littleamiyumi’s blog

this is a quick ami i finished while watching "Lost" tonight.  i think it's cute even though i have no idea what it is.  my boyfriend thinks it's something obscene that i would never even consider.  what do you think?

CIMG2960

last year, i read 49 books.  so close to my goal!  this year, i am determined to finish 50 books.  here are the ones i've read so far:

1. Portrait of a Lady - Henry James
i read this for my "women in american fiction" class.  a lot of great characters that brought up some interesting discussions about the "true woman" vs. the "new woman".

2. Castle of Otranto - Horace Walpole
i didn't enjoy this as much as i thought i would.  i read it because it's considered the first gothic novel and i love gothic literature.  but this seemed more like a parody.  i could envision it as a comic play.  fortunately, it was short.

3. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! - Laura Amy Schlitz
this year's Newbery Award Winner.  i work in an elementary school so i read a lot of new books for kids and teens.  this one was really cute.  written as individual parts for different characters, it would be a fun performance piece but informative as well.

4. Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters - Lesly Blume
another kid's book that Scholastic is promoting for their school book fairs.  a really good story about family and friendship with some big words thrown in for fun.

Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters

5. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Jean-Dominique Bauby
i can't imagine living, if it is living, trapped inside my body, unable to communicate with anything but eye movements and unintelligible sounds.  it was a tragic event but a beautiful story.  there were even moments when i laughed out loud.  i loved the book so naturally i plan to avoid the movie.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

List three things you'd buy with your last $20. One practical, one frivolous and one of your choosing.

hard to say which is practical and which is frivolous ... they are all necessary for my everyday living

starbucks soy latte $4
blank journal and pen $8
dreamy knees socks from sockdreams.com $8

Dreamyknees

another one finished!  and it only took me 2 days!  this one is a gift for my boyfriend's mom.  it's her birthday today.  ^_^  you can't see it in the picture because my camera tends to blow out whites but the button in the center of the flower design has a really cute design.  i dragged my boyfriend to vogue fabrics and made him wait while i dug through the loose button bucket.  i brought home a little envelope full but this one seemed to fit what i had in mind.

Buckethat1

a bucket hat with a flower to make it fancy

Buckethat2

had to try it on to make sure it came out even

Buckethat3

not bad.  ^_^

sometime this week, if things settle down at work, my coworker is going to teach me how to knit with double pointed needles.  it's been a while since i've picked up my knitting needles but i got a few books that have things i really want to make, which of course are made with double pointed needles.  i don't know why i'm so intimidated by them.  crocheting came so naturally to me because it's just one hook.  knitting took much longer to learn because i needed 2 needles.  now i have to use 4??  we'll see how it goes.

i'm tired of winter.  i'm tired of snow and ice and 12 degree weather.  and i'm tired of working for a boss who is incompetent.  we had a short meeting yesterday and you could see in everyone's faces the level of frustration.  i actually asked my supervisor what would happen if we all refused to do what he asked.  would he fire us all?  she shrugged but i'm sure she's contemplated it before.  she gets harassed more than we do.  we're just the peons.  so tempting ...

but in the spirit of looking forward to warmer weather, spring break, and better things (i'm job hunting again), i've started working on several projects.  here's one.

Photo 420

Photo 421

i really haven't been writing as much as i would like to.  i've been feeling so scattered and i think it's because i haven't been putting my thoughts down.  so my goal from this point on is to write everyday unless there are extenuating circumstances.

i'm still working on my boyfriend's afghan so i haven't worked on much else but last night i took a little break.

Whale1

Whale2

with his tiny tail

Whale3

and his heart shaped water spout!

i think i'll name him babe, after paul bunyan's blue ox.

Who or what do you really love?

i love my parents because they always bring me fresh fruit.
i love my sister and i'm so grateful she loves food, crafts, and books.  i wouldn't know what to do with her otherwise.
i love my best friend because we never get anything done when we're together.
i love my boyfriend because he can always make me smile, no matter how crappy my day was.  (and what a crappy week is has been.)

Heart pizza

my friend's daughter turned 5 last week.  as she says, she's a big girl now.  time goes by so fast.  since her favorite color is pink, i made her a blanket.  i think her mom liked it more than she did though.  ^_^

Pinkblanket

here's the pattern close up

Pinkblanketcloseup

What are your rituals or traditions for starting off a new year?  

watch the countdown, toast with champagne, and kiss the man that i love at midnight.  this year was a little different.  we celebrated at a friend's condo, which happens to be the entire top floor of a building and has two large decks facing the east and west.  we watched the falling snow and the fireworks, making it a memorable night.

What's the best book you read this year?

there's no way i could narrow it down to just one so here's my top five.  ^_^

The Book Thief (Readers Circle)

Markus Zusak

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)

J. K. Rowling

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Khaled Hosseini

The Complete Persepolis: Now a Major Motion Picture

Marjane Satrapi

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader

Anne Fadiman