music that I would want to listen to.
Of course I will continue to listen to all my programs on 91.1 but it is nice to have music to listen to without commercials.
With two stations to meet my diverse needs for both news and music I will have to renew my membership.
My membership lapsed in October and I haven't renewed because I am currently in a "music phase" after being bogged down with news and different viewpoints and election disappointment. I switched to commercial music stations for the majority of my time but now with my brandy new station I am going to have to pay up. That way when they say "listener supported radio" after a really kick ass song set I will know that I am one of those listeners.

Note to other drivers

To all the drivers who felt that they had to flash their lights at me during the already stressful situation of driving in massive amounts of snow it would be good to remember two things.
The first thing is my car is little. It has little tires. It is low to the ground. It can not plow through snow with the same grace and poise as an SUV or extended cab truck.
Second thing is perhaps driving at a slow and steady pace when I can't even see a lane is actually doing all of you who got stuck behind me in certian spots a favor. Perhaps you would have taken those spots a little faster had I not been in front of you and maybe you would have spun out. Count your self lucky to be in back of a cautious driver and not in a ditch or with a beat up car.
That is my observation of the day.

so cold it hurts

It is so cold outside. I momentarily had my mittens flipped up so that I could do things like use my keys. By the time I got to my door my fingers were turning red.
Yesterday they had a story at the end of the news about a kitty who had jumped into a bird bath and then jumped with her wet feet onto a fence which her feet stuck to. What I wonder about this story is where is there a bird bath with water that isn't frozen in Minnesota. Perhaps they have heated bird baths and that is what this was, like a little birdie hot tub.
I started making the 2 needle fishnets and they are coming along slowly but nicely. I need to jump over some attention span hurdle that prevents me from really liking socks because I know that I have to make two.
Lucy goes out into the hall every time I open the door. I don't know what she thinks is so interesting out in the hall. She usually hides from things like other people and ceiling fans. It seems strange that she would venture into the hallway where there might be both.

Kitty Taco 

Done

Starting tomorrow we are going to be having a cold snap so it is a good thing that this hat has ear flaps.
I just underwent a major hair change today cause I decided that today was the day that I would donate my hair to Locks of Love. So I got like 10 inches cut off and lost a couple more inches in the styling process.
It is totally great cause I now have layers. It is pretty much the only time I have ever had layers. Mostly because in my mind the word "layers" is associated with the eighties feathered look. Not that I ever had that but I was convinced that if I asked for layers I would end up with eighties hair.
So next I am going to work on the 2-needle fishnets from the Stitch N Bitch Nation book. They are for my friend for her birthday which isn't until March so I have some time.


The cold is coming, it is a good thing I got these done. 

Super cute mittens

I have completed my first pair of mittens. They are this super cute little number with a matching hat from the Stitch N Bitch Nation book. This hat will be pointy at the top but unlike the mini-sombrero that I knit in the fall this is supposed to be pointy. It has ear flaps too. The one in the book is red and pink but there was no red and since I was dying to get started I decided that purple would be super cute too.
I am very looking forward to the winter carnival this year because now instead of trying to make my scarf behave as a hat I will have the perfect winter carnival headgear. Maybe the snow and winter is just waiting for me to finish with my matching hat and mittens. I am so proud of my mittens that I might invest in little mitten clips just so that I don't somehow lose one.

Super cute mittens