Car repairs...sigh

A little while back I noticed that my brakes were shrieking--not loudly, but persistently.
Now my car is housed at Superior Auto Service in Ballard. They got killer reviews on Yelp. And they need to replace the front brake pads, front tires, clean the left rear brake drum, clean and repair the left rear axle and ball bearings, etc. of my little Kia. My baby car needs much love.

Anyone care to guess the grand total? Prize to whoever comes within $50 (Dad, you can't guess as I've already told you) TBD...

Things I hate: cyclists

While some of the best people I know are fabulous cyclists (shout out of awesome to Margaret, Paul, Jillian, and Charlotte), I pretty much hate other cyclists. I believe this is because the good ones, the ones who obey the rules of the road and all pertinent laws, escape my notice--both as a pedestrian and a driver. To you, I apologize for my prejudice and loathing.

Asshat cyclists are another story.

I was walking on the Burke-Gilman to work this morning, minding my own business, no headphones, not reading or knitting, walking completely distraction (and caffeine!) free. I looked over my left shoulder to "change lanes" and cross the trail to my "exit." There were two cyclists, with lights, but they were far away. I started crossing and some asshat cyclist screams at me: "Hey. Hey! HEY!!!" He came whizzing by, nearly running me down as I leapt back to the right side of the trail, and then he proceeded to give me a dirty look over his shoulder. He was going about 20 MPH, treating the Burke-Gilman like his own personal freeway. No "On your left," like the nice cyclists, no "Watch out," no brakes. Asshat!

Upside? I didn't fall over, drop knitting, or get hit.

Downside? I didn't have a stick to shove into his wheel as he passed me. >:(

Crafty Sunday

Status update
Eating: Trader Joe's Mexicaine Quiche
Drinking: Gordon Biersch Märzen
Watching: Mythbusters
Knitting: Alpaca Hat

I spent today crafting and watching movies. The fall weather was beautiful! The electric orange leaves on the trees contrasted nicely with the clear blue sky, and it was not very cold. Yay for the brief break in typical Seattle fall weather. I was grateful that I got to walk to the nearby Safeway (not once but twice!) for Kool-Aid. I dyed a sweater that my roommate Cassie gifted me when she cleaned out her closet not too long ago. Originally the sweater was a not-so-pale baby blue. Not a bad color, but it definitely did not flatter me.

In the sink: two shots of the sweater in it's pre-dye bath (I forgot to snap a shot prior to dunking it).


In the pot: two shots of the sweater in the dye bath.


Waiting for the sweater to dry now to see how it really turned out--so far the color looks pretty good. Will post photos tomorrow.

We had a bit of a shindig at our house last night. Great turnout and lots of good food consumed (two baguettes, two cheese wedges, one bag cheesy poofs, one giant bag of tortilla chips and salsa, a large container of Trader Joe's Mediterranean hummus, 24 devil's food cupcakes, 1.75 loaves of zucchini bread, and,of course, beer...I am actually having the only beer left in the house right now). I woke up this morning and had to face the dishes, which is always the sucktastic part of any party, but housemate Charlotte (A.K.A. Stellaaaaaaaaaa!) kindly assisted. Poor Cassie had to work today.

After dishes it was all about tackling the Netflix pile. Land of the Dead rocked. Not only did the film have anti-Bush commentary with zombies, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright cameos, and loads of well-executed special effects shots, but it was just plain well-written. Good story, well-sketched characters, and a not completely depressing ending means that it earned three stars (out of four) from me.

Today is the first entry of the rest of my blog...

Welcome to TheJenmeister. Here I plan to chronicle two things:
1. My life in Seattle and the associated miscellany that accompanies interacting with other humans, especially when your brain is as pop-culture influenced as mine is, and
2. The Stash Project.

More to follow on TSP in later posts. It's been long enough since I blogged regularly that I barely know how, so bear with me while I get this puppy up and running. For now, enjoy this picture, which truly defines AWESOME for me...