Saturday Mornings

When the weather is warm, and the Farmers' Market is on (May-Oct) I usually see Girl-child, DIL and the pseudo-grandkids at the market. It's such an easy way to meet, it's fun and shopping gets done. 

Since October it's been kind of a struggle to get together on Saturday mornings.   It's hard to say exactly why.

That said, we have had a couple of fun get togethers. Once they popped in on me unexpectedly on a Sunday morning.

The condo is not a big space, but it seems to accommodate toys and books just fine.

This morning we went to the American Swedish Institute.  There is a great playroom upstairs and we had a great time until the naughty intruders were, well, naughty.

After ASI we went to lunch at The Modern Times Cafe.

The food was good and the waitstaff are great with kids.  I will say I found it a bit cheeky that the check comes back with tips calculated at 20%, 25% and 30% :P

And for the record, there is a great watercolor exhibit at ASI.  This piece in the library was (not surprisingly) my favorite:

We were going to go visit the Art Shanties this morning but the weather is too warm so it was cancelled :(

Read Harder Challenge Update

I keep writing about the knitting but not about the reading goal ...  so here's an update:

Dystopian novel:  The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
I do like Atwood.  This one is described as "wickedly funny" which I do not agree with.  I did find the Elvises funny though.  If that intrigues you then you should read it.  Either way I recommend it.  And for the record, Boy-child's girlfriend gifted me the book for Christmas.  Way to score points!

Transgender: A Queer and Pleasant Danger by Kate Borenstein
Fascinating all around.  This could also qualify as the book about religion as there is a very interesting section on Scientology. I see too that there's a movie so it could qualify for that.  I first heard of the author from Boy-child - he was obsessed with her book, Hello Cruel World when he was having his adolescent melt-down.  I recommend this one for anyone who is interested in the trans-gender experience.

Set in the Middle East:  Habibi by Craig Thompson
I don't have the words to describe this book.  Read it.  I plan to read it again.  It is intriguing and exotic and disturbing and full of hope.  This could also qualify for the book over 500 pages.   It is simply stunning.

Middle grade novel:  Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
I started with a different middle-grade novel but was bored to tears.  I finished Eleanor and Park in a flash.   This is a beautifully constructed story of first love.  Need I say more?

That's what I've finished so far.  I will not talk about the ones I'm in the middle of right now;  I will refrain until I have finished.

Find Your Place in the Dewey Decimal System

Find the quiz here

Soxanne's Dewey Decimal Section:
014 Of anonymous & pseudonymous works
soxanne = 1445312141178 = 144+531+214+117+8 = 1014

Class:
000 Computer Science, Information & General Works

Contains:
Encyclopedias, magazines, journals and books with quotations.

What it says about you:
You are very informative and up to date. You're working on living in the here and now, not the past. You go through a lot of changes. When you make a decision you can be very sure of yourself, maybe even stubborn, but your friends appreciate your honesty and resolve.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

Finally, Snow!

We finally got some snow today.

Because I worked from home yesterday and today I felt the need to go out.

Plus I like to smugly walk to the light rail and go places when it's too awful out to drive.

It's a thing with me.

Not to mention the fact that the Mall of America was going to be empty.  I knew it would be.

And I had a hankering for ribs :D

Here is what I'm working on in addition to the blankie ...  First, a pair of socks for DIL:

Another pair for me (I won the yarn at the annual Drunken Knit Night party):

And the Sister Syster.  It's a wonderful color and the stitch definition is great.  I'm not sure it's an ideal yarn for the pattern but it will be functional enough and very pretty:

That's it.  Just going to sit back and enjoy the winter wonderland now.

What Is Happening? Where Are We Going?

And what are we doing in this hand basket?

Politics just continues to get stranger and stranger.  I used to be interested in all of it.  Not so much any more.   Lucky for me, it seems I can afford to move to San Jose, Costa Rica or Winnipeg, Manitoba.  I think I can work remotely from either.   I will investigate further as the need arises ...

The blankie progresses slowly.  I've used a kitchen scale to determine I need about 2 grams - maybe just a bit more depending upon the yarn - for a square.  I'm still kind of addicted.  

I also have the Sister Syster going and two socks OTN but I forgot to take photos.  

Maybe next time.  I think I will have to queue up lots of stuff on Netflix, look at the news as little as possible and bury myself in knitting until November.  And then maybe move.