@Gin_ev_ra @bencubby The residents of Chippendale have done that for years now! Fruit, nuts, native food plants, etc. http://t.co/bt339wla
Hahaha… Just found ex-colleague’s pic on his current job’s website. Good to know some things never change. #douchebag
The technology is hassling me today. Cross fingers that iPhone restore fixes everything up…
Google Maps with public transport directions friggin’ ROCKS. Searching http://t.co/HbRc2NpJ was always so painful. This is much better!
On my way to #IIBA “User Story Development” event. Anybody else going?
I hate coming to these work things by myself. I blame @rajsingh2505 for abandoning me all the time. 😛
This #IIBA talk is unexpectedly depressing. I see the value of Agile. I also see all the impediments that keep us from adopting it. *sigh*
@handmethepanda Especially when your clients are all external and they all want fixed pricing! Just don’t see how it could work for us.
@handmethepanda So is there a middle ground? How do I avoid writing 150 page docs that clients demand for sign off but nobody reads?
@gilmae @handmethepanda Today discovered dev wasted a week coding thing all wrong. It’s on p5 of spec. We discussed in a meeting. Gahhhh.
@gilmae @handmethepanda How do I keep that from happening? Not sure if it’s methodology at fault, but it’s hard not to feel responsible.
@handmethepanda @gilmae I agree. The “meeting” was detailed spec review. So I feel mostly happy chalking it up to dev sloppiness.
@gilmae @handmethepanda I @knitterjp That’s my big takeaway. Ask for demos. Don’t trust that devs know req unless they can explain it back.
@knitterjp @handmethepanda @gilmae Going to sign off and have dinner. Thanks for discussion! Lots to think about. 🙂
This is the quilt that made me cry. Blog post coming soon… http://t.co/Tqvp6rts
@gilmae Yes. I read it years ago and really liked it. I’d lend you mine but I gifted it to @eileenDCoE, I think. I should buy it again too.
Get ready to cry, @witty_knitter. The quilt post is now up. http://t.co/kvI3RyLB (I’m sobbing myself, too.)
@kunaal84 Congrats! Now do I get to ride an elephant in the wedding? 🙂
Bus driver is piping classical music through speakers. I think it’s a waltz. Suddenly my morning commute feels like a funny movie montage.
@creativemercury Oh, I’m not complaining! It’s actually quite charming.
If you’d asked me a month ago, I would’ve said I didn’t really have any heirlooms. Part of that is due to my being the first grandchild of my family; a lot of my toys and clothes ended up as hand-me-downs to siblings and cousins (and later nieces and nephews). Part of it is also the fact that I moved overseas. When I took off for London in 1999, I went with two suitcases and a six month working visa. I had no idea how long I’d be there. All of my “stuff” was packed up in boxes in my Mom’s basement, I think. On a few of my subsequent trips home I’ve rummaged through and carted some stuff back with me, mostly treasured books and photographs. (I think I’ve even got my high school letter jacket.) But really, most of the items in my house in Sydney are things that I’ve bought with the Snook over the course of the last 13 years. That’s just how it worked out.
My Mom, as you guys know, is a really good quilter. On her first visit to Sydney six years ago, she brought us a kickass Darth Vader quilt. On this most recent trip last month, she opened her suitcase the first morning and pulled out another quilt for us. It’s a traditional design made up of colourful scraps and white hexagons. The actual quilt top is an antique that she bought at an auction or somewhere (she likes to do that), which she then finished and quilted. Needless to say, I loved it. Isn’t it pretty? It’s such a nice gift, right?
 
But that wasn’t the only surprise Mom had in store. She waited until the evening of the first day and announced she had another quilt for me. She pulled out a flash of purple, and I started sobbing before she even had it unfolded. I knew what it was instantly. It was a quilt I had never expected to see again.I was nine years old when Mom made me my first quilt. I have vague memories of “helping” her design it. It had to be PURPLE, of course. It had to have a lace border around the edge. It had to have my name on the pillow area in big swoopy writing. The design was a traditional one called “Sunbonnet Sue,” which I persist (to this day) of thinking of as “Holly Hobby.” I remember picking out the colours of the dresses and the coordinating bonnets. I’m pretty sure Mom hand-quilted the whole thing, and when she was finished she embroidered the date in the corner: January 2, 1982. I put it on on my bed where it remained probably until I was in high school. I loved it. But I was a kid, and I wasn’t careful with it. I dragged it all over the house. I took it on sleepovers. I’m pretty sure I even dragged it outside once to use as a picnic blanket. (I think I got yelled at for that one, quite rightly.) The last time I saw my quilt, the fabric was starting to wear through in places and the white panels were discoloured. I hadn’t even thought of it in years. If you’d asked me, I probably would’ve guessed that it was balled up in a box somewhere, or maybe that it had even been thrown out.
So when Mom unveiled my quilt, I cried. You guys, SHE FOUND IT and SHE RESCUED IT. She told me all about her restoration efforts, but I was too bedazzled to take proper note. (So please, correct me if I’m wrong here, Ma.) I think she said she painstakingly cut out each of the original appliquéd Sunbonnet Sues (and also the plain quilted ones) and transferred them to new backing. She pretty much disassembled the whole quilt. She bleached all of the stained and discoloured areas and patched the holes. (It’s still not perfect, but hey, the thing is 20 years old at this point.) The lace was unsalvageable, but she had the great idea of adding on additional (purple!) borders to make it fit our queen bed. (The original quilt was only a single.) She then put on a whole new backing and quilted and bound the whole thing. It’s magnificent. I tweeted on the night that I felt like the old guy in Amélie whose box of childhood treasures was returned to him. I never, ever thought I’d see this quilt again, much less restored to such glory. It may well be the most amazing gift I’ve ever received in my life.
So that’s my amazing quilt from my amazing mother. I still can’t quite process it. What a wonderful surprise. I finally have an heirloom, a tie between the grown-up Kris that lives in Sydney and the little girl Kristy that lived in Indiana. It still makes me cry. Thank you, Mom.
(Rest assured; the quilt was only on the bed long enough to take the photo. I’ve learned how to take care of things now (which often involves keeping them away from cat butts)!)
Update from Mom via FB: “One more item of note: it STANK and I had to work on it like that. It was so fragile that I didn’t want to wash it until I had it all quilted and stabilized…..”
This is the quilt that made me cry. Blog post coming soon…
The Case for Spending a Little More Sometimes – Interesting. This is something I struggle with a lot, as demonstrated by all the IKEA in our house. I want to be frugal, but I know that buying cheap can often end up costing more in the long run. I just find it really hard to justify paying $2000+ for a couch! It’s a conundrum. On a related note, I just realised my awesome wool winter coat is now EIGHT years old and still looking great. That’s a case where spending more than I felt I should actually worked out really well…
Guinness Chocolate Cheesecake – Thinking of making this for the Big Cake Bake next week. Please sponsor me!
@randomknits @drkknits Vintage dress and black tights from @welovecolors. http://t.co/CANzVJZE
@witty_knitter Very interesting…!
Drupal users: what is the criteria for something being marked “New” in Find Content? No one can tell me, and I can’t find it anywhere.
Finally finished Once Upon a Time season one. The ending felt like a letdown, but damn, I love that the girls got to kick ass with swords!
@witty_knitter @drkknits WHOA! So sparkly! You look like you’re from the future.
Self-made skirt from @ColettePatterns and navy tights from @welovecolors. #colouredtightsday http://t.co/QNUGO8Ud
@ColettePatterns Unfortunately somebody told me the stripes and curves make it look like an awning, so that’s all I see now. *sigh*
@drkknits @RoseRed_Shoes Huh. See, I got the charcoal but can’t figure out what to wear them with.
Deep-Fried Everything at the Iowa State Fair – Okay, officially I’m totally grossed out by just about everything shown there. But just between you and me, I’d eat a “deep-fried pickle dawg” RIGHT NOW if one materialised in front of me.
A quilt that my mother made me…
Need to find a house/cat-sitter over Christmas. Anybody available? (cc @knitness @Ezzles @redambition)
@SallyPompom Visiting the family: couple days in LA, lots of time in Indiana, a few days in Hawaii on the way back…
@dancingman Oh, that would be lovely! I’ll email you the details.
Just sent @welovecolors my first complaint email. My new pair of lavender tights got a hole on the first wearing. 🙁
@redambition @knitness @Ezzles I think it’s been sorted… @dancingman was quick on the ball! But thank you anyway, ladies. 🙂
@drkknits Doesn’t exist, because pictures of feet without shoes are an ABOMINATION. That’s what sock blockers are for. 🙂
@drkknits I already saw them. I suspected there would be feet, but I braved it for you. 🙂
Only one more week to go on lunchtime walks with @the_snook before he starts his awesome new job way far away from his missus. 🙁
@toastman @the_snook Heh. The best news. He’s going to Google. 🙂
@toastman Ha. @illdrinn already knew. I randomly mentioned it to her last week on Twitter. (He made me keep it quiet for a while.)
@Illdrinn @toastman @the_snook Not til Monday week.
@richbuggy I believe it’s a Technical Support Engineer role, basically supporting big clients & internal systems, etc. Something like that.
@NickDeverell Ooh, where are you headed?
@Ezzles Awesome; will let you know if things change. Just going to the US for Christmas to visit the rest of the family!
RT @TheEconomist: One study suggests … alcoholic drinks makes workers more likely to come up with innovative ideas http:/ … CC @sitback
RT @TheEconomist: One study suggests that a couple of alcoholic drinks makes workers more likely to come up with innovative ideas http:/ …
What the f*ck has NASA done for you lately? More than you think. http://t.co/6Cr18XMz
RT @D_Nye_Griffiths: “Girlfriend Mode”, Borderlands 2, And Why Being A Dude Rocks http://t.co/wYiV8SeR // This is why I don’t play these.
@phoebegoh I’d rather play/spend $ on games by women or at least that don’t assume I’m a clueless noob. Know any like that?
@phoebegoh I’ve had Portal recommended to me several times as one I’d like. Just trying to avoid mashing-buttons-to-kill-people games…
@gilmae At least you are troubleshooting your missus’s server issues without complaint! *glares at @the_snook*
@welovecolors It’s OK Nia already emailed this morning to offer replacement. Such great service – thank you so much! Will tell everyone. 🙂
Very happy with great customer service from @welovecolors. Replacement tights being sent! Three cheers for coloured tights!
@drkknits I’m wearing black ones today, but I’ve still got new navy and charcoal from @welovecolors to try out. Let’s do it!
@randomknits You look like a BALLERINA!
