Confidence is a Crocheted Dolphin (a Free Pattern)

Look at that! Do you see that? I made that BY MYSELF.

I'M SO AWESOME.

Allow me to explain. I've been making a lot of stuffed animals for a lot of people lately. You know, you make one stuffed animal in pride colors, and suddenly everyone else wants a stuffed animal in pride colors. Well, anyways, for every stuffed animal that I made, there was a pattern that I made it from. I've never dared to attempt my own amigurumi pattern. I left that stuff to the pros.

That is, until one of the aforementioned people requested that I make them a dolphin. I looked for a dolphin pattern, and I didn't find one that pleased me. Whatever was I to do? "Weeeeellll," I thought, "I could try and make my own." That thought scared me. A dolphin looked so hard. The nose? And the curved body? Fins? I was rather hesitant, to say the least. But, whether I was up to it or not, this lady wanted a stuffed dolphin. So I gave it a shot, trying some weird shaping techniques and seeing how they turned out.

The results far exceeded my expectations. Look at the shape of that nose! And the curve! The decreasing of the tail end! And the tail fin!

I AM SO AWESOME.

Anyways, I'm very pleased to present to you my very first, 100% original amigurumi pattern. A dolphin.

A DOLPHIN.

Fun With Covers

This, indeed, is something special: a song that I recorded and mixed all by myself. However, the song isn't mine; it's "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service. But, to my credit, I threw in a ukelele. And I used a cardboard box as a kick drum. In any case, I hope you enjoy this.

"The List" (for Pride Month)

June is LGBTQMIQRAPCZ Pride Month. (I made four of those letters up. I'll give you fifty points if you can guess which ones.) In honor, I've decided that I want to share something special. A while ago, I wrote a short story of my experience in coming out. Particularly, coming out to my church. It's quite the story, a story of awkwardness, animosity, and Godwin's Law. I hope you enjoy reading it.

(Note: This story was written at a period in my life when I lost faith in finding a truly accepting church and thus never went. I found one eventually, though. Hooray for Pocatello!)

(Note Also: This story is seven pages long, so I'm posting it as a PDF.)

The List

"What Have You Been Up To Lately?"

I'm so glad you asked, no one. I've been up to this:

A considerable amount of this. It's a grand old, money-making, blogspot neglecting time.

Also, this:

The Magical End of School Piano Anthology

It's all over! The school year has ended and my vacation has arrived, and now I don't know what to do with myself!

In celebration, I have compiled here all of my piano compositions that were assigned to me in my last semester of Music Theory. They were really quite a bit of fun to create. Here they are for whoever wants them.

And Now, a Short Scene...

One of many from a movie titled The College Experience, a dull, miserably lengthy comedy.

FADE IN:

INT. APARTMENT KITCHEN. 7:00 A.M.

JOHN is groggily making himself breakfast. A PAN of leftover Hamburger Helper sits on the stove top, presumably left there by ROOMMATE #2 the night before, as that is a habit of his. A partially eaten BANANA lies on the kitchen counter in its peel, though JOHN does not know who left it there. It's really, really GROSS. Enter ROOMMATE #1.

                               JOHN

Hey, do you know whose banana that is?

                       ROOMMATE #1

What?

                              JOHN

That banana. (Motions toward BANANA)

                       ROOMMATE #1

(Looks) Oh, yeah. That's mine.

                             JOHN

That's... kinda gross.

                      ROOMMATE #1

(Jovial, worry-free) It's still good! I can still eat it! (Laughs)

JOHN has no response to this. After pulling something out of the FRIDGE, ROOMMATE #1 exits, leaving the BANANA where it lays. Completely mortified, JOHN takes his breakfast away from the counter and tries to ignore his surroundings entirely, shifting his focus instead towards moving into a SINGLE-ROOM APARTMENT after his lease is up. Still, JOHN finds that his bagel has suddenly become a tad less appetizing.

FADE OUT.

So I realized...

...that I'm not at all sure what exactly it is I'm doing with this blog. I guess that, when I started it, I expected to be more productive than I am in terms of creative endeavors. I guess I thought school wouldn't get too much in the way of that, which is hilarious. I guess I thought I'd be able to post more of my crocheted things here, but most of those are awfully mundane. (Striped scarves, anyone? No?) Really, I had a clearer idea of what I didn't want this blog to be. That is, I didn't want it to be about my life. Here's what you need to know about my life: it's boring, but that's ok, because I spend it with fantastic people. I'll spare you details. (Also, I didn't want it to be pretentious and self-indulgent, but I mentioned that already.)

Anyways, here are the lyrics to a song that I finished writing recently, which I guess is something I should post here. It's slightly romantic, slightly philosophical, and very, very silly.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: CONQUERED

"Day 31 - A picture of yourself"

So... What now?

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 30

"A picture of someone you miss"

This is Engine. Engine was my family's first dog. We got her in 2001 when our neighbors were moving out and didn't know what to do with her. We took her, and she became instantly beloved by our family. She was two years old then. As evidenced by this picture, she didn't age all that gracefully, becoming overweight and indolent, plagued with joint problems. As she became ever older, her health continued to deteriorate. Eventually, she became completely, helplessly immobile. It was at then, after 10 years, that the family decided to have her euthanized. It happened about a week ago. Alas, I was away at college and I was not able to see her in her final days. Though I know it would break my heart to see her suffer that way, I wish I could have seen her off. Such is life. If you're reading this, I'm sure (or at least I hope) you know what a pet can mean to a person, especially a pet that stays with them for so long as she did. So please don't think me absurd when I wish for the poor creature to rest in peace. I dearly hope that she enjoyed her life, and that she felt all of the love that we gave her. She will be sorely missed.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 29

"A picture that can always make you smile"

This one.

(Yes, I missed yet another day. No, I'm not going to play catch-up, because this is the end and I need to MAKE it COUNT or whatever.)

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 28

"A picture of something you're afraid of"

As fascinating as wild animals may be, I find many of them to be overwhelmingly terrifying. I'm even starting to shiver looking at that ram...

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 27

"A picture of yourself and a family member"

Ha. Hahahaha. Haha. Ha. Ok. This is myself and a family member and Wall-E.

And then John went to bed.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 26

"A picture of something that means a lot to you"

Weird. Several of these picture challenges seem oddly similar. I think I could answer this with any one of about 5 photos I've used already.

Anyways, this means a lot to me:

You know the kind of friend who you can enjoy doing literally anything with? Also, the kind of friend who genuinely shares your full appreciation of something so awesome as hand made Adventure Time hats? And remember that one time you and that friend spent a day at an amusement park on Halloween wearing said hats?

Well, I don't know if you know what I'm talking about, but it means a lot to me.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 25

"A picture of your day."

Today, I made a mask for Mardi Gras.

Pretty.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Days 23 and 24

Another day missed. I don't even know what's going on anymore.

"A picture of your favorite book"

Easy!

Done!

"A picture of something you wish you could change"

For those who don't know, public education in Idaho is quickly heading toward a scary place. I do wish I could change that, and I will do what I can.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Days 21 and 22

I missed another day! THIS ENTIRE BLOG IS FALLING APART!!!

"A picture of something you wish you could forget"

Ok, so it's time to get quasi-philosophical. I don't necessarily wish to forget anything. I think that every event, person, or anything else in my life that has been important enough to remember has played a part in making me the person that I am today. I like being the person I am, and all of those memories are very valuable to me. Even if there was something, wouldn't finding and posting a picture of that thing be denying myself the wish of forgetting? Is that what you're trying to make me do? Lord, don't be such a prick, The 30-Day Photo Challenge.

"A picture of something you wish you were better at"

This is a picture of one of my drawings. I wish I were better at making them.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 20

"A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel"

Germany. Ah, Germany...

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 19

"A picture and a letter"

This is honestly the best idea I could come up with. Thankfully, I found a picture of the most adorable puppy in the universe.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 18

"A picture of your biggest insecurity"

My moustache area. Oh God, it's too dark, isn't it? Gross!!! GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOSS!!!

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 17

"A picture of something that has had a huge impact on your life recently"

This is Arthur Vailas, the president of my university.

He is an idiot. His abominable, supremely unwise decision to suggest the suspension of our faculty senate (which, for the sake of credit where credit is due, wouldn't likely have caused much if it weren't for Idaho's equally abominable State Board of Education) has made a huge impact on everyone who works or studies at Idaho State. With this action, the president has claimed absolute power here, and has proven that the concerns and opinions of the faculty mean very little to him, if anything at all. The implications of this are terrifying. Yet I, many other students, and a large majority of the faculty are doing everything in our power to prove to Vailas that his persuasion that he has support within the school is tremendously false and to make sure that the proper action is taken to set things right at this university.

I have a lot of faith in our power.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Days 15 and 16

Oh no! I missed a day! It's all over!

"A picture of something you want to do before you die"

This is a picture of Arcade Fire's live show. I would like very much to see it. (And would you look at where where I went in April! So, you know, if I die soon, know that I died happily.)

"A picture of someone who inspires you"

Hm. Another tough one. A lot of people inspire me, really. It'd be hard to pick one. But, once again, it's late, so screw pondering. This is John Green.

John Green (and also Hank) has inspired me by regularly reminding us all to always be awesome, founding Nerdfighteria, and writing the finest young adult novels I've ever read.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 14

"A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without"

Hm. That's a tough one. The way I see it, imagining life without any particular person would simply be imagining a different life as a different person, which is hardly impossible. I suppose if it weren't nearly midnight, I could think harder about it. But it's nearly midnight, so I'll go with the easy answer.

I cannot imagine life without God. Now let's get on with it.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 13

"A picture of your favorite band or artist"

This is Sufjan Stevens:

If you've never heard any of his music before, you so should.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 12

"A picture of something you love"

Music. Of course.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 11

"A picture of something you hate"

Pictured: Bigotry, lies, and the power they possess.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 10

"A picture of the person you do the most derped up things with"

Oh man. Remember that one time when we went to Disneyland and we took a picture with that pissed off lady in her truck?

And then we went to that animation attraction and made those cartoon characters say absurd/obscene things?

And then there were those three times we rapped to Run-DMC at that karaoke party?

In the FUTURE!?!?!? (No, I'm not in this picture, but I did spit fire with that one in the red shirt.)

And that one time we went to the library and you started playing around in the kids section?

Or all of those other pictures of all of those other times when we did all of those other things?

Man. Good times.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 9

"A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most"

So you want another picture of my family? You got it.

Now with 175% more squint!

There's also God, but people don't really take pictures of him. He's a rather elusive figure. I find this artwork sufficient, though:

"Get on with it!"

Oh, yeah, that's right. I have homework to be doing. What would I do without you, God?

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 8

"A picture that makes you laugh"

...How about a gallery? (Incidentally, most are animal related.)

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 7

"A picture of your most treasured item"

90-95% of my communication, my entertainment, my schoolwork, my life, is here. If it got lost or destroyed, I would sob uncontrollably. If it got stolen, I would most definitely have to cut somebody. But it runs on Vista, so I guess I don't have to worry about that.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 6

"A picture of a person you would like to trade places with for a day"

Karen O. Because she is an effing rock star, and I could use some practice.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 5

"A picture of your favorite memory"

This is a picture taken at sunset of the Giant Dipper at Belmont Park in San Diego. Before it lies the beach of Mission Bay. All of these combined create the most splendid, gorgeous, and vivid memory I could possibly summon.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 4

"A picture of your night"

I did more exciting things last night. They involved massive amounts of pizza. Yet, as the night wound down, I found myself doing this. Naturally.

Then my internet connection disappeared and I couldn't post anything until this morning. It made me very upset. But it's all ok now.

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 3

"A picture of the cast from your favorite show"

From my favorite show of all time:

From my favorite show currently on air:

And, for good measure, the cast from my very-near-favorite show which is also the sexiest cast on television:

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 2

"A picture of you and the person you have been closest to the longest"

This is a picture of me and my family. I can't say that I've always been closest to just one of them, because then they would all get pissed and call me a liar. And they'd be absolutely correct.

Isn't every day Valentine's Day?

I mean, I'm always trying to find opportunities to express my love for others. And I'm always finding myself consuming mass amounts of chocolate and candy. And I certainly don't need any excuse to be all cutesy with my sweetheart, even in public. Valentine's Day doesn't seem all that special.

Then again, it's the only valid excuse I have to make something so adorable as this:

So there's that. Happy Valentine's day, everyone!

(This was made from patterns from the amazing Planet June and the also pretty great this.)

The 30-Day Photo Challenge: Day 1

"A picture of yourself with ten facts."

1. School is consuming my life.

2. I have not posted anything to this blog in a while, and that makes me sad.

3. The reason I am doing this challenge is because I want to do something with this blog that is fun, creative in some way, and won't take too much of my time.

4. Sucre is the capital of Bolivia.

5. Not much has happened in my life since I blogged last, and, more importantly, I haven't created much of anything. Though I do have a boyfriend now. But I don't talk about those things on Blogspot. But it is pretty cool.

6. Sucre is also the Spanish word for sugar.
7. Aside from school, I've started playing Portal, which has also consumed a considerable amount of my life.
8. I just baked two loaves of sourdough bread. They are delicious.
9. I will always misspell ukulele as "ukelele." Some words just suck.
10. I am very hungry right now, I and will eventually proceed to make myself dinner.

And a Happy New Year!

*blows imaginary noise maker*

Woo! I would use this post to share my list of resolutions, but I don't make them. Once upon a New Year's Day, I was on PostSecret when I was struck by one particular post card. It read: "Stop making resolutions. Just change." That's basically my outlook on the New Year: continue to live, learn, and grow, just like every year of my wonderful, charmed life. Also, every time I try to make a list of resolutions, it becomes more like a to-do list: lose more weight, do more yoga, run more, read these books, listen to those albums, finish that blanket, so on. Pointless! So, instead of a list of resolutions, I'm going to use this post to share a list of some of the things that I learned in 2010.