Monday, May 23, 2005
I never really use my knitting blog to promote optical products... but I really have to share.
We just got the line of Maui Jim sunglasses in the office today. I wore a pair out this afternoon, to pick Sam up at daycare. These things are AWESOME. The optical properties of these lenses are absolutely unbelievable-- and are so far superior to any other sunglasses I have ever worn.
The lenses are polarized, are slightly mirrored on the front surface, and have anti-reflective treatment on the back surface-- triple glare blocking properties (patented lens technology, the reps tell us)-- you don't feel like you're looking through sunglasses, or any glasses-- you just have crisp, clear, bright, perfectly comfortable vision, even in direct sunlight. Even cooler, we can order them in a prescription-- Maui Jim has their own lens lab, so prescription lenses are made with the same lens technology.
These are worth trying. I think we're going to do a "test drive" program at the office-- let people come by, take a pair out and drive around for 15 minutes... the difference is incredible.
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We just got the line of Maui Jim sunglasses in the office today. I wore a pair out this afternoon, to pick Sam up at daycare. These things are AWESOME. The optical properties of these lenses are absolutely unbelievable-- and are so far superior to any other sunglasses I have ever worn.
The lenses are polarized, are slightly mirrored on the front surface, and have anti-reflective treatment on the back surface-- triple glare blocking properties (patented lens technology, the reps tell us)-- you don't feel like you're looking through sunglasses, or any glasses-- you just have crisp, clear, bright, perfectly comfortable vision, even in direct sunlight. Even cooler, we can order them in a prescription-- Maui Jim has their own lens lab, so prescription lenses are made with the same lens technology.
These are worth trying. I think we're going to do a "test drive" program at the office-- let people come by, take a pair out and drive around for 15 minutes... the difference is incredible.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
I've been neglecting the blog this week. I think it's just that I'm knitting two very plain projects in navy blue-- and it isn't all that exciting to watch their progress.
I finished the back and sleeves on the "feesh" pouch sweater for Sam. I started the front, and realized that one of the main colors of the pouch (the light blue) had been left out of the kit! So I e-mailed Buffy at Shelridge Farms, and she is sending it out... but the progress on that is stalled for now.
So I went back to working on jw's sock. I'm more than halfway through the foot of the first sock.
I think I have to cast on something else though... perhaps something NOT navy blue. The sock will be a good travel project for our trip to Colorado on Friday... but I need something else to work on while I'm there, especially because I'm not sure how early in our week I'll get to Showers Of Flowers (uh oh... I notice they're hiring... I may decide to stay!)
Speaking of hiring, I interviewed a guy who had found and read my blog in preparation for his interview. Hee hee. Very impressive. (Hi Eric, if my riveting banter has you hooked!)
And speaking of nothing... we took Sam strawberry picking this morning.
Despite this particular photo, he was actually quite good at picking out the red ones. Of course, his favorite part was eating them...
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I finished the back and sleeves on the "feesh" pouch sweater for Sam. I started the front, and realized that one of the main colors of the pouch (the light blue) had been left out of the kit! So I e-mailed Buffy at Shelridge Farms, and she is sending it out... but the progress on that is stalled for now.
So I went back to working on jw's sock. I'm more than halfway through the foot of the first sock.
I think I have to cast on something else though... perhaps something NOT navy blue. The sock will be a good travel project for our trip to Colorado on Friday... but I need something else to work on while I'm there, especially because I'm not sure how early in our week I'll get to Showers Of Flowers (uh oh... I notice they're hiring... I may decide to stay!)
Speaking of hiring, I interviewed a guy who had found and read my blog in preparation for his interview. Hee hee. Very impressive. (Hi Eric, if my riveting banter has you hooked!)
And speaking of nothing... we took Sam strawberry picking this morning.
Despite this particular photo, he was actually quite good at picking out the red ones. Of course, his favorite part was eating them...
Thursday, May 12, 2005
This pair of socks could take a while.
I cast on for one of the projects I got at MDS&W... it's the fish pouch sweater. I decided that a plain stockinette square would be ideal for the TV watching I plan to be doing lately. I got a huge chunk of the back done during the awesome 2-hour season finale of the Amazing Race (can't even imagine how that will screw up my gauge)... and then finished the back tonight during the not-finale of Apprentice. (The picture was taken earlier this afternoon)
However, the sock has not gone completely ignored. Sam napped in the car for about an hour-- I finished the gusset, and am now into the foot of sock #1. Slow and steady progress-- these aren't really summer socks anyway.
Work is nuts, as always. Carl's tenure as our office manager was short-lived... and so the search continues once again.
Note to anyone seeking a job:
1. Change your cover letter to suit the job you are applying for. "Dear Sir or Madam: I am seeking a position in your banking firm" does not do it for me.
2. Proofread your cover letter and your resume. Then have someone with a better grasp of the English language proofread it for you. "I think I am well suited to take on this roll in your office" does not get you a callback. "Desired salary: $54,000 anally" got me a good laugh... it will not get you a job. "Desired salary: $14.00 anually" is more reasonable-- do you think someone will really work for that? "Your" and "You're" are two different words. "A lot" is also two words. If you really work at a company called "VIP Optical Labratories" then we have bigger problems than whether you're going to work for us.
3. If you are going to list your skills, make them real skills. "Making copies" is not that impressive. "Making black and white, as well as color copies" is oddly less so. My least favorite skill listed? "Browsing the Internet" I have enough trouble with my current staff (myself included!) browsing the internet when they're supposed to be working... I hardly think I'm going to hire another.
4. Please create a professional-sounding (or at least cryptic) e-mail address, and use this account to send out resumes. "HotItalianHunnie@whatever.com" is not an e-mail address that really inspires me to reply with a job offer.
5. If you live in Iowa, or Texas, or Michigan, and are not willing to relocate, I would suggest that you not apply for positions in New Jersey.
Oh, I could go on... but it is getting late, so I will stop. Perhaps tomorrow I will rant about the sad state of affairs that leads college graduates to request salaries of $22,000.
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I cast on for one of the projects I got at MDS&W... it's the fish pouch sweater. I decided that a plain stockinette square would be ideal for the TV watching I plan to be doing lately. I got a huge chunk of the back done during the awesome 2-hour season finale of the Amazing Race (can't even imagine how that will screw up my gauge)... and then finished the back tonight during the not-finale of Apprentice. (The picture was taken earlier this afternoon)
However, the sock has not gone completely ignored. Sam napped in the car for about an hour-- I finished the gusset, and am now into the foot of sock #1. Slow and steady progress-- these aren't really summer socks anyway.
Work is nuts, as always. Carl's tenure as our office manager was short-lived... and so the search continues once again.
Note to anyone seeking a job:
1. Change your cover letter to suit the job you are applying for. "Dear Sir or Madam: I am seeking a position in your banking firm" does not do it for me.
2. Proofread your cover letter and your resume. Then have someone with a better grasp of the English language proofread it for you. "I think I am well suited to take on this roll in your office" does not get you a callback. "Desired salary: $54,000 anally" got me a good laugh... it will not get you a job. "Desired salary: $14.00 anually" is more reasonable-- do you think someone will really work for that? "Your" and "You're" are two different words. "A lot" is also two words. If you really work at a company called "VIP Optical Labratories" then we have bigger problems than whether you're going to work for us.
3. If you are going to list your skills, make them real skills. "Making copies" is not that impressive. "Making black and white, as well as color copies" is oddly less so. My least favorite skill listed? "Browsing the Internet" I have enough trouble with my current staff (myself included!) browsing the internet when they're supposed to be working... I hardly think I'm going to hire another.
4. Please create a professional-sounding (or at least cryptic) e-mail address, and use this account to send out resumes. "HotItalianHunnie@whatever.com" is not an e-mail address that really inspires me to reply with a job offer.
5. If you live in Iowa, or Texas, or Michigan, and are not willing to relocate, I would suggest that you not apply for positions in New Jersey.
Oh, I could go on... but it is getting late, so I will stop. Perhaps tomorrow I will rant about the sad state of affairs that leads college graduates to request salaries of $22,000.
Monday, May 09, 2005
Maryland Sheep & Wool was a great place to spend Mother's Day. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. We saw lots of dads hanging out with kids while moms shopped for yarn.
Sam liked eating outside in the grass.
He also liked ALL of the sheep. He says "BAAAAAAA!"
Sue had expressed concern that the event seemed "too sheepy" and "not yarny enough."... oh SO not so. This is just one of so many yarn booths-- this one from Kid Hollow Farms,
...where I bought this incredibly colored wool/mohair blend to make something for myself.
After online consultation with the esteemed jw, I think I am going to make the Time In A Bottle sweater from the Fall 2004 Knitter's.
Another favorite booth was Shelridge Farms. They were very smart, and had many things in kits... just the antidote for the overwhelmed first-time MDS&W visitor.
I bought a kit to make a little sweater for Sam, with brightly colored fish on the front pouch. I have heard that toddlers often refuse to wear lovingly knitted items, so I am hoping the fish (he says "feeesh") will be an enticement.
I also bought a few other goodies, that may become sweaters for him as well.
All good stuff... I can't wait to get started. The best part? Jonathan loved Great Sage so much that it will be a no-brainer to get him to go back! Anyone know a good veggie place in Rhinebeck???
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Sam liked eating outside in the grass.
He also liked ALL of the sheep. He says "BAAAAAAA!"
Sue had expressed concern that the event seemed "too sheepy" and "not yarny enough."... oh SO not so. This is just one of so many yarn booths-- this one from Kid Hollow Farms,
...where I bought this incredibly colored wool/mohair blend to make something for myself.
After online consultation with the esteemed jw, I think I am going to make the Time In A Bottle sweater from the Fall 2004 Knitter's.
Another favorite booth was Shelridge Farms. They were very smart, and had many things in kits... just the antidote for the overwhelmed first-time MDS&W visitor.
I bought a kit to make a little sweater for Sam, with brightly colored fish on the front pouch. I have heard that toddlers often refuse to wear lovingly knitted items, so I am hoping the fish (he says "feeesh") will be an enticement.
I also bought a few other goodies, that may become sweaters for him as well.
All good stuff... I can't wait to get started. The best part? Jonathan loved Great Sage so much that it will be a no-brainer to get him to go back! Anyone know a good veggie place in Rhinebeck???
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Here it is, jw, your future sock!
My BOOBfriend jw is very crafty, in an artistic sort of way. (I am crafty in a follow-patterns sort of way). She took a class on symmetric wire-bending (I'm sure it has a more technical name) but she learned to make these awesome swirly wire things with beads, which I think will make absolutely gorgeous stitch markers.
So we set up an exchange-- she will make me stitch markers, and I will make her socks.
She said that I could either make something conservative that she could wear under her pants to work... or something really wild.
Oddly, I decided to go very conservative-- I figured she can knit a self-striping sock herself, and it is a true friend who will knit someone (with size 9.5 feet) a solid navy blue sock. My handknit 2x2 ribbed socks are my absolute favorites to wear-- so I hope these will be her favorites as well. The yarn is Regia Silk... combined with the ribbing, it feels so soft and squishy.
I will probably start something else this week to knit concurrently (what IS up with me knitting only one thing at once lately?)-- I'm thinking something with a little visual interest for more interesting pictures-- but I will update sock progress periodically. They should be done just in time for summer :)
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My BOOBfriend jw is very crafty, in an artistic sort of way. (I am crafty in a follow-patterns sort of way). She took a class on symmetric wire-bending (I'm sure it has a more technical name) but she learned to make these awesome swirly wire things with beads, which I think will make absolutely gorgeous stitch markers.
So we set up an exchange-- she will make me stitch markers, and I will make her socks.
She said that I could either make something conservative that she could wear under her pants to work... or something really wild.
Oddly, I decided to go very conservative-- I figured she can knit a self-striping sock herself, and it is a true friend who will knit someone (with size 9.5 feet) a solid navy blue sock. My handknit 2x2 ribbed socks are my absolute favorites to wear-- so I hope these will be her favorites as well. The yarn is Regia Silk... combined with the ribbing, it feels so soft and squishy.
I will probably start something else this week to knit concurrently (what IS up with me knitting only one thing at once lately?)-- I'm thinking something with a little visual interest for more interesting pictures-- but I will update sock progress periodically. They should be done just in time for summer :)
