sewin' up a storm

hey guys! i've been bitten by the productivity bug and tearing through some of my in-progress quilting projects! saturday i got most of a quilt done (except the part where i have to hand sew the binding, but no biggy), i've done a bit of hand quilting on my huge quilt, and right now i'm taking a break from piecing some pastel pinwheels i started about five years ago. whatever posessed me to make an entire quilt top out of only triangles? i hate triangles! at least they're pretty big... and i've got half the blocks made. if i get really sick of it i can just make a smaller quilt, or put a simple border on it, or put sashing in between. love it! this one is pretty cool, i picked the palest greens, blues, and lavenders - plus a print or two with those colors - and the background is all white. it will be such a nice soft summery beachy quilt! i can't wait until it is done. i am thinking i might even just back the top with a piece of muslin to contain the seam allowances, and put a sheet on the back as a duvet cover for my down comforter to make it seem sunnier in the dead of winter. who knows.



also today i got inspired to try and sell any quilt i can bring myself to part with - i don't know if this will actually fly but it's worth a try right? i love making them and i'm going to continue making them anyway but how many quilts do i really need for myself? (the correct answer: twelve before i get married.) i won't do any custom work - i've realized i hate it - but maybe someone will like what i do. i'm just going to put it out there, and if you don't like it, just send it right back.

i wanna be on you.

no, no no no, wait, no....



i wanna be on you.



ok it's late and i'm getting silly. clearly.



oh! and monica got a new job! i'm so excited for her. it's going to be so much better than her oppressive former employer. so we went out and had a great cheersy celebration saturday night. i know you don't believe me, because we never really have fun, but this time we did. here's proof:



so there. see.

love,
mcnabbs

someday he'll come along, the man i love

Hey guys.

It's Saturday night and since I'm broke, I'm staying in and moping about how complicated love is, and my poor spending habits. Boy, do I know how to party.

I meant to clean my house today but I'm pretty lazy when it comes to that sort of thing so I spent most of the day quilting instead. The bright side is that I actually almost finished one of my projects. Granted, it was one of the easiest ones, but it's in my stack of things-that-are-almost-done instead of the ever growing and toppling stack of things-that-are-going-to-be-so-awesome-if-and-when-I-finally-get-around-to-making-them. So that's as good for my soul as cleaning is. And once I got that to a nearly-finished point (just one more step but it's pretty time consuming so I'll wait for a movie) I actually did some cleaning too. I've been doing laundry all day and decided to fold everything and put it away and reorganize my drawers. I did this sometime last fall but after having a few parties and tiring of the clutter in between, I shoved some things in drawers and it kind of got messy again. When I reorganized my drawers last time, I put a whole heck of a lot of clothes in bags to give away (which I still haven't gotten around to, but I haven't looked back at what's in them; I don't really care anymore). I did some careful purging then and had 4 big bags full.

After being away from all my worldly goods save for what fits in one duffel bag for an entire month, I realized I really don't need all these clothes. Or even most of my other crap. I'm keeping my kitchen and books and craft supplies but everything else has got to go. Goodbye, old magazines (except for December back issues of Martha Stewart Living); goodbye, extraneous packaging (I'm consolidating all my stationery into just one box; ditto for beads, ribbons, sewing needles, and buttons); and goodbye unnecessary receipts, letters, and paid bills from five years ago. Hello shredder. I need more room for beautiful things and I need to do a little feng shui-style 'letting my chi flow' sort of stuff.

So I sorted and refolded all of my clothes while watching West Wing reruns on DVD (thanks Netflix!). My couch is overflowing with tidy stacks of like clothing and I'm having my own personal fashion show in the living room. Aside from necessary evils like Halloween costumes or fancy evening gowns, everything is going unless it meets ALL of the following criteria:

-fits
-flatters
-is comfortable
-makes me feel attractive
-is worn more than three times a year
-is in good repair
-can be worn with shoes I already own
-matches at least three other items in my closet (or jeans).

I am allowing myself a few pieces of clothing that don't *quite* fit right now since I am on a mission to be more fit, especially since I have nightmares about having fat arms in Michela's wedding photos. Shudder.

But I digress. Everything also will have to fit within my one (albeit huge) chest of drawers, or hang in the closet (and stay hung up, not on the floor, Abby!). I really do aspire to be a tidy person. It feels so good to clear out all sorts of unnecessary things from my life and focus on the things that actually matter - my friends and family, good books, good food, good surroundings, and good travels.

I made a budget for myself the other day and a travel fund was an imperative line item. This Scotland vacation was the first one I had taken in over two years that was anything more than a weekend. Totally unacceptable. I resolve to have more adventures.

It's funny, ever since I got back I have felt sort of mopey, like something is missing or not quite right - and frankly, something is missing, and something else is not quite right - but at the same time I just feel so optimistic about everything, about the little details that make life so grand. I don't really know what to make of it. Ah, but such is life. Who am I to complain?

I'm going to go finish my closet slash-and-burn, maybe watch Saturday Night Live. The world is my oyster.

I love you all.
McNabbs

p.s. Today's impeccable capitalization was brought to you by Folpmer, who makes me want to be a better person.

hoo boy

i'm in a serious funk today. sorry.

somehow everyone got together and decided that i get to do all the shit that no one wants to do. and not only are they going to dump it on my desk without so much as a "hey, could you help us out with this? that would be super great", there are no instructions and when i ask for clarification i get a big fat nothing. ROAR. i just carried about half a ton of precast concrete samples (really, no exaggeration - those things are heavy!) into the dumpster while everyone around me completely ignored my excessive activity and grunts while lifting. did i mention that i personally did not put a single sample there myself - on MY DESK - and it's just assumed that my desk is the perfect dumping ground for every sample, necessary or un-, and if my desktop gets full, it is ok to put it in my walking path? heaven forbid i should have to do any actual work at my desk, let alone actually get to it in the first place.

also i am supposed to compile a list of things that's already in a list on the intranet, or so far beyond my jurisdiction that i don't even know who to ask - and of the three people i did ask, one said "i have no idea" but didn't tell me who might, even when i asked, and the other two gave no response whatsoever. ok guys, i know i get paid wayyyyy less than you and we're all busy, but throw me a fucking bone here, or i'm going to start making shit up and passing it on as facts. ten bucks says the list just gets lost anyway.

add to this the fact that i'm totally broke and will have to ask my parents for money, which i hate, just so i can eat. and the phone call i just got from the bar, where upon being told that saturday was the only night i am available, and not every saturday at that, said bar manager got all annoyed-sounding. wait, you called me. and wait, remember that other 40+ hour a week job i have? and remember how i haven't worked anything but saturdays for the last 6 months or more? oh yeah. fuck you.

i'm exhausted and my house is a mess and i'm in a bad mood. i need someone to come over with a hug and a movie and a bowl of fruit and a bag of vegetables.

or maybe i just need to go to the adorable high school play tonight. for free.

bleh.

mcnabbs

p.s. i got new glasses

yeggedi-yeggedi-yeg

hey kids.
it's strange adjusting back to life at home. i've been getting up early and going to bed early, which is pretty nice. i like getting to work early instead of at 9 am when most people are here already. it makes me feel more productive.
i'm nearly caught up on all the work mess - that only took a couple of days! the contractor was keeping things light though for the last month, i think that helped a LOT. everyone still seems to be very pleased to have me back though, which is a great boost to my self esteem (like i needed that).
i just bought new glasses frames yesterday which i can't afford but i need glasses like whoa. plus these are SO awesome. i bet you can't wait to see me in them.
wishing you the best of life and love,
mcnabbs

resolutions

hey guys. in case you were wondering, i did make three new years resolutions:
1) drink al fresco more often
2) wear more skirts
3) get cable internet
enjoy!

it should be against the law to feel this good

hey guys!

it's saturday afternoon and i'm slowly easing back into real life. it's really strange to be away from my overseas friends and i miss them already. also there are a very few sad things happening to a couple of dear friends, which is unfortunate. but nevertheless, i am all of a sudden in a TERRIFIC mood!

i saw a ton of my seattle friends yesterday, at work and afterwards, and it was so nice! my work associates seemed quite happy to have me back (i must do a good job!) and after work we went to von's and there were some guys there i haven't seen in months so that was fun too. then monica graciously drove everyone and their mother home and i fell into bed early again. this morning i got up early and had the pleasure of chatting to folpmer for a few hours, and neil too! god bless the internet.

then i went to the store because the entire contents of my fridge were beer, wine, champagne, diet pepsi, mustard, and salad dressing. tasty, but it does not a breakfast make. so i went to the store and purchased all manner of delicious and healthy foods. i am pretty proud of myself for the good choices i made today. now it's snowing and i am all cosy and warm inside, hanging out with the cat and eating fresh homemade coleslaw abby-style (sans mayo - really it's just cabbage with a sesame ginger dressing). then later monica and ani are coming over and we'll make tortellini soup and have delicious soup and wine and go to the bowl & skate for 80s night. how could it possibly get any better than this?

tomorrow i'm going to my parents' house for a homecoming brunch, which is adorable, and then i'll have the afternoon to do whatever i want. then back to the grind - the project i'm on at work is going to be insane starting monday i think. i do love a challenge though.

so, life is good, as usual. there are some things that will be hard in the near future but as the proverb says, "the gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials." so 2007 is off to a fantastic start so far and i can't wait to see what the year holds. should be good.

best,
mcnabbs

home again home again jiggety jig

i arrived in amsterdam monday afternoon and walked around waiting for folpmer to finish work. i got a nice stroll around the canals, basically just wandered about and stopped in places that looked interesting. i saw the rembrandt house, which they had restored to look like it had when he lived there - a very nice house and well furnished. i also saw the oude kerk, the oldest church in amsterdam. good stuff.

the next day i went to the reijksmuseum and the anne frank house after getting gloriously lost in southeast amsterdam. in the evening folpmer and i made dinner (delicious!) and went out with his friend irving to a couple of nice bars (you can walk in and order "three beers" like in the movies! you get just a standard pils unless you ask for something special) and had a generally good time.

wednesday was more wandering, i started off late and didn't stay out long because it was fiercely windy and raining - i got caught in a couple of downpours and spent most of the day being rather damp. i found a neat little catholic church hidden on a canal and enjoyed being the only person in there and dried off for a bit before i faced the weather again. i did get some shopping in though - a couple of pairs of nice slacks at h&m for 15 euro each. the euro is much kinder to my wallet than the pound! which is nice because i paid about 10 euro to get into every museum and church in amsterdam, where all the public museums in britain are free.

wednesday evening after a much needed nap, folpmer and i went to a very amsterdam style 'brown cafe' which refers to the dark and cosy interiors, and had a traditional dutch dish of smoked sausage and potatoes mixed with a spinach-type vegetable. very good! folpmer made me read the menu in dutch and translate - a fun exercise!

my last morning folps went into work for an hour, then i met him in town and he gave me a lovely walking tour of insider places. there are so many little streets and as much as i thought i had walked all over, i missed a ton of stuff! i really enjoyed the tidbits he had to offer. then we had croquettes - another dutch treat - and were off to the airport.

here are the dancing houses - some of the most prominent examples of houses settling due to the 400 year old piers.

and here is the Night Guard in 3D! pretty awesome.

a HUGE thanks to all of my hosts for making my trip so comfortable and fun!

Brian and Jacqui, for making me feel like one of the family always,

Neil, for letting me decorate his Christmas tree,

Keith, for pouring the strongest drinks,
Richard, for literally sawing off the AC converter so I could charge my camera battery,
Folpmer, for sharing his lust for life,
and a huge thanks to my parents, for all their help and support before, during, and after my trip.

it's a shame we don't live in the same town because i would love to see all these people all of the time, but our paths will all cross again soon. it's nice - and weird - to be home, and i'm looking forward to hanging with all my seattle friends!

love,

mcnabbs

blown away!

ok, by the wind. it was rather blustery today! i went to the rijksmuseum today (tons of awesome dutch painters represented) and the anne frank house (really amazing to put something like that in perspective - i've read the book several times since i was 10 or so but to actually see where it happened is cool) and got gloriously lost all over the city in between. then folps and i went shopping and bought all sorts of delicious things to cook for dinner, which is forthcoming. then i think we'll go out tonight. fun!
love, mcnabbs

amsterdammin' it

hi kids!
today i arrived in amsterdam and actually left the airport for the first time (this was my 7th or more time in schiphol). amsterdam is really interesting, i walked all over today waiting for folpmer, my host, to get off work. the canals are beautiful and the houses are really interesting. many of them date back to the 1600s, and have settled over the years so a lot of them are diagonal on the face. i also accidentally walked through the red light district! i guess i wasn't as surprised to see it here as i might have been in Seattle, but it was definitely disconcerting to all of a sudden see an almost naked lady hangin' out in a window. good times.
folpmer, recommended by the gorgeous, talented, and charming miss monica, is awesome. in case you were wondering.
more tomorrow.
love,
mcnabbs

help me, betty ford!

so today is my last day in Scotland. sad times! last night we went to a party at stuart's parents' house. keith and i went halvsies on a bottle of jack, i told him he could keep whatever we didn't drink. imagine my surprise when i finished my first drink and he poured my second - and the bottle was empty! note the level of JD in the pint glass, foreground:

needless to say, i feel like absolute crap today. i was still drunk when i woke up. yikes.

on our agenda today was a trip to st. andrews, which was lovely despite my serious hangover. the cathedral ruins there were totally awesome! here is one of the pillars:

and the view from the ocean:

then we went down the road a bit to anstrother, for the best chippie in the country. it was the best fish and chips i've ever had! very fresh and delicious.

now i'm back in perth packing up all my things. sad! i leave bright and early tomorrow morning for the drive to edinburgh and my flight to amsterdam, i'm quite looking forward to experiencing the city, but i'm also ready to be home again. can't wait to see everyone in seattle!

love,
mcnabbs

panto

hey guys!
today we went to the pantomime! it was actually really fun. the story was Cinderella and there was lots of audience participation - i could almost handle all the screaming kids! good times. then fish and chips for dinner and a quiet evening in. i FINALLY finished uploading my London pics, and got a little flickr widget over on the right there. neato!
i'm off to watch tv and drink some whisky - i've only gained 7 lbs back so far! well done me.
love,
mcnabbs

p.s.

city hall was pretty awesome too.

and did you know that 30 st. mary axe was built by skanska? good going, guys!

whew!

hi kids -
here are a few of the better snaps from yesterday and today in london. i can't find a suitable map to draw my route on electronically (i have a tangible copy that i drew on yesterday and today at the end of the day to help support my feeble taylor memory) so that will have to wait, unfortunately. i'm sore from all the walking! i really should see how many miles it was... and how much dessert i can negate...
today i started out in northampton, took the train to london, walked all over, took another train to gatwick airport, flew to edinburgh, and rode to perth on the neil express! how often do YOU get to four cities in one day?

here's a wholly unimpressive picture of the outside of the british museum.
a rather artistic shot of the gherkin, if i do say so myself.

whatever building they were putting up next to lloyd's was awesome.

no. 1 poultry

i quite liked this view along the river, including the new globe and the tate modern - someone please tell me what the building on the far left of photo is.

this picture does not do the view justice - each step looked to be a different color of granite (kind of like the end of my desk at work...) but they looked way cool just a bit damp like they were. along the river walk.

a cool view of the millenium bridge from inside the tate modern

this building was in an area (a road?) called more london, opposite the tower of london. the buildings here were really cool. i just liked this view.

and a cool shot of big ben from the gates as i scurried past to catch my train this morning with literally one minute to spare.

i'm back in perth for the weekend, going to the pantomime tomorrow!

love,

mcnabbs

link-tastic! clickety click!

hi kids!

i just walked allllllll day around london (this one, not any of these). last night i wrote myself a little index card with 4 destinations on it and the streets required to arrive there - three museums, 50 pictures, and 10 hours plus 3 hours' r/t train later, i'm back at richard's and enjoying sitting down. i bought a map of london and drew a wee line on it so i remember exactly what streets i was on for your enjoyment later. i'll photoshop it or something i guess. i left my camera cable in scotland so you'll have to wait a couple of days for the pics but you can do that, can't you? i knew you could. here's a rundown:

1) started out at euston station and walked to the british museum - awesome. the new roof they put on in 2000 is WAY cool. the interior space is huge and bright and just... cool. one of the special exhibits was "the past from above", photographs by Georg Gerster. it's pretty much what it says, aerial photos of archaeological ruins. it was great - covered all six inhabited continents and was very thorough. they also had a ridiculous amount of greek and roman sculptures (very controversial), and assyrian/egyptian sculptures, including some glorious passageway lion/griffin thingies. amazing.

2) walked down holborne past st. paul's cathedral to see the lloyds building and the "gherkin". good stuff. also noticed that there is quite a lot of construction going on in london. lots of cranes and scaffolding.

3) walked across the london bridge and west along the south bank of the thames to the tate modern. that place is HUGE. they have quite a lot of exhibits going on, i didn't pay to see the special exhibits but there was still plenty to see. i think my favorite part about that museum (besides the awesome twisty slides in the huge open space at the back of the building!) was (were?) two books i saw in the museum shop - toilets of the world and f*** this book. i don't know if i'd want them for me but i quite enjoyed looking at them. also i got a cool snap of the millenium bridge from the galleries.

4) walked back east on the south side of the thames to the design museum. they had an exhibit on alan fletcher, which i quite enjoyed, and a whole bunch of 70s and 80s design firms with logos and letterheads and things. soooo up my alley. i was just disappointed with the non-representation of the exhibits in the museum shop - though i did come away with a super awesome mouse pad.

5) still on foot, i went across the tower bridge and back along the thames back to the london bridge, where i hopped the tube back to euston station and, after some train delays, home again home again jiggety jig.

i only have two regrets for the day: one, that i got a jolly blister dancing my ass off new year's eve and it's still horrible, made me hobble a bit around town; and two, QUITE sadly, that due to the last minute nature of this trip, i missed seeing the gorgeous, talented, and charming joanie baloney. i miss you and we'll have to hang out soon somewhere in the world!

tomorrow i'm back to london for the morning then back to perth via gatwick and edinburgh. whew!

love,
mcnabbs

london

i'm in northampton right now, i drove down with richard today. tomorrow i'll take the train into london and spend the day, then thursday i'm flying to edinburgh, driving into perth for the weekend with neil and heather, then off to amsterdam on monday!

i didn't get all the pictures from new years eve uploaded yet, i apologise for that - but i'll put them and my london pictures up when i get back to perth on thursday. so hold tight, have a good week, and enjoy this article:

"official says britons like to drink too much"

good times.
love,
mcnabbs

happy new year!

yeah! we rang in the new year in style with dancing and a ceilidh band and tons of good times. it's been a long time since i was that drunk. see flickr for the photos.