Fond of my Origins

As part of my shopping excursion on Friday, I stopped off at the Origins store in the mall.

I picked up a spray bottle of their new deodorant, and also bought a bottle of their acne clearing gel.

I don't like normal antiperspirants because the aluminum salts in them can traverse your skin and cause bad things to happen, like an increased risk for Alzheimer's (granted, the source I link to is not a health study site, but they do cite a health study done with regards to aluminum's toxicity). Regardless, I do use an antiperspirant when I go to work in the summer...but when I work out, I don't care whether I sweat or not. Now that it's winter, I am not nearly as sweaty, so I just needed something to keep the funk away. Most of the other natural deodorants I have tried over time don't even keep away the smell...and they are sort of a slick gel (usually). My mom uses milk of magnesia, but she doesn't wear sleeveless shirts, so the white residue is not a problem for her.

The Origins deodorant is a spray-on blend of vinegar, alcohol, and essential oils. Today was my first day using it, and although I sweat a little bit on the ferry ride over to Daniel's (it was warm inside the main cabin), I still smell pleasantly herbal.

I am also very impressed with the acne clearing gel. It is a mix of witch hazel, salicylic acid, and essential oils - mostly clove and oregano, both of which have grand antibacterial properties. In fact, oregano oil is a powerful anti-viral, too, and something I take whenever I am sick. (Full disclosure: none of the herbs I take when I am sick taste good. Oregano oil is no different - it tastes like hell). Anyhoo, I dabbed on the gel last night and today on some errant zits, and they have already hastened their retreat....for some reason, the old routine of benzoyl peroxide and the acid toner was not helping me out as much as it usually does. Plus the cold has really dried out my skin, and at least the essential oils don't exacerbate that condition.

A personal note: I use natural products because I am generally cautious about what goes in and on my body. Often the price point of these products reflects that they are made differently (ie they are expensive), but I believe the price is worth it. :) Everyone has to do what works for them...

Cold Friday Morning

Seattle has become Winterized recently.

I was out yesterday in a long-sleeved t-shirt, a wool sweater, jeans, wool socks, a knit hat, fingerless gloves, and a wool peacoat... and I was just fine!

When Daniel woke up this morning at 3 AM (I know... ugh!!!) to go to work, the outside thermometer read 42 deg F.

After I got home from the ferry ride, I took a hot shower, then got into fleece pants and a thermal shirt, and am eating leftover corned beef for breakfast, along with a hot cup of Rooibos Chai / Mate Vana tea blend from Teavana....

***

I am going shopping for winter clothes after breakfast. :) I have gift cert's at Old Navy and Nordstrom, and I also want to look at Ross and J. Crew, Express... all the usual haunts. :)

G-Rad Skool

Well, I'm doing it.

I'm applying to graduate school.

I was initially resisting the idea... and this is why: Truth be told, my undergraduate GPA is less than stellar. Hell, if it was decent, I would have probably continued on straight to graduate school (my parents offered to pay for it).

But, had I done that, I would not have had the experiences I've had to date.

However, my perception of myself has changed. I always felt I was a fairly competent person, and even though I didn't get A's in classes, I think I understood the material fairly well. My performance reviews at work are always very positive, and I actually just got an offer from a woman in my group who I not only deeply respect, but is industry recognized, to try out her line of work (which is known as Engine Operability... the way I [minimally] understand it, it's like transient Engine Performance). Provided our manager approves, of course. :) (This came out of a conversation we had when we met for lunch to discuss knitting and spinning!)

Anyway... so I have embarked on the application process for graduate school.

I am initially applying to the University of Washington's master's program for Mechanical Engineering. Not only do I like that UW is a decent school, and relatively close to my house, but they have an accredited online MSME program. I figure that I can take classes online, and if shit really goes pear-shaped, I can visit the professors on campus.

The other bonus to all this is that Boeing fully funds any educational endeavors... aka my degree is fully paid for (provided I pass the classes :) )!

So far, I have my GRE scores in, I ordered my official transcripts (gulp) from UC Davis, and I have my letters of recommendation in line from work (from my chief engineer, my first-line manager, and my lead.) I asked for a character reference from my friend Ron, who is CEO of WRF Capital, a company here in Seattle, but he said he could only go as far as writing a letter about my, well, character, and he couldn't speak to my technical proficiency. Which I completely understand... so I let him off the hook. UW only accepts three slots for letters of rec, anyway.

So... all I really have left to do is fill in some slots on the application and write my Personal Statement... *EEEEEEEE*!

Fitness: TIRED!

Today's workout:



Warmup:



Run 400 m with a medicine ball. (I chose the 6 lb one, and was able to run without stopping!).

10-20 alternating lunges

15 squats

10 pushups

15 more squats

A few sets of deadlifts

Abwork - testing out V-ups, hollow rocking (make a hollow shape by flattening out the lower back, and rock from your shoulders to your hips)



Then...



5 Rounds Of:



- 5 deadlifts (Amy and I were at 50 kg, or ~110.2 lb. While we were warming up, we had moved up to 55 kg (121.5 lb), but Fran wanted us at a weight that we could repeat several times...)



- 10 hollow rockers or V-ups



- 5 pull-ups. I used the green (midway-resistance) rubber band, and kipped most of my pull-ups with varying degrees of success. Ironically, my kips get better as I get more tired.



***

After we finished that, Fran had us do a 400 m farmer's walk...which just means "grab two kettlebells and walk around the block". So Amy and I grabbed two 8 kg (17.6 lb) kettlebells each, and walked around the block as instructed, while speaking of the economy. (She is a financial director somewhere in Seattle).

***

I gotta say, I am TIRED! My lower back will be sore tomorrow, I can feel it. I think I failed to keep it straight / arched while lifting some of the time. :-(

I left CF, gathered my veggies, went to the store for cheese and a corned beef, came home, put the corned beef on the stove, made a tomato soup with garlic, beer, prosciutto, and parmegiano-reggiano (grated), and sat down for a minute after loading up the dishwasher.

Now all I have to do is pack my breakfast / lunch, shower, and put away the washed dishes and the newly cooked food... Maybe I'll even get some knitting done in bed before I collapse! :-)

Washing My Gotland

I decided this weekend would be a nice time to wash my Gotland lamb fleece that I bought at OFFF a couple of weeks ago. The weather was really crappy yesterday (rainy + wind), which sort of pre-empted me going to a Pumpkin Tossing contest up in Snohomish, about an hour's drive north of Seattle. Plus, Daniel was working, so I had the entire day to myself.

I actually ran a bunch of errands through Saturday afternoon, then settled down into washing this puppy.

I decided to use my washing machine, since I just cleaned my bathtub and didn't really want to scrub it out again.

Here is a picture of the fleece, before I started.



I used the "low" volume setting, and "warm" water, and let the washing machine fill with water. I added a scoop of my Trader Joe's laundry detergent - I figured it's detergent, unscented, and should work fine.

I put about a third of a pound of fleece in each of three nylon mesh lingerie bags (one of the items I bought on my errand rounds), and lowered them into the washing machine, and let them sit for about 20 minutes. Then I removed the bags, put them in a large bowl, and spun the water out of the washing drum.

This is the washing machine after the first rinse...check out how brown the water is!

This first batch I rinsed about 4 or 5 times... I lost count. The water in the last rinse wasn't perfectly clear, in fact it was a tad beige, but frankly I was tired of rinsing, so I put the locks out to dry on my other bath towel. (Yes, I only have two bath towels).

Daniel called me today about 12:30 PM, to tell me he was only home to wash his uniform, and had to return to work. Sadness - I was looking forward to seeing him. But his boat is due to come out of drydock within the next week, so he is understandably extremely busy. I do miss him... it is hard to be with someone and only be able to see them once or twice a week, but anything is bearable when the person is worth it and you know this situation won't be around forever. :)

With that information, I decided to wash the second half of the fleece. I used three mesh bags again, but this time I used a mix of "hot" and "warm" water in the washtub, and I spun out the fleece with the water every time. I don't think it adversely affected it. I also used two rounds of soap, and I think that may have helped more. I think I rinsed it three or four times today, and I do think the water looked cleaner at the end of it. I am debating whether to dunk the first half back in the washer... it still smells sheepy, but a lot better, and it feels mildly greasy, but not unpleasantly so. I am now debating how to start processing it... I am thinking of trying my combs. I figure if it doesn't work, I can always go to the carder.

***

Also, some project progress photos!

Here is my first cashmere sock, done done done! I actually finished it Friday, but I was having trouble finding EZ's sewn bind off instructions online, so I waited and just knit on my Koolhaas until I got home...something which I forgot to photograph. I used her sewn BO this morning...

I also cast on for the second cashmere sock this morning, too. I have Judy's Magic CO instructions in Cat Bordhi's latest book, so I was glad I didn't have to sign online to look that up.

Finally, here is my latest pair of socks. No, knitting one pair at a time isn't enough! :) I am trying (again) the Two at a Time Magic Loop method from Melissa Morgan-Oakes' book. These are the Sugar Maple Socks (Ravelry link). I am using Blue Moon Fiber Arts' Socks That Rock Lightweight in "Fire on the Mountain".

The two-at-a-time thing is making more sense this time around, and I have no explanation for it. I don't know if it's that I am a slightly better knitter now, or I have more patience for it, or the Noro yarn was being a pain in the ass, and the STR just glides along with no qualms. It is just REALLY fiddly on a 32" needle. I have a partial order in to KnitPicks to get myself some 40" sock needles...

I used a long-tail cast on for the cuffs, and I love that her "sugar maple stitch" pattern is just a 2 stitch cable... :) but it's cute. Hey, you can't reinvent the wheel all the time!

Speaking of reinventing wheels, I have an idea for a cool sock pattern. I want to use the Barbara Walker Spider cable chart placed randomly amongst a pair of socks. I think it would be awesome. Check out the cable here: (it really does make a picture of a spider). And, by the way, I think this blog (The Walker Treasury) is an awesome idea - they are gathering sample swatches of all the Barbara Walker stitch treasuries... all of them. Awesome.

Now, one final note about Koolhaas (Ravelry link)... I am STILL having problems understanding how to do the "tbl" instruction. It doesn't twist my stitches the way I think it should. I'm going on to the Interwebs to see if I can find a decent video...

Foodstuffs

I thought I'd share some of the late summer / early fall bounty I am experiencing right now.

First off, here is the final harvest of my two tomato plants (including the random strawberries that just happened to be ripe yesterday. Anyone else think it's odd that I still have strawberries coming in October?). I figure I will roast or fry the green and less ripe tomatoes. Some have split (see the yellow one in the back?), but the yellow ones taste really good. The green ones were amazing grilled at my friend's house about a month ago (For a sense of scale, they are sitting on a 12" dinner plate)...


This was an effort to cook my beets last week. It looks like a murder scene! :)

I peeled them and threw them in a 400 deg F oven with some maple syrup, olive oil, and sea salt. Simple, and to the point.

Here was the rest of my CSA box from last week: a bag of hardy braising greens, broccoli, beets, parsley, and a yellow squash.

Finally, I had a box of mini sweet peppers I bought at Trader Joe's, and I decided to stuff them with some Humboldt Fog goat cheese I had bought earlier, and just roast them on the stovetop. GOOD LORD these were good. It's true what people say: If you start with quality ingredients, the food will take care of itself.

The thing I love about Humboldt Fog cheese is the flavor. It's like two cheeses in one - the outer layer is a semi-crumbly goat cheese, and inside that there is this gooey, almost brie- style goat cheese. Holy Cow (so to speak).

To end it all, I tossed the veggie remains in the food waste bin. Woohoo!

Do What You Like

It was really interesting for me to read Dawn's latest post. In it, she says:

"I was dubious when I first started knitting socks. I didn't see the point or the necessity for handmade socks even as a hobby. The yarns I first looked at seemed to be too warm for Texas. But I have a competitive nature, if someone out there is making something, I have to be able to make it too."

I found this intriguing for several reasons. I tend to have a competitive nature as to what I consider Unique, which I would best define as "I want to be the only person doing something, or at least the first person to do it that I know of..." This is pointless in knitting, as in music. (I have often heard it quoted that everything in music has been done before). In knitting, while there are things to discover, I doubt that I will ever be one of the pioneers, like EZ, Cat Bordhi, or any of those heavy hitters.

I think Dawn's comment was very honest. :) Although she goes on to say that, apparently, it took her a while to learn to knit socks. Big Surprise! I am fairly sure everyone's socks look like ass at first. Actually, most of my early knitting projects are horrid. But, with practice, they have become better, finally good enough that I felt confident giving them to others.

But, as with some foods that I detest (button mushrooms and mayonnaise top the list), there are some things that I don't think I would enjoy knitting. Projects that require precise seaming, 20-color laceweight intarsia Christmas sweaters in a XXXL... these things completely turn me off, so I doubt I will ever knit them.

My point is that knitting is a hobby, at least for most people. It should be enjoyable. And while I am a big fan of learning new techniques, some are happy making garter stitch scarves for 40 years... and that's great! They are enjoying themselves, and probably get so fast they can whip one out in an evening. But there are some that enjoy the cursing that comes out of their mouths with a new challenge. I think, in general, I am one of those people. I enjoy sitting down with a weird-ass chart and figuring out what's going on, even if means I can't listen to Star Trek while I'm reading the chart. I enjoy knitting socks because I feel they are portable, and I spend a good part of my week in transit to one place or another.

My encouragement to everyone is: Do what you love, but don't be afraid to try new things! If you love garter stitch and hate lace, even after you've tried it, then great! Don't ever make a Swallowtail shawl, because you won't enjoy yourself. Hate socks and love hats? Make a dozen beanies and give them to a cancer ward. Hate alpaca? Don't use it! There are so many wonderful patterns, yarns, and fibers out there that there is bound to be something for almost everyone!

So, I am really happy that Dawn could admit that she learned a new skill, and actually seems to have overcome her distaste for the socks. And she learned a new skill! :) I think it's neat that she is using some of the different fibers for knitting socks (e.g. bamboo), although I did leave a comment that some of the less twisted / plied yarns might be less durable and they might have a shorter staple length, but... the advantage of bamboo is that it's mildly antibacterial, so maybe your feet smell less if you wear bamboo-blend socks! :)

(And yes, wool might be too warm for Texas, I'll admit. But in Seattle, it suits me just fine!! :) )