Year: 2007

Red Octane rules! I had scratched up my beloved Guitar Hero Playstation disc, and They were nice enough to cover it under warranty. Very good. The disc is on the way back, and I’m ready to rock out.

Here’s the hardest song in Guitar Hero for you all…

Remember I mentioned that Edda stopped mouthing? It really did happen, a tiny little miraculous wish that somehow was granted, a 20 minute car ride – no mouthing! Eating without needing an arm brace! Napping with 2 arms, each resting peacefully at her side. For 3 days I watched as her compulsion seem to disappear. How could this be?!

I got my hopes up, maybe she’s going to stop – I’ve read stories where one day the person is mouthing and the next day, nothing! But I’ve also read stories about people mouthing for 47 years. Ugh. I know in the grand scheme of things, mouthing is a relatively harmless thing – but it really is just so disgusting.

I should have known (because it has happened before), that my little miracle was just a harbinger of Edda being sick for a whole week and now that she’s feeling chipper again, well…

there you go.

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Ta da! Icarus is off the needles.

It’s done! I almost can’t believe it myself, it’s taken so long and so much effort. My hands were shaking during the last half of the bind-off row, but that was probably due to the diet Coke I had earlier. I usually don’t drink caffeine, so when I do, I get extra twitchy.

After I knit the last stitch and pulled out all 10 lifelines, I wrapped it around me a twirled around and around. It’s so nice to have a shawl even though it’s not blocked yet.

I did manage to stain my Inox needles red.

In general, these needles were fine in the beginning of the project, but towards the end, the way that they “clicked” together started giving me the heebie-jeebies. Kind of like fingernails on a chalkboard. I’m not sure what happened at the end, the tips did wear a little, but maybe I was just itching to finish. The join on the needles was also annoying, getting caught on the loops all the time..

So now she sits, waiting to be blocked.

I’ve never blocked a thing in my life – I avoid it like I avoid swatching, but there is no getting around blocking on this project. My main concern is not staining everything I own with the red dye. I will leave this for this weekend.

Meanwhile:

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Scientific name: Anthurium andraeanum
Common name: Anthurium
Location: Singapore

I’ve been reading some food blogs and I salivate over their food photography. Someday I will learn how to photo food beautifully. I think the first step might be to remember to take the picture before eating the food.

My one-eyed giant that Jeremy made me for breakfast:

My lunch from Annalakshmi, a veggie Indian place. I have a lot to learn about food photography, this looks downright unappealing even though it was tasty.

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Hooray for finding out my secret pal! Thank you for the goodies! I’m still hoping that last package will make it here before I leave the island…

Down to the edging on Icarus.

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Scientific name: Belamcanda chinensis
Common name: Blackberry lily
Location: Singapore

Day #3 at home with sick Edda. I’m going crazy!

We had chocolate feeding. A snack with cracker sticks that you first dip into chocolate frosting and then dip the frosting covered breadstick into sprinkles. Perfect for breakfast. Edda rejected chocolate! See how ill she is?

We had Vince put together an installation of his art. Medium – cardboard, ribbon and paper. He insisted on doing this all shirtless. I fought with him for a while about the shirt but I knew I was going to lose even before I started.

Lucky Ruby renovated and upgraded her crate with a sheepskin. Now, at night, she refuses to sleep with us at the foot of our bed. I am a bit offended by her preference of comfort and privacy over loyalty. Humpf. (Edit: Jeremy just reminded me that I do the same thing to him. Some nights I want my own bed, so I sneak off to the guest room where I can wrap the whole comforter around me like a cocoon. Ah, oh well, isn’t one suppose to be most critical of things that remind one of oneself? Sigh.)

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I am 4 rows from finishing Icarus. I’m sure you guys are excited for me.

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Scientific name: Allamanda cathartica
Common name: Cherries Jubilee
Location: Singapore

Edda is sick – cough, fever, sore throat. She isn’t sleeping or eating well. Doc says it’s a viral thing, should pass in a few days. Here she’s cat napping at the post office.

Look, a mouse that mouths.

Vince has discovered that Jeremy’s iPod can play videos.

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Scientific name: Araucaria columnaris
Common name: Caledonia Pine
Location: Singapore

Crazy Vince wanted to get an alarm clock. He’s learning to tell time from Tickety – the talking clock from Blue’s Clues. With much fanfare, Vince and Jeremy set the alarm for 7:15 am. As soon as it went off this morning, Vince hit the snooze button. Ha ha ha! We didn’t set it tonight.

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I have 10 rows left on Icarus. I hope to finish before we leave Singapore.

Knitting is so slow.

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Scientific name: Ficus celebensis
Common name: Weeping fig
Location: Singapore

Hi, I just came back from the other side of the globe. There are a lot of things in my mind that I need to do fast, like catching up with emails, mails, taxes, etc.

This past week, these people have told me that I’m getting chubby: the babysitter, the housekeeper, the prata shop cash register guy, our neighbor and all of my pants. I have been trying to eat less and exercise more (I am still running! I’m up to a mile now. Well almost a mile and almost every day.) But it’s hard when I’m faced with a plate of chicken and a pyramid of rice. I know, no one forces me to eat it, but it’s soooo good.

Jeremy and I made a vow that we’d go hiking, but only after chicken rice and a coffee from McDonald’s. What’s a hike through the jungle without a cappuccino? We were roughing it.

On the hike, we met a guy who moved to Singapore from Albany and he gave the capital district a thumbs up! He said it was better than Singapore. Yahoo for that!

Wow! And look at the size of that guy’s….

And it even has camouflage.

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Scientific name: Artocarpus altilis
Common name: Breadfruit
Location: Singapore

Ms. Joyce, one of the aides at Edda’s school, invited us over to her house for steamboat. It’s a big pot broth on an electric hot plate and you put veggies, meat and fish balls and boil the whole thing. It’s great sitting around the table and chatting while waiting for the food to cook.

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Scientific name: Calathea loeseneri
Location: Singapore