Sarah's Ramblings

Follow-up from the previous entry: I forgot to mention the doppelganger that first made me start taking note of all of those around me. That would be the Christian Bale doppelganger in my Europe class. No, you can't come sit in on the lectures. Mwa ha ha.

So, what else is going on in my life? Got my check for my prov. exam scholarship today. GAHHHH, I believe were my words, yea, when I behold the cheque. I've never had this much money in my life. (That would be $17.46, for any thieves in the audience. Canadian dollars, too. Not worth your time, really.) "Time for a trip to the yarn store!" I said*, and my aunt asked me why I can't go on a shopping spree to a jewellery store once in a while. Eh, she doesn't get it.

Any other hilarious antics to regale you with? (With which to regale you, I mean. God, I even annoy myself with this crap.)

Warning: knitting content ahead. Feel free to skip.

I'm approximately 75% of the way through a scarf for a swap on Craftster. I'm not feeling it so much but I have the feeling it's going to look AMAZING once it's blocked. I don't know how lace knitters slog through an entire pattern on tiny needles having no idea whether it's going to work or not. I just got Barbara Walker's first books of knitting patterns out from the library, and golly is that woman amazing. Over FIVE HUNDRED stitch patterns, and all annotated as well!

So, now that I don't even have ONE project off the needles, I am of course thinking about what to start next! I'm thinking about dropping the Corkscrew Scarf from Loop-d-loop. I enjoyed it to begin with, but let's face it: it is now a) tedious, b) useless, and c) not that soft. Plus, I'm using Patons Brilliant, which is a tubular yarn. Say it with me: THE END UNRAVELED. I have maybe one inch of workable yarn to weave in my ends. I got the yarn on clearance, so it was like 4 bucks. Just trashing it would be far more sensible both financially and sanity wise.

Knitting content done.

Oh, and speaking of Craftster swaps, I swore I wouldn't do any more. That very same day, I signed up for three. I know! I'm a madwoman! But these are nice swaps, with very clear objectives: Exchange a book, make a scarf, make a mix CD. The thing is, with the book one you have to include a reading-related item you crafted. Any ideas? It can be something to do with reading, like a bookmark or bookbag, or something with reading on it, like a t-shirt with Harry Potter on it. Any suggestions? I'm oh-so lost in a desert. A desert with . . . no ideas. Yeah. OK, I think I've spent enough time on the computer tonight. But like the smoking advocate on Family Guy: Comment! Comment! Why aren't you commenting?

*JUST KIDDING, MOM.

As some patriarch on some crappy sitcom I watched too much when I was younger once said, "Do the Germans actually have such a problem with [doppelgangers] that they needed a word for it?"

So, I have actually wondered before about how many people you can possibly have before you start running into crazy The Prince & the Pauper-style situations. And yes, I admit it, I never read the book, but the Mickey cartoon was top-notch.

But I digress.

Think about it: there's a limited number of eyes, noses, mouths, hairdos, face shapes, and so forth, and then all the various colours they come in. Then you figure out all the basic combinations. Even accounting for the huge numbers of degrees and such (like how siblings are coming from the exact same genes but look different, or even fraternal twins), think about the number of people you come in contact with on a day-to-day basis, just walking by on the street or on the same bus. Eventually you're going to start to double up.

Now, this has probably happened before and I just haven't noticed; after all, I don't take note of the characteristics of everyone I walk by on the street. Or do I?

BUT there are doppelgangers at Carleton, infiltrating a venerated educational institution! (Do doppelgangers infiltrate? Are they evil? Am I getting them confused with zombies again?) Consider the following:

I have a test coming up in Europe in the 20th C. First 'real' test! Oh, the pressure! The terms:

Second Industrial Revolution, Nationalism, Liberalism, Socialism, Karl Marx, “Jailhouse of Nations”, Schlieffen Plan, Battle of the Marne, Verdun, Battle of the Somme, Suffragists, Millicent Fawcett, Suffragettes, Emmeline Pankhurst, Emily Davison, Reichsfeinde (enemies of the nation), Union Sacrée, the “Homefront”, Ludendorff, Clemenceau, Archduke Franz-Ferdinand(! See, there is a grand plan at work somewhere in this mess of limp noodles I call my brain), Gavrilo Princip, The Black hand, the Blank Cheque, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Weltpolitik, Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, Triple Entente: Britain, France and Russia, Calculated Risk, Austro-Hungarian Ultimatum to Serbia, ‘Splendid Isolation’, Sir Edward Grey (British Foreign Minister), Dreadnoughts, violation of Belgian neutrality, and Entente Cordiale.

Wow, OK, I need help (ha ha, I needed it before, etc.). Track 10, 'I'm Your Villain', has a guitar bit that starts around 3:30. Where is it from??? It sounds SO familiar.

Uh yeah, so that's some random association for you. Uh . . . comment!

*escapes in puff of smoke*

"When problems overwhelm us and sadness smothers us, where do we find the will and courage to continue?"

So, I was feeling pretty down earlier today. I seriously need to start enforcing a budget - I'm not poor, but I am unemployed and it's amazing how little things like coffee and snacks add up. (I'm fine Mom, really.) I went out shopping for my cousin's birthday present and it's become hot and sticky out again lately. I hate hot weather. I went to the library and discovered that I did have requests in, but I'd sent them to the wrong library. I sat down and read for a while quietly to relax, but then a field trip came in.

Before I'd gone to the bank and found out my balance, I'd been planning on having brunch out, but this was quickly nixed. So now I was hungry too. I decided to just f&%$ it and take the bus home, rather than walking as I usually do because it lets me think and get some exercise and listen to music. (Oh yeah, my headphones broke a couple days ago too.) While I was waiting for the bus, I realized what my problem was: I'm lonely. I am very, very lonely. I guess I'm lucky, because I'm a pretty solitary person, but I do like to have someone around on occasion. There's no more after school 'Bucks runs with Tim and Moe, no more lunches in Ricky's with Suzanne. I don't even have a little brother down the hall that I can tell to stop playing that awful racket so loud.

Anyway, I got off the bus right next to the experimental farm, and decided to walk around a bit, because I'd never been in. Well, I got bored/tired/hot/annoyed pretty fast, and I was heading back, totting up everything wrong about me and all the wrongs I'd ever done in my head, when I saw a caterpillar. It was very fuzzy - orange and black - and moving along at an astonishing pace. I was walking along a paved road that led through the farm, and this caterpillar was on the gravelly shoulder. And I had a little epiphany right there, just like in the White Stripes song about the squirrel. If a caterpillar can show such fortitude and dedication, why can't I? Things may not be perfect. I might only know 4 people in this town that I'm not related to. But you know what? That's double the amount I knew on Monday. And it wasn't that hard, either. I can do this.

I GOT MY FISH!

Not that I'm getting too attached or anything. My aunt (kindly) suggested this course of action for the first 24 hours. He is a male Betta, also known as a Siamese fighting fish.

I can't decide on a name, so I'd really appreciate any suggestions! He's not a Bowie or a Rhett . . . I'm leaning towards Horatio at this point.

So a leave a name or two!

PS. Check out http://www.ps260.com/molly/SHINING%20FINAL.mov, for the best trailer for The Shining ever.

PPS. Also http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/det/94074271.html.

PPPS. Try as I might, I can't take a good picture of my pet. No, he's not dead. He's actually quite vibrant.