Oh social networking I can't quit you

This isn't a true blog post, just wanted to give you my secondary (or currently, primary) blog's URL:

http://nanorii.tumblr.com

I update this one much more frequently since it's a microblogging platform and I don't have to do as much work and it's instant gratification.

Mostly FFXIV and knitting, occasional real life stuff.

Ready for another ten year obsession

This shouldn't be news to anyone that I am obsessed with anything paleolithic. When I found out a while ago that the Field Museum was hosting a temporary exhibit on the Lascaux Cave Art. My Mama and I trekked out there last Saturday and it was very good.

There was no photography allowed inside but that didn't stop me from Kinnearing some photos with my phone. (Kinnear; v. To take a candid photograph surreptitiously, especially by holding the camera low and out of the line of sight. It's a real word, look it up.)

They had some really clever 3D printed 1/10 scale model versions of the cave to give you an idea of the size.

The finale of the exhibit was an actual full-scale model of a section of the cave, painted in realistic detail and texture. They also had some life-size Magadalenian people with some pretty bitchin' headgear.

Me hangin' with my anthropology spirit guide, Lucy. I was in the zone at this part of the "evolving earth" exhibit, practically giving people tours nobody asked for.

And my adorable Mama <3



I also got a bunch of crap at the gift shop too as per usual.





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Other life events:

There's a Caribou coffee by my house! The closer one shut down a few months ago but this one is only about six minutes away and I'm so happy I've gone there twice this weekend alone.

Splinter Cell Blacklist was released finally and I really enjoyed it.

Anna Grímsdóttir: If a single guard spots you, it’s all over.

Sam Fisher: ...Did you forget who you’re talking to?

ANNA BETTER COME CORRECT.

And Sam in civilian clothes *dies*

Andrew Vin and I played a night of Fortune Street. Vin won (I was a was very close second), but I did get the first monopoly.

My Arielle is coming along (I won't say 'nicely', mostly because I have no idea what wtf I'm doing). I took two days off work and basically spent the whole two days knitting, cooking, and watching Supernatural.

I should have started watching this show years ago, it's fantastic! Sarah, didn't you recommend this show to me a long time ago? (When they were undercover as priests I thought oh damn, where's Sarah, haha)

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AND NOW FOR THE GEEKY PART OF THE EVENING.

I dropped $2,095 dollars today on a new laptop.
That is $1,095 more than I have ever spent on a laptop.

Why?

THIS.

God help me, I'm going to start playing an MMO again.

I played Final Fantasy XI for TEN YEARS.

Now Final Fantasy XIV has been released and my old friends have invited me back. Plus, Vin is going to play with me, AND Andrew, AND Trevor.

It's an absolutely gorgeous game (seriously, do an image search for FFXIV A Realm Reborn) and if I'm going to play it for a long time I want the best hardware, thus the gaming laptop. Sir Laptop von Moneybags, Esq. will not arrive until middle of second week of September so I won't be able to start playing for another two weeks or so.

In the meantime they let you create your character ahead of time.

This is gonna be my girl!

You can customize everything (FFXIV is srs bznz) about your character. Eyebrow shape, lip shape, eye size, hair color, hair highlights, height, muscle tone, eye color, even pupil size for crap's sake.

I didn't really like any of the hair styles that they offered but this one was the one I liked the most. If I was a badass bitch saving the world with a sword and hand to hand combat, I'd want my hair in a topknot. None of this Farrah Fawcett BS.

I gave her light purple eyes (that's a given - favorite color) and my mother picked out the hair color. I also chose some dark smokey eyeshadow. Because, you know, you can. *Mind blown*

Between now and then I have to pick my character's last name. My first name will be the same name I used on FFXI (I want people to know it's me).

Also, what class?

There are SO MANY I want to play!

I am so happy to be welcomed back by my old DryRoot buddies that I've known for years. The leader (Hi Liam) has extended an invitation to my brother and my friends and that means a lot to me. ALSO YURIMI.

YURIMI I MISS YOU.

Haha I'm making myself laugh

A title is required to publish now apparently

My favorite knitting and yarn company Brooklyn Tweed is hiring an administrative-assistant-slash-knitter and for some dumb reason I don't live in New York City. This is the very first time I've ever seen this company hiring and I wish I they could hire me remotely!

Brooklyn Tweed was founded by Jared Flood, one of the internet's epic male knitters.

And designer of the Rock Island Shawl, which I finished a few weeks ago:

Vin played through The Last of Us, a great horror survival game with a killer ending, while I knit the endless garter stitch until it was finished.

I finally finished it around 10:30 at night and blocked it the next day.
Before blocking...

And after blocking!

So now I have the honor of having my finished project on the top of the Rock Island page on Ravelry.com

My new position at my company is going great and my manager got me some orchids to say thanks. She's on vacation for the next week so I'll be acting as manager of appraisals for the whole company until she gets back.

Vin and I played Jenga during a Tornado warning while the internet and TV was out. Vin said it was like diffusing a bomb. I lost.

We had the family over for the 4th of July with Hunter and Hannah. Uncle Jim and Mom gave Hunter his first bath in months (maybe years).

Andrew and I - our team won in Ladderball!

Misc images of the white fluffy one.

I swatched for my next project: Kim Hargreave's Arielle.
It'll be my first actual garment where I have to customize the dimensions to my liking.

Bought some cotton yarn from KnitPicks with some size 1 needles and am about 1/3 the way through the bottom band.

I've already got my next project lined up, another knit garment by Kim Hargreaves.

It was National Trigun Appreciation Day. To the uninitiated that means National Doughnut Day. My office loves to celebrate food-related holidays.
(I put that in here just to annoy my brother.)

Stuck in traffic with my brother in the car behind me.

I've managed to snag an ARC (Advanced reader copy) for the last three Preston & Child books! I think I managed to buy only the second ARC that was for sale on eBay, and it was cheaper than the previous ones I've bought.
It was scheduled to arrive on Wednesday but it arrived on Monday as a surprise.

I read the whole thing in about five hours. No spoilers as certain people haven't finished reading it yet.

This mindless garter stitch is starting to take its toll.
Exhibit A: I somehow managed to ruin a completely good knit stitch.
UNACCEPTABLE.

 PREP THE PATIENT.

WE CAN REBUILD IT.
WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY


That was two days ago.

Earlier today I was knitting at the table and got up to get a cinnabon muffin. Somehow I was tangled in my yarn and dragged my shawl across the floor. By the time I picked it up I had dropped and unraveled two stitches.

Fixed it with a crochet hook.
Let's play spot-the-error.

 

I hope to be done with this in a few days.

 

It's starting to really come together. I can't wait to block this when it's done so the lace really opens up.

 

For those of you playing along at home

I got a promotion at work! I am now the Appraisal Coordinator (one step below management, hee hee hee) 

I got moved out of my beloved Training Room. Very sad day especially since...

 

My derpy brother has now started working for my company! (Happy!)

Ryan moved to North Carolina so the investor shipper position opened up. 

Anyway my job is basically acting as the firewall between the loan officers/processors and the appraisers/appraisal management companies we use. Any communication between the two has to go to through me since they are prohibited from knowing who is who until after the order is closed. I also check them for errors, request changes, open and close orders, manage disaster cerifications, call appraisers, and keep track of a shitton of stuff... it's a very busy job and 5:00 rolls around so fast every day. 

Tami and J visited la casa and we had a N64 vintage marathon. I don't suck that badly at Mario Kart but I was shocked at how bad I was at Super Smash Bros.

I only won once. 

Go Link Go.

My brother dominated so badly that we ended up doing Vin vs. Tami J and I.

We still lost. I now have nightmares of Kirby power-attacking my teeth out.

 

We took a photo to commemorate the epic ass kicking. I guess this is Vin's take on Draw-Me-Like-One-Of-Your-French-Girls. (J: "I'll never let go.")

Saw Star Trek Into Darkness with the fam and then again with Andrew last Friday. It was our one-year-anniversary and I we went to Hollywood Palms with his family. 

Andrew: You think they'd notice if I took that Iron Man statue home?

Speaking of Iron Man, finally saw Iron Man 3. I was surprise by how much I didn't like it. Individual moments and scenes were great, but overall I didn't care for it. 

It's time for Relevant-But-Not-Really GIF!

Oh hay so I am knitting a new project: Rock Island Shawl by Jared Flood, pictured here in his official glamor shot from his website, BrooklynTweed.net.

I've been a fan of this design since the dark ages of my knitting history, but was always too unsure of my skill level to start it. A while back I bought the yarn for it (Midnight by Knit Picks, a nice black lace yarn with peacock colors woven into it)

It's so much fun and so fulfilling to see Jared Flood's fucking insane instructions actually work.

So now I'm just going to nom your internets with some process pictures of it so far:

Foundation row

Knitting in the car. I now know which stretch of highway in Illinois is the bumpiest. 

(Also, got my hair cut.)

I'm on row 14 out of 24 for the Rock Island lace section, then after that it's mindless garter stitch until the ends meet. 

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Mom was out of town for a few days so Vin and I took advantage of the long weekend and play through through Splinter Cell Conviction (DUN DUN DUN PROTECT SAM DUN DUN DUN)

in preparation for Splinter Cell Blacklist which comes out I think Aug. 20. (I almost wrote "on or around August 20", damn you mortgage business, damn you.)

On a whim we also restarted Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Best Game Ever and got Starbucks Frappucinos, which is our thing we do to mark important events.

 Had to resort to using online walkthrough a surprising number of times because, like, this game is harder than I remember it being. God.

Anyway I eagerly await Xetzu's "omg, you updated your blog" facebook post and leave you with

this lovely photo of Sam Fisher.