Addiction

I'm sure most people of this generation can understand my addiction to Facebook.  It's become a habit: turn on the computer, log on to Facebook.  I remember the time, way back in my senior year of high school, when I was wary of the social networking site.  I was hesitant, not sure how to respond to it.  I mean, what are you supposed to do with a "social networking" site?  It's not like Xanga (which will always have a soft spot in my heart; I had one for many years) where you write about things . . . It's a blog.  That's it's purpose.  So what exactly do you do with a social networking site?

Now, two years later, I can barely go a day without Facebook.  I log on periodically to check up on . . . I don't even know what.  Maybe to feel connected to the people I don't see every day or to see if anyone's sent me anything.  Perhaps I've gotten used to the stalkerish nature of the site.  I've also come to see its use as a resource and a place to share ideas with the people in my circle of friends, family, and acquaintances.  Events are slightly easier to plan while friends are scattered all over the East Coast if there's a place online for us to use.  We can make plans long before coming home for the summer.

The whole concept of being able to communicate with friends all over the world via the internet is awesome.  Unfortunately, I've found that the people I interact with the most on the internet are the people who I see regularly in real life already.  Most of the time, there are a bunch of people who are signed into Facebook, but no one I really want to talk to.  Then there are those people who you've met once but they invite you to everything.  It becomes more of a procrastination method: sign on, start a random conversation with someone you've met twice, stalk a friend's page because you haven't talked to them in a while . . .

Love them, hate them, social networking has come into existence and I doubt it's going anywhere anytime soon.  They're a great way to keep in touch with people you don't see every day (whether this happens regularly or not) and it's a way to discuss class assignments when you can't meet up with your group members in a class.  If you're having trouble getting contact with someone in other ways, you will probably be able to get a response on Facebook.

To My Computer

Dear Computer,

I know we've had a rough couple of months.  I've spent hours trying to figure out why you haven't been running like you used to.  You probably don't want to hear it, but you're getting old for a laptop.  I've been trying to help you, but you still come close to crashing.  I know I've been looking at other computers.  Yes, yes, even while I'm with you . . . I'm sorry, ok?  But I would miss you if you crashed.  We've been through so much together.  Remember that time where you got the virus and I took you to the IT department on campus?  Ok, so maybe it was my fault you got the virus to begin with, but I got you better, right?  But you really should watch out about whose Ethernet cable you use . . . You never know who could have the internet STDs . . .

Anyway, please take care of yourself.  We've spent so much time together over the last couple of months; I'd be sad if you just spontaneously died.  Take care of yourself.

Sincerely,

Laurie

Ok, so I've been having some trouble with my computer, if you couldn't tell.  That on top of being completely overwhelmed by writing assignments has made keeping up with the blog difficult.  Never fear, though.  I have some posts in the works that need to be finished and polished up and the summer is coming.  Hopefully, I'll be working at a day camp in addition to my Dairy Queen job so I may have interesting stories to share.  I wish everyone luck with the rest of their semesters, if you happen to be in school.  Just remember: we're over halfway there!

Adventure in the Supermarket

I think there comes a time in everyone's life when one must go to the grocery store and run errands for one's parents.  Suddenly, you are a licensed driver deemed mature enough to wield your parent's credit card in order to do the shopping that they themselves do not feel like or do not have the time for doing.  I have reached this point in my life.

January 15th is my little brother's birthday.  Since his birthday is on a Saturday this year, my mother decided to have his birthday party on his actual birthday.  As she was running around getting things ready for this party, she sent me to the supermarket to pick up four hoagies, a carton of strawberries, a pack of hamburger buns, and a bag of ice.  After some confusion about the hoagies and wandering around the store in search of the ice, I proceeded to the self-checkout.  

At this point, I was looking around nervously and half-expecting someone to tackle me.  "You're not Penny," they would scream.  "How dare you steal your mother's credit card!!!"  And then my mom would have to bail me out of jail in order to get her hoagies.  But, I made it through the checkout without incident (except for the challenge of fitting four two-foot hoagies, a ten pound bag of ice, a carton of strawberries, and a bag of hamburger buns on the tiny bagging shelf without the computer flipping out at me).

From there, I proceeded to the parking lot where I couldn't find my car (eh . . . well . . . my mom's car but you get the point).  I realized that it was in the next aisle of cars and that there was no way for me to get through them without going majorly out of my way with a very noisy cart.  First, I tried putting the cart in the cart return and attempted to carry everything.  That didn't work.  Not a chance.  so, backwards I went, back towards the supermarket, back into the pathway of crazy weekend drivers. Then I loaded up the car and I went home.

I'm back at school now, though, trying to get back into the swing of things.  Trying to get used to getting up at a normal hour of the morning.  But, it feels good to have stuff to occupy my time again.  I realized just how much I missed the people here.  Currently, I'm typing on a mac in the library computer lab because my computer absolutely fails.  Since I got back to campus, it hasn't been able to long onto the campus wireless (in addition to a bunch of issues that it had over the course of winter break).  At the moment, I'm caught in a bit of a catch-22.  The program that we use to access the wi-fi doesn't like the anti-virus AVG (Why?  Who knows?).  AVG being my anti-virus of choice, I wasn't able to log on.  So, I uninstalled the program with the plan of downloading a different anti-virus as soon as I could access the internet.  However, now that I don't have an anti-virus, I can't log in to go on the internet.  As a result, I don't have any pretty pictures to show you.  Were I on my own computer, I would have a picture of the project I was working on at the end of winter break.  This means that you must be content with this:

All hail the heavenly ball of yarn.  That's right, be jealous.

Of Wool and Teapots

Not to be confused with woolly teapots . . . Yeah, I don't know either.  As you can see, I'm trying to live up to the "blog post a week" plan.  Or trying to, anyway.  I go back to school a week from now and classes start up again on the 18th.  My first batch of textbooks came in today.  Part of me is looking forward to a new set of classes and getting back into the swing of classes, homework, and friends.  I start my education classes this semester, too.  It's going to be an interesting semester . . .

In other news, I got a teapot.  My sister and I took a trip to the local Goodwill a couple days ago.  I went in search of a teapot, and came up with this pretty little thing:

I also found the mug behind it, which is also kind of cute.  You probably can't tell in the picture, but each stripe has a different kind of tea written on it.  And they're sitting on my cleaner-than-normal-but-still-cluttered desk.  With the bonsai tree and a sculpture I made in high school.  Anyway, I'm very satisfied with my thrift store prowess.  Over the summer, I found my Brita pitcher at another local thrift store. 

On another note, I started knitting another hat.  Unfortunately, I haven't gotten the chance to take an in-progress picture yet, but I will get a picture eventually.  This time, I'm trying my hand at designing.  I'm going patternless, but I will say that cables are involved.

Have a splendid week and enjoy the snow!

10 Big Things That Happened in 2010

I was just looking at the list of things that happened in 2009 (you can see it here).  This past year hasn't been nearly as eventful as last year, but it has certainly had its ups and downs.  Let's take a look, shall we?

1. Second year of college- I made it through an entire year!  They say that one in four freshmen drop out of college.  I've beaten the statistic.
2. I continued working at Dairy Queen- It's a great place to work.  I almost wish we were open all-year round so I could work there over Christmas break.
3. I've met more awesome people while at college- Who knew?
4. I met my awesome boyfriend- They say it sneaks up when you're least expecting it.  I most certainly not looking when we met.
5. I took on some really challenging classes and came out on top- There were some times I didn't think I would make it, but I pulled off a B average and a B+ in my first 400-level class.
6. I started the process of getting an apartment for next fall- Me and a couple of friends.  We're going to have an awesome place next year!
7. I got my ears pierced again- I've been thinking about it for a while, and I finally got a second set of ear piercings with my roommate (she got her cartilage pierced at the same time).
8. I cleared two bags-worth of stuff out of my room at home- and gave away more stuff.  I'm such a pack rat.  I'm still trying to let things go that I don't really need.
9. I discovered my love for tea- And I have taken steps to provide myself with tasty options to drink.  I do have to credit my mom and the person mention in #4 for giving me a lot of it for Christmas.
10. I started running over the summer- By August, I could run a mile nonstop.  I've lost it after sitting on my butt for the last couple of months, but I've learned that I can do it.

I've learned a lot over the course of the last year.  But, this is all behind me with another promising year ahead.  I'm not really one to make New Years' Resolutions, but here are some goals that I would like to set for 2011:

1. Go to the gym three days a week
2. Read more
3. Work on accessory and jewelry designs
4. Edit and submit a short story to be published
5. Write and draw more in general
6. Write at least one blog post per week

Usually, my resolutions go out the window in a matter of days, but these are things that mean a lot to me.  Hopefully, I can make them last longer . . . I hope everyone had an awesome New Years!

Coming to a Close

Alright, I know I've abandoned you all over the course of this semester (if anyone still reads this blog).  But, I have returned to say that I am alive and have managed to retain some of my sanity (if I had any sanity to begin with, that is . . .)

Anyway, I survived my 17th Century Literature class with the crazy old lady professor and got a B+ out of the deal. I made it through my other classes alright, as well.  I survived some rocky times with a few friends of mine.  However, hopefully most of it is in the past.  I'm looking forward to another set of classes in a few weeks.

I can't believe that we've come to the end of another year.  A lot has happened in twelve months.  This will probably be my last post in the old year.  Tomorrow is New Years' Eve; I get to spend time with my family and friends.

I hope everyone has a very happy and safe New Years'!  Let's make 2011 as great as 2010. :)

Attention Span

You know, it's amazing how short my attention span can be sometimes.  For the last couple of weeks, I was focused on my knitting.  Yarn, needles, and projects were constantly on my mind.  I spent hours browsing the Ravelry pattern index for that pattern.  The one I had been dreaming of for that random ball of yarn that has been lounging in my stash.

Now, however, it's changed.  I've been spending the last week reading and reviewing stories and poetry on a forum that I joined last weekend.  I've spent that time I was spending thinking about knitting and have applied it to thinking about, and actually doing, some writing.  I finished a short story that I started on a while ago.  I've written random pieces as I was sitting there watching my dad and my brother having a catch in the backyard.  I wrote about move-in day last year in response to a story I read on the forum I joined.

I just need to figure out how to join the two of these things.  Rather than focusing all of my time on either writing or knitting, I should spend time with both during the day.  Maybe it would keep me more focused on each of them for a longer period of time.  But then again, I may need these spurts of obsession.  As much as I don't like big changes happening in my life, I need to keep mixing things up.  Maybe that's why I've been enjoying college so much . . . there's so much to do and so many interesting people to be around.

Speaking of college, I'm once again sitting at a residence hall desk as I type this.  I came back on Sunday to help out with a program for incoming freshmen.  I must say that it's good to be back, but it's weird seeing the campus so quiet.  It's rarely this quiet on campus and in the dorms.

The Conundrums of Life

It's reached that time of the year when it feels like everything should be winding down.  There are two and a half weeks left of the school year, three more classes and the final exam for my twice-a-week classes, and (relatively) sunny, spring-timey weather.  Yet . . . everything just seems to be speeding up.  Classes are coming to a close, which means final exams and final assignments.  English Club is having its final meetings, which means that elections are coming up (Am I running for an office?  Yes!!!)  The leaders for next fall's Getaway Weekend have been chosen, which means that we're meeting to get things organized for that.  Some jobs on campus are getting ready to hire people for next year, which means that I have an interview with the admissions department to become a tour guide.  Stress is high, energy is low . . . and the smells of summer vacation and a summer job are calling me home.  There's so much to do, yet all I really want to do is curl up with a novel and spend the afternoon being swept away by stories of knights and dragons and damsels in distress.  I mean, who wants to read about DNA and phonics in this kind of weather?

Reasons Why I Like School (Because I Really Need to Be Reminded Right Now...)

1. I enjoy learning; I really do.  Reading a book for a class is fun to me because it means that we're going to take it apart and discuss it.  The problem lies when I don't get anything out of the discussion as a result of a variety of reasons.
2. I like being with a group of people who also want to learn.  When you actually have a good group (like I have with my Early American Literature class at the moment), I feel useful and we actually get something done.  In the end, I think we all come out of it understanding the topic more thoroughly.
3. The professor has a certain amount of expertise in the subject you're learning.  As a result, being in a class taught by that person means that you get to hear an expert talk about their field of study.  The issues only begin when that person cannot effectively communicate that expertise in an understandable manner, which is disappointing because, and I said in #1, I enjoy learning.
4. I've had the opportunity to meet a variety of different people from all different backgrounds.  When we all come together to work in a group, that means everyone has something to contribute, even if it's simply a different perspective on the assignment.
5. I have some awesome people to call friends.  Between the groups that are or were in my classes--such as my Art Ed peeps--or the people who live in my building or from Getaway Weekend, I have some fun people to talk to and hang out with outside of class.
6. I have fun stuff to do outside of class.  No more hanging around at home for me.  If I tried, somebody would probably drag me out to do something fun.

Unfortunately, I must cut this short as I need to finish some things for the aforementioned Early American Literature class.   Don't stay up too late tonight, peeps.  There's places to go and people to see tomorrow.

10 Things I've Learned at College

College isn't just about what you learn in class . . .

1. The world does not revolve around you.  Period. Some people just haven't learned this yet.
2. Life would be miserable without good friends there to pull you up when you're down.
3. Courage and perseverance are necessary if you want to get anywhere in this world.
4. Being drunk is overrated.  Being able to go up the stairs without stumbling is such a good feeling.
5. Overthinking only makes things worse.
6. Crying doesn't solve any problems, but it definitely makes you feel better.
7. If you want something to happen, you need to make it happen.
8. Life's tough; get over it.
9. There are some people you can be friends with, and there are some people you can life with.  These two groups don't always overlap.
10. Enjoy where you are in life; you never know what may happen tomorrow.

Fiber for the Soul

I've heard it said that there are two types of knitters--the ones who knit for the act of knitting and the ones who knit for the end result.  Now, when I think about myself in this light, I think I tend to be a little bit of both.  To be honest, the majority of the things I knit are for myself, and they're (obviously) things that I would like to have.  I knit them for the final product.  But, I truly enjoy the proces if I like what it is that I'm knitting and the material itself that I'm knitting.  Even when I have to tear out rows upon rows of knitting--hours of my life being undone, hours that I can never get back.  I think I've found this ability to, when I'm on the verge of a very immature temper tantrum, I just put it down and walk away or I turn the video game off (I very rarely play video games, and when I do, I don't last very long.  As soon as I reach a level that is hard, I get annoyed and turn it off).  It's how I've maintained my relative outer equilibrium.

Another thing is my knitting.  You can tell that I'm stressed in some way because I've spent large amounts of time knitting, and it's usually something relatively simplistic, that I can knit fast and I have room to think.  And, to be honest, it's something that I won't mind tearing out later.  I knit the things that I don't necessarily want or need, but the simplest thing that I could possibly have any sort of interest in knitting.  Something that's enough to keep me interested, but something that I don't need to pay complete attention to.

Earlier today, I frogged a scarf I starte in the beginning of December.  I started it with the intention of making it a Christmas present.  It became my stress-reliever.  The thing I picked up when I needed a break from studying.  It was the thing I picked up when the drama of dorm life got to me.  It was the thing I picked up in the week before Christmas as I still struggled to handle the stress left over from my first semester of college.  It was the thing I picked up when my new pendant (a pretty Miraculous Medal) fell off its chain and got lost Christmas afternoon.  It kept me going for most of December as I tried to work out issues that I'd been dealing with.  And then today, I tore it all out.  I let it all go.  I got through exams; I made it through the drama of a first semester in a freshman dorm.  I made it through Christmas, and I found my Miraculous medal.  I think the knitting and the frogging of that scarf represented a psychological therapy of letting it build up and then letting it all go that's hard to replace.  Now, I'm not saying that these issues are resolved, because most if them are still very real, but I have the peace of mind that, great or small, they're just part of the fabric of life.  A perfect life is no life at all, is it?  How can you say that you've truly lived until you experience the stresses of everyday life?

Another Year Come and Gone

Wow, so it's 2010 already.  I can't believe it.  Another year of my life come and gone.  I must say, though, it was good while it lasted.  There were a lot of big changes in my life, but it was all for the better, I think.  Here are just some major things that happened during 2009 . . .

1. AP Comparative Government came to an end, which can be considered a good and a bad thing.  Good for our relative sanity (wait . . . were we ever sane to begin with . . .?) Unfortunately, this also brought about the end of the amazing Russia group.  We had so many inside jokes from the back of that classroom . . .
2. AP English Class--the best class ever. Period.  We had some crazy fun times in that class . . .
3. I got my first job- Dairy Queen for the win! Yep, that's right people, be jealous.
4. Prom- yeah, yeah, you can say that prom is overrated, but it was really fun.
5. Graduation- it rained the whole week before, but it was sunny and perfect graduation day.  Of course, I missed the cap-throwing because I couldn't get the thing off my head (darn bobby pins) and the tassel off fast enough, but whatever.  I made it through high school with honors and a green cord that I got to wear with my cap and gown.
6. The constant stream of grad parties- yep, I saw everyone at least once every weekend for the next couple of weeks.  Good times, good times . . .
7. Senior Week- since my friends and I were way too disorganized too cool to go to the beach or something of that nature for our senior week, we had a "staycation" of sorts where we camped out at a different person's house every night and did awesome things like a murder mystery party, mall scavenger hunt, and bowling.  Best senior week ever, I must say.
8. College!- it's been good and bad; there's been drama, tears, way too much stress to even think about . . . but it was good.  This fall, I learned that I can make it on my own.  It's such a different eperience compared to high school.  I've met a lot of awesome people, and . . . a few really weird ones.

So, those were the highlights of my 2009.  And, yes, I'm aware that I'm posting this way after new year's day, but I had to think about the things I should put in the list.  Moving on, just a few new year's resolutions that I want to push myself with this year.

1. I want to be healthier-as in eating right, exercising, etc.
2. I want to focus on my art and writing more.  I feel like the only art that I've done recently has been for a class assignment in one form or another.  I want to do it for me this year.

I don't think they're huge in the whole realm of things, but they're things that I need to work on.  I let myself waste a lot of time (mostly on facebook, unfortunately) and hopefully working on those two resolutions will cut down on that. 

I wish everyone a belated happy new year's!

Life in General . . .

1. is unexpected, random, unplanned.  I try to live day-to-day because every day brings its own challenges I need to handle.  Every day has its ups and downs, from an inside joke brought up at breakfast to a bad test grade in the afternoon.  The future will take care of itself until I get there.
2. is crazy, frustrating, confusing.  People give mixed messages about what they're feeling.  I'm never really sure where I stand with certain people.  I think we're on good terms, and then something happens and they seem mad.  In a single day, one must make many decisions from what to eat for breakfast to what kind of studying should be done.  Even though I try not to worry too much about the future, I still worry about career options, classes I need to take next semseter, the money I need to pay for said classes.
3. is a whole lot more pleasant when you have your knitting.  I haven't had much time to knit lately, or blog, or write, or anything other than homework, really . . . I'm looking forward to having time to pursue my hobbies over the Christmas break.
4. is much better with good friends.  I don't know where I'd be without my friends.  We've had some rough days this semester, but we always pull through in one way or another.  They get me through the stressful times and know how to get a smile on my face when I feel like I want to cry.
5. can be lived long and happily without psycho professors.  I think everyone I know has had one in one class or another.  All they do is make life more difficult in the long run.  But hey, passing their class means that you can get through anything, right?
6. could use more socks without holes in them.  No, seriously.  For the last month, I can't seem to put on a pair of socks without a toe poking out or my heel, or feeling the floor through the bottom . . . The world is a much better place when your socks are whole and hole-less.
7. is very fun during Christmas-time, in spite of finals.  The cheerful music, the festive atmosphere at the mall, the bright decorations.  I couldn't imagine a world without Christmas, even in it's sickeningly-commercialized state.  But I love making/getting presents for my friends.  I like making people happy. 
8. is good.  I've survived my finals with one left to go.  The semester's officially over tomorrow, for me anyway.  I successfully made it through my first semester of college, I've made awesome friends, and I've discovered that I can (for the most part) make it on my own.

Christmas Knitting

So Thanksgiving is almost upon us; I go home for Thanksgiving break tomorrow after my last class.  The air is still surprisingly warm for the middle-end of November.  Christmas songs are already playing on the radio.  And, today, I came to a sudden realization--Christmas is only four weeks away.  Four weeks full of final exams and portfolio critiques and sketchbook checks.  I need to get started on Christmas projects.  Since I'm probably going to make most of my Christmas presents--due to a lack of income--I need to get working.  I've started some fuzzy things for my sisters today.  I got a present for my mom at the mall yesterday.  From there, I have no idea what to do.  We'll have to see how it goes.

10 Things I Learned from College:

1. People have very different definitions of "normal"
2. There's no such thing as privacy
3. There's never enough time to sit down and knit an entire row
4. If you want to avoid drunk people on a Friday night, close your door
5. No matter how much time you spend studying, there will always be more homework
6. You can and will get locked out of your room at least once, and at the most inopportune moment
7. You will meet many different kinds of people--some crazy in an awesome way and some just plain creepy
8. Trying to avoid said creepy people is more difficult than it seems
9. You're not going to become archenemies with your rommates just because you knew them from high school
10. You will forget about a test and not bring a pencil at the worst time, even though you never did anything like that in high school

Yes, this is a summary of the things I've learned. And none of them relate to class material either, apparently. I know I kind of abandoned the blog up to this point, but I'm trying to keep up with classes and just experience college--work, play, creepers and all... I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.

Nerves

Classes start today. I'm not sure whether to be happy or sad. Orientation just seemed to drag on and on forever, but I'm still not sure I want classes to start. I'm really nervous. Of course, I don't have anything better to do right now than just sit here and think about it because all of my friends have left. Of course they have. I'm the only one in my wing (that I'm friends with, mind you) that has an eleven o'clock class. That may work out to my advantage later in the semester if I have to pull an all-nighter--meaning I can sleep in later--but that doesn't help me now. So let's talk about happier things, shall we?I've decided that I need an easy project . . . well . . . I have a lot of easy projects going right now. What I mean is the kind of project that I can do while sitting in the dark watching a movie. We were watching Howl's Moving Castle last night with a couple of other girls from our wing and some random guys and I couldn't knit! They insisted on having the light off. Since I was working on this:

And since I need to be able to see the stitches so I can knit without dropping any, I need the light on. So, I need something like a sock or a scarf or something of that sort . . .

Orientation

So this is my third day at college orientation. I've been learning the in's and out's of life that is college. My triple room is way bigger than I expected it to be and it looks awesome. For example:

My bed and my desk....and the giant shoebox full of cookies from my grandmom (in front of the TV) We've had several RA's complimenting our set-up. And, for probably the first time in my life, my stuff is pretty organized. For the moment, anyway. That's bound to change when classes actually start. But I've gotten a surprising amount of knitting done over the past couple of days during boring sessions. And I've found that it's very difficult to knit while there's an auditorium full of college students waiting for Keenan Thompson. The Orientation Leaders kept sending a wave across, threatening my knitting with every swing of their arms. But my scarf survived without any dropped stitches, fortunately.

I was rather disappointed with the show . . . I found Keenan Thompson very . . . not funny. Even my Orientation Leader, who was really looking forward to seeing him, said that she didn't think he was funny. But whatever. I got a lot of knitting done, so it's alright. And then I got even more knitting done today during our campus security talk this morning. I was listening, I promise. I just didn't feel like looking at the person talking . . .

Unfortunately, I've got to cut this short. There's a department meeting that I've got to get to. Art Ed! Woohoo! Yeah . . . of course I'm normal, why do you ask?

Productivity

Finally, for the first time in a while, I feel productive. First, I went out to breakfast with the youth minister from my church and a friend who also just graduated. Then, I went to the bank and cashed the last two paychecks I got. I haven't actually done any packing today, but I did order my textbooks online. This means that they'll be waiting for me in the student center for me when I get there next week. I also looked said textbooks up on Amazon and Alibris and decided that I might as well get them directly from the school (partly because none of the books were on Amazon orAlibris, but that's a minor detail). I've decided that college makes you harbor random objects that really don't belong in a bedroom. Other than the obvious books, yarn, bed, pillows--I've got dish soap on my desk and tons of crates full of stuff in front of my dresser (in a way that it's a pain to get clothes in and out of the dresser) and a second bed set (bedspread, sheets, etc.) and a laundry basket. Weird.
Anyhoo, yesterday, I started making Knitty's Shetland Shorty with my Knit Picks Imagination yarn:

Here's the yarn hanging out with the pattern on my laptop as I wound it into a ball. I've decided that a swift would be nice. Really nice. My knees will do in a pinch, and I'm sure borrowing somebody's hands would be great, but a swift would make life so much easier. I've always been stuck using my knees. Despite the fact that I have five younger siblings and two parents, none of them would ever be willing to hold my yarn for me while I wind it into a ball.
Anyway, I digress. I've gotten almost past the ties. Here I was thinking that the 300-stitch long garter-stitch ties would take me weeks. But watching Pride and Prejudice with my sister last night helped a lot. I know the storyline really well (I've read the book twice--first on my own, then in eleventh grade English), so it was easy to knit along with the movie. Maybe I'll talk everyone into watching another movie tonight . . . the perfect way to get lots of knitting done. I never knew 2700 stitches of garter stitch could go so fast. But I better not rejoice too loudly lest someone get jealous and let the rest of the wrap go painfully slow.Let's hope that doesn't happen. :)