twenty eleven

woooahhhh

lets hope 2011 was like 2007

but blonder!

horrah!

fin

ugh

f u stomach flu

fin

consequence of sound

here is it !

my top 10 albums of 2010

10) Arcade Fire- The Suburbs

9) Beach House - Teen Dream

8) Drake - Thank Me Later

7) Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me

6) Vampire Weekend - Contra

5) Broken Bells - Broken Bells

4) Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record

3) She & Him - Volume II

2) Spoon - Transference

1) Black Keys - Brothers

honorable mentions!

- The National - High Violet

- Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

- Hot Chip - One Life Stand

- Yeasayer - Odd Blood

fin!

reckless abandonment

I have, and will always be a firm believer (in theory) of knowing your limits and then sort of constructing yourself around those borders. I never really understood people that were always pushing themselves into failure ... almost like this devastating self fulfilling prophecy.

So why do we do it then? we know our sane limit, we know what 'gets' us, then why do we (we as in I) still feel the need to push those boundaries?

I've always had this daredevil need inside of me... when i am afraid of something it pushes me to run twice as fast into the situation. Its like this adrenaline junkie thing..... how badly will this hurt? LETS DO IT!

So then I pose this to myself .... if i know that i can only drink a certain amount before i make an ass out of myself, and i know that i can only work out x amount of time before i throw up, and i know i have to be asleep at 11pm to get up for work in the morning ... and i can behave, and follow these self preserving rules than WHY must i have such a hard time accepting this logic in other parts of my life?

In other news, I feel so normal lately.

fin

ode to menz

big hearts break easy, and i have a huge one. got to take it easy on me.

did i, did i

I set out to write an interesting blog, but i actually have nothing to blog about ! same old ... i feel sort of stuck which makes sense because I am not moving forward... the only thing interesting is that i have a new project - i am trying to write my nclex and and get my visa application through because I want to move to portland!  I just have my mind set on it.

but for that I really don't have that much going on .... just ideas.  I want to go to SXSW this year - I want to go to Paris within the year - I want to stop depending on things/people to make me feel okay because missing someone is always going to ache and I hate feeling numb to everything because of it

on a total side note, I am making some letter banners that I am going to finish tomorrow, so I will post pictures, but for that  - i am pretty boring these days.  It is funny how I used to be so busy and now that I am doing nothing i am still so busy... i don't know what i used to do when i went to school full time and worked full time ha ha ha

i think tomorrow is a sleep in / craft day.... only teddy is invited.

craft pictures tomorrow!

fin

losing your mind for the sake of your heart

I have been waiting two years since those secret feist shows for this!! finally

Look At What The Light Did Now

I am SO SO SO excited

fin!!

rock bottom

My friend got me into needle felting today

i have officially entered rock bottom

hahah i love it !

NEEDLE FELTING!

but check this out !

fin!

.... or else!

Well I had to take a blanket break and knit teddy a hat... he was super misbehaved last night so this was his punishment !

fin!

i know it turns you off when i get talking like a teen

You all may or may not wonder (probably the later), where I have been, why have I not been blogging?

Well my internet friends I have been on paradise island, and you have not, ergo ... f u.

I kid! I kid! well about the f u... not about the rest.

I have been knitting an epic baby blanket ... epic... thats why there have been no knitting blogs.

well I think I have explained myself pretty well...

soon something interesting will come along and I will blog

i feel it

fin

pahpahpah

i promise this

check this hand

because

i am

marvelous 

fin

new start

SHANA TOVA

fin

invisible!

Fin!

welcome to being anonymous!

noir

i have a big big big change coming.  I have been trying for a long time to do this, and somewhere inbetween the beach, and the pool, I just got the courage. 

wait for it ......!

fin!

bon fete

Birthdays was the worst days, now we drink champagne when we thirstays Birthdays was the worst days, now we drink champagne when we thirstays Birthdays was the worst days, now we drink champagne when we thirstays Birthdays was the worst days, now we drink champagne when we thirstays Birthdays was the worst days, now we drink champagne when we thirstays Birthdays was the worst days, now we drink champagne when we thirstays Birthdays was the worst days, now we drink champagne when we thirstays Birthdays was the worst days, now we drink champagne when we thirstays Birthdays was the worst days, now we drink champagne when we thirstays Birthdays was the worst days, now we drink champagne when we thirstays Birthdays was the worst days, now we drink champagne when we thirstays Birthdays was the worst days, now we drink champagne when we thirstays Birthdays was the worst days, now we drink champagne when we thirstays Birthdays was the worst days, now we drink champagne when we thirstays Birthdays was the worst days, now we drink champagne when we thirstays Birthdays was the worst days, now we drink champagne when we thirstays!

fin

I'll be gone till september

The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.

fin

good-bye summer

well my dears!!!

teddy is doing wonderful

jersey shore is on tonight !

coconut shake thursday !

bahamas until labour day !

ps- i am knitting an EPIC baby blanket

knit knit knit

see you in september lovers xo 

fin

a day in the life

Welcome to Teddy's day:

sleeping in ...

knitting in bed...

looking suave...

bathin'...

***Pooping, hair ball, and eating pictures omitted as per teds' request 

fin

no name

My cousin and I lost someone very close to us almost 7 months ago to the day.   We talked about them for an hour today and it is still so devastating.  It made me realize that every time I moan about insignificant things and people that ... life is way way way too short.

fin

tie me up

I am the head band queen - mostly to cover my stylin roots - but also because I have such thin hair that i need to jazz up whats going on ha ha

SO i present the oversized bow head band:

now i can look adorable every day ha ha

fin

UPDATE :

Anna wanted a more work appropriate version of the bow tie, so i whiped this up for her tonight:

fin!!

Le scaphandre et le papillon

Anna and I rented The Diving Bell and the Butterfly today - SUCH a beautiful movie and story - i was so taken with it

that and i have a crush on all french women

if you ever want a good night in - this is definitly the movie for you

fin

Whats-a-macall-it

Looky look 

I knit something new! 

it is out of a bamboo silk mix, and I wore it last night with a strapless dress!

I love it

It is just a loose, oversized, light cardigan, and it turned out better than I could have hoped... i love knitting more and more

.... on to the next

fin!

watch them float away

I am so anti social.... to a fault.  I seriously loath going out, or rather the thought of going out. Once I am out its easier, I have an okay time, but the older I get the more I just don't have the desire to be around people that are not real friends.  I think this is probably a symptom of my anxiety, and the (I tried to articulate the people I wanted to stay away from, but it just ended up falling short) self-important attention whores (?) that run in the crowds I end up being around.  I get so lost in my own thoughts, that I actually cannot form words about what is going on inside. Somehow snipits of who I am end up in the world. Just in strands really, that are misconstrued and over analyzed, which further my desire to just go to bed at 9pm.  There is this movie I like where the girl is on an interview and the interviewee asks her, Who is "her name".... and the girl blurts out "I don't know!" and runs out of the office.  I feel that.  I somehow got so quiet.

Also, I feel a little bit lost over where I belong.  It seems that the only way to stay out of trouble in that town is to wear a baseball hat, huge sunglasses, and be in by dark.  I always maintained it was better to have loved and lost, but to what end?  When you actually cannot escape someone, I think it was better to just have never even been introduced in the first place.  If I knew that the unhappiness he has wedged between me and my world would go this far, and begin to cause the internal seclusion I feel lately, I seriously would have run in the other direction and moved to Montreal (or further!).  

So here it is, how do you escape someone you are constantly being chained too?  What if you do all the right things, avoid all the right places, make new friends, leave things on civil terms ... and you get whiped back to them.  What if the place you felt the safest in before gets infiltrated by enemy grounds.... where do you go when your rock, your men switch teams..... they start to 'sleep' with the enemy

where do i go

where do i get to feel safe

nothing is fair in love and war

and my friends it gets worse every year

fin

Ties !

I had the GREAT pleasure of spending the day with my favourite man, Jacob.  I will post a blog about our adventure soon.

But I took advantage of our visit and had a little modeling session for my knitting!

Presenting the Skinny Tie:

so suave ! how could you not love this boy or this tie?

fin!

you're gonna make it after all!

I am 

Michelle Lynn Norton BHSc RN BScN

this is all.

fin!

Tank Top 1

THANK YOU MONICA S.

now i have used her camera and voila !

the tank top i knitted for heather which is being placed in the mail as we speak

It is made with baby alpaca and is extra soft

horrah monica camera!

fin

everything is on the inside looking out

Along with my compulsive knitting (pictures to come - working out my camera situation).  I have been reading a lot.  I have become particularly charmed by Jonathan Safran Foer.  I first discovered him when I was at Western, and recently re-read Everything is Illuminated, and from there went to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and finally, Eating Animals.

Dare I say he is the J.D Salinger of the 21st century.  His words leap off the page ... he is the first author to get me excited in a very very long time.  

"Does it break my heart, of course, every moment of every day, into more pieces than my heart was made of, I never thought of myself as quiet, much less silent, I never thought about things at all, everything changed, the distance that wedged itself between me and my happiness wasn’t the world, it wasn’t the bombs and burning buildings, it was me, my thinking. The cancer of never letting go is ignorance bliss, I don’t know, but it’s so painful to think, and tell me, what did thinking ever do for me, to what great place did thinking every bring me? I think and think and think, I’ve thought myself out of happiness one million times, but never once into it. "

beautiful

fin xo

update!

AH readers! i lost one camera and the charger for the other camera!

pictures coming as soon as monica returns from her weekend cottage trip!

i have so many projects on the go! 

i am so freaking inspired - and for the first time its all for me!!!

by september i should be fashioned in wool from head to toe

stay tuned (it will be worth it)

fin

easy breezyyyyy

I am making heather a knit top that I have been working on... different yarns, weights, lengths
hopefully this one turns out well
so far so good!

I am worried i am not too fond of the dark brown... maybe i will knit a little more and see if it grows on me.  It is weird - I used to loath ripping out work, but now I like to see how things go and don't really care too much about the taking apart.  I was going for a summery shirt, and this one feels more fall... eh we will see

keep you posted knitting world!!

fin

who's that girllll

My cousins grandfather passed away this week which is when he asked me if I could scan some old pictures for him ... here are some of my favourites : 

My mom at 4 years old

my mom at 9 months old

My grandma when she is 28 years old

My grandma at 19 years old

My grandpa at 22 and my grandma at 19

This is dedicated to heather who first recognized our 'double clicked' faces

fin!

colour me happy

I somehow unexpectedly but planned went to a knitting even tonight at The Knit Cafe downtown Toronto.  And much to my delight, but the disappointment of my wallet .... or maybe delight of the wallet because it was on sale ! - I snagged some wool I had been eyeing.  I had no idea why I wanted it but the colour was ... well was just ME!

Anyhow I am currently scowering Ravelry for the perfect cowl pattern, and tomorrow I cast on my new perfect wool cowl....

thats right readers ! you may ask - what about little sister dress! i cast off today! pictures to come soon (i still have to crochet the ends, and so on - but i am donish).  

horrah!

pictures to come ! i prommmisse

fin

follow the bunny

How visually stunning, and imaginative is this ! 107 years old, and in my opinion blows the Tim Burton version out the window

Alice

enjoy

fin

hey little sister

I am making a little knit dress for my good friend Joanna's youngest girl Shira.  A very cute dress for a very cute girl.  I wanted to finish today but it didn't happen - tomorrow i hope!

pictures, and pattern to come!

fin

so hot, i'll melt your popsicle

Something else you may not know about me... I LOVE chocolate, and I LOVE baking

so obviously

chocolate pie

...heaven!

fin!

bang bang he shot me down

Do we all agree shit comes in piles... and especially in threes?

1) I only grew up with one set of grandparents so my first cousins other set of grandparents were my serogate zeda and bubbi...

my zeda died yesterday... a soldier of WWII and then after his fighting a survivor of the holocaust, the man died helpless in an ICU. 

2) An earthquake... a 5.5 Earth Quake in southern Ontario.  By the beating of my drum something wicked this way comes?

3) The after shock of earth quake 2010 in my personal life.  The end.  The last tear, the last awful words thrown.

Dear Leonard. To look life in the face, always, to look life in the face and to know it for what it is. At last to know it, to love it for what it is, and then, to put it away. Leonard, always the years between us, always the years. Always the love. Always the hours.

and so there it is

24 hours and I think and hope and pray my terrible three shit pile is over.

fin

Cleaning out my closet

Over the last few days I have been physically cleaning out my closet. So many times I have 'cleaned it out', and donated A LOT, but there were always things I kept hold of.  I know it sounds trite and SUPER ridiculous but I associate things, and places, and events with my clothing.  I can tell you when and where I bought something, and what I wore it to.... its like a mini photo album for me.  Judge me - whatever - but it is fact.  I have a lot of attachment to my clothes.This time ... THIS TIME it was going to be different I promised myself - I am actually trying to clean up a lot of things, literally and figuratively.  No one is perfect, and I know I can't fix everything all at once - and when i say fix I hate it - because nothing is broken.... I just mean clean.... I need some serious dusting off.  So this time, when I sifted through my hangers, and drawers I got rid of a lot.  Even when it hurt a little, i gave it away.  The thing is ... I never wear them... and if I never wear it who cares how nice, expensive, or sentimental it is.... it is just laying in a drawer where it never sees anyone ... so my memories are my memories and that dress... well it is faded, and tired.  Someone else needs to let it have some air, and let it bring them some memories....The thing is, even if I think ... oh i shouldn't have given away that shirt I need it now - well I can actually go out and get something I am going to get actual use out of - because how often am I going to need that grey flowy shirt from H & M that I wore 10 times and forgot about until now....

 

So there it is ... all those things I still love but never use - they are going to find a new home with all my friends who have been waiting for this day ha ha ....Things feel a lot lighter already.

fin

Kitty Knitz

My first knit post and hopefully most unimpressive!

look how regal my kittens look!

Fin!

Drop Stitch Knits

SO
it looks like I have neglected this blog of mine for a while. As well, I have neglected my arts. As well I am a full fledged nurse now! So obviously i am going to restart my blog to document
1) my crafts
2) my entry into the wonderful world of nursing

get ready !

fin

spinnnnnnnnnnnnn

I wish i was a ballerina in the later 20s early 30s in nyc.
I think that would have been wonderful.
I would be dead by now
but like ... i am okay with that

also i want to go to paris in the fall and russia in the winter

just thoughts..

fin

we're alone, and we're happy

I love tegan and sara..... LOVE THEM
after the dinner at fresh and acting semi normal with them I feel as though my psycho fan stage has passed and I am on to just a slightly crazed super fan.

but you know what, I don't know if its because of the time of my life, or the fact the I listened to it over and over on a cd walkman, but So Jealous remains my favourite album by them.

anyways

LOVE !!

fin

(also I am suffering from not being able to fall asleep... i think its a combo of me attempting to avoid the real world *day time* and my day / night hospital schedual... I will keep you posted)

night mich!

My mother calls me mich

so do two other people

its how i can tell when someone really really loves me
they leave off the elle

fin

these boots were made for walking!

oh my goodness! i got the cutest shoes of all time!!
i want to wear them every single day!!

shoes!

gush!
fin

$4.99

You know what is a nightmare: drugstores discontinuing products. I use veet... which if you are a girl, you will have noticed that over the last year, more and more veet products have come out onto the market. I use a really strong one. I use it regularly, and sometimes I still end up burning myself with it - but its the only one that works properly - the other ones are just sub par. So today I go to shoppers not even looking for veet and what do i see. A veet clearout sign... all my veet on sale for 4.99.... so i bought them out.... i feel like elaine and her sponge....
brutal

fin

bow chica bow bow

sex in the shower. i don't know why people think this is a sexy concept.....well forget that - it is sort of sexy. I've had my share of sex in the shower, and all in all i have come to this....
at first i am like oh do i get totally wet... my hair? do i try to maintain some sort of unwet hotness.... and then before you know it your eyeliner is all over your face, and your hair is half wet and that my friends is possibly the most unflattering image of life.
The trick is this.... go into the shower get totally wet wash all your makeup off before allowing any sort of happenings.

what a disjointed blog
also
I have a whole bit about not falling in the shower, but I feel sort of awkward so I am going to stop

fin

hammer time

maybe its a good thing hes an asshole to girls because i am too

fin