This & That #4

This:  My workstation at my school's library, as I work to finish a paper on a basket.  I know.  I can hear you thinking, "Why would you be writing a paper on a basket?"  Trust me: I've been asking myself the same thing since it was assigned.

That:  A little peek inside my computer bag.  All sorts of yummy snacks and some knitting for later!  :)

xx

currently listening to.... What Lies Beneath - Breaking Benjamin

White Halos

     On my needles right now is a lace eyelet scarf that I started last Friday.  Not much progress, as you can see...  I'm a little tentative about this yarn; I love it, but I'm wondering if I should've done this scarf with it doubled up.  I'm afraid that its thin-ness makes the plain old regular stitches look like eyelets, and the actual eyelets not as noticeable.  But I'm holding out for it until after I block it, and hope it helps to define the beautiful pattern.

     In other news, I found out today that I need to register for next semester's classes in the next three days!  Yikes!  I haven't even begun to think about next semester with three weeks left of this one... I have a few psych classes, a precalc, ASL and astronomy class on my "Possible" list.  I have yet to make a "To Take" list....

     Anyway, happy Monday night!

xx

currently listening to....  Situations - Escape the Fate

One Day of Thanks

     I realize this post is a little late - I just haven't seemed to have had enough time to make a Thanksgiving post until now!  Tonight I had Thanksgiving #2, with my mom's family, although we were missing a large chunk of cousins/cousin-in-laws.
 hi.
     The girl below is my cousin Caitlin, who just turned 13; she's extremely photogenic, can't you tell?  Her older sister, Mackenzie, is in another picture below, in a red and black shirt.  She turns 16 in only a few weeks.  My younger sister, Sarah, who is 17, is wearing the tie-dye.
hi. 
     And beware!  This post is very photo-heavy, but I love them!  I feel like they express my family perfectly.  :)

     I have so much to be thankful for - my life, Will, my family, having a future, a job, yarn to knit - that it's crazy.  I know most of the time we're too busy to think about any of the things we're thankful for, and that's why it's so important to have this holiday; to step back and remember what is truly important.

xx

currently listening to.... Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Buble

New York 11/22

     Well, today was just as busy as predicted.  Started out bright and early at 7 AM (which resulted in two extra shots of espresso in my coffee...), and headed to breakfast uptown at a place called Sarabeths.  I had nothing, as I was under the impression we had been going to a local bagel shop (this wasn't it) and wasn't really in the mood for anything else.  Nor did I want to get something and end up with leftovers, and be left carrying it around all day, on top of my purse and bulky camera bag.

     After breakfast, we walked a block to a local market called Zabar's, which was interesting to wander.  Upstairs was where the fun was, as all the cooking utensils and gadgets were up there.  Almost everything came in colors of the rainbow!   I loved it.  When I move out I plan on getting brightly colored pots and pans, and I'm quite excited.  :)

     From there, we took the subway to the American Museum of National History (where they filmed Night at the Museum), and wandered around there for a short while before continuing on to Central Park, which is right across the street.  We walked through Strawberry fields, a commemoration John Lennon's wife created in his memory, and through the park to the Plaza Hotel (which is seen in Bride Wars).  We climbed into a horse-drawn carriage there and had nearly an hour-long tour through Central Park, which was lovely!  It turns out that the man driving the carriage had a brief scene in the upcoming movie New Year's Eve, so I'll be keeping an eye out for him when it comes out.

     Across the street from the Plaza and the carriages was the infamous glass-encased Apple store - being a die-hard fan, I had to go in, and see the mother of all Apple stores!  And it totally was.  At least three times bigger than the store closest to us at home; I was thoroughly impressed.

     Last was a stop at Tiffany's, which was incredibly sparkly.  But, I love pretty things.  :)  My faves are the yellow diamond princess-cut ring at the bottom, and the silver/white diamond key necklace on the left.  Someday I'll be able to buy them!

     After we came back to the hotel for a while to unwind and let our poor feet rest, we left at 6 PM to see Wicked on Broadway.  Which.  Was.  Amazing.  This, coming from someone who really can't stand musicals, so you know I must be telling the truth.  Although the first act seemed pretty slow and very drawn-out to me, the final scene of it and the entire second act was simply perfect.  After seeing it, everything (and I mean everything) about The Wizard of Oz makes sense.  Ah, I loved it!

     By the way, if you're an avid Friends watcher, then you'll recognize the fountain above!  It's the one the cast members all jump into during the theme song.

     Lastly, this is a photo I took last night from one of our three hotel windows, overlooking the corner of 39th and 6th Ave.

     Tomorrow we'll be flying out of Newark (is this trip already over?  Seems like yesterday we were first told about it in July!) at 5:30 PM, so the next time you hear from me, I will be back at home on the West Coast!  As Dorothy would say, there's no place like home...

     Hope you're having a good night!

xx

currently listening to.... The City That Never Sleeps

New York 11/21

     Here are some of my favorite pictures from today!  I know there's a lot, but I couldn't narrow it down any farther.  Considering that these came from a batch of 260 images, I'd say 16 is pretty good!  :)

     Today we visited The High Line, an elevated freight train line that opened around the 1920s that served primarily the meatpacking industry.  It ran until 1987, because by then almost all freight in the city arrived via trucks. In the late 90s, the city of New York was going to tear it down because it was an eyesore, but local residents banded together to form Friends of the High Line, and began submitting donations to restore it.  It opened to the public in June of 2009 as a public park, and is absolutely stunning.  I'm just bummed we didn't walk farther down it!

     After lunch at a small pizza joint called John's Pizza, we took the subway to a few blocks away from the World Trade Center memorial site, which was breathtaking!  I've been wanting to visit Ground Zero since 9/11 happened, and standing at the edges of the waterfalls that stand in the footprints of the towers, I was utterly speechless.  It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, and would go back every day if I could.

     Tomorrow we have yet another ridiculously long day ahead of us... By the time we fly home at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, I'm going to be practically dead from exhaustion!  Although doing all these excursions has been really fun, and I'm totally stoked that I'm spending 4.5 days in New York City, I miss home.  This is too big of a city for me; too many people, too much concrete.  I can't wait to see the rolling hills of Marin again.

xx

currently listening to....  Learning to Fly - Lady Antebellum

Hello New York!

     So!  Here is my Photo an Hour project that I did today.  :)  And to save myself from going crazy from figuring out the time differences, the times listed are in Pacific Standard Time, even though half of them were taken at later times on East Coast Time..  Whatever, it works!

6 AM:  My sister, Sarah, waiting for our Starbucks order while we waited to board the flight to Phoenix.  Airport was pretty empty - lucky for us!

7 AM:  Leaving Oakland International Airport.

8 AM:  Flying into Phoenix, AZ.

9 AM:  Waiting to board the connection flight to Newark, NJ.

10 AM:  Boarding the flight to Newark.  Busy busy!

11 AM:  Breaking Dawn, Julie & Julia, and some knitting.  What could be better?  :)

12 PM:  Seamless clouds.

1 PM:  More clouds.  :)

2 PM:  Tiny snowflakes!

4 PM:  Looking back at the sunset over the mid-west.

5 PM:  A beautiful view over New Jersey.

7 PM:  Arrived in our suite on the corner of 6th and 39th in New York!

     Well that was pretty much my whole day.  A loottt of plane time.  After dumping our suitcases in our suite, we walked a few blocks to a nearby Chipotle, and brought it back to the hotel to eat.  That was about 8 PM eastern time, and since then (the last two hours) I've spent my time editing the 248 pictures I've taken today (somehow we still have four days to go.. thank god for an 8 GB memory card!) and writing this post for you lovely people..  Now, after being awake for 16 hours (19, if you include the time difference...), time for sleep!

xx

currently listening to.... The City That Never Sleeps