Guitars, Quilts, and Notes

I have posted two videos of guitar. In both I was playing pretty simple stuff. I decided to record a little solo piece. I'm playing a clip of "Heartbeats" by Jose Gonzalez. For a full video you can check out this link . My version is not nearly as smooth. I don't think I'll ever be able to play as well as this guy, but I strive to. He has a lot of awesome guitar stuff in his songs. I would recommend checking out other stuff if this song appeals to you.

I finally finished the quilt for my bed. It's been mostly done for three weeks. It just needed the binding (edging for non quilters), but I hadn't gotten around to making it. My motivation was needing a blanket to replace my comforter. Andy was over this past weekend and got really sick. I needed to wash my sheets/comforter to avoid catching his horrible illness. I didn't get around to washing them so I just swapped sheets and finished the quilt to throw on top. I don't know how I feel about it anymore. I think it's doing the opposite of growing on me. But anywho, here is a picture. My bed looks sad with only one pillow, but the others have germ-infested cases, so they are in the laundry basket.






My apartment came with a complimentary refrigerator whiteboard deal. I use it to write myself notes and shopping lists, but as more people have come to visit, it's collected more and more notes from others. I don't want to erase them, so I let them accumulate. The result is that I have less and less space to write my lists and notes, but more and more amusing and/or pleasant notes/drawings to see. If you want to leave a note, you'd better come over soon. Space is dwindling quickly.

Fun in the Park

This weekend Andy and I visited Sibley Park. I'd been through in a car once on a tour a la Joe Owens, but had never been out to wander around. I decided it would be a good weekend adventure, so Andy and I set out around five oclock. We visited a bunch of the animals and came to the conclusion that every animal there will eat leaves. We fed the goats some leaves. Then we fed a pony some leaves. Then we fed some cows leaves (and Andy got his picture taken). We didn't try feeding the llamas becase they didn't get close enough, and we didn't want to get spit on.







There were a million fish in the little pond which was neat. I imagine they'll have to come out soon or else the pond is heated... otherwise I'd be leary of the fish sticks around there.

After playing with the animals, we walked around a little. I didn't know about the little trail or over-look. Andy and I snapped some nice picture from up there. The view was pretty awseome, but would have been even coolor if the fall colors were more like you expect from fall.













My sister (Meg for those who don't know) came up to visit and go shopping on Sunday. After a little round about way of getting to my apartment, we headed to the mall. We had a fun time playing in the stores, but she's more of a shopper than I am. After a couple hours, I ditched her and we got back together when she was done for some supper.

Earlier this week, my dad brought me up a new (used) couch. My old one was annoying. I'm quite pleased with my new one. He also brought up a nice glider. Both of which I got free freom my mom's friend.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone for being so encouraging and supportive of my decision to leave my job. I'm still working on getting something else lined up. I will keep you updated on how things are progesssing. I would also like to scold everyone for not recommending any songs to be learned on the guitar. F. :)

A time for work, a time for play.

I recently took the final step in an important decision I have been thinking about for a long time. I turned in my resignation at Mankato Mortuary. This is probably one of the best and worst decisions I've ever made. It is stupid to be getting out before I get my license. It is stupid to be getting out in this economy. It is stupid to be getting out without another job already lined up. It is stupid to be getting out without more money in savings. It is good to get out for my sanity. It is good to get out for my physical and mental well-being. It is good to get out becasue the longer I wait, the harder it will be. It is good because it is right for me.

This decision was very hard. And I'm still not comfortble with it. I worry for myself a lot, but I know this is what I have to do because I will never be happy as a funeral director. Never. I will miss some coworkers and hope that they will want to stay in touch. Others will go unmissed, and I'm sure they are fine with that.

There is probably a lot more that I could say, but I don't think it is necessary. If you know me, you know that this was not an impulsive, spur of the moment deal. You know that I thought it through and found it to be the best thing for me. You know that it is right for me. And if you know anyone who's hiring, let me know. I need a job. Shit. I need a job.

On a different topic. You all failed misserably at suggesting songs for me to learn. Daniel and I recorded a new one. Again, it's not perfect. There are some mistakes, but I'll share it with you anyway. I'm playing the chords and he's playing the melody. It's a little CCR to go out on.

Children?

When I was growing up my mom ran a daycare. She watched maybe 8 or so kids. I was pretty good with them and had fun playing, but I was around the same age as some and only a few years older than others there. The summer before I was in 8th(?) grade a neighbor asked me to help her with her daycare. I worked from 9:30 to noon every weekday for the summer with basically the same two or three of the children. I think they were three-ish years old. Old enough to play out side, but not old enough to do so safely by themselves. I was pretty good at this job too, and didn't mind being around the kids. After this job, my exposure to kids grew less and less frequent, and my ability to feel comfortable around them decreased. My aunt and uncle had a son when I was going in to tenth (or eleventh) grade and a daughter when I was a freshman in college. I was always really uncomfortable being around them and holding them. Young kids seem so much more fragile than I remembered from my youth. And older ones seemed harder to be around. I got a little more comfortable being around my cousins (I'm holding my cousin Lilah in the picture above), and can sometimes be goofy with older kids and have a good time, but it often seems weird to me to be around them.

I went on a camping trip with two little girls the summer before my senior year in college and was somewhat able to reconnect with how I once was with kids. (I'm holding Lydia in this picture) But it seems like it doesn't take long for me to regress back to being scared and uncomfortable.

My dad has a little girl, Alleyna, who lives one house down from him. She likes to come over and play in his driveway. She was really shy and would never talk to me. I would sometimes try to play with her, but never really had anything come of it. Then one day she came over when I had my guitar out. She watched me play and danced and clapped along with the songs. From that day on, she became my best friend. She talks to me all the time now and draws me pictures. She was sad when I left for college for my senior year, and she let me take a picture with her when I was saying goodbye. She even made some funny faces with me.

It's weird to think about how much things changed for me regarding kids, and to think about whether or not I will ever have any of my own. I have plenty of time to figure things out. In the meantime I guess I'll just have to work on letting myself be goofy (like I normally am) when I'm around kids.

A Little of This and a Litlte of That

I listened to a bunch of Jack Johnson music last night. He's got a feel to him that I can really get into when I'm just chilling out. I decided to pick up my guitar and try to learn a song or two. I learned the basic chord progression for Losing Keys (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWcqqBC9aVA), but didn't like how it sounded when I recorded it, so you don't get to hear it. I then recorded "Go On" and attempted to put it on here. Unfortunately this blog won't let me post videos that are over 100mb. I was very disappointed even though it really wasn't that impressive.

I've realized that my guitar skills have kind of gone down hill lately. It's sad, but expected since I've been playing less. Throw out suggestions for songs that you think I should try to learn. Maybe it will give me motivation to play more/get better. Keep in mind that I'm not all that skilled. If you're really lucky, I'll post a video of ones I learned based on your suggestions (that result in files small enough to post). AND i'll give you a pat on the noggin for the suggestions (assuming they are realistic and non-sucky). ;)

I found this picture of a quilt I made last winter. My aunt who quilts a ton was happy that I was starting to learn so she gave me a kit for a baby blanket. It's a small quilt so it didn't take too long to finish. I used Emily's machine to do it, so thanks Em. I figure I can give it to someone who's having a baby, but don't know when that will be happening, so for now it's tucked away in a closet. You'd think that for as much as I seem to sew, I'd have my own machine, but no such luck. It's on my "to-buy" list though.

I was flipping through some old pictures and decided that I will occasionally add an old one with a little story. This picture is from a couple years ago. I was hanging out with Daniel, and we decided to have a timeless classic for supper: grilled cheese. After munching on my sandwich, I set it down to have a drink and low and behold, I found a puppy in my sandwich. I enjoyed my find so much that I thought I should commemorate it with a photo. For those of you who are too unimaginative to see it, the head is on the right (facing the tator tots) the little nub of the tail is on the left. He's in mid-leap, frollicing in the flowers.

On a final note, I made some cookies tonight. I made more than I will eat, so I went to put them in some sort of container. I found a cookie jar that I acquired (stole) from the last place that I lived. I tossed them in there and set them on the counter in my kitchen. It made me feel like quite the little homemaker. Silly how such small things can seems so significant, yes?

Silly This and Silly That

Once you start getting to know me fairly well and I get more comfortable with you, you'll learn that I can be one silly bill. It's a trait I picked up from my poppa bear. It runs in the family. My sister is super goofy as well. The picture on the right is from my dad's birthday party this past summer. He was going to ski and decided that the smallest life jacket on the boat would be the best one to wear. Then to complete the look: sticking his stomach out as far as possible.
My silliness comes in similar fashions, but can also be found in more subtle places. Such as the refrigerator. I came across the label maker one night while putting left-overs away. I thought it vital that people know what was in the container without having to open it...though the description might not be completely accurate. Either that or no one will ever come to my house for supper again.

I think one of the reasons Andy and I go so well together is that he is equally silly. I gave him the shirt in the picture. It was an old one of mine that I never actually wore. I think it suits him better anyway.

I also enjoy finding the silliness in everyday life. Sometimes you can find it in the weirdest places. Like my own back yard. I think this is the world's happiest chemical sprayer.

I don't always think people get my humor, but sometimes that makes it more entertaining. The trade-off is that I get to have more fun confusing people, but then have to deal with them thinking I have some sort of mental handicap.

I think the best way to conclude this post is with a silly story. In college I took a guitar class. The professor asked me to come out for a drink with him after the semester ended (this is a whole other story in itself, but to save time: no, i never fooled around with my professor or spent any additional time with him beside this one day). He was originally from Mexico and while we were walking to a cafe, he asked me to let him walk on my left side which put him between me and the street with the buildings on my other side. He explained that it was because in Mexico there are wild dogs all over, some of which will come up and try to attack pedestrians. His culture raised him to protect women by putting them out of harms way: the buildings to protect one side and the man to protect on the other. This custom was still with him, so he felt most comfortable in this position. I consented to his request and let him walk on the outside. About thirty seconds after we switched and he explained the logic, a car came barreling out of an alley on the other side between a split in the shops. It came about two feet from hitting me. How silly that he should switch spots in an effort to protect me, only to have the put me in more danger than I was in originally.

Snow and Bikes and Such

Last time I posted, I had a picture of the pumpkin Andy and I carved. This is a picture of what he now looks like: cold and snowy. It's only October 12th. Where in the crap does mother nature get off letting this happen? I think it's time for the old broad to retire. I could take over for her and show her how it's done. It's extra annoying for me because I don't have either of my winter coats at the moment, so every time I go outside I freeze my butt off.


On Sunday I went to go pick up my new (except it's actually older than I am) motorcycle. Yes, I am aware that it is purple, and that does not thrill me. However, it was too good a deal to let the color break it. It's an '83 Honda Magna 750. I got it for $650. It's blue booked at $1475 so I got an amazing deal. The bike was in Redwood Falls. It was about a 90 minute drive. Then another 90 minute drive to the cities to drop it off. This was worse for Andy since he was riding the bike in 35 degree weather. He had several layers (including snow pants and a ski mask) but still froze his butt off just for me. Then after a quick bite to eat, another 75 minutes of driving back the Mankato. This basically ate up my entire Sunday, but it was worth it.













I have been thinking about what I should do for my next quilting project. I am not really sure what I'll do, but I was thinking about doing a sailor themed one and have some fabric ready for it, though I do need more for the idea I had. This picture is the first large quilt that I made. It was for my bed which was a twin at the time. Now I just use it as a throw for a chair in my living room because I got a new queen-sized bed a few months ago, so it's too small. I have a new queen size quilt that I'll post pictures of as soon as I finish it. I'm hoping to do so by the end of the week, but I need to go out a buy a little more fabric for the binding, so it might take longer than it should.

Oh Hi

I am not new to blogging, but I'm coming back from a long vacation. I decided to start from scratch. My old blog is from an old life. Too much has changed since I used to post for me to want to jump back on to that one. So here is the result. The new and improved blog of Nicole. I make no guarantees about the regularity with which I will post. I'm not confident in my ability to do this consistently, so enjoy it while it lasts.
In honor of Halloween (and since I got one free from my grandma) Andy and I decided to carve a pumpkin. It looks like a twelve-year-old made it, but it was fun and should probably become one of our traditions.










I started quilting last winter. I joined the Deep Valley Quilters a few months ago, and have gotten a lot of crap for it. But I enjoy my silly hobbies, so you can all screw yourselves if you think I'm odd. I've made a few quilts so far. I just finished two that I did all on my own (including the actual quilting part thanks to my aunt Tracy's help). I'm quite pleased with both of them. I haven't finished the binding on one yet, so I haven't taken any pictures. The one in the picture is about 65'' x 55''. Perfect for cuddling up on the couch.


This weekend I bought a bookshelf on mega-sale. Andy helped me put it together. I'm quite pleased with it. It's kind of a cheap piece of crap, but for 15 ducks (yes, ducks not bucks) it was an ok deal. I'm weird, so I also took a picture of that, but I didn't rotate it....so turn your noggins.

If you know me at all, you know I play the guitar a bit. I will never say that I play well. But I can play some. I'm going to attempt to add a video. The actual picture on it is just the couch, but it's Daniel and me playing. He plays the intro rhythm and I play the little solo. Then I play the chords for the main verses while he plays a melody. Then he plays the intro rhythm again while I play the middle solo. Then back to me playing chords while he plays the melody for the second part. There are plenty of mistakes on my part, but for a quick first attempt at recording it, I'm ok with how it turned out.

Tomorrow I'm going with Andy to Redwood Falls to buy a motorcycle. It's for ME! I'm pretty excited about it, but it kind of sucks because I won't be able to really ride much until next spring. My skills leave much to be desired, but you've got to start somewhere right? I'll try to post a picture of it once I get it. It will live in Andy's Dad's garage for the winter so it stays nice and warm. I plan on giving it a name once I meet and get to know it.

I think if I write anymore tonight, everyone will get bored and won't read. So I'll stop here. Hopefully I can continue to think of potentially interesting things to write about in the upcoming days, weeks, and months. Oh, and p.s. it takes a million years for videos to upload on here, but I might still post some in the future if I take any that are worth sharing. OK bye.