Happiness is....

I was tagged by both Ambika and Andrea for meme type things. Like Ambika did, I'll combine them both and try to think of 10 things that make me happy. It would be a nice reminder to myself to get out of my Monday induced less than desirable mood today!

My list will probably border on the materialistic today. What can I say, we're living in a material world, and I'm a material girl....(please read that like Adam Sandler in Wedding Singer).



1. The perfect brown boots that I've been eyeing for some time now. They were more than 1/2 off and my mom treated me to them! Thanks, Mom.

2. Much needed new running shoes. They make me want to work out and don't make my feet hurt!

3. Happiness is how texting has gotten me in much more regular contact with my best friend. Our schedules are not in sync for regular phone calls, but texting works great for us. Plus, it lets me receive more photos of my favorite little boy.

4. Sonny! My godson makes me so happy. Just thinking of his laugh or seeing a picture of him brightens my mood instantly. He calls me "Meesa" and my mom "Lola" (grandma in Tagalog). My heart breaks in a good way every time he says, "MeesaLolaMeesaLola" on speaker phone.

5. New music. I'm in love with the song Dead Sound by the Raveonettes. I found it on the Whip It soundtrack, which is rather fun!

6. Working out makes me much happier. If the work day is stressful or aggravating, I can leave my aggressions in the gym, or work it out on the treadmill. I also enjoy just letting my mind wander and think out all the creative things I want to do. Endorphins are good.

7. New to me podcasts from The Skirted Roundtable. These three generous ladies have a wonderful set of podcasts where they interview famous designers and most recently, the Editor-In-Chief of House Beautiful, Stephen Drucker. He was such an intelligent and gracious man, that I'm subscribing to the magazine next paycheck! Oh, and he loves grilled cheese and is best friends with Ina Garten. The grilled cheese was all I needed to know, being friends with Ina was a bonus).

8. My new electric toothbrush. I am working on keeping my gums healthy, my dentist recommended it, and after 3 days, I'm a fullblown convert. I really need to protect my gums since I have a dental implant and don't want to waste the investment in my grill. Thanks again, mom and dad. If you're thinking of getting an electric toothbrush, I recommend the Oral B Sonic Complete S-320. I found one on Amazon for about half of what I've seen in the stores, and yes, it was new and in the plastic impossible to open stuff! (Try using a can opener for the impossible plastic stuff, it totally works!)

9. Citrus fruit! I don't want scurvy, and I find myself craving naranjas or oranges in this weather. I made a blood orange salad the other day, and it was delicious! I'd like to get my hands on some famous Florida Honeybells as well...we shall see.

10. Warmth! Being happy to have indoor heating (not to mention shelter), snuggly down blankets, hot coffee and a boy to hold hands with. Yay for coziness.

How bout y'all? Let's see your list? Tag yo'self before you wreck yo'self. (Excluding Susan. We know how she's scared of the memes! Kidding!).

xo, Mariss

P.S. Work is making me loopy today. Could you tell?!

Engulfed in Flames

How fitting is it that I attended a David Sedaris reading on his new book titled, "When You Are Engulfed In Flames" while standing in direct sunlight on asphalt at noon during a hundred degree heat wave? It was so worth it though. I've read all of his books, but have never heard him read aloud. He was hilarious, slightly awkward and quite endearing. He even requested to see Lisa's knitting!



The crocheted Frankenblanket is coming along nicely. I cannot get over how fast crochet is, or addicting. I found it hard to put it down even when the air conditioner was broken. We're okay now though, and at least we have one to begin with!



I was tagged my Miss Hexagon Blanket herself, the lovely Dulle Griet. Since I am a co-founder of her blog-stalking fan club, I must play along.

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

1998. I had just wrapped up my first year of college, a year of varsity water polo, and was living at home and waitressing. Heaven. My friend, Jay was still alive, and our old gang would spend every night playing Manhunt in the 5th street park, going to the beach, or sneaking into the pool at the Hall of Fame and diving off of the platforms. Awww. I miss living at my parent's house!

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?

Find my dress and finish packing for my trip.
Fly to Chicago tonight.
Finish floorplans in CAD for work.
Finally update my blog.
Charge my phone. STAT!

3) Snacks I enjoy:

Key Lime Pie
Peanut butter ice cream on a sugar cone with chocolate sprinkles
Mango
Pineapple
Funnel cake

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

I'd like to think that my goals wouldn't change too much if I had that much loot. But let's play along for a bit, shall we?

After taking friends and family on a trip around the world for a year (totally stealing my best friend Trey's lottery winning idea here), I would buy a house. A house on a bit of land but with neighbors nearby. We could have a barn in the back for Mike's studio, and a woodshop for us to share. I would build and re-furbish furniture as a hobby, and do interior design. I would have (and/or) adopt the grandchildren my mom is jonesing for. I'd buy a letterpress, some new clothes and a hybrid car. Oh, and perhaps I would build a waterslide park a mile from my house for people to use. I would hire a tutor and travel to Spanish speaking countries and learn the language. I would find an inventor or invent a machine that could launch people from far-away places through a chute into my new home. Each of my friends and family would have one in their house, so we could see one another whenever we wanted. Yes, it would be just like at the drive-through teller machine at the bank. And lastly, I'd put aside money for my brother's scholarship, and donate to other causes I support like Heifer.

5) Places I’ve lived:
Philadelphia, PA (almost 4 years)
Bloomington, IN (7 years)
Plantation, FL (18 years + summers)
Las Vegas, NV (a summer)

6) Six people I would like to tag are:
anyone who wants to play!

Pretentious Book Game

I'm currently going through a bookshelf crisis. I have books I've read, ones I reference often, books I need to finish, books I've given up on, and ones that stress me out just looking at them. I finally put the ones I wanted to get rid of in a box (I'm talking to you, Faulkner!) to de-clutter. As soon as I decided it was okay to release these books into the world for others, Mike said, "Are you sure you won't want to read those?" So of course I faltered for a few weeks.



However, isn't that why I support my local library? And do I really need to hang on to important works of literature that I couldn't bear to finish in college so that I can appear well read? No. Of course I've kept many of the classics, and ones that I love like a dear friend. I think after seeing this post on Lisa's blog, I can fill out the list and it can help me to get rid of my box of books.

Here is how you play. Library Thing has a list of the top 106 books most often marked as “unread” by their users. As in, they sit on the shelf to make you look smart or well-rounded. Bold the ones you’ve read, underline the ones you read for school, italicize the ones you started but didn’t finish.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Anna Karenina
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22 (I love you, Yossarian)
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi: a novel
The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote (My brother's favorite book, on my list to read)
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
A Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveler’s Wife (One of my favorite books, hands down.)
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner (I hugged this book and cried at the end)
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods
Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (Another author you'll fall in love with. I have never laughed or cried so hard within one book or even one chapter.)
Atlas Shrugged (Oh, I had an Ayn Rand kick back in high school...)
Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West
The Canterbury Tales
The Historian : a novel
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (I heart Stephen Daedalus)
Love in the Time of Cholera
Brave New World
The Fountainhead (Twice. Told you about that Ayn Rand kick. Oy vey.)
Foucault’s Pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A Clockwork Orange
Anansi Boys
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible : a novel (Loved this book, but hated all of the characters)
1984
Angels & Demons (If you have this book on your shelf, you are not allowed to be pretentious. Ha ha.)
The Inferno (and Purgatory and Paradise)
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver’s Travels
Les Miserables
The Corrections
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dune
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury (My archnemisis...Faulkner. Just kidding.)
Angela’s Ashes: a memoir
The God of Small Things
A People’s History of the United States : 1492-present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-five
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The Mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake : a novel
Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an inquiry into values
The Aeneid
Watership Down
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit
In Cold Blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences
White Teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
The Three Musketeers

In conclusion, I don't think that this is the most comprehensive list of books, but it was fun nonetheless. Does anyone else have a book overload problem like this? How did you solve it?

Koigu, With a Side of Mush

Disclaimer: Mushy post with photos of gorgeous yarn thrown in. If you can't handle the emotions, just look at the pretty photos instead, from our recent "knit-out" in Rittenhouse Square. (wink)



In the time since my brother has been gone, I've noticed that I have subconciously categorized my life into "before" and "after". Things that have happened and people I knew before he died, and events and friendships I've made after. Knowing there would be an awkward moment where they would ask about my family, and I'd have to test out what to say. That was in the beginning though, it's much easier now. I now know how to put the person at ease, but to not diminish the loss.



That was not the case with my blog. It spanned both my old world, and the strange new place I was still working my way around. My blog became my safe place. I was able to sort my feelings out, to figure out how my life was different, but also a way to to look for the positive in each day. When I couldn't write about him in my personal journal, because it was still too raw, I was able to write about it on here. By doing that, I could alleviate my fear that by not writing it down, I would forget him. I was also able to just talk about it, and not worry about making people feel weird.

And then I found when I wrote about it, I received such unexpected support from acquaintences, old friends and people I had only met through the internet. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. It was a place where I could speak, and people were comfortable with that. I didn't have to worry if they didn't want to listen, because I knew that they had the choice to not return or read.



I never guessed I would create real friendships with people across the country based on our similar senses of humor, aesthetics and design sense. People who have made me laugh, brought on tears with their kind words, stories and support, and who have brightened my days.

I also never expected to make such wonderful friendships with the women in my knitting circle. Let me tell you, the first time I went, I was terrified, and the only person that spoke to me nearly scared me off. Thank God I went back! I would have missed out on so much, mainly pints of pear cider, alpacas and many brunches. I can't tell you how important these ladies have been to my Wednesdays, or to my daily life in Philadelphia.

So thank you, friends and crafty community, for being so good to me.

I'm also happy to show off the 300 grams of Koigu mill-ends I treated myself to. This was a combination of my economic stimulus check, my Rosie's 20% coupon, the yearly mill-end opportunity and the result of bragging about the lowly $36 I had spent at Sheep and Wool.

In honor of my anniversary, I'll do a meme that I was tagged to do from Yarn Therapy. It asks for 5 things about myself, I know I've done this before, but I'm a sucker for surveys (wink). You can do it if you want (unless you're Susan, since I know about your feelings on memes!).

1. One of my dreams is to own a house on a bit of property, about an hour away from a big city, with a barn. The barn will have a woodshop, and a studio for Mike to paint. My studio may be in the barn, or in the house. I will refurbish furniture, do some upholstery, interior design part time, and draw and paint. Maybe I can have the grandkids my mom has been jonesing for. And a mutt, a pug, an outdoor cat, a few alpaca, a garden and a bike with a basket. Er, that's a lot for the first one!

2. I can't stand pickles. They gross me out. I'm one of five people in the world who dislike pickles. When I was at the Renegade Craft Fair, they had a Mr. Pickle booth and I had the heebie jeebies. They all think I'm crazy, but I think you're all crazy for liking them! And yes, I now like cucumbers, and even pickled cucumbers. But I'm holding out based on my ridiculous principles.

3. Everything I learned about good customer service and business relates to working as a waitress at an Italian restaurant when I was 17. In fact, my whole philosophy on life could be based on what I learned as a waitress. The most important thing was to prevent fires rather than spend time putting out fires. Not real ones though, although I did get locked in a freezer.... For example, if you get quadruple sat and will not be able to serve drinks for ten minutes, do yourself a favor and acknowledge your guests and let them know you'll be right there. Otherwise, they'll sit there wondering if you even know they're there and get pissed and leave a Spawn comic book as a tip. In my work environment today, I make sure to keep my clients updated with the status of things, especially if there is a delay. As long as they're kept in the loop, they're not going to go pickle-crazy wondering what is going on. It's amazing how a one minute email or phone call can keep people happy, and how many people don't bother to do this.

4. A psychic once told me that I would become a household name, but that nobody would recognize my face. I was excited to hear this. Would I be a ceramicist, a clothing designer, a water polo player? Excited until my dad reminded me that Charles Manson was also a household name. "Daaaaaaad!" said Marissa in a whiny seventeen year old voice.

5. In sixth grade, I won first place in the state of Florida for a 50 word essay describing the utter importance of the podiatry profession. I wrote it quite tongue-in-cheek, and in a rush to finish reading whatever Baby Sitters Club book was in my hands. The intro stated, "If we didn't have podiatrists, people would be walking on their hands every day because of all of their warts, corns and bunions."

Don't forget, you chose to read this! (wink)

xoxo, Mariss

P.S. Why yes, that's a progress shot of Mom's Lace Ribbon Shawl, on the Rittenhouse goat. I love you, lady.

Eight Random Things

I didn't mean to have such a long blogging absence. I've been busy and decided to enjoy the last bit of summer. I also had to let Mike use the computer at night to work on teaching assignments, which is a worthy cause if you ask me!



In the meantime, I'm co-hosting a bridal shower for a friend this weekend. (More excuses for my absence!). Below are a preview of the invites. Let me tell you, they are tres cute.



I've also been knitting and crocheting a bit, but will show you that later too. I'll do the infamous Eight Random Things instead...

1. My Lolo Basa (Grandfather) was the first registered architect in Davao City, Philippines. He also raised 9 children by himself, after my Lola and Tita (Aunt) Alice died in a tragic plane crash. I didn't get to see him very often, but I always loved him so much. I've heard I get my artistic talents and love of reading from him. (sweet)

2. I was a springboard and platform diver from the age of 8 until 18. I can even do handstands on the platform!

3. I went skydiving once, but only because my mom wasn't home when I called to ask. It was very spur of the moment, and was unbelievably fun. Once is enough though, don't want to tempt the fates. Until I'm 78 -- when all bets are off!

4. I am glad I was dorky in middle school. If I didn't go through that rite of passage, I wouldn't be who I am now. Which is that person who talks to people in line at the grocery store. It makes life more fun, and the stories more interesting.

5. I used to pull up my dress as a little girl to play with my bellybutton. I did this at a school play, when I was the innkeeper's wife, and at my aunt's wedding when I was the flower girl. I was 3 though, and got over that stage!

6. I scar very easily. I get keloids, where your body doesn't know when to stop making scar tissue. It's more common in people who have more melanin in their skin. But I'm lucky, and don't have a scar from my old eyebrow ring (ha ha) or earrings. In a way, it's like I'm genetically superior, like Wolverine...

7. In 5th grade, a flasher was following around my friends and me at a public library. It was really creepy, but we reported it to the police and the guy was eventually arrested due to our report. We were really proud, after getting over having to say the word penis to the officer.

8. I am very fussy about socks. I used to change pairs of socks up to 3 times when I was a kid until they felt okay, and my Velcro shoes were comfortable. I also used to roll down my knee high socks when we went to the ballet. I still can't wear uncomfortable socks now. (Keep in mind, I wore only flip flops until I was about 18!)

Sorry about all of the run-on sentences and sentence fragments...and nobody is tagged, as I'm the only person in the world who has not done this one!

2006 in Review

I saw this meme on Sweet Georgia's blog. I thought it may be fun to do. It may not be that much fun for you to read, but it's here for my loyal fans (you know who you are)!

1. How was 2006 for you?
2. What was the highlight of your year?
3. What did you want to accomplish that you didn’t get to?
4. What are you planning for 2007?

1. How was 2006 for you?

• Bittersweet is how I would describe 2006. This has been the year when I’ve had to sort out my feelings of losing my younger brother last year (December 16, 2005). However, it’s also been a year where my perspective on life has changed. I think when your life falls apart, you have to figure out how to survive and grow and learn. You can’t shut down and feel guilty for being happy, or for being able to do things that your loved one can’t see or share with you. It has been a year where I’ve felt the need to protect my parents, and to let them and my friends and family help me too.
• This has been the year to get off of my tookus and try to do the things I’ve been dreaming about for years. Most of these things will be included in question 3 and 4, but at least I’m putting myself out there. I don’t want to be so scared to fail at something, that I never try new things.
• 2006 is the year I became a blogger. I never thought I’d be a blogger, and found it somewhat silly at one time. But I really enjoy it, and reading others' blogs. I always liked to write, but it was mainly letters to friends, or journal entries. (Journals that my best friend Tracy knows to burn when I die! While refraining the urge to read them!) I didn’t realize how much I missed putting my words out there for others to see as well.
  
  It’s also so inspiring to see what other people are working on, and getting new ideas, sharing new products and being part of an online community. And it’s also been a place where I’ve become better friends with people I know in my “real life”.
  

2. What were the highlights of your year?

• My trip to the Philippines with my mom. I got to know my aunts, uncles, dozens of cousins, and my cousins children, who happen to be the cutest children ever. Incidentally, the lowlight of our year occurred on this trip--which was my poor mom breaking her ankle pretty badly while we were there. But our hospital visit will provide stories and laughs to fill this lifetime! And, I loved learning a little Tagalog!
• Quizzo, parties, get-togethers, impromptu meetups, brunches and movies with friends! This fall, I have gotten over my slump and become social again. There was definitely a slump for awhile. Understandable of course...but being a hermit gets old. (And I don't want to harass Mike too much!)
• Being a bridesmaid in my friend, Tara's wedding in Jacksonville, Florida. And especially getting to see my favorite children in the Western Hemisphere.
• See Mike get his MFA in Painting!
• Getting to see my "Swedish Brother". We had a wonderful exchange student in 2000, named Daniel. He is the greatest guy and my family loves him. It was so much fun to see him when he visited with his friend Olof.

3. What did you want to accomplish that you didn't get to?

• I'd like to go to the beach one time this year. Ironically, I have been to the following places this year, but extenuating circumstances prevented the visit! Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Atlantic City, Davao and Manila in the Philippines. Oh wait--I will be in Ft. Lauderdale from the 22nd of December until the end of the year. I will get in the ocean in those 9 days.
• I was hoping to make more soup this year, sew an apron and make a cupcake pin cushion for a friend and myself. But it has been a warm winter, and the cupcakes can wait until 2007!
• This year I have learned to not get down on myself for not finishing everything I set out to do. If it sits for a bit, that's fine. I'll pick it up when I feel inspired again. I'm sick of stressing myself out for goals that I set for myself. Therefore, I'm trying to set more realistic goals for myself, and accomplish those.

4. What are you planning for 2007?

• Setting up my etsy.com store mariss+drew, to sell stationary and possibly some handmade items in the future.
• Soup club! Anyone interested in joining my soup club, let me know. We will make a big vat of soup once a month and everyone takes some home. You must invest in some fine Tupperware that is spill proof! (wink)
• Scrounging up some money to go to Hawaii with my best friend Trey, her mom and aunt. Can we say...subsidized?! I'm just kidding! But I adore Trey and her family. We'll see how this goes...
• I'd like to read Don Quixote by Cervantes and finish any other books on my list to finish.