Haven't been this happy in minutes

I've been tagged, so now you're it

2008-11-27T11:47:00.003-06:00

I've been tagged by my friend Melanie so here goes.

Here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people (if possible) at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

1. I used to only wear red shoes, mainly red faux leather penny loafers, in high school. They were my "ruby slippers," since I was obsessed with "The Wizard of Oz."
2. My favorite book is "Disobedience" by Jane Hamilton, because I love the audio version read by Robert Sean Leonard. I have a big celebrity crush on RSL.
3. Pretty much from November until March, I wear long underwear every day. One of the best presents (besides jewelry) that S ever gave me was a shirt/pants set of long underwear designed to be super thin and temperature regulating. This is because I am always either very cold or really, really hot.
4. I first dyed my hair when I was in the sixth grade. None of my female friends could believe my mom let me do it, but it was brown hair dye and I had brown hair, so it wasn't like I turned it purple. I did, however, turn it purple in high school, except it was by accident.
5. I technically had my wedding dress before S and I were officially engaged. This is because it went on final sale at J. Crew and I knew it was "the one" and S encouraged me to get it, and if need-be, later sell it on eBay, if for some reason it wasn't as great as I thought it was.
6. I pretty much believe in fate.
7. If it were possible, I'd work full-time as a librarian, and tell S to quit his job so that he can do whatever he likes. All I'd require is that he cook for me.

The folks I'm tagging are: Simon, Jess, Lindsay, Christie, and Lisa.

What's next?

2008-11-14T14:53:00.003-06:00

My assigned blogging has wrapped up for the semester, for the most part, so I'm back here! At least, until next semester. The plan is to do a practicum at the St. Cloud State University library, and do an independent study with a Dominican University professor, and then get my degree at the end of April from Dominican.

I'm all registered for the practicum, but need to come up with learning goals and a work schedule with my supervisor there. For the independent study, I am going to be doing the history of YA literature, thus extending my reading in that area, and I will be blogging my reactions to the books I read for that course, so this other blog will continue but in a different mode.

I will probably still blog about technology, Library 2.0, etc. but I will probably do that at my other blog. And then, the job search will begin...

How I spent my day off...

2006-12-08T17:31:00.000-06:00

Today after spending the morning and lunchtime at S's, hanging out and making egg rolls with his mom, I came home and blocked the sweater I've been knitting since March. Yes, March. As you can tell, my fascination with knitting has dwindled somewhat, considering that I used to crank out scarves, hats, and other objects with a passion almost unknown. Then, something happened. I think it's called "summertime" and also "graduate school" and then something known as "time spent with a boyfriend who was gone for six months." So, this is the sweater, drying, waiting for it to be pieced together, a collar to be knitted, crocheting to do around the edges, and a clasp to be sewn on. I am pretty excited about that last part:

I love this clasp! I kind of wish it were silver, and I will probably check another craft store before finalizing it, but I love how it hooks and will close the sweater in a casual way, vs. a row of buttons or a zipper. Edit: I just found a silver version of the same JHB clasp online and ordered it up. So pleased about this!!

S will be gone until Sunday evening-ish (not exactly sure when) on the Calvary Chapel mens' retreat at a cabin north of Onamia, near Mille Lacs Lake. I will miss him, because hey, look at that cute guy! But two days (really only one—Saturday) without seeing S is not really the end of the world. He didn't bring his cell phone with him, which made me kind of sad and also really proud. He will be okay, and I'm sure the guys will have a great, blessed weekend. Pray for them, please, if that's your bag!

I'm actually feeling much better and very happy because a little birdie told me that someone very special is coming for a visit this weekend, someone I haven't seen since August, someone I have missed very much. We don't know when to expect this person, but I'm hoping it's sometime when I'm home, since I work tomorrow...

Surprise!!

2006-12-09T19:02:00.000-06:00

It's Cata, our Colombian exchange student, all the way from Iowa for a little visit! It's so good to see my little hermanita and know she's doing well in school and working hard. I'm going to take it easy tonight after working today and maybe watch a movie (by myself! how exciting! actually, kind of...).

A little dose of Christmas

2006-12-22T12:53:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, S and I volunteered with Toys for Tots, and holy cow, were there a lot of toys. It's essentially like a mini toy store with somewhat limited options, but it's not as though any kid is going to have to go without. It was good to forget about myself for a while, and I was really tired last night after six hours of being on my feet. Plus, they fed us dinner. I think it was good for S to do something instead of writing yet another cover letter or searching for more jobs.

While we were handing out toys, it actually snowed. Like, the kind of icky icy snow that nobody really loves, but it did make everything white, especially roofs and cars. The green lawns can still be seen through the powder, but it's better than a brown Christmas. Exhibits A (our block) and B (house and front yard):

I've spent the morning gathering my gifts and wrapping them. I feel like I went a little overboard, and I have no good reason for this. I really only purchased for immediate family and very close friends, because I don't want to make anyone feel guilty by getting them something when they don't have anything for me. It's all good. Anyone who feels like they should get me a gift should just invite me out to dinner sometime, especially in the cities (my Tuesday night class starts January 9, and no doubt I will want to hang out either before or after class when I'm down there).

Monday's almost over

2007-02-05T19:46:00.000-06:00

S stopped by to visit me at work and is going to hang out until I'm off at 9, and then I think we're going to hit the pubs. Not really, but I think we may go out to jazz night at the Tavern downtown, though I think I'd rather go to Green Mill and have an appetizer or two. We'll see. Maybe we could do both.

Saturday evening was a good time with S and some of his family. We got dressed up and Andrea helped with my hair and I promise I will add some photos to this post when I download them from my camera. I am told I looked pretty darn good, and S looked wonderful, of course. We ate and had tiramisu for dessert and danced until midnight. My shoes were actually quite comfortable (no blisters) but my feet did get sore anyway.

Yes, it really is April 4th

2007-04-04T16:28:00.000-05:00

And yes, this really is a photo of my front yard from about a half hour ago. Silly weather. Snow is for December! At the very least, it is sunny, but darn cold.

Photos from Nate & Julie's wedding (5/5)

2007-05-08T16:22:00.000-05:00

A few photos from S's cousin Nate's wedding on Saturday. S served as usher, hence his lapel decoration (calla lily). It was held a the Como Park Conservatory in St. Paul, and was quite lovely.

Me and S in our classic pose from vacation:

A random person I didn't know offered to take one of us:

The Como Park Conservatory:

Exchanging vows with the help of Pastor Dom from Calvary Chapel St. Cloud:

Me and S's cousin Rebecca, in our (lovely, I would say) Asian-themed outfits:

It is what it is

2007-07-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

The image on the left is of my hand (side note: with just about the longest fingernails I've ever had, a personal victory against biting—hurrah!). Not just any hand, my left hand. On my ring finger, you will note the pretty silver ring.

This was a little gift from S when we went to the Lemonade Art Fair on campus back in June, and he let me pick out what I wanted. I like jewelry, and I especially like silver, and things that are simple but shiny. I picked this out kind of last minute as were were leaving the fair, and it's a little too big (it's like a 6, and that finger is a 5.25, but it fits that finger the best). But it catches the light in a way I love, and it's from S, and I really like it. It has, however, garnered some attention.

One person asked if it was a promise ring, to which I said, "It's more like an 'I love you' ring..." and she seemed unconvinced.

A random dude at the library (who was probably about to hit on me) noticed it and said, "Hey! Are you married?!" in such an incredulous way, and I was like, "Me?!" and he said, "Your ring!" I didn't want to lie, and just said, "Naw, boyfriend."

The most startling, however, was the pastor's wife on Sunday, who came up to me and S and said, "Are you engaged?" I guess if you want to know the truth, it's best to ask, right? I kind of went "huh?" and she gestured to the ring, and I said it was a present from S from the Art Fair, and she said, "So it's like a promise ring."

Sigh.

Perhaps I was subconsciously looking for a ring that would be confusing for people, but mainly I think I chose this one because it wasn't some gaudy stone that would look tacky or fake. I like the simplicity of it. I'm not sure I like the attention, though. I wonder if women who do wear promise rings or 'purity' rings get the same reactions. Perhaps they wear theirs on their right hands.

I want to ride it where I like

2007-07-21T11:07:00.001-05:00

Last night I bought a bicycle. It's a pretty nice Trek road bike, which I had them deck out with a front fender type thing, a bike rack, water bottle holder, and kickstand (which they forgot to put on... but anyway). I rode it home from the store (wearing the helmet which my dad offered to pay for, since apparently it costs at least $40 to protect a brain these days). I've wanted a bike for a long time. My parents got road bikes last summer, which were great but my mom's a little taller than I am and so hers wasn't the best fit for me, so borrowing wasn't my favorite thing. Plus, I do plan on moving elsewhere at some point...

I was able to test-ride the bike before purchase, tooling around the mall parking lot and feeling my leg muscles protesting. It was great. The salesman had a heyday with me, really, and also convinced me I need a good lock, to which I definitely agreed. I called my cousin Erik before totally biting the bullet, since he's a real cyclist. He was at work, but of course had his iPhone on, and I was able to ask him, "Now, if I buy this thing, are you going to say, 'Man, Beth bought a really crappy bike for too much money'?" He said no, so that was the go-ahead I needed.

I think the last time I had a bike of my own was when I was 13. It was a mountain bike, and wasn't great for riding around town, but was nice for going to Quarry Park and racing around like a madwoman with my cousin Angie also on her mountain bike. Now, however, I would like to be able to pedal to work. It's about five miles (my route illustrated by Google Maps), but I think it's worth a shot, if not every day, one or two days a week. Plus, in the suburb where I live, everything is pretty close together, just not great for walking. Here's to less need for foreign oil!

A work in progress

2007-08-02T16:10:00.000-05:00

No, I am not knitting a Thneed, but it sure doesn't resemble anything whatsoever wearable. I have to thank the boring and vaguely pointless movie "Wah-Wah" for the progress I made on this item in the last week. I am now six inches closer to being done with my shrug. This means that inevitably by the time the weather necessitates something much warmer than a shrug, I will probably be done, unless I happen upon a string of bad movies from Netflix.

I plan on adding some embellishments once I am done with the majority of the construction work, probably using my very favorite pattern book, The Arco Guide to Knitting Stitches. I have made a few scarves using patterns from that book, and I just love the old photographs and the simple directions. I also really love the book I'm using for the shrug pattern, Speed Knitting, which, as it's taken me months and months to get 40 inches of my project, is not exactly true for me, but probably for your average knitter. I am just particularly slow, and/or distracted by other hobbies.

P.S. Those IKEA tape measures work great for carrying anywhere to measure progress. Plus, they are FREE!

Sesame oil is good

2007-08-24T22:58:00.000-05:00

S and I have kind of gotten into cooking together, mainly because we are becoming cheap (don't want to eat out) and lazy (don't want to go out to find food). Thus, I grab a lot of cookbooks from the library, or we just end up throwing yummy ingredients together and see what happens. This week, while my parents were gone, we made a rice/shrimp concoction with hoisin sauce that was quite good. Then, at the library later in the week, I saw Bruce Cost's "Big Bowl Noodles and Rice" and decided it looked like our kind of thing. I was right!

This is the shrimp fried rice recipe from the book, with some modifications because we had half the called-for bean sprouts (I added mushrooms instead) and no bean pods or shallots (onions and peas instead). It was mighty tasty, and really pretty easy. S manned the stove and I threw in the ingredients. It was a rather quick process, too, once the rice was cooked. We both really want a rice cooker someday, and I can see us getting into the habit of making a few cups of rice each week to have on hand for such impromptu dishes as this.

S enjoying the meal. We had some sauce left over from Leeann Chin (really good, quick Chinese take away with home base operations here in Minnesota) and I put some duck sauce on mine (top photo). Yum! I'm making myself hungry just looking at it again.

Doesn't that look good?

2007-09-01T12:27:00.000-05:00

I am having a very big craving right now for... you guessed it, sushi! This isn't really problematic, except that I'm at work and don't have time to run to the grocery stores in town that sell sushi in their deli sections, and I especially don't have time to go to the one (1) sushi restaurant in my central Minnesota city. So, I have to wait until after work.

I really need to learn how to make California roll, and then I can wow friends with my incredible ability to make them very full after eating only six pieces of tiny food. Mmm, sushi.

Me, the guest lecturer, and some fashion photos

2007-11-01T16:08:00.001-05:00

It's been a bit since I last posted some photos on the blog here, so today I promise a little bit of fashion photography in addition to the summary of events.

You may or may not remember that I had plans to buy a new winter coat, and I heard a little birdie say it was going to get colder next week, so I bit the bullet and ordered. I wasn't too sure on the sizing, so I ordered both a 4 and a 6, figuring that with J. Crew's great return policy (can return online orders at the stores) I could just return the one that doesn't fit on one of my many trips to St. Paul and back.

So this morning before I left with my sister Andrea to go to campus and talk about singing for her Speech Science course, I checked my order status at J. Crew and it said my package was out for delivery. Ooh, trés exciting!

I went with my sister to her poetry class which meets before her Speech Science course, so I got to listen to some student poems, and her professor is one of my former professors, so it was good to see good old Bill and hear a student's poem about the St. Cloud Superman (a dude who wears a Superman costume and stands on street corners waving American flags).

Next was Speech Science, and I answered the professor's questions to the best of my ability, and sang a bit of the Jake Heggie version of "Dixie" for the class. It was fun to talk to the students and answer their questions, and the professor then made the class come up with ideas for clinical practice based on things I said. I talked a lot about breathing and movement and how I think about the sound production. My talk will also be on their test next week, so I hope they paid attention. Hah. Mostly, it was easy and enjoyable and I got a few laughs, so that felt good.

Once Andrea and I got home after a lunch of Chinese buffet and a bike ride, I was sitting here and the doorbell rang. It was the UPS truck! I unpacked my booty, and tried on the size 4 first. It fit, but would be an uncomfortably tight fit with my bulky wool sweaters, so I knew the 6 was going to be just right. It was:

Me in the backyard, black J. Crew Double Cloth Lady Day coat lined with Thinsulate. I really like the colorful, silky lining.

Showing a bit of the lining. The Thinsulate is between the wool of the coat and the silky lining. Now for a cold snap to test out the actual warmth. Today is too beautiful to know if it will be warm enough for a Minnesota winter, but I have a feeling I'll know soon enough if it will keep me cosy through February.

Not just yet

2007-11-05T10:03:00.000-06:00

With our two year anniversary of dating fast approaching (Wednesday), I'm sure there are a lot of people who expect me to get a "sparkler" like the photo here. Well, I know not to expect that, but isn't it a beautiful ring?

When I told a co-worker this morning that I was excited to see what S has planned, she asked if I thought I would get a proposal. "Oh, no," I said. "S needs a laptop more than I need a ring." Which is true. "But," I joked, showing her my left hand, "he did give me this," and showed her that S, with his artistic skills, had drawn a ring on my finger. It's about a 5-carat asscher cut, by my estimation. My co-worker wasn't as amused as I was.

When I told my sister that our two-year anniversary was coming up, she said, "Two years? It seems like a lot longer than that!" I guess, in a way, it does.

S has assured me that he has a number of things planned, and part of the plans began yesterday with a very thoughtful, sweet mix CD that went from the time we met until the time we started dating, titled, "Anniversary, Part I."

Now, for my own anniversary plans...

Shot to bits

2007-11-08T15:38:00.001-06:00

Anniversary plans got completely obscured by homework needs yesterday. S had a group meeting last night for a presentation today, and then tonight he has to work for his political science professor, calling for the next SCSU survey and I have a boatload of work to do for my professor and reading to do for class on Saturday, plus polishing my paper. So, I guess we're going to try to go out tomorrow night instead, when S tags along with me to St. Paul. I'm thinking we could go to fancy sushi at Saji-Ya, or try the Loring Pasta Bar, or possibly Staccato.

S did send lovely roses to work, though:

Here's to another two excellent years together.

And now for something different

2007-11-11T19:56:00.000-06:00

Occasionally, as part of my job, I get to drive and make the delivery of items to a handful of branch libraries. It's rare, but it's a good change of pace from working in circulation/distribution at a busy public library. One of the best parts about the drive is definitely being out on the open road and kind of marvelling at the loveliness that Minnesota has to offer, even when it's partly cloudy in November. I managed to snap a few good photos on my last drive.

Delayed gratification is better anyway

2007-11-15T13:03:00.001-06:00

S and I got to celebrate our anniversary on Friday after I met with my professor. We took the River Road to Dinkytown and ate at the Loring Pasta Bar. I had seafood spaghetti and S had orzo with asparagus and artichokes. We had tiramisu for dessert, and oh, it was fabulous. We got to hear a bit of jazz, too, as the band started playing as we were finishing up our drinks. It was a great time, and we just got to talk and have fun. Plus, the food was super yummy! I want to go back sometime soon, maybe with my cousin Simon and his wife Eve, as Eve mentioned Simon hasn't been there. Are you up for that sometime in December, Simon? A photojournal of the night:

First, I gave S my present to him before we left for the cities. I got him two mugs made in Japan, so we can have matchy mugs when we drink our coffee. He liked them and seemed impressed that they are really Japanese!

Next, S thought I looked cute while driving. Maybe that's why he tags along with me so often when I have meetings and classes in St. Paul?

S at the restaurant, enjoying his Irish coffee, which was more Irish than coffee, if ya know what I mean. The servers kept topping him up with coffee, though, so that was great.

Me looking dreamy. S took a bunch of these.

The guitarist took a while to set up, and S wanted to snap a photo of his gear for his cousin Nate. They were a good jazz combo.

If you like the dressing at the sushi places, try this...

2007-12-01T21:32:00.001-06:00

I have had a salad with nearly every dinner this week, and it's all because of this Creamy Asian-Style Salad Dressing recipe. I change the batch size to 1.75 cups, make a few modifications, and so it becomes the following:

Japanese Sushi Restaurant Style Salad Dressing

1.5 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup soy sauce (can add more to taste)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted (fry pan on medium for a few minutes, stir until brown)

It's pretty much a one-day ticket to Yumtown! I eat it on spring mix with cucumbers, but it's also great for dipping baby carrots, or for any salad you like. So tasty, so easy.

A very merry birthday to you, S!

2007-12-13T11:11:00.001-06:00

We had a lovely time last night celebrating S's 26th birthday with a group of our friends/my coworkers. Dear Manda had us over to her place and we got meet her new dog, Nigel.

Say hello to Nigel! (He followed Manda around the kitchen hoping for her to drop something.)

Manda made delicious brie and cranberry thing in her oven, which caused the smoke detector to go off, so she made her sister Lisa wave at it with an oven mitt for a while. Nice!

We had yummy dessert wine with chocolate on the rims of the little cups. Cute and tasty!

S and Lisa have classes together in the education department (it's all my fault she's becoming a teacher... but that's another story altogether) so they talked shop for a while.

Jessie and Joe hung out, being awesome as usual.

Manda's apartment with her boyfriend was so cute, I'm thinking I want my own. I just may get my wish for Christmas. After hanging out at the apartment for a while, we headed downtown to see some live music at the Tavern on Germain. Good times were had; one of our former coworkers also showed up, John Larson, and he also happened to go to school with S, so it was serendipity that we went out. I hope you had a very happy birthday, S! I love you!

P.S. Don't I work with such beautiful ladies? I know you think so, too. Now the world knows why our public library is the place to be. Hehe.

This is why I love mint.com

2007-12-23T13:27:00.001-06:00

You have no idea how happy seeing all the red makes me. I've put more than half of my money into savings/investments since October 1! So, yes, I do spend a chunk each month, but I'm trying really, really hard to save, too. And this proves it to me every time I log in. Also, seeing my available cash to debt ratio is quite reassuring, and since Mint.com can't show me my brokerage account, the money I have there isn't even part of my available cash. I feel like laughing like an evil dictator.

Just thought of this...

2008-01-06T17:16:00.001-06:00

It's not true yet, but will be once I graduate. I think I may actually get these printed and send them out to prospective employers during my last semester. Script for card generation from Blyberg.

One of the best gifts ever

2008-01-11T21:11:00.000-06:00

So a few years ago when I began knitting, one of my first projects was a red wool cardigan sweater. Yeah, I know, ambitious! I made the thing, then found out how horribly hot I got in it, no matter how cold I was. I decided it was a bit too thick for me, so I was kind of disappointed... until I remembered that my aunt Laura, who also happens to be my godmother, was always cold in the winter, and is also approximately the same size as I am. So, I gifted her with that red sweater, and she loved it nearly to bits.

Flash forward to a little more than two years ago, when I found yet another awesome cardigan pattern, and began to knit it. This time, I had Laura in mind. It took me almost a year to knit (sporadic, I am) and once I had it completed, it had to be assembled, and then the edges had to be crocheted (this is where my mom helped out) and then I had to come up with a clasp (the photo just had a big safety pin to close the thing... (ugh, remember when safety pins on clothing was hip?) so I knew I needed a cool clasp. I found one at a local craft store, but it was gold and I thought silver would look better with my color, so I ordered one online but it came too late for last Christmas.

So this Christmas, my aunt got her sweater—with "some assembly required" because I left the choice of gold or silver clasp up to her, and she's much better at sewing than I am anyway (in the photo, the Minnesota Cross-Stitch in the background was made by you-can-guess-who).

She sent me this photo with this message a few days after Christmas:

Beth,
Thank you for this amazing sweater!! It is such a beautiful color - it just makes me feel calm when I see it. And it is wonderfully warm. I feel very special to have a godchild who would make me such a gift. Thanks so much!!!
Love,
Laura

That thank-you note was one of the best gifts ever.

An announcement

2008-02-05T07:32:00.000-06:00

So, my blog readers may like to know... S proposed last Friday night! I said yes, of course. The next evening we went to the Mardi Gras fundraiser dinnner/dance. Here are some photos.

One thing down, and I don't even want to think about the rest

2008-02-08T19:28:00.001-06:00

So, I'm pretty sure that this dress is the dress I'm going to wear to marry S. It's the J.Crew Goddess Long dress, and it's currently on final sale. Yipee for a wedding dress on the cheap! It fits me quite well, and S's aunt is an incredible seamstress, so she can help me tweak it (omg, I need a bustle?).

The only bummer is how weird my sister is acting since I got engaged. I guess I expected some strangeness, but not this much, you know? I was showing her the dress tonight, and she asked, "Is it a wedding dress? I know you're going to get married in it, but is it a wedding dress?" I just said, "Yeah, it is, it's got a train..." and she flipped and said she was just asking, because some people get married in dresses that aren't labeled as such, and blah blah. I just wanted to say, dude, it's fine, drop the drama. I think she just wants to roll her eyes at me constantly, but what are you going to do with more than six years of age between us.

I guess weddings bring out the best and worst in people, so wish me luck!