10/16/2007
Thank you........
I received a package in the mail today from my best friend Davi. After I left her house this summer, a package from my friend Chris arrived for me. So Davi included that in with the big one. My friend Chris sent me a lizard to hang on my wall and a new handbag. Used it already. Thank you to Chris for these. 
Davi sent me a bunch of stuff as well. It made my week all the little goodies she sent. There is stuff for me to use on my feet. I hate having rough skin on my feet and like to keep my polish on my toenails.
I also love Jack (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Happy Bunny.
There are long socks to keep my feet warm. 
And the hearts on the blue ones are fuzzy!
Plus there is some Avon for me as well. Let me just say, Davi loves me.
Thank you!!!!!
17:05 Posted in Friends | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this
08/12/2007
Those type of people
Some how we have managed to stick it out for nine years. I think it is another week before it is offically nine years though. We have matching notebooks.
We have matching handbags thanks to Davi. She really does love me. 
We have matching interest as well.
Now we have matching tattoos as well. After nine years, what can you say? She knows too much about me for me to get out of this friendship.
Edited to add: It was pointed out that getting me a Coach handbag was Davi's idea is was Bob's idea to get me a handbag that looks like the one he bought Davi. Something to the effect of "Get Erin one like yours. She likes that kind of shit." Must give credit where credit is due. Sorry Bob.
11:10 Posted in Friends | Permalink | Comments (4) | Email this
06/21/2007
Rollercoaster
It has been one of those days, all...week..........long. I don't know why, there is really no reason for it. I am a bit frustrated because I have been looking online for an apartment in Leeds. I have had two responses from letting agents and neither one has worked out. I am trying to stay hopeful and remind myself that I still have 2.5 months before heading off. That is plenty of time to get a place to live sorted out. Right? Also I tried to order some yarn, but one of the colors I wanted was sold out. The color I asked as a replacement was sold out. Things happen. Life will get better. And how can I stay in this mood when I have this one to look forward meeting one day. She already got to talk to my dad on the phone. As the Auntie, I am very biased, but I think my niece is quite gorgeous and down right beautiful. 
I didn't realize being the Aunt would be so emotional. But the first picture of her is my absolute favorite so far. In the last picture, she is sitting with her Auntie Joanna. Little Miss Phoenix doesn't look like a 6lb 13 oz, 1 day old baby. At least not to me.
14:54 Posted in Family , Friends | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this
06/16/2007
Anticipation
The anticipation is more than I expected. My sister is due to have my niece today. First babies are late as a general rule. And the mouse is probably going to take after her mother and auntie and be late. She is going to leave me waiting for her appearance and then show up after I am finally fed up with waiting.
In the meantime, I got a birthday present from my friend Miyuki. She went to Japan about a month ago and got me some candy from Japan. She also got me some nail polish, a nail file, and a cuticle trimmer. The pen she got me is so cute that I am waiting to use it. Just want to enjoy the beauty of it for a while. 
I am continuing with the baby knitting. I made one sweater as a 4T and one is 18 months. The bigger one is the 18 month size. It is so hard to know how baby clothes are going to be when finished. It is very frustrating at times. I am going to take out the cast on edge of the blue one and add another inch to the bottom. It does need that. The pink one is going to be too big, thankfully little ones grow and quickly.
This is my travel bag and has been to more countries than the monkey. (Points to anyone who can notice the difference in the monkey from the Ocean City pictures) But the bag needs to be updated. I just need to find the time to add to the bag. This is what I have to sew on before heading to England.
And I have converted another one. My best friend is knitting now. She is casting on, knitting, and binding off. I didn't get a picture of her knitting...yet. But here are two of her squares. I am very excited about her. She is knitting squares right now. But her first project is going to be a blanket for her son. She is going to use cotton and sew the squares together. I am very excited for her. She has the yarn picked out and is waiting until she feels more comfortable with her knitting.
In other news, while I have to wait until next week to mail in my visa application, I bought my plane ticket to England. I fly out on September 2nd so I have time to visit some friends before heading to the school and Leeds. I am excited and nervous all at the same time. And very impatient some day.
20:34 Posted in Family , Friends , Knitting | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this
05/31/2007
Birthday Celebration
This year for my birthday, my best friend took me to Ocean City, MD for three days. There was a lot of sun, food, fun, and some drinking. It only took us 7 years to finally get there, but was totally worth it for me. Here are some photos. We went to 
Higgins for all you can eat crabs. And we went putt-putt golfing with some pirates.
As a side note, in case the person in question still reads this, I am NOT in Taiwan by any means of the imagination. I am quite firmly planted in the United States.
14:56 Posted in Friends , Insanity , Travel | Permalink | Comments (4) | Email this
04/18/2007
Babies, babies, everywhere
13:51 Posted in Family , Friends | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
12/05/2006
Way too much cuteness....
I have gotten pictures of the various babies of my friends. Too much cutness for one post, but I am going to try.
Here are the latest pictures of my nephew. He is 4 months old now and so big I am told. 
I think he is going to be as big as his Uncle David.
Here are some pictures of Miss Audrey as well, some with her mom. Don't you love those big brown eyes? 
And then there is Jacob wearing the hat that I knit him. His mommy says that he is finally able to wear it. 
08:30 Posted in Friends | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this
09/12/2006
Work is a four letter word
Between that and blogspirit being difficult, I haven't really been posting as often as I should or want. And today I came home and read for a little while and then fell asleep-for three hours. So I am not tired now and I should be going to bed because I have to work in the morning. There has been knitting going on as well. First up, I have finished my Second Swap Sock sock and it is waiting for a good washing. I doubt my sock pal knows who I am, so here ya go. 
I have some mohair that I started in one pattern for a lace scarf. When I went to pick it up again, I forgot the pattern I used. So I frogged the whole thing and started again. This time, I made a note of the pattern I am using. 
Now I am just getting frustrated with blogspirit. Every time I hit save as a draft ( I have learned to do after adding a picture) this is as far as it gets. Pissing me off here. So, here is the cuff to my Daddy's first glove. I am still looking for a pattern to alter, but at the same time, doubting my knitting skills for this project. 
I am about 1/3 of the way finished the scarf for my International Scarf Exchange pal. Weekly staff meeting tomorrow should give me about 2 hours to work on it, so I am hoping to hit the 1/2 mark by tomorrow. 
I used the last of the hand spun from Jan that I used to make my panta to make a neck warmer. I still have to add a button so it will stay on. 
And I have been working on my silk shawl as well. Slowly but surely. I had to do some surgery to it the other day because I dropped a stitch and didn't feel like frogging 15 rows of work. The surgery doesn't look to bad. 
The Pimp (he is still in Taiwan and saving money for his trip to Australia) is working on the design for my next Hourglass sweater. I have given him a swatch. As soon as the exchange knitting is finished, I am going to start on the sweater. Well, the internets here aren't working. Roommate is having problems as well. it has only taken me 45 minutes to get this post up. ARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
11:04 Posted in Crafty Stuff , Friends , Knitting | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this
08/10/2006
Short and sweet
I still haven’t hooked my computer up to the internet yet. I should just go ahead and try it to see if it works. I have finished my Jaywalker socks finally!!! I don’t know what it is with me and knitting socks. Being motivated to knit them is up is hard, but I love wearing them when they are finally finished. So I need to wash my Jaywalkers and then take pictures of them.
My little nephew is doing great. Have pictures of his first bath to post as soon as I get connected. He is so cute is all I have to say. I love being the aunt. And I almost have his knitting finished up. Working on the last thing now and then I can take pictures and mail it off. And the new room is almost finished as well and is deserving of pictures too. But all of this requires me to get off my arse and get some work done.
At work right now, so must make this quick. The plan is to be connected by this weekend so I will have lots of pictures to show off.
22:01 Posted in Friends , Knitting , Life in Taiwan | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
08/06/2006
More and more happiness
Guess what I have, finally?!?!?! A nephew, my friend Davi gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Wednesday night. So techinically, he is not my nephew, but who is counting? 
Isn't he so cute?!?!?! So please welcome Brandon Scott Kristovich. Don't worry, as soon as his Momma is feeling better, there will be more pictures. Sadly, though, I am not finished knitting up his gift, but I just moved this weekend and haven't finished unpacking everything. I did paint my new room purple though. Very exciting.As soon as everything is in order, I will post pics of it as well. I am almost done my Jaywalkers socks and only have to Kitchner the toes. I don't have my computer connected to the internet yet, so that will take a few days. We may have to get a new ethernet box so that all the computers can be connected. But the new apartment is great and the new roommate is amazing. She is letting me use her computer for now. There is a cat here and the cat is trying to bring me a mouse. So I put the mouse outside and closed the door and hope that it has time to escape. It is getting late and I still have to go to work tomorrow. Good night to all.
08:39 Posted in Friends | Permalink | Comments (5) | Email this
05/27/2006
Cuteness Abounds
Today was the graduation trip for the graduating kindergarten classes. It was an all day affair and I am exhausted. Have to schmosh with parents and act like I like even the most difficult students takes a lot of energy. So knitting pictures are still waiting to be taken and the blog is waiting for a real knitting update. But until then (which will hopefully be tomorrow), here is a picture of Audrey at 4 months and her mommy, Miyuki. In some happy news, Miyuki and Audrey will be traveling to Japan sometime this fall so Audrey can meet her Japanese family. And I will be taking a weekend to go see Miyuki and meet Audrey. It is all very exciting!!!
11:41 Posted in Friends | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
05/22/2006
Updates........
Got an email from Davi today and Rhi is going to have to be on bed rest for the next 14 weeks. Which is going to be really hard for Rhi, but I know she can do it. Went to see the Pimp tonight and he is feeling a little better. He at least looks more like his normal self tonight than he did last week or even last night. Tomorrow he finds out exactly what is going on and the doctors will have a better idea of what to do. Thank you all for the good thoughts and wishes. They are working so keep them coming.
Well, made it to Ilan just fine on Saturday after getting the ticket thing straightened out. Actually had to call one of my roommates to tell the lady at the train station to just give me the ticket, that I didn't need a seat. I got to Ilan about 1pm on Saturday. So that afternoon we went to the Ilan winery museum, the old Ilan city office building, and the Museum of Traditional Arts. The old city office is actually a Japanese house. Before KMT took over Taiwan (which was during the Cultural Revolution in China) Taiwan was occupied by Japan. So there are plenty of remnants of the Japanese occupation included houses. It had bamboo mat floors, sliding doors, garden, and plenty of other traditional Japanese elements. It was nice, just wish I had more time to look around.
Feeling rather blah and down in the mouth right now because of everything that is going on. So more on Ilan and more about knitting as life and work take a break. Actually feeling kind of homesick right now because I feel like I should be there for Davi and Rhi and instead I am here in Taiwan. As much as I love traveling and living overseas, it is moments like this when I wish I didn't have this particular addiction. (Traveling really is an addiction, an expensive one at that too. But I love it and can't believe how much is out there to see) Because of all of this, I have probably spent and excessive amount of time at the hospital with the Pimp. He is the only person I can check up on and it gives me some sense of control over uncontrollable situations. Even if it is a false sense of control and makes me feel like I am helping out.
What I don't think the Pimp understands is what a loop he has thrown my life for. I wasn't planning or even really wanting to have these feelings for someone while I was in Taiwan. Was going to wait to start with the whole relationship/dating thing until I get back to the States. But here he is and I have all these feelings and I am not sure what to do with them. A little background about when I lived in Scotland. There was this guy that was one of my house mates in Edinburgh. My feeling for him are as strong as my feeling for the Pimp. The difference is that I never told this guy how I felt because I thought that keeping him as my friend was better than telling him the truth and possibly losing him from my life forever. So this time around, I am trying to make a different set of mistakes, one of the main reason I told the Pimp how I feel about him. But I don't think he completely gets how strong my feelings are. Which is partly my fault because I have problems communicating effectively. And half the time I am not even sure how to read the Pimp or what to do or even what to say. At a complete loss, really. Like the past two nights. Last night we just talked and talked and he even walked me to the subway station. Today, another co-worker showed up and I felt like I was put on the back burner. Granted the Pimp and this co-worker have done plays and other stuff together, so obviously they know each other better. I just need to listen to my brain more and the rest of me less. At least attempting to type this all out has helped me to feel better.
09:51 Posted in Family , Friends , Life in Taiwan , me, me, and me | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this
05/21/2006
Requests, request....
So this weekend, two of the roommates and I went to Ilan for the weekend. I will post about that later, along with some knitting content, because this is, a knitting blog. So what is a knitting blog without knitting. And I so need to catch up on comments. Like Anne, Amanda, Sandie, Elizabeth, Mia, Jan, and Latoya. Really, promise, pinkie swear that I will leave comments by the end of the week. I have been really slacking, I know. I think I can blame work for this.
The real reason for this post. My best friend (Davi) and her sister (Rhi) are both pregnant and due three weeks apart. Davi's pregnancy is going great and everything is good with her and baby Brandon. Rhi is having difficulty and went in the hospital having contractions at 25.5 weeks. The doctors were able to stop the contractions and are giving Rhi steroids to help baby Kirstin's lungs to grow. And the Pimp is in the hospital here in Taiwan. He is going to have stay at least a week. He has been sick for 6 months and the doctors haven't been able to find the right antibiotic to give him to help him feel better. So Rhi, baby Kirstin, and the Pimp all need the good, positive, feel better thoughts you have. What ever it is you do; pray, dance, sing, you name it, they all need some right now. Baby Kirstin needs to stay in mommy as long as possible and the Pimp needs to get better. Did go to the hospital tonight and took the Pimp some food. Talk about a well-trained whore, right here bay-bee.
The trip to Ilan was a trip within its self. I should have know that it would be off to an interesting start when I went to buy my train ticket and the lady wouldn't sell me one because there were no seats available on the train I wanted. But it is normal to sell tickets even when there are no seats available. I have done it before. Ilan is only 1.5 hours from here on the express train. I had to call Lydia to translate that I just wanted a ticket, not a seat. More of the travel saga in a day or two. Going to see the Pimp again tomorrow at the hospital.
10:05 Posted in Friends , Life in Taiwan , me, me, and me , Whoring | Permalink | Comments (3) | Email this
03/27/2006
Isn't she just the cutest?
Miss Audrey Kumiko Brown at two months. She has her mother's eyes and hair. I think she is beautiful (I think her mother is beautiful too). She is getting so big. 
07:55 Posted in Friends | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this
01/22/2006
Please welcome
Audrey Kumiko Brown who made her appearance on Jan 19th at 6:45 am. She weights lbs oz and is 21.5 inches long. 
Personally, I think she looks like her mom. Mom and baby are doing just fine. 
09:35 Posted in Friends | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this
12/13/2005
Get your
whores right here people. I am now the Pimp's personal seamstress, and soon to be knitting, whore. (Keep reading Dad, I explain everything) The Pimp is the name I will give to a co-worker of mine so to try and keep some sort of anonymity. And since I am the seamstress whore, that makes him the Pimp. I sew and have a sewing machine here. A very old sewing machine, but it works. The Pimp regularly asks me to repair clothes for him. Monday morning, he sent one of his students up to my classroom with a note, some work related paperwork, and a request to please fix (another) shirt for him. He has also asked me to knit a sweater for him and he is designing something for it. Now I have talked to him about the importance of the baby knitting. I think he understands. But he is going home to the U.K. for Chinese New Year and can get some wonderful yarn there. The Pimp is not the only person at work I have done clothes repair for, but he is the only regular. And he asked me to knit a sweater for him. I love knitting for people who really appreciate hand knit stuff. Plus he is nice to look at (eye candy) and smells good to. What can I say. And the Pimp is artistic and can draw, I can't. I have a design in my head for a sweater with color-work. He is going to draw the picture for me so it will look great. And he has volunteered to get some yarn for me while during Chinese New Year. So I am thinking about some Rowan for Tubey.
But I have actually knitting and yarn porn to show off today as well. First, the finds of my yarn shopping the other day. Everything for baby knitting, Scarf Exchange knitting, and even some sock knitting. 
Then there are the scarves I am working on for my self. But they have been put on hold because I want to finish my Hourglass Sweater. But I have the body and almost one sleeve completed. I will have the other sleeve completed by Thursday evening so the weekend will be devoted to putting the sleeves and body together. Blocked on Monday or Tuesday and then dry in time to wear on the 23rd. But here is the progress so far. 
And I forgot to photograph the sock I currently have on the needles. But eventually that picture will be up as well. And finally, Alley inspecting the boxes I used to mail Christmas presents in. 
They all received her paw of approval.
06:59 Posted in Friends , Knitting , Life in Taiwan | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this
10/31/2005
If friends are the family you pick for yourself.......
I have a few days of interesting post to put up, they they will have to wait for a while. A few summers ago, I got a job working in Yellowstone National Park. I was a cashier in one of the cafeterias inside the park. It was a sucky job, but an awesome summer. I got to see so many different animals in nature, I will never look at a zoo in the same way again. And I meet some cool people. Bob from FL was one of those people. I believe friends are the family you pick for yourself and Bob would have been my grandfather. He looked out for me at Yellowstone, loved stories of my travels, and was always asking when I was coming to Florida. For the past eight months he has been battling esophageal cancer. This morning at work, I received an email from his wife Mary that he had died. I am stuck here and can't even make it to the memorial service. By the time I would get leave approved, a plane ticket, and got to the East Coast, it would all be over and I would just have to turn around and come back. I spent the whole day at work trying not to cry in front of 20 kids. Then I spent half the bus ride home crying. All I want to right now is crawl in bed for a few days and cry. Thankfully my roommates are gone right now and I can have a few minutes to grieve in private. I don't have a picture of Bob or Mary to post right now. They are all hanging on the walls in my bedroom and I don't have a scanner. I am not the type of person to share this kind of stuff with everyone, but I need to get it off my chest. Maybe by just typing this all out, I get through the day tomorrow without having to run to the bathroom to wipe my eyes.
06:43 Posted in Friends | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this
08/27/2005
Happy Anniversary
“Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another, “What! You too? Thought I was the only one.” C.S. Lewis
As much as I try to deny it, I am basically homesick every day. After being overseas for over 2 years, it hasn’t gotten any easier. Then I was reading Jodi’s Weblog about friendship. All of this is compounded by the fact that my back is itching like maddingly crazy and there is nothing I can do about. But I think as I get older, those friendships I have formed are more and more important.
And 7 years ago this month, I met Davi. I still remember the day we meet. We were moving into the dorms at school. She had gotten there a day or two before me and had already started moving in. She had put up Jim Morrison posters. As I started moving in, I hung up my posters of Jimi Hendrix. We both thought, to ourselves of course, this might be cool. At that moment, our friendship was born. That first year was full of ups and downs and we survived.
Davi is one of those people who knows all about me, even the shitty stuff, and still like me. She put up with my craziness and sometimes even encourages it. And after all this time of being overseas, she is still talking to me. And today is one of those days that I know she is putting more into the friendship than me. I just hope that she sticks around.
So some stuff everyone should know about Davi.
1. We have bonded over Scott Weiland. To the point that we met up in London so we can go see him in concert. 
2. In a country of iron constitutions, she sends me Pepto-Bismol.
3. We have matching Coach handbags, which she bought for us.
4. She is one of those people that I can call at 3 in the morning and will be there for me.
5. She is one of the few people I can sit in complete silence with and feel absolutely comfortable.
6. Did I mention Scott?
7. How about Johnny Deep?
8. She knows more about music than anyone else I know
9. I was with her when she got her first tattoo.
10. She understands my personal craziness.
“We will be friends until forever, just you wait and see.” A.A. Milne
That is if she will put up with me for that long.
10:08 Posted in Friends , Scott | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this