My birthday

I am now 27, which might feel less like 26 if I were doing something other than studying for MA exams and puttering about! At any rate, thought I'd show off my presents.

The first was an idea Nate & I've had ever since we stopped cat-sitting Quin and Abby looked lonely. His name is Finch, which yes is a bird but also a literary character (Atticus Finch) whose name I've always liked.

Finch came from a Craigslist ad -- a lady rescues kittens and then starts them out on their new lives happily cared for by humans (with no apologies to Derrida). Finch was an active little begger and old enough to be taken home so we chose him. He has adorable stripes and his ears are sooo big adn he has leopard spots underneath him. And I've figured out how to upload video from the digital camera to the blog, though unfortunately not how to take good pictures with a camera that you can't zoom in on with a subject that moves around. The cutest one is too large to upload & I don't yet know how to edit, them, but this one is cute enough. So, here's Finch playing!

After I learn how to shoot a steady picture with a still camera, I need to figure out how to edit these things -- the last 10 seconds of the first video are completely useless, after all! I could also show you the still pictures I've taken from my computer of Finch -- we took one together and then he figured out how to do it and went up, hit the space bar and captured...his ears. But he's learning!

My next present was from Dad & Nick -- a beautiful blue vase that will go very nicely in my newly painted living room, once I have it completely set up. Saturday was market day so I bought flowers:

Have a few more still coming -- Nate got me a canoe membership at the park by our apartment and Big Daddy sent me some money I want to use to get a knitting lesson and some supplies. I have about a million knitting needles, but on trying to match them discovered that I have exactly one pair -- and it's a larger guage than I want. Also don't much like plastic and did some research: bamboo ones (in addition to being better for the environment) have less slippage and I always drop stitches. And I'd like some good yarn to make something. Likely will start out with something easy like a scarf, then work to something less easy like a more complicated scarf (Alterknitshas a great pattern -- actually it has about 5 great patterns!) and then, my favorite: socks. There are some amazing sock patterns on-line and one of the knitting stores around here has a 3-session class teaching you the difficult art of making socks. (People say it's easy, but then you notice the four needles involved and realize that you can't balance two and ...) So I'll post pictures of me by the boat or knitting or something when I have them.