Author: Kris

  • Eeeek!

    I just had my taped phone interview with BBC Radio Suffolk. I’m going to sound like a complete tool, I just know it. It was pretty fun though. They’re going to send me a cassette since the show isn’t broadcast on the Web. I’ll digitize it once it gets here so you’ll all be able to hear me geeking out. 🙂

  • You like us!

    Nine out of ten Americans like Australia best. I like to think that I’m doing my little bit to foster good US-Oz relations. Take that, Europe!

  • Eggplants are berries?

    Mind-Blowing Fact of the Day: Eggplants are actually berries. Isn’t that weird? There’s more where that came from on this page about fruits and veggies.

  • Yankee or Dixie?

    Are you Yankee or Dixie? (Linguistically-speaking, that is.) I actually came out 58% Dixie. That’s so weird. I would’ve guessed I’d be Yankee all the way. I think I’ve spent too much time overseas. (Link courtesy of Max.)

    Updated 23/02/2025: original link is broken, and no copies exist.

  • More SF wedding photos

    More gorgeous wedding photos from San Francisco. (I went through them all but I didn’t spot the ND girls anywhere.) In a related MetaFilter discussion, somebody mentioned that Mayor Daley (of Chicago) is in support of the marriages. Can anybody confirm this? I always thought Chi-town would be a nice place to live, but if this is true you can put me down as a future resident and happy taxpayer.

  • Gary Trudeau rocks

    You know, I was never a huge fan of Doonesbury before, but I friggin’ love that Gary Trudeau has offered a $10,000 reward to anybody that can definitely prove that Dubya showed up for his National Guard duty in 1972. Somehow I think the money’s safe.

  • My new favorite joke

    Q: How many hipsters does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
    A: What, like, you don’t already know?

    That was my favorite joke from this MetaFilter thread. (Warning, many very tasteless jokes in there… but funny too!)

  • The Sign of the Beast

    I'm the devil!

    I haven’t given you a knitting update in ages, have I? Yes, that’s me in a custom knit devil-horned hat. The pattern’s from Debbie Stoller’s book Stitch ‘N’ Bitch and I whipped it up in about six hours. (Pattern note for those playing at home: I used two balls of Heirloom 12-ply on 6mm needles.) I discovered some black wool in my stash so I might try the kitty-cat hat next. Now I just have to wait for it to get cold enough to wear!

    Catching up on other projects… I also made a jumper/sweater for my iPod! My old case was getting grubby and I rarely use the belt clip anyway. There’s a pattern in Stitch ‘N’ Bitch but it requires sewing, so I just made up my own. (I started by knitting a flat rectangle about the size of the bottom of the iPod, and then picked up around the edges and knit in the round to the top. Then I cast off the front and continued knitting flat to make the flap. I even put a yarn-over in the right spot to leave a hole for the headphone jack!) I haven’t sewn any velcro on it yet, which is why I have to hold the flap closed here. Also note: I finally got my iPod in-ear headphones! As Ron suggested, they are a bit tinny. I only really notice it on the badly-ripped songs though. I’ve fiddled with the equalizer settings to boost the bass and that helps. But I’m back in the Cult of the White Wires!

    Another recent finished object is the red scarf I’m sporting below. The wool is some handspun and hand-dyed stuff I bought at Camp Creative in January. The thickness varies from thread-thin to finger-thick. I just cast on eight stitches on my 10mm needles and knit til I ran out of wool. It went about six feet. I’m loving it. Oh, and my sister tells me that “skinny scarves are in” in the US, so unbeknownst to me I’m already in style for the winter!

    Oh, and there’s a work in progress in that last picture too: my muscles. I’m on Week 3 of my weight training regimen and I’m feeling pretty darn buff!

  • ND Alumnae Get Married

    Yay! According to Nora, two girls from Notre Dame (from Lyons Hall, to be exact) got married in San Francisco last week. I met one of them a couple times and I’m just so happy for them.

  • Quilt Thieves

    Apparently the hot new crime in the world of fine art is… stealing quilts. Seriously. I better start learning how to work a barcode into my stitching!