What is WRONG with me?

Wait, don’t answer that….

Ok, I’m off to write another page.  Hopefully this one will make sense.

I have no idea.  The calculators are weird to me.  I don’t have a car, I commute everywhere.  I don’t keep track of my energy bills.  I don’t turn off my computer when I’m not using it, but then, I’m using it more than not.  I have energy efficient bulbs in most of my lights.  I eat meat (organic/grassfed when I can get it) and organic vegetables when I can.  I’ll walk the extra blocks to a farmer’s market rather than buy cheap yukky veggies, but I eat meat so that somehow increases my carbon footprint.  So those stupid calculators make ME feel like I’m doing something wrong, but the vegetarian hippie who drives a hybrid SUV down to the mall to buy Free People clothes and more LUSH soaps gets a pass.

That’s not very motivating.

Am I going to stop eating meat because of it? No, probably not.  Am I going to give up and run out and buy a car without paying attention to the gas mileage? Again, no, probably not.  I just find those calculators unconvincing and unhelpful.  Am I going to stop caring about the climate? No.  But I would like a concrete way that I can see myself making a difference.  It’s too bad there isn’t really one.

eBay.

Yes, yes, I’m fully aware they are probably knockoffs, or stolen from the original factory, or something.  I have a set of KnitPicks options, but they don’t come as small as I would like, and although they are quite pointy enough for most things, they are not pointy enough for my Continental knitting lace.  (Insert something crazy here about knitting with thread and silk.)  So I bought a few pairs on eBay, for the same price that I got two of them at the local yarn store.  Including shipping.

When they arrive, I’ll compare them to the yarn store ones and let you know how it turns out.

Back to knitting.

And what does that really mean, anyway?  You smell better?  You heal people with smell?  How do you prove that you’ve healed that, and that it was your smells that did it?  What a goofy, weird thing to say.  “Hi, I’ve made a profession out of claiming that I healed people with odor.”  “Can you prove that?”  “Sure, sniff this!”

On the FAQ page, ViDerm is described as using “high quality botanical extracts and essential oils” but with “other ingredients that have been scientifically engineered,” hence the lack of “all natural” or “organic” on the label.  These products are really meant for people who need a serious anti-aging product, and if you need these you probably hate me and my mom for our youthful and perfect skin.  (Ha hah.)

ViDerm also sells body wash and most interestingly, men’s products.  The men’s products do not smell like Dial soap, which is a huge bonus.  If I had a boyfriend, I would buy him some so that his skin is properly cared for and doesn’t smell like a shower stall.  The packaging is nicely gender neutral, and could even be tossed in a gym bag without comment.

And finally, please note that ViDerm does not test on animals, otherwise I wouldn’t even have bothered looking at the product.  Their beauty is cruelty-free, and yours should be too.

I just realized I never actually posted this!

I’m looking to make a costume for interviewing people with, based on a 40’s newspaper reporter à la Torchy Blaine or Hildy Johnson.  (Lois Lane is just a knockoff, after all.  I’m going for the source.)

I plan to (since I will actually have a press badge next year) schedule a few interviews with some hot gamer properties, and then of course publish stuff.  With pictures.

This will require:

• a new website (what was I thinking?!)
• an appropriate outfit (and a hat, and gloves)
• good old fashioned shoes (at least they will be comfortable)
• and lots of other stuff that I can’t think of right now.
• not to mention, setting up interviews and crap like that.

My vacation takes a lot of work!

So when I was buying the condo, and insurance, the first thing the insurance agent asked me was “Do you have an alarm system?”  So I went online and searched for alarm systems for the home; I was pretty sure I was going to go with ADT since that’s what my mom has.  But I felt compelled to search and compare anyway.  I ended up with ADT, and a nice discount on my insurance and a really big ol’ thing on my keychain.  I need to get a smaller one.

Also, do remember that if you buy a security system, you usually have to register it with the local police/fire department or something.  It’s a teensy extra cost, but something you have to consider and usually you have to fill out the form again every year so that all your information is up to date.  Also, if you have DSL you will have to get a wireless solution as the system can’t be on the phone line.  It’s not much of a hassle, really.  I think the peace of mind is worth it.

I found a few online stores that carry them, one of them still has this awesome paisley color.  If I can get those, I will (oh paycheck, why must you taunt me so?) otherwise I want to get black rather than brown.

You know, shoes determine so much about your outfit!  Now I’m restricted to a certain color palette based on what shoes I buy.  And I want the NAOTs because they will be comfortable enough to walk around a convention hall for 6 hours while wearing them, not to mention posing for pictures and walking to the mall for lunch and going out to dinner.  Shoes are of paramount importance, even if no one ever “sees” them.

The Press Girl needs them more than the Steampunk, mostly because I still haven’t decided on the whole Steampunk persona.

But the Press Girl really is going to be sporting a Press Badge, so I will need to set up some interviews and carry some business cards.  I would like to get some free ones for the persona stuff, but I will also need some real ones with my name that look all professional and stuff.  (Yes, I overuse the word “stuff.”  Shoot me.  It’s a fun word!)  While trying to find a place for real cards that look nice and are cheap, lo and behold, I came across this: save the date magnets.

How excellent would that be for setting up interviews?  I could mail them ahead of time, and they are actually useful.  “Save the date!  Interview with Costumed Press Girl at Gen Con 2010!”  Better than a business card, since I’d rather they remember the persona and not the crappy website that I haven’t made yet.  They have nice looking cards too, and they’re not very expensive.  I may just have to go with those instead of the free cheapo ones. I’ll have to think about it, but those magnets are pretty sweet.

Root cause: incorrect printer driver for your OS (in my case, HP Network Printer Installer selected the Vista HP LaserJet 6M driver for my HP LaserJet 5M on the computer running Windows XP Pro)

Resolution:

I started with this page: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;312052 but it seemed a little drastic.  I dug deeper and found http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders/CleanPrinterDrivers.htm which was also a big help.

I also started with the knowledge that it WASN’T a virus, or spyware, or adware.  I knew this because this problem started immediately after I had reinstalled my network printer using the HP Network Printer Installer.  I noticed that it had selected the wrong driver, but I didn’t realize how wrong it was.

To summarize (You can only follow these steps if you have administrative rights and are running Windows XP Professional or Vista Business or higher; you will need to be able to run regedit and go into Services.  If you can’t do that, find someone who can.):

1. Remove all printers.  (In retrospect, I should have just removed the HP one to start)  To remove printers, right-click on the printer in the Printers window and select Delete.  Click Yes to confirm.
2. In the Printers window, go to File and click Server Properties.
3. On the Drivers tab of the Properties window, remove all the installed printer drivers.  (note to self: make sure you can reinstall all the printers again after you do this.  Grumble grumble where is that stupid O2K3 disc?)  To remove the driver, click Remove and then Yes to confirm.

Now it’s time for some registry editing.  You made a backup, right?

Start Regedit.

• Delete any items listed under these keys (do NOT delete the keys themselves)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-2
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-3
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-2
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-3

• Check the following keys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\Monitors

And delete any items that are not on this list:

1. AppleTalk Printing Devices (When Services for Macintosh is installed)
2. BJ Language Monitor
3. Local Port
4. PJL Language Monitor
5. Standard TCP/IP Port
6. USB Monitor
7. Windows NT Fax Monitor (When a Fax Modem is installed)

Exit Regedit.

Now for the final phase of cleanup:

1. Go to Services (Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services) and stop the Print Spooler service.
2. Go to C:\Windows\system32\spool\printers\ and delete everything in there (not the folder itself).
3. Go to C:\Windows\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86.  If you see any folders with 2 or 3 in the name, delete them.  If you see any folders starting with the name of your printer manufacturer(s), delete those too.  Don’t delete the default windows printer stuff.  You’re looking for stuff like “hpprint” or “hewlett_packard” or “lex_” or “lexmark” blah blah blah.
4. Restart your machine.

You should no longer get the Data Execution Prevention error.

You will now have to reinstall your printers.  This time, use the printer driver from Windows if possible, and then manually go to the manufacturer’s website for an upgrade.  Make sure you get one that is appropriate for your printer and your OS.

Voilà !

Some Base Inspirations:

Only… I totally ran out of time to do all the decorative stuff.  And I broke my necklace as I walked out of the room.  And I never got around to making a headpiece.

Here’s what I ended up with:

a shift, ok white on white door is hard.

underskirt:

Dress views, bottom back:

Front top

Front bottom

Close up of bell sleeve

Top back

The shift had silk sleeves with lace at the end, which is impossible to see against the door, but trust me it looked really cool under the bell sleeves.

So in my history of going overboard, I’m going to start now.

Base Costume, colors: black, blue, green, or grey…:

head to toe:

• hat: buy hat form and decorate appropriately.  must search for clock parts, hinges, etc.  mongol-style and victorian-style giant keys. see: and the covers of “The Passionate Princess,” “The Sign of Love,” “Race for Love.”
• hair: luckily, I can still use my own.
• glasses: is it worth the effort of getting new glasses? i think it is.  we’ll see.
• earrings: must make something with chains, ear cuffs, and clock parts.
• necklace: must make something with keys.  also, a well-tied scarf.  white silk – ascot? also, a few handkerchiefs (one to show, and one to blow!)
• this outfit needs a vest so i can carry a pocket watch with double chains, keys, and a fob seal.  and maybe a carnet du bal, but I just might use an iphone in it’s place. will need a leather case for that.
• jacket: needs more pockets.
• pants: can’t argue with them.
• underwear: should properly include a shift, drawers, corset - see 
• shoes: black patent leather, with brass buckles.  possibly gears.
• accessories: fingerless gloves, if i have time to make them.  otherwise purchased fingerless lace mitts.
• accessories: box purse – brass hinges and findings, would cellulose acetate be easier than a book? would that be necessary with all the other accoutrements?
• accessories: laid cotton cards in vintage font.

120 cm: 1/2.5mm, 4/3.5mm, 8/5mm

60cm: 0/2mm, 2/3mm, 7/4.5mm

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, 8 (plastic), 10 (plastic),11

Bernat Aero (metal) – 4, 6

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; Diana, set of 4

11 – Boye, set of 4

Assorted Hooks (Vintage)

Afghan

Bates - 8/5mm

Boye – F

Assorted Circulars (Vintage)

(Probably Boye)

28” – 9, green

32” – 8, pink; 8, blue

Assorted Steel Needles of size less than 0 – more than 25 sets.  *giggle*

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

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