At the risk of turning this thing political...

With the filing deadlines coming and going for the May 20 primaries, local politics are heating up. So I have three links: two featuring Senate Minority Mitch McConnell (R-KY) that cracked me up (and one of these being terribly relavent to the US Senate race), and another link that's not so local and made me crazy angry.

Congress To Raise Alpacas To Aid Struggling Economy



"We're confident that breeding alpacas will jump-start the economy and lift this nation out of debt once we get the start-up money," said McConnell, who insists the exotic livestock require very little maintenance and are of a gentler temperament than their cousin the llama. "All you need is a fertile male and a female in heat, and nature takes it course. Before you know it, the money is rolling in and there's alpacas everywhere."

More relevant to real life:

The Three Kentucky Amigos

I bet Mitch wishes he could have seen into the future to know that ol' Bruce was going to come around and stab him in the back later. Not that Lunsford has much of a chance... Especially once Democrats remember that he turned his back on his own party to endorse Fletcher and let Mitch pull his strings for awhile.

Now to the not so funny and absolutely maddening:

U.S.: 'Demonic' militants sent women to bomb markets in Iraq

I'm not sure I have the words to express how ANGRY this makes me. When I read it I started to shake, and if I hadn't been at work, I'd have cried. It's one thing if someone makes their own, conscieous decision to blow themselves up (not that it makes it right, but at least it's their own decision) that's one thing, but these poor women probably didn't know they were about to become bombs, maybe didn't have the cognition to even know what's going on, and a bunch of cowards strapped dynamite to them and blew them up remotely. Remotely. With cell phones. Those poor women. I hope there's a special place in Hell for whoever did this to them.

Did you know that I LOVE Josh Ritter?!

This is my favorite song on the latest album! Swoon!!!

We've spruced up a bit

I was never quite satisfied with the colors and design of the blog, but was really constrained by what I could do through the push button design feature that Blogger provides for us html-illiterate bloggers. Thank goodness we have a web design intern at work, who worked through the html code and cleaned up some lines, changed some colors, and designed a beautiful new banner! It feels more like home now, and with this spiffy new layout, I probably should come up with some quality content to acompany it.

In other news, I think that I can get excited about Andrew Horne, possibly for this statement alone: I am not a Politician. I haven't quite figured it out though.

Finished projects

Finally, something. In the past month I finished some things that I've been working on for awhile: College. I did finally complete my Spanish degree in December. I thought that I would feel fulfilled or accomplished, but really just feel a little sad that I don't get to see my friends at school as often, and am at a loss for what I should do with myself with all this free time that I have. I had imagined that I would use it productively - taking some kind of fun class (dance, sewing, etc.), but really I'm just making sure that dinner is on the table before 7, dishes are done, and then crochet and/ or watch TV. I'm also getting some reading done. It is nice to read what I want at whatever pace works for me. So far I've finished up the Harry Potter books, reread A Prayer for Owen Meany, and am now reading Devil in the White City.

I'm also crocheting like a fool and made up a couple of quick scarves, need to make a hat since the lawn mower ate mine, and am working on a baby blanket for one of my Spanish professors. I have started using Knit Picks yarn, and using real wool and the like feels so much better and looks so much prettier than the acrylic I've been using. The prices at Knit Picks are really reasonable, so I can get "luxury" yarn for about the same price as "cheapy" yarn from Michaels. I finished the blankets that I was working on for the kids next door for Christmas. They were a little late for Christmas, but the boys loved them anyway.

For the older kid: Spiderman Ripple



For the younger guy: Color Me

Operation Christmas Cookie

Mom and I spent the whole weekend making Christmas cookies. Three pounds of butter, 12 and half cups of flour, and lots of laughing later, we finished with pretty spectacular results!

And the mower got the last word...

Yesterday was probably my last day mowing grass at work, and it was a little chilly out, so I grabbed my favorite toboggan. I don't usually wear it to work, but it was the only one I could find. It used to look like this one below (which is actually my brother's) but blue.



Now it looks like this:




I had taken it off and put it in my pocket, and it fell out on the ground. I guess the mower was either upset with me or hungry, because it sucked it up and spit it out the other side. I nearly cried, as it's the first thing I really designed (not the hat part - it came from Happy Hooker, but the fleur part). Sure I can make another one, but still, there was my happy, favorite hat in a mangled pile of blue yarn, some purple flung about, full of grass and gunk from under the mower deck. Goodbye, mower, I'm sure I won't miss you, and you won't miss me.

OMG! OMG!

I have a new job! The secretary where I work is leaving, and the powers that be have deemed me worthy enough to take her position. I start next week. I'm nervous and scared and excited. I'm so so glad to have to opportunity to move up some, gain some more professional experience, and learn a lot of new things. I've spent the last three days in intense anticipation, and going around feeling like I'm going to throw up all the time. This is definitely a good change.