Just making updating the list because I keep forgetting what I have.

Burda Butterick McCall’s Simplicity Vogue

Burda

8235 - messenger bag

Butterick

B4114 – poodle skirt

B4419 – edwardian style cloaks

B4838 - aprons

B5006 – sewing and knitting totes

B5061 – edwardian nightgown

B5266 – edwardian walking coat

3190 - 9 easy dresses

6630 - two Josephine-style dresses

3737 - petticoat, bloomers, bustle

4377 - cloak and medieval-ish dress

3805 - semi-historical hats

3836 - colonial-ish riding costume

McCall's

5147 - arm bands

4491 - medieval-ish overdress

4492 - medieval-ish dress

4884 - drawstring bags

M3880 - wraps

M5469 – tunic tops

M5516 – more tunic tops/dresses

M5535 – oh look, more tunic tops

M5704 – dresses that could be worn as tops

M5843

Simplicity

5062 - pants and split skirt

3832 - belly dancer costume

3869 - women's sized tunics

2837 - women's sized Zia (MCoG) costume

3782 - Elizabethan costume

7215 - civil war undergarments

2890 – corset, drawers, and chemise

2589 – Tudor dress

2621 – underthings for Tudor dress

2615 – oh look, tunic tops!

3565 – simple wardrobing elements

2614 – a skirt! and, some tunic tops.

7092 – cargo pants

4048 – lounging clothes and nightgowns

5006 – more underthings

2857 – fairy wings, just don’t ask.

New Look

6265 - sweats and yoga mat bag

6519 - vintage style chinese jackets and pants and bag

6594 – skirts

6736 - vintage style dress and jackets and pants

6737 - poet shirts and wide legged pants

Vogue

7280 – skirts

V2714 - coatdress

V8410 - jumper

Seriously.

Ok then… WTF is going on here?

Oooookay.

All I did was use the IE8Blocker Toolkit.  I have no idea how that fucking invalidated SP2.  I don’t really care.  Shitty ass Vista, you’re TRYING to make me a Linux user aren’t you Microsoft?  JUST ADMIT IT ALREADY.

Also, in what fucked up world is IE8 an Important update?  It’s just a shitty browser, come on dudes.  You know better than that.

So I got this letter today from the “Fairview Property Tax Recovery, L.L.C.” letting me know that I “might” be eligible for a property tax refund for the last four years, and that they would help me at “no charge” unless a refund was received, in which case they would take 1/3 (33%) (not in quotes).

That was bad enough, but looking at the paper I noticed that many of the more important phrases "(“If you do not receive a refund, you pay nothing”) were printed in light green, whereas all the important stuff (like, "you agree to pay”) was in standard black.  So they could easily photocopy the form and claim that you had agreed to something you didn’t, and that you had signed a contract with a totally different company.  (Yes, every time their name appears on the form, it’s in easily replaceable light green, as well as their address – and for that matter, their BBB symbol.)

Who would fall for this?

How could this NOT raise huge red flags in your common sense?  (or even light green ones?)  In fact, it’s completely obvious from the way the letter is printed that a) it’s a form and not a document they created themselves and b) they have in the past put a different name in there because c) whoever printed this copy didn’t pay attention to the alignment of the company name and the rest of the text.

Cheesy.  Stupid.  Who would fall for this?

Why am I not in this racket?  Oh, that’s right, I wasn’t raised by bottom feeding scum-suckers and I don’t prey on the weak-minded or the disadvantaged.

1. I have an extremely pleasant phone voice.  I can go from soothing/maternal to phone sex hot in about one sentence.  Unfortunately, I work in tech support and this occasionally leads callers to think they've misdialed or that a woman can't answer their technical questions.  I can also be incredibly sarcastic, condescending, and rude in ten words or less.
2. I swear a lot.  Usually when no one can hear me.  Almost never in the office.
3. I'm disturbed by small rodents, up to the size of squirrels.  My life's goal is to introduce natural, wolfy predators into my suburb so that they can kill all the squirrels and some raccoons.  Maybe a few unattended babies too.  Alternately, I could just introduce some English chefs to kill and eat all the squirrels.
4. I have a terrible and inappropriate sense of humor.  Final Destination was a non-stop comedy to me.  Dumb and Dumber was just torture.  My sense of humor apparently lives right next door to my sense of terror.  Go fig.
5. I turn into a lifeless sponge when cut off from caffeine.  I turn into a spastic lunatic when cut off from the Internet.  I also untangle knots in chains and thread for fun.
6. I read incredibly fast.  I didn't know that there was a way to read slower (did you know that most people read at the same speed that they speak?) and I still can't figure out why other people take so long to read things.  According to a nifty speed-reading test I just took, I read about 900 wpm with 100% comprehension.  I also read a lot.  I read the back of cereal boxes.  I read a lot of pulp fiction.  I also read software agreements.  And I can read and walk at the same time without (usually) walking into things or people - it's usually people behaving oddly that screws me up - I see them coming so I plan my path but they think I can't see them so they move.
7. I make stuff up all the time.  Literally.  I just made up another short story right now.  But I never write it out in a proper format.  So instead I have scribbled pages that to me bring up an entire short story, but to other people make no sense.  I should get some dictation software and tell stories to my computer.
8. I really want to get married and have kids, but I hate people.  I'm not sure how that's going to work.
9. I love old patterns.  Sewing, knitting, crochet, I love them all.  I collect them, read them, then try to follow them and end up improvising because I can't understand their crazy.  But mostly I just love the old illustrations ("It's NYLON!  It's NYLON!  It's NYLON!").  I also love old ads – like the ones where the doctors are recommending various brands of cigarettes to “nervous” women.  What? You’ve never seen those? You’re missing out!
10. I have another phobia that’s so bad I don’t even like to tell people what it is because I’m afraid (irrationally, I know) that they’ll bring it up just to see me freak out.  As an addendum to item 1, I can almost shatter glass with my screams.

They say if you write them down, they are more likely to be achieved.

1. Flames of Vykaendys by MMario in this silk:
   
   
2. Finishing the handkerchief edging that I’ve been carrying around in my purse for the last month.
3. Shetland Hap Shawl by Liz Lovick of Northern Lace in these silk fleece colors:
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Make some more doilies.
5. Make a lace collar and cuffs for costume.
6. Finish dishcloth, actually following the pattern this time.
7. And of course, finish that present that was supposed to be done last year.

Why can’t I make hats?  Or at least, hats for other people?  Other people in different states whose heads I can’t measure?

Every attempt at making a hat for my mom has failed, and she loves hats, so this disturbs me.  I apparently have a bigger head/like my hats looser than she does, so using my poofy head doesn’t work.  I tried an actual measurement, but then screwed up on the increases/decreases (it was a beret) and ended up with a head devouring mushroom – but the brim was the right size.

Is it because I secretly dislike hats?  Is it because hats are insanely boring?  Or is it just because I only have my own head to use and my head is not yarn-based hat friendly?  Well that’s not true, because the lovely doily-based beret that I made for myself came out just fine.  Hrmmmm… mystery.

The Princesse de Cleves by Marie-Madeleine de LaFayette

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I could see the ending coming a mile away. A metre? Nevertheless, it was a good book and I'm glad that President "Let them read crap!" Sarkozy brought it to my attention.

View all my reviews.

8Season Circular Knitting Needles

40 cm: 0/2.0mm, 1/2.25mm, 2.5mm, 2/2.75mm, 3/3.25mm, 4/35.mm, 5/3.75mm, 6/4.0mm, 8/5.0mm, 10/6.0m, 13/9mm, 15/10mm

50cm: 0/2mm, 1/2.25mm, 2/2.75mm, 3/3.25mm, 3mm, 4/3.5mm, 5/3.75mm, 8/5mm, 10.5/6.5mm, 7mm, 7.5mm, 11/8.0mm, 13/9mm, 15/10mm

8Season 9” Single Point Knitting Needles

0/2.0mm, 1/2.25mm, 2/2.75mm, 3/3.25mm, 4/3.5mm, 5/3.75mm, 6/4.0mm, 7/4.5mm, 8/5.0mm, 9/5.5mm, 10/6.0mm, 10.5/6.5mm, 11/8.0mm, 13/9.0mm, 15/10.0mm

Tulip Brand Steel Gold Point Crochet Hooks

#0 (2.1mm), #1 (1.9mm), #2 (1.75mm ), #3 (1.7mm), #4 (1.6mm ), #5 (1.5mm), #6 (1.4mm ), #7 (1.3mm), #8 (1.25mm), #9 (1.15mm ), #10 (1.1mm), #11 (1.05mm), #12 (1.0mm), #13 (0.95mm), #14 (0.9mm), #15 (0.85mm), #16 (0.8mm), #17 (0.75mm), #18 (0.7mm), #19 (0.65mm), #20 (0.6mm), #21 (0.55mm), #22 (0.5mm), #23 (0.45mm)

KnitPicks Options Circular Interchangeable Knitting Needles

Needle Tips:

4,5,6,7,8,9,10,10.5,11,13,15,17

Cords (2 each):

24", 32", 40", 47" and 60"

Boye Interchangeable Crochet Hooks (Vintage)

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14

Assorted Needles (Vintage)

Straight

Probably Bates - 2, 4

Boye - 2,5, 10 (plastic),11

Double

0000(?) (I don't have a gauge that small .... yet) - Steel, brand unknown, 9", set of 4

0 - Zephyr brand, 7", 2 sets of 4 (red and green)

1 - 7", pair, and 2 sets of 4

2 - 9", pair

2 - 7", pair

2 - Zephyr brand, 7", set of 4

3 - Plastic?, 5", pair

3 - Plastic?, 6", set of 4

3 - Zephyr brand, 7", set of 4

4 - Marcia Lynn brand, 7", set of 4

5 - Bates, 7", set of 4

Assorted Hooks (Vintage)

Afghan

Bates - 8/5mm

Boye - F

MeiMei Crochet Hooks

N

Brittany Crochet Hooks

D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, 7, 10 ¾, 10 7/8

Laffing Horse Square Knitting Needles

Straight

7,8,9,10,10.5,11,13, 15

Double

5

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Very different from the movie, but the movie was quite enjoyable and touched on some of the greater themes of the main story.

When all the world changes, is the only man left alive still a man or is he a monster? Is humanity motile or static? Are we our history or our genes?

Good science fiction. Highly recommended.

View all my reviews.

In the Days of the Comet by H.G. Wells

My review

Reading Utopian novels during a time of unrest is... interesting. Are we really better off now than the masses of HG Wells' time? Have we really learned anything since then? Or have we just shifted the problems and discontent to a new stage?

View all my reviews.