October 27, 2002. Ok, finally, here are pictures of my loom. First, I'll show you what I'm working on right now. It's a table runner.

The blue part at the bottom is a border -- the runner will have a ten-inch border of blue at the beginning and the end. The red part is the main pattern. Eye popping, isn't it? The pattern's a point twill, if that means anything to you. The blue part at the top is the warp strings that haven't been woven yet.

Ok, so here's the actual loom:

Pretty cool, huh? I just love it. I weave on it and can't believe I'm weaving on my very own loom. That strange thing with the pegs hanging on the wall is my warping board; it helps measure out the warp (the strings that go long-ways in the loom).

And now, because I know you want to see it, here's all the yarn I got with my loom. You can see I need a better organizing system, but this works for now. Especially because I constantly want to pull out cones of yarn and look at them more closely.

October 23, 2002. Peatie says:

"Hurrah! Now I'm digital too!"

So I obviously figured out what the problem was with downloading images to the computer (it was something I was doing, of course).

You'll get pictures of the loom as soon as I finish threading the heddles (read: as soon as I finish the somewhat arduous loom task that I keep doing in bitsy fits and starts).

October 22, 2002. Theo says:

"Watch this space for more digital photos like this one of me!"

Though I don't know if it's the full moon or what, but I could not figure out how to connect the new digital camera to my computer. I mean, I can physically connect it, but they don't seem to want to talk to each other. I finally figured it out, got this photo of Theo off the camera, took some more pictures, and now the computer isn't recognizing the camera. Sigh. I'm sure it's me. I'll try again tomorrow.

October 17, 2002. I had the best lunch today: Asian BBQ Scallop Wrap with Ginger Lemongrass Slaw. On the side, yam fries. The yam fries had salt and sugar on them, and were divine. The wrap was one of those things that you take a bite of, and it's so good, that you have to say, "This is really good!" out loud, rudely, before you've even swallowed.

I got my haircut yesterday. It had gotten way too long, so I got about five inches chopped off. I brought in a picture of Christy Turlington's new haircut, because several years ago I had a hairstylist who told me I had the same type of hair as Christy Turlington, so I could conceivably get whatever haircut she had. So now I obsessively watch Christy Turlington's hair. I felt somewhat ridiculous bringing the picture in, because I was worried my haircutter was going to think I was saying, "Make me look like Christy Turlington" rather than "I'd like her haircut, please." So after showing him the picture and focusing on the hair, there was an awkward pause, and I felt the need to say, "Because we have the same hair!" He looked at me like, "Yeah, right, whatever, I'm sure it's about the hair." Anyway. Doesn't matter, because it's a really good haircut. Unfortunately there was some type of biblical rainstorm last night, so any cute hair effects were completely gone by the time I got home.

My hairdresser is a bit strange. If he didn't give such good haircuts, or if I got my hair cut more often than twice a year, I'd probably try to find someone else. He just babbles through the entire haircut, and says all these things which sound like blatant lies. I mean, from last night's haircut conversation (well, it wasn't really a conversation, since he was the only one talking), he allegedly:

• dated his teacher when he was 12;
• was the best soccer player in all of England in the 16-and-under age group, also when he was 12 (12 was a busy year for him) (I wanted to say, "If you were the best soccer player in England, wouldn't you call it football?" but decided against it)
• toured throughout Europe doing hair at "shows"
• at one time, thought nothing of getting an 8-ball of cocaine and spending the night with "a bunch of girls"
• has two cats and just bought a Subaru Forester (ok, that part I believe, it's just funny compared to all the other stuff)

The strangest part may have been at the end of the haircut, when he finished it off by squirting Lubriderm into his hand and rubbing his Lubridermy hands all over my hair. He claims that's the only styling product I need. I'm positive that Lubriderm-as-hair product is not one of those things I could successfully replicate at home.

October 14, 2002. I have the best mom ever!

Exhibit A: I went to a therapist about a year ago. After five sessions, he told me not to come anymore. I was too normal. He said, out of the hundreds of people he'd seen, I was one of about five who actually had a happy, normal childhood.

Exhibit B: She's buying us a digital camera for our anniversary! Despite the fact that she totally doesn't even have to buy us an anniversary present. The traditional presents for the fourth anniversary are either linen or appliances, which has me stumped. But the camera works as an appliance! I'm so excited! Expect many more pictures on World of Julie, starting on or about November 7 (our anniversary).

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I worked quite a bit on my loom this weekend, though not enough to actually be ready to start weaving something new. There's such a different yarn mindset with weaving than there is for knitting, and I'm just starting to understand what yarns work when in weaving (and I still have a long way to go). I started trying to set things up to do blue and white checked placemats, but then I realized that the blue I had was a different kind of yarn than the white. Which could be fine, but I wanted them to be the same yarn. I didn't have a nice color that matched the white I had already measured, so I put that aside and started something new. I'm going to try to make a table runner. I measured it, and put it in the front part of the loom, but now have to thread the yarn through all the shafts, which takes concentration, and I'm feeling a little cranky to do it now. I may start it later tonight. It's 360 pieces of yarn wide (!) so I know I have to be ready for it when I actually start the threading.

October 10, 2002. Hi! Here I am! I'm still adjusting to my new schedule. I get the bus at 6:15 (!), go to the gym, walk to work (about 15 minutes), work, get the 5:15 or 5:45 bus home, get off at an early bus stop, and walk 10 minutes home. All of this walking is making me feel like I'm in college again. I think running for the bus will be good for me.

The owners of the company where I'm working have been bringing their dogs (two golden retrievers) to work, which I love. The cats haven't decided whether to be interested in the new smells, or to snub me for betraying them by petting another animal.

Remember a few months ago, when I randomly ran into a high school classmate of mine? This morning I randomly ran into her again, coming out of a coffee shop in downtown Portland. Funny! Portland's such a small town.

Let's see. What else can I tell you? Last week I went out at lunchtime to this farmer's market that's in downtown Portland every Wednesday. I got a bag-full of stuff: brussels sprouts, green onions, potatoes. I stopped on the way back to my office to pick up something for lunch. The guy ringing me up casually asked, "Is the market up today?" I was all worried that I somehow looked like a stockbroker to him, so much so that he just assumed that's what I did. I wondered how it was possible for someone like me, after working for a big corporation for a year, to have such a thick veneer of "corporate" that I couldn't shake it. I said, "Oh my gosh, I have no idea." He pointed at my bag of vegetables and sort of stammered, "I, um, I just thought." Oh! "Oh, that market!" I said. "Yeah, that one's up!" But really. Who refers to a farmer's market as being "up"?

October 8, 2002. New week! Not too much to report. I am loving my new job! But somehow I seem to have a lot less time. So I need to figure that out. I get home about the same time I used to. So I don't know. Something.

And I apologize to all the people I owe emails to. This week! Promise! Or maybe next. I'll get back to you, definitely not later than next week.

October 3, 2002. Go to the knitting page to see Rupert and the new cat toy that I made him.

October 1, 2002. Well yes, I'd say a new month calls for...this. Don't you think?

This is maybe the craziest (and definitely the artsiest) picture that's ever been taken of me. At any rate, if I ever put out an album called "Music for Interpretive Dance" I know what I'll use for the cover. Thanks to my friend Steve for letting me be ridiculous while we were all playing in the fort at Popham Beach.