I am once again at the Caribou Coffee about 5 blocks from my place. They are ridiculously ubiquitous around here. It's hard to go more than a few blocks without seeing one. I am not complaining since they have WiFi and coffee.

We are hardly settled, but the place is livable. I think we are going to wait to replace the couch until we move again, since we know that will happen soon. Also, we are only unpacking what we really want or need out for the same reason. I have so much more counter space and more cabinets that I am having trouble deciding where to put stuff int he kitchen. It's tiny and heats up quickly, but I think the appliances are better. Our clothes dryer goes for over an hour yet the clothes are still damp, so I am off to Target to exchange the drying rack we picked up yesterday since half of the attachment sites for the rack are already broken. I guess my attempt to save $7 wasn't worth it.

Josh is working tonight so I am going to bake something and maybe make some pizza dough to stash in the freezer. I may need to make myself a mini pizza tonight if I can find my unglazed tiles. I hope to replace them since Josh's new employer specializes in tile.

Ok, I am off to Target and the grocery store so I can get home and do some more organizing. I would like to be able to walk around without tripping over cardboard boxes. I may even knit tonight since I can't remember the last time I knit a stitch!

I am watching an episode of the X-Files that takes place in Okobogee,IA[sic]. Not only did they misspell Okoboji, but there were really large hills or really small mountains surrounding the lake. If you have ever seen Iowa you can be sure that isn't likely. I admit to never seeing These lakes myself. Also they showed what looked like 3 wolves at a grave site, which is unlikely since it is Iowa. Oh well, they can't get everything right.

I am unemployed and tomorrow I leave for MN. Josh is already there and said it won't feel like home until I get there. Now isn't that just sweet? He has his moments. I am tired and sore and my fingernails hurt from all the scrubbing I did. I even scrubbed the kitchen floor by hand and while it looks nice and clean the crap they put on there is a dirt magnet. If I walked in there with bare feet to make dinner or something, the bottom of my feet would be black with the dirt. This just amazes me since neither of us regularly wear shoes in there and with the exception of the last two months or so, cleaned it at least every other weekend.

Ok, so I am going to finish the episode and go to bed so I can load the last bit of stuff, make one more pass with vacuum and dust rag and hopefully get my deposit back tomorrow morning.

We will be without internet for awhile since we can get it cheaper if we are already cable customers, so if you don't hear from me for awhile, that would be why. There are about a million Caribou Coffee's up there so I won't be completely internetless.

I decided my sister needed an apartment-warming gift since she is moving into her first apartment this fall. Obviously, I wanted it to be something small since she will most likely be moving after the fall semester is over and is taking as little as possible with her. I decided to get her my most favoritest kitchenest tool ever..est. I am not going to mention what it is since it's a secret, but those who know me may be able to guess. Anyway, while I was at the site I buy these things from I noticed they were having a sale. I couldn't resist checking it out. I know I don't have a job (yet, I hope that will change soon) after this Friday, but I saw the thing I have been in search of for months, a kitchen scale (ok, just to be pedantic it says "baker's scale").

I bought it, and I am ok with that. There have been so many times I skip over a recipe because the ingredients are listed by weight rather than volume. No more! I also want to be able to divide my sock yarn skeins so I can knit them two at a time because I feel so much more productive when I do it that way. It's a multi-tasker! It may become my new favoritest kitchenest tool ever.

I am a bit excited.

I wish I could blame the storm early this morning for my alarm not going off, but it wasn't to blame since my power didn't go out, as per usual. I swear I set the thing, but it didn't go off. I did wake up and listen to the crazy thunder, lightning, rain and wind. It was a nasty storm, which I of course enjoyed thoroughly while I was awake.

I moved up some more stuff this weekend. I hope we will be able to get the rest of our stuff in one trip, with a few exceptions. The issues with the trucks kind of threw off our plans for this move. I guess that's how it works.

My plan for dinner includes these little guys in a salad and strawberry cobbler/crisp/crumble depending on what I can scrounge up from the items I have left. I think I will have to make bread crumbs in my coffee grinder (after cleaning it, of course). I unthinkingly bought a large volume of strawberries because they were incredibly cheap and in good shape not thinking about how I alone could consume that many in a reasonable amount of time, hence the cobbler/crumble/crisp I will be making.

Well, it's the beginning of my last week of work. I am not quite sure what I think about that yet.

Hee!

I must be bored. Make sure you scroll down to read the directions.

The truck is fixed. It was a minor thing, which is a relief, and apparently the part was readily available. I am going to drive to Josh's dad's workplace whenever I can get off work today to switch vehicles. Hopefully I can get back in time to go to tae kwon do even though it is going to be terribly hot and humid up there. Then I can go home, shower and enjoy another salad.

What should I put in my salad? Last night was just the herb and lettuce mix, shredded rotisserie chicken and some croutons with some toasted ravioli on the side (cleaning out the freezer a bit). The night before was watermelon, feta, and tofu. I have also considered making a chicken salad with the Greek yogurt and some of the rotisserie chicken or maybe edamame or cannellini beans or chickpeas or... I just can't decide. I have enough salad ingredients to get me through the week and then some.

Now I am hungry and all I have for lunch is a chicken and swiss sandwich since my peach was too mushy.

Does anyone need a couch?

Well, we took our first load up to the new place. We didn't get nearly as much stuff up there as we wanted, but considering we each have a large dresser, desk, rather large TV and TV stand, and tall shelves as well as the bed and many, many boxes of DVDs, we did pretty well. Now I am left alone with the mess we left behind. Josh gets a new mess. My hands are rather sore and my legs have more bruises than I care to count including one, about the size of my fist, which I have no idea when I received.

Josh's parents as well as my mom helped with the driving of truck and trailer as well as emptying all the vehicles and drinking the beer (ok, that last part was just Josh's dad). Scooter was there for entertainment purposes. Josh and I took the parental units out to dinner at a place with a wood burning oven, which was excellent and Granite City for an excellent and incredibly filling brunch. If Josh's truck is fixed or using his parent's truck, I will most likely be taking another trip up there with whatever I can get into the truck by myself. Does anyone want to go with me? Also, does anyone want a 4 shelf particle board bookshelf? I am not keen on moving it north and taking apart particle board items once they are put together usually ends in failure. Let me know if you are interested in it or a couch with hide-a-bed from the 80's, possible 70's. If you are a Scrubs fan you will see our couch bears a remarkable resemblance to the couch from the first season or so. Well, theirs' was in a bit better shape, i.e, not so saggy and worn.

Now, I am tired and not quite used to being here alone yet. I can't decide which DVD to throw in the player, since I don't want to continue the TV shows Josh and I were watching. I guess I could get a start on my new X-Files DVDs. I am also not quite used to the idea of sleeping in the living room.

Crap! Josh's truck decided it didn't want to tell us how fast it goes anymore. That means it is not heading north with us. I think I will be driving one of Josh's parents' cars for a couple of days while his dad gets it fixed. I guess it's good that this happened before we left.

Josh and I went to his, possibly, last tae kwon do class with Hawkeye Tae Kwon Do. There weren't many people there, about 10 I think, and we didn't do anything terrible exciting though I was sweating like crazy due to the ~85F temp and Christy's leadership. I am pleasantly sore due to our somewhat forced hiatus from tae kwon do these past months and my run on Tuesday morning. I hope we can find a club or school in MN that we like. I have found one that intrigues me. They don't have tae kwon do, but a bunch of other things and you can take them all for about $100, which is a bit steep for me right now.

Josh starts his new job on Monday so we are moving most of our stuff this weekend. We are loading almost everything Friday afternoon and evening, which won't be fun with the predicted 100F heat index, though Saturday should be cooler. We are going to have quite the caravan head to our new place with Josh's parents and their truck and trailer as well as my mom joining us at Eldora, Josh's truck and my car. Josh's new employer has offered three times to send a guy or two over to help us unload. I think I like these people all ready.

I will be sticking around until the end of the month in my mostly empty apartment. At least I will be left with a TV, DVD player, laptop, yarn and an air mattress as well as my kitchen and a few essentials. The first thing I thought of besides missing Josh, was the food I would be able to make with out considering what Josh would eat. What does that say about me?

79 cent banana

I seriously just paid that for a banana. In my defense, I didn't know it would cost that much. I didn't even consider it might cost that much. It was a banana! Not only was it a banana, but it was a crappy banana. It kinda tasted like soap which is very disappointing after paying so much for it. I could buy a whole pound for that much, I think. I don't buy bananas all that often. I understand that the UI has to recover from the flooding. It's going to cost a lot more than they thought, but do they have to take it out on those who just want a decent banana?

And to continue with a little ranting, it's 21C (~70F) in here, which while an improvement over 19C, it is still not a comfortable workplace temperature.

This moving to a different state has been a bit expensive. Luckily we have not had to add any hotel expenses (though, that would have been cheaper than paying two rents this month) since the gas for our trips north increased our credit card bill by almost $300 more than we usually spend. We also ate out more because we were out of town or just too busy/tired to grocery shop or cook. We put all our bills and other expenses on this card because we get a percentage back on whatever we spend. Everything is getting more expensive, and we are starting to feel it. I guess its good that only one of us will be coming back this weekend. Of course, I will be driving the vehicle that has a gas tank which holds about 8 more gallons and gets 50 miles less out of each tank of gas.

Groceries are more expensive, so I have tried to cut down on our expenses there as well. I started making granola for Josh because he eats so much of it. I should start making yogurt too since that is what he usually eats with his granola. I have also been purchasing more bone-in chicken because it is significantly cheaper and doesn't require much work if I want to remove the bone myself. I have made pizza instead of ordering it, but I am not so sure it is much cheaper than getting one from Papa Murphy's especially if you have a coupon. I plan to at least make some of our bread because I love baking bread, and I keep making cookie dough but not cookies. I figure I am saving on energy costs that way.

I also knit my own socks. Wait, I don't think that is saving me much money, but at least I am entertaining myself. Does saving $10 on two skeins of yarn for a sweater count? I decided I wanted to use nicer yarn for this sweater so I am slowly accumulating the yarn for it and hoping the dye lots are close enough that I can just alternate skeins. The yarn is the aran weight version of the yarn I used for the Poms. It's even the same color so I could have a matching sweater and sock set. Actually the socks may be going to my mom if she likes them and they fit her which means I would need to make another pair for myself. The sacrifices I make for my family...

My sister is in China for the next three weeks, and so far, it doesn't sound like she has lost any luggage or missed a connecting flight which is usually what happens to her when she travels. Let's hope this trend continues.

Happy Fourth!

I spent my day off knitting socks, shopping for a new pillow, looking at the mall for the camera I am considering and not finding it, baking another batch of oatmeal bars, baking bread and making pizza dough to store in the freezer.

I should have finished this pair almost a week ago now. I just couldn't make myself knit the toe.



Pattern: k4 p2 rib, plain heel flap
Yarn: Tofutsies #722
Needles: KP 2.25mm

I started Bellatrix(Ravelry) in STR Carbon



I am completely loving these socks. I started making Charade with this yarn, but it was not too pretty. I am using my smallest set of needles and didn't adjust the pattern at all; they will fit unlike my first attempt.

Tomorrow is packing day. Josh is moving with most of our stuff in a week so we need to finish packing all but what will be left with me, which hopefully will not be much.

Well I am going to go back to my beer and my sock. I think I need a movie to go along with them.

New sock! I should really finish the toe on the second sock of another pair so they are done, but this one is too addictive.


Josh is finally willing to get rid of his beloved couch. I have not made a big deal about it because I don't want to upset him, but I am soo happy. We even looked last weekend after we dropped our first load of stuff at the new place for a new one. Also, I think I have found a new camera. The reviews are excellent, the price is good and it is small. I plan to go to Best Buy tomorrow to check it out.

I hope you all get tomorrow off like me!

The temperature in the lab is back to its usual 23C. Still cooler than I would prefer, but I can't complain.

I have a pair of finished socks!



Pattern: Pomatomus
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy in Gothic Rose
Needles: KP 2.75mm
Mods: None, though one is a bit longer in the cuff than the other. Not sure what's going on there, but I don't care.

Love the yarn and the pattern. They fit me well, so I am not sure where my earlier doubts came from.

I think I left my cell phone charger in MN. I may have to buy a cheap one to get me through the next two weeks.