05 January 2011

First FO!

010311Hat

Okay, I finished it two nights ago, but I didn't manage to snap a photo until just before I left for work Monday and only just got around to posting it here. This is the hat to go with the fingerless gloves I made for my mom. It's a double layer, so it's extra plush and should keep her extra warm. The design, including tassel, was discussed and approved, and I'm quite pleased at how it turned out.

The holidays were low-key, not least because of my work schedule, but they seemed to go by awfully quickly. I worked Xmoose Eve, but I had the rest of the weekend off, so we went to my parents and had a nice, albeit brief, visit. David had gotten me tickets to a Boston Pops concert for Boxing Day, but the Nor'easter that blew through put the kibosh on that. Instead, we'll be going to see Mr. Lockhart and Company sometime in the spring.

The other big deal gift he gave me was a Kindle! Which I have very, very much been enjoying. At Mush's suggestion, I set up Calibre e-book management software on David's computer, as it has a built-in server to be able to manage collections remotely. I'm using it primarily to download syndication feeds from a few different international newspapers plus The New Yorker without paying subscription fees. There is definitely some content I don't get access to, particularly with the latter, but I get whatever they've already got available for free online - which is pretty much everything really worth reading - just by accessing the server and downloading. For FREE!

Back on the Wagon

It likely comes as no surprise that the holidays shot my weight and diet management all to hell. Anyway, with the new year, it's time to ride that particular pony again, and Messrs. S & H over at Cocky & Rude are having their second annual weight loss competition. Last year I was only unofficially competing, since I had already started my weight loss program well before they started theirs.

This year I signed on for realz, and the competition starts tomorrow. They required that everyone send in a "before" photo, so I submitted the most recent one I have. You can see I've got my work cut out for me.