production/process/pre-process

so i was pondering the meaning of life over breakfast with the hubster this morning. breakfast was awesome, by the way - broccoli/tomato/gruyere+swiss cheese scramblers = ridiculously yummy. anyway... don't know how this conversation came up - which is nothing new, we usually cover about 10 topics in less than an hour of conversation over coffee - we were at some point talking about inspiration and knitting. two of my favorite topics, of course. anyway, out of nowhere the hubster says something to the effect of "you seem to have issues with finishing projects" to which i responded with a slight wince and this face : |

that face explained it all. a flat face always does, right? it's essentially the equivalent of hearing *crickets*. the more interesting thing is that i had this exact thought the other day while i picked up that 2nd sock (which only had an inch left to go on it, by the way) to finally finish it. it's been at 95% complete for over a week. what the, what the?! frankly, i'm sick of looking at it, and i'm itching to start a new project already. what are my issues with completing projects? if i have a list of chores, no problem, i will knock them out in record time. if i have an assignment or a project due, i can work quickly under the pressure of a deadline. when it comes to completing say, knitting or sewing projects, it seems to take an eternity to get something completed. usually, i blow through the beginning of the project, and then i'm left dangling on the last bit. which leads to the subject line "production/process/pre-process" and where any of us fit in regards to getting things done.

hubster thinks i'm a "middle" person, meaning i like the middle parts of everything. occasionally, he's a pretty sharp guy, he's definitely on to something here. i will go out of my way to cut the centers out of most foods - pizza, cinnamon rolls, a loaf of french bread, the middle of a container of ice cream... now that that's in writing, i'm a little weirded out! hahahaaaa! interesting. but yeah... apparently i am a tunneler. don't ask me why i do anything. my response will always be "because i can." digressing per usual.

production folks, are the folks that always seem to be the most... well, productive. these folks work fast (sometimes too fast) blowing the rest of us out of the water. they are always working on something (or better yet, finishing something!), banging things out left and right, starting projects as quickly as they are finishing others, but dammit if they don't make the rest of us feel a little inadequate because they come off (occasionally) as overachievers. production people occasionally come off as antsy and impatient, and i've noticed that if they make a mistake, they sometimes are reluctant to fix it. doesn't matter, they will for the most part continue through as planned and then complain about the mistake after the project is done. this is the hubster. and yes i am calling him out on this! my response to his mishaps is usually, "well... measure twice, cut once" and his response is usually a side eye. lol!!! no one likes a smart arse! oh, and his favorite response from me is usually, "good luck is a result of good planning." one of my favorite quotes from a fortune cookie. those fortune cookies i tell you, just filled with useful nuggets ;)

at any rate, production people do tend to annoy me a little, i'll admit it. i know, the list of nouns that annoy me seems endless, but seriously production folks annoy me. not because i'm mad or envious that they are productive. not in a mean, i can't stand you way either. it's really more of a "stop magnifying that sinking feeling that i'm not using my free time wisely!" ugh. no one likes to be called out on their issues with free time management, right? but... production people are the ones who most people seem to hold in highest regard because they get things done, and they are also one of my biggest sources of inspiration. annoyance is my best motivator. if you look at the blogs i have in my google reader (i know, you can't at the moment, just play along with me here), you will see how production folks dominate the very long list of blogs i follow. they are a great kick in the rump for me. when i finish drooling over all the lovely finished objects this group has produced, and after i have picked my jaw up from off the floor, i actually get stuff done. go figure. so thanks for the motivation production people! the kick in the head is greatly appreciated.

and to the next group: the process folks.
process folks... ah... these folks are funny. every group is funny to me though. these individuals just like the process. isn't this easy? the name explains it all. process people typically like the stages of working on something - maybe they like researching materials, researching construction techniques, swatching/making samples/mock-ups, they like the sounds/smells associated with the activity, how they feel while they are doing said activity, the act of "doing", they love seeing it all come together. it's not about how quickly something gets done/the destination, it's all about the journey. process folks do finish projects, but it seems that the finished product isn't as enjoyable as the steps it took to get there, and occasionally, they will take their time getting there. process people also have a tendency to go back and fix mistakes, because after all, there is an important lesson to be learned in a mistake! maybe you are reading this as being a perfectionist. don't know if that's the right diagnosis. i just think this group is really concerned with the details, and the stages of their project, and they really enjoy each step of product development. oh, and these folks love talking about and sharing there process. many like to keep a journal of each step (usual by photograph, blogs, notes, etc). 

and last, but certainly not least: pre-process people.
pre-process... well, good luck with this group of people. these folks crack me up, and occasionally a "would you just shut up and DO something already" or an "actions speak louder than words, sucka" or a "yeah, yeah, yeah" slips past my lips. lol! my bad, i apologize in advance. all with love of course. i'm not mean-spirited. but for real, shut up and produce, damn! put that money where your mouth is! this group here, lawd have mercy... they plan like it's going to be the last project on earth! they seem to really get a kick out of many of the same things the process folks enjoy - researching, planning, swatching/sample-making, etc - but damn if they don't take this ish to a whole other level. and who doesn't know these folks, right? they are commonly the ones always talking about what the are going to do, what their future plans are, what they need to do in order to get started on something, how they are going to execute each step, yet we never see them actually finishing anything! what the?! and when confronted, there seem to be so many excuses reasons as to why they haven't actually finished something. *sigh* bless their souls. pre-process people seem to spend way too much time a lot of time on the set-up, and more than likely they eagerly share endless amounts of free advice on how you should approach a project, but they can very seldom show you their own personal examples of something they have completed. now, this group really gets the side eye from my impatient (read that as judgmental) self ;) with love, of course. and another apology in advance, as i tend to take this group with a grain of salt. yeah... i know. i'm working on this, because honestly, there is wisdom here amongst this group, but i'm a person of action - i don't want to "hear" about it. i want to "see" it.

lots of folks out in the blog world have already written ad naseum on this topic already. that was just my random take on it. you can thank the hubster for this. this particular post by flying pig knits was rather funny. question #3, had me laughing. particularly answer e. hahahaaaaa yeah. i know these folks. they are the ones mentioned above ;) i do love you pre-processors to pieces, you know!

anyway... aren't many of us a combination of a couple (or all of these) when we need to be?
i do find that when i'm in production-mode, i'm not enjoying "the work" (because that's what it feels like) as much. my last production product was the saroyan shawl which was a christmas gift. the process was fun, but it flew by so quickly, that i really felt like i didn't have enough time to enjoy it as much as i normally would have. deadlines occasionally kill fun. on the flip-side, i get impatient when i'm in process mode... i can hear myself now, "can this be done already, i'm just not enjoying it anymore" and pre-process... this stage basically is where all my dreams come to die. this stage makes me extremely impatient and it makes projects feel daunting because in this stage, i have to time to overthink everything to death. most projects being created in this stage, die a fast death. they very seldom come to fruition. a big problem with overthinking, right? so yeah... where do i fit? as stated above, i'm really a combination of them all, depending on my mood that day.

last week, i was all production.
continued in pt 2, because damn this is long! your eyes will thank me later!

Less... pt. 2

Apparently that last post included LESS BLOGGING.
There is a draft for "More..." but yeah... I'll have to revisit that at a later date!

So, uh... what to fill you in on. Not much I really care to share.
I really don't know what the intention of this whole blogging thing is. For me at least. I guess it really is just an outlet to share some of my home life with my buds. Maybe it will inspire you... maybe you will smile at some of the stuff I post... who knows. Actually, I take back the "inspire" comment. It's hard to inspire others, when you are not inspired yourself [or regularly posting]!

This year got off to a very uninspired start. Craft-wise, that is :P I'm highly inspired in other areas of life [thank god!)].
I was completely lacking motivation in the knitting/sewing/crafting, hell, ALL departments! So there was no activity going on for a couple months. A lot of "damn... I should knit something", but this thought always got trumped by more 'ctrl+t' on the internet browser and a lot more meaningless, completely useless? strings of online research [Black holes? Extinct animals? Plant physiology? Expressing a dogs anal glands? Citrus rootstock? Yeah... this is how my brain works]. So I decided to kick myself in the arse, hard, and get something going. Something for me [finally], that I could wear and [hopefully] be proud of. Something that is challenging and different from the instant gratification projects that I normally lean towards [hats, baby stuff, swatches, scarves] because I'm pretty impatient. Ok... that is a severe understatement. Whatever.

So this leads to my current project.
One which is getting 70% of my attention. I'm almost working solely on this project when I have free time, which is a total contrast to the norm - working on a handful of small things that will NEVER be completed. The other 30% goes to reading, sitting outside in the sun on the patio staring off, watching and recording [for future laughs] the dogs fight/wrestle, random Google research, and editing/organizing my external hard drives.

This will be my FIRST official sweater.
I'm working on the rib pattern at the bottom *sigh* yes, I have a LONG way to go!!! Keep on chugging... one row at a time, on the TINIEST YARN with the TINIEST NEEDLES I have ever used! Glutton for punishment? Absolutely!



Here is my ittie bittie swatch. I blocked it and all that good stuff... yeah... I don't know what the blocking was supposed to prove other than wool (with little to no agitation) can be hand-washed. Got it. I'm not THAT experienced yet to know what to look for, other than, my stitches per inch. I've never blocked before, but it's good to know that... uh, my ittie bittie swatch was nice looking after washing - no fading, etc. I will probably still be reluctant to block the actual sweater once it's done *yikes* What if it shrinks! hahahaaa After all this work! *sigh*



This is where I'm at. This sad, small piece of sweater that looks like a headband straight out of the 80's *sigh* The good news is that the front AND back of the sweater are the same, so I am able to work on them BOTH at the same time :D Oh, and the color of the yarn I'm using is closer to the swatch picture...



So there you have it, in a nutshell.
I'll try to finish up that other blog, as I suspect it was full of snark, and therefore has to be shared ;) Nah, I'll post it (after I edit)...

Carry on...

obligatory dog blog...

Eh. It's been a long time coming.

You all know I have 2 dogs.
Two rambunctious, nosey as hell, spunky, disobedient, firecracker, comedians who turned out to be the best companions I could ever have. These terrors are not for the faint at heart, let me tell you that. And if the pet you own is supposed to be a reflection of the owner's personality, well... wow is all I have to say about that. Point well taken. How does anyone handle dealing with me?! Hypothetical.

Along with this playful personality comes intelligence. I'm not talking about the intelligence that most people say their kids have [yes, that was a dig], I'm talking about intelligence outside of human context. As in, I'm not going to lay around waiting for you to keep me entertained... I'm going to FIND something to keep myself entertained with [searching for photos of when Riley decided she wanted to "read" the Sunday paper].

Miniature Schnauzers are #12 on the intelligence list. There is a difference between "Mini", "Standard" and "Giant" Schnauzer... in a way, the bigger the dog, the dumber the dog, so to speak [Is this true for people as well? hahaaa]. Number 12 puts them into the category of "working" dogs, which if given a new command, the dog will typically have it mastered within 5-15 repetitions. The dog will also respond to a command about 85% of the time on the first try. Will elaborate below...

From all the training I've put the dogs through [whether in a class, or stuff I've taught them on my own], this figure is incredibly accurate. There was a major difference between the girl [Riley] and the boy [Tinsley] however. Of course there was. The whole Mars/Venus thing clearly doesn't just apply to people ;)

Oh, sorry...
Riley (Female, Cropped Ears)



Tinsley (Male, Natural Ears)



Ok, where were we? Oh yes... Riley was very quick to pick up on all her commands [somewhere around 5 repetitions] but she has major food drive [again, very much like some people], so if she knows there is a treat at the end of it, you can get her to do just about anything [ask if I can get her to crawl into a storm drain. Kidding?]. Tinsley on the other hand could give a crap about the food aspect. He's all about the praise... the "that's a good boy!" and the rubs. It's much harder to get him to do [much of anything] tricks cause he just doesn't give a $hit hahahaaa And this is how you know he's my husbands dog ;) Typical man. He does have great ball drive though.

In terms of obedience, that whole thing about the dogs obeying a command on the first try about 85% of the time, agreed. I'm only annoyed 15% of the time when they don't listen. Only? Tinsley is a lot more obedient than Riley though, I will give him that. He's definitely more of a come on the first command kind of guy. Riley is pretty headstrong and independent. And that's how you can tell she's my dog ;)

The dogs also have a bit of an "enhanced" vocabulary. I'm totally not the crazy dog lady so re, but I do talk to them in a "non-traditional" way. Kind of how I talk casually to most people [if I like you enough to let my guard down... which is RARE]. I have my professional speak, and I have my more casual/relaxed speak. Don't act like you don't code-switch. You know what I'm talking about... wiki that if you need too ;)

Common phrases: "sit", "stay", "wait", "drop it", "shake", "roll over", "down"

A few of my "enhanced" phrases: "get/go away", "leave me alone", "boo!", "stop staring at me", "get back", "move/scoot over", "foot of the bed", "get off the bed", "don't even think about laying on my pillow", "leave it alone", "play nice", "go get her/him", "bring it back", "hurry up", "would you wait!", "get in here", "outside NOW", "high five", "cookie time"... and the list goes on, because for some reason, it's like they understand English and body language. The cool thing about these phrases is that they work well on the husband as well ;)

Toys
This is for anyone who has dogs/has a new dog/is thinking about getting a dog, and is curious about the durability of commonly seen toys at Petsmart or Petco [or any pet retail store for that matter]. I seriously feel like I've tried them all. Petsmarts profits went up for the first year we got Riley. She was tearing through toys faster than I could pick the stuffing and stuffed toy limbs off the floor! I'm much better with the toy buying now though. Riley is just as content with an empty milk carton, and that's basically FREE!

Riley is a "heavy" chewer, Tinsley is not. [See above section referencing him not giving a $hit]. If you leave Riley to her own devices, she can and will open the seam [seamlessly] on a stuffed animal with no problem, carefully remove the stuffing and take the squeaker out of it. And then she'll eat the squeaker and the stuffing, leaving no evidence behind hahahaaaa [You might want to review the section above on food drive!] Tinsley will sit back, and be the look out. He won't, however, warn her that I'm on my way back into the room with a squirt bottle :D The look on her face when that cold spray of water thumps her on her rump = priceless.

So yeah, this is their toy bin. Yes... just toys.



They also have a crate for rawhides which is on top of the bin (a must for a chewer) and another for their grooming tools. Oh, there is also a drawer in the bin for their sweaters that they NEVER wear, because, oh yeah, they HAVE FUR! A built-in sweater. What a concept.



Boy, how I digress.
So yeah... all this dog stuff is super cute.
But here's the stuff that will last. It washes and wears very well. It has survived Riley and has a story to tell and the scars to prove it.

So this is the ball drawer:



And here is the stuffed animal drawer:



Now, from all the toys (and there is much more that I didn't feel like collecting from the backyard)... these are the best in terms of use, durability, washability, etc.

For the heavy chewer... these are indestructible:

Kong Balls of all persuasions. The 'jack' shaped one is really fun :D
Oh... and I love how they have little bite-sized balls for small dogs! The ones with the squeakers are the BEST!



Anything rubber, that squeaks... are you seeing a theme here?



And an honorable mention for this section. Again, Kong seems to dominate. The problem with these balls is that the squeaker is really hard to press on, and because these toys are supposed to be "indestructible" they are hard as hell. When a dog gets bopped upside the head with this... trust me, they will be very reluctant to play fetch with this nonsense again.



For the intelligent creature, who likes to have their mind stimulated, these are fun



Very cool, because these toys, made by Plush Puppies (purchased at a local feed store), have an elastic pouch on them that allows you to place squeaker toys inside. They come with about 3 balls. You can also purchase extra bags which can be used for fetch if the pouch thing gets old :D The balls are surprisingly durable and wash well.



But again... if your dog is destructive *cough* Riley *cough* do NOT leave the trouble maker alone to their own devices.

R.I.P. Mr. Platypus and Ms. Porcupine...



Oh... and an honorable mention from this company...
This toy has a built-in rattle AND a squeaker! It's also easy for the dog to grip.



For the lazy sap... this stuff makes a great pillow.

Lamby's are the BESTest! Adorable. Washable. Squeaky :D
The little ittie bittie pink and blue one is Riley's first toy. Ok... well, not exactly this one, but one that looked exactly like this. She ate the first one.

R.I.P. mini lamby #1. Damn you dog!!!



Coleman, also makes pretty durable, stuffed toys that are fun as well. The racoon (in the photo of the stuffed animal bin) is also a Coleman toy. It is Riley's absolute FAVORITE. Probably because it looks just like her :D





For the small dog with an endless appetite, these are pretty cool:
[If people had to chase their food... can you imagine this obesity problem] hahahaaa
Sorry... just finished listening to some stuff on the obesity crisis on NPR.

The toys on top you can just drop dog food inside. The bottom two, you load small treats into the sides/middle. I usually use mini dog biscuits or liver treats (gotta make them work for it!).



And the last honorable mentions...
I'm not opposed to these... I'm opposed to purchasing them! I can just make this mess myself! It's just fleece cut up into strips and tied together. Fool me once!

The ball is much better than the tug-of-war toy... the 'tug' basically untwisted after a few plays, and didn't hold it's shape at all. 'E' for effort though ;)



So all in all, the massive picture load is why it took me so long to get back to this blog. But this turned out to not be too bad :D



Sorry if there is any weird formatting drama or typos, etc. I really can't be bothered! hahahaaa :D I did my best, I swear.

On to the next blog!

Less...

Bullshit.

Among my usual relatively "long" list of resolutions (well, long to those afraid of making a promise to themselves to be better) "less" is the one thing I am striving for most.

Less bullshit in my life.
This should go without saying, but I'll elaborate:

Less "crap" - In the house. In my life.

Less "stuff" - Collecting dust, cluttering my space, effing with my chi.

I spent sevral hours over the rainy weekend consolidating my external hard drives. I won't tell you the actual number cause I'm still seething over it. But I was sifting through file after file, deleting the unnecessary, organizing things I felt were important at them time, only to delete them because they really have no importance.

Less wasting time like it's unlimited.

Less "auto-pilot."
This regards my internet addiction. It's really, for the most part a "time-filler" when I'm home vegging out. It got to the point where it became a substitute friend in a way. It's easy to get into a routine. Come home, plug in, tune out.

I don't have the cell phone problem... you know what I'm talking about. The need to have a phone attached to a body part at all hours of the day. Think in utero like an umbilical cord. It's not a life line people! In most cases, how many of us are really that busy where we need to be available at all hours of the day? The only people I can think of right now would be doctors, police officers, and others' working hard to protect the country.

I wonder how many people can remember a time where we communicated "normally," directly to each other, face-to-face. Think long and hard because it was about +/- 10 years ago. About 10 years ago, many of us sported pagers. Response time wasn't instant. You had to run to the nearest pay phone in most cases to return a call. You know what I'm talking about! :P

Once upon time, folks used to hand write letters. People used to remember your birthday because they wrote the date down and they used to send a paper birthday card. I'm not knocking technology, I absolutely embrace it and benefit regularly from it, but I recognize when I need less of something.

Less "pretending" which equates to less "acting" on my part.

Less dealing with nonsense.

I've reached a point in my life where again, my value system has changed. It comes with age, right? Well... one would hope. I recognize I need less. I crave simplicity. This was clearly evident in 2009. I won't elaborate, but if I throw out the word "recession" I'm sure you'd get the drift. I operated on far less than I had the year before. Because I needed to? No, because I could. I just did.

On the flip side, I'm all about balance.
So if I need less of a few things, that has to mean I will need more of something else...

Oh, and less long posts.
If you are like me, you tune out after the first few lines anyway. I will master the art of being succinct. I swear!