Interview, check. What's next?

Wow. I am wired. I am bouncing off the walls. I had my Peace Corps interview today and am feeling so invigorated. I walked into my old stomping ground of NYU and sat down with a wonderful former volunteer, they're called RPCVs, and immediately... freaked out. I was nervous [since I was 10 minutes late], scared [since I forgot every reason why I wanted to join the Peace Corps in the first place] and excited [since I was finally having my interview].

First question: What is the Peace Corps in your words and why do you want to serve?
My Answer: uhh... um... well... yeah...

That painted a fabulous picture of eloquent Nicole. Thankfully, I was able to remember that I wanted to be part of a community, learn a new language, immerse myself in a different culture and challenge myself on every level. Onto more complex questions surrounding:

1. Leadership experience
2. Conflict and differences with someone and how I resolved it
3. Not having traditional support system available
4. Teaching/Transferring knowledge or a skill set to another
5. Stressful situations and how to handle them
6. Being away from home/family/friends
7. Living conditions and lack of communication
8. Language and cultural barriers
9. Changes in appearance/dress [yes, my tatoo is a factor]
10. Prescribed gender roles
11. Dietary restrictions [I'm a vegetarian!]
12. Ideal placement

Wow. It was a hefty hour and a half, but I kept feeling the energy bubble inside of me. I yammered about passions for knitting and cooking, my love for the planet and how computer savvy I am. I explained my job and how stressful and time-sensitive it is which lends itself to incredible project management skills. She got excited as well.

"I want to find the ideal niche program for you." [I'm paraphrasing]

YES! ROCK ON! FIND IT! That's what I want. I want to use all of these passions and... do! Whatever that "do" is, that's what I want to do. If I'm in a straw hut without running water, so be it. If I'm in a bussling city with millions of people and internet cafes, I'll be great there too.

Next Step: my "nomination" with a general program and general region [no countries listed]

Then: medical, dental and legal review. Doctors, dentists and the FBI will poke and prod me with attempts to find nothing. Now, hopefully my immunizations are all up-to-date. There are no new shots out, are there?

Finally: my "invitation" with a specific program and country.

Wow. I am wired.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Thank you David Bowie for changing a two-syllable word into, well, a long freakin' word. After seeing other blogs changing, particularly the lovely Tina's new template, I decided to add more [granted, non-knitting] stuff to the blog. So for the 4 of you that read this [Hi Mom!], I hope you will enjoy some new reading material. I won't be pushing my green views on you, just exposing you to them!

Knitting Related
1. Baby Afghan: needs ends woven in and blocking
2. Secret Feet: need a set of DPNs, 1s or 2s. Decided against using 3s even though I got gauge. We shall see...
3. Tank/Cowl neck top: delicious yarn! Pics to come. Possibly even a flickr album

Opening day is right around the corner, April 1st vs. St. Louis [away] to be exact, and baseball fun has already began! My "boyfriend," David Wright, is conducting a survey: "What song should David Wright Swing to?" So many choices with the additional option to write in your own. Personally, I chose "That was a Crazy Game of Poker" by O.A.R. What will you choose?

Thanks to Allena for pointing me to the direction of Stitch n' Pitch. This fantastical organization, sponsored by The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA), combines yummy baseball with yummier knitting. August 8th is the event at Shea/Citifield. Who's with me?? Hopefully, I can gather some Sit-n-Knitters to come.

Days til Peace Corps Interview: 1.5

Something entertaining to get you through the day and remind you days of yore

Don't Call the Police

First off, happy baby to Annie! I am so happy for her, her lovely little tyke and her happy hubby. Seeing how quickly she posted post-delivery shows her devotion to knitting and the blogosphere. On to knitting...

ATTEMPT 1
4 St blocks, 29 st each therefore CO 116 stitches for border of baby afghan
K 8 garter st rows
[attempt] to PU BO stitches
Scratch head in disbelief that I could be this silly

ATTEMPT 2
PU BO stiches on WRONG side [both senses of the word]
Slap face repeatedly in shock that I could be this silly ... again
Consider calling Knitting Police to arrest me for fraud

ATTEMPT 3
PU BO stitches on RIGHT side [both senses of the word]
Eureka, it works!
Totally awesome! All right, Hamilton. Sorry, I love quoting Fast Times at Ridgemont High

PLAN OF ATTACK
PU BO stitches on all four sides
K 8-10 rows of garter
Seam corners


See that little tiny green border? Wait, let me get you my magnifying glass.

OTHER ATTEMPTS
Getting gauge on my Secret Feet socks
These need to be perfect!

Speaking of socks, I gave Katie and Margaret their socks last weekend, and they immediately threw them on and paraded around in joy. Look how happy they are [and how short Katie is!]



Countdown to Peace Corps Interview: 7 Days

They Say It's Your Birthday

Well, it's not my birthday too, but it was Margaret's birthday a few weeks ago. And here is my gift.

Yarn: Knitpicks' Sock Memories in Gladiolus
Needles: size 3, DPNs
Pattern: Chevron for self-striping from Sensational Knitted Socks

And that afghan. That poor unloved afghan. It has been sitting pinned [unblocked!] to my towel on my floor for quite some time. All of this procrastination because I don't want to cast on 140-something stitches. So instead I think, "What will I cast on next?!" Of course I will begin my secret feet socks [not sure of the pattern, cables maybe], but I need something else to distract myself from the afghan. And this next project MUST be for me. I do have lovely Socks That Rock! yarn to knit up, but alas, since I don't have a ball winder, that yarn is sitting in knitting basket since I do NOT have the patience to wind almost 400 yards of sock yarn.

Options:

1. Lace Camisole & Cowl from Weekend Knitting - some tasty Koigu Merino and Madil's Kid Seta. Using this tasty yarn combo would be a nice textural change for my fingers.
2. Meee socks - yummy French Yarn Debbie brought back from her honeymoon with my brother
3. Bergamo capelet/shrug also from Weekend Knitting - something else yummy for me with some lucious burgundy Debbie Bliss merino wool

Votes?

Jealous?

Yesterday, after a rather difficult day with auction catalogue drama, a coworker of mine walks up to me and hands me a USPS box. What could be in it? Garden gnomes? French unpasteurized cheese? Fluorescent pipe cleaners? Oh no you Corey Feldman fanatics. It was my first installment of the Rockin' Sock Club! Inside was a hippie-inspired binder with a welcome letter, sock/foot know-how, a fresh pattern and some tasty yarn not yet available. I'm tingly all over.


Now, not that I'm a perfectionist or anything [hee hee] but I was reading the sockaholic's recent entry and wow! She received the yarn AND knit it up already?! What kind of alternate being is she? Now, yes, I'm jealous but I'm also too busy marvelling in the Postal Service gods that brought me these tasty treats. Just look at this Monsoon hand-dyed mediumweight Merino.


*drool*

Reading Directions Wastes Time

The lovely baby afghan is almost finished, just have to add the garder stitch border. Shall I block before or after? A rather interesting project to say the least. I still am not certain as to how I was supposed to construct this piece; the directions half make sense and got more and more complicated each time I read them. My best guess is that I was supposed to create strips and not individual blocks. I give up trying to figure out "shoulda woulda coulda." Instead I give you this...

Not bad, not bad. And the afghan's poor little remnants, my obsession with yarn ends, the yarn afterbirth or, as said on the streets, the yarn throw-up.

Next on the agenda is another pair of socks. I'm still working on the birthday socks for Margaret but I have another fun pair to cast on, as stated in a previous post - the sock exchange socks for Sit n Knit. I bought the yarn since I had no yarn in my stash that fit the parameters EXACTLY - just another excuse to hit up Knitty City for a fix. I actually brought lovely Margaret with me who couldn't help but caress each cubby hole filled with delicious sock yarns and alpacas and... Now I just need to figure out the right pattern; thankfully my sock-ee is not picky.

But here's birthday sock 1: chevron pattern for variegated yarn, snatched up from Sensational Knitted Socks. Tasty!

And in non-knitting news, Spring Training has begun! Who knows what this season will be like for my beloved Metropolitans from Flushing but we shall see. I have hope. And my Peace Corps interview is March 29th! So excited! If any of you know anyone that has served, please contact me. Now, off to watch Brick. Gotta love NetFlix.