I….cannot….believe….it’s almost the end of September.

Big things have happened since my last post eons ago.  Big changes with decisions relating to grad school.  I was waiting for an answer on a last-minute application to Emory, to be exact.   (Thankfully it ended up being a “yes” – I honestly think I would have been devastated.)  It was a sudden change of plans to switch from the UGA to the Emory program.  I’m so confident I made the right decision.  And so excited.

And wow, it’s tough… but good.

I’m still working full time.  Classes are in the evenings two nights a week for three hours.  Luckily the campus is two miles away from my house!  And it is so very beautiful.  That helps!

And I do believe the Matheson Reading Room will help make studying feel a bit more official to me (you know, in my spare time).  I’m such a nerd…

Here are photos of the Goizueta buildings in case you’re interested:  One and Two

I will be thirty when I leave this place…

Luckily my class time doubles nicely as uninterrupted knitting time as long as I have a project that requires no counting.  My skirt project that has been languishing since *June* is now so very close to being complete.  And just in time for the fall weather!  Also have couple other new knitted items in their initial stages… guess that’s what happens when the weather turns.  Hopefully after I return I’ll have some actual progress photos.  Lots of stash yarn just waiting to be used up.

This week I’m leaving for a much-needed beach getaway.  Just after class tomorrow my friend Sarah and I will be hitting the road, driving through the night….  

Is it wrong that I will be working on an accounting project on the beach?  Better there than here!

As if you needed one more reason to love Radiohead:

That video was posted 3 days ago on July 13th and has already had 710,000 hits…

A short video about the making-of the House of Cards, um, ”video”:

Thom Yorke:  still creepy and loveable all at once.

Tonight my cat locked me out of my apartment.  For the second time in the last month.  And I had to break back in.  Again.

I came in from an already late night evening (2 a.m. on a Wednesday, for crying out loud).  It was a going away party for Katie P.  One of those evenings when all you want to do at the end is fall asleep on the couch.  So I had dropped off my stuff and was standing in the hall talking to my neighbor Cole and click, the deed was done.  The cat had locked me out.  Again.

Cole rescued me.  God bless him, that boy weaseled his way into my apartment without breaking so much as a pane of glass.  It was more complicated this time.  There were screws involved.  

Last time this happened (um, last month) Sarah and I had to cut my metal screen with her keys.  Since that time, they have installed a temporary window AC unit while my replacement air conditioner is on order.

It is now past 3 a.m. and I have work tomorrow… sigh.

Because I would be very interested.

 

More images here:  http://www.cualquiera.com.ar/notas/arte.html

From PinkTentacle.com:

Robot goat feeds on gambler misfortune

02 Nov 2007

Unlucky gamblers at the Edogawa Kyotei boat race course in Tokyo have a new way to ease their frustrations after botching a bet — they can feed their losing tickets to a robotic goat. Edogawa Kyotei enlisted the help of the ticket-munching robo-goat at the end of last month in an effort to reduce litter inside the facility. The 1.6-meter tall Rocky Mountain goat, which has a thick coat of white fur and ticket-detecting sensors in its mouth, devours about 500 tickets per day — many of which would otherwise end up on the floor. The goatkeeper says, “It eats up your frustrations so that you will have better luck with the next race.”

Oh, how happy this makes me.  Such complete and unabashed weirdness.  

I love to think about the inventor’s overwhelming joy when the idea first occurred to him.  I also like to imagine his wife’s earnest efforts to shut down the idea before he went public with it.  How much more bizarre it must have sounded on paper.  And that’s really saying something.

Will post progress pictures of the knitted skirt soon – am nearly halfway done with the main panels.  Knitting has recently come to a screeching halt and will not resume until after I take the GMAT this Friday.  Wish me luck.  

If anyone wants to go dancing, I’m sure that will be occurring over the weekend as well.  There has been plenty in my life lately, and it somehow never seems to be enough.

There has been a bug which has kept me from accessing the administrator part of my blog lately.  It is apparently resolved and we’re back on track.  Sorry for the complete silence.  Probably best since things in my life have been overwhelming lately.

In my absence I have:

(Finally) finished my niece Amelia’s dress:

Ends sewn in, blocked, ribbon threaded, and DONE.  Got it finished in time for this Memorial Day BBQ.  Gosh she’s cute.  I used CottonEase since it is washable and chose a grosgrain ribbon so it wouldn’t have to be removed for washings.  I’m curious to see how normal wear & tear treats this yarn.

Ended up filling in only every other row of the bodice with the strips of elastic – this dress was getting HEAVY, and it didn’t really need the reams and reams called for anyway.  Found a cotton covered elastic which was perfect since I couldn’t imagine the normal rubber kind on her sensitive 2 year old skin.  Overall I’m very pleased – it looked comfortable.   Please note if you are making this pattern that the stitch count DOUBLES all at once when the bodice ends – I failed to notice this fact and severely miscalculated my time for completion.  Not that it wasn’t clear – I’m just not a big reader-aheader for patterns.  

At the end I used a very small picot bind off edge (not sure if it was one or two stitch picot?) just to add that little ruffle curl at the bottom.  Yes the top picot cast on (which was curling like all get out) did behave much better with the addition of elastic and blocking.  I would still look for preventative techniques online though.

Other things I have done:

- Went to a Braves game with Sarah on Memorial Day and then attended said Memorial Day BBQ

- Hung out with Fischer, to include painting the backyard fence with water:

*Note the patented “Gordon Scowl”

- Attended a super fun BBQ at Larisa’s last Thursday.  She really knows how to throw a party.  Everyone had a great time.

- BBQ’d with Sarah at midnight last Friday:

It was the most perfect, over-the-top backporch party for two that you’ve ever seen.  We cranked out some Rolling Stones through her apartment window.  Topics of conversation included:  1) A patient’s bulimia habits (yes, apparently you CAN give your healthcare provider TMI); 2) Heroin’s chemical makeup (which was then researched in true nerd-alert fashion)  3) People who were bullies as children/teenagers and ended up losers as adults.

- Got locked out of my apartment by my cat and had to subsequently break back in through my window.  This occurred in the midst of our late-night Friday night BBQ

- Attended a lovely BBQ up in Dallas, GA at Robyn’s along with Liz, David, & their Henry.  Jeremy played the banjo, and Henry stomped along.  No pics from this event- Jeremy & I were much too busy drinking the delightfully strong Robyn’s Good Time Lime Margaritas (a Martha Stewart recipe), which somehow still contained one fewer cup of Tequila than the FOUR cups called for in the recipe.  (I CANNOT imagine them any stronger.)  That Martha, she knows how to party.  Luckily the BBQ started early, so there were no lingering Good Time effects on my drive home.  I will be asking much more of Robyn this Friday for my birthday when there will be dancing that doesn’t start until 11 p.m…

So do we sense a theme?  I’ve probably had more beef in the last two weeks than I’ve had all year.  I’m not certainly not complaining.  And I’ve really gotta get that Robyn’s Good Time Lime Margaritas recipe…

In just over a month I’ll be taking the GMAT as part of my application for grad school. I’ve always had roughly the same scores on the math and verbal sections of standardized tests, so I thought my preparation would consist mostly of familiarizing myself with the test format, etc.

The diagnostic test I took the other night, however, “diagnosed” that I’ve forgotten nearly everything I learned in highschool freshman geometry in 1995. I’ve also seemingly forgotten how to “do math” altogether…

Can you answer the following? (See the answers below)***

Question 1

A train traveling at 100 kmph overtakes a motorbike traveling at 64 kmph in 40 seconds. What is the length of the train in meters?

A. 1777 meters
B. 1822 meters
C. 400 meters
D. 1111 meters
E. None of these

Question 2

How many zeros will be there in the value of 25!?

A. 25
B. 8
C. 6
D. 5
E. 2

Question 3

What is the sum of all 3 digit numbers that leave a remainder of ‘2′ when divided by 3?

A. 897
B. 164,850
C. 164,749
D. 149,700
E. 156,720

Please just shoot me.

The GMAT is a computer-administered test that tries to “peg” you by providing you with harder or easier questions based on the correctness of your previous responses. There is no going back to correct answers, no skipping of questions to return later, and an average of two minutes budgeted for each question, so you can’t take too long on any one particular question or you won’t finish the test. Oh, and did I mention that they don’t allow any calculators?

When you shoot me, please be sure to shoot me dead.

I sense some serious stockinette knitting coming on. Maybe I’ll start a throw blanket consisting of entirely garter stitch. …..knit, knit, knit knit, turn, knit, knit knit knit…

————————————————————-

***If you for some sick and inexplicable reason want to know the answers to the very important sample questions posed earlier, here are the answers:

Explanatory Answer 1

The correct choice is (C) and the correct answer is 400 meters.

Note: When a train overtakes another object such as a motorbike, whose length is negligible compared to the length of the train, then the distance traveled by the train while overtaking the motorbike is the same as the length of the train.

The length of the train = distance traveled by the train while overtaking the motorbike
= relative speed between the train and the motorbike * time taken

In this case, as both the objects i.e., the train and the motorbike are moving in the same direction, the relative speed between them = difference between their respective speeds = 100 – 64 = 36 kmph.

Distance traveled by the train while overtaking the motorbike = 36 kmph * 40 seconds.

The final answer is given in meters and the speed is given in kmph and the time in seconds.

So let us convert the given speed from kmph to m/sec.

1 kmph = 5/18 m/sec

Therefore, 36 kmph = 36 * 5 /18 = 10 m/sec.

Relative speed = 10 m/sec. Time taken = 40 seconds.

Therefore, distance traveled = 10 * 40 = 400 meters.

Explanatory Answer 2

The correct choice is (C) and the correct answer is 6.

25! is factorial 25 whose value = 25*24*23*22*…..*1

When a number that has 5 as its factor is multiplied by another number that has 2 as its factor, the result will have ‘0’ in its units digit. (product of 5 and 2 is 10 and any number when multiplied with 10 or a power of 10 will have one or as many zeroes as the power of 10 with which it has been multiplied)

In 25!, the numbers that have 5 as their factor are 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25. 25 is the square of 5 and hence has two 5’s in it.

Therefore, 25! contains in it 6 fives.
There are more than 6 even numbers in 25!. Hence, the limiting factor is the number of 5s.

And hence, the number 25! will have 6 zeroes in it.

Explanatory Answer 3

The correct choice is (B) and the correct answer is 164,850.

The smallest 3 digit number that will leave a remainder of 2 when divided by 3 is 101.

The next number that will leave a remainder of 2 when divided by 3 is 104, 107, ….

The largest 3 digit number that will leave a remainder of 2 when divided by 3 is 998.

So, the given series is an AP with the first term being 101 and the last term being 998 and thhe common difference being 3.

Sum of an AP = [(First Term + Last Term) / 2] * Number of Terms
]

We know that in an A.P., the nth term an = a1 + (n – 1)*d

In this case, therefore, 998 = 101 + (n – 1)* 3

i.e., 897 = (n – 1) * 3

Therefore, n – 1 = 299

Or n = 300.

Sum of the AP will therefore, be [(101+998)/2] * 300 = 164,850

So a former MTV producer, Benjamin Wagner, is currently finishing up a documentary about Mr. Rogers’ impact on his life. I would summarize, but it’s so much better to just read the original story of his brief, but life-altering, interactions with such an extraordinary person.

http://www.benjaminwagner.com/2003/02/27/mister-rogers-me/

The trailer video:

I also sometimes have the following scene pop into my head (pulled from Wikipedia and originally published in Esquire):

During the 1997 Daytime Emmys, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Rogers. The following is an excerpt from Esquire Magazine’s coverage of the gala, written by Tom Junod:

Mister Rogers went onstage to accept the award — and there, in front of all the soap opera stars and talk show sinceratrons, in front of all the jutting man-tanned jaws and jutting saltwater bosoms, he made his small bow and said into the microphone, “All of us have special ones who have loved us into being. Would you just take, along with me, ten seconds to think of the people who have helped you become who you are. Ten seconds of silence.”
And then he lifted his wrist, looked at the audience, looked at his watch, and said, ‘I’ll watch the time.” There was, at first, a small whoop from the crowd, a giddy, strangled hiccup of laughter, as people realized that he wasn’t kidding, that Mister Rogers was not some convenient eunuch, but rather a man, an authority figure who actually expected them to do what he asked. And so they did. One second, two seconds, seven seconds — and now the jaws clenched, and the bosoms heaved, and the mascara ran, and the tears fell upon the beglittered gathering like rain leaking down a crystal chandelier. And Mister Rogers finally looked up from his watch and said softly, “May God be with you,” to all his vanquished children.

Yes, I did cry when I first read that story.

You can find the remainder of the (very lengthy) article here if you’re so inclined.

Another documentary, “Fred Rogers – America’s Favorite Neighbor,” is now at the top of my Netflix queue. It is classified as “very long wait”, so who knows when it will actually make it. If anyone wants to join me, let me know. Can’t promise I won’t cry, though. I was a basketcase it when I first saw it on TV a few years ago. In a good way.

The past two weekends have been filled with festivals. Some better than others.

Last weekend I went to the Inman Park Festival with Karla and James. That is when the following entered my life:

Completely an impulse buy, but a perfectly reasonable and practical purchase since I wear skirts all the time. (Oh, the rationalization…) It was impossible to resist buying something from the crafting folks at the Supercute! booth. Can’t really say it any better than they have: “SuperCute! is a collaboration between three independent artists who believe that a kinder, happier, sustainable world is possible with just a little optimism and a whole lot of cuteness.” They use recycled/repurposed materials and are wonderfully committed to their cause. The skirt I bought was made by Lorigami. Karla had been to the festival the day before and brought back glowing reviews of “the skirt”, so she took me by the booth on Sunday knowing full well that as soon as I had that puppy in my grubby little hands it would never be leaving them… How I love it. And what a joy it was buying it from the girl that made it. Then out of nowhere came the kicker – she handed me my new skirt in this:

I was floored. What a wonderful thing. In line with their philosophy, they sew these bags from leftover recycled fabric and give them to customers as shopping bags (who are to re-use them) instead of giving out disposable bags that will just be thrown away. I tell you, their plan worked. I think about their mission quite frequently. So the bag already had a dedicated purpose before I left the booth – it is currently holding Amelia’s nearly-finished 2nd birthday present:

So close I can taste it. Just needs the elastic in the bodice, then to knit the straps, and then to pick out the ribbon. (Let’s all bow our heads and say a prayer that the elastic and blocking will fix the crazy rolling at the top from the picot cast-on edge. Otherwise I’ll have to get, um, creative.) FYI, the bottom is supposed to be a tad roll-y.

I think it is also important that you know that Lorigami currently has the following Happy Caterpillar and Mushrooms available at her etsy shop:

Yes, they are made from recycled sweaters in case you were wondering. They take the cuteness to the extreme I tell you. Truly an act of my will to not be purchasing them right now.

I also picked up the following:

I couldn’t even fake a rationalization for this one. But do you see the wire for the spouting water? And the crooked tail? The artist is Mike Norman – unfortunately his business card didn’t have a website. But he’s in Peachtree City, so he’s local. His e-mail is mnorman172@bellsouth.net. Whale is currently living in my bathroom.

So the springtime outing this weekend was to attend the Renaissance Festival. I haven’t been to this festival in 15 years. I think it will be a minimum of 15 years before I return again. Not sure what we were expecting. It was still nice hanging out all day with Karla, James, and Joel. And we did eat turkey legs, which was our primary mission of the day.

I swear every other sign/food item was a pun or a terrible joke. Steak on a Stake. Or maybe:

I swear, if I hear the word “wench” one more time….

First things first: my new knitting bag has been making me really happy.

You can never go wrong with circle trees.

So I was cleaning out a drawer earlier this week when I came across the receipt from the night I bought my first knitting supplies at Michaels. It was one year ago this Sunday.

I purchased a “Learn to Knit” kit which included two pairs of shorter-than-normal knitting needles along with a booklet of extremely unhelpful instructions. I also bought some hideously awful yarn. I knew it was awful, but I was bound and determined to knit THAT NIGHT. Let’s just say one of my selections was an acrylic mohair in a pale blue…

So I rushed home, cancelled my plans for that evening (it was a Friday night…. seriously, bound and determined), and set to work. I can’t say I actually knit that night. Given the ridiculous diagrams in my instructional booklet, I was probably just knotting yarn. Perhaps a curse word or two crossed my lips (is there really any doubt?) I can’t imagine the acrylic mohair helped the situation in the least.

Strange to think that it’s only been a year. So many things have changed. Strange to think I could have just as easily never really gotten around to learning how. Or stopped when I realized how much money it was going to end up costing me (um, yeah…). But I’m so very glad I kept at it. The frustrations when things have gone badly only add to the satisfaction when a project finally works out in the end.

Today Robyn came down for yarn shopping and I purchased the yarn for my next project. Future skirt:

Robyn also helped me go jeans shopping, for which I’m eternally grateful. (My favorite pair died out a while ago, and I’ve been wearing stepchild pairs for way too long.) Robyn kept me from having a total meltdown until we finally found “the one”. I have to say… toward the end there I was all the sudden willing to pay whatever it took to get an ever-loving pair of jeans that fit me correctly. Obscene amounts. Too ashamed to even put down the number that came out of my mouth as my “final threshold.” Luckily, it never came to that. God bless Citizens of Humanity.

Last weekend was Amelia’s princess-themed 2nd birthday party.

Brushing Pop’s hair. No joke, she’s cute.

Princess dresses were worn, cupcakes were eaten, sparkly pink gifts were opened. A glorious time.

Lark changed several times during the course of the three hour party. I adore that. I wonder if anyone would notice if I did that at the party tonight? Part of me wants to try it now just because… well, look at her.