GETTING TO KNOW ME! :P

I've been tagged by brwnwebgrrl

First, post the rules at the beginning of your post/the game.

These are the rules: Each player answers the questions given about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1) What was I doing ten years ago?

1998: I was traveling back and forth between Kansas City and Minneapolis and points in between working as a technical consultant. I think this is when I won a corporate award and went to Costa Rica with about 100 other peers. I was able to bring a guest so I brought my mom with me. This was her first time leaving the country. I have some funny stories from that trip. Needless to say, she was a rockstar and even had her own entourage by the end of the trip. LOL!

2) What are five things on my to-do list for today?

• Finish GP project bag orders.
• Go to Walgreens to refill prescriptions, print photos, buy "Thinking About You" and "Sympathy" cards for a couple co-workers, buy toilet paper, paper towels.
• Mail Belated Birthday cards to my grandmother and littlest brother, Ryan. His birthday was July 13. UGH!
• Buy books for Chinese class and take my student id photo.
• Go to grocery store!
  

3) Snacks I enjoy

• POPCORN! Pop Secret Homestyle is my favorite!
• Haribo Gummi Bears
  

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

• Major plastic surgery! A complete body overhaul.
• Purchase a small island replete with inhabitants, personal staff and playthings (hot mens).
• Build a kick@ss mansion on said island replete with state of the art infrastructure on the island.
  
• Purchase a yacht replete with entire captain and crew so I can elude beggers and charlatans.
  
• Sponsor and advocate world class education for Americans to excel in math, science, engineering and medicine.

5) Places I have lived:

• Arkansas
• Texas
• Washington State
• Minnesota
• Kansas
• Missouri

6) Jobs I have had:

• Receptionist
• File Clerk
  
• Cashier
• Customer Service Associate
  
• Loss Prevention Associate
  
• Retail Sales Associate
• Computer Lab Technician
  
• Programmer
• System Administrator
• Technical Architect
  
• Project Manager
• Entrepreneur

7) Bloggers I am tagging who you will enjoy getting to know better:

Turtlegirl76
Aldorris
StefanieJapel
ChelleC
BethKuta

Never a Bride, Not Even on the Invite List!

You know the old adage, "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride". Well, in my case, I'm not even invited to the f*cking wedding and never mind being the bride.

So, what prompted this latest outburst of emotion? A MAN! As usual.

:: deep cleansing breath ::

Funny story. This time a tale of two Brians. As per usual, I met them both on the internet and they both actively pursued me. Quite vigorously, in fact.

Rewind 7 years to February 2001.

The first Brian is a handsome blonde hair blue eyed All American Florida guy. We had a fabulous long distance internet courtship. I was head over heels and seemed like he felt the same way. Some weeks into our flirtations, Brian confessed that he was engaged and even showed me pictures of his fiancee.' I have to say that I don't blame him for marrying her. She seemed like the perfect girl. A beautiful blonde plus-size model type woman who seemed just from looking at her picture to have a good soul. I was crushed. It's not often that I break down and cry, but this was one of those times. I felt set aside. As if I was, for some reason, not loveable...not as good as her. Why wasn't I ever "The One!" Why did he even flirt with me to begin with?

Fast forward to today.

The second Brian. A tall, handsome brown hair, green eyed All-American Texas boy. I've only known this Brian for a couple months. He made himself known to me indicating that he thought I was attractive and that I was his type of woman, but this time, I knew up front that brunette Brian had a girlfriend. Another drop dead gorgeous girlfriend (complete opposite of what I look like) who seems from her picture to be a fun loving, great type person. There was never any real intention for love here, mainly Brian relentlessly flirting and making overtures and me playing coy. 'shrug. I noticed a couple weeks ago that he stopped flirting and really stopped communicating all together, but then again I wasn't really trying to keep up with him either until a couple days ago when we started lightly chatting and joking around again. Today, he changed his profile picture from a picture of just himself to a picture of the happy couple. I inquired about the change and that's when he exclaimed that he was planning to pop the question. Once again, I was crushed. Even though, I knew he had a girlfriend it just didn't seem like it was a really serious thing until today. Until he started pouring his heart out to me a bout the big proposal preparations he was making and how happy he was. I couldn't stand it anymore. I had to ask him to stop. I didn't want to hear anymore about it. I felt set aside and dejected. Unloveable and low. Once again, I'm not "The One".

Sure, I'm normally happy for my friends when they get married, but not this time.
This time I feel raw and angry and sad and lonely and pathetic and like I'll never find just one f*cking man that won't lie, cheat, or try to beat me (hasn't happened yet and likely never will if I have anything to do about it, but you get the gist) or disappear on me.

As with the blonde Brian, I removed brunette Brian from my buddy list and closed out that paragraph in this chapter of my life. Sure yeah, they gotta be part douchebag and I know for a fact blonde Brian cheats his wife, but at the same time I'm left wondering why did they even bother to flirt with me? Why break MY heart in the first place? It seems cruel and unusual.

Now, anyone who knows me in real life knows that I really, truly don't place a whole lot of importance on material or superficial things. I have literally dated every creed, race, religion conceivable. I've dated black, white, yellow, red, brown, white collar, blue collar, no collar men and still haven't managed to ferret out one decent guy all my own in almost 18 years of dating. Hell, I've never even had a long term relationship. Nothing over a year anyway.
Well, there was Sean, but I was the douchebag in that relationship. :: sigh! :: Had it not been for the international long distance thing and my local booty call indiscretion, we may have worked.
The one and only time I cheated on a man and he was a good man. :: headdesk ::

I wonder if there's one man that I've ever dated or loved that says to himself every now and then, "WOW! I wonder how Carmen is doing? I hope she's ok. I miss her. She was a great woman and if I had it to do all over again, I'd love and marry her and be the man she always wanted."

It takes a lot to put a chink in my amour, but these last few months nay decades of dating love and loss are taking a toll on me and making me really wonder what the hell is wrong with me? If anything. The mind boggles. In true chick fashion, after finding out about brunette Brian
I baked myself a tray of brownies, blogged about it, cried about it and gonna watch a trashy movie tonight. I don't even feel like going to UFO Wednesday Knit Night tonight.

I Knit So I Don't Kill People...

Yeah, that's so me right now.
Knitting like a fiend so that I don't lose grip of my sanity and cause bodily harm to someone.
Ironic, yet true. :: sigh! :: :: weak grin ::

So, what are you knitting prey tell? Well, initially I thought I'd make the Lotus Cardigan by Norah Gaughan for Berroco Design, but then I ran across this...


Pattern: Adult Pinwheel Sweater by Shelley Mackie
Ravelry Project Page: Dulcedosa's Adult Pinwheel Sweater
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Colorway: #247
Needles: Knit Picks Options, 32", 47", 60" circulars - US9
Started: July 19, 2008
Finished:
Project Details:

• I've repurposed the lot of Noro Silk Garden #247 that I initially purchased to make the Lady Eleanor last winter.
• I made some aesthetic changes to the original pattern.
• To prevent a hole at the center back, I used the Toe Up Magic Loop Cast-On with 4sts. on each needle (8sts. total), then knit the first increase round using the working yarn and tail increasing to 16 sts. total.
• I opted to do the increases using Knit into Front Back (KFB) instead of Yarn Over (YO) I learned the hard way that if you use KFB, you start with K1, KFB instead of the K2, YO.
• I placed stitch markers to indicate where to KFB on increase rows. That way I don’t have to keep track of what row I’m on until it looks like time for the sleeve opening. I KFB into the stitch before the stitch marker on increase rows.
• As I’ve been working further out in the circle, I’ve been spit splicing matching sections of color so that the striping is even and wider, otherwise you’ll have thin, lop-sided sections of color.
• Used afterthought armhole at 40 sts. between sections.

I'm stalled, but determined to finish the Ribbed Baby Jacket as featured in Prima Magazine July 2005 and the February Sweater from Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmermann
that I have started. Co-workers babies are both due in early October.

Pattern: Ribbed Baby Jacket
Ravelry Project Page: Dulcedosa's Ribbed Baby Jacket
Yarn: Rowan All Seasons Cotton Colorway: Pansy
Needles: Knit Picks Harmony, US6
Started: June 15, 2008
Finished: October 11, 2008
Project Details:

Following pattern as written, except Seed Stitch on the collar instead of 2 x 2 Ribbing.


Pattern: February Sweater from Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmermann
Ravelry Project Page: Dulcedosa's Baby Sweater on Two Needles (February)
Yarn: Bernat Softee Colorway: Soft Lilac
Needles: Knit Picks Harmony, US6
Started: September 2007
Finished:
Project Details:

Switching to stockinette stitch for lower half of sweater.

Please Sir, I Want Some More...

:: facepalms ::

Do you ever feel like if one more little thing goes wrong in your life that you're just going to lose your mind? Like you just want to walk off the field of play and say "I QUIT! I DON'T WANNA PLAY WITH YOU GUYS ANYMORE! YOU STINK!" Yeah, that's how I feel.

:: grumble ::

I'm wound up. Caged. Tense. Stressed. Angry. A power keg of emotion. I could seriously use an IV vacation in a nice fancy psych ward right now. LOL! Just dope me up, knock me out and keep it coming. No worries. Nobody calling me to tell me their problems. No job drama. No deadlines. No man drama. No mama drama. No brother's ex wife and kids drama. No friends is unemployed and needs a job drama. No friend has stage 4 colon cancer drama. No car needs new thingofamajig drama. No this bill is past due and we want our money now drama. No garage door fell off the hinges drama. Just the drip drip of the prescription manna from heaven into the tube. :: ahhhh! ::

:: ponders ::

or maybe, I'll take up boxing and pound the crap out of a heavy bag. I don't know, but something has got to give and soon.

You ever just lie awake at night, traumatized, frozen with anxiety about all the things you know you have to get done, but you don't know where to start. You just keep replaying the same things over and over in your mind in a futile attempt not to forget and you're too lazy to get out of bed and write it all down...as if that would really help anyway, "Don't forget this and I gotta get that done and OH MY GAWD! If I don't do that, then this..." It's exhausting. Then, after a sleepless night, the alarm goes off and you're off to the races again.

It would be so nice if I could just tag in my clone to take over for a while, so I could mentally check out for a while. Instead, I find myself immersing in diversions that take my mind off my woes. Facebook and There.com provide a pleasant escape from the "soucie du jour".

It's been on my mind a lot lately and I have every intention to hustle over to the gym to wear myself out hoping that some good ole fashioned exercise will improve my mood. I just need to get to the damn gym. I know. Excuses. Excuses. I miss working out, actually. Besides, I need to lose a significant of weight, plus it just feels good to work out from an emotional standpoint, too.

Many have asked about my mom and here's what I know right now. She's still not well. After consulting yet another local yocal doctor, she decided (along with the doctor's blessing) to take herself off of all the prescription medicines she was on save for the insulin she needs from time to time. She says that she feels better and pretends to be A-OK! when my brother or I call her on the phone, but I can hear in her voice that she's not. I can hear the congestion and know that she's just the same as when I saw her last...congestive heart and what I'm guessing is kidney failure. She can't work anymore and I have been helping out with bills until her disability kicks in when I can...that is, of course, when I have a few dollars to spare. If it's not my house, it's my car, if it's not my car it's something else. :: eyeroll :: What can you do? It is what it is.

...and then, there's him.

Yeah, he crapped out on me again. I give up. Radio silence for 2 weeks now. Not even a freakin' text message to say, "HEY! I'm alive. Thinking about you. I know. I know. I suck, but I'll make it up to you when I get back." NOTHING! I called him a couple times to follow-up on our date that never was and he didn't answer the phone, so last week I sent him this text, "Ok. I give up. Don't know what to do. I was looking forward to seeing you, but you won't communicate." No response. Yeah, he's married or something. Something shady is going on. It just frickin' bothers me when men go radio silence on me like this. Yes, it has happened before. Things are going along seemingly great, then BAM! Never hear from the schmuck again. Maybe there's a conspiracy afoot. That's it! Aliens are abducting them.

It's just as well. I don't think I can stomach the uncertainty of a new relationship on top of everything else going on lately. Frequently, I remind myself that things could definitely be worse. That's when I take a moment to count my blessings and carry onward.

Heh. I forgot this is 'posed to be a knitting blog.

Yes, there is knitting and crocheting and sewing in the midst.

Ribbed Baby Jacket as featured in Prima Magazine July 2005 for one of two team mates who are expecting litte girls this October. Using my Rowan All Seasons Cotton in Pansy.


Going to finish the February Sweater from Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmermann and give it to one of my expecting co-worker's too.

This Brooklyn Tweed's beautiful rendition.

Still hooking away on Benny the Monkey from Amigurumi Super Happy Crochet Cute by Elisabeth Doherty

I'll forever make white cotton washclothes.

and I've decided its time to start working on a new cubicle cardigan because as I type I'm convulsing from the arctic A/C.

The new cubicle cardigan shall be the Lotus Cardigan by Norah Gaughan for Berroco Design.
I got a whole mess of Jasper in Black Galaxy from the WEBS table when Gwenie Gwen and I went to Stitches Midwest last summer.

The Elusive Black Male Knitter...

does he even exist? The mind boggles.
One of our new local KC Metro male knitters posted a plea for help the other day on Ravelry that prompted me to think some on the whole issue of male knitters/crocheters.

You see, whenever, I'm hanging out at a LYS, usually MisKnits, and I see a gentleman stroll in off the street. He's always a White male. Never really dawned on me until the other day that I have yet to witness with mine own eyes a Black, Asian or Latino male knitter/crocheter. (I say it in the order knitter/crocheter not because one is better than the other because I do both, but because it just flows better when spoken.)

Anywho, it's not like I spend an inordinate amount of time in the LYS because lawd knows I need to hangout more and have been told so on MANY occasions, but even on those rare times when I get hangout I do see Black female knitters/crocheters pass through...even stay for a while and socialize. Haven't seen that with my Black male counterparts yet.

I imagine because there's a double stigma on Black males who knit/crochet. I mean let's face it. Most of us, already ASSume (including yours truly) that the majority of male knitters/crocheters are gay. Then, add to that the stigma of being a knitter/crocheter. The funny thing is that up until WWI, males were the majority of knitters/crocheters and women were less likely to knit/crochet and even today in some parts of South America, women are forbidden to knit/crochet.

I think that men, and I don't know why sexuality has anything to do with crafting by the way, should just DO IT. Just get you some needles, a hank of yarn and a book and go for it. Flaunt it. Beat your chest and bark about it. Take back part of your history. As Early Culyer would say, "GIT YOU SOME BOY!" ;)

Open your own male centric yarn shops with stuff you like. Start your own male centric groups and get together and do your thang. Tell us girls to go away if you want. Although, uh...I'd be sniffing about on the perimeter trying to waft some female pheromones your way. :D heh. I can't help it. Something about a man that can craft that turns me on now. Yes, I had mixed feelings about it a couple years ago, didn't think it was very manly, but now...I think it's even more manly. Shows that he is confident, strong and doesn't give a rats @ss what society thinks and that my friend is a HUGE turn on now. :: GRRRR! ::

:: EHEM! ::

So, uh...yeah. GO KNIT YOU SOMETHING, AIGHT?

The Best Known Male Knitters of the 20th Century

My favorite Squidbillies Episodes

Early Cuyler

Head of the Culyer household, recently released from prison. Early loves his Truck-Boat-Truck as well as drinking (on the job.) He has many, various knives and guns.

Voiced by Unknown Hinson
Visit Website

Favorite Quotes: "What I gotta mash to make it do!?" "HELL YEAH!" "GIT YOU SUM!"

0. This Show Is Called Squidbillies

1. Today’s World Runs on Computers
   

2. Coal Dust
   

3. We did…With Computers
   

4. Passion Is For Smashin’
   

5. My Program Worked!
   

6. Did You Hear That?
   

7. It’s Just The Sherriff
   

8. It’s Not So Bad
   

9. Heat and Pressure
   

10. Utopia
    

11. Free From Gay Utopia
    

12. Tax Preparing
    

Don't touch the trim!

KC Metro Ravelry Meetup at the The Studio

left to right: Jennifer, Beth, Sarah

The lovely PlazaJen, BethKuta, Cindi and LauraGayle. were the hostesses with the mostestess this past Sunday for KC Ravelry meetup in the back parking lot at The Studio Knitting and Needlepoint. There was a food drive for our local food pantry, Harvesters, a Ravelry inspired cupcake contest, door prizes and Ravatar buttons for everyone who attended. :( Mine got messed up during assembly, otherwise, I'd post a peekture of it.

Upon my arrival at the festivities, the issue of seat placement came up. You see I wanted to sit in the darkest, shadiest part of the parking lot, but the majority of the ladies were seated across the way in less shady part of the parking lot. Now, I'm Black and I was wearing my black "agree(1)" shirt, black pants and a black shoes so I was liable to combust at any given moment.
Yeah, I know. Why did I wear all black. I thought about that as I was driving 15 minutes late for the event that it was too late to go back and change and well, dammit I looked cute.

Just as I had scoped out my spot under a nice big tree, got settled in and was about to sit down, PlazaJen yells from across the parking lot for me to join them over there 'cause they had a space open up. To which I responded very loudly, "UH! GURL! You know I can't come over there it's HOT! I might combust! Ain't no shade over there. I'm Black and I'm Blacker with all this damn Black on. HMPH!" To which, she replied something to the effect of well it's not that hot over here we got some shade. I'm doing ok. To which I replied, "GURL! You ain't Black though!" Then, other ladies chimed in and I caved. I grabbed up all my stuff and hauled it over to the empty spot. UGH! IT WAS BLAZIN' and I could tell the sun was about to shift and light up the whole joint over there. As I looked around me, I felt the need to quarantine myself from the unsuspecting, innocent and sanctified folks that may be sitting in earshot of me. More about this in a minute. So, no sooner had I dropped trow over there next who I would soon come to know as Jaycey aka insubordiknit, I picked up everything and hauled it back over to my original spot this time followed by my homies Jenny aka Gingie aka SwimmingJne and Beth aka Whatrowamion. I got myself settled in again in the shade, then headed over to drop off my Harvesters donation inside the shop. Then, over to the Ravatar table to cut out my button insert so it would be ready for assembly. That's when I hear a very cool ginger lady say something like, "HEY! Why did you move? What did I do?" to which, as discretely as possible, I quietly replied covering the side of my face so others couldn't see. "Well, you see my filter doesn't always work and well, there's babies, Christians and old ladies around here, so I just segregate myself 'cause you just never know with me 'cause I'm old and Southern and loud and I just don't care sometimes but, I do try to behave in polite company. I do really try." I suppose this is a good time for me to explain to those that don't know me why when you see me out and about at events I might come off as aloof or distant. It's for your own good. LOL! I reckon the folks that like me and accept me for me will tolerate me at the very least, especially sans filter. I think I make too much of a fuss about it, but you just never know. Maybe I'm not too bad. I'd rather just stay away from folks and let them decide if they are brave enough to delve into the fire. LOL! I like to be irreverent, funny, goofy, make jokes, gawk at hot mens, talk about inappropriate things (mainly men and sex), rant, rave and be loud sometimes, but I do (mostly) know when to shut up and when to behave...and when I don't know when to hush up, I have Teri and Joanna to give me the stink eye. LOL! Sometimes, I have a hard time reading folks, so I keep things short and sweet. No fuss, no muss. Sometimes, I am the one that is made to feel uncomfortable and I'm the one who will shy away out of fear of offending someone or being offended. And sometimes, there's folks you just can't stand and/or they can't stand you. :: shrug! :: Yeah, I said it. There are TWO such folks in the local area and my close friends know who they are and they, generally, agree that these folks are NOT quite right in the head. LOL! Takes a lot for me to NOT like someone, so you know these folks gotta be some kinda crazy, weird, obnoxious and/or just not right for me to avoid them like the plague. Like someone once said, "...You're dead to me..."

Anywho...that's that.

left to right: Jacey, Jennifer, Beth

Heather

So, after a while, the sun did indeed light up that other spot and folks started to migrate over my way. That's when Jaycey and her friend Heather came and flanked me on either side. JennyJen and her husband Jason were sitting on the curb in front of us, too. heh. Come to find out I had mixed ole JennyJen aka Jennyswonderland up with this other lady who I thought was named Jenny, but whose name is really Elisabeth from up Topeka way on the Kansas City Crafters forum. LAWD! When I saw her Ravatar button, I knew who she was. Now, for a while, I have been racked with guilt thinking that every damn time I see her and I open my mouth that I'm offending poor JennyJen. Yeah, I gave her that nickname by accident, but she liked it and kept it. Anyhow, couple of Saturdays ago, after WWKIP day, we were all sitting around at MisKnits and somehow I got to ranting about Kobe beef and come to find out JennyJen is vegan, then I said something else and something else and seemed like I kept on stepping in it everytime. GOOD LAWD! So, I figured well, let me just stay over here and keep my mouth shut, so I don't say something else crazy 'cause I bet she don't like me. LOL! Well, while they was sitting there on the curb, I went ahead and spilled my proverbial guts and found out that Jason and Jenny likes me and think I'm funny and entertaining and that I hadn't put my feets in my mouf after all. YAY! So, I heaved a great big ole sigh of relief and ate another cupcake. PHEW! I made a few jokes and all was well with the world. After a few minutes, we were joined by a lady and her toddler son. Well, damn. Now, I have to behave. It was difficult, but I think I managed not to say anything too crazy that he might start repeating around town. LOL! :: ehem :: I do try to run away from folks with kids for their own safety.

left to right: Jason, Baby Jake (not theirs), Jennifer

Matter of fact, towards the end of the event, we were joined by a cute little girl name Cass. I figured she was in high school, but she was 18. Grown, but not grown enough for me. I'm 37. I'm twice her age. Somehow, we got on the subject of those crazy girls in Glouchester all trying to get pregnant at the same time. MAN! I went on a rant. Good thing the baby was gone by then. I mean what were those girls thinking. You gotta have a LOT OF MONEY to support a child. They ain't even out of high school yet and having a baby!? THE HELL! They didn't think about the sleepless nights, the croup, the ear infections, clothes, medicine, toys, education, food, shelter, daycare, books, equipment, hollering, fussing, cussing, that goes along with rearing a child. Yes, there's good parts. I know, but the nitty gritty of day to day rearing of a child is exhausting just to think about it. Boy, I must have fussed for a few minutes 'cause Cass' eyes were wide open. LOL! She's a good girl, though. I can tell. She won't do anything rash like that. Then, I got on a rant about these teenage kids who go to prom drunk and pass out from alcohol poisoning and all this. Where do they get the alcohol!? THE PARENTS! YEP! That's right. :: headdesk :: I don't know. I mean in Europe, kids are exposed to alcohol at younger ages and they seem to be able, generally speaking, to manage themselves appropriately, but what is it about American kids that causes them to just go plum crazy? :: shrug! :: :: sigh! ::

Jacey and Sarah aka Craftasaurus won some door prizes and PlazaJen won the Manager's Award for her Studio Daisy Cupcakes.

Anywho, it was 3 PM and was time to pack up and move out.
On my way out, I commented on
I said my goodbyes and headed on back to the house for movies, knitting and general laziness.
YAY!

Ghetto GPS Says...

left to right: Laura, Jennifer, Jennifer

This year's Sunflower Knitters Guild Kansas Yarn Crawl was yet another fabulous event enjoyed by all.

I was with my homies Future Mrs. Laura aka NotSoFluffyNotSoKira, PlazaJen and Gingie aka Jenny aka SwimmingJne. I met up with PlazaJen at her house, left my car and hopped in her G ride, then we met up with Future Mrs. Laura and Gingie in the parking lot at the Darth Vadar building. Future Mrs. Laura was already waiting on us when we got there, so me and PlazaJen hopped in the backseat and waited on Gingie. heh. I dubbed her that during our adventure on Saturday. I like it. Its stuck now. Anywho. Soon as Gingie got in the ride, Future Mrs. Laura starts mashing buttons on her fancy GPS system. You see I have a deep and abiding distrust of them damn Global Positioning Systems, otherwise known as GPS. Future Mrs. Laura seems to depend on them thangs to git her from point A to point B and well, I'm old, Southern and fixed in my ways when it comes to some things. Don't git me wrong. I'll use a GPS, but when I know what I know and I know the damn GPS ain't gonna know, well then, you just gotta let me guide you where you going. Anyhow, Mrs. Laura is mashing on that damn GPS, so it can tell her how to git down to Knit Wit in Olathe. Well, I piped up and said, "GIRL! You got the Black Girl GPS back here. You don't need no damn GPS machine to tell you nothin'. Come now, let's roll." Well, she swore up and down that the damn GPS knows where its going and will tell you in a polite BRITISH accent. HMPH! Why you need a old British man to tell you where you going. GURL! You got the ghetto fabulous blinged out system in your backseat. SHOOT! Let's roll.
So, she gave in and let me do the guiding. heh. Somewhere along the way to Knit Wit, I coined the phrase "Ghetto GPS". Yep, that's me.

Knit Wit purchases go here.
Gotta get unlazy enough to take some yarn pr0n first.

Then, we were off to the Needlenest.

Then, over to Lawrence for Tracy Bonkers and then over to the Yarn Barn.
Many thanks to Future Mrs. Laura aka NotSoFluffyNotSoKira for chauffeuring me, PlazaJen and Gingie aka Jenny aka SwimmingJne. We had us a good time, I tell you. I was unfiltered, as usual. :: evil grin :: I like that I can be myself around these girls and they don't get all bunched up AND they get me AND they laugh at my jokes. As Early Culyer would say, "HELL YEAH!"

Damned If I Do...

Damned If I Don't.

That sums up today's post.

First, let me sincerely thank all of you who have patiently stalked my Etsy shop and blog, emailed, and verbally approached me about when I'm going to update my shop with new products. :: hangs head :: I know. I know, but here's a synopsis of where I am so far.

April : Mandarin Chinese Classes, Knitting in the Heartland and 20+ custom orders.
- Talk about freakin' busy. I was, practically, hold up in my house the entire month.
May: Maryland Sheep & Wool, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, House Renovation, Take Care of Family, then go braindead afterwards from exhaustion.
- Time for social interaction. It was good because I was becoming somewhat of a hermit and my friends/family were starting to complain that they hadn't seen me for so long. I'm sure they wanted to send out a search party to make sure I wasn't rotting in the basement or something. And yes, I got a couple cranky emails and text messages from some of my friends asking what they had done so wrong that I would completely ignore them. :: sigh :: I felt so bad. I was so focused on working, that I totally neglected my personal relationships.
Then came time for the Maryland Sheep & Wool festival. It was good to go see my Gwenie Gwen in DC. Then, the following week, Mother's Day weekend. Unfortunately, I was on-call for two weeks (the week of Mother's Day and the following week) and couldn't go home to see after my Mom, so I promised to go see her for a whole week starting Memorial Day weekend. At some point during the month of May, GP HQ underwent final renovations.
June: Workroom renovations finalized, PackRat and There.com obsession, a visit from my long lost step brother, Marvin, who I haven't seen since he was 6 years old, then World Wide Knit in Public Day today.
- Hopefully, you've already read my post about There.com and PackRat. I love playing PackRat with PlazaJen, NotSoFluffy, Teri, LauraGayle and countless others. I've found that being on There.com and Facebook is a great way for me to somewhat appease my family and friends by being able to interact with them online until I can get to see them in real life. I had lost touch with my big sister/best friend/cousin Kim and being on There.com has given us a chance to rekindle our bond and stay better in touch. Oldest brother, Adrian has joined there.com and Facebook and we both have found so many of our relatives on Facebook...we, even, found middle brother, Marvin on Facebook. Some of you have heard the story about my middle brother, Marvin. My father married his mother, Mrs. Linda when I was around 16. Oldest brother, Adrian and I, went to live with my dad for a year, right after he had returned from a long stint at an Army base in Germany with Mrs. Linda and little Marvin. Mrs. Linda had 2 children (Benita and Marvin) from a previous marriage. Anywho, after I graduated from high school there, Adrian and I were sent to live with my Mom down in Arkansas and we never saw Marvin again.
Fast forward to last week. I had heard bits and pieces about Marvin's life from my Dad and Mrs. Linda and Ryan. I knew he had graduated from Westpoint, was an Army officer, had fathered a baby boy named Ethan, had been deployed to Iraq and now is being deployed to Afghanistan. Suddenly, last Monday, I got a phone call from Marvin. He was here in Kansas at Ft. Riley for that special Army training you get right before they ship you off to the desert. Next day, I get a text message asking what my plans were for Wednesday and Thursday. He wanted to see his big sister after all these years. :: sniffle :: He was still 6 years old in my mind. I wondered what he would look like after all these years. I was so excited. Of course, I had to run around like a mad woman straightening, cleaning, primping, preparing the house for his arrival. Thursday came and I was still frantically preparing for his arrival. Finally, late Thursday night he arrived with a fellow Army officer who had been kind enough to drive him into town. They both were flying out the next day for their weekend respite. It was nice seeing him. He was such a mensch. Looks like Mrs. Linda and Dad managed to raise a nice young man. We got a chance to reminisce and catch up a bit over dinner at Sharp's then, they were off to rendez-vous with the boys for some late night partying before departing the next day. I was so happy to be a gracious hosts for these soldiers; to be able to provide some comfort and simple pleasure like a good home cooked meal and a soft bed if only for just one night meant so much to me. I was proud and happy to open my home to my brother and his fellow soldiers.

Fast forward to today, World Wide Knit in Public Day on the plaza. I was reminded how nice it is to just sit outside and be alive. I loved just being outside. The shade from the grand old oak, the fresh grass, the breezes wisping by and camaraderie of fellow knitters. We had a great turnout. I was flanked by my homies, Tanya aka [CraftyGrrl](person) aka CraftyT, Laura aka [FluffyKira](person) aka NotSoFluffyNotSoKira, Mary aka [Stringofpurls13](person), Jennifer aka [Grasshopper](person) and my new homie, Mrs. Jennie from the block aka [SwimmingJne](person). LOVE HER! :* heh.
She came to pickup a special hotrod flame snap bag and that's all she wrote. We hit it off instantly and now she's one of mines. MINE! :) We all chit chatted (filter was OFF, but I did warn them) LOL!, I did lots of gawking at some of the hot male eye candy joggers and worked on my amigurumi Benny the Monkey for awhile. Afterwards, I hotfooted over to Misknits for some cupcakes and more amigurumi Benny crochet. Then, I rushed home, showered, ironed, changed and went to dinner with my dear friends Chris and Matthew at our friendly, local restaurant haunt owned and managed by our dear friends Chris and Tai, Cafe Trio.
Then, home again, and I'm blogging to let all of you know what's been going on.

Today, barring any other fantastic surprises, I made a resolution to crank out some bags tomorrow and all next week. I have some pre-existing orders to fill, then I'll have bags ready for the general public. I have new exciting fabrics, high end woven labels are on the way and I have some new design features to reveal.

Once again, thank you all for your patronage, support and patience. Rest assured it is always a good thing to wait for the good stuff. You can't always get what you want when you want it, but when you do it makes it all the more special, doesn't it? ;) Always remember that I take custom orders, i.e. swaps, birthday, anniversary, whatever the occasion, just drop me a message on Ravelry or at girleypurls [at] hotmail [dot] com and let me know what you need and by what date and I'll git 'er done. I promise. :)

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Keep The Faith

Faith Evans

Keep The Faith

This CD has been an inspiration and has reminded me of what's really important in life.
As I was driving into work yesterday, I was struck by the message laid out in "Life Will Pass You By".

[Chorus]

What I'm thinking of
Life's not that important if you don't have love
Striving for perfection every day
I must make it better than it was the day before

Never will I be a fool and take my blessings for granted
I know God's been by my side
And everything's gonna be all right

Gotta move on, gotta be strong
Can't let no one get me down, oh no
Problems they come, problems they go
Can't let no one get me down, oh no

[Chorus]

Even though you may have to cry
(Dry your eyes)
It will be all right
(Just put your faith)
Put your faith in the one who makes you strong
The one who makes you strong

[Chorus]

Life will pass you by in the twinkling of an eye
If you didn't, now you know
You can't keep wasting time
We're getting older every day
There's more to life than just today
Our future's not that far away
You can't keep wasting time

[Repeat above until fade]

Faith's words resonated in my mind and once again I began to reflect on my own life and where I want to be...what I REALLY want to be and just where in the heck am I going?

Especially these words,
"Life will pass you by in the twinkling of an eye
If you didn't, now you know
You can't keep wasting time
We're getting older every day
There's more to life than just today"

How many of us get so caught up in our day to day routine and minutia that we forget...we forget to call, write, laugh, cry, TRY.

TRY? That's a big deal to a lot of people isn't it? Try something new, try something different, try a new way, try doing it all over again, try something on for size, try. What's so scary about trying anyway? :: shrug! ::

On to the review.

"It was rumored that when he first heard Evans sing, he described her voice as feeling "like rain." It's funny, but I was thinking the same thing as I got off the elevator yesterday listening to "Life Will Pass You By". Faith's voice has a very soothing effect like that of a waterfall's steady downpour or a cool mist. A lilting comfort.

Some of my most favorite titles on this sophomore album are:

2. Love Like This
4. Sunny Days
6. My First Love - another story of my life songs.
9. Life Will Pass You By

HAPPY BIRFDAY, BABY BROTHER!

Number One Little Brother - Adrian, originally uploaded by dulcedosa.

This is my little brother's 31st birthday. Ain't he cute! :D

Amigurumi! Super Happy Crochet Cute

by Elisabeth A. Doherty

I LOVE THIS BOOK!

It is pure genius for anyone interested in learning to crochet Amigurumi.
My first foreray into the world of Amigurumi came when I bumbled across Elisabeth Doherty's, now defunct, Etsy shop. Never fear, you can still visit her "Gourmet Amigurumi" website and read her "Gourmet Amigurumi" blog.

I am amazed at the high level of detail and elegant nature of her techniques. I am most enamored of her human and humanoid dolls. Notice the texture of the hair, the tiny embroidering and felted bits used for the face expression. Her dolls have thumbs and toes, knee dimples, some even have polished toe nails, shoes, beads, etc.

As soon as I laid eyes on them, I wanted so desperately to learn her method of doing Amigurumi. Finally, after a couple years, Elisabeth bestowed upon us her crochet wisdom in her first book titled "Amigurumi! Super Happy Crochet Cute".

The first section of the book details very clearly the necessary supplies and techniques used to create her kind of Amigurumi. Having crocheted since I was in the 4th grade, I have to agree with all her recommendations, most especially using high quality crochet hooks like the Clover Soft Touch Hooks and using soft acrylic like Caron Simply Soft. She even includes a hand stretching section in the back of the book.

The book is entirely in color with clear, concise illustrations and very clever tips and tricks nestled throughout. In this book, she gives us patterns on how to make everything from scrumptious crocheted food, cute barnyard and woodland creatures and her signature human and humanoid dolls.

This, to me, is the bible of all things Amigurumi.

THUNDERSTRUCK!

:: puzzled look ::

Uh?

:: pregnant pause ::

I'm still reeling from all the love and attention I've gotten over the past 24 hours over at Ravelry.

:: sniffle ::

WOW! That came out of nowhere as a very pleasant surprise. A much needed pleasant surprise.

You see, I've been bee bopping around Ravelry these past couple weeks trying to liven the place up a bit. Things had gotten quite rank and dreary for a while. There seemed to be a myriad of drama laden, mean spirited threads popping up in the main arena and the tone of the site, it seemed, had taken a turn for the worse. I could tell the rancor was taking a huge toll on the creators of the site and I took it upon myself, as did others, to just do fun, goofy stuff to lighten the mood and maybe steer things in a more positive direction. Well, wouldn't you know it, it freakin' worked! YAY! We started fun threads and groups for those of us who like cute, happy things and before you knew it people were happy again and spreading good will, cheer and love all over the place.

So, I logon to Ravelry last night and my inbox was full of "Are your ears buring? You've been magic linked" messages and click...there's this thead titled "Dulcedosa" and I'm like "WUH?".

I couldn't believe how much of an impact I had had on people with just my goofy ole cheesy ole Ravatar and some crazy silly posts. Some people may think that I'm an attention whore, but I'm really not. HONEST! Most of the time, I'm just kinda doing my own thing and trying to stay out of the limelight. Notice, I said "trying". I just kinda bee bop and do my thing and people, for whatever reasons, take notice. I, honestly, can't help myself from commenting and participating in the forums on Ravelry. I'm a chatterbox. Yep, I'm the same way in real life as what you read on my blog and in my posts. No fakery here....just cakery. LOL! :: ehem! :: I love cake, ok.

My stomach is a little in knots over having my own thread. I'm kinda freaked out about it, actually, but reading the nice things people have to say about me and the impact I've had on them is amazing and humbling and makes me glad to be alive. Hard to believe that some years ago, I had prepared a suicide email and was really ready to just die. That's not something I talk about ever, but I want to put into perspective how much that one little thread means to me. You never know when that one kind word or smile will tip the scale in someone's favor and they decide to stick around a little longer. My close friends and family know I have a lot on my plate these days. My mom is dying (congestive heart failure), they just announced yet another round of layoffs AGAIN, even though I make a very nice salary, I'm to the point now that I can pay my mortgage, utilities, basic living expenses and the rest goes to my mom who can't work now, so credit card bills are on the back burner and I'm faced with some hard decisions. Anywho, despite all that, I still put a smile on my face and bumble about. I don't believe in throwing a pity party. I'm the type that will suck it up and keep moving. Besides, no one really wants to hear sad news because we all have sad stories, but once again, I'm laying it all out there for you today. One of those rare occasions when I feel safe enough to be vulnerable and share the fleshy parts of myself.

But, I do do (hehehe! Yep, I said DoDo) little things to cheer myself up like taking my Mandarin Chinese courses, knitting, hoarding yarn, rambling on Ravelry. Sometimes, its all I can do to get out of bed, but I do it because I have to...Miss Kitty won't let me sleep in past 8 AM anyway. Heifa likes to have her kibble in her bowl promptly. But, being a part of Ravelry is a bright spot in my life. It truly makes me happy to be a part of the Ravelry community and I cherish every moment I spend there.

I know I've said it time and time again, but many heartfelt thanks to everyone at Ravelry, most especially Casey, Jess, Mary-Heather, Bob, Thom and the whole Freckle family.

God Bless You All.

Anywho, much love to all of you who, for some reason, care enough to keep up with me.
God Bless You.

GP Headquarters Under Construction!

GP Headquarters is undergoing a facelift.
I'm FINALLY getting the flooring installed in my attic workspace after 2 years of procrastination!

Well, mainly because I had a hell of a time finding decent carpentry help and broke down and reached out to an old friend/fix-it guy to help me. So, he'll be starting on the floor this Thursday! YAY!





Therefore, crafting activities will be on hold for a couple days/weeks while I get my new workspace completed and organized, then I'll be ready to crank out many beautiful creations for my loyal customers to enjoy.

Attic Remodel Flickr Set

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Surrender

Surrender

"Kut Klose was a R&B trio that formed in Atlanta, Georgia. The three female singers that made up the group were Athena Cage, Lavonn Battle and Tabitha Duncan. The girls were discovered by Keith Sweat who heavily produced their debut album. He also sang a duet with the group on "Get Up On It."

In 1995, the girls released their first and only album, Surrender. Despite releasing three singles, "Surrender," "Lovely Thang," and "I Like" the only one to make a significant impact was "I Like." "I Like" managed to reach #8 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Chart." -

"Kut Klose members LaVonn Battle, Athena Cage, and Tabitha Duncan have attractive voices, but they haven't come up with a distinctive group sound; they simply fill in around the lead vocals in the most predictable ways. It doesn't help matters that the album's 11 songs, largely written by Keith Sweat and his sidekicks, are undernourished melodically, giving the three women little to do but repeat the same sing-song rhythms over and over. If Surrender were simply boring, it could be easily dismissed. It's more insidious than that, however, for Sweat and his male cronies have used the three women of Kut Klose as vehicles for their own sexual fantasies. There's something smarmy about powerful industry figures who sign up young women desperate for stardom and who then direct those women to moan and croon about how they want a "Lovely Thang" who will "Lay My Body Down" and "Do Me" the way "I Like." Kut Klose's new album is nothing more than the Penthouse--Geoffrey Him"

I concur with the Amazon reviewer's opinion above. These girls don't have spectacular voices like Beyonce' or Mariah and the lyrics are rather male oriented, BUT I do like this CD for some reason. Its kinda pop and catchy and I like to listen to them while I'm tooling around town. This group is definitely indicative of the R&B girl groups of the early 90s.

Some of their more popular tracks from Surrender:

3. Get Up On It
6. Surrender
7. I Like

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival 2008 - Featured Vendors

Featured Vendors

I stumbled across a couple new AWESOME vendors this year.

Autumn House Farm





Of course, you can NEVER EVER go wrong with
Brooks Farm Yarn





Pucker Brush Farm



My Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival 2008 Flickr Slideshow

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival 2008 - Logistics and Lessons Learned

Logistics and Lessons Learned

• Freeze a few bottled waters.
• Pack a lunch or at least some snacks! Never know when your blood sugar will get wonky. Ain't gonna find any food vendor with a short line.
• If you have bad allergies and/or asthma, take your medicine and bring extra. Rest assured, you're going to have some kind of attack while you are out in the dirt and weeds.
• The nearest convenience store is down that busy one lane highway and even then they probably won't have what you need, so pack your necessities ahead of time and just plan on dragging some stuff with you AND going back to your car a time or two for supplies. DO NOT think "Ah. We'll just pick it up on our way to the festival..." because SERIOUSLY there's no where to shop nearby. You'd have to drive into Columbia or Ellicott and that's a schlep from the festival grounds.
  
• Bring hand sanitizer and wet wipes! You will need them. Water faucets are few and far between and you will be touching all manner of muck and grime. You'll be going in and out of real barns with real livestock, people. Plus, you may have to use a porta-potty or they may run out of toilet tissue in the regular restrooms. Don't be afraid to use the men's room either, especially since there are more women than men at these events. Just holler first to make sure the coast is clear.
  
• Bring lots of cash. Not too many vendors accept checks or credit cards.
• Bring a large expandable tote bag. Preferably, one of those crocheted or knit string bags that will stretch out pretty well for your yarn purchases.
• Backpacks are largely frowned upon, but after a while I wished I had one because my shoulders were starting to get sore from the weight of my shoulder tote bags.
• Wear pants with pockets so you have easy access to your money.
• Don't forget your sunscreen AND a baseball cap or floppy hat! I noticed quite a few folks turning beet red in the afternoon sun. I brought my SPF 70 Helioplex, but left it in the car that morning since it was overcast and wasn't about to schlep to the car again to fetch it, so I got a wee bit tan. I liked showing folks the tan line from my watch as I was standing in the sun waiting in the bathroom line. LOL! Yes, "little girl" Black folks do tan...and quite rapidly. It's amazing, I'll show you one day.
• If you haven't done so already, go to Vistaprint and get you some of those free business cards so you can exchange contact information with your friends at the event. You can even put your Ravelry avatar on them and, of course, your Ravelry screenname, email address, etc.
• Wear broken in shoes with gel inserts. I wore my leather clogs with Dr. Schol's Gel Sole Inserts for maximum comfort.
• I saw some ladies trying to be cute in their heels and sandals. That's a good way to break your ankle because you will be walking on rocks, dirt, grass, falling into gopher holes, the whole lot, so be sensible and bring a nice pair of broken in CLOSED TOED shoes.
  
• Don't make the mistake of wearing brand new shoes like I did. My brand new tennis shoes were rubbing the back of my heels and started forming a blister. Luckily, I brought my leather clogs w/ gel inserts, so I went back to the car to swap out shoes.
• Bring a rain poncho and rain boots for good luck! I heard from some veterans that whenever they brought rain gear, it doesn't rain and it seems to have worked again this year.
• Get one of those rain poncho that can double as a tarp because there aren't a whole lot of places to sit down and you might end up sitting on the grass. If you do plan on sitting in the grass, bring a bug bomb and/or bug spray because there are all kinds of chiggers, gnats, flies, ticks, etc. that I'm sure you don't want to bring home with you. I hate bug bites.
• Make sure you have your mobile phone charged (dont' forget your car charger) and have your vital phone numbers in there already, i.e friends, family that are going to be with you at the festival because it's easy to get separated.
• Wear easily recognizable clothing to help you find each other in the crowd. Something memorable that people will have remembered seeing, for instance, I just happened to wear my hot pink skull & crown t-shirt and that helped my friend Gwen be able to find me in a crowd. :) Then, if we had gotten separated she would have been able to ask folks in they saw a Black woman wearing a hot pink skull & crown shirt and they would be like, "YEAH! I just saw her a few minutes ago over by the ...."
• Invest in a Global Positioning System (GPS). Rent a car with one, get it on your mobile phone, buy one and put it in your car, but don't leave home without it. Maneuvering around the DC, VA, MD area is painful at the very least. The street signs are teeny and driving directions from MapQuest and Google maps vary wildly sometimes.
• It was a bit chilly in the AM, but by noon it was warm and a little muggy. I'm glad I didn't bring a jacket because that was one more thing I would have had to schlep.
• If you're not a people person and/or don't like huge hoards of people, take your anxiety medicine and/or come on Sunday when there might be less people milling about.
  

The Nashua Surplice Lace Top

Details

Pattern: Surplice Lace Top, Gayle Bunn, Nashua Handknits Designer Col. No. 4

Yarn: Nashua Handknits June Colorway: White

Needles: US 6 Knit Picks Options 60" cable

Modifications: Flat to In The Round
I cast on again using 284 stitches. I remembered to subtract the 2 selvage stitches from the flat pattern (total of 4 sts). The stitch repeat is 20 sts. so that would leave me with an extra 4 stitches that I would have to divide so that I had 2 Stockinette sts. on either side that define the front and back of the top...I think these will, also, be used for waist shaping later on.

Started: Thursday, May 31, 2007

Finished:

---

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Still plugging away on this one. I'm on my 10th lace repeat and then I'll be ready to start the front and back of the top section.
Gwenie Gwen hipped me to The Knitting Fiend's "How To Decrease Evenly Across a Row" tool to help me figure out how to decrease down from 284 to the required number of stitches for the bodice.

---

Saturday, June 30, 2007


Finishing up the 5th repeat of 10. I'm able to try it on as I go using the 60" cable.
I'm glad I converted it to in the round, so that I'll be done that much sooner and won't have to seam anything. I've got the lace pattern memorized so that makes it much easier to just work on it whenever I get a free moment.

---

Thursday, May 31, 2007
I've heard my friends gripe about not knowing what to knit next and now it's my turn. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning gloaming over knitting books and magazine in search of the PERFECT summer top to sport during Stitches Midwest this year. Nothing piqued my desire, so I'm back to the Nashua Surplice Lace Top again.

I cast on for it, AGAIN, a couple days ago and have been rather tepid about it. Last month, during the yarn crawl Gwenie Gwen, as usual, had the most wonderful idea! Nashua Handknits June for the Surplice! BRILLIANT! One problem...they didn't have enough in the color that she wanted, so we went in together and ordered a crapload of it over at WEBS. She got the rose color and I got the white. I wanted us to be twins and both get rose, but N O! She hates to be twins. *pout*

Anywho, I converted the pattern for in the round knitting. Why? I can't stand purling for some reason. It only recently occurred to me that I don't like to purl. As a matter of fact, I'd rather knit backwards than purl! Converting the pattern was a bit of a feat for me. The first time I cast on for this top in the round, I totally jacked up the stitch repeat and had this weird pattern repeat going and I was trying to compensate by increasing. Finally, I said "F*(K IT!" and ended up just frogging the whole mess. Right now, I am halfway through the first lace repeat. *yawn* One thing I realized about myself is that I'm totally a lace girl. Love me some lace. Why? It keeps me from being B O R E D!

So, the Nashua June is kinda splitty. *pout* Another annoying factor is that I have to keep my hands sparkling clean so as not to make the yarn dingy from any dirt, makeup or oil on my hands. *grumble* DAGNABIT! I need to find a new muse! A new lace love affair. Otherwise, I'll just plug along on the Nashua Surplice. Maybe after awhile she'll grow on me and I'll be excited about knitting her? *shrug* I hope the adrenaline kicks in soon...mama needs a new tank to floss at Stitches Midwest.

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Miss Thang

Monica Arnold

"Monica Denise Arnold (born October 24, 1980), professionally known as Monica, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and occasional actress. She debuted in 1995 under the guidance of Rowdy Records head Dallas Austin and became the youngest recording act to ever have two consecutive chart-topping hits on the U.S..."

Can you believe that she was only 13 years old when she recorded this smash debut album.
Like the lyrics of the songs on this album, Monica's voice was so strong and developed...far more mature than her young age.

I remember being mesmerized by this album....I love every song on this album.

Here's some of the better videos I managed to dig up on YouTube:

Miss Thang

2. Don't Take It Personal (Just One Of Dem Days)
3. Like This And Like That
11. Before You Walk Out Of My Life
13. Why I Love You So Much