this is a post for you lurkers ...

... inspired by a visit from a long-lost person. (you know who you are, and now you better at least comment occasionally)

i know i'm terrible about posting. i realized some time ago that having a full time job where i'm not stuck in a cube, at a desk, is a good thing ... except when it comes to blogging. i used to write and read blogs pretty much all day at the old job. it made me look busy (except when i got caught).

now i have no time to sit and blog. i only recently got internet at home, and even that isn't quite up to par yet, so that hasn't been very helpful. sometimes i have a great connection and sometimes it just sucks.

so even though it's not technically 2008 yet, i'm making a new year's resolution to at least blog once a month. that sounds really sad but hey, it'll be a lot better than twice a year.

i will do that in exchange for: all you lurkers (especially the ones who track me down from my past, and you know who you are) comment now and then, would ya? my surprize visitor today didn't think i'd want a comment from the past. well of course i would. and this same visitor needs to email me, because i was an idiot and forgot to ask something very important. so this is now also a test, to see if you look again at my blog. ha ha.

and THANK YOU again for the visit, it was nice to see you, and meet your lady, and get a present delivered all in one day.



and to everyone else: find a moment to relax this holiday season. even though i've done a minimum of shopping, i feel totally worn out. i am exhausted. granted, i work retail 6 days a week, that could have something to do with it.

anyway, please take a moment to reflect on your year, things that have been good, even things that have been bad. i'm learning life is f***in short. it's important to keep perspective.

and i wish everything good for 2008. may it only get better!

p.s. for my cousin ryan, who i don't even think knows i have a blog, happy end-of-two-thousand-"sebn". it was a blast, my friend.

why i haven't been blogging.

so all that crap i said last week about how busy i am ... well really the reason i haven't been blogging is this:

this is kris. kris, meet everybody.

enough said? thanks. i thought so.

(okay seriously, i am giddy happy right now. i can't even explain it. it was an accident and predestined from the fates or something, because there's pretty much zero reason we would have met otherwise. okay now that's really enough said!)

still taking in air

so can we just not mention how long it's been since i posted? because truly, i don't know how long.

let's just move on. things are insane, but when are they not? i have a new job as of may 1. yes, a full time gig at a place i love ... 3 Kittens Needle Arts ... i left the bank FINALLY and even though i've had to be a bit more careful about my budget, it's been so worth it!!

i did the avon breast cancer 2-day walk on may 4th and 5th with my aunt and 2 cousins. it was fantastic, and i still don't have any pictures, or i'd have those up already.

mostly i've been working a lot. a LOT. knitting a LOT. even crocheting a LOT.

several other things to post about ... pictures to come ... i want to get back in this habit (such as it was)

friday quickie

one of my favorite comedians is Mitch Hedberg. i caught this blurb listening to my ipod at random today ... and i love it:


"I went to the Home Depot the other day, which was unnecessary. I need to go to the Apartment Depot. Which is just a big warehouse with people standing around saying, 'Hey, we ain’t gotta fix shit!' ”

Happy Friday!

my workplace

you guys. i am all for a clean workplace. but look at this:


that is a tube of Blistex for scale. that is a SERIOUSLY LARGE bottle of hand sanitizer. this belongs to one of my co-workers. (she's new) she is out sick today (can you say "ironic"?) and i was borrowing her chair so i could goof off ... umm ... do some work in another cube. i took the chair back and spotted this monstrosity. i was just so stunned by it, i immediately took a picture of it.

those of us who are in the office today are wondering if we should take this personally.

personally i think hand sanitizer is completely unnecessary 99.9% of the time (which, coincidentally, is the amount of germs it supposedly kills). unless i've just used a porta-potty and there are no hand washing facilities, you won't find me using hand sanitizer.

i do wash my hands, people. i just don't use that scary gel stuff that makes my hands smell weird.

my dad is a rock star!

check out this amazing yarn hanging thing my dad made!! he brought it down to my apartment yesterday and we had fun hanging it. (then we went to the Bad Waitress for lunch!)

it's 3x5 feet, made of cedar with oak pegs so i can hang my pretty hanks of yarn on it. i didn't have time to really hang them yesterday, but i can't wait to do it when i get home!

aren't you just jealous!!

finally some FO's!!

i haven't posted in a while, and i stole Shawn's camera today and took a bunch of pictures, so here we go!!

first, here is my Central Park Hoodie, my first cabled project! it was really fun to work on. it's made out of Classic Elite Skye Tweed. this is so not a flattering picture, but i was trying to get a decent shot in the mirror. here's a detail of the front.

next up, my Flared Lace Smoke Ring. this was amazing to work on - i took Janine's class at 3 Kittens and had amazing yarn to work on, thanks to a Christmas present from my aunt Kim, it's Folknits Qiviuq.

i promise i'll post some WIP's tomorrow. those, i have a LOT of.

i'm walking to Save Second Base!

I've been inspired and I'm joining my aunt Kim (a breast cancer fighter/survivor) and her kids in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer! It's a 2-day walk of 40 miles, and we're doing the walk in May, in Washington, DC. Our team is Saving Second Base (get it? ) and you can link to my page, and our team's page, on the link to the right (the big pink one!).

And don't forget! Many companies match donations, so if yours does, you can make your dollars go farther! There's information on the donation page. I'd love it if you could help me reach at least my minimum goal of $1800! It seems a bit daunting, but it's for an important cause.

I've felt very overwhelmed by thinking "What can one person do, there are so many worthy causes!" But I think you just have to pick one and go for it. I'll be updating my site with my training progress and other news, so please also help keep me motivated! Thanks!!

what's your secret?

have you ever heard of the postsecret site? you should check it out; it's pretty amazing. sad. inspiring. funny.

... go now, i'll wait ...

i've gone so far as to submit secrets to frank and almost peed myself when i found one posted on his site, well over a year ago. so imagine my surprize when i picked up frank's books, which i bought because the proceeds go to support a suicide prevention hotline, and found my secret published!

needless to say, i didn't keep this a secret. it wasn't hard to reveal, since my secret is a funny one, although it has brought me some ridicule since i put it out there.

i found out frank was coming to town, and dragged shawn and terri with me to hear him speak and get to meet him. i decided i must take my secret with me. so there i am, standing in line, holding my secret in my arms. people kept asking me about it. i kept showing them my page in the book. i was simultaneously thrilled and embarassed. i mean, it is a silly secret. finally i got to the front of the line and i plunked down my secret in front of frank.



he immediately knew what it was, which was great. i case you can't tell by the picture, that is a large container full of staples. used, pulled staples.

my secret reads, "i save all the staples i pull at work. they're in a box in my desk. it weighs over a pound and a half."

for a moment, frank thought i was giving him this container. but i couldn't!

at this point i'm not sure what the container weighs, but i do know it's over five pounds. in my defense, this is not some kind of severe ADD. it started as a future sculpture project and something weird to keep my mind occupied during my oh-so-exciting job. now i can't stop. now i have a goal of filling this container.

frank was an amazing speaker. he talked so frankly about the importance of secrets, of having them, of sharing them, of living with them, of dealing with them. whether funny, serious, sad, uplifting, he treats them with the utmost respect.

thanks frank, and as long as you keep posting, i'll keep sending secrets!

not exactly a resolution ...

so i've been doing lots and lots of thinking lately. normally i don't do the new year's resolution thing, but i always think there are things we can all do to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. i've also been listening to the Satellite Sisters lately. they have a weekly segment about being more civil to each other, they call it the Civility Challenge. they talk about making small steps to creating a more civil world.

so i was listening to this the other day, and then took the elevator down to my little credit union downstairs. on the way back up the elevator, i encountered a FOUL SMELL that did not come from my body (as far as i am aware). now, i've been known to sneak a little toot now and then when i'm alone in the elevator, but this was the first time i realized the implications for someone who gets in the elevator later on ... i was hoping against hope that someone else wouldn't get in on the same ride and silently accuse me of this horrendous smell!

so in the spirit of the Civility Challenge, i am pledging in 2007 to not pass gas in elevators. so if you get in an elevator with me and there is a bad gas smell, i promise you IT WAS NOT ME.