Cool website

I need to get back to work, but I thought I'd share this with you first. This website has become absolutely addicting: www.electoral-vote.com. 

It takes all the polls in the US right now and adds them up to see what the results of the election would be if it were today. He's been doing it for awhile now and I'm absolutely shocked to find out that Indiana is a swing state in this election! Of course, right when I move, my vote would have counted. It doesn't really count in CA as we are absolutely gonna go Barack. But Indiana ALWAYS votes Republican. 

In previous years, including 2004, candidates never even bothered to stop by the state. It was a given that Indiana would vote Republican. Barack keeps going to Indiana and now I see on this site it's weak Dem. I'm SHOCKED!

Oi Vey and L.A.

Soooooo... This week and last weekend I've been totally and utterly devoted to finishing my dress for my sewing class. I'm making the one above, Vogue 8280. Let me tell you, this puppy is NOT easy, as it states. I mean, I have some sewing knowledge, otherwise why would I be in an advanced class, but I ran into some serious snafus. For one, I wanted to line the bottom half. Um, yeah, tried that and failed oh so miserably. That set me back a lot. 

I altered the pattern a bit to make it wider around the hips and I must have forgotten to do something because the bottom half totally does not match the top half. It really doesn't bug ME all that much, but somehow the fit is all weird and I'm just hoping a LOT that my teacher can help me tonight... *sigh*

I've been spending all my time on this thing trying to make it look all nice. I got confused and forgot to make my seams French seams so I guess I'll be doing a mock French by hand on the way to LA next weekend. Along with the hem and zipper by hand, too. Why by hand? Well, it's easier than taking my sewing machine in the car for something to do for the 5-6 hour drive. I'll be gone all weekend and won't have time to work on my dress at home, which is due Tuesday along with a sample I won't have time to make!

ACK! And I wanted to have a handbag made before I went... So I could show it off... argh... Of course, I did finish two sweaters in the last couple of weeks, so I'll be posting those soon (once they really are done) as well as the pics of my parents' visit. If you don't hear from me for awhile, I'm just trying to get it all done. And, next week is Fresh Faces in Fashion!!!!! YAY!!!! Stay tuned for that!

Improv!

I am taking an improv class in Palo Alto with a guy named Terry Sandke and it is more fun than I've had in a long time. And equally as fun as designing and creating clothing!

Every flipping person in that class is super nice and super fun. We've only had 3 sessions and yet I feel like we all get along really well. But it's just hard to manage the relationships. Inevitably, in a situation like that, you will find yourself bonding to everyone, but 2 or 3 people really well and fast... and sometimes the bonding happens so quickly you aren't sure what to do with it...

That is definitely happening to me. I looked with fondness upon one or two people at first who I haven't spent enough time with because they are a bit quiet or get overshadowed by the other boisterous people who are like me. Then there is one I found intimidating because of his extreme wittiness that is now seeming more normal.

Then there's always the few who you get along with so well you almost don't know what to do with it. Inside the classroom, barriers are broken down and people are over-familiar with each other. In the class it's okay to be close and joking, but what happens outside the class? All that high and emotion from laughing and being with fun people in a fun situation--does it go away? I don't want it to. But maintaining that over-familiarity outside of class is a social taboo, especially in the Bay Area. And gender differences make it even more complicated. I feel like outside of that situation no one can understand how fun it is inside and trying to adjust that situation to fit the outside world is too hard. How can I merge the two? Will I ever be able to live in the outside world again--really?

I don't believe I've felt this much emotion since I was in my college acting class... but that was college and over-familiarity outside the classroom was okay. This is grown-ups with jobs and lives... and it's oh so complicated...