Arepas!

I completely forgot I had these pictures so I never bothered to post about it. Last week I made arepas. For those who might not know, arepas are a corn based bread that is grilled. It's a very popular Colombian snack. For some reason, mine don't taste as good as my mother used to make them or as good as the ones from my favorite bakery, Cositas Ricas in Jackson Heights, NY. Oh well, they were still mighty tasty with some melted mozzarella cheese on top.

Reading Queue

I know a lot of knitters out there have various projects going simultaneously but I just can't bring myself to casting on another project while I'm in the middle of another. I definitely am a monogamous knitter. One thing I can't bring myself to do is to be a monogamous reader. I am constantly starting new books even though I love the one's that I am currently reading. I have good intentions to begin with but I can't resist. Instead of reading another chapter of the book that is on my night stand or purse, I end up logging into my amazon to see what else is out there. In this case, I blog about what I'm reading as opposed to actually using this time to read. So I bring you my reading list. These are books that are on the floor beside my bed, on the nightstand, on my coffee table, in my purse, in the bookcase, books I want to read again or never got the chance to read but wanted to and on my wish list... in no particular order.

1. Catwoman: The Life & Times of a Feline Fatale Special Edition
2. The Memory's Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
3. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
4. 1984 by George Orwell
5. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
6. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquirel
7. Robert Frost's Poems
8. Pet Cementary by Stephen King
9. A Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
10. Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter Almanac
11. Kurt Cobain Journals
12. Archaeology Treasures by Alberto Siliotti
13. War Letters by Andrew Carroll
14. A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve
15. A Art of Alfred Hitchcock
16. Daredevil Elektra
17. Black Hole by Charles Burns
18. Tales of Beedle Bard by J.K. Rowlings
19. Free Range Knitter by Stephanie Pearl McPhee
20. Mind Over Matters by Mike Nelson
21. Death Rat by Mike Nelson
22. Movie Mega Cheese by Mike Nelson
23. Watchman
24. Wicked
25. Into the Wild
26. Great Expectations
27. Locke & Key Welcome to Love Craft
28. Fall of the House of Usher & other tales by Edgar Allan Poe
29. Things I Learned from Knitting... whether I wanted to or not by Stephanie Pearl McPhee
30. Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
31. Skinny Bitch by Kim Barnouin and Rory Freedman
32. My Lobotomy by Howard Dully and Charles Fleming
33. The Knitter's Book of Yarn: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Using, and Enjoying Yarn by Clara Parkes
34. Speeches That Changed the World: The Stories and Transcripts of the Moments That Made History

If you can think of anything I should add to my queue, please leave me a comment. I'm always looking for good books to read :)

"Must see" places before I die.

Since writing my last blog about my yearning to travel, it seems that all I do is daydream about the traveling I want to do someday, again. I guess I've always been ambitious about traveling. Even as a child, when asked to write about what you wanted to be once you grew up, I would write about wanting to be an archaeologist or a national geographic photographer while all the other children wrote about their aspirations to be doctors, lawyer or some famous public figure. Now as an average adult with an average job which can be mind numbing at times, I conjure up scenarios in my head. Lately, I've been thinking about places I want to see before I die. A sort of "to do" list, something to strive for, I guess. I think it's important to always keep in mind what makes one happy. For myself, growth is a very important part of life. Always learning something new, becoming a better person, learning from experiences in life and improving myself. Seeing new places and meeting new people definitely allows for this growth.

Places to see before I die...

1. MachuPicchu, Peru. Definitely a spiritual place. To think it was all done by hand without mortar by the Incas centuries ago. For what purpose? All we can do is guess, using the evidence that is left behind.
2. Rain forest in Costa Rica. So many different species of animals and plants. It just be breathtaking.
3. Wilderness in Alaska. I imagine this place to be very humbling. Just nature and yourself.
4. Paris, France. Home of so many great paintings and sculptures in the Louvre.
5. More Colombia. My parents were born and raised there, so now I want to see they place that made them who they are, contributing to who I am.
6. Ireland. I think it seems like a wonderful place to live.
7. Mexico. Beautiful, colorful culture full of history, Tequila, beaches and historical landmarks.

Ten on Tuesday

Even though I'm good at these things, I just want to say that there is always room for improvement.

10 Things You're Really Good At
1. Speaking spanish (Thanks mom and dad!).
2. Organizing. (I am definitely a neat freak.)
3. Keeping my word.
4. Acting silly.
5. Knitting.
6. Baking.
7. Being relentless.
8. Draping.
9. Sewing.
10. Find the bright side of a bad situation :)

Hoping, Wishing, Saving, Planning

I saw this video (Lucky- Jason Mraz feat. Colbie Caillat) one morning while getting ready for work. Just made me realize how much I need a vacation. How great it would be to just get away from all responsibilities and obligations. Miles away eating brunch and taking in the scenery and the people I would be surrounded by. I guess that's why I continue to pay down and save up. So many places to visit... Alaska, Parque de Tayrona, Colombia and Paris, France.

Attack of the Stash!

Someday, I would love to have my own "stash" room. A room all for myself that would serve the purpose of my own personal knitting shop. Shelves would be stacked where yarn would be organized by weight then color. A couch in the corner where I can sit and knit without distractions. Here is a beginner's attempt. It no longer fits in the one plastic container I purchased.

Ten on Tuesday

This one is a bit difficult because it coincides with my new years resolutions.

10 Things You Want to do in 2009

1. Learn how to spin with a drop spindle.
2. Continue practicing yoga.
3. Learn how to dye yarn.
4. Get my driver's license.
5. Purchase a Prius or at least get closer to my goal of buying my own car on my own.
6. Doing some serious organizing in the apartment and hopefully throwing out junk in the process.
7. Grow herbs.
8. Read more.
9. Learn how to do cables.
10. Pay off a few debts.

I'm in love...

with Elizabeth Zimmerman. Yes, I have been captivated and enlightened by her last night. For Christmas I had received her Knitting Workshop dvd and finally started watching it. This is definitely a must have for any knitter. Now, I don't consider myself an expert knitter or anything but I thought I knew my basics. No. She gives so many helpful hints about basics in her dvd that I felt like I was learning how to knit all over again. Not to mention her other lessons that contain knowledge that I hadn't taken the time to learn already. Keep in mind that I am self taught so having someone to watch and learn from is a godsend. She teaches knitting with a percentage system which simplifies everything. She doesn't tell you how much to cast on, instead she instructs you to measure yourself and cast on accordingly to your gauge. I love it when she is explaining the decreasing in the yoke of the sweater and says "Don't worry if it's 39% or 41%. It's knitting. It stretches.". It just seemed funny that all this time I freak out when I realize I am short a stitch in a row. I suddenly gasp for air forgetting that it WILL stretch. If I wanted a perfect mitt or shawl or whatever the case may be, I would just purchase it at a store. I love the mistakes I make in my projects. It's what makes them personal. It's what makes them a hand knit.

Lost Mail

This past week, I went to check my P.O. Box and found a nice surprise. Yes, just a few days after Christmas I got a Christmas card. "From who?", you ask? Oh just the Miami Dolphin's quarterback, Chad Pennington. Yes we actually grew up together and shared many good times. Just kidding! I really have never met the guy. I guess it's just one of the things that come with owning a post office box, you end up getting other people's mail all the time. So Chad, if you're out there, you might want to check up on that beautiful holiday card you mailed out to wild and wonderful West Virginia. I hope that the family that was supposed to receive it isn't resentful for not getting their annual holiday card. I told Paul it was a shame we couldn't get a Brett Favre holiday card but getting a card from the guy that got replaced by Favre and kicked him out of the playoffs this year also makes a good story.

Happy Holidays from the Pennington family!