Off to Fiberland

It's late, and I should have been in bed long ago. Today was long and productive - I got my papers for the research ethics board submitted just under the wire, confirmed my job placement for later in the summer, crossed 16 things off my to do list, and packed. Ahhh, it feels good to be done.

Tomorrow I head off on an adventure of sorts: after many failed summer plans I decided on a whim to take off to BC for a few weeks. I'll be at Joybilee Farms exchanging my labor for a place to stay, and hopefully some lessons in spinning, weaving, homesteading, animal rearing, and whatever else I can get my hands on. Joybilee is a fiber arts farm, run by a husband and wife team who rear their own fiber-bearing animals, spin the fleece, and dye their yarn using natural methods. They also do some other nifty things like making their own cheese and goat's milk soap. I've been wanting to learn how to spin for quite some time now, so hopefully this will be a good chance to get a firsthand look at how it's done. I also have a pipe dream of moving somewhere out in the country and having my own hobby farm with fiber animals and dogs and vegetables... for now I'll just escape to my dream life temporarily:)

Not much knitting has been going on here lately. The gathered pullover now has a sleeve, but I'll admit to being a bit bored by all the endless stockinette. For the trip, I'm taking along a mystery project (it's a gift, so I'll add a Ravelry link later).



I'll be back in three weeks, hopefully with lots of pictures and stories. Here's hoping to get a healthy dose of dirt, animals, fresh air and sun before returning to the sterility and order of the hospital!

The Breakup Shawl

It's done, it's finally done! I present to you the Pacific Northwest shawl, aka "the Breakup shawl". I can tell the story now, as almost a year later there's some humor to be found in it.

Pacific Northwest Shawl By Evelyn A. Clark. Yarn: Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk

This shawl has sentimental value to me for several reasons. I first saw the pattern knit up by one of my college peers as a sample at WEBS. It was one of the most stunning things I had ever seen (having not had much exposure to lace), and on my last visit to Northampton a few years ago, I picked up the yarn and the pattern to make the shawl. This was to be a long-term project, and was my first go at anything beyond a simple lace pattern. However, in the year that followed I couldn't find a good reason to cast on, as I didn't know the right person to fit the shawl.

And then I met her: a bold, striking, intelligent woman who lived on the west coast, who looked like the shawl-wearing type. She also happened to be the mother of my now ex. I loved this woman dearly - we had many frank and wonderful conversations, and she treated me like part of the family. Having finally found the right reason to cast on for the shawl, I began knitting, thinking of giving it to her on a happy occasion somewhere down the road in our relationship.



Did I in some way insult the knitting gods so as to prompt them to smite me? Had I found myself some perverse permutation of the legendary boyfriend sweater curse? No later than four days after I had cast on for the shawl did I receive an email ending my relationship. Darn it. After that email, I just couldn't stop knitting. Counting YO's and k2tog's was so much easier than thinking. The shawl provided a source of comfort and focus during the months that followed when being alone with the thoughts in my head was too hard.



I shall certainly be more wary of knitting for future relationships, having also knit three lovely pairs of man-socks into the cavernous hole of no return. However, when knitting is for some of us one of the strongest ways to say "I care about you", that's easier said than done.

The shawl is still going to the originally intended recipient (it's not her fault things turned out the way they did!). Part of me doesn't want to send it off knowing that I'll never see it again, as it reminds me of those marvelous Northampton days, and because it's been a fixture in my knitting basket for so long. At the same time, it also reminds me of less-good times, and clearing out the closet might just be best.

Now that the shawl is done and blocked (what a cool transformation), I'm itching to start a new lace project. What should it be?

View From Saturday

Gould Lake Conservation Area, Sydenham ON

Nothing like a little summer fun with a borrowed dog on a Saturday afternoon.

Gone With the Wind?

My poor little plants. I had so much enjoyed seeing that little bit of green life come to be on my balcony. The other day when I went to see how they were doing, I saw this:

There were twelve pots the night before... and more mysteriously, the eight other pots were nowhere to be seen in the parking lot or adjacent lawns. It had rained the night before, and the only logical conclusion I could come to was that the wind must have blown them off the balcony before it rained, and someone cleaned up the parking lot early the next morning. I'm mystified. There's no point replanting them now as I'll be gone in a few weeks :(

Over the long weekend, I had the good fortune of going to Ottawa to visit family and friends. As an added bonus, mom was there too! I thought I'd recount a funny story concerning my almost three-year old cousin. He's quite the talker, and very into imaginative play right now. We were playing a game which involved going to different stores of his choice in the "double stroller" (the couch). He asked if we could go to Chapters to read stories. I said sure, so off we went in our imaginations.

I started to tell him a made-up story about dinosaurs in the park. It had the typical brontosaurus, stegosauraus, T-rex, trieceratops, etc. After the third dinosaur story, he said: "Jess, can you tell me the one about the nineracops?"

I said, "do you mean triceratops?"

"No, nineracops"

"Ok, well, what kind of dinosaur is the nineracops?"

"One that goes really fast under the water." So, I made up a story about the fast swimming nineracops. After that, he asked me to tell him the story about the cliceratops. When I asked him what kind of a dinosaur that was, he said "It goes really really really fast under the water."

If there was one thing I learned while working at a science center, it was not to question the dinosaur knowledge of young boys, because when in doubt I would always be wrong. A bit of google-ing later revealed that there was no such thing as the nineracops or cliceratops (which I had suspected), but it made me quite happy to think about what must have been going on in his little imaginary world to create such things.

Inside and Out

Yesterday I ticked off a med student first: I learned how to do a pelvic exam. I think many of us head into this with some apprehension - fear of causing pain, fear of making a mistake, and the pressure to do it right right off the bat. Fortunately, we have a great program here - GTAs (gynecologic teaching associates). GTAs are trained patients who, in pairs, teach us (also in pairs) how to do this exam. These women are incredibly knowledgeable about their bodies, and provide us with an idespensible first-time experience. What better way to learn than on a real person, in a relaxed enviromnent, where you can take your time, ask questions, and receive live feedback?

In the past, (and present for some schools), students were required to learn the pelvic exam on rubber models or anesthetised patients. Or, they may be required to perform an exam for the first time on a random patient in clinic who is just about as scared as they are. The GTA program was developed in the 1970's by the Boston Women's Health Collective. This group worked to bring women's reproductive health issues out into the open, and made it a misson to educate women about their bodies so that they could be advocates for their own health care. The GTA program teaches us how to do "educational pelvics", which I had only read about in the Boston Women's Health Collective's seminal book, Our Bodies Ourselves. I've never seen anyone do an educational pelvic in practice. With an educational pelvic, the examination table head is raised so that the woman can make eye contact with the examiner, and observe the exam with a mirror, hopefully building a sense of participation and empowerment with respect to the exam and her health.

The whole session was wonderful, and got me ruminating over the idea of an educational pelvic. Arguably, most of us never get to see our cervix. Perhaps if women have the chance to see a vital part of their anatomy that remains perpetually hidden and mysterious, they would be more motivated to seek health care on an annual basis (pap smears, STI testing, well-woman exams). Would this be an extra 5 minutes well spent on the part of the physician?
If you've never seen a cervix and are curious, I'll direct you to The Beautiful Cervix Project, bravely made by a midwivery student who did a daily photo documentary of her cervix over an entire menstrual cycle.

To end on a lighter note, I've started the Gathered Pullover by Hana Jason. The yarn is Berocco Ultra Alpaca Light, in Peat Mix. So far, so good!

Yoke Pullover

It's the end of what's been a quiet and moderately productive day (I actually went to the library-it's been a while!). After exams were done, I cleared out my project box and finished up a few things. However, I thought I'd share something I finished earlier this semester, that was just in its beginning stages when I started this blog. Remember the Vogue Yoke Pullover? Here it is, 3 years later. It didn't take me that long to knit it, but I procrastinated weaving in the many ends for, oh, a year.

Yoke Pullover by Krisien Cowan, knit in Cascade Eco Wool

The yarn is Cascade Eco Wool, and it only took 2.5 skeins making this a very economical knit. I love the yarn, and don't want to block the sweater because it still smells natural! The only problem with this sweater is that it turned out to be very, very warm (this coming from someone who is ALWAYS cold), making it difficult to wear anywhere. Stay tuned for more!

Heart Health

A recent article on Medscape caught my eye: a new study has shown that a Mediterranean diet significantly reduces the risk of heart disease. While it has been known for a while that such a diet is healthier than the way we tend to eat in the western world, this new study is noteworthy because, as a meta -analysis combining close to 200 studies, it ups the level of evidence to support this claim. A meta-analysis is a type of clinical study that combines other types of studies in order to get a stronger answer to a question.

The Mediterranean diet is generally characterized by a higher intake of fruit, veggies, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and fish, whereas the Western diet is characterized by red and processed meats, eggs, refined grains, and high fat dairy products. Foods with a high glycemic index and foods with trans-fatty acids are particularly associated with an increased risk in heart disease.

I feel quite passionate about choices that we can make as individuals to improve our health. Not all disease is preventable, and sure, we could make every "right" decision regarding our health and still wind up with an illness. However, it is our responsibility to be keepers of our bodies!

So, I leave you with today's lunch: a Mediterranean chick pea salad on mixed greens, with whole wheat pita crisps. The salad is simply a tomato, cucumber, 2 peppers, garlic, green onion, parsley, chick peas, and a few olives, with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice and oregano. I use stale pita to make the crisps, simply tear it into pieces and microwave on a paper towel for 2 minutes!

PS- Happy Mother's Day Mom! I feel so blessed to have a mother who is both my best friend and a great parent:)

Exam Socks

Today was the perfect rainy day. I spent the morning helping a friend with some school stuff, but then came home to find out that frisbee practice was cancelled. With my research project stalled and nowhere to go until evening, it was just dreary and cold enough to justify curling up with a blanket, tea, some reading, a movie and a sock-in-progress.

I'm prone to knitting socks during times of stress, such as exams. In fact, I probably think more about knitting during the weeks leading up to exams than at any other time... Exams can be a pretty isolating period for many, as there is a certain (large) number of hours you need to spend on your own studying. That, combined with the stress of knowing you can't learn everything makes sock knitting an essential pacifier.

Exam socks: Handmaiden Casbah (1 skein), 2.25mm needles

While I was home over March break, mom gave me a ball of Handmaiden Casbah, perhaps the most scrumptious yarn (both in feel and in color) I've ever used for socks. So, I present the exam socks of 2009- started right at the beginning of the descent into study madness, and finished a day or two after exams. These are my new favorites - thanks mom! Now on to some of those other projects I was dreaming about....

Kitchen Success

While I don't often choose to eat white bread or bake it, I really wanted to try my hand at making something from yeast dough. I've had several failures on this front in the past, resulting in unrisen dough and hard, dense baked goods. Finally, I had some success with this relatively easy recipe found here. The bread tasted good, smelled good, and was a hit with the 8-year old crowd! This has definitely motivated me to look for some whole wheat recipes and give it another whirl.

Knitting content to come soon- I've finished up a bunch of projects and have started some new ones- oh, the joys of being done exams!

Growing Roots

I dream of someday having a backyard with a garden, where I can grow my own produce. For now, a concrete balcony will have to suffice. While this isn't an actual attempt to grow my own food, I was curious to see if I could get anything to sprout in pots on my balcony. To my surprise, the dollar-store seeds that I planted with an 8-year old friend popped up within a few days, and I've been contentedly watching their growth since.

I'd love to have an herb garden, grow some tomatoes and enough lettuce to feed my salad habit, and maybe some flowers for a little cheer. However, life does not have me staying in one place for any period of time sufficient enough to do this, and I'll have to give my baby lettuce away before it's fully grown.

Having lived in 4 cities in the past 6 years, and having never been able to stay in the same city for more than a few months at a stretch has made me really want to plant myself somewhere and just take root. I really love where I am living right now, and would love to be able to stay and just grow! The nature of my program has me uprooting myself more than I would like- a frustrating thing for a homebody.

At the same time, I know that it's a priviledge to experience all of these different places, and that someday the time will come when I have a job and don't have the luxury of picking up and going without consequence. So, for the time being, I'll enjoy my little plants, as well as all the other things I'll get to see and do!

Snow

Well. When people ask me how I like living in Newfoundland, they always say something along the lines of "the weather must be pretty bad there, eh?" A statement I usually counter by asserting that no, the winters (from my experiences) are typically milder and a lot less snowy than in New Brunswick, and that really, the weather's not bad.

This week we had a blizzard that shut the city down. I have never seen anything like it before... there is SO much snow here. Nobody moved for a day and a half - no taxis, busses anything, because the roads just couldn't be cleared. It took two days before the sidewalks around residence were plowed. It feels a bit like living in a hedge maze where the walls are made of snow. Most of the residences are connected to the other university buildings by underground tunnels, which is very convenient at times such as these. However, some houses are not - and the day after the storm people were hopping out their second floor windows to get to dining hall because the doors to the house were blocked by snow.

Here are a few images taken by a friend. It's hard to capture the magnitude of the snow, and what it feels like to walk around amidst all of this! The kicker is, it's supposed to happen all again on Saturday:)

On the Rock

Streets of St. John's, Newfoundland

Has it really been almost a year? Alas, the Nerd is no longer in Northampton. Simply put, I had reservations about keeping this blog, as it was so specific to what I was doing last year. However, maybe it will encourage me to venture out and capture a bit more of Newfoundland during my final two months here. Life also hasn't been all that exciting lately, just a whirlwind of school, med school applications, interviews, and thesis writing... all of which makes for dull stories. But, I think I will bring back the blog, if not just to try and reflect on interesting things going on around me.

I miss Smith dearly, think about it every day and can't wait to go back for a visit. It has certainly been a challenge to readjust to the environment at MUN, as they are at entirely different ends of the spectrum. However, the year has flown by and there are only two months left until I'm done my degree. Scary, considering I remember the first day of first year, wandering alone around campus excited and scared senseless about being in a new place!

Washington

I'm taking a brief break from a mountain of homework to write this post. Last night I got back from Washington, D.C. Wow. That's about all I can say... the whole experience seemed surreal, from the places I went to the people I met. I loved D.C., what a beautiful city! It was also wonderful to meet the other scholars.

Thursday we had a lecture at the Canadian Embassy (beautiful), followed by a reception, at which the Canadian Ambassador introduced himself to me! I was so amazed that real-life important people wanted to talk to us, and were incredibly friendly as well.

On Friday, after a day of lectures, four of us went walking down Embassy Row. We got lost, and stumbled upon this:

The National Cathedral (Woodrow Wilson is buried inside!). It was absolutely stunning, and incredibly large.

Saturday we did the tourist thing. Unfortunately, my pictures didn't turn out well because it was pouring rain.

The Capitol

The White House

Run, Forrest, Run!

So that's my trip in a nutshell, I would love to write more, but for the sake of school I'll refrain. I loved D.C. so much that I'll be going back for another visit in two weeks' time, as a part my program's mobility initiative. My blog will be on holiday until classes are finished, so until May 6, goodbye!

Lady in Pink

It has been a while... the past week consisted of exams, papers, assingments, and a few random things like dinner out for a friend's birthday and a squash tournament (be still my heart). At one point I had a lot to say, but since various blogging attempts were thwarted by technical difficulties, I've forgotten most of it by now. It must be that time in the semester when brain parts stop functioning normally...

Last Sunday on my way to the lab I spotted this, and had to go back to take a photo:

In memory of a beautiful life is one of my favorite statues on campus, and I think someone found her corset to be a bit outdated.

This is the boathouse, where last week's kayaking took place:

Ingrid's 21st birthday was on Monday, and we went out for Thai food.

In this photo: Ludmila (Moldova), myself, Ingrid (Norway) and Becca (MA)

In this photo: Xi "Doris" (China), Katie (CT), Anastasia (Ukraine), Ludmila, and Veselina (Bulgaria - she was my roomate during international orientation).

Ludmila is my closest friend at Smith. I sat down beside her to have dinner one night during orientation, because I didn't know anyone in the room and she was wearing our group's T-shirt. After dinner we went for a walk, discovered that we were going to live in the same residence, and the rest was history. She is an incredibly strong woman - sarcastic, generous, smart, and sensitive. She has worked hard to get here, and I've learned a lot from her (sadly, I had never heard of Moldova before I met her). Getting to spend time with international students has been a great experience that I'll definitely miss next year!

String Theory

I've decided to separate knitting content from other stuff, so that non-knitters can just skip over it. The Opal fish socks are finished just in time for Easter:


I started on Nancy Bush's cable and rib socks for mom, but the colors of the Ultramerino 4 aren't quite as subtle knit up, and seem to be pooling. They also seem a little small. They will likely be ripped out when I find a replacement yarn or pattern. Since my real sister won't wear handknits, a special pseudo-sister will be getting socks (Opal ladybug) for Christmas instead. She is the owner of the first pair of socks I ever knit, and told me that she's wearing holes in them. And I haven't completely forgotten the Vogue sweater... it looks the same as last time, only a bit longer.

Beaver Spit

Warning... the following contains serious bio-nerd material.

I love Fridays, not because it means the school week is over, but because it means plant systematics lab! Yesterday in class my professor was talking about pollination mechanisms. Orchids are particularly interesting: one species has evolved such that the insect drinks its fermented liquid, becomes intoxicated, slides down the flower and picks up some pollen along the way. Another species is slightly bee-shaped and shakes in the wind on thin stems, resembling a swarm of bees. Other bees see this, get mad at it and attack, pollinating the plant in the process.

Back to today... the weather here is unbelievably warm. People have come out of the woodwork and are sprawled across campus in sunglasses and their summer skivvies. For lab we went to the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary. What could be better than hiking through the woods on a sunny afternoon while botanizing? Well, maybe getting to see woodfrogs mate. They make loud duck-like sounds during the process which can be heard from hundreds of feet away..

While hiking along the trail, one of my classmates pointed out a tree that had been partially chewed by beavers. The chewed area appeared wet and sticky, and I excitedly thought "Oh cool! We're hot on the trail of beavers - the bark is still wet with their saliva!". This only to feel really stupid when my professor pointed out that it was sap flowing from the tree.

After the field trip, my classmate Allie and I decided to go kayaking on paradise pond. It was beautiful... what else can I say?

Random

Well, I'm back from spring break, and the week is flying by. Break was relaxing - once I was home I didn't do much of anything, except go see the STU jazz concert (good job guys!). Oh how I miss STU jazz... the CD we recorded in 2004 is finally out! On the trip home, I met a PhD student from Paris who was doing a one-year teaching stint at Mount Holyoke College. She was seriously freaked out by the itty-bitty plane we were on, apparently in France they don't even consider the small ones to be planes! The poor girl got even more confused when we went through Canadian security in Montreal. She repeatedly asked the officer: "are you sure you don't want me to take my shoes off?" It was her first time in Canada, so we navigated the airport together.

I did manage to finish mom's birthday present:


It was my first attempt at knitting lace. Yep, this year is all about trying new things...

This week has been tough so far, today was the kind of day where everything I seem to touch breaks or stops working. My lab group spent two and a half hours just trying to get our preparation to work, and the problem is that we don't know enought about the equipment to troubleshoot effectively. Oh, and I think I should have done a different degree. Now I'm going to retreat to my basement cubicle in the library to see if I can make sense of life...

The View From Saturday

So why would a college student be crazy enough to get up at 5 AM on a Saturday morning?
To see this:


Rather, the view of the sunrise over the Connecticut river from atop Mt. Sugarloaf. The air was fresh and the company was excellent. Ah, life is good.

This week has been a whirlwind of schoolwork, but somewhere in there I finished Nanny's ankle socks. Toe grafiting round #2 went much, much better. I decided to do the Family Sock Challenge, which involves knitting socks for family members and a good friend or two. I was all ready to start on socks for mom, when it occured to me that perhaps I should let the wearer choose their sock pattern and yarn, thus avoiding the production of unloved socks... and Dad, I know you don't get the knitting thing, so I have special plans for you.

Meanwhile, I started Opal socks that are supposed to stripe like tropical fish (James Watson included for scale). Yes, I suppose this would be taking the fish collection to a new level...

And randomly, I got to do this super-cool lab last week:
This is an action potential recorded from the nerve cord of an earthworm. It's so cool to be able to visualize what's going on in their little brains! My prof joked that we should make printouts to mail home to mom and dad. Of course, I couldn't refuse the offer...

Spring break is finally here, and tomorrow I'll be heading home. I can't wait to see this little girl:
Rumor has it that she's been rather mischievous lately...

Exhibit A: Canadian Exchange Student

Every now and then, I meet people who are intrigued by my Canadian citizenship, or the fact that I'm a foreign exchange student. This often leads to a barrage of questions, and occasionally they will pull out the "Oh I know someone from Canada" line. When this happens, I always feel a sense of responsibility - what I tell Americans about Canada could either propagate stereotypes or debunk them. (It is sometimes tempting to play a little bit with this one:)

Today was one of those days. As the snow melts, Smith magically transforms into a space for the public to enjoy. Families with young kids and babies galore, dog-walkers, older couples, and skateboarders all take advantage of the sprawling lawns gardens, and paths. I was on my way home from the gym this afternoon when I encountered one of said older couples. This is what ensued:

Man: Excuse me miss, is Smith a coed school?
Jess: No, it's a women's college.
(Couple asks more questions about Smith)
Man: And what year are you in?
Jess: Well, I'm actually an exchange student...
Man: Oh, from where?
Jess: Canada
Man: I should have known, you talk funny. (really?)
Man: Where do you go to school?
Jess: In Newfoundland.
Man: Ooohh, Newfoundland! Wow... we were just in..in... Nova Scotia. Yes that's it. Please tell me, what is it really like? It just seems so... out there. (Wife tugs on his elbow)
Jess: (extolls the virtues of Newfoundland and it's physical beauty, and proceeds to answer questions about how to get there).
Wife: So, what do you think of the United States?
Jess: Well...

And so it goes. I actually don't mind this answering of questions. I've found that either A) people have never heard of Newfoundland, New Brunswick, or anywhere other than Toronto and Montreal, or B) people have heard of Newfoundland, but in the context of: "is that the one they always make fun of?" What I tell these people will influence how they think about their neighboring country, and I'm honored to have a chance to set the record straight. It's always interesting to find out how people perceive Canada, and I'm curious to know: how do you perceive the US? And do I really have an accent?

Still nothing on the photo front. I had an alternative planned for today but it will have to wait until blogger fixes this. I'm writing from the Science library where I *will not* be distracted by the lovely row of books next to me. No, I will not succumb to the alluring glossy covers of "Medicinal Chemistry", "Chinese Drugs of Plant Origin", or any of the many plant books. I will not give in... (this is why it is generally not a good idea for me to study in the library). Hopefully the plant books will somehow (through osmosis)inspire me to write my lab report. Just maybe.

Tree Embolisms

Yes, trees can have embolisms too! Except, unlike humans, they have neat adaptations to prevent and fix their own embolisms. Yay trees! Anyhow, I seem to be unable to add photos at the moment. The settings on my blog have mysteriously changed, and since I'm a relative neophyte at this it may take a while for me to figure it out. Not much has gone on this week, I've been doing homework at a leisurly pace, reading, and enjoying the warm weather. Have a great weekend!