I totally forgot to post about my Willowtech House goodies. I used some birthday money to order myself a “Royal Tea” shirt, megami sushi soap, some pink cocoa cookie dough bath bombs, and some Mistress pout plumper – and the lovely ladies at Willowtech also sent me a sample of Mistress lotion, and a sample slice of lemon poppyseed soap. All the soaps smell good enough to eat; the Mistress products are so lush and decadent, and it’s my new favorite scent; and I got free handbeading on the tshirt – it is The Cuteness! And the packages all the goodies came in? Too cute! I’ll have to post pictures later.

I also ordered a mess of BPAL samples, and bought a painting from the Netherlands.

In knitting news, last night I finished some pocketbook slippers for myself, and started matching armwarmers. I wanted to knit them in the round, for less seaming, but it just wasn’t working out on the bamboo dpns. I haven’t quite decided if I should knit them on regular needles, or go pick up some non-wood dpns. I think I’m leaning towards new dpns. Hm.

Aha! She came out. Here’s our Chalupa, even though she’s still too shy to give me a good shot:

And here are some before and after shots of my birthday hair-dyeing. That first shot is me and Greg’s mom’s dog, Dixie, the cutest lab in all the land.

And I took some shots of previously undocumented finished objects, but they seem to have disappeared from my computer. Of course. Ah well. Or maybe they’re on Greg’s laptop. Hm.

Lulu* is grooming herself in the bathroom, so I think I’m going to go shut us both in there, so I can be closer to her without having to grab her and drag her out from somewhere. I just finished laying on the floor in here forever (note to self: must vacuum soon, entirely too itchy after laying on floor!) with my arm snaked under Greg’s desk, so I could rub her head when she felt like coming near my hand. Which was surprisingly often. I think she’s getting that we like her and want her to be happy and comfortable.

*aka Chalupa, aka ChaCha, aka Lupa, aka Lupe, aka Lupita, aka Loopy Lu, aka the New Monster, aka Bitchycakes (when she’s being mean to Skeeter)

I had gastroenteritis last Tuesday and Wednesday. It was no fun, to say the least.

Christmas was pretty good. I wasn’t too sick. Greg especially spoiled me – two Tori Amos cds, an Ann Budd book, an AC Moore gift certificate (to get yarn to make a sweater from the Budd book), yummy tea, a calendar, and a new cat. Greg’s mom gave me the first four books in the Dark Tower series. My mom gave me some wind chimes, and is sewing a duvet for a new comforter (to come later). My aunt gave me a little decorative Christmas pillow, a candle and a candle base, and a big bag of fruits, nuts, and candies. And Greg’s sister gave me a calendar, and also the new cat.

The new cat is Chalupa, Skeeter’s mom. She’s very skittish (it’s only her second day in the household). And she is teeny. And very good at hiding. She’s staying in the office now, and most of the time I can’t find her, and am convinced we don’t actually have a second cat. (Although something’s pooping in the litter box.) But I think I just discovered her secret hiding place, so maybe I’ll be able to find her from now on – Greg’s desk has a drawer, and there’s kind of a fake bottom on it that’s really a shelf, but not a shelf that you can put stuff on. But enough of a shelf that teeny Miss Cha Cha can get on it, and then when you look under the drawer, you don’t see her. I wish I could describe it better than that, or get a picture, but I can’t.

She also does not like Skeeter. Skeeter seems to want to play with her, and hasn’t hissed or anything. But she’s all about the growling and hissing. She does seem reluctant to hurt Greg or me, though, and that’s a good thing. Even when she’s really upset, and we have to fish her out from behind something to put her in the office away from Skeeter (when we let her out to explore the house), she seems to try to avoid hurting us. That’s cool.

She’s pretty cute. Not that you’d know it, since I also can’t get her out in the open long enough to get a picture yet. But I think she’s settling in a little more each day. When we first got Skeeter, he was a little skittish, too, so I’m sure she’ll figure out that we’re all pretty nice soon enough.

Doh! Here I was, all ready to post pictures, and all my pictures are on the camera Greg took with him when he left to go record a band this morning.

So, pictures later, I guess.

This also means I won’t have a camera around to take pictures of the faery wings we’re making today. Sarah came down yesterday to play D&D with me and Greg, and spent the night so she could make faerie wings with Maya and I today. We went out to AC Moore last night to pick up some last supplies, so I think we’re ready. I hope they turn out cute!

Oh, and in knitting news, I have finished a pair of booties and a hat for Lance and Angelique’s baby. Yay! That means I’m very close to being done with holiday gifts. I’ve still got to finish Mom’s scarf, get a planter and a gift certificate for her, and wrap the presents. Oh, and I wrote up some holiday cards last night (a little late, huh?), and I guess I’ll be mailing them out tomorrow.

Yowza. I have been slack about posting. The past weekend was so much fun! I got taken out to eat ALOT.

Wednesday night, my friend Maya took me out to Mediterranean Deli. It was yummy, as usual! Then we went to her place to knit and watch Lost.

Thursday, my dad and stepmom came down, and took Greg and I out to Macaroni Grill. It was also yummy! I had their molto delicioso pasta vegetali, and our waitress sang to me at one point – it sounded like the regular birthday song, but it was in Italian. So she could’ve been singing “Leave a big fucking tip” for all I know. Ooooh, and there was a guy walking around singing what sounded like Italian opera, too. That was pretty awesome, especially since he didn’t sing right to me. Because he was rather loud, and I’m sure I was red-faced enough from our waitress singing quietly to me.

Friday, I went out to Penang for lunch with my section. It was awesome! I had the Thai Green Curry, and it was soooooo good. Everyone else had stuff with meat in it – they didn’t know what they were missing. I’ve decided I must go back and try the tofu satay, among plenty other vegan options. Mmmmmmm, Penang.

Later Friday, Greg and I found out that Crazie Mae’s had reopened the day before in Southern Village, so that’s where we went for dinner. They’ve changed quite a bit, and it just wasn’t as spectacular as it used to be. It was still good, and plenty vegan, but I really miss the train cars that used to house Crazie Mae’s, and the vibe they used to have.

Friday evening, we played D&D with the usual gang.

Saturday, Greg drove me to Greensboro, and took me out to eat at Jack’s Deli. They ROCK! But I already knew that. Their vegan mac ‘n’ cheese – I don’t know how they do it, but it’s vegan, and it’s soooooooooo unbelievably good. But this time I got their falafel burger, and it was delish! Then Greg took me to Leon’s to get my hair cut and dyed. I had some black chunks added, and it turned out pretty cute. Then we hung out with his mom for a bit, and then we came home. Greg made his bitchin’ baked ziti for dinner, and Maya, Angelique, and Lance all came over to eat dinner with us. Lance and Angelique brought apple pie over for dessert. Oh, and Greg made me a pitcher of daiquiri, and I got pretty drunk (mostly after people had left). I ended up falling asleep on the couch, and Skeeter was sweet enough to snuggle up with me. Awwww.

Sunday morning, Greg gave me my Rey Mysterio teddy. He’s so cute! And later, my mom and little sister, Sarah, came down, and we all went out to Crazie Mae’s. (Yeah, again. So obviously it was good enough to try a second time, but then we all decided it just wasn’t as good as it used to be, and that we weren’t terribly interested in going back. Isn’t that sad? They used to be my most favorite place. Boo.) Then Greg ran his D&D game for Sarah and me, which was lots of fun, while my mom went to Carr Mill Mall. Oooooh – and their presents? Some lovely fabrics, and a sewing kit organizer…thingy.

And then Sunday evening, Jen, Angelique, and Lance came over for the Smackdown pay-per-view, Armageddon.

And I’ve got quite a few pictures that I need to get around to posting, but I don’t know if it will happen tonight. Sarah’s spending Saturday and Sunday with us – Saturday, we’re playing D&D, and Sunday, Maya, Sarah, and I are going to make faerie wings (following Emilie Autumn’s tutorial). So tonight I’ve got to run out and get some supplies for the wing-making. And I’m also making Nasty Gorey* for dinner tonight, since Greg made FLTs for me last night. (Facon, lettuce, and tomato.)

*It’s really Nasi Goreng, but Greg misheard me the first time I made it, and that’s what I’ve called it ever since.

So wrestling was pretty cool. I was very upset by the Benoit/Jericho vs. Batista/Triple H match, because there was alot of blood, and it didn’t look like anyone was “selling.” I enjoyed Trish losing the wimmin’s belt to Lita.

On the way to Charlotte, I rather quietly had a panic attack. On the way home from Charlotte, I freaked out around Greensboro, and had to bail out and stay at my mom’s house for the evening. Lance was driving, and while he’s a safe driver, he’s an aggressive driver, and a speedy driver. And it was raining, and at one point we got boxed in by some trucks and then one of them started coming over on us. And there were other crazy drivers upsetting me (like the one who kept getting half into the next lane, changing their mind, and then veering back over in front of us). Oh yes, and Lance and Angelique’s car shakes quite a bit. So that all conspired to equal my freaking out and needing not to ride the last hour back to Chapel Hill. No fun. But my mom and my little sister were very nice to me, especially considering I woke them up around one in the morning.

I realized I messed up the sleeve increases on the boobholder (yes, back to that, again, finally), so I ripped it all out, wound up the ball, and took it with me to wrestling to work on during commercial breaks. Except I ended up working on it for most of the event. Eh. Anyway, it’s coming along nicely. I’ve also been working on some surprise Christmas presents – my mom’s scarf, and a wee hat to go with the baby booties for L&A.

Greg, Sarah, and I just had our first gaming session. It was AWESOME! We kicked kobold butts, and rescued a gnome! I had forgotten how much fun first level could be. Yeah, I don’t have much hit points, or high skills, and my base attack bonus is a measly +0, but it was so much fun! Whee! And we’re doing it again next Sunday. Sarah had a blast, too. Hee.

I had been thinking about getting another tattoo for my birthday, but I’ve got my priorities straight (D&D totally comes first). Plus, the next tattoo I get is going to be on my chest, and I don’t know if I’m quite ready for that. I guess I could get it done Saturday if I decided to. We’ll see.

Duhr! I forgot the knitting update:

I bought some black Classic Elite Believe from Elann a while back, to make Sarah a DNA scarf, since she asked for one. And I finally got around to starting it, but for some reason the Believe just doesn’t agree with the pattern. So I frogged it and knit her a simple feather and fan scarf, and she liked it when she saw it in progress. Anyway, now it’s finished, and waiting to be given to her when she comes up Sunday. I’ll have to photo it and post pictures before then, I guess.

At the same time as I got the Believe, I also got some peach Filatura di Crosa Millefili Fine for a DNA scarf for my mother, since she also asked for one. And I’ve again decided that the yarn does not want to be a DNA scarf, nor do I want to knit another one again any time soon. So I decided to knit my mom a scarf with little lace hearts in it. I tried a pattern from the October Knitty surprise, but it wasn’t working, so I’ve settled on a much simpler (but still cute and vaguely heart-looking) pattern from a book I don’t have on me at the moment and so can’t recall the title of the book or of the pattern. I’ll post that later. Anyway. We drew Secret Santas at Thanksgiving again this year, and again this year I got my mom. (Who I’m pretty sure doesn’t know this blog even exists, much less reads it. But if you do, and you see this, you better stop reading right now if you want to be surprised at Christmas, Mom.) Anyway, my mom has again asked for a gift card to Lowe’s or Home Depot, and I’m assuming it’s for garden stuff, since she likes working in the garden so much. So she’ll be getting that, but because I also don’t like to just give her gift cards and not anything more personalized, and also because she usually fudges on the Secret Santa rules and gives me a present outside of it anyway, I’ve knit her up one of the hanging plant holder liners (as noted in an earlier blogging), for which I’ve still got to get a hanging plant holder. And I might get her one of the garden gnome kits from the Bull’s Head. And now there’s also a lace scarf, too. Heh.

I get to rabbit-sit! Angelique and Lance are in New York, so stupid Le Moyne College can try to seduce Angelique away from us with a job and stuff. (Okay, I don’t know anything about Le Moyne, other than they’re interviewing Angelique, and seem pretty interested in her. And I’m glad she might be getting a job, but it’s poop that they might be moving away.) But anyway, while they’re gone, I get to take care of their rabbits, Rex and Regina, and they are so cute!!! Rex is a little grumpy and standoffish (understandable, because I am not either of his humans), but Regina is pretty sweet.

And tomorrow, Greg, Erin, and I are having a joint birthday party, so that should be fun. I made a Coca-Cola cake for Greg’s birthday, which of course he ended up liking. (He had previously proclaimed it “weird-sounding.”) I think I’m going to make another for the party, since I’ve already got the ingredients on hand, and then we’ll pick up chips and salsa, or make a veggie tray or something.

Sunday, my little sister Sarah is coming down to play Dungeons and Dragons with us. Greg decided he’d like to try his hand at running a game, and Sarah had expressed an interest in playing in a game, et voila! I’m excited about it.

And then, Monday! Monday, I’m working half a day, and then Greg and I are going with Rebecca, Jen, Lance, and Angelique to Charlotte, for RAW! Eee! I think we’re going to make posters Sunday night. And I’ve got to remember to take some knitting, because apparently, since it’s live, the wrestling stops during commercials.

And then next Sunday is my birthday! I wonder if I’ll feel any older. Probably not. Year to year, I haven’t felt any older since like my fifteenth or sixteenth birthday. I mean, looking back, obviously I’ve gotten older and wiser and my personality has matured, etc, etc. But I never actually notice the change, it always sneaks up on me, and then all of a sudden I look back over the years, and, yup, there it is. But 25 years – a quarter of a century – seems like it should feel different. It probably won’t, though, and that’s okay. We’ll see.