Rabbit Style News

I would like to take a picture of my quilt to show the progress but Steve’s camera is full and I don’t know where mine is.  I’m trying to decide on whether I’m doing a 4×5 quilt or a 5×5.  The non-square is more aesthetically pleasing in terms of proportions, and I like the colors better when there are more of the dark turquoise blocks in the larger quilt.  Either way, I have at least 6 more blocks to make and then they all get sewn together, I add a border, purchase the backing material, make the fabric sandwich with the batting in the middle.  Then I still have to tie it together — hopefully that’s quicker and easier than actual stitch quilting — and finish the edges.  It’s a lot to finish in the next four weeks.  I’m working with a strict deadline.
Which is why I’m going to spend another hour in the living room listening to my John Mayer and Lauryn Hill and  getting immersed in the flow state of quilting.

Through some credit card or frequent flier program or another I was given a few free magazine subscriptions.  Among the mediocre options was Maxim, which I chose as one of my subscriptions.  (The other might have been Wired, although it hasn’t shown up yet so maybe not.)  My second issue arrived today and I read through most of it and decided that it was maybe not the best choice.  After an hour of looking at sexy pictures of impossibly hot women and thinking about how the magazine’s market research and sales experience during their tenure have carefully calibrated the content to the desires and fantasies of their target audience, I feel rather down.

Is it important to me that Maxim readers find me physically attractive?  Are there actions I can take to address my concerns rather than just whining and moping around?  How do I reconcile my need to be considered sexy with my desire to be treated as a person and not a sex object?  Would I too look that hot if I had a make-up artist, stylist, flattering lighting, and a professional photographer?  These are the questions I asked myself when reading Maxim.

I’m hoping to bring my surprisingly old dog with me when I fly to Minnesota in a month for a family reunion and my grandmother’s memorial service.  She could meet my mom’s tiny dogs and let herself out through the dog door whenever she wanted and smell all the wonderful smells before she dies within a few years.  I took her to Petsmart this evening to find a carrier bag for her and they didn’t have any big enough.  She is actually rather large, especially for a dog who is supposed to fit under an airplane seat.

So I just ordered the large Sherpa Original Deluxe bag from petsmart.com for $74 with tax.  It’s larger than official regulation size according to the USAirways website, but not by much and I think it will be ok.  Assuming the dog will fit into it, which isn’t guaranteed.  I’ll find out when the bag arrives.

Then, I have to pay an extra $80 each way as the pet fee.  It must be worth it to me or else I wouldn’t be willing to pay it, I suppose.  If she can’t come with me and the man of the house does, she’ll have to be walked, fed, watered, petted, and taken care of by friends who, while completely responsible individuals who would make sure my old dog survived my absence, should not be forced to take on that responsibility.  She has to go out at least three times a day at specific intervals.  That’s a lot to ask of people who aren’t even dog people.

Sending her underneath the plane with the baggage isn’t an option.  The airline doesn’t allow it out of this airport because the heat can be extremely dangerous, plus she’s too old for it anyway.  She could break a hip in transit.

I just registered to take Accounting Principles at South Mountain Community College. The class meets Monday through Thursday evenings, 6:00-7:30, in June and July. I considered the one at Mesa Community College that’s only twice a week 7:10-9:50 p.m., and decided that I like the other one better. It’s just half a mile away from my home, I’m done at 7:30 on class days, I have a valid reason to leave work promptly at 5:30, and it allows twice as much opportunity to talk to fellow students before class starts every day. Sure, it meets every day for two months, and yet somehow I like it better.

The book is going to cost almost a hundred dollars on top of the $210 tuition and registration fees. If I can produce the proper documentation and get the right forms signed and sent to the correct departments before the course starts in a few weeks, the tuition reimbursement program at work will give me back $195 at the end of the term.

I need to buy a notebook!

I started working on my second quilt over the weekend, and promptly ran out of fabric halfway through. I went to Joann Fabric this evening, months after originally purchasing the fabric, with dim hopes of finding more of the same patterns so I didn’t have to come up with some kind of new plan to incorporate what I had already made with new colors. Turns out the store is closing in a month to move to a new “superstore” location and they’ve been having closeout sales on all their merchandise. At least half their fabric selection was already gone. I sadly perused the remaining bolts, grasping my samples, looking for coordinating fabrics.

But wait, what’s that in the corner! And over there on the bottom shelf? I found two of the three fabrics I wanted! The third I didn’t have much hope for anyway, since I had purchased the last of the bolt originally and didn’t expect them to reorder the exact same design. I chose two more fabrics that could go well with the rest of the quilt and bought all of them, for $65. I got a little crazy, although they were half off so at least there’s that. I can definitely make another quilt or two out of the remainder after I finish my current one. My new pizza cutter-like roller and template cutting mat make the process quicker and more exact.

Tomorrow is a gym day, then Wednesday I’m taking my car for emissions testing, and Thursday is another gym day. Friday and Saturday are for quilting, and by the end of the weekend I could have it completely pieced together and ready for the quilt sandwich part to begin.

I think quilt #3 will be another Tetris quilt, so let me know if you’d be interested in purchasing a nerd blanket…