Find the following people among players on your and the other teams. (Each person can only be listed once.)

1. Someone with the same craft as you.  Lily May Clearwater – I knit and while I have some crochet hooks, I haven’t really gotten that into it yet.
2. Someone who was born in the same month. Enna Kirts also born in August – the best month ever… aside from December.  I really can’t compete with Christmas.
3. Someone from a different country. Eugine Nigeno – I believe is in the Netherlands!
4. A new HSKS Quidditch player.  I think Maisy Muddlesticks is new.
5. A player who has been in 3 or more HSKS swaps. Violet Starfire
6. A player who has a bigger stash than you! (And if your stash is the biggest, proudly say so!) – well this one should be easy, as I’m slowly working my stash down.  So I’ll say Selena Starfire
7. A player who both knits and crochets.  that’s easy!  my swap buddy, Bridget the Bloodthirsty!
8. Someone who has the same favorite color as you. Quietus, of course!

There’s more homework to do, but I’m a bit exhausted. I did a nice mile swim this evening and am now going to start sleeve numero 2 on the french braid sweater.  Here’s hoping I can have it done this week!  But I may just grab my book – Tears of Pearls by Tasha Alexander, and go to bed.

Find the following people among players on your and the other teams. (Each person can only be listed once.)

1. Someone with the same craft as you.  Lily May Clearwater – I knit and while I have some crochet hooks, I haven’t really gotten that into it yet.
2. Someone who was born in the same month. Enna Kirts also born in August – the best month ever… aside from December.  I really can’t compete with Christmas.
3. Someone from a different country. Eugine Nigeno – I believe is in the Netherlands!
4. A new HSKS Quidditch player.  I think Maisy Muddlesticks is new.
5. A player who has been in 3 or more HSKS swaps. Violet Starfire
6. A player who has a bigger stash than you! (And if your stash is the biggest, proudly say so!) – well this one should be easy, as I’m slowly working my stash down.  So I’ll say Selena Starfire
7. A player who both knits and crochets.  that’s easy!  my swap buddy, Bridget the Bloodthirsty!
8. Someone who has the same favorite color as you. Quietus, of course!

There’s more homework to do, but I’m a bit exhausted. I did a nice mile swim this evening and am now going to start sleeve numero 2 on the french braid sweater.  Here’s hoping I can have it done this week!  But I may just grab my book – Tears of Pearls by Tasha Alexander, and go to bed.

The lake temperature was perfect.  I wanted to swim a half mile – mile but I ended up just taking it easy, floating on my back, watching the resident eagles flying around.  It was perfect.  After that we had out potluck dinner with training group which was a blast.  Then I get home and check email.  I got the best email ever!

I had answered the KUOW/Nancy Pearl survey to get book recommendations from my librarian hero (that would be Nancy Pearl).  And today I got a response back!  I’m super excited to get all moved into the new place and curl up with the books that she recommended for me.  Ok, maybe it was not just her that responded but all the interns from the UW iSchool.  But still, it’s like when you were in 3rd grade and they made you write to say, the president and you actually get a letter back!

So here’s what she wrote back.  (I can’t remember what I responded to her survey but I’m excited to get started on these books.) Just as a side note here, maybe, if you’re looking for something on the cheap to get for my birthday, perhaps a book from this email might be nice   And I don’t mind if you get the book at Half Price Books – it’s a way to go green and recycle.

Hi Becky,

Thank you for filling out the  “Why do I like the books I like” survey on KUOW’s website.  This response is a collaborative effort of Andrea Gough, one of my students at the ISchool at UW, and myself.  Please let us know what you think of these suggestions, and, if you do read any of them, what you thought of it.

I’m not sure this is a banquet I want to go to.  What is black ach?  I believe my cat might have the black ach.  I mean, he gets some mean hairballs…

Things like that make my days a little bit happier.  You know what else makes my days a little bit happier… pie!  I made two pies the other day.  One was a peanut butter pie

and a maple walnut pie.

Both were really good and rather easy to make.

I also finished The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.  It’s about the building of the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893.  More specifically it’s about Daniel H Burnham the architect who is responsible for the construction and the vision of the World’s Fair and a charming doctor by the name of H.H. Holmes who is considered the first American serial killer.  I know it sounds like a bizarre idea for a book.  But it’s quite fascinating.  I think that the fact that these two things (the building of the White City- the World’s Fair and the killings of H.H. Holmes) are happening at the same time in the same city really made the book that much more interesting to me. I’ve been listening to it at work and  I think if I had been reading this before I went to bed at night, I would either have some really awful dreams or I wouldn’t be able to sleep.  It’s a really well written book and the author definitely takes you to a completely differernt time and place.  But I have to admit, the next book is going to be a bit lighter in topic.

And my peony is almost ready to bloom.

And my little planter of chard, kale and squash seems to be doing well.

I wish my understanding of how to knit 2 socks at once was blooming as fast as my plants are!

Here’s where I’m at with the socks.  The gusset will kill me.

I’m not sure if the explain is poorly done or if I’m a total imbecile, but I’m just not getting it.  I’m using the Melissa Morgan-Oakes book 2 at a Time Socks as my guide.  And I have to say, it’s difficult for me to understand.  I think I’m one of those people who learns by watching and then doing.  So perhaps, once I figure it out, I’ll be able to re-read her instructions and it will make sense.  At least, that’s what I’m hoping.

And on the book front, I have been listening to Bill Bryson’s book, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid while I’m at work.  All I can say is, if you don’t laugh until your stomach hurts at this book then you are living in a horrible world.  I think I laughed until I cried for most of this book.  I may have to have this as my ipod listening  when I have to do a long bike ride or long run.

I’ve read a couple of his other books (In a Sunburned Country and Neither Here, Nor There) both of which I really enjoyed.  As a matter of fact, I think I need to re-read Neither Here, Nor There.  There were a few parts in that book that had me doubled over from laughter.

And on geekier news:

Seattle is the home to Nancy Pearl – the librarian that they modeled the Librarian action figure on.  This is not her only claim to fame.  She’s also the author of the Book Lust series of books.  Here’s where the geek comes out – She’s my superhero.  Once a month she heads over to our local NPR station (KUOW) and gives great book recommendations.  Now she’s come up with a 4 question survey to help her figure out what books to recommend to you!  When she was on the air this morning, you could fill out the form and it would be mailed to her. Then sometime this summer she and what I can only assume is a large staff of interns from the UW iSchool (the school I’m hoping to get into – feel free to flood them with recommendations about me.  And let them know I should get a full scholarship.) will send you a list of book recommendations!  I’ll let you know if and when I get my list!

The great thing about our library system is that you can download audio books.  So I’ve already got a list of stuff waiting for me.  The next book on the list is called Good Girls, Good Food, Good Fun – The Story of USO Hostesses During World War II.  It just seemed like an interesting book.  I probably wouldn’t pick it up in the bookstore, but since I can listen to it while I worked, I thought I would give it a shot.

I’m also currently reading Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.  It’s a quick read and as a knitter, it’s one of those, it’s funny because it’s true kinda reads.   It’s the book I read before I go to bed.  I find that I end up dreaming about knitting.  I’m not sure if that’s a bad thing or a good thing yet.  So far my favorite story has been “The Beast.”  About Stephanie and her battle with a crazed squirrel who has a love of hand spun and hand dyed yarns.  And to be honest, I can’t fault him for his love of this things.  I just don’t agree with how far he goes for his love.

And thanks to one of my fellow Harry Potter Swap buddies, I’m now addicted to a new website – Goodreads.com.  Goodreads.com let’s you keep track of what you’re read, what you’re currently reading and what you want to be reading.  You can also write reviews of what you’ve read others can see your review.  You can also see what your friends have read, what they’re currently reading and what they want to be reading.  As well as all their reviews.  I now have several new books to add to the list…