Favorite Things Monday: Under Water & Looking Up

July 16, 2007

There are so many things happening all at once. Philly trip was great, despite a couple setbacks. Sesame Place sucks - don’t take your kids there. And kids aren’t exactly welcome at Loop: I’ve been there before, and I love the selection, but it’s a yarn museum. Consider yourself warned. However, the train ride was easy peasy. Brigantine beach was perfection. The Please Touch Museum was incredible!! Pure bliss for kids and adults.

Mafia and Little Man in the Alice in Wonderland exhibit’s Hall of Doors & Mirrors

Then I ran off to a conference for work, which was great, and I learned about the “conference slut” phenomenon from a colleague. No worries. Despite the lure, I’m no cheater.

Now I’m back to my regularly scheduled life, and MIT work is insane. Full of pressure and people freaking out. My gay consulting gig is also freaking out, which is totally natural considering that it’s T-minus-10-days until their big fundraiser. And I start teaching another class in T-minus-7-days. I decided on a program for grad school, so I’m planning to take the GREs this fall (studying to begin in late August).

In the spirit of Favorite Things Monday, here are a couple of my current favorite things.

SockPal socks are about 70% done, thanks to the work conference, where I’m known as the “knitter.”

A pair of sock blockers from a Leggy Creations contest, thanks to Danielle! They’re wonderful!

The best $6 I’ve ever spent — this butterfly caused fits of giggles, pride, and some serious strutting around the Phildelphia Zoo, which was an incredible place!

The blog is suffering, and will continue to suffer for a few more weeks. Don’t abandon me, okay?

Entry Filed under: Give It Up, It's All About Me, Knitting, Little Man, Socks. .

27 Comments Add your own

1. Rhonda the Stitchingnut | July 16, 2007 at 2:54 pm

Oh wow, I love that butterfly! Hey, I’ve got some Leggy Creations last year. Cool that you won them… and it’s got a reference to your friendship with Danielle too, I notice. Nice keepsake too.
2. Kat | July 16, 2007 at 3:16 pm

I won’t abandon you. Hope you get through the next few weeks with minimal stress and frustration.

The butterfly is adorable.
3. Lucia | July 16, 2007 at 3:26 pm

Do tell, what is a conference slut? I would not dream of abandoning you: I need the education.
4. Danielle | July 16, 2007 at 3:27 pm

Wow! Beautiful butterfly!!!
5. Kathode Ray Tube | July 16, 2007 at 3:27 pm

That’s because you are spending all your computer time on Ravelry!! Glad you had a fun trip — sorry about Sesame Place and Loop. I guess some shops are not kid-friendly.
6. Kathode Ray Tube | July 16, 2007 at 3:29 pm

PS — Little man is so cute in his butterfly paint!
7. Sparkles | July 16, 2007 at 3:30 pm

Wow, those are great sock blockers, but the butterfly is priceless! (my little man would be uber jealous!)
8. mamacate | July 16, 2007 at 3:36 pm

He is SOOO big! And cute too.

You need to switch to a field that has knitting SIGs and yarn crawls. Clearly your industry geek quotient is not where it should be.

The conference slut thing. It’s amazing. There’s this illicit affair I’ve been watching play out over the last year at various conferences. I tried to imagine they were both single, star-crossed lovers living across the country from one another…nope. Both married. To other people (natch). Yuck.

Gotta watch out for those gay people–they might mess up the morals of the straight marrieds. Sigh. Not that I’m bitter.
9. Thorny | July 16, 2007 at 4:26 pm

Oh, what a cutie!

So glad you and Little Man had a good time! And don’t worry - we’ll wait patiently for you.
10. Teresa C | July 16, 2007 at 4:41 pm

Better “Conference Yarn-slut” than the alternative, don’t you think? Pete tells me all about the stuff that goes on, he travels quite a bit. Shocking, isn’t it?

So, I may be headed to the Philly Zoo myself, next month. My mom has a place in Ocean City NJ, she would be so jealous that you were at Brigantine Beach. She is a Jersey Girl. She is so pushing the trip to the zoo, me? I’d rather stay on the beach the whole time.

Wheel shopping?
11. Kim | July 16, 2007 at 7:14 pm

I don’t really know what “conference slut” is, but it may be related to a story I heard at a security conference. The way hotel keys work (used to work? This was about 5 years ago) is the doors know what the combination is. When the hotel issues a key, it programs it with a new combination and the old combination for that door. So when you put the key in the door, the door knows the first combination (the new one) doesn’t work, but the second one does, and updates itself to the new combination and opens the door. So if the person checking in gets their keys, and never uses it in the door, the next person assigned to that room has the new combination and the new new combination, but the door still thinks it’s the old combination, and the key doesn’t work. Apparently some conferences have this occur (the checking in but not going to your room) enough, that they had to put a 3rd combination on the keys. So we were enlightened that some conferences had lots of people who checked in (for reimbursement purposes or something) and never went to their own room, just directly to someone else’s room.
12. Cynical Knitting Gal | July 16, 2007 at 8:32 pm

What a great picture of Little Man. His smile is amazing!

Conference slut, hotel key codes? Goodness, such a different world than I am used to.

Happy Working and Knitting!
13. Ruth | July 16, 2007 at 9:35 pm

Love, love, LOVE that picture of Little Man. Both pictures, actually. He has a grin that could light Toledo.

Do you mind my asking what you’ll be studying in grad school? I was supposed to be heading back in a year or so, but the new baby has thrown a wrench in my very casually laid plans.
14. PainterWoman | July 17, 2007 at 2:09 am

Bravo on all of your successes.
I envy you that you can do MORE academic “stuff”. Although I just want to take classes, don’t really want another degree!
Glad the Zoo was a hit and the Jersey Shore.
15. Sneaksleep | July 17, 2007 at 9:07 am

Hey, if you didn’t leave me even though I was gone for 6 months, I certainly won’t leave you just because you’re kinda busy right now! Sounds like Philly was an overall great time. Very jealous of the sock blockers. And of Little Man’s butterfly!
16. LauraC | July 17, 2007 at 10:32 am

Beautiful butterfly on your sweet boy’s face. Glad you had a good trip together. I too would love to hear what you are going to study in grad school. Good luck (early I know) on the GREs by the way!
17. wenders | July 17, 2007 at 1:27 pm

I just don’t know what to say about the conference slut thing. I mean, clearly, your coworkers KNOW, and that must say more about your trustworthiness than just about anything. And don’t you need to be trustworthy to be “professionally viable”? Anyway.

Do tell about Seasame Place… I remember going as a kid and LOVING it.
18. roro | July 17, 2007 at 1:46 pm

Abandon? NEVER! Glad the trip was so delightful for you and Butterfly Boy. Those sock blockers - kicky! Here I’ve been using my own dang feet . . .
19. Jessica | July 17, 2007 at 2:31 pm

Little Man looks ADORABLE (!!!!!) with his face all done up! Cute kids just get 20x cuter when there’s face painting involved, I’m convinced.
20. Lisa | July 17, 2007 at 3:07 pm

Abandon You????!!!! NEVER!

I’m glad that the Philly trip was a success.

Conference Slut….more info please…..

I love those sock blockers and the sentiment on them is wonderful. They will come in handy with all the wonderful socks that you make.

Congrats on the grad school undertaking. I will be starting back full-time on Saturdays this fall myself. Wish me luck. I know that following your success will spur me on as well.

Little Man is growing daily and he looks like the charmer. How did Wifey enjoy her alone time?
21. Julie | July 17, 2007 at 3:43 pm

That butterfly smile just made my day. I love baby teeth smiles.
22. Beth S. | July 17, 2007 at 7:08 pm

Those are FAB blockers!

And, as if we woukld abandon you! But GRE = suckitude. You’re going to have to remember cosines and tangents and shit like that. Ugh.
23. lola | July 18, 2007 at 9:44 am

I was got sad when you said that Sesame Place sucked. Crap. I’ll have to look into the Touch Museum.
24. Leah | July 18, 2007 at 2:39 pm

grad school? in ithaca perhaps? no. thought not. where and what will you study? little man’s smile is amazing! glad you had a fun trip. how did wifey enjoy her alone time?
25. Haddy | July 19, 2007 at 9:01 am

Oh thank heaven! You’re back. You were missed!!

Alice in Wonderland exhibit?! OOH!
26. Kelly | July 19, 2007 at 12:52 pm

Your little man is so adorable, especially as a butterfly! It looks like you both had a lovely time. I read your blog regularly and I’ve missed your posts! Nice to see you back.
Great sock blockers, I need to get some or make some. I wonder if that wire hanger thing really works for sock blockers.
27. Ashley | July 25, 2007 at 11:54 pm

Please–I was barely welcome at loop and I’m a grownup! (Kind of.) But I am deeply sad to hear that Sesame Place sucked–I used to adore it when I was little.

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