rhymes with spoon

So I've spent the past week battling the worst flu of my life + a vicious sinus infection and somewhere in my sudafed/dayquil/nyquil/advil induced haze, Christmas came and went. It was very low-key this year with the bros out east and the entire family here (in the NW) battling some variant of the flu strain that decimated most of my vacation. Day four of fevers and chills and all hopes of making law review deadlines went out the window. (as did all hopes of publication). Still it's been good times catching up with the family, watching lots of movies (the only "productive" thing I could eke out), and "fun" reading. Still haven't caught up with HS friends, revisited all my favorite local haunts, or worked on that dag-gone article, but oh well...such is winter break. I always overplan and think I'm going to get so much done.

I did manage to do a little knitting yesterday (no, you're not seeing double!):

Otis Sr. and Otis Jr.

Specs:
Pattern--"Kate" from Winter '05 Knitty
Yarn--various leftover yarn from other projects--Cascade 220, Plymouth something-or-other, and yarn from a sale bin in SF
Needles--Otis Sr. was knit on No. 8 needles and Otis Jr. was knit on No. 6 needles.
Construction: Possibly understuffed the first one and overstuffed the second one. (Third times the charm?) I couldn't find the eyes the pattern recommended so I sewed on crystal beads I found at the local craft store.
Labels (Otis Jr. still needs one)--courtesy of Heirloom Woven Labels--well-made custom labels at pretty reasonable prices (the only downside is that they take a while, especially when your order has to be sent back to the factory b/c of a manufacturing error)
Name(s)--after my favorite cat
Homes--My sister has already laid claim to the first one (and she's already requested that I make Otis a sister) and the second one will be making his way to Baltimore this weekend.

Whee!!!!

Well, I'm back in the NW, reveling in rain, good coffee, Korean food, and quality family time. My mom honored my request tonight for Korean bbq...I ate until I could eat no more. I'm still trying to catch up on sleep. I can't seem to get off my late night law school schedule but still not getting much done. Still, I've accomplished unusual amounts of knitting (although I am working on some deadlines). I've unraveled, knit, and reknit many, many times to attain near perfection.

Evidence of my knitting efforts:




















And really the best part, is the tag (a recent acquisition):
















It's kinda blurry, but you get the picture...and yes, you've just been mooned by a knitted cat. (Late night posting = bad lighting + lack of patience)

Tomorrow, denial no more...article work will begin in earnest. But now that I have a cat, Jeff has promised to provide the bike and adventure so I too can chronicle my own adventure kitty odyssey. Nine days to freedom. Whee!

I just turned in a paper for my favorite class 1.5 hours late. I'm going to hell. I'm pretty sure I "over thought" the paper. I read reams of research (even though that wasn't the intent of the assignment per se) and I spent a couple of days piecing it together (it was only 15 pages). All told it was probably a little less time and effort than the last stages of my senior thesis (i.e. 95 pages). Something's up. I think my brain's gone.

Also, even if I forego all sleep until tomorrow morning's PR exam, I still only have 14 hours to learn all the professional responsibility there is to know. Yup. I'm going to hell.

Apologies for the infrequent posting, although I know this only applies to the four people who periodically check up on this page. B/t getting my article out (sort of) and cramming furious for finals and battling my landlord about my obnoxiously loud neighbor, I've been in fairly low spirits. Still, I did just wrap up my tax exam and I feel like a veil has been lifted. Don't get me wrong. That test was ****in' hard as hell. I'd finished the multiple choice section (80% of the exam) with over an hour to spare, then I got locked out of my computer and was so befuddled by the short answer portion that I sat there for TWENTY MINUTES b/f I even wrote a word. For those of you who haven't experienced the sheer terror of the time crunch in law school sitting on your duff for 20 minutes doing nada is just bone-chilling. (I've had lesser adrenaline rushes in serious car accidents, encounters with strange men near dark alleys, etc. Tells you that I'm one sick puppy--that I stare death in the face but I flip out in the middle of flippin' four exam.) Still, b/t this and the disaster of my corporations final, I feel like I can face whatever's left. It can only get better.

I'm headed home on Saturday and am excited about seeing the fam, getting away from noisy apartment, and breaking out the knitting needles for a host of projects! I've already started on the arms and ears of this little baby. Been feeling really guilty about it too but there's really only so many hours you can stare into your tax book before you have to do something tangible. I'll only have a few days to myself at home before I have to redirect my attention to my article (and maybe some job applications too) but I'm already psyched about plans to knit gifts for the fam. (I just hope they appreciate them b/c all I can afford this year are hand-made gifts of love). A Kate for the sister, some mitts for Dad, and a lovely cable trimmed hat for Mom. Let's just hope I make the Christmas deadline. (Oh, my life is all deadlines now).

Good luck to all with finals! ;-)

I realize I've been remiss about updating the links on my sidebar. Sorry everyone! (Especially to Dwight who does a much better job than I do keeping his blog updated and running.

Otherwise, b-l-a-h.