It been so long...

I've been guiltily going to my blog all week and trying to find the time to actually sit down and write something/take some pictures but no... I've been so busy! Even now, as I am typing my demented lovebird is yelling at me because he wants me to get him some bath water. He's very funny; He'll climb up to his brother's cage and flip some water out of the dish, scream at me and then stop to see if I'm paying attention to him. Then after I get some water in a shallow bowl(weirdly there must be a single ice cube in it) he comes down and has a bath amongst the newspaper I've spread out on the living room floor. Also, if he sees me watching him while he's having a bath he'll stop and look back at me. Little weirdo.

Okay, so now that the bird has had his bath where was I? Oh yes, I haven't had time to craft at all! Hopefully this weekend (although that's what I always say isn't it?) I did have a chance to play with my new office! I actually share it with a girl from Texas (it's weird, I'm probably one of the only people from Hawai`i in the History Department at the University of Hawai`i) but she's really nice and she's helped me loads adjusting already.

Here is a bag that I sewed out of $2 a yard fabric from Wal-mart. I made it based off some of the bags I've seen on etsy, which are loosely based on yak-pak. I really like the material actually; it's a deeper yellow with light yellow hawaiian print leaves and flowers, and it looks as we say here in Hawai`i "NATIVE." You know, the activist, Hawaiian-speaking, hula dancing kinda native? Which is good, because that's what I am (except for the hula-dancing part; I have no rhythm). It's a really huge bag too, and I love it! Also it's good that the fabric was so cheap, because that's my brand-new laptop next to it, and that cost a pretty penny.

Here is the view outside my office; I'm glad there's lotsa green around.

And here is me, sitting at my desk, playing with my new computer!

Hopefully, there will be more decorations in my office later... for now this is all I have:

So this is what panic looks like

Baby sister went away to college... Humboldt University in Norcal.

Okay, so spent the whole week in seminars and working furiously on the same manuscript as always (hence, no blogging, crafting or even mailing; I am soooo behind). I found out in these seminars henceforth known as "TA training" that I am responsible for learning these kids some history.

I mean, I knew that as a teaching assistant I would be grading papers etc, but NOW I've learned that I will have three history labs, 60 students, and I am primarily responsible for generating the ENTIRE content for these classes and discussions, homeworks and quizzes. All the professor has to do is lecture and create the final exam; she doesn't even grade them! The course content, my office hours and syllabi etc have to be done by MONDAY and they only told us YESTERDAY! The funny thing is, I didn't major in history as an undergraduate, so I've never even taken the course that I am teaching!So if you ever attend a class where it seems like the teacher just made up the syllabus and entire course in just one weekend, please take pity on them... they did not know what they were getting into. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!


So knowing all this, I couldn't work a great deal on the final chapters of the manuscript and felt there was no reason to meet with the author this friday at 8:30 in the morning on the other side of the island. He said, "there may only be one or two changes we can discuss, but I'd still like to meet." And then, this same guy, the author of the manuscript, had been using citations from non academic webcites; I had told him that I thought the publishers might nick us for it. The solution from the publishers? "Oh, Kili (that's me) why don't you go to the University library and find these sources for Doug... I know that there should be some references to the same things in the University's repository..."

AAAAAHHHHH! Do you not understand? I am busy just trying to finish EDITING the last chapters of the stupid manuscript! I am not supposed to be responsible for fixing shoddy academic work on the author's end, that's his job! So now, I have two more chapters to edit and insert Hawaiian historical perspectives into, then I have to create a genealogical chart, then I have do create a glossary, then I have to do all this extra stuff. I think I'm going to ask for more pay.

Nature seems to be reflecting my frenetic mood; Hurricane "Flossie" (dumb cow name) hit the Big Island, and I'm on Oahu so it was okay. We had a wildfire though. But it all pales in comparison to the earthquake in Peru.... so sad.

Anyway, the hurricane wasn't bad; I do wish a giant lego man like this one had washed up here... I would have brought it home and put it in my parking space at the apartment. Isn't it funny? This lego guy was found a couple weeks ago off of Austria or Amsterdam, I forget which.

It's hectic times like these that make me appreciate the little things; you guys have been so great and so caring! Thanks so much for being so nice, niceness makes the world go round. Hopefully soon I'll be able to post better stuff in my blog and store!

Skewl is drawing near

Well this is basically my last weekend of freedom... TA training starts next week, and then the week after that is actual school. I've decided to break from manuscripting to play with my new book (the one I got at my birthday) which is about making pouches, ornaments and all kinds of stuff in between out of japanese chirimen fabric. Also I am rereading Harry Potters number 5 and 6 in preparation for 7. (I read fast, so I'll finish before school). So fun!

I went shopping for school supplies (like I need anymore). Well, actually I was taking my little sister who is going away to college in California shopping at Marukai, the Japanese 99 cents store. I really love going there; they have all kinds of eclectic things, like air fresheners, stickers, dangerous toothpaste, etc. They also have really cute Japanese stationary, boxes, and stickers, which I love. Lately though, they haven't been having cute stuff and most of their prices are now 1.49 (they lie in their name) but this time they had good pickings! I got some colored pencils, lead hamtaro pencils, erasers, etc. The absolute best thing I got was this chirimen frog coin purse... It was $4.99. Hopefully I'll be able to make chirimen things this cute!

Newest amigurumi

I love chickens. These were made using my old pattern, but with my new and improved stitch. Consequently, they're a little bit bigger (but that's okay). I love them... They came out so cute. I was having a little difficulty with the hen's comb but I think the shape of it now is good. My dad said "girl chickens don't have that combs" but I think it looks sweet :)

Sewing is fun

Trudging along kicking and screaming with the manuscript but.......

I took a little time this weekend to sew! (Also last weekend, forgot to mention it). This all in anticipation of Christmas. My poor amigurumi have been neglected, and they are all sitting in a wicker basket on my shelf without legs, eyes, noses and sometimes even stuffing. The horror. Perhaps tomorrow I can devote some time to them.

So after sewing until 1 am last night ( I anticipate the same for tonight) I have finally perfected my clutch! I love the design, I took a lot of what I saw and liked from other bags on Etsy and the internet and came up with my own design. You guys saw my first attempt; that vinyl fruit bag with the wonky sides? Well, I've worked on a system to sewing it perfectly. Now I cut out the pieces very nicely (before: they were all different measurements, with little jagged scissors marks all over because I figured, 5/8" seam allowance, what the hey). I also sewed on a pretty slow machine setting (before: the setting was so fast I couldn't see the needle and therefore didn't sew straight.) Also, I pinned the pieces very carefully (before: I don't need pins, I'm a real woman).

Dang, I am proud. I even busted out some of my California fabric stash to make some of these clutches. Hopefully, you guys will see the fruits of that labor fairly soon.

I guess I am on a sewing jag, because I also wanted to work on some pincushions, (yep, that really is the unglamorous pincushion I use for all my sewing needs, hence the need for some really cool new ones) do some pouches, blah blah blah, you've read it before.

Man, I wish the weekend was longer :) I may be the only person left in the world who hasn't read Harry Potter the finale.

Oooooh, big PS. I finally got a button machine.... eeeek! Tell you guys the story later, but its gonna be soooo good! Just you guys wait... I am going to repopulate the entire world with buttons :)

picnic in the park

Yeps, I took another break from the manuscript today, went to china-town, walmart, and then this evening I went to the beach for a picnic of pizza with my family. It was nutritious indeed.

Whoo, only four more chapters! I am excited, and I can't wait to start crafting again! So right after this I'm going to get crackin' and hopefully pop out Chapters 11 and 12 tonight!