Day 77 - Pot Luck

I wrote this some time ago, but as you can tell it got stuck in draft mode for a while.

A little bit of everything recently. List style:

- Another pair of socks (#1).



Hedgerow Socks with a Socks that Rock Mediumweight mill end.

- An only in SF event (#73)--Pride. Do I need to say anything more?

- Get out to see a movie (#68). Ken and I saw Wall-E and it was wonderful. One of those movies where time flies and you're mesmerized the whole time.

Day 64 - Socks Galore

This was my desk earlier this week:



Go to flickr to see what each project is, but suffice it to say--I had a lot on the needles. A couple of things have made it off. ^_^



Sunrise Socks in Trekking color 108 on size US 1 dpns. Sock pair #5 towards #1.

As for the other pair I finished... I can't find the second sock of the pair, so pictures will have to wait. :P I cast off yet another pair (!) last night, bringing up the total to six pairs. Maybe they can have a joint photography session. -_^

Another radio internship application made its way into the mail this week (#8). It took two months to get an answer for the last one, so I'm not quite holding my breath.

Tried a new restaurant (#71)--Asuka Ramen, which is really really close to my apartment. They had a limited menu for their "pre-open" and it was hit and miss. Not really authentic Japanese. More like, Chinese food done in a Japanese-esque way. Which makes sense, considering that everyone in there was speaking Mandarin. It's kind of silly and sad that Ken and I can go into a Japanese restaurant, speak Japanese, and not a single person understands.

Up for this weekend--Pride. Yeah baby. -_^

(Total checks for the month: 11)

Day 51 - Checks Sans Pics

Tonight I had a dinner party at my apartment, and nothing exploded, yeaa! -_^ One towards #66. I also completed the third grade kanji (#42) and am working on the next set. I tried a new wine (#22) but I didn't like it much, so no check there. I also finished a pair of socks (#1). I would take a picture now but it's dark and I've had a glass of wine. -_^

Eight checks for the month... on pace for 15!

Day 47 - More Pictures

I finished up another pair of socks for #1, this one in record time:



Spiraling Coriolis sock by Cat Bordhi in Zen String Loopy Legends, Laurie's Carolina Morning

I finished the pair in six days, my fastest full size pair ever. The pattern was so new and innovative that I had to see what happened next! My new favorites. Actually, I think each pair I finish is my new favorite pair. ^_^



As far as other checks go I feel like I'm slowing down a little. I've been eating out, but at the old standbys. I have been getting through my podcast folder (#12) but it's slow going, especially when there's so much cool stuff to download! My kanji study has been stalling a little numbers wise, though I did get a new grammar book that I'm working through. I cleaned off my desk today and threw out a couple of things, so there's two for #83.

Oh, I forgot some stuff! I sent mom a "birthday care package" with some handknits--#81 complete! I also went to an "only in SF" event (#73), the Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest. I have an audio clip of the second place winner at my radio blog, My Urban Eyes.

My goal for this month is 15 "checks" and now I have, lessee... five. Huh.

Day 38 - Owed Pictures

There's a bunch of knitting I need to catch you up on. ^_^ My completed socks!



Stand 'o Birches, Great Adirondack Soxie - Wild Birch, size 0 dpns

This was pair two towards #1. My knitting has been getting even looser lately (darn RSI) so these ended up a touch big. Maybe they'll fit my mom. ^_^ And speaking of my mom, here's the lace scarf I made her　(#6 - complete!):



North Star Scarf, Zephyr, size 2 24" circ

I learned that, while it looks nice, pictorial (i.e. not logical) lace is not for me.



I've also finished a couple more dishcloths (numbers 2 and 3 for #5):





Let's just call the first one "pretty" and the second one "practical". Oh, and I've started my Irtfa'a shawl:



This is me fixing a mistake several rows down. Logic, a dpn, and a crochet hook to the rescue!

Day 18 - Little Bits

Yan and I went on a field trip on her Vespa last weekend. Riding the scooter is a ton of fun, though it took some getting used to. Rule number one--don't flail about. Rule number two--squeeze Yan's butt with your knees. Rule number three--lean forward when going uphill. Rule number four--try not to kick Yan with your looong legs. -_^



Yan and Red Sonja. Yan has a thing for red.

While out we went to Outback (#71), and I can't say that I cared for it. Then again, I don't care for steakhouses much, period. The french onion soup was pretty good, though.

We also went to JoAnns so I could finally use the $25 gift card I got for Christmas. I picked up sock needles, stitch holders, stitch markers... all the stupid little stuff you need but always forget to buy. I also grabbed two balls of self-striping dishcloth cotton.



Miter dishcloth based on Mason-Dixon Knitting's miter square. One towards #5--woot!

As far as other knitting goes I'm trying to make a lace scarf (#6) in time for my mom's big Alaskan cruise. I've finished four of nine pattern repeats, so it's getting there! I also finished a pair of socks (#1), which I'll show you as soon as I get some pictures taken.

I'm saddened to report that I lapsed in taking my vitamins for a few days so #26 has been reset and told to sit in the corner for a while.

I like the way that thinking about this list has kept me goal oriented. Just making it was a wonderful exercise in figuring out what is important in my life. It also prevents me from living on auto pilot. Who wants to do that?

Day 5 - Back to Work

Today was our first official store meeting. It was great to meet more of the people I'll be working with, and I love a bunch of 'em already. Awesome sign.

Today's progress, in order by number:

#1 - I'm halfway through two different socks--one in plain stockinette and another in a nice, logical pattern. The yarn for that one is pretty dark, though, so I can only work on it during the day.

#8 - Still no news, but every time my phone rings I jump.

#26 - Taken.

#83 - I got rid of a material thing today--an extra needle sizer with incorrectly milled holes. No point in keeping it, or even giving it away. Tossed.

Day 3 - First Completed Item

I finally get to bold an item today! It's this:

#41 - Complete 2nd grade kanji (160 characters)

I may as well bold it here too--it just looks better. -_^ Some background info: Japanese was my second major in college and I studied abroad in Osaka for a year. I love Japanese and gets lots of opportunities to speak it at home with my boyfriend. So while my listening and speaking are pretty good my reading and writing need some work. In order to pass Level 2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (#47, wouldn't you know it) you have to know 1,000 kanji, or written characters. That's about half of what Japanese people learn in school, or nearly every character from first to sixth grade.

I've studied a lot of kanji in the past, and at my peak I probably knew close to 600... but being two years out of practice really puts a damper on things. I'm closer to 400 now. My current study strategy is to read level appropriate material (3rd-4th grade at the moment) and go through the characters systematically by grade level, brushing up the ones I know and fully learning the ones I don't. So--second grade kanji, done. Third grade kanji, you're next.

To go along with this I've been going through a textbook I recently got called 小学３･４年社会自由自在 ...it's a social studies book for third and fourth graders. Not only am I learning new words ("Oooo, harbor! Breakwater!") but it's also great for getting Japanese culture and common sense into my head. There's a section on Japanese map symbols, which are totally different from ours. Another chapter gives a geography lesson about each prefecture and what goods it's famous for (Niigata = rice, if you ever wanted to know). It's the stuff that every good Japanese should know, and every bumbling American needs help with. It's been satisfying study, not to mention #48 on my list.

Okay, enough about Japanese, it's time to ask the question I know is on your mind--did I take my vitamins today? Yes. Yes I did. One more to #26. I also finished reading this week's New Yorker, but I'm not putting #10 in italics. I'd rather it feel unofficial. The moment it feels real, like an obligation, I'm going to drop the ball. Right now it's just an... experiment. ^_^

Related to #8, I called the people at a radio internship I applied to and they said decisions will be made this week. When I called the really nice guy on the other end was like, "If you don't get it, do reapply". That made me think two things. One, does he already know if I made it or not? And two, maybe this is more competitive than I thought. It was encouraging, though. New internships come up every few months, and this isn't something I'm going to give up on.

Okay, this long entry dearly needs a picture. Here's that first completed pair of socks I mentioned, for #1:



Comfort Socks in Trekking (color 62) on size 1 needles. Plain Jane.

Day 1 - Check, Check, and Check

There's nothing like hitting the ground running. I took my vitamins first thing this morning for #26 and finished up a pair of socks for #1 (pics later). Check, check. And here's the third check:



A big batch of pasta headed for the freezer for #20. Ken and I got our microwave only recently (I know, welcome us to the 20th century) and we've been enjoying the convenience. I used Paul Newman's Sockittome sauce (...the name was close to that) and half boxes of pasta I had lying around. Five meals all set for me.

Even though I'm not officially going for #10, I'm trying to get through this week's New Yorker in order to unofficially go for #10. -_^ The mag is currently on my desk, opened to page 26. We'll see where I am tomorrow.

Getting Started

Going through my list several things catch my eye. First of all--am I going to be okay with so many long term projects? What if I hate knitting socks a year from now? Will I really be able to do all that cooking? I planned for everything to be doable (no "floss everyday (0/1001)" for me!) but still.

I'm going to get one of the long term projects, #26 - Take vitamins every day for a month, started right away. I'm also nearly done with a pair of socks, so that'll knock one off of #1 - Complete 40 pairs of socks. Tomorrow I think I'll make some pasta to freeze, which will be a start on #20 - Make and freeze meals ahead of time. Some of the long term goals are tempting (#10, I'm looking at you) but I don't want to burn myself out by taking on too much too soon.

If you space everything out, 101 in 1001 is roughly one item every 10 days. But when you count up all the multiples in my list (like those 40 pairs of socks) it's more like one item every three days. Eeep. Time to get started!