Cuffs of a different gauge

So after debating for awhile about the various pros and cons associated with swatching, I decided to go with the "cast on, frog if it's the wrong size" option. So I started those wavy lace socks from the cover of the IK book with size 00 needles (because the yarn seemed fat and I knit loose). I got to the end of the cuff and decided that there was just no way at all that these socks were going to fit me (or my sock pal, who has my same size feet). I could, technically, get them onto my ankles, but there were some worrisome creaking noises made by the yarn in the process.

So, I cast on and knit the cuff with size 0 needles. The above photo shows both side by side. They don't look all that different, huh? In fact, can you guess which ones are too small? But the size 0 ones are perfect, and the size 00 ones are totally unacceptable. Crazy. Anyway, I finished one sock with the size 0 needles and then frogged and rewound to prepare for sock two. I should be finished in time!

Practice D

I did my first practice defense today and I think it went well. I was so nervous before hand though. I was nauseous and in a cold sweat. I don't know why, it was just a group talk and I felt well prepared. It's just so important I guess.... anyway, people seemed to like it and I felt like if I had given that exact talk for a defense it would have been just fine.

This weekend I did some biking and went to a BBQ where I ate so much food I practically had to crawl home. Shannon and Carlson... boy, a party at their house always means the most amazing food. Chris and I went to Santa Cruz on Sunday in hopes of getting the newest epic geocache but were stumped at Stage 2 where we needed a checked out book from the Saratoga Library. It was very annoying. I did get to have lunch at my favorite restaurant ever though - that would be the Saturn Cafe. Yum.

More Buyers' Agent Questions

Boy, asking a direct and concrete question really brings the lurkers out of the woodwork. (Like, hi Julie Gist! I had no idea you read this!) Anyway, I thought I'd pose a couple more questions to see if you're still in the mood to respond - thanks so much for your other answers!!

So you all said that the seller pays the buyers' agent fees - but wouldn't the seller be willing to offer you a lower price if they knew they wouldn't have to pay your buyers' agent?

Doesn't a buyers' agent have a conflict of interest? You said it's good to have someone on our side but since they get a percentage of the sale price, aren't they going to try to talk you into paying more for a home?

More Grant

Click above to see even more photos of my new baby nephew. Thanks to my mom for uploading them!

Sharks in real estate

So today Chris and I put our first tentative toes into the scary world that is Bay Area real estate. We picked out three open houses near where my new job is going to be and biked down. My biggest question was whether or not we were getting our timing right. Our lease runs out at the end of August and ideally we would like to move out of our apartment and into a house (or new apartment, depending on what we decide to do).

The places we saw were all pretty nice, although outrageously priced (being the Bay Area) and not that well located. But the really scary part was the real estate agents. I put my question to the first couple of agents we met, and found out that between deciding you want a house and moving in is typically 15-30 days. But once they answered that question they were totally unable to shut up. Mostly because they would ask us if we have a buyers' agent, and when we said no, would give us this extremely hard sell on why we need a buyers' agent (in general) and of course why we should choose them in particular. Chris is such a nice guy that he had trouble getting out of these situations - I am more content to be rude and just wander off or say, "Oh, I'm sorry I have to go now" (where the remainder of this truthful statement is "or I will go completely bonkers listening to you.") Anyway, he was totally traumatized by the realtors and called them all sharks. Then, amusingly, we got home to find our downstairs neighbor (a realtor) had left us a note saying she'd like to talk to us about getting into the housing market. Heh. She's so nice, but I don't know if we want a realtor at all, or even her in particular (I have no idea if she's a good realtor).

Anyway, so here's my question to cyberworld. Is there a reason we do or don't want/need a buyer's agent? The biggest thing the agents all said was they would know the market and be able to locate houses for us to look at. Well, let me tell you, Redfin enables us to do that quite adequately for ourselves without the assistance of an agent. The agents we talked to also said they would walk us through the paperwork, but I feel like we could just read it ourselves instead of having to listen to a pushy talkative agent recite it for us. Blegh.

On the whole it was a good experience though. We've seen a couple of places now and we each have a better idea of what the other likes. I'll keep y'all updated.

I have a nephew!

My adorable baby nephew was born at 7:40am on June 12 - only one day late, I'm sure my sister appreciates that! Mom and dad are both fine and I can't wait to visit in a couple of weeks!!!

Biking to San Francisco

So, I can check one thing off my life to-do list in the margin here. I had "Bike to San Francisco" there, and I did that one yesterday. The reverse actually, but the original intent was preserved in the experiment. In my mind I was going to bike up to the SF Caltrain station and then take the train home. Instead I took the train up and biked home. It was a beautiful day in SF and I biked along the water front, all the way to under the Golden Gate Bridge, then around the western side of the city by the beach (where I learned from life experience that my bike becomes uncontrollable in sand). Then I took 35, Skyline Blvd, south until I hit 92, and then Canada most of the way home. The total was 48.5 miles.

Some thoughts about this excursion:

The Ferry Building is one of my favorite places. I stopped there along the way and got strawberries, Joseph Schmidt truffles (energy food!) and Japanese deli food (mmm... tofu cutlets...) The food there is just so good and the place has such a fun energy. Although it's a total mob scene on the weekends.

I can't believe there are still places in the city I had never been. For example, the Legion of Honor building/park. It's up on the very north west corner of SF and is so beautiful. I officially now believe that San Francisco is the most beautiful city in the world. There's a golf course up there that must have some of the nicest views of any and you're way up on the cliffs so you can see a long ways out into the ocean. It's amazing.

Biking along the shoreline in SF definitely does not imply that the route will be flat. Silly me. I spent a lot of time in my lowest gears on that trip. I also spent like an hour climbing up from the beach in San Francisco to the hill where Skyline overlooks the airport. I'm a wussy biker but still that seems excessive.

The winds were pretty kickin'. When biking along the dam at the bottom of San Andreas reservoir I nearly got blown over twice. There were frickin' breakers on that little lake.

All in all it was a fun trip and I really like that it was largely on a route I had not seen before and the trip had a point (kind of), which was to get me home. I wasn't just biking a big circle or out-and-back. I like too that it doesn't hurt much anymore. I was tired yesterday evening but could walk downstairs and everything. And I didn't hurt today at all. Amazing what doing something a lot will get you.

Day at the spa

Today, because I'm a sick person who needs treatment, I blew off lab and went to Kabuki. It's this great spa in San Francisco where you can get treatments and also go in the Japanese style baths there. It's one of my favorite places, especially during the winter, when the sauna is the only place I can feel warm. Anyway, thanks to a wonderful gift card from my in-laws I went today for a Wellness treatment, which included a half hour each of acupuncture and massage. I've always wanted to try acupuncture for tension headaches - the results are inconclusive though. I felt slightly worse after my acupuncture - mostly because of the needles they stuck in my temples I think. But I'm sure it's one of those things where the therapist makes a big difference. So I'll just have to try another one for more evidence. The massage was wonderful though and really helped me relax. After the treatments I went in the baths for awhile - I've been to these baths quite a few times before but it was nice to go on a week day when the place was practically empty. After some relaxation in the hot tub and sauna I went to the Japantown center (Kabuki is in Japantown) and had yummy sushi for lunch.

I don't know what I'm going to do when I have to work and can't just take off any day I want! Which reminds me, Company A called me today and left a message on my cell phone, "Hey, uh, whatcha doin'? You graduating soon?" Which sounds to me like they still want to hire me. Of course I already have a job but it's sure nice to feel wanted.

Weekend wrapup

The webpage for the ride I'm doing across Iowa (RAGBRAI) recommends that I bike 75 miles per week every week in June. I kicked it off this weekend with 61 miles of biking that I made more palatable by first listening to radio shows as suggested by Annie (yay! Cartalk is a podcast now!) and by also going on rides to places that I wanted to go and would have driven to otherwise.

On Saturday I biked to San Mateo to attend a knitting class at the wonderful Nine Rubies knitting shop. The class was on how to make a mitered square blanket out of yarn that you just have leftover from other projects. I thought this would be an excellent way to get rid of odds and ends and it makes a very cool patchwork. The class was very fun and making those squares is quite addictive really. I took a picture of my efforts from the weekend:

I opted for the style where you use any old yarn and always size 4 needles. It's so fun to work on I'm having trouble going back to socks and sweaters.

Yesterday Chris and I biked down to Sunnyvale to attend the art and wine festival. Boy, bike was so the way to go there. When we got near the festival there was huge amounts of traffic and people just parked in the streets waiting for real parking to open up. We just cruised right by all that and pulled up to the guarded bike parking right on the edge of the festival. The festival itself was pretty fun too - I enjoyed eating the roast corn and fried artichoke hearts but the arts themselves were junkier than I remember. There were a few crafts I've never seen before and I had to remark once again on my ability to pick out the most expensive crafts by just deciding which ones I like best.

In other news, I talked to my advisor on Thursday and he said he really liked the draft of my thesis I'd given him and then gave me a few tips about parts where I'd thought it was weak. Oh oh oh! Did I even mention on the blog, I can't remember. I'm defending on July 10! I got the fourth member of my committee on board on Friday after blowing off most of the day and going to Watercourse Way with Brandy.

Which reminds me, I had to stop taking the muscle relaxers entirely because I became a total zombie on them. The anti-depressants don't appear to be having any effect (good or bad) so I'm continuing them for the moment because apparently their effect builds over about two weeks. But that means I'm still having the headaches. But only (pretty much) when I'm trying to concentrate on my thesis. So I'm trying to trick the headache (or something) by only working on tiny bits of thesis at a time and then doing something really relaxing afterwards. It's kind of working. I'm going to try massage and acupuncture this week.

Cute kitties

Have I mentioned that I just love our kitties? They were being especially sweet the other day so I took a few pictures. Click on the photo to get to the album and see more photos.


Also, Isaac has kind of a funny trick, so Chris took a little movie for me

Uh, the trick is the part where he sits on my shoulder without me really helping.