Tag Archives: crochet

Five Things (27)

Posted in Ballet, Crafty, My New York, The Telly, Thoughts by

August was unexpectedly busy?

— Thing One —

My car’s AC died during the first heatwave of the summer. I knew there was a small leak so I expected it, but it came earlier this year than last year. When the mechanic looked over the car they told me that there was a large leak and they would have to dismantle part of the car to fix it. So, I decided to buy a new car.

I have been thinking about buying a new car for quite some time now1 but this AC situation was the tipping point. I crowdsourced people’s experience with buying a car2 and decided to go with a car broker. We spoke about what I wanted and decided to go with a Rav4. This ended up being a stress-free process for me and I would highly recommend using a car broker if you can! The new car was delivered to my driveway five weeks after my AC died, and I didn’t step foot into a dealership. Now I’m ready to drive long distances, and also trying to learn the new tech.

— Thing Two —

Earlier in August I went to see Alvin Ailey in Bryant park. They had a pre-show dance class which I sat out because it was on the other side of the park from our blankets. The show was great, but being there reminded me of all the times my friends and I watched movies in the park during the summer. We’d spread out our blankets and bring our dinners, then we’d hang out together until the sun went down and the movie started, it was an amazing bonding time and I’m sad I let that go3. I think I’ll try to do it once or twice next year, for the experience and for the fellowship.

— Thing Three —

I finished two crocheting projects which means I only have the scarf I’m knitting and the blanket I’m making for my neighbour left to complete.

Last month I finished a headband which took me about four hours to make, and then a blanket which started out as a project to finish some yarn I already had, only to end with me purchasing three more skeins of yarn and taking me 35hrs to finish!

— Thing Four —

Later in August I went to see a documentary following Alex Honnold as he climbed Ingmikortilaq in Greenland. This time, instead of being solo he had some scientists for part of the journey and his rock climbing friends for the rest. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how they shot the documentary, were there drones? Who did the sound? I have so many questions about the production!

Overall it was a great experience, we were on an incline in Central Park and the screen was at the bottom of the incline which created a natural stadium seating so seeing the screen was not a problem! I don’t know why I don’t hang out at Central Park more, it’s really beautiful there4.

— Thing Five —

The rest of August was pretty busy, I think I had more events closer to my home for the first time since I moved. I felt as though I was finally building a community close to home. I hope September carries on with more of the same. Here’s to the fall, the PSLs, the cozy decor and friendships5!

~*~

1. Five years ago my car stalled over a wintry President’s Day weekend and left me stranded for the night (thankfully with friends nearby).
2. Facebook has its uses.
3. It’s really surprising to me at times how much I have to intentionally step out of wanting to be alone.
4. Except for the rats that came out at night while we were walking back to the train.
5. And no more crazy encounters that leave me slightly traumatized.

August slipped away into a moment in time, cause it was never mine…
Wanting was enough… to live for the hope of it all cancel plans just in case you’d call.

Taylor Swift; August

Five Things (26)

Posted in Thoughts by

This was a month of happenings…

— Thing One —

I finished another rotation around the sun. In the last year, I’ve made a lot of decisions I didn’t want to make. I high-fived myself for being forward-thinking and making sure my family was safe. I filled out a lot of paperwork and formed a lot of opinions on how our systems work against the elderly and those in need of the most help. I sought professional help after admitting I reached my limit (a hard pill to swallow for me). And, well, I hung out with friends, we laughed together, we cried together, we generally had a fantastic time together. I left my self-imposed island of solitude and I started to live again.

Flowers from my family 🌷

— Thing Two —

I finished some crochet projects! One is this slightly weighted blanket that I’m proud of, even though I used the wrong stitch1 a smaller hook, and ended up using double the amount of yarn I was expected to use. I also made a small cardigan (that I hope fits) for my cousin’s toddler and used some of the leftover yarn to attempt a hat (toque), which came out shorter than I wanted; I’m still considering a pom pom on top.

— Thing Three —

It’s World Cup season and if the USWNT wins this competition they will be the first team to win three in a row. At first, I was planning on watching the highlights, but with the potential for a history-making match, I decided I needed to watch live. First, because of no cable, I had to figure out how to watch it. I landed on Peacock which has Telemundo, so I’m watching the games en Español. The matches are at such crazy times though, I saw the 9pm games but there’s a 3am game that I’m going to sit out2. I also wanted to host a World Cup finals party, but the game is playing at 6am, so I guess that’s not happening!

— Thing Four —

I attended my second game night in Holbrook, this time one of my crochet club acquaintances came with me. We played Kingdomino which I really need to purchase, and Can’t Stop, which was a fun game of chance. I am looking forward to the next one because they have so many different types of games at the event and even though I don’t know anyone there really3, I do enjoy a good board game.

— Thing Five —

There have been some downs this month, and I’m really trying to move past them, so thinking of the happy events, and fun conversations with family and friends has kept me in better spirits. I might feel slightly down, but I’m not alone, and for now, that’s all that matters. I am content, and that will do.

~*~

1. It was supposed to be a double-crochet but it turned into some weird hybrid double/triple-crochet. They say you should just be consistent in crocheting, so I kept on going with the mistake stitch and it became a thing of its own.
2. And since they need that game to proceed I’m going to be too anxious watching it, so I’m going to sleep instead.
3. It’s getting easier being the new person, but I’d rather not be the new person for much longer.

She’s a wannabe hero, yeah she try to be strong. At the end of the hour you find that the tower ain’t standing so tall.

Jennifer Knapp; Into You