New technology and replaced parts

For a while I've wanted a laptop. After some thought (and a purchase of a bike) I realized I really don't need a laptop. I still have a fully functional desktop and I just wanted mobility for a few activities. I wanted to blog, stay in touch with people when I travel around, and work on the PRD site from anywhere. I didn't really need a laptop for that.

I bought a netbook instead! So far I'm happy even though I've only had it for a few hours. The battery life is great so far. It has well over 6 hours to go. Not bad, but I'm not surprised since its a small little computer. It's an Asus 1005PE. It has way more memory than my desktop, which I find amusing. I thought I would be unhappy with a small monitor but I've grown used to it. I could easily do what I need to do with this. It's even small enough to fit in my purse.

It was funny how much the little cases were for it. After the bracelet I'm knitting is finished, I plan on making a cute case to protect it. I can probably use a spare purse to carry it no problem if mine is full. Can't wait to start it. =)

Now on to the new parts. I ordered new wheels and they are finally going to come in! I ordered them from Bruised Boutique a bit ago and I had to wait for them to get their shipment in. I needed something more grippy so I ordered Trackers. They totally clash with my skate color theme but you gotta do what you gotta do.

And the other new part of the day? Well I got my permanent crown so that means no more wiggly stupid temp crown. Temp crowns are dumb. I got a super cool souvenir though. I totally got the cast of my teeth. It's pretty fun and I think I'll end my post with this...

OMNOMNOM!

Spring means new projects!

The weekend was amazing. The Forest Folk and I celebrated a special B-day and the first day of spring the only way we know how. A SLEEP OVER! As of late I fail at taking pictures since I have too much fun and forget about my camera. I will show you one picture though that I did post on my FB the other day. I was happily making vegetable pot pies for the event and my oven really sucks. It wasn't crisping up the top at all so after they cooked for a while I decided to try out my broiler. I had it in for the the right amount of time, but just like the rest of the oven it's not even. The oven definitely received much profanity for the turnout shown below. It is totally lucky that everyone loved the pies despite the mishap. I don't even know if it knows how lucky it is.

On to crafty update. Now that my knitting commission is done, and I won't take another for a while, I can now continue to work on stuff for the store I need a banner for. Today was a good night to start since I was winding down after a day of work and an amazing weekend with the lovely folks from CT.

What did I do for the next creative endeavor? Well I made my own yarn...out of a T-shirt! It was pretty fun. It was really easy. I found a tutorial here. I found it to be really simple, but I recommend using some good fabric scissors. I intend to pick up a better pair for this. Today was a test on just a plain white t-shirt. I didn't want to ruin one of the pretty ones I got from Bruce yesterday. I didn't take too many pics since the tutorial has great ones. Below is the chaos as I just started to tug the strip into tubes. It worked so easily. The directions couldn't be any better. It turned out well even while I was watching season 1 of Rome.

After all the tugging I was able to wind it up into a nice ball. I didn't take a size comparison photo, but I can next time.

I can't wait to make more. After some final felting of the swatch for my art trade I will make some with the different colored t-shirts I got. One day I'll learn how to spin but till then I'll recycle for mother earth with some old t-shirts. :) I have a couple of projects in mind, for the cotton yarn, that I'll sell online. I love when the creative juices are flowing!

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike

This week has been absolutely gorgeous and for once I've been taking advantage of it. I recently bought a Trek hybrid bike. Best thing I ever did. I love my bike. I got a rack for it and a set of fenders so I could use it to commute to work.

Tuesday was the first day I rode it to work. I was able to strap my backpack to the rack so I'm not all gross for work. It wasn't bad. There are a lot of hills from Providence to East Providence but I work my way up them no problem. I put both fenders on even though they are clip on. Well the front one is a jerk and became loose while I was riding. It fell off and held up my ride to work since I had to find a place to put it. I ended up being late to work. To top it off I forgot my work keys at home. Which mean I couldn't get to the peanut butter cookies that were in my desk. *pout* Not the best of days but I survived.

Yesterday I rode my bike around Providence on my day off. I headed down to Thayer Street in the afternoon. It was nice to just walk around after easily locking up my bike, instead of circling for a car spot. I checked out the second hand store. If I had the cash I would have picked up a couple of things. They had some really cute spring dresses and tops. So tempting. I definately picked up honey sticks at the candy store. The cinnamon ones are my favorite. For lunch I got a really good falafel wrap at East Side Pockets. Highly recommend them! I got a new pair of tights and socks for Derby too. After some wandering I went to Whole Foods to get some ingredients for the veggie pot pie I'm making for the Spring Fever Party in CT. It was nice to do all this without using any gas.

I rode into work today successfully without being late. I was 18 min early and everything. Had time to change, make a cup of tea, and change the mortgage rates all before 9am. Not bad at all. I plan on keeping this habit for a while. Save money, daily exercise, and polute less. :)

This is how we roll

A bit of derby news today.

On Sunday, for the Brawl of Justice, Providence Roller Derby raised just over $1000 for the Sojourner House. The bout was really fun. I volunteered that night in the NSO part of the bout. I basically had to relay penalties to the refs that were logging them in the center of the track. It was a fun learning experience. The X-Women won the bout and everyone playing and helping had a blast. I really love hanging with the women of PRD.

Then on Tuesday we had our scrimmage assessment. It went really well but I didn't pass this time. Eight out of eighteen girls passed.  I just need to work on hitting harder and more effectively along with improving my assists. The coaching staff said all I need is a bit of one-on-one time and a couple more practices. They will assess us again on March 30th at the latest so we'll will be ready for the season.

During the last practice I had a blast. Since we are more skilled now we do more scrimmaging at practice. I got to be jammer a few times. One jam I actually got at least 4 points. There was one point where the blockers were thoroughly distracted and I snuck past right on the line and sprinted away before they could stop me. It is so exhausting being a jammer. I don't have the stamina yet.

I'm really loving roller derby. This will be something I do for a long time I think, providing I maintain all my limbs. It takes time but it's so fun and the girls are great.

Music and Derby

On Saturday I saw Shryne. It was their CD release Party and they put on an amazing show. My friend Jon is a the lead singer. They are all very talented musicians. I recommend checking them out sometime. They had a great lineup. They chose all the bands that night which was great because everyone had a different style. It was a high energy show. the only downside was that I now have laryngitis. The combo of dry winter air, not drinking enough water, and having to talk loud ruined me. No skating for me tonight. =(

In the world of roller derby, Providence Roller Derby is holding a fund raiser for a good cause. I will be there volunteering and enjoying the bout. I haven't passed my scrimmage assessment yet. On Sunday March 7th we are having a scrimmage to collect donations for the Sojourner House (www.sojournerri.org). It's a V-Day event (www.vday.org). V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls.  The flyer below has all the details. Hope to see you guys there!