So, I started training for my second half-marathon in January (as mentioned in this post). My training started out pretty well, and I ran at least twice a week mostly and tried to keep up with my long runs, but life got busy (wedding planning and school and other life-in-general stress) and I lost track of how much time I had before the race, and I didn't feel ready. (Not feeling ready could also be a teensy bit of laziness on my part. Just a TEENSY bit.)

So I decided not to run the race. I would go to Atlanta, and cheer on Anne Marie and my friend Cheryl, and just be a spectator. Cathy would be a spectator too, since she is just recovering from bronchitis and really shouldn't run 13.1 miles right now.

Yesterday was that half-marathon.

And I totally ran it!

I think I was scared to run because I knew I wouldn't improve from my first race, and I didn't want to feel like a failure. But my sister Cathy (that sneaky, sneaky girl) was all, "Why don't we just run a little, and see how we feel? We won't run the whole thing..."

Here's me and Cat before the race:

Yeah. She tricked me.

And then it was just FUN. Beautiful day, beautiful course. We took it easy, not running too hard, pushing ourselves every now and then. It was so much fun, laughing and running with my sister, watching all the other runners and the spectators. We kept a good pace, and Cathy didn't let me slack too much. We even got to see the lead runners because the marathon course crossed paths with the half marathon course at several points - that was AWESOME. Dude. They were kicking so much ass - it was really motivating. At mile 8, Cathy wisely decided to stop, and so she did. But she was like, "Finish the race." And I kept going. And I finished!

Here's my medal.

I might have more pics of the race eventually, but I didn't bring my camera -- I assumed I would have access to it later since I wouldn't be finishing the race. Ha. Next time, I'm going to be more serious about my training, but it was nice to do a race in a very stress-free sort of way.

[Note: since I'd done a half before, I felt okay running it even though I didn't feel completely ready. I am in NO WAY advocating just waking up the morning of a half-marathon and deciding to try and run it. You gotta train, baby. I guess the point is: I wasn't motivated to run it, even though I physically was ABLE. And my sister and Cheryl and AM helped me get motivated -- that morning!]

In general, that's the kind of runner I am. I don't like to get caught up in my time because I'm a slow schmoo, and if I'm not enjoying something, I'm just not gonna do it. So, I try to keep running fun and light and not a competitive thing. (Now, that's just me. My friends (coughcough Cheryl and AM and Cathy coughcough) who are fast schmoos do things differently, and I like that. Cheryl rocked the half, and AM rocked the FULL, and I'm so proud of them. Cheryl finished almost an hour before me and when I was coming around that last bend, I saw her waiting, and she ran me into the finish line, which totally rocked. She even cheered me past a couple of runners.

Woo-hoo! Team Schmoo rocks.

In other news - knitting news - I've been knitting a little opera scarf with my Noro Silk Garden Lite, and I ripped it out. It just wasn't working for me. (Although, I will say that I love that pattern, and I'm going to knit it again, but with a swingier, drapier yarn.)

Here's the farewell photo:

Farewell, opera scarf.

Instead, I decided to copy Molly! and make a mini clapotis with it.

Yum. I love this yarn.

And the Forecast? She is literally 20 sleeve rounds away from being done. I'm predicting a finished post by next week. No promises, though.

Posted by Carrieoke at 8:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (46)

... Arthur's Theme is totally one of my favorite songs.

NEW YORK!

What a freakin' trip. It was super fun and totally exhausting and I would do it again next weekend if I had the money and another pair of boots (since mine now have holes in them from all the walking. NOT CITY SHOES.) First of all, I have to give a shout out to my girl Carolyn, who sent me her recommendations for restaurants, and not one of them disappointed. I tried so many kinds of food I'd never had before: Vietnamese, Malaysian, Brazilian, crazy Tex-Mex-Asian-fusion. yumyumyum. The food was my second favorite part of the trip.

My first favorite part was, of course, the people. And the yarn. Ohhhhh, the yarn.

At the subway stop in Queens.

The extremely long and photo heavy play-by-play is in the extended entry. You have been warned about the length. And the photo heaviness...

Thursday morning:

So excited about New York.

Arrived at my sister's hotel to find her extremely ill with a fever and horrible hacking cough. Poor schmoo. It was pretty nice outside, about mid-50s to 60s - I didn't even need a jacket! Fears of freezing temperatures fled my mind. (Ominous foreshadowing here). Me and Sicky hit the subway, had lunch with her colleagues, and headed back to the hotel for a nap and relaxation. Got to walk around Columbia University a little - so many beautiful buildings! I had a glass of wine at 1:00pm. Wooo-hooo Spring Break! I headed over to my hotel around 3:00 to meet Frecklegirl Jess and check in. Our room was on the 21st floor. SO HIGH UP. Our room was also extremely tiny, but clean. Hooray. We decided to try the Malaysian restaurant for dinner - Nyonya. We got the mango chicken, a yummy beef dish, and roti canai for an appetizer. Jess ordered 4 drinks, and one of them was a whole coconut with a straw in it:

Coconut juice.

The food was excellent, and we totally saw Alan Arkin there. I may have accidentally stared at him when he sat at the table next to us. And he may have then requested to be moved to another table. I'm sorry I scared you, Alan Arkin. I wasn't going to accost you. I PROMISE.

It started to rain pretty hard while we were eating, but it still wasn't super cold out. We managed to get home in time to watch Grey's Anatomy and research the yarn store situation. Here's Jess planning our strategy:

Plan of attack.

Watched the news - they were predicting a snowstorm. hahahahahaha. I decide that the weather men are exaggerating and it will all be fine tomorrow.

Friday: We slept really, really late. So exhausted. We finally woke up and checked out of our hotel, and moved to my sister's hotel. IT IS FREEZING OUTSIDE. And also SNOWING. For once, the weather men were telling the truth. Truth = pelting icy snowflakes on my face. We managed to make it to the hotel and we find Cathy there, still sick as a dog. My poor sister didn't get to do much of anything in New York except cough and lay in the hotel room -- that was the only real bummer of the trip. (Which, of course, means we have to go back.) Here's our plan for the day: lunch and knitting at the Point NYC. After that, we plan to hit Purl and Seaport Yarns. We'll end the day at School Products, which is very close to our hotel. Yarnyarnyarn.

So, we ventured out in the snow to head to the Point NYC.

[ Subway stop we used: Houston Street, on the 1. Note to Southerners: that's pronounced HOW-stun, not Hyoo-stun.]

The Point had JUST what we needed: yummy quiche, yummy coffee and tea, and great company. And of course, yarnyarnyarn. We met up with Michelle, Jackie, Jenn, Valentina, Mindy and I stupidly didn't take any pictures. I actually didn't buy any yarn either - I bought BUTTONS.

Yay pretty buttons.

I think I'll use the wooden ones for my nephew's Trellis. The other ones, for something fabulous for me. Sometime in the future.

So, after the Point, Jackie and Valentina offered to walk us over to Purl. We passed Purl Patchwork on the way - the fabrics are so yummy delicious in there. I *almost* bought some fat quarters, but I resisted temptation because I knew there was Koigu at Purl. And there was so much Koigu at Purl...

See? KOIGU.

So fun!

I also bought The Knitter's Almanac because it was just sitting on the table, begging to be purchased. After our lengthy visit at Purl, we started our walk back to the subway (did I mention the snow? and the pelting of the face?) and I snapped a picture of the snowiness:

There was lot of it.

On our way back to the subway, we stopped in a vintage toy store called Alphaville, which had slap bracelets, Smurf figurines, and robots, among other things. I bought The Pants his own mechanical robot. It has a wind-up key, and it walks.

Now. Off to Seaport Yarns, except that I wrote the address down wrong, and we actually ended up NOT NEAR Seaport Yarns. (Note to self: CHECK THE ADDRESS, especially when walking in ice and snow.) We called -- they were about to close -- so, we decided to hit Seaport on Saturday and we ducked into the closest pub, the Irish Punt. St. Patrick's Day was only a day away, so there was lot of drunk people and bagpipe playing going on. We both had a beer and some delicious potato-scallion soup, and then we headed back to the hotel.

For dinner, we headed to Bright Food Shop in Chelsea. (Now, we could've taken the subway, but by then it was SUPER EXTREMELY FREEZING and still snowing really hard so we took a cab. SO WORTH IT.) I think Bright Food was my favorite restaurant of this trip. It's Mexican-Asian fusion, and it was so freaking good. We got chips and dip (the dip came with three different dips: green salsa (spicy!), hummus, and fresh chopped salsa), and I had one catfish taco and one chicken taco for dinner. Jess ordered the veggie spring rolls which were also good (although she liked mine better!). We also got dessert: I got a key lime tart which was delicious. Super nice service, and nice drink selection. It's not super cheap, but I thought it was worth every damn penny. We also took some chicken stew home to Sicky McGee and her friend in the hotel room, and they LOVED it. (Quote: "This soup just made me feel human again.") Ahhhh, Bright Food.

Saturday: Sicky Cathy managed to get a flight home at noon on Saturday. Poor schmoo. She had to throw herself on the mercy of Airtran, but it was successful. All attempts by me and Jess to wake up early were thwarted. I think we got up like 20 minutes earlier than we did on Saturday. (Dear New York: All that walking makes me really tired, but you are worth it. Love, LazyPants) We stopped to get coffee and breakfast across from the hotel, and then headed for Seaport Yarns -- this time, armed with the correct address and the subway stop.

[Subway stop we used: Fulton Street on the 2-3. Note to subway newbies like myself: NOT THE 1. The 2-3. Yes, I know they are all red. But trust me.]

Seaport is insane. There is no other way to describe it. You go to this office building, go up to the fifth floor, and then go into this door that looks like an office. And it is an office, except that EVERY ROOM IN THE OFFICE IS FULL OF YARN. So. Much. Yarn. And one huge wall of books and mags - I'm talking Rowan mags, tons of older knitting books, beautiful Debbie Bliss books. I'd never seen or heard of some of the Noro yarns they had there -- and some really interesting and beautiful Japanese yarns.

Overwhelmed at Seaport.

Seaport is not for the faint of heart - it's a little overwhelming - but it's so worth the trip if you want to see lots of different brands of yarns and see some unusual colorways in person. I bought three skeins of Noro Silk Garden Lite in an amazing orangey pink colorway (I'll put a picture up later -- I can't find the colorway online anywhere). I started knitting an opera scarf last night with it, but I'm still not sure that's what I want to do with it. LOVE IT.

After Seaport, we tried to hit School Products, but they close at 3:30 on Saturdays and we didn't make it in time. Gah. We returned to the hotel to change for the evening, and during the short stop, our bathtub backed up and poo spewed into our tub. SOMEONE ELSE'S POO. For shame, Hotel Pennsylvania. We got the hell outta there and headed to Queens.

We met the girls for Jenn's birthday celebration at a Brazilian restaurant: Malagueta. Yummy yummy food - my favorite part was my appetizer, a goat cheese and lentil salad. SO. GOOD. And of course, hanging out with the knitters:

Michelle, me, Jackie.

After we ate, we headed back to Jenn's awesome apartment, where the drinking continued and everyone brought out their knitting. I had such a good time! And I learned about two new drinks: Fat Angel beer (yummy delicious) and something called lambic, which was tasty and sweet. We stayed until everyone realized how late it was and we all headed to the subway:

This might be my favorite picture from the trip. Hee.

Good. Times. Jess and I laughed for a while in the room before finally falling asleep...

Yes, there was subway knitting.

Sunday morning, we actually did get up early so Jess could head out. I checked out of the hotel and headed to Brooklyn for brunch with Michelle. I was really, really late because the subway was running on some sort of crazy weekend schedule and the posted signs were written in a special code that only New Yorkers understand. After I finally got onto the right train, I got to see Michelle's adorable place and meet Scout, one of the nicest kitties I know. (He actually We had a lovely brunch and then headed to Valentina's place for more knitting and good times. (Note: it was still v. cold, and there was a lot of snow on the ground, but no more icy pelting freezing snow chunks in the face. Hooray!)

Two tired schmoos.

Valentina was a completely gracious host and there was more coffee, sweets and chocolate than you can imagine. I was so zonked from all the walking that I spent a lot of time leaning my head on the couch and watching everyone knit. It was so relaxing...

Eventually, me and Jenn dragged our tired butts to the subway and headed to her place, where she called me a car and got me to Laguardia (thanks again, Jenn!) just in time to learn that my flight was delayed. For a while. Oh, Laguardia. I sat and knitted and people watched until we finally got on a plane, and then I passed out and slept the entire way home.

I had so much fun. I wish my sister had been well enough to leave the hotel room, and I wish it hadn't been SO COLD, but the people and the yarn and the food and the subway were all very good indeed. I actually got to spend some quality time with some bloggy friends, which doesn't always happen at the festivals. It was fabulous.

Knitting update: I started and am halfway done with a Morehouse shawl. And I didn't bring Forecast to NY because it was too damn heavy! It will be finished. Soon. Any suggestions on a good scarfy-shawly pattern for 3 skeins of Noro Silk Garden Lite?

Posted by Carrieoke at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (50)

So, Forecast? Not gonna happen by Wednesday.

Here's why:

Swollen.

The short version is that our dogs accidentally met each other in the backyard, started fighting, and when I jumped in to help Jacob pull them apart, I got bit [edited to add: Bella bit me, not Chili. Neither of our dogs are usually people aggressive, but Chili's never bit a human before. ] Really, really hard. I'm okay. We ran to the ER, got fixed up. The dogs are fine - neither of them had a dang scratch. Note to self: don't put your hand in a dog's mouth as a method of stopping a dog fight.

Ahem.

Anyways, my arm is really swollen and sore. I've spent all day resting, trying not to type and I actually didn't knit a stitch. I just relaxed. So, I guess no Forecast in NY. Maybe I'll finish it there, but I probably won't get to wear it. Very soon, though.

Now, here's a rare picture of my nephew looking serious:

He's v. serious about being happy all the time.

Babies make everything better sometimes, don't they? It's been a very emotional and stressful week so far. I'm about ready for a trip.

Posted by Carrieoke at 12:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (49)

I'm halfway to my goal - I finished the Anemois!

And then there were two.

Closer.

A pair!

And now they're blocking.

Now, on to Forecast! Goal: Finished and blocked by Wednesday. My plane for NY leaves on Thursday! Thanks for all your good thoughts. Things are getting slightly better. I can't be grumpy with a trip on the horizon, right?

Posted by Carrieoke at 11:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)

It's been ... a week. I'm not going to lie: I'm a tad grumpy. There are things in my life that I have no control over -- things I will never be able to change -- that are currently making me a grumpy. schmoo. Harumph.

But I really can't complain too much -- life is mostly good, and the weather here is freakin' beautiful. BEE-YOO-TEE-FULL. I'm talking 70 degrees and breezy. (Don't hate me, my Northern friends.) And? And!! Spring Break is next week, and while I do officially have to work, I've decided that I might take a short little vacation and fly up to New York. Yayayayayay! Me and my sis are going to shop and hang out and eat good food and visit yarn stores. Suggestions? (Trip contingent on a plane ticket, but I think I'm going to be able to swing it.) It's cold up there, right?

Trip Trip Trip. This will probably mean no Maryland Sheep and Wool this year, but I need a vacation and this is a perfect opportunity. Hopefully I will have a finished pair of Anemois in the mail by the time I leave, and a finished Forecast to wear.

Here's where I am tonight.

There! That's my challenge to myself: finish Anemois and Forecast by Wednesday of next week. Then I can actually wear Forecast in cold weather! It's a plan.

In honor of happy things, here's a picture of my cutecute nephewschmoo.

He didn't like my flash. Schmoo!

Now, a meme.
Stolen from Carolyn.
It's in the extended entry...

20 years ago (March 1987)

Age? 8

Were you in school? Yes. I was in ...fourth grade?

Where did you work?

In third grade, I did not work. I went to a Catholic grade school and wore a uniform every day.

Where did you live?
I lived in the house I grew up in with my parents and my two sisters, and our dog Ashlei.

What were your regular haunts?
The trampoline behind Eileen's house (which is where we held meetings of "The Stand By Me Club" inspired by the movie. We were extremely lame.) Our guest room, which also had the Barbie mansion in it.

Did you wear glasses?
Not yet. Braces and headgear very soon.

Who was your best friend?
My twin sister Cathy. Eileen, Courtney, Sarah E.

How many tattoos did you have?
none.

How many piercings did you have?
just the ears.

What did you drive?
too young.

Had you been to a real party yet?
not so much.

Heart broken yet?
hmmm. Well, I was *so* totally in love with Joe W, but he was really mean to me and my sister. So, kinda.

Status on the market?
ha.

Ten years ago (March 1997)

Age? 18

Were you in school?
Yes, finishing my freshman year of college.

Where did you work?
Wherehouse Music, baby. hells yeah.

Where did you live?
Athens, GA.

What were your regular haunts?
Blue Sky Coffee, Myers Hall Quad, Colleen and Becky's dorm room, Boneshakers for crazy dance nights.

Did you wear glasses?
yes.

Who was your best friend?
my sister was my roommate, but we were sort of enemies when we lived together.
colleen and taylor.

How many tattoos did you have?
none

How many piercings did you have?
my earlobes and the top of one ear.

What did you drive?
1981 Buick Century Station Wagon

Had you been to a real party yet?
yes. That year was the first time, really.

Heart broken yet?
oh yes, by Taylor.

Status on the market?
available, mostly.

Five years ago (March 2002)

Age? 23.

Were you in school? If so, where and for what?
Nope, two years out.

Where did you work?
I worked for a credit card processing company in Atlanta in sales support. I. Hated. My. Job.

Where did you live?
I lived in Decatur - I subleased a room in a house.

What were your regular haunts?
Jacob's house. Trackside Tavern.

Did you wear glasses?
all the time.

Who were your best friends?
Cathy, Colleen, Taylor, Valerie.

How many tattoos did you have?
None.

How many piercings did you have?
ears. still.

What did you drive?
2000 Chevy Prizm.

Had you been to a real party yet?
seriously still asking me this question?

Heart broken yet?
Yes, but I was definitely healed by then.

Status on the market?
After I met Jacob, I was unavailable.

As of today (March 2007)

Age? 28

Are you in school? If so, where and for what?
Yes, I'm getting a Master's in Education with an emphasis on Instructional Design and Development.

Where do you work?
I'm an academic advisor at a university.

Where do you live?
Athens, GA

What are your regular haunts?
The couch in my den. East side restaurants.

Do you wear glasses?
yesyesyes. except when I'm running. or on stage with Bling.

Who is your best friend?
Cathy. And my Jacob. And my girls: JoAnna. Anne Marie. HEJ. Leslie.

Do you talk to your old friends?
I haven't talked to Colleen in years. I email with Taylor and Valerie sometimes - I think Valerie reads this blog sometimes. Eileen is my friend on myspace, does that count?

Do you have a crush?
Yes. I have a crush on Jack. And I'm starting to have a crush on Sawyer. I also have a crush on House....

How many tattoos do you have?
One. more on the way.

How many piercings do you have?
three. one in each ear and one in my nostril.

What do you drive?
2000 Chevy Prizm

Have you been to a real party yet?
These days, I prefer to party at home with Jacob and the Wii. Now THAT'S a real party.

Heart broken yet?
Lately, yes. Not boys though - the Pants is a schmoo. By other people.

Status on the market?
Unavailable.

Besides ones of the pet variety, any dependents?
Just my friends who need technology help. Har.

Posted by Carrieoke at 11:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (35)

ick. the weather today is gross: there's lots of wind and rain and lightning and thunder. I hate weather like this - mostly because the conditions are right for a tornado. I am v. scared of tornadoes, perhaps in an irrational way since we don't really get them very often here. The dogs refused to go out this morning - Bella hid under the bed and Chili hid upstairs. I just let them be - who can blame them?

My trip to the bead store last week was a success! Unfortunately, they are planning to close or sell the place soon - I hope someone buys it, because they've got some really fun stuff in there. There wasn't a huge button selection, but what they had was really unique. I decided to go vintage on my Forecast:

I chose ten vintage black buttons that similar in size and look.
I think I might have one repeat in there.

Here's another look:

I've taken over the kitchen table.

Now, I have to actually finish the sleeve and sew the buttons on. That's ALL that's left. Why am I dragging my feet?

Because I can't stay away from these other temptations:

Getting there.

The Anemois are just so much fun. And the chart keeper has seriously changed my life. I know I keep talking about it, but if you don't have one, it's worth every penny.

And, I may have accidentally started another project -- just a little one --

Trellis. And my purple pajama pants.

I was searching online for yarn substitutions for Trellis, and I found this beauty on Flickr. Isn't it gorgeous? The cables really pop in Shine, so I decided to get some for my nephew's Trellis. This is the gauge sleeve. Err, gauge swatch. Har.

Well, gotta go eat lunch. I ordered in today because I didn't want to brave the rain. I am a wimp.

Posted by Carrieoke at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (31)