So, seeing my coffee intake in black in white like this has made me a little self-conscious about it, and I've made an effort to cut back a bit. Plus, paying $3.50 for something I could make myself for less than a dollar goes against my DIYer instincts.
I did, however, go visit my new favorite barista yesterday and introduce myself so I can build our relationship up to the point of me getting free coffee whenever he's working.
Yesterday summed up:
9:30 am- demitasse of home-brewed espresso (about 2 shots)
2:00 pm- double tall soy latte (starbucks)
Total caffeine: 308 mg
Today:
9:00 am- triple iced latte (brewed at home)
5:00 pm- chai latte (home)
Total caffeine: 278 mg
Running total since 06/17/08: 997.5 mg
6.19.2008
6.17.2008
Bring Me Java, Bring Me Joy
Remember that online history class I mentioned? I've pretty much found an excuse to blow it off every single day since it started. Annnnd there are exactly eight days left until the midterm.
Keep in mind that there were only seventeen days in total before the midterm to begin with, but you'd think I'd have had the wherewithal to start studying a tad sooner.
Not that I haven't tried - but there's always something to distract me. My house is always noisy unless everyone's gone, and that rarely happens for more than an hour or two at a time. So I've started coffee-shop-hopping, even going to Starbucks (evil mega-conglomerate that it is) occasionally. This has proved slightly counterproductive, as most java joints have apparently made it their policy to hire almost solely from the ridiculously-attractive-college-aged-male demographic.
I've also been staying up rather late every night, so I've needed a strong dose of caffeine every morning to get rid of my headaches and jitters. On top of those factors, I just got a second Italian espresso maker, pretty much exclusively invite people to get coffee when I want to hang out, and several of my friends have jobs as baristas.
So now, as I'm feeling a little light-headed and wishing I hadn't accepted that free extra shot from Matt the Latte Boy, I've decided to start recording my daily caffeine intake.
10:00 am - Chai tea (not that significant, but it's still buzzed)
3:30 - Triple espresso
5:30 - Triple grande half-caff americano (they put two shots in a normal one, so by some weird math that I don't quite understand, I'm going to say a triple half-caff is equal to about 1.5 caffeinated shots)
Total shots: 4.5
so assuming a shot has about 77 mg of caffeine (which I know totally depends on the roast, blend, and extraction, but I'm going by *bux's nutrition guide), and the Chai has 47mg...
Total: 393.5 mg
*edit*
I knew I was doing something screwy with that math. I forgot that decaf espresso still has somewhere around 12 mg of caffeine per shot (bah. I get more of a buzz off of water.), so that's an extra 18 mg.
New Total: 411.5
Who knew love could be this caffeinated?
Keep in mind that there were only seventeen days in total before the midterm to begin with, but you'd think I'd have had the wherewithal to start studying a tad sooner.
Not that I haven't tried - but there's always something to distract me. My house is always noisy unless everyone's gone, and that rarely happens for more than an hour or two at a time. So I've started coffee-shop-hopping, even going to Starbucks (evil mega-conglomerate that it is) occasionally. This has proved slightly counterproductive, as most java joints have apparently made it their policy to hire almost solely from the ridiculously-attractive-college-aged-male demographic.
I've also been staying up rather late every night, so I've needed a strong dose of caffeine every morning to get rid of my headaches and jitters. On top of those factors, I just got a second Italian espresso maker, pretty much exclusively invite people to get coffee when I want to hang out, and several of my friends have jobs as baristas.
So now, as I'm feeling a little light-headed and wishing I hadn't accepted that free extra shot from Matt the Latte Boy, I've decided to start recording my daily caffeine intake.
10:00 am - Chai tea (not that significant, but it's still buzzed)
3:30 - Triple espresso
5:30 - Triple grande half-caff americano (they put two shots in a normal one, so by some weird math that I don't quite understand, I'm going to say a triple half-caff is equal to about 1.5 caffeinated shots)
Total shots: 4.5
so assuming a shot has about 77 mg of caffeine (which I know totally depends on the roast, blend, and extraction, but I'm going by *bux's nutrition guide), and the Chai has 47mg...
Total: 393.5 mg
*edit*
I knew I was doing something screwy with that math. I forgot that decaf espresso still has somewhere around 12 mg of caffeine per shot (bah. I get more of a buzz off of water.), so that's an extra 18 mg.
New Total: 411.5
Who knew love could be this caffeinated?
6.15.2008
Summer Breeze Makes Me Feel Fiiine.
Hello Knit Blog.
I know you must have missed me.
I'm back. But I have nothing to show for my long absence. Except for the beginnings of a boring-yet-adorable garter-stitch-striped alpaca scarf and two hats (one of which I can't remember where I put for the life of me)I haven't knit a stitch. Nor spun a yard. Forgive me. Things have been hectic.
Okay, I'll be honest. They haven't been too hectic. It's due to a little thing called senioritis. It causes total and complete apathy about everything except graduating. And as of May 16, I's graduated. Please join me in a moment of pure, summery, bliss.
But now that I've got that whole high school thing over with, I'm so very inspired to plan for this summer. So here's a few things I'd like to get accomplished before September.
1) Work.
The studio where I used to teach closed down due to an increase in rent and a shitty air conditioner that the landlord refused to fix, but we're moving our operation to two different rec centers (one five minutes away, the other twenty minutes) and will have to cross our fingers that the people firing our clay stuff don't screw things up horribly.
I just got a raise - (yeah!) but I'll only be teaching about 25 hours a week, so I should have plenty of time to do other things. Such as:
2) Learn.
I already have my classes planned out for this fall, but to get into the C++ class I want to take (yeah, that's right. totally to meet geek boys.) I need to take College Algebra as a coreq. Eww. And before I can take that, I have to take College Mathematics, or maybe my SAT scores will cover it, or I might have to take the TSI again, or I might have to take "developmental courses" to finally learn the math I should have learned in high school, blah blah blah.
But I was lazy, and didn't find out what I needed to do in time for the beginning of Summer 1, so I'm taking History II online. Which means I have about a month to finish the entire course by myself, and nothing is due until the 21st. But half of everything is due the 21st. So I could potentially procrastinate like none other, but I'm going to try not to. I still haven't finished the first chapter of the textbook.
3) Read.
I'm going to keep working on my "101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers" list over the summer, as I'm technically still "college-bound," and I'm sure it'll still be valuable even after I've been college-bound-and-gagged this fall.
I've kind of been on a utopian kick lately (Walden Two and 1984 rocked my brave new world), but a few friends of mine are starting a Jane Austen book club (inspired by the slightly entertaining movie by the same name), so Emma is next on my list. I've seen movies for all the books except for Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, but reading Pride and Prejudice after seeing the movie (even the 6-hour Colin Firth version) makes me think reading the books will still definitely be worthwhile.
I'm also going to get an amazing skin-cancer-inducing tan, visit every coffee shop in Texas, and stay up until 4 at least one night a week.
Oh, and on a side note, the Last.fm widget on the side there is going to be much more in sync with my actual music consumption now that I have a macbook and multiple ipods to update it with. Thank you, graduation moneys.
I know you must have missed me.
I'm back. But I have nothing to show for my long absence. Except for the beginnings of a boring-yet-adorable garter-stitch-striped alpaca scarf and two hats (one of which I can't remember where I put for the life of me)I haven't knit a stitch. Nor spun a yard. Forgive me. Things have been hectic.
Okay, I'll be honest. They haven't been too hectic. It's due to a little thing called senioritis. It causes total and complete apathy about everything except graduating. And as of May 16, I's graduated. Please join me in a moment of pure, summery, bliss.
But now that I've got that whole high school thing over with, I'm so very inspired to plan for this summer. So here's a few things I'd like to get accomplished before September.
1) Work.
The studio where I used to teach closed down due to an increase in rent and a shitty air conditioner that the landlord refused to fix, but we're moving our operation to two different rec centers (one five minutes away, the other twenty minutes) and will have to cross our fingers that the people firing our clay stuff don't screw things up horribly.
I just got a raise - (yeah!) but I'll only be teaching about 25 hours a week, so I should have plenty of time to do other things. Such as:
2) Learn.
I already have my classes planned out for this fall, but to get into the C++ class I want to take (yeah, that's right. totally to meet geek boys.) I need to take College Algebra as a coreq. Eww. And before I can take that, I have to take College Mathematics, or maybe my SAT scores will cover it, or I might have to take the TSI again, or I might have to take "developmental courses" to finally learn the math I should have learned in high school, blah blah blah.
But I was lazy, and didn't find out what I needed to do in time for the beginning of Summer 1, so I'm taking History II online. Which means I have about a month to finish the entire course by myself, and nothing is due until the 21st. But half of everything is due the 21st. So I could potentially procrastinate like none other, but I'm going to try not to. I still haven't finished the first chapter of the textbook.
3) Read.
I'm going to keep working on my "101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers" list over the summer, as I'm technically still "college-bound," and I'm sure it'll still be valuable even after I've been college-bound-and-gagged this fall.
I've kind of been on a utopian kick lately (Walden Two and 1984 rocked my brave new world), but a few friends of mine are starting a Jane Austen book club (inspired by the slightly entertaining movie by the same name), so Emma is next on my list. I've seen movies for all the books except for Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, but reading Pride and Prejudice after seeing the movie (even the 6-hour Colin Firth version) makes me think reading the books will still definitely be worthwhile.
I'm also going to get an amazing skin-cancer-inducing tan, visit every coffee shop in Texas, and stay up until 4 at least one night a week.
Oh, and on a side note, the Last.fm widget on the side there is going to be much more in sync with my actual music consumption now that I have a macbook and multiple ipods to update it with. Thank you, graduation moneys.
4.10.2008
Does this qualify me for a vote at the Oscars?
Interesting trivia time. About two years ago I played a part in a no-budget, independent short film by my filmmaker and screenwriter friends Matt and Britton. As a disclaimer, I'm pretty sure I was only cast based on my availability for filming, as I have no talent or experience in acting (except a performance of Les Mis when I was 6 - I totally rocked as Cosette). My character is the seductive nymph who lures people into the woods to do her evil bidding. Maybe they didn't do such a bad job casting after all.
Flowers in the Wood
This is Episode I of III, and I'm pretty sure this is all that's been finished, even though we shot all of II and most of III. It's kind of disappointing, as I only have about a minute's worth of screen time in this episode, and all my scary, evil acting is in Episode III. Maybe a new episode will come out every three years like Star Wars. But probably not.
Flowers in the Wood
This is Episode I of III, and I'm pretty sure this is all that's been finished, even though we shot all of II and most of III. It's kind of disappointing, as I only have about a minute's worth of screen time in this episode, and all my scary, evil acting is in Episode III. Maybe a new episode will come out every three years like Star Wars. But probably not.
4.04.2008
Ink'd. It's "knit" backwards. Minus the T. Plus a D.
Last night, instead of going to sleep early (or even on time) because I knew I had to leave the house at 7:30 in the morning, I designed my next tattoo. And by next, I mean first. And by first, I mean I'm probably never going to get it, but the design's there if I ever need it.
It's rough, and my drawing skills are grossly underdeveloped, but I kinda like it. Remember my grease monkey fantasy? Well I've also had a tattoo artist one for a long time too. Something about making art that is more or less permanent is so appealing to me. Any real tat artists want to clean it up and ink it on my arm?
I've been pretty uninspired in my fiber ventures since the weather's been warmer (I haven't knitted a stitch since spring break. shock.), but I did a little dyeing the other day.
What with? Why, easter egg dye of course. After easter, Walmart had five million little kits for 17 cents each, and I stocked up. Now not only do I have several dozen little egg holders, I also have brand-spanking-new pink yarn!
I used Cascade Ecological Wool, soaked in water for about an hour so the dye would take evenly, heated enough water to cover a skein in a huge canning vat, and added vinegar (about a cup), salt (a couple teaspoons), and 5 or 6 dye pellets.
I stirred it carefully (to avoid felting) until it started to boil, turned off the heat, and let it sit for several hours while I finished beating Guitar Hero III on Medium (still can't get past Slash on Hard). When I checked, the dye bath was totally clear, and the yarn was beautiful and vinegary-smelling.
I still have a ton of dye and bare yarn left, so I'm totally going to dye another day.
In other, less exciting, actually kind of sad news; my cat, Paige, has a tumor. He went under the knife the other day and they got a lot of it out and sent it to a lab to see if it's benign or not. We'll probably find out today or tomorrow. For now, he has a gnarly looking belly and we're feeding him mangosteen juice three times a day.
To avoid ending on a depressing note: I'm graduating in 42 days!
It's rough, and my drawing skills are grossly underdeveloped, but I kinda like it. Remember my grease monkey fantasy? Well I've also had a tattoo artist one for a long time too. Something about making art that is more or less permanent is so appealing to me. Any real tat artists want to clean it up and ink it on my arm?
I've been pretty uninspired in my fiber ventures since the weather's been warmer (I haven't knitted a stitch since spring break. shock.), but I did a little dyeing the other day.
What with? Why, easter egg dye of course. After easter, Walmart had five million little kits for 17 cents each, and I stocked up. Now not only do I have several dozen little egg holders, I also have brand-spanking-new pink yarn!
I used Cascade Ecological Wool, soaked in water for about an hour so the dye would take evenly, heated enough water to cover a skein in a huge canning vat, and added vinegar (about a cup), salt (a couple teaspoons), and 5 or 6 dye pellets.
I stirred it carefully (to avoid felting) until it started to boil, turned off the heat, and let it sit for several hours while I finished beating Guitar Hero III on Medium (still can't get past Slash on Hard). When I checked, the dye bath was totally clear, and the yarn was beautiful and vinegary-smelling.
I still have a ton of dye and bare yarn left, so I'm totally going to dye another day.
In other, less exciting, actually kind of sad news; my cat, Paige, has a tumor. He went under the knife the other day and they got a lot of it out and sent it to a lab to see if it's benign or not. We'll probably find out today or tomorrow. For now, he has a gnarly looking belly and we're feeding him mangosteen juice three times a day.
To avoid ending on a depressing note: I'm graduating in 42 days!
3.13.2008
Spring Break!
Finally, after a horrific Anatomy exam with practical (uuuh, digging around inside a dead cat that early in the morning), I'm on my way to Florida to spend a week on the best beach I know of. Yeah, I'll be staying in a tiny condo with my entire family living in one room and a hallway (no bedrooms - just a bed that folds out of the wall. Yay for cheap apartment kitsch!), but I'll be outside most of the time anyway. I think this'll be the first time in years I've been down there when it's not Thanksgiving. We're driving, so I'm bringing tons of knitting and my spinning wheel. I'm also going to go yarn shop hopping while I'm there, so look for beach-inspired knits/fibers shortly.
A few things I've been working on whilst wasting valuable knit-blogging time with all these political/philosophical/photojournal posts:
Spirogyra from Knitty
I cast on for this one as soon as the new Knitty came out. It's just what I've been looking for in an armwarmer, and now I can continue being lazy and not make up my own.
I love so much about this pattern - the lace is simple and fast, the shaping is done with just a change in needle size, and it's pwetty.
I used Mericash solid that I bought ridiculously cheap at the Woolie Ewe's 5 am half price sale, and I'm kind of glad I didn't pay full price for it. It's a beautiful color and very soft, but it's a single, so it's already starting to get kind of fuzzy, and I predict it will pill with more use. That'll just give me an excuse to knit another pair in Alpaca Sox.
Mittens of my own design.
I knit three pairs of these in a week - they're fast, and they have a thumb gore that I spent quite some time trying to figure out with all kinds of fancy maths. And it makes me happy. I'm going to start selling these on etsy soon, so keep an eye out.
And sans pictures - my 2nd pair of Dashing for Kelsey, and a kind of organic-looking pair of blue mittens made from hand-sheared, hand-carded, handspun, and hand-dyed yarn I bought from a homestead farm in Waco (tons tons tons of vegetable matter... pain in the ass, organic or no).
A few things I've been working on whilst wasting valuable knit-blogging time with all these political/philosophical/photojournal posts:
Spirogyra from Knitty
I cast on for this one as soon as the new Knitty came out. It's just what I've been looking for in an armwarmer, and now I can continue being lazy and not make up my own.
I love so much about this pattern - the lace is simple and fast, the shaping is done with just a change in needle size, and it's pwetty.
I used Mericash solid that I bought ridiculously cheap at the Woolie Ewe's 5 am half price sale, and I'm kind of glad I didn't pay full price for it. It's a beautiful color and very soft, but it's a single, so it's already starting to get kind of fuzzy, and I predict it will pill with more use. That'll just give me an excuse to knit another pair in Alpaca Sox.
Mittens of my own design.
I knit three pairs of these in a week - they're fast, and they have a thumb gore that I spent quite some time trying to figure out with all kinds of fancy maths. And it makes me happy. I'm going to start selling these on etsy soon, so keep an eye out.
And sans pictures - my 2nd pair of Dashing for Kelsey, and a kind of organic-looking pair of blue mittens made from hand-sheared, hand-carded, handspun, and hand-dyed yarn I bought from a homestead farm in Waco (tons tons tons of vegetable matter... pain in the ass, organic or no).
3.09.2008
Exploring the Infinite Abyss
Movies are so powerful. They combine multiple senses to affect you in more ways than you could imagine possible. As much as I like a good brain-dead comedy now and then, my favorite movies really make me feel.
Breakfast at Tiffany's makes me feel like it's okay to be as complicated or as uncomplicated as I need to be, and that there will always be someone there who understands and loves me for who I am.
Amelie makes me feel so indescribably happy and in love with life - it reminds me not to overlook the little details that really affect things for the better when you appreciate them.
Garden State teaches me to keep feeling. Yeah, there are things in life that hurt like hell, but pain is better than just being numb to everything. To quote Natalie Portman's character, Sam, "...it's life, and it's real. And sometimes it fucking hurts, but it's life, and it's pretty much all we got."
It is pretty much all we have. And what would it be without a little heartbreak now and then? How would anyone be able to appreciate the good times without the bad ones to compare them to? I think I remember reading in The Hiding Place (the story of a Jewish woman who survived the Holocaust and remained amazingly optimistic throughout the whole ordeal) something about how the people in the prison camp were thankful for the fleas constantly biting them, because the pain reminded them they were alive.
I've never had to deal with anything on the same level as the Holocaust, but I've definitely had ups and downs. In today's world, we're faced with the choice of being numb and never feeling anything; no joy, no sadness, no peace, no love; or feeling it all, with the happiness magnified by all the sadness you've experienced. I guess I'm thankful for the fleas, too.
Far too often I find myself joking about deep serious things; kind of glazing over the subject with sarcasm when I'm really just reluctant to show how affected I am by it. From my brief stint as a psychology student, I know that emotion = vulnerability. Which is really too bad, because it's hard to really be close to someone when you're always behind a shield of sarcastic remarks. But every now and then, someone like Sam comes along who makes you feel so safe and at home, and you just feel like telling them everything you feel and have ever felt. And it can change your life, if you let it.
Just having friends like that and being able to talk about everything important and meaningful doesn't solve everything - it may not even solve anything. But often, all you need is to find an outlet for everything building up inside your heart, good or bad. Sam, again, in her infinite wisdom says:
"...what do you do? You laugh. I'm not saying I don't cry, but in between I laugh, and I realize how silly it is to take anything too seriously. Plus, I look forward to a good cry. It feels pretty good."
This is the only reasonable solution to existentialism I've found. Live to be alive. If you're like me, and believe in one huge, overwhelming reason for your existence, nothing else really matters and you just have to laugh the rest of it off.
So go out, rent these movies, buy some Shins albums, and laugh, cry, and care about something. But don't care too much about caring.
"Ahhh, conundrum!"
Breakfast at Tiffany's makes me feel like it's okay to be as complicated or as uncomplicated as I need to be, and that there will always be someone there who understands and loves me for who I am.
Amelie makes me feel so indescribably happy and in love with life - it reminds me not to overlook the little details that really affect things for the better when you appreciate them.
Garden State teaches me to keep feeling. Yeah, there are things in life that hurt like hell, but pain is better than just being numb to everything. To quote Natalie Portman's character, Sam, "...it's life, and it's real. And sometimes it fucking hurts, but it's life, and it's pretty much all we got."
It is pretty much all we have. And what would it be without a little heartbreak now and then? How would anyone be able to appreciate the good times without the bad ones to compare them to? I think I remember reading in The Hiding Place (the story of a Jewish woman who survived the Holocaust and remained amazingly optimistic throughout the whole ordeal) something about how the people in the prison camp were thankful for the fleas constantly biting them, because the pain reminded them they were alive.
I've never had to deal with anything on the same level as the Holocaust, but I've definitely had ups and downs. In today's world, we're faced with the choice of being numb and never feeling anything; no joy, no sadness, no peace, no love; or feeling it all, with the happiness magnified by all the sadness you've experienced. I guess I'm thankful for the fleas, too.
Far too often I find myself joking about deep serious things; kind of glazing over the subject with sarcasm when I'm really just reluctant to show how affected I am by it. From my brief stint as a psychology student, I know that emotion = vulnerability. Which is really too bad, because it's hard to really be close to someone when you're always behind a shield of sarcastic remarks. But every now and then, someone like Sam comes along who makes you feel so safe and at home, and you just feel like telling them everything you feel and have ever felt. And it can change your life, if you let it.
Just having friends like that and being able to talk about everything important and meaningful doesn't solve everything - it may not even solve anything. But often, all you need is to find an outlet for everything building up inside your heart, good or bad. Sam, again, in her infinite wisdom says:
"...what do you do? You laugh. I'm not saying I don't cry, but in between I laugh, and I realize how silly it is to take anything too seriously. Plus, I look forward to a good cry. It feels pretty good."
This is the only reasonable solution to existentialism I've found. Live to be alive. If you're like me, and believe in one huge, overwhelming reason for your existence, nothing else really matters and you just have to laugh the rest of it off.
So go out, rent these movies, buy some Shins albums, and laugh, cry, and care about something. But don't care too much about caring.
"Ahhh, conundrum!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
