Friday, February 29, 2008

Crud

So I caught the evil illness that has been going around the world it seems, and it pretty much laid me flat. I'm jealous of people who can spend the day reading or knitting when they are sick, because all I can do is stare at the TV with my eyes half-closed trying to remember how to breathe. Thus I haven't knit anything for about 5 days now. I did take some blurry pictures of my quilt (the one I've been working on since last summer), since I have some progress to show:


I'm planning on adding at least 3 more diamonds, to make a square. Then, depending on how much I can stand making these same blocks over and over, I may add another border all the way around. I love the results of quilting, but it takes so much devotion - you can't just sit in front of the tv or bring it with you in the car - you have to sit down in front of the sewing machine and concentrate on what you are doing. After about half an hour I really need to see what happens on "America's Next Top Model" and the quilt gets abandoned for another 3 weeks.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Nostalgia

Those of you who are new visitors to this blog may not know that the name "Ranger Sarah" is from the days when I worked as an NPS Park Ranger. I wanted a place to record all of the funny & crazy stories that come from working with the public. Here are some of those stories from 2 1/2 years ago, for your reading pleasure.

July 6, 2005:

Every once in a while, I'll encounter someone whose logic I cannot grasp. Take the following conversation, which took place on a cave trail with a 60-year-old man.

Man: So, what's your name again?
Me: Sarah.
Man: Oh, so are you Dutch?
Me: Um, no, I'm not.
Man: That's weird, because my mother's name was Sarah and she's Dutch.

August 3, 2005:
The other day I was walking through the cave, when I saw two guys standing by a pit with a ladder going down into it. It is an old ladder, falling apart, and is just there for display. It is attached to the top of the pit with a long metal pole that is embedded in the rock, and the ladder hangs off of that pole. The two guys seemed really fascinated with this metal pole. One says to the other, "Wow, how do you think they got that metal pole stuck in the rock like that?" His friend replies, "Maybe the rock was softer back then."

I've also come to the conclusion that not many people know how far a mile is. (It's 5,280 feet.) On the elevator, people always ask how far the elevator goes, and when I answer "750 feet," they will inevitably ask how many miles that is. One man even attempted to answer that question himself, saying, "Wow, that's like 2 1/2 miles!!"

August 8, 2005:
Working at the information desk, I've been asked all sorts of things. Mostly it's just "Where's the bathroom?" or "What time is bat flight?", but on occasion it gets interesting. One person recently even asked me what the meaning of life was.

Yesterday, however, I got a winner. A very old man asked me if I would go on a date with him. 75 years from now. In heaven.

Apparently, this old man (who is traveling with his wife) is going across the country trying to round up 288,000 dates in heaven, 75 years from now. Why this number? Who knows. After all, this man is asking people FOR DATES IN HEAVEN. When his wife came up to the desk, I said to her, "Did you know your husband is asking other women for dates in heaven?" She replied, "Yes," and smiled. I guess she's not planning on being there herself.

As to my answer, I told him that I didn't know what I'll being doing in 75 years, and I'd probably be busy that night.
---
While I don't necessarily miss my job, I have to say that the entertainment value of encountering thousands of people a day was well worth it. Now, as a graphic artist, I encounter a whole other group of crazies. (Like the guy who wanted me to change the picture of the football player in his ad to one that looked "less gay." But that's a story for another day.)

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

You Make My Day

Thanks to Dove Knits for giving me the "You Make My Day" Award! She gave me a great compliment & let me know that I'm not just talking to myself out here. I have to pick 10 bloggers and pass the award on, and from the 99 blogs I regularly read, it was difficult to pick just 10. There are so many funny & crafty people out there; I'm glad that the internet exists to egg us all on in our collective obsessions.

1. Books I Done Read : Her snarky sense of humor always makes my day
2. Book Chase : Book reviews that make me want to drop everything and READ
3. Reluctant Mango : Mango is never satisfied, always trying something new - and inspiring me to do the same
4. The Happy College Knitter : Her conversational writing and great projects make my day
5. Whispering Pine : Her beautiful photography keeps me coming back
6. Tentenknits : Classy, classy knits
7. Knits & Pieces : Her beautiful knits give me inspiration
8. Sew-Mad : This girl can SEW!
9. Bibliolatry : Her book reviews are right up my alley
10. Yarnmonster : What a talented knitter!

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Calorimetry

Another instant gratification project (if by "instant" you mean "knit this thing three times.") It's Calorimetry from Knitty, in Noro Silk Garden. The first time I knit this, even though I got gauge, it turned out HUGE. So I ripped out the entire thing and started over. I knit a few rows, and it was obviously too small. So finally I cast on 104 stitches on needles 2 sizes smaller than called for, and its just right. Even though it's never really cold enough for hats outside here in Southern New Mexico, it is cold enough for hats inside. We keep the heater down low, and end up bundling up inside to compensate.

(Interesting fact: currently on Ravelry, 3,163 Calorimetries have been made. WOW!)

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