Azura's Vices

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Knitting - On The Needles

So it appears as if I have a rather severe case of start-itis, meaning that there are a bunch of projects that I want to start and complete.

(note: photos are not the things I'm making ... well, they are, but their not the exact ones I'm making. Meaning I'm stealing the photos from other places to show you what the heck I'm talking about)

1. Simone - flare sleeved cowl sweater

My first attempt at a me-size sweater. I'm working on a boring part right now, just straight knitting the back for a good long time. Still, I'm stupidly proud that I'm making a sweater, so I can still make myself knit the boring parts.

2. Proposition - entrelac gloves

Another first - my first entrelac attempt. Ok, so far I've only done the 10 rows of ribbing at the bottom but I plan on knitting more tonight and possible doing the entrelac part tomorrow. I'm excited to try this out. Entrelac is, I think, one of the most beautiful designs you can do with yarn. And keeping that in mind, once I finish the gloves, I'll try this:

3. Lady Eleanor - entrelac stole

Pictures of this made out of Noro Taiyo (which is what I'll be using) made me squee out loud. Good thing I was at home! I'm absolutely dying to wrap this around me, so I'm hoping that the entrelac gloves won't be the end of me and entrelac ;)

4. Clapotis - rite of passage

Since nearly all my knitterly friends have either made (or are making) a Clapotis, I feel like it's a rite of passage for knitters to make one. A kind of fiber bar mitzvah (or bat mitzvah, I suppose). So once I find the elusive last skein of Noro Taiyo that I need to have enough to make a full size Clapotis, I will undertake this rite of passage myself!

And yes, I do have a gorgeous Clapotis that I adore, made by the wonderful Heather, but I feel like I should make my own to prove to the world that I Am A Knitter :)

5. Patchwork Trio Afghan - for Mom

couldn't find a picture of the actual afghan...

Finally, the last project I want to tackle, is this afghan for Mom. She said she would knit part of it, so it'll be a joint venture. I just need to wait for the 26 balls of yarn I ordered to come in. This is going to take me a loooong time to make.

Well, it looks like I'm going to be busy for quite a while. Who's up for a Stitch 'n Bitch?

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Mourning

You are dead to me
A stone cold corpse
Beneath the earth

Your honeyed words
So sweet in their insincerity
Do not reach me now
Buried beneath 30 feet of dirt
60 layers of silence

Yet here I stand at your grave
In mourning for a statue
Breathtaking but selfish
Those actions meaning more
Than honeyed words could convey

I was the worm that now
Crawls through your flesh.
I was to you a trifle
You were to me my heart

I mourn as the worms
Pick at your skin.
I struggle to restore to my life
Through the void you left.

I wish the grave were empty
Although I placed you there
With my own two hands

Stripping you of your life as you did me

I live and you remain dead

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Uh oh...

Thursday, January 28, 2010

The Magicians

Were you one of those kids who, after reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe went around testing every cupboard and closet in your house for a secret portal to Narnia? Or were you one of those kids who tried to learn magic tricks because it was as close to magic as you could get?

I was one of those kids, and so was Quentin. The difference between the two of us, though, is that Quentin found his magic portal to the world of Brakebills college.

I suspect Lev Grossman was one of those kids too.

The book reads like an adult Harry Potter or a distopian Narnia. The characters in this book, upon discovering magic, do not suddenly find that their problems are over, but rather that their problems intensify. Quentin believes that once he finds his way to the land of Fillory (the book's version of Narnia), the emptiness in his life will be over and learning magic is just a stepping stone.

It's a great read, definitely an adult fantasy novel, but many of the themes would be appreciated by non-fantasy readers as well. Pick it up and give it a try, especially if you've ever gone searching for Narnia yourself!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Avatar

Now, I know that everyone in the free world has seen this Avatar:

Don't get me wrong - it was an amazing movie. Beautiful scenery, awesome special effects, etc. Kind of a Pocahontas-meet-Dances-With-Wolves-meet-Ferngully, only more blue.

The Avatar that I'm especially looking forward to is this one:

Which is a live-action movie version of this:

Which is one of the best non-anime cartoons I have *ever* seen (and I watch a lot of cartoons)!

So even though The Last Airbender (I guess they couldn't call it by the full title the show has, which is Avatar: The Last Airbender) is a live-action movie directed by M. Night Shamalan (or however you spell it), and I know it can't compare the the sheer awesomeness of the cartoon, I still can't wait to see it!

*movie squee*!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Rough start to 2010

So, thanks to the magic of Facebook, it isn't a secret that the guy I've been seeing and I broke up. It happened Jan 2nd (after he didn't spend New Years with me) and I've been kind of reeling ever since.

But, thanks to the wonderful support of my amazing friends, I'm getting by. But I'm not going to turn this blog into a sob story ... I just wanted to highlight two amazing books that are really helping me out now.

Have you seen the movie, "He's Just Not That Into You"? Did you know it started out as a book?

Anyway, the book is not like the movie (which was also very good). It's a great way for you to clue in whether or not the guy you're seeing is actually into you. Believe me, it was an eye opener. I was sure my guy was drifting away, but I didn't think that he had fallen out of love for me until I read this book and realized that he wasn't into me anymore. It was sad, but reading it has helped me come to grips with his feelings.

So, one you've realized he's not that into you, you can read this:

Same author, but this time he's writing with his wife. Ways to cope with your break up, and stories by other people on how they reacted very badly to their break ups to help you out. Great advice, and if you feel yourself slipping into the "maybe I'll just call him to see if he's suffering like me" phase, they have steps you can take to ensure that you don't.

Currently, I'm in the "Don't See Him Or Talk To Him For Sixty Days" phase. After that, sometime in early March, I'll see if I still miss him or even care.

(And if you're thinking "What if he reads this public blog?", well, I don't really care if he does. And also, I don't think he will. If he's not into me anymore, why would he go out of his way to read my blog?)

There's one more book by the same author of the previous books, which I can't seem to find in Canada or the U.S. but I would really like to own:

I've only seen in on the UK version of Amazon. It was published 2007, so it's not that old. I'll have to see if I can get this somewhere. Thank goodness for the magic of the internet!

As for me, I'm doing ok. But if you're concerned, drop me a line or invite me out someplace!

Thursday, December 31, 2009

End of a Decade

Well, I haven't really posted here in a long time... lots of stuff going on in my life that I didn't really want to share with the internet, and the stuff that I could share was kind of boring ;) So here's my annual year-in-review post.

2009 was certainly a year of ups and downs. Lots of trials, not just for me, but for a lot of my loved ones. Lots of firsts. Lots of joy. Lots of sadness. I grew up an awful lot this year, learned about myself, and am resolving for 2010 to take it a bit easier on myself.

2009

January